Imaging optical system as well as display device with such an imaging optical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10139626-B2
Application number	US-201415038466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2014
Priority date	Nov 22, 2013
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

An imaging optical system for a display device that can be fitted on the head of a user and generate an image, with an optical element, which includes an entry surface, and a spectacle lens, which includes a coupling-out section. The imaging optical system is configured to guide the generated image fed to the optical element via the entry surface in the optical element, and to couple it from the latter into the spectacle lens, in which it is guided to the coupling-out section and coupled out via the coupling-out section to generate a virtual image. The optical element includes, in addition to the entry surface, at least one reflecting surface, on which the generated image is reflected for guiding in the optical element, and in that the optical element and the spectacle lens are formed together as a one-piece optical part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging optical system for a display device that can be fitted on the head of a user and generate a virtual image, the system comprising:
an optical element, comprising an entry surface and a spectacle lens, the spectacle lens comprising a coupling-out section,
wherein the imaging optical system is configured to guide generated image being generated by an image-generating module that is fed to the optical element via the entry surface in the optical element, and to couple the generated image from the optical element into the spectacle lens, in which the generated image is guided to the coupling-out section and coupled out via the coupling-out section to generate the virtual image,
wherein the optical element comprises, in addition to the entry surface, at least one reflecting surface on which the generated image is reflected for guiding in the optical element, and
wherein the optical element and the spectacle lens are formed together as a one-piece optical part,
wherein the entry surface is both transmissive and reflective, the entry surface being transmissive such that the entry surface couples the generated image into the optical element, and the entry surface being reflective such that the entry surface reflects the generated image in the optical element.

2. An imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the entry surface and the at least one reflecting surface are curved, with the result that the optical element has an imaging property.

3. The imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein the entry surface is flat.

4. The imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical element comprises a plurality of boundary surfaces which are not used for at least one of guiding and coupling in or out the generated image, and wherein the boundary surfaces are at least one of blackened and light-absorbing.

5. The imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein the spectacle lens comprises a coupling-in section in an edge area of the spectacle lens, and wherein the edge area has a greater thickness than an area of the spectacle lens in which the coupling-out section lies.

6. The imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein the spectacle lens comprises a coupling-in section spaced apart from the coupling-out section, and wherein the generated image is coupled into the spectacle lens from the optical element via the coupling-in section and is guided in the spectacle lens by reflection to the coupling-out section.

7. The imaging optical system according to claim 6 , wherein each of the front side and the rear side of the spectacle lens have a predetermined curvature profile, and wherein the curvature profile of at least one of the front side and the rear side of the spectacle lens deviates from the corresponding predetermined curvature profile of the front side and the rear side in the area of the coupling-in section such that a greater thickness of the spectacle lens is present in the area of the coupling-in section as compared to a thickness in the area of the coupling-in section that would result through the predetermined curvature profile.

8. The imaging optical system according to claim 7 , wherein each of the front side and the rear side of the spectacle lens have a spherical curvature, and wherein the rear side has a curvature profile in the area of the coupling-in section that deviates from the spherical curvature.

9. The imaging optical system according to claim 6 , wherein each of the front side and the rear side of the spectacle lens have a spherical curvature, and wherein the rear side has a curvature profile in the area of the coupling-in section that deviates from the spherical curvature.

10. The imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein one of the reflecting surfaces of the optical element is an aspherical surface.

11. The imaging optical system according to claim 10 , wherein the aspherical surface has no rotational symmetry.

12. A display device, comprising:
a holder that can be fitted on the head of a user,
an image-generating module provided to the holder and configured to generate an image; and
an imaging optical system according to claim 1 that is secured to the holder,
wherein the imaging optical system images the generated image when the holder is fitted on the head such that the user can perceive it as a virtual image.

13. The display device according to claim 12 , wherein the holder comprises a pair of spectacles, the pair of spectacles including a first and a second temple stem, wherein the optical element is disposed at least partially in one of the two temple stems.

14. The imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical part is free from air gaps, internal cemented surfaces and internal glued surfaces.

15. The imaging optical system according to claim 1 , wherein the spectacle lens comprises a front side and a rear side and the coupling-out section is formed on the front side.

Assignees

• Carl Zeiss Smart Optics Gmbh
• tooz technologies GmbH

Inventors

• Dobschal Hans-Juergen
• Lindig Karsten
• Rudolph Guenter
• Riedel Lisa

Classifications

• G02C7/086

  Auxiliary lenses located directly on a main spectacle lens or in the immediate vicinity of main spectacles · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/012

  comprising devices for attenuating parasitic image effects · CPC title

• G02B2027/015

  involving arrangement aiming to get less bulky devices · CPC title

• G02B6/00

  Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings · CPC title