Micro-display engine
First Claim
1. A non-immersive virtual image display for combining image light and ambient light comprising:
- a housing;
a backlit image source and a reflective focusing optic supported by the housing and aligned along a common optical axis;
a viewing aperture and an ambient-light-admitting aperture formed in the housing and aligned along a viewing axis that is inclined to the common optical axis;
a beamsplitter supported by the housing at an intersection of the common optical axis and the viewing axis; and
the beamsplitter being positioned for;
(a) transmitting image light between the backlit image source and the reflective focusing optic along the common optical axis, (b) reflecting the transmitted image light between the reflective focusing optic and the viewing aperture along the viewing axis, and (c) transmitting ambient light between the ambient-light-admitting aperture and the viewing aperture along the viewing axis superimposed upon the transmitted image light that is reflected along the viewing axis.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Virtual displays with micro-display engines are arranged in compact, lightweight configurations that generate clear virtual images for an observer. The displays are particularly suitable for portable devices, such as head-mounted displays adapted to non-immersive or immersive applications. The non-immersive applications feature reflective optics moved out of the direct line of sight of the observer and provide for differentially modifying the amount or form of ambient light admitted from the forward environment with respect to image light magnified within the display. Micro-display engines suitable for both non-immersive and immersive display applications and having LCD image sources displace polarization components of the LCD image sources along the optical paths of the engines for simplifying engine design. A compound imaging system for micro-display engines features the use of reflectors in sequence to expand upon the imaging possibilities of the new micro-display engines. Polarization management also provides for differentially regulating the transmission of ambient light with respect to image light and for participating in the image formation function of the image source.
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Citations
84 Claims
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1. A non-immersive virtual image display for combining image light and ambient light comprising:
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a housing;
a backlit image source and a reflective focusing optic supported by the housing and aligned along a common optical axis;
a viewing aperture and an ambient-light-admitting aperture formed in the housing and aligned along a viewing axis that is inclined to the common optical axis;
a beamsplitter supported by the housing at an intersection of the common optical axis and the viewing axis; and
the beamsplitter being positioned for;
(a) transmitting image light between the backlit image source and the reflective focusing optic along the common optical axis, (b) reflecting the transmitted image light between the reflective focusing optic and the viewing aperture along the viewing axis, and (c) transmitting ambient light between the ambient-light-admitting aperture and the viewing aperture along the viewing axis superimposed upon the transmitted image light that is reflected along the viewing axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A non-immersive virtual display for combining image light and ambient light comprising:
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a housing having an ambient-light-admitting aperture and a viewing aperture;
a backlit image source;
a reflector;
the housing enclosing optical transmissions of (a) image light from the image source to the reflector along a first optical pathway and (b) ambient light from the ambient-light-admitting aperture to the viewing aperture along a second optical pathway;
a beamsplitter located at an intersection of the first and second optical pathways supporting the transmissions of (a) image light from the backlit image source to the reflector along the first optical pathway and (b) ambient light from the ambient-light-admitting aperture to the viewing aperture along a second optical pathway; and
the beamsplitter also supporting reflection of the transmitted image light from the reflector to the viewing aperture for combining the transmitted image light with the transmitted ambient light along the second optical pathway. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A micro-display engine comprising:
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a backlit image source and a reflective focusing optic aligned along a common optical axis;
a viewing aperture aligned with a viewing axis that is inclined to the common optical axis;
a polarization-sensitive beamsplitter located at an intersection of the viewing axis and the common optical axis;
a phase adjuster located along the common optical axis between the polarization-sensitive beamsplitter and the reflective focusing optic; and
the polarization-sensitive beamsplitter being arranged for transmitting image light generated by the backlit image source along the common optical axis toward the reflective focusing optic;
the phase adjuster being arranged for rotating polarization of the image light transmitted through the polarization-sensitive beamsplitter en route to and from the reflective focusing optic; and
the polarization-sensitive beamsplitter being arranged for reflecting the polarization-rotated image light along the viewing axis toward the viewing aperture. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A micro-display engine comprising:
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a backlit image source including a controllable polarization rotator that is responsive to the application of a control signal for varying local polarization characteristics in an object plane for encoding an image and a polarizer that cooperates with the polarization rotator for converting the encoded image into a visible image;
an at least partially reflective focusing optic that forms a magnified virtual image of the object plane; and
the polarizer being spaced from the object plane along an image path of the reflective focusing optic for filtering light emitted from the object plane to produce the visible image substantially clear of imageable artifacts of the polarizer. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A virtual imaging display comprising:
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a backlit image source including a polarization-rotator that is responsive to the application of a control signal for varying local polarization characteristics of an optical output and a polarizer that cooperates with the polarization-rotator for producing a polarized image;
a magnifier that forms an enlarged image of the optical output of the polarization-rotator; and
the polarizer being spaced from a conjugate focus of the magnifier for filtering the optical output and producing the polarized image. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. An imaging system comprising:
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a polarization rotator comprising a plurality of controllable pixels that differentially rotate local polarization of image light appearing as different polarizations in an output plane;
a focusing optic focused on the output plane; and
a polarizer that is located beyond the depth of field of the focusing optic and that filters the different polarizations of the image light for producing an image. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A backlit image source of a micro-display engine comprising:
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a polarization rotator comprising a plurality of controllable pixels that differentially rotate local polarization of image light encoding an image in an output plane as different polarizations lacking contrast between the different polarizations;
a polarizer that is spaced apart from the output plane along a viewing pathway of the output plane and that filters the different polarizations of the image light for providing a view of the output plane that includes contrast between the different polarizations; and
the polarizer being spaced apart from the output plane by an amount that precludes the appearance of the encoded image as a real image on the polarizer. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. A micro-display engine comprising:
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an image source for producing a real image;
a beamsplitter optically connected to the image source;
a pair of reflective optics optically connected in sequence by the beamsplitter for producing an enlargement of the real image as a virtual image that is visible through the beamsplitter. - View Dependent Claims (67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A compound imaging system of a micro-display engine comprising:
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a beamsplitter for transmitting and reflecting light in different directions;
first and second reflective optics for imaging light emitted from an image source through a viewing aperture;
a first of optical pathway from the image source to the first reflective optic by one of transmission through and reflection from the beamsplitter;
a second optical pathway connecting the first reflective optic to the second reflective optic by the other of transmission through and reflection from the beamsplitter; and
a third optical pathway for connecting the second reflective optic to the viewing aperture by the one of transmission through and reflection from the beamsplitter. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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Specification