SBIR-STTR Award

Currently, many flight simulators are based on projection screens arranged in a generally hemispherical globe or faceted surface around the simulated cockpit. Typically, a series of separate projectors are aligned such that the video panels or projections overlap to give the illusion of a continuous image. Most of these systems do not offer 20/20 visual experience, as the total number of pixels required to do so is enormous. As a result, resolutions on the order of 20/60 to 20/80 are common in current simulators. OASYS is proposing a modular approach to realizing an immersive foveal-tracked helmet-mounted display (FT-HMD). The technical approach starts with a single ocular eyepiece channel which includes two image sources, with one WFOV image source for peripheral viewing, and a second, narrower FOV video source for the high resolution insert FOV. The optical channel also includes a means of translating the Insert FOV across the larger, lower resolution Wide Channel FOV by means of a beam steering device such as a Fast Steering Mirror (FSM). Direction of the insert image motion is governed by data from an eye tracker which is also coupled into the optical system.

Keywords:
Foveal Tracking, Head-Mounted Display, High Resolution Display

This research program is concerned with the design and fabrication of a novel head-mounted display system which utilizes foveal imaging techniques in order to provide eye limited resolution within a very wide, immersive field of vision. The application includes a “smart” allocation of high resolution imagery which is tracked to the user’s gaze point. This creates a system which is very efficient in terms of bandwidth and pixel density. The system fits within a lightweight and head-mountable package, thereby addressing the shortcomings of the existing state of the art. The approach involves an advanced electro-optical system which is modular, thereby allowing a variety of configurations which can be tailored to the user’s needs in terms of field of view, resolution, size, and weight

Keywords:
Display, Head-Mounted, Optics, Eyepiece, Flat Panel, Flight Simulator, Foveal