Fiber Optic Development for Use on the Fiber Optic Helmet-Mounted Display

摘要

The fiber optic helmet-mounted display (FOHMD), developed by CAE Electronics Ltd. for the U.S. Air Force Human Resources Laboratory, requires large-format coherent fiber optic cables to support the demanding full-color, high-resolution display requirements plus provide flexibility, durability, lightweight, and be up to 2.1 m in length. Currently, FOHMD cables are linear arrays of multifibers separated by inactive material spacers to achieve a lightweight cable with a large cross section. This multifiber approach, with 5 m diameter individual fibers, delivers high performance by using chromatic multiplexing to improve resolution and wash out the inactive spacer structure. Reduced fiber breakage and improved fiber alignment have also significantly increased the optical performance of the system. To achieve still higher image quality, a technically more difficult process is also being explored. Several small experimental cables have been assembled using leachable, fused multifibers arrayed in a hexagonal pattern. Improved cable drawing technology will allow for precise assembly of hexagonal components into a full format bundle. This new fiber optic cable technology has the potential of providing image transmission capability equal to 10 million pixels. When coupled with chromatic enhancement, the FOHMD optics will deliver a resolution equal to 1.5 arcmin per pixel over a large field of view.