Display apparatus including combiner having asymmetric magnification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12352969-B2
Application number	US-202217700775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2022
Priority date	Mar 22, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Provided is a display apparatus including a combiner having asymmetric magnification. The display apparatus may include: an image forming device configured to form a virtual image; and a combiner configured to mix the virtual image with light containing an outside landscape and provide a viewer with the virtual image and the light that are mixed with each other, wherein the combiner may include a curved surface that varies a size of the virtual image with a first magnification in a first direction and a second magnification in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second magnification being less than the first magnification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display apparatus comprising:
an image forming device configured to form a virtual image; and
a combiner configured to mix the virtual image with light corresponding to an outside environment and provide a viewer with the virtual image and the light that are mixed with each other,
wherein the combiner comprises a curved surface that changes a size of the virtual image based on a first magnification in a first direction and a second magnification in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second magnification being less than the first magnification, and
wherein the combiner comprises a transparent waveguide configured to transmit the virtual image, and the curved surface is provided on a surface of the transparent waveguide.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the transparent waveguide comprises:
a first surface and a second surface that are arranged to face each other; and
a third surface and a fourth surface that are arranged between the first surface and the second surface,
wherein the third surface and the fourth surface face each other,
wherein the curved surface comprises a first curved surface formed on the first surface and a second curved surface formed on the second surface, and
wherein the third surface and the fourth surface are arranged parallel to each other to have no refractive power.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the first curved surface and the second curved surface form:
in a first direction, a first principal plane at a first position along an optical axis and a first focal plane at a second position along the optical axis; and
in a second direction, a second principal plane at a third position different from the first position along the optical axis and the focal plane at the second position along the optical axis.

4. The display apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein each of the first curved surface and the second curved surface has a width in the first direction which is less than an overall width of the combiner in the first direction.

5. The display apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the image forming device is arranged to provide the virtual image toward the first surface, and the first surface is arranged such that the virtual image passed through the first surface propagates into the transparent waveguide.

6. The display apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the image forming device is arranged to face a partial region of the third surface, and the first surface is arranged to reflect the virtual image passed through the third surface.

7. The display apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the image forming device is arranged to face a partial region of the fourth surface, and the first surface is arranged to reflect the virtual image passed through the fourth surface.

8. The display apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the combiner further comprises a light-transmitting plate, the light-transmitting plate comprising:
a fifth surface that is in contact with the second surface and has a shape complementary to the second curved surface formed on the second surface;
a sixth surface that extends from the third surface; and
a seventh surface that extends from the fourth surface.

9. The display apparatus of claim 8 ,
wherein the combiner further comprises a transflective coating on the second surface.

10. The display apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the transparent waveguide comprises: a first surface and a second surface that are arranged to face each other; and a third surface and a fourth surface that are arranged between the first surface and the second surface,
wherein the third surface and the fourth surface face each other, and
wherein the first surface is an inclined flat surface, the curved surface is formed on the second surface, and the third surface and the fourth surface are arranged parallel to each other to have no refractive power.

11. The display apparatus of claim 10 ,
wherein the combiner further comprises a light-transmitting plate, the light-transmitting plate comprising:
a fifth surface that is in contact with the curved surface and has a shape complementary to the curved surface;
a sixth surface that extends from the third surface, and
a seventh surface that extends from the fourth surface.

12. The display apparatus of claim 10 ,
wherein the image forming device is arranged to provide the virtual image toward the first surface, and the first surface is arranged such that the virtual image passed through the first surface propagates into the transparent waveguide.

13. The display apparatus of claim 10 ,
wherein the image forming device is arranged to face a partial region of the third surface, and the first surface is arranged to reflect the virtual image passed through the third surface.

14. The display apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a projection optical system between the image forming device and the third surface,
wherein the curved surface and the projection optical system form:
in the first direction, a first principal plane at a first position along an optical axis and a focal plane at a second position along the optical axis; and
in the second direction, a second principal plane at a third position different from the first position along the optical axis and the focal plane at the second position along the optical axis.

15. The display apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the transparent waveguide comprises: a first surface and a second surface that are arranged to face each other; and a third surface and a fourth surface that are arranged between the first surface and the second surface,
wherein the third surface and the fourth surface face each other,
wherein the curved surface is formed on the first surface, the third surface and the fourth surface are arranged parallel to each other to have no refractive power, and the image forming device is arranged to provide the virtual image toward the first surface.

16. The display apparatus of claim 15 ,
wherein the combiner further comprises a diffraction pattern arranged in a partial region of the fourth surface to reflect the virtual image toward the third surface.

17. The display apparatus of claim 16 ,
wherein the diffraction pattern comprises a first surface that reflects light corresponding to the virtual image obliquely incident on the first surface in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and a second surface that passes through the light corresponding to the outside environment that is perpendicular incident on the second surface.

18. The display apparatus of claim 16 ,
wherein the diffraction pattern comprises a holographic optical element, a diffractive optical element, or a meta-surface.

19. The display apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the image forming device is arranged to provide the virtual image toward the curved surface, and the display apparatus further comprises a projection optical system between the image forming device and the curved surface.

20. The display apparatus of claim 19 ,
wherein the combiner further comprises a transflective coating on the curved surface.

21. The display apparatus of claim 19 ,
wherein the combiner further comprises a light-transmitting plate that supports the transflective coating.

22. A display apparatus comprising:
an image forming device configured to form a virtual image; and
a combiner configured to mix the virtual image with light corresponding to an outside environment and provide a viewer with

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Myongji Univ Industry And Academia Cooperation

Inventors

• Lee Changkun
• Han Woojun
• Kim Jaisoon
• Moon Seokil
• Sung Geeyoung
• Lim Seunga

Classifications

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/013

  comprising a combiner of particular shape, e.g. curvature · CPC title

• G02B6/34

  utilising prism or grating {(G02B6/293 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G02B27/4227

  in image scanning systems · CPC title

• G02B27/4205

  having a diffractive optical element [DOE] contributing to image formation, e.g. whereby modulation transfer function MTF or optical aberrations are relevant · CPC title