Display-relative calibration for optical see-through head-mounted displays

Optical see-through head-mounted displays (OSTHMDs) have many advantages in augmented reality application, but their utility in practical applications has been limited by the complexity of calibration. Because the human subject is an inseparable part of the eye-display system, previous methods for OSTHMD calibration have required extensive manual data collection using either instrumentation or manual point correspondences and are highly dependent on operator skill. This paper describes display-relative calibration (DRC) for OSTHMDs, a new two phase calibration method that minimizes the human element in the calibration process and ensures reliable calibration. Phase I of the calibration captures the parameters of the display system relative to a normalized reference frame and is performed in a jig with no human factors issues. The second phase optimizes the display for a specific user and the placement of the display on the head. Several phase II alternatives provide flexibility in a variety of applications including applications involving untrained users.