Head-mounted display apparatuses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10444511-B2
Application number	US-201715716513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Nov 16, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A head-mounted display apparatus is disclosed. The head-mounted display apparatus includes an optical member having a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of side surfaces, a display unit adapted to emit a display image toward one of the side surfaces of the optical member, and a reflective structure disposed inside the optical member to reflect the display image emitted from the display unit and to allow the reflected display image to pass and propagate through the rear surface. The image reflected by the reflective structure and delivered to user's eyes is the same irrespective of the coverage of the user's field of view.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:
an optical member having a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of side surfaces;
a display unit adapted to emit a display image toward one of the side surfaces of the optical member; and
a reflective structure disposed inside the optical member to reflect the display image emitted from the display unit and to allow the reflected display image to pass and propagate through the rear surface,
wherein the reflective structure comprises a micromirror arranged obliquely relative to a reference plane as a virtual plane extending from the front surface of the optical member to cover the reflective structure, and
wherein a width of an orthographic projection of the micromirror and a height of the micromirror are determined depending on an angle of incidence of the display image on the micromirror, an angle of reflection of the display image from the micromirror, and a refractive index of the optical member.

2. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display image comprises: incident light between the display unit and the one of the side surfaces of the optical member, refracted light propagating through the optical member as a medium after being refracted by the one of the side surfaces of the optical member, and output light exiting from the rear surface of the optical member after being reflected by the reflective structure.

3. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical member includes a silicone material.

4. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a glass part to which the optical member is attached and a frame to which the glass part is fixed.

5. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the display unit is mounted on the frame.

6. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit comprises:
a first light emitting diode (LED) display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed first micro-LEDs to emit a first wavelength display image,
a second LED display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed second micro-LEDs to emit a second wavelength display image, and
a third LED display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed third micro-LEDs to emit a third wavelength display image.

7. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the display unit further comprises:
a single complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) backplane coupled to the first LED display panel, the second LED display panel, and the third LED display panel, the single CMOS backplane comprising a plurality of CMOS cells corresponding to the first micro-LEDs, the second micro-LEDs, and the third micro-LEDs to individually drive the micro-LEDs in groups.

8. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the display unit further comprises bumps electrically connecting the micro-LEDs to the corresponding CMOS cells in a state in which the micro-LEDs and the CMOS cells are arranged to face each other.

9. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein:
the micro-LEDs are formed by growing a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer in this order on a substrate and etching the layers;
each of the micro-LEDs has a vertical structure comprising the substrate, the first conductive semiconductor layer, the active layer, and the second conductive semiconductor layer formed in this order; and
the active layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer are removed from exposed portions of each of the first LED display panel, the second LED display panel, and the third LED display panel where none of the micro-LEDs are formed, such that the first conductive semiconductor layer is exposed.

10. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein a first conductive metal layer is formed over a portion of the first conductive semiconductor layer where none of the micro-LEDs of each of the first LED display panel, the second LED display panel, and the third LED display panel are formed.

11. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:
an optical member having a first surface and a second surface and formed with a cut-away portion having a vertical plane and an inclined plane;
a display unit adapted to emit a display image; and
a micromirror arranged on the inclined plane of the cut-away portion formed in the optical member to reflect the display image emitted from the display unit and to allow the reflected display image to pass and propagate through the first surface,
wherein a width of an orthographic projection of the micromirror, a reference plane of the orthographic projection defined as a virtual plane extending from the second surface to cover the cut-away portion, and a height of the micromirror are determined based on an angle of incidence of the display image on the micromirror, an angle of reflection of the display image from the micromirror, and a refractive index of the optical member.

12. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the display image comprises: incident light between the display unit and the one of the side surfaces of the optical member, refracted light propagating through the optical member as a medium after being refracted by the one of the side surfaces of the optical member, and output light exiting from the rear surface of the optical member after being reflected by the reflective structure.

13. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the optical member comprises a silicone material.

14. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a glass part to which the optical member is attached and a frame to which the glass part is fixed.

15. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the display unit comprises:
a first light emitting diode (LED) display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed first micro-LEDs to emit a first wavelength display image;
a second LED display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed second micro-LEDs to emit a second wavelength display image; and
a third LED display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed third micro-LEDs to emit a third wavelength display image.

16. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:
an optical member having a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of side surfaces;
a display unit adapted to emit a display image toward one of the side surfaces of the optical member; and
a reflective structure disposed inside the optical member to reflect the display image emitted from the display unit and to allow the reflected display image to pass and propagate through the rear surface,
wherein the display unit comprises:
a first light emitting diode (LED) display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed first micro-LEDs to emit a first wavelength display image,
a second LED display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed second micro-LEDs to emit a second wavelength display image, and
a third LED display panel comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed third micro-LEDs to emit a third wavelength display image.

17. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the display image comprises: incident light between the display unit and the one of the side surfaces of the optical member, refracted light

Assignees

• Lumens Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Daewon
• Yoon Seongbok
• Chang Hanbeet
• Moon Myungji
• Kim Yongpil
• Park Jaesoon

Classifications

• G02B2027/0123

  comprising devices increasing the field of view · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• H04N2213/001

  Constructional or mechanical details · CPC title

• H04N13/344

  with head-mounted left-right displays · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title