Abstract: An eyecup assembly includes an electronic display element of a head-mounted display (HMD), a transparent plastic frame, an eyecup of the HMD, and a coupling interface. The plastic frame is laminated to the electronic display element and includes a center portion and a peripheral portion. The center portion includes an optical component and the peripheral portion including at least two protruding alignment structures. The eyecup includes alignment structures coupled to the at least two protruding alignment structures on the frame. The coupling interface interfaces with an alignment system. The alignment system is configured to align the eyecup assembly to the electronic display by adjusting a position of the electronic display relative to the eyecup so that a test image displayed by the electronic display after transmission through the optical component in the frame and an aperture of the eyecup is within a threshold value of a reference image.

Abstract: A method for detecting a user's hand gestures with a handheld controller. The method includes monitoring a first sensor and a second sensor. Each sensor is capable of sensing the presence of the user's thumb. The method further includes sensing the presence of the thumb on the first sensor and then sensing when the thumb is no longer present on the first sensor. A time period is monitored beginning when the thumb is no longer present on the first sensor and ending when the presence of the thumb is sensed on one of the first sensor and the second sensor. Once the time period exceeds a threshold time value, a thumbs-up gesture is registered.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) is configured for use in a head mounted display (HMD) to increase the brightness and improve power consumption of the LCD by recycling light. The LCD includes a color filter (CF) substrate, a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate, and a backlight unit (BLU). The CF substrate is closer to the BLU than the TFT substrate. The CF substrate includes a first reflective layer in regions of the CF substrate between pixels to reflect light back towards the BLU to be recycled to increase the brightness of the LCD. The TFT substrate includes TFTs to drive the pixels and a second reflective layer covering TFTs to reflect light away from the TFTs.

Abstract: A facial-interface system for a head-mounted display may include a facial interface and a facial-interlace adjustment apparatus. The facial-interface adjustment apparatus may include (1) an extending member that includes a mounting portion that is coupled to the facial interface and that defines an adjustment groove, and (2) an adjustment lever that includes an adjustment protrusion that protrudes into the adjustment groove. The adjustment lever may be rotatable about a pivot to move the adjustment protrusion along the adjustment groove. The extending member may be movable between a contracted holding position and an extended holding position by the adjustment protrusion as the adjustment protrusion moves along the adjustment groove. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An electronic display comprises a backlight unit and a liquid crystal (LC) layer, where the backlight combines and directs light from a plurality of light sources towards the LC layer, which controls an amount of light to be displayed. The LC layer is controlled by a plurality of thin-film transistors (TFT) disposed on a TFT layer. To prevent light from the backlight from being absorbed by the TFTs, a dielectric mirror is disposed between the transistors and the backlight unit to reflect light from the backlight unit that is projectors towards the transistors back towards the backlight unit. Hence, light can be recycled and travel through an aperture between the dielectric mirrors, thereby improving luminance.

Abstract: A headset (e.g., VR headset or AR headset) displays a three-dimensional (3D) virtual scene and includes a distance element to dynamically adjust a distance between an optics block and an electronic display included in the headset based on a location in the virtual scene where the user is looking. The headset tracks the user's eyes to approximate gaze lines and determines a plane of focus for a frame of the virtual scene as the intersection of the gaze lines. The distance element adjusts a distance between an optics block and an electronic display so that the optics block is focused at the plane of focus, which keeps the user's eyes in a zone of comfort as vergence and accommodation change.

Abstract: A position tracking system includes an array of detection pixels coupled to a head-mounted display (HMD) configured to capture light signals reflected from an environment surrounding the HMD. The position tracking system maintains, in a database, signal data related to a plurality of positions of the HMD. The position tracking system determines signal data related to a position of the HMD, based on the light signals captured during a time instant of the position of the HMD. The position tracking system matches the determined signal data to the maintained signal data, determines a present position of the HMD based on the matching, updates position data of the HMD with the determined position, and provides the updated position data of the HMD.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for tracking a user's eye using structured light. The structured light system is calibrated by training a model of surface of the user's eye. A structured light emitter projects a structured light pattern (e.g., infrared structured light) onto a portion of the surface of the eye. From the viewpoint of a camera, the illumination pattern appears distorted. Based on the distortion of the illumination pattern in the captured image, the eye tracking system can determine the shape of the portion of the user's eye that the structured light is incident upon. By comparing the determined shape of the portion of the user's eye to the model, the orientation of the eye may be determined. The eye tracking system or elements thereof may be part of a head-mounted display, e.g., as part of a virtual reality system.

