Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Jeffrey E Crow

Bobby D Foote

Daniel J Henry

Andrew Jarrett

Brock A Macknick

A low-profile eye-tracking system for an off-visor helmet-mounted display (HMD) includes annular illuminators clipped to, and aligned with, the terminal component (e.g., the emitter or combiner) of the HMD optical chain. The illuminators include visible-light or IR light sources mounted around the circumference of the illuminator for bouncing light off the visor's inner surface and into the pilot's left or right eye (the HMD may include separate eye-tracking systems for each eye). Image sensors are positioned to sequentially capture images of the illuminated eyes reflected off the visor surface. HMD onboard electronics analyze the captured image sequence to determine the azimuth and elevation of the pilot's eye relative to the centerline of the HMD optics.

Low profile helmet mounted display (HMD) eye tracker

A dynamically tinted display visor (DTDV) is disclosed. In embodiments, the DTDV includes a visor surface having an untinted or substantially transparent setting and a tinted or substantially opaque setting. The visor surface is fixed to a helmet worn by an operator (e.g., a pilot or co-pilot), the helmet further including a head tracking system for monitoring the head pose (e.g., head position and orientation) of the operator. Helmet-mounted cameras include auto-gain sensors capable of assessing ambient light levels consistent with the head pose of the operator. The DTDV includes a tint processor for adjusting the tint setting of the visor surface based on an assessment of the head pose data and sensed ambient light levels, automatically detinting or darkening the visor as conditions demand or manually detinting/darkening at the operator's command.

Dynamically tinted display visor

A system includes an objective lens, a viewing device, a control circuit, a first filter assembly, a light amplification assembly, and a second filter assembly. The control circuit is configured to transmit control signals for controlling a wavelength range of light filtered by a filter assembly. The first filter assembly is optically coupled to the objective lens, and is configured to receive light via the objective lens and filter the light into a first filtered light of a first wavelength range based on a first control signal received from the control circuit. The light amplification assembly is optically coupled to the first filter assembly, and is configured to receive the first filtered light and amplify the first filtered light into amplified light. The second filter assembly is optically coupled to the light amplification assembly and to the viewing device, and is configured to receive the amplified light, filter the amplified light into second filtered light of a second wavelength range based on a second control signal received from the control circuit, the second wavelength range corresponding to the first wavelength range, and output the second filtered light to the viewing device.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Jeffrey E Crow