Study of a direct visualization display tool for space applications

The study of a Direct Visualization Display Tool (DVDT) for space applications is reported. The review of novel technologies for a compact display tool is described. Several applications for this tool have been identified with the support of ESA astronauts and are presented. A baseline design is proposed. It consists mainly of OLEDs as image source; a specially designed optical prism as relay optics; a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), with data acquisition card, as control unit; and voice control and simplified keyboard as interfaces. Optical analysis and the final estimated performance are reported. The system is able to display information (text, pictures or/and video) with SVGA resolution directly to the astronaut using a Field of View (FOV) of 20x14.5 degrees. The image delivery system is a monocular Head Mounted Display (HMD) that weights less than 100g. The HMD optical system has an eye pupil of 7mm and an eye relief distance of 30mm.