Abstract: A head-mounted display assembly with a headphone retention mechanism. The head-mounted display assembly includes a display housing, a headphone assembly, a headphone storage region located on the body of the display housing, and a headphone retention mechanism at the headphone storage region. The headphone retention mechanism includes a magnetic element configured to produce a magnetic field that releasably retains the headphone assembly against the headphone storage region when a user positions the headphone assembly in the vicinity of the headphone storage region.

Abstract: Technology is provided for a tracking constellation assembly for use in a virtual reality system. The tracking constellation assembly includes a translucent panel having an outward facing surface, and an inward facing surface and a mounting surface each opposite the outward facing surface. The translucent panel is substantially opaque to visible light and translucent to infrared light. The assembly includes a flexible circuit board including first and second opposed surfaces. A spacer interconnects the first surface of the flexible circuit board and the mounting surface of the translucent panel. Infrared light emitting diodes are connected to the flexible circuit board and positioned to direct light through the translucent panel.

Abstract: An optical evaluation workstation evaluates quality metrics (e.g., sharpness, blemishes) of eyecup assemblies of a head mounted display (HMD). The workstation includes an eyecup assembly feeder, a camera, and a control module. The eyecup assembly feeder is configured to receive an eyecup assembly of a HMD, the eyecup assembly comprising an optics block rigidly fixed at a first distance to an electronic display panel. The camera is configured to capture one or more images of the one or more test patterns presented by the electronic display panel through the optics block. The control module is configured to modify at least one image of the one or more images using a transform, and determine a quality metric for the modified at least one image.

Abstract: A depth camera assembly (DCA) determines distances between the DCA and objects in a local area within a field of view of the DCA. The DCA includes an illumination source that projects a known spatial pattern modulated with a temporal carrier signal into the local area. An imaging device capture the modulated pattern projected into the local area. The imaging device includes a detector that comprises different pixel groups that are each activated to captured light at different times. Hence, different pixel groups capture different phases of the temporally modulated pattern from the local area. The DCA determines times for light from the illumination source to be reflected and captured by the imaging device from the phases captured by the different pixel groups and also determines distances between the DCA and objects in the local area based on deformation of the spatial pattern captured by the imaging device.

Abstract: An actuator configured to provide haptic feedback to a user. The actuator is located on a plate and is configured to apply various excitations to the plate to generate a mechanical wave propagating in the controlled direction. The excitations can be a translational motion of the actuator (or a portion of the actuator) in two or three perpendicular axes. Alternatively, the excitations can be a non-translational motion (e.g., rotation about an axis) of the actuator (or a portion of the actuator). By generating the mechanical wave traveling in the controlled direction, loss of energy due to scattering of the mechanical wave can be obviated.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) divides an image into a high resolution (HR) inset portion at a first resolution, a peripheral portion, and a transitional portion. The peripheral portion is downsampled to a second resolution that is less than the first resolution. The transitional portion is blended such that there is a smooth change in resolution that corresponds to a change in resolution between a fovea region and a non-fovea region of a retina. An inset region is generated using the HR inset portion and the blended transitional portion, and a background region is generated using the downsampled peripheral portion. The inset region is provided to a HR inset display, and the background region is provided to a peripheral display. An optics block combines the displayed inset region with the displayed background region to generate composite content.

Abstract: A holographic display (“display”) for a head-mounted display (“HMD”). The display includes a source configured to emit at least partially coherent light and a beam conditioner that conditions the light from the source into one or more beams of light. The display also includes one or more spatial light modulators configured to encode the one or more beams of light using a hologram of a virtual reality image. The display further includes an objective lens and a conversion lens. The objective lens is positioned to create an intermediate image at a Fourier plane, and the intermediate image is a Fourier transform of the hologram. The conversion lens performs a Fourier transform of the intermediate image to generate an output hologram. The conversion lens also magnifies a portion of the output hologram and directs the magnified portion of the output hologram to an exit pupil of the HMD.

Abstract: A head mounted display (HMD) in a VR system includes sensors for tracking the eyes and face of a user wearing the HMD. The VR system records calibration attributes such as landmarks of the face of the user. Light sources illuminate portions of the user's face covered by the HMD. In conjunction, facial sensors capture facial data. The VR system analyzes the facial data to determine the orientation of planar sections of the illuminated portions of face. The VR system aggregates planar sections of the face and maps the planar sections to landmarks of the face to generate a facial animation of the user, which can also include eye orientation information. The facial animation is represented as a virtual avatar and presented to the user.