20/20 Immersive Display System Based on Eye Tracking

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.