Near-eye display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11209653-B2
Application number	US-202016819172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2019
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A near-eye display apparatus including at least one display unit having a display element and an optical system is provided. The display element provides a light beam. The light beam includes a first light beam and a second light beam having different image information and different polarization states. The optical system includes a first semi-reflective element, a first polarization conversion element, and a polarization reflector, arranged in sequence along an optical axis. The polarization reflector allows a light beam having a first polarization state to pass and reflects a light beam having a second polarization state. The light path and the image distance of the second light beam are greater than the light path and the image distance of the first light beam, and the first light beam and the second light beam are emitted by at least one display unit to form a combined light beam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A near-eye display apparatus suitable for providing a combined light beam to a user, the near-eye display apparatus comprising:
at least one display unit, suitable for providing the combined light beam, the display unit comprising:
a display element, suitable for providing a light beam, the light beam comprising a first light beam and a second light beam having different image information and different polarization states; and
an optical system, provided on a transmission path of the light beam, and comprising a first semi-reflective element, a first polarization conversion element, and a polarization reflector arranged in sequence along an optical axis, wherein

the polarization reflector is suitable for allowing a light beam having a first polarization state to pass and reflecting a light beam having a second polarization state, a light path of the second light beam is greater than a light path of the first light beam, an image distance of the second light beam is greater than an image distance of the first light beam, and the first light beam and the second light beam are emitted by the at least one display unit in order to form the combined light beam.

2. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical system further comprises a second polarization conversion element, located between the display element and the first semi-reflective element.

3. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical system further comprises an at least one lens having refractive power, located between the first semi-reflective element and the first polarization conversion element.

4. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a number of the at least one display unit is two, and the image distances of the first light beams, the second light beams, or a combination thereof in the combined beams provided by the display units are different.

5. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
an optical expansion module, provided on the transmission paths of the combined light beams, wherein the optical expansion module is a virtual reality optical module or an augmented reality optical module.

6. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the optical expansion module further comprises a first light splitting element and a relay element, the relay element is provided on the transmission path of one of the combined light beams, and the first light splitting element is suitable for reflecting the one of the combined light beams and allowing the other one of the combined light beams to pass.

7. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the optical expansion module further comprises a second light splitting element and a first focusing element, the second light splitting element is provided between the first light splitting element and the first focusing element, and an environment light beam is suitable for passing through the first focusing element and the second light splitting element and being transmitted to the user.

8. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the optical expansion module further comprises a second light splitting element, and the second light splitting element is provided between the first light splitting element and the user, wherein an environment light beam is suitable for passing through the second light splitting element and being transmitted to the user.

9. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the optical expansion module further comprises a second light splitting element, a third polarization conversion element, a fourth polarization conversion element, a first focusing element, and a second focusing element, the second light splitting element is provided between the light splitting element and the user, one of the combined light beams is suitable for passing through the third polarization conversion element via reflection by the second light splitting element and being transmitted to the first focusing element, and the other one of the combined light beams is suitable for passing through the second light splitting element and the fourth polarization conversion element and being transmitted to the second focusing element.

10. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein an environment light beam is suitable for passing through the first focusing element, the third polarization conversion element, and the second light splitting element and being transmitted to the user.

11. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the optical expansion module is an optical element combiner formed by a plurality of light transmission elements.

12. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the optical expansion module comprises a first light transmission element and a second light transmission element, the first light transmission element comprises a first surface and a second surface, the second light transmission element comprises a third surface and a fourth surface, and the third surface and the fourth surface are coplanar.

13. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein one of the third surface and the fourth surface is provided with a coated film that is semi-transmissive and semi-reflective.

14. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the first surface, the second surface, the third surface, and the fourth surface is a free form surface, a spherical surface, a non-spherical surface, or any combination thereof.

15. The near-eye display apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein a material of the first light transmission element and a material of the second light transmission element are different.

Assignees

• Acer Inc

Inventors

• Tu Tsung-Wei
• Chiu Yi-Jung
• Huang Shih-Ting
• LI Yen-Hsien

Classifications

• G02B27/283

  used for beam splitting or combining · CPC title

• G02B2027/0134

  of stereoscopic type · CPC title

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B30/20

  by providing first and second parallax images to an observer's left and right eyes · CPC title

• G02B2027/0185

  Displaying image at variable distance · CPC title