Patents by Inventor Stuart James Myron NICHOLSON
Stuart James Myron NICHOLSON has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11960094Abstract: A wearable heads-up display includes a power source, laser sources, and a lightguide. A photodetector is positioned to detect an intensity of a test light emitted at a perimeter of the lightguide from an optical path within the lightguide. A laser safety circuit provides a control to reduce or shut off a supply of electrical power from the power source to the laser sources in response to an output signal from the photodetector indicating that the detected intensity is below a threshold.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2023Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Timothy Paul Bodiya
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Patent number: 11942989Abstract: There is provided a method including receiving an incoming ID at a first wearable heads-up display (WHUD), which incoming ID is associated with a communicant device. The method also includes sending match data from the first WHUD to a match engine. The match data includes a first WHUD ID and the incoming ID. Moreover, the method includes receiving a match indicator at the first WHUD from the match engine. The match indicator is to indicate a match event between the first WHUD and the communicant device based on the match data. Furthermore, the method includes effecting communication between the first WHUD and the communicant device comprising at least one of sending a message from the first WHUD to the communicant device and receiving at the first WHUD a corresponding message from the communicant device. The first WHUD, and a method of operating the match engine are also described.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2021Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Ido Raveh, Stuart James Myron Nicholson
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Patent number: 11921292Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion in wearable heads-up displays (“WHUDs”) are described. The WHUDs described herein each include a projector and an optical waveguide positioned in an optical path between the projector and an eye of the user. For any given light signal from the projector, the optical waveguide receives the light signal at an input coupler and outputs multiple instances or copies of the light signal from multiple discrete, spatially-separated output couplers. The multiple instances or copies of the light signal may be converged by the optical waveguide directly to respective exit pupils at the user's eye or may be routed by the optical waveguide to a holographic combiner in the user's field of view from which the light signals may be converged to respective exit pupils at the user's eye. The optical waveguide employs exit pupil replication to expand the eyebox of the WHUD.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2021Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Timothy Paul Bodiya, Stefan Alexander
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Publication number: 20240073547Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for generating a color image by computationally combining chromatically undersampled and shifted information present in multiple component image frames captured via a sparse color filter array that includes a minority of wavelength-filtered picture elements and a remaining majority of panchromatic picture elements. A burst capture is initiated of multiple image frames via a color filter array comprising a plurality of subunits, each subunit including a minority of one or more wavelength-filtered adjacent pixels and a majority of remaining panchromatic pixels. Each of the multiple image frames is processed to generate a resulting color image.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2021Publication date: February 29, 2024Inventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Steven Benjamin Goldberg, Timothy Paul Bodiya
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Publication number: 20240064362Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can comprise instructions stored thereon. When executed by at least one processor, the instructions can be configured to cause a mobile computing device to receive, from a companion device, multiple files, each of the multiple files including at least media content, a trigger condition, and an action to be performed upon satisfaction of the trigger condition. The action included in at least one of the files can include playing media content from another one of the multiple files. The instructions can be further configured to cause the mobile computing device to play the media content included in at least one of the multiple files, receive at least one additional file from the companion device, erase at least one of the multiple files, and play media content included in the at least one additional file.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2021Publication date: February 22, 2024Inventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Steven Benjamin Goldberg
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Publication number: 20240012245Abstract: A head wearable apparatus, such as a pair of smart glasses are configured to track a gaze direction of a person for various applications. To support the tracking, the head wearable apparatus is configured with a lens assembly including at least one lens module (e.g., a lens or a lenslet array) operably coupled to the head wearable apparatus and a camera assembly including a camera sensor operably coupled to the head wearable apparatus. The head wearable apparatus is also configured with a camera assembly operably coupled to an anterior surface of a flexure of the head wearable apparatus (e.g., proximate to the front of the smart glasses frames) to minimize a size (e.g., to be as small as possible) of an aperture housing the camera assembly. The flexure is configured to be adjacent to the lens assembly operably coupled to the head wearable apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2020Publication date: January 11, 2024Inventors: Daniel Adema, Stuart James Myron Nicholson
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Publication number: 20230421736Abstract: Systems, devices, and techniques are provided for reducing graphical bandwidth in a projection display system by modifying a modulation frequency used to display one or more portions of content based on an identified content type of such portions. Content is received for display, and types of content associated with one or more portions of the received content are identified. For each respective portion of content, an effective resolution is selected for displaying the respective portion based on the identified content type for the respective portion, and one or more light beams directed to a respective display area of a projection surface are modulated at a respective emitter modulation frequency that corresponds to the selected effective resolution for the respective portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2020Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventor: Stuart James Myron Nicholson
