Head-mounted display apparatus employing one or more fresnel lenses
First Claim
1. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:
- (I) a frame adapted to be mounted on a head of a nominal user;
(II) an image display system supported by the frame and comprising at least one light-emitting surface;
(III) a free-space, ultra-wide angle, non-diffractive, and reflective optical surface supported by the frame, the reflective optical surface being a continuous surface and configured to converge light toward an eye of the nominal user; and
(IV) a Fresnel lens system supported by the frame, the Fresnel lens system being configured to receive light emitted by the image display system directly from the image display system without any intervening optical component between the Fresnel lens system and the image display system and to refract the light in a direction toward the free-space, ultra-wide angle, reflective optical surface, the Fresnel lens system being positioned outside of a path of the light between the reflective optical surface and the eye of the nominal user, a Fresnel lens element of the Fresnel lens system comprising a first side comprising a non-planar curved surface having concentric rings and a second side comprising a non-planar continuous surface; and
wherein the free-space, ultra-wide angle, reflective optical surface receives the light directly from the Fresnel lens element of the Fresnel lens system with no intervening optical component in a path of the light from the Fresnel lens element and the reflective optical surface, wherein the reflective optical surface and the Fresnel lens system produce spatially-separated virtual images of spatially-separated portions of the at least one light-emitting surface, at least one of the spatially-separated virtual images being angularly separated from at least one other of the spatially-separated virtual images by at least 100 degrees, the angular separation being measured from a center of rotation of the eye of the nominal user.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Head-mounted displays (100) are disclosed which include a frame (107), an image display system (110) supported by the frame (107), and a Fresnel lens system (115) supported by the frame (107). The HMD (100) can employ a reflective optical surface, e.g., a free-space, ultra-wide angle, reflective optical surface (a FS/UWA/RO surface) (120), supported by the frame (107), with the Fresnel lens system (115) being located between the image display system (110) and the reflective optical surface (120). The Fresnel lens system (115) can include at least one curved Fresnel lens element (820). Fresnel lens elements (30) for use in HMDs are also disclosed which have facets (31) separated by edges (32) which lie along radial lines (33) which during use of the HMD pass through a center of rotation (34) of a nominal user'"'"'s eye (35) or through the center of the eye'"'"'s lens (36) or are normal to the surface of the eye'"'"'s cornea.
187 Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:
-
(I) a frame adapted to be mounted on a head of a nominal user; (II) an image display system supported by the frame and comprising at least one light-emitting surface; (III) a free-space, ultra-wide angle, non-diffractive, and reflective optical surface supported by the frame, the reflective optical surface being a continuous surface and configured to converge light toward an eye of the nominal user; and (IV) a Fresnel lens system supported by the frame, the Fresnel lens system being configured to receive light emitted by the image display system directly from the image display system without any intervening optical component between the Fresnel lens system and the image display system and to refract the light in a direction toward the free-space, ultra-wide angle, reflective optical surface, the Fresnel lens system being positioned outside of a path of the light between the reflective optical surface and the eye of the nominal user, a Fresnel lens element of the Fresnel lens system comprising a first side comprising a non-planar curved surface having concentric rings and a second side comprising a non-planar continuous surface; and wherein the free-space, ultra-wide angle, reflective optical surface receives the light directly from the Fresnel lens element of the Fresnel lens system with no intervening optical component in a path of the light from the Fresnel lens element and the reflective optical surface, wherein the reflective optical surface and the Fresnel lens system produce spatially-separated virtual images of spatially-separated portions of the at least one light-emitting surface, at least one of the spatially-separated virtual images being angularly separated from at least one other of the spatially-separated virtual images by at least 100 degrees, the angular separation being measured from a center of rotation of the eye of the nominal user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:
-
(I) a frame adapted to be mounted on a head of a nominal user; (II) an image display system supported by the frame; (III) a non-diffractive and continuous reflective surface supported by the frame; and (IV) a Fresnel lens system supported by the frame, the Fresnel lens system being configured to receive light emitted by the image display system directly from the image display system without any intervening optical component between the Fresnel lens system and the image display system and to refract light emitted by the image display system toward the reflective surface, the Fresnel lens system positioned outside of a path of the light between the reflective surface and an eye of the nominal user, a Fresnel lens element of the Fresnel lens system comprising a first side comprising a non-planar curved surface having concentric rings and a second side comprising a non-planar continuous surface. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:
-
(I) a frame adapted to be mounted on a head of a nominal user; (II) an image display system supported by the frame; and (III) a Fresnel lens system supported by the frame; wherein; the Fresnel lens system comprises at least two Fresnel lens elements in a stacked configuration through which light emitted by the image display system is twice refracted, the Fresnel lens system configured to receive light directly from the image display system without any intervening optical component between the Fresnel lens system and the image display system and to refract light emitted by the image display system toward an eye of the nominal user, wherein each Fresnel lens element of the at least two Fresnel lens elements comprises a first side comprising a non-planar curved surface having concentric rings and a second side comprising a non-planar continuous surface. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
-
Specification