See-through display device and augmented reality device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12517367-B2
Application number	US-202217702453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2022
Priority date	Sep 24, 2021
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

A see-through display device includes an image generator configured to emit image light, a combiner which is arranged off-axis with respect to the image light and is configured to generate an off-axis aberration with respect to the image light, and a free-form optical element which is disposed on an optical path of the image light between the image generator and the combiner and is configured to generate a correction aberration with respect to the image light, the correction aberration being opposite to the off-axis aberration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A see-through display device comprising:
an image generator configured to emit light corresponding to an image; a combiner arranged off-axis with respect to the light corresponding to the image; and a free-form optical element provided on an optical path of the light corresponding to the image between the image generator and the combiner, the free-form optical element configured to generate a correction aberration with respect to the light corresponding to the image, the correction aberration being opposite to an off-axis aberration generated by the combiner, wherein an intermediate image is generated between the combiner and a focal point of the combiner, and wherein the combiner is configured to output an enlarged virtual image corresponding to the intermediate image by focusing, on the focal point, light obtained by diffracting and then reflecting the light corresponding to the image that passed through the free-form optical element.

2 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , wherein the free-form optical element is further configured to generate the correction aberration to offset the off-axis aberration generated by the combiner.

3 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , wherein the free-form optical element comprises a curved surface represented by at least one coefficient of Legendre polynomials, extended polynomials, Chebyshev polynomials, Q-polynomials, and Zernike polynomials.

4 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , wherein the free-form optical element comprises:
a first free-form optical element configured to pass through the light corresponding to the image from the image generator, and a second free-form optical element pass through the light corresponding to the image that passed through the first free-form optical element, and wherein the correction aberration is generated by a combination of the first free-form optical element and the second free-form optical element.

5 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , wherein the combiner comprises a holographic optical element (HOE), and is further configured to focus the light corresponding to the image.

6 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , wherein the combiner comprises a diffractive optical element (DOE), and is further configured to focus the light corresponding to the image.

7 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , wherein the image generator comprises a light source, a beam splitter configured to transmit a part of light from the light source and reflect another part of the light, a spatial light modulator configured to modulate the light emitted from the light source and reflected by the beam splitter to generate the light corresponding to the image, and a collimating lens which is disposed on an optical path, between the spatial light modulator and the beam splitter, of the light corresponding to the image from the spatial light modulator and is configured to convert the light emitted from the light source into parallel light.

8 . The see-through display device of claim 7 , wherein the collimating lens and the beam splitter are configured to converge the light corresponding to the image from the spatial light modulator to any one point.

9 . The see-through display device of claim 8 , further comprising an aperture which is at the one point to which the light corresponding to the image converges and is configured to filter the light corresponding to the image.

10 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , further comprising a rotatable mirror which is disposed between the image generator and the combiner and is configured to rotate to variously change a traveling direction of the light corresponding to the image from the image generator to the combiner.

11 . The see-through display device of claim 10 , wherein the rotatable mirror is disposed on an optical path of the light corresponding to the image between the image generator and the free-form optical element.

12 . The see-through display device of claim 10 , wherein the rotatable mirror is disposed on an optical path of the light corresponding to the image between the free-form optical element and the combiner.

13 . The see-through display device of claim 10 , wherein the free-form optical element comprises a first free-form optical element through which the light corresponding to the image from the image generator passes, and a second free-form optical element through which the light corresponding to the image that passed through the first free-form optical element passes,
wherein the correction aberration is generated by a combination of the first free-form optical element and the second free-form optical element, and the rotatable mirror is disposed on an optical path of the light corresponding to the image between the first free-form optical element and the second free-form optical element.

14 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one fixed mirror which is disposed between the image generator and the combiner and is configured to change an optical path of the light corresponding to the image such that the light corresponding to the image from the image generator travels toward the combiner.

15 . The see-through display device of claim 1 , further comprising a polarization plate which is disposed on the combiner and is configured to reflect light of a first polarization and absorb or transmit light of a second polarization which is different from the first polarization.

16 . An augmented reality device comprising:
a body; a first leg part provided at a left end of the body and a second leg part provided at a right end of the body; a first combiner provided at a left front surface and a second combiner provided at a right front surface of the body; and a first image generation device and a second image generation device configured to provide light corresponding to image to the first combiner and the second combiner, respectively, wherein each of the first image generation device and the second image generation device comprises: an image generator configured to emit the light corresponding to the image; and a free-form optical element provided on an optical path of the image light between the image generator and the first combiner or the second combiner, wherein the first combiner and the second combiner are arranged off-axis with respect to the light corresponding to the image, and wherein the free-form optical element is configured to generate a correction aberration with respect to the light corresponding to the image, the correction aberration being opposite to an off-axis aberration generated by the combiner, wherein an intermediate image is generated between one of the first combiner and the second combiner and a focal point of the one of the first combiner and the second combiner, and wherein the one of the first combiner and the second combiner is configured to output an enlarged virtual image corresponding to the intermediate image by focusing, on the focal point, light obtained by diffracting and then reflecting the light corresponding to the image that passed through the free-form optical element.

17 . The augmented reality device of claim 16 , wherein the free-form optical element is further configured to generate the correction aberration by the free-form optical element and the off-axis aberration generated by the first combiner and the second combiner offset.

18 . The augmented reality device of claim 16 , wherein the free-form optical element comprises a curved surf

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Seo Wontaek
• Han Woojun
• Yang Daeho
• Kim Jaisoon
• Lim Seunga

Classifications

• G02B2027/013

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

• G02B2027/0174

  holographic · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B27/0025

  for optical correction, e.g. distorsion, aberration · CPC title