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Publication number: 20230400679Abstract: Systems, devices, and techniques are provided for displaying graphical content by modulating an intensity of one or more emitted light beams while redirecting those emitted light beams along a scan path that includes multiple locations of a projection surface Timing information that specifies timing values associated with each of multiple locations on a projection surface of an optical element is received or generated. One or more light beams that each have a respective intensity are emitted, and redirected along a scan path that includes at least some of the multiple locations. During the redirection of the one or more emitted light beams, the respective intensity of each of the one or more emitted light beams is modulated in accordance with the timing information to display one or more pixels of an image at each of the at least some multiple locations.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2020Publication date: December 14, 2023Inventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Jerrold Richard Randell
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Patent number: 11789274Abstract: There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display (WHUD). The WHUD may include a light source, a spatial modulator, and a display optic. The method may include generating, by the light source, an output light to form an image viewable by a user of the WHUD. The method may also include receiving a position of a pupil of the user relative to an eyebox of the WHUD, and obtaining an image correction map based on the position of the pupil. Moreover, the method may include adjusting the output light to form an adjusted output light. The adjusted output light may be adjusted based on the image correction map to reduce at least one of an intensity non-uniformity and a color balance non-uniformity of the image. The method may also include directing, by the display optic, the adjusted output light into a field of view of the user.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2022Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Timothy Paul Bodiya, Shreyas Potnis, Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Bergen Fletcher
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Patent number: 11756510Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for generating, processing, assembling, and/or formatting data for display are described. Example display controllers are described in which image data is stored in a framebuffer, and a compositor selectively retrieves portions of the image data. At least one P-operator produces lines of intermediate P-operated data by performing at least one intra-line operation on the image data retrieved by the compositor, such as repeating or reordering pixels of the image data. A Q-operator produces a stream of pixel data by performing inter-line operations on the intermediate P-operated data, such as interpolating between lines of the P-operated data. A display is driven according to the stream of pixel data.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2021Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Isaac James Deroche, Jerrold Richard Randell, Lai Pong Wong, Chris Brown
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Publication number: 20230224476Abstract: A method including generating at least one of a key frame and an inter-predicted frame based on a received video stream including at least one video frame, the inter-predicted frame being generated using information from the key frame, determining whether the key frame is stored at a receiving device, selecting video data as one of the key frame or a key frame identifier representing the key frame based on whether the key frame is stored at the receiving device, and communicating at least one of the video data and the inter-predicted frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 9, 2021Publication date: July 13, 2023Inventors: Jerrold Richard Randell, Stuart James Myron Nicholson
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Publication number: 20230215304Abstract: A display system varies a size of a field of view area of a display for augmented reality (AR) applications based on at least one of ambient light in the environment and content displayed at the display and varying a brightness level of the field of view area such that the brightness level within the field of view area is inversely proportional to the field of view area. Based on an amount of ambient light detected in the environment of the display system, the display system adjusts the size of the area of the field of view of the display in inverse proportion to the amount of detected ambient light. As the size of the field of view area decreases, the display system increases the brightness level of the display within the field of view such that the brightness level is approximately inversely proportional to the field of view area.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2020Publication date: July 6, 2023Inventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Timothy Paul Bodiya, Daniel Adema, Shreyas Potnis
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Publication number: 20230152593Abstract: A wearable heads-up display includes a power source, laser sources, and a lightguide. A photodetector is positioned to detect an intensity of a test light emitted at a perimeter of the lightguide from an optical path within the lightguide. A laser safety circuit provides a control to reduce or shut off a supply of electrical power from the power source to the laser sources in response to an output signal from the photodetector indicating that the detected intensity is below a threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2023Publication date: May 18, 2023Inventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Timothy Paul Bodiya
