IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD USING UNIDIRECTIONAL BEAM

• US 20170116897A1
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHOI, Byounglyong, HWANG, Sungwoo, KIM, Sangwon, AHN, Hoyoung, KIM, Jungwoo, KIM, Taeho, CHUNG, Daeyoung, KU, Jiyeon
• Granted Patent: US 10,235,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/02 Viewing or reading apparatus stereoscopic systems G02B30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/041 bifocal; multifocal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/04 Context-preserving transformations, e.g. by using an importance map panospheric to cylindrical image transformations G06T3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats

Abstract

An image display device includes an eye wearable lens; a display panel embedded inside the eye wearable lens or arranged on a surface of the eye wearable lens, the display panel comprising an array of a plurality of optical elements for forming an image to be projected onto a retina, wherein a resolution of the image formed by the plurality of optical elements is higher on a central portion of the retina than on a peripheral portion of the retina; and an image signal processor for generating an image signal according to image information which is to be displayed on the display panel and for generating a control signal for controlling each of the plurality of optical elements to be turned on/off according to the image signal.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

an eye wearable lens;

a display panel embedded inside the eye wearable lens or arranged on a surface of the eye wearable lens, the display panel comprising an array of a plurality of optical elements for forming an image to be projected onto a retina, wherein a resolution of the image formed by the plurality of optical elements is higher on a central portion of the retina than on a peripheral portion of the retina; and

an image signal processor for generating an image signal according to image information which is to be displayed on the display panel and for generating a control signal for controlling each of the plurality of optical elements to be turned on/off according to the image signal.

2. The image display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical elements are arranged such that a distribution density of the optical elements at a central portion of the array is higher than a distribution density of the optical elements at a peripheral portion of the array.

3. The image display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical elements are configured such that a beam spread angle of the plurality of optical elements at a central portion of the array and a beam spread angle of the optical elements at a peripheral portion of the array is different from each other.

4. The image display device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of optical elements are arranged such that an angle formed by an emission surface of the optical element with a lens surface facing the emission surface is greater among the optical elements at a central portion of the array than the optical elements at a peripheral portion of the array.

5. The image display device of claim 3, further comprising a direction adjusting element adjusting a direction of light emitted from the plurality of optical elements.

6. The image display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical elements are configured such that a size of pixel formed by the optical element at a peripheral portion of the array is greater than a size of pixel formed by the optical element at a central portion of the array.

7. The image display device of claim 1, further comprising a micro lens reducing a divergence angle of light emitted from the plurality of optical elements.

8. The image display device of claim 7, wherein the micro lens allows the divergence angle of the light emitted from the plurality of optical elements to have a range from 1/60°

to ⅕

°

.

9. The image display device of claim 7, wherein the micro lens has a shape in which only a paraxial region is opened.

10. The image display device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of optical elements comprises:

a light emitting structure layer for generating light; and

reflectors arranged on a top and bottom of the light emitting structure layer to form a mode to facilitate light generated by the light emitting structure layer to be emitted unidirectionally.

11. The image display device of claim 10, wherein the each of the plurality of optical elements comprises a laser or a resonant cavity light emitting diode (RCLED).

12. The image display device of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor for sensing a motion of an eyeball.

13. The image display device of claim 12, wherein the image signal processor recognizes an eye direction from a signal sensed by the pressure sensor and generates an image signal so that an image, in correspondence with the eye direction, has a high resolution in a central portion of the eye direction and has a low resolution in a peripheral portion of the eye direction.

14. The image display device of claim 1, wherein the image signal processor is implemented in a device separated from the eye wearable lens and wirelessly transmits a signal to the display panel.

15. An image display method comprising:

forming an image to be projected onto a retina of a viewer by using an array of a plurality of optical elements that generate and emit unidirectional light,

wherein a resolution of the image is higher on a central portion of the retina than on a peripheral portion of the retina.

16. The image display method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of optical elements are arranged such that a distribution density of the optical elements at a central portion of the array is higher than a distribution density of the optical elements at a peripheral portion of the array.

17. The image display method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of optical elements are arranged such that a beam spread angle of the optical element at a central portion of the array and a beam spread angle of the optical element at a peripheral portion of the array is different from each other.

18. The image display method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of optical elements are configured such that a size of pixel formed by the optical element at a peripheral portion of the array is greater than a size of pixel formed by the optical element at a central portion of the array.

19. The image display method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining an eye direction of the viewer; and

generating an image signal such that image corresponding to a central portion of the eye direction has a high resolution and image corresponding to a peripheral portion of the eye direction has a low resolution.