[sci.electronics] HeadsUp Display

bobm@anasaz.UUCP (Bob Maccione) (08/22/90)

speaking of removing the backing on LCDs and projecting light through
them. Has anybody tried to make a heads up display that way? Something
that could be fitted to a helmet or added to glasses. 

Also has anybody seen sources or built a helmet camera? I'd like to 
attach some type of color camera ( with the tape mounted remotly )
to my windsurfing/motorcycle helmet and make videos. Any suggestions?

thanks
bob

maj@hpfinote.HP.COM (Mike Jassowski) (08/25/90)

speaking of removing the backing on LCDs and projecting light through
them. Has anybody tried to make a heads up display that way? Something
that could be fitted to a helmet or added to glasses. 
----------

 Heads up displays are useful because they are virtual images focused
at infinity.  You don't have to refocus your eyes when you look from a
distant object to the display, and can therefore read the information
faster.  Having a LCD a few inches from your face will be difficult to
even focus on, much less focus quickly.

--Mike

cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Gordon Hlavenka) (08/29/90)

>speaking of removing the backing on LCDs and projecting light through
>them. Has anybody tried to make a heads up display that way? Something
>that could be fitted to a helmet or added to glasses. 

This probably wouldn't work well, as you'd have to shift your focus between
the display and the world.  Try reading something two inches in front of
you...  True heads-up displays have their focus at infinity, so they are
easily readable.

-----------------------------------------------------
Gordon S. Hlavenka            cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us

fmgst@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Filip Gieszczykiewicz) (08/29/90)

`>speaking of removing the backing on LCDs and projecting light through
`>them. Has anybody tried to make a heads up display that way? Something
`>that could be fitted to a helmet or added to glasses. 
`
`This probably wouldn't work well, as you'd have to shift your focus between
`the display and the world.  Try reading something two inches in front of
`you...  True heads-up displays have their focus at infinity, so they are
`easily readable.

	Greetings. And how does the "focus at infinity" work?
	I presume you would need lenses - acrylic as to not
	have 40 lbs on you head? 

	Hey, you might as well explain - I already took the
	LCD out of the TV. Now what?       ;-)
`
`-----------------------------------------------------
`Gordon S. Hlavenka            cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us

	Take care.

-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
"The Force will be with you, always." It _is_ with me and has been for 10 years
Filip Gieszczykiewicz    "A man without a dream is like a fish without water."
FMGST@PITTVMS  or  fmgst@unix.cis.pitt.edu "My ideas. ALL MINE!!"

mwtilden@watmath.waterloo.edu (M.W.Tilden, Hardware) (08/29/90)

In article <26da9f56-37c.5sci.electronics-1@vpnet.chi.il.us> cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Gordon Hlavenka) writes:
>
>>speaking of removing the backing on LCDs and projecting light through
>>them. Has anybody tried to make a heads up display that way? Something
>>that could be fitted to a helmet or added to glasses. 
>
>This probably wouldn't work well, as you'd have to shift your focus between
>the display and the world.  Try reading something two inches in front of
>you...  True heads-up displays have their focus at infinity, so they are
>easily readable.

To use LCDs as a heads-up, it's better to mount the displays
somewhere about the ears and project them into the eyes by a partially
reflective window.  This avoids the problem of excessive weight and
balance distribution.  A lens assembly still must be added to change
depth perception, but it can be significantly simpler and helmet mounted.  
Having the units around the ears also centralizes all connection 
electronics thus reducing fatigue problems in the circuitry (a 
major problem in any body-mounted electronics).  As an added feature,
you would want the reflection/view planes LCD polarizable so you could
'cut off' the outside world as easy as you adjust the contrast on your
LCD image.  This will allow you to balance the intensity of both
real and virtual images dynamically.

Is all.


-- 
Mark Tilden: _-_-_-__--__--_      /(glitch!)  M.F.C.F Hardware Design Lab.
-_-___       |              \  /\/            U of Waterloo. Ont. Can, N2L-3G1
     |__-_-_-|               \/               (519) - 885 - 1211 ext.2454,
"MY OPINIONS, YOU HEAR!? MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

greg@bluemtn.uucp (Greg Richter (2XS)) (08/30/90)

>
>	Greetings. And how does the "focus at infinity" work?
>	I presume you would need lenses - acrylic as to not
>	have 40 lbs on you head? 

Gordo - 

You have to put a lens or so in front of it, typically a cylindrical lens.
The LCD is going to be a little dim, and the resolution sucks.  Try a crt
display projected on a visor ala Honeywell, or the Private Eye from Refelct
Tech.  CRT works, is easy and can be done cheap.  The Private Eye resolution
is not that great, but it is usable for a HUD.  I fly with one.

- Greg


-- 
A fly can't bird but a bird can fly -    | 
Ask me a question and I reply,           | 
Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie!    | Greg Richter
                                         | {emory,gatech}!bluemtn!greg

maj@hpfinote.HP.COM (Mike Jassowski) (08/31/90)

	Greetings. And how does the "focus at infinity" work?
	I presume you would need lenses - acrylic as to not
	have 40 lbs on you head? 
----------
I imagine you are asking how a heads up display focuses at
infinity without a bunch of lenses?  I had a holography class which
discussed this many years ago.  They used a projector with a
holographic lens to project the images onto the cockpit windshield
with an apparent focus of infinity.  I'd imagine that there is some
pretty good literature on this available for more detail on
specifications for the holographic lens.
-- Mike Jassowski

heskett@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Donald Heskett) (09/17/90)

In article <15880016@hpfinote.HP.COM> maj@hpfinote.HP.COM (Mike Jassowski) writes:

>   speaking of removing the backing on LCDs and projecting light through
>   them. Has anybody tried to make a heads up display that way? Something
>   that could be fitted to a helmet or added to glasses. 
   ----------

>>  Heads up displays are useful because they are virtual images focused
>> at infinity.  You don't have to refocus your eyes when you look from a
>> distant object to the display, and can therefore read the information
>> faster.  Having a LCD a few inches from your face will be difficult to
>> even focus on, much less focus quickly.

   Putting the proper optics, properly focused, between the eyes and
   LCD screen would allow the image of the screen to be in focus and
   the screen to appear to be at infinity.  The ordinary use of a simple
   magnifying glass works in almost this fashion; for the suggested
   application, of course, you would want to use high quality optics
   instead of a simple magnifying glass, but the principle is the same.