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Patent number: 11647168Abstract: There is provided a method including obtaining an initial spatial coordinate of a pixel of an image to be projected. The method may also include generating a pre-warped spatial coordinate associated with the initial spatial coordinate. The pre-warped spatial coordinate may be calculated as a sum of a value of a warp path function at the initial spatial coordinate and a delta. Moreover, the method may include outputting the pre-warped spatial coordinate.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2021Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Isaac James Deroche, Lai Pong Wong, Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Jerrold Richard Randell, Dustin Griesdorf
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Publication number: 20230113160Abstract: A laser display system 100 is configured to increase the dynamic range of a laser diode by modulating an operating current applied to the laser diode based on a desired sequence of brightness levels and a temperature of the laser diode. In some embodiments, a measuring circuit measures a voltage of the laser diode at a given current, which indirectly indicates the temperature of the laser diode, thus obviating the need for a direct measurement of temperature. In addition, in some embodiments, the measuring circuit identifies a threshold current of the laser diode based on a range of current values at which values of the current multiplied by the derivative of the voltage against the current vary relatively rapidly. By compensating for temperature effects and identifying the threshold current, a driver of the laser diode more precisely controls light output of the laser diode across an increased dynamic range.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2021Publication date: April 13, 2023Inventors: Aurelien Jean Francois David, Bergen Albert Fletcher, Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Patrick F. Brinkley
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Patent number: 11561400Abstract: A wearable heads-up display includes a power source, laser sources, and a lightguide. A photodetector is positioned to detect an intensity of a test light emitted at a perimeter of the lightguide from an optical path within the lightguide. A laser safety circuit provides a control to reduce or shut off a supply of electrical power from the power source to the laser sources in response to an output signal from the photodetector indicating that the detected intensity is below a threshold.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2020Date of Patent: January 24, 2023Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Timothy Paul Bodiya
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Patent number: 11558589Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for driving projectors are described. The actual area projected over by a laser projector for a given pixel may not exactly match a desired projection area for the pixel, especially at edge regions of an image. In the present systems, devices, and methods, projection data is provided for at least one image to be projected by a laser projector. The projection data can include sets of alternative data sections at edge regions of the at least one image, effectively increasing resolution for the edge regions of the image. Depending on a projection pattern being used by a laser projector at a given time, select alternative data sections can be projected which closely match the actual area covered by the projection pattern, improving image quality.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2020Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Isaac James Deroche, Jerrold Richard Randell
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Publication number: 20220375374Abstract: A controller bypasses processing raw image data captured by an image sensor at a wearable device and selects among modes of operation, to direct the raw image data to a light engine, to a transmitter, and/or to a computer vision engine. The light engine outputs display light based on the raw image data, the transmitter transmits the raw image data external to the wearable device, and the computer vision engine analyzes the raw image data to identify at least one feature represented in the raw image data and outputs computer vision data. The modes of operation selected by the controller reduce or eliminate intensive image signal processing operations performed by the wearable device on the raw image data.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2021Publication date: November 24, 2022Inventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Nils Johan Fransson, Cecilia Ka Vai Mok, David James Mak-Fan
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Patent number: 11487125Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods provide for the prevention of laser light escaping a foldable wearable heads-up display (WHUD) when the WHUD is folded. For a WHUD that adopts the form factor of conventional eyeglasses or sunglasses, enabling the WHUD to fold “like glasses” can cause an interruption in the optical path of display light and enable display light to escape into the external environment. This can be hazardous when laser light is used to provide display light. Systems, devices, and methods that automatically detect, sense, and/or respond to the fold configuration state of a WHUD are described. When the WHUD is unfolded a laser-based display operates normally. When the WHUD is folded the laser-based display is disabled to prevent laser light from projecting out of the WHUD through the folded region. Proximity sensors and laser light containing mechanisms also may be employed as alternative or supplementary safety elements.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2021Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Andrew S. Logan
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Publication number: 20220342221Abstract: There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display (WHUD). The WHUD may include a light source, a spatial modulator, and a display optic. The method may include generating, by the light source, an output light to form an image viewable by a user of the WHUD. The method may also include receiving a position of a pupil of the user relative to an eyebox of the WHUD, and obtaining an image correction map based on the position of the pupil. Moreover, the method may include adjusting the output light to form an adjusted output light. The adjusted output light may be adjusted based on the image correction map to reduce at least one of an intensity non-uniformity and a color balance non-uniformity of the image. The method may also include directing, by the display optic, the adjusted output light into a field of view of the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2022Publication date: October 27, 2022Inventors: Timothy Paul Bodiya, Shreyas Potnis, Stuart James Myron Nicholson, Bergen Fletcher