Patent ID: 8780014
Filing Date: 2014-07-15
Classification: G02B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A head-mounted display apparatus, comprising: a head-mounted display, the head-mounted display including a plurality of independently controllable switchable viewing areas arranged in a two-dimensional array that can each be independently switched between a transparent state, a partially transparent state, and an information state, wherein: circuitry for producing a control signal for independently controlling the states of the independently controllable switchable viewing areas; and a controller responsive to the control signal for independently switching any two-dimensional subset of the independently controllable switchable viewing areas between the transparent state and the information state, wherein the two-dimensional subset is less than all of the independently controllable switchable viewing areas in either of the two dimensions of the subset; wherein the controller controls each of the independently controllable switchable viewing areas to have any of three or more different levels of transparency; wherein the controller controls each of the independently controllable switchable viewing areas to gradually transition each of the independently controllable switchable viewing areas from the information state to the transparent state or to gradually transition each of the independently controllable switchable viewing areas from the transparent state to the information state, through the different levels of transparency in successive periods of time; and wherein the controller sequentially switches spatially adjacent independently controllable switchable viewing areas from the transparent state to the information state through the different levels of transparency.