Curved near-to-eye display

• US 8,582,209 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Amirparviz, Babak
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman, Scott J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Vipin
• Application Number:
  US12/938,644
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 359630-633
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/147 using averaging effects by spatially variable reflectivity on a microscopic level, e.g. polka dots, chequered or discontinuous patterns, or rapidly moving surfaces G02B27/1086 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0056 arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0289 used as a transflector
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0294 adapted to provide an additional optical effect, e.g. anti-reflection or filter

Abstract

A display apparatus includes an array of microlenses disposed in or on a substrate. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes scattering centers disposed in or on the substrate and offset relative to the microlenses. The scattering centers are positioned substantially at focal points of the microlenses such that light incident upon a first side the substrate is scattered off of the scattering centers and collimated by corresponding ones of the microlenses before emission from the display apparatus. In another embodiment, the apparatus includes light emitting pixels disposed in or on the substrate and offset relative to the microlenses. The light emitting pixels are positioned substantially at focal points of the microlenses such that non-collimated light emitted from the light emitting pixels is collimated by the microlenses upon emission from the display apparatus.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a substrate;

an array of microlenses disposed in or on the substrate; and

an array of reflective scattering centers disposed in or on the substrate and offset relative to the array of microlenses, wherein each of the reflective scattering centers is positioned substantially at a focal point of a corresponding one of the microlenses such that light incident upon a first side of the substrate is scattered off of the reflective scattering centers as scattered light back out the first side of the substrate and at least a portion of the scattered light is collimated by corresponding ones of the microlenses before emission from the display apparatus out the first side of the substrate.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a curved surface.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a frame assembly to which the substrate is mounted, wherein the frame assembly is for wearing on a head of a user; and

an image source mounted to the frame assembly and oriented to project an image including the light through the array of microlenses onto the first side of the substrate to be scattered off of the reflective scattering centers and back out through the array of microlenses.

4. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein a curvature of the curved surface is substantially radial to an arc through which a human eye passes when looking around.

5. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the microlenses are sufficiently large so as not to significantly scatter the light incident upon the first side, while the reflective scattering centers are sufficiently small to cause scattering of the light.

6. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an array of opaque structures disposed in or on the substrate, wherein each of the opaque structures is aligned with a corresponding one of the microlenses to block external light incident upon a second side of the substrate, opposite the first side, from passing through the corresponding one of the microlenses.

7. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the array of opaque structures are disposed in or on the substrate with interstitial gaps to pass the external light through the substrate between the opaque structures such that the substrate appears to be partially transparent.

8. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the opaque structures comprise metal.

9. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises multiple transparent or semitransparent sub-layers.

10. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective scattering centers each comprises a substantially spherical metal ball and the substrate comprises a clear polymer.

11. A display apparatus, comprising:

a curved substrate that is at least partially transparent and flexible;

an array of microlenses disposed in or on the curved substrate, wherein the array of microlenses are oriented along a curvature of the curved substrate; and

an array of light emitting pixels disposed in or on the curved substrate and offset relative to the array of microlenses, wherein the array of light emitting pixels are oriented along the curvature of the curved substrate, wherein each of the light emitting pixels is positioned substantially at a focal point of a corresponding one of the microlenses such that non-collimated light emitted from a given one of the light emitting pixels is collimated by the corresponding one of the microlenses upon emission from the curved substrate.

12. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the curved substrate comprises a curved surface.

13. The display apparatus of claim 12, wherein a curvature of the curved surface is substantially radial to an arc through which a human eye passes when looking around.

14. The display apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a frame assembly to which the curved substrate is mounted, wherein the frame assembly is shaped for wearing on a head of a user; and

an image processor communicatively coupled to drive the array of light emitting pixels to emit a computer generated image.

15. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the array of light emitting pixels comprises an array of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

16. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the curved substrate comprises multiple transparent sub-layers including a thin film transistor layer for active matrix addressing of the array of OLEDs.

17. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the OLEDs are disposed in or on the curved substrate with interstitial gaps to pass external light through the curved substrate such that the curved substrate appears to be partially transparent for passing a real world view while the array of OLEDs superimpose a computer generated image (“

CGI”

) to form an augmented reality.

18. A method comprising:

projecting a computer generated image (“

CGI”

) onto a first side of a curved optical structure;

scattering the CGI with an array of reflective scattering centers disposed within the curved optical structure;

collimating portions of the scattered CGI as output light with an array of microlenses disposed in or on the curved optical structure; and

directing the output light outwards from the curved optical structure,

wherein the CGI projected onto the first side of the curved optical structure is projected through the array of microlenses before being scattered back through the array of microlenses by the array of reflective scattering centers.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a curvature of the curved optical structure is substantially radial to an arc through which an eye of a user passes when looking around.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

blocking a first portion of external light incident upon a second side of the curved optical structure, opposite the first side, from passing through the curved optical structure using an array of opaque structures disposed in or on the curved optical structure, wherein each of the opaque structures is aligned with a corresponding one of the microlenses.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

passing a second portion of the external light incident upon the second side through the curved optical structure within interstitial gaps between the opaque structures to provide a real world view to the user; and

augmenting the real world view of the user with the CGI.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the scattering centers each comprises a substantially spherical metal ball.