A near-eye display system with edge-projection from the lens

Abstract

This invention relates to a near-eye display system with edge-projection projection, belonging to the field of augmented reality. It includes a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye-coupled module, an eye-tracking module, and a compensation module. The micro-display module includes a micro-display screen, a control chip, and a driving circuit; the light control module includes a light-shaping lens group; the eye-coupled module is a multi-directional truncated pyramid with reflection and diffraction light path function; the eye-tracking module consists of a camera and an image processing chip; the compensation module can compensate for the distortion of ambient light entering the eye caused by the reflection and diffraction function of the eye-coupled module. The micro-display screen is mounted on the side of the lens, the light control module is positioned in front of the micro-display screen to control the light beam, the eye-coupled module is positioned at the center of the lens, or, depending on the wearer's position, aligned with the center of the pupil, and a camera is mounted on the frame. This invention has the advantages of being thin and light-sensitive with high light propagation efficiency, and can be used in display devices for augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of augmented reality, and particularly relates to a near-eye display system with edge-projection from a lens. Background Technology

[0002] Near-eye display technologies currently include augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). AR technology overlays virtual digital content onto the real world to create an enhanced visual experience. Virtual reality, on the other hand, completely immerses the user in a virtual environment. The goal of AR technology is to combine virtual information with the user's environment, enabling users to interact with both the real world and digital content. This digital content can include images, videos, 3D models, sound, or other computer-generated information.

[0003] Currently, the mainstream solutions for AR technology mainly include freeform surface structures, Birdbath structures, semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror structures, and optical waveguide structures. Birdbath structures, freeform surface structures, and semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror structures are relatively large in size, but have high light transmission efficiency; optical waveguide structures have a thin and light appearance, but have lower light utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to fill the gap in the prior art and provide a near-eye display system with edge-mounted projection, comprising: a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye coupling module, and an eye-tracking module.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is: a near-eye display system with edge-mounted projection, comprising a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye-coupled module, and an eye-tracking module. The system emits an image from the micro-display module on the side of the lens. The light is shaped by the light control module, and then incident on the multi-directional prism of the eye-coupled module, where it is reflected and focused into the eye. This allows for both retinal projection and magnification of the micro-display image to create a virtual image at a distance for human observation.

[0006] The micro-display module comprises a micro-display screen, a control chip, and a driving circuit. At least one group of micro-display modules should be distributed along the edge of the lens, either inside the lens edge or outside the complete lens edge, and can be uniformly or non-uniformly distributed along the lens edge. The screen's light emission direction should point towards the center of the lens. When uniformly distributed, the micro-display modules are evenly distributed along the perimeter of the lens edge. When non-uniformly distributed, the positions of the micro-display modules can be arranged according to requirements. The micro-display modules include, but are not limited to, micro-light-emitting diodes (Micro-LEDs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), nano-light-emitting diodes (Nano-LEDs), and liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) and other miniature monochrome or color micro-display screens. Each micro-display module contains at least one corresponding light control module.

[0007] The light control module includes a beam-shaping lens group, and may also include a polarization converter as needed. The polarization rotator generally consists of a linear polarizer and a quarter-wave plate. The beam-shaping lens group in the light control module includes, but is not limited to, liquid crystal lenses, metasurface structures, Fresnel lenses, microlens arrays, superlenses, and holographic optical elements. When the lens group has beam-shaping function, the lens composition includes, but is not limited to, free combinations of liquid crystal lenses, metasurface structures, Fresnel lenses, microarray lenses, superlenses, and holographic optical elements. In practical applications, a suitable lens group is selected according to different parameter indicators to meet the beam-shaping requirements of the microdisplay light. When the eye coupling module is a polarization-selective reflective surface, the light control module may also include a polarization conversion module, so that the light control module only works on circularly polarized light in one direction without affecting the transmission of ambient light. The polarization conversion module generally consists of a linear polarizer and a quarter-wave plate. The linear polarizer decomposes the light from the microdisplay module into two linearly polarized beams with perpendicular vibration directions. Then, the quarter-wave plate advances or lags the phase of one of the linearly polarized beams by a quarter cycle, thus converting it into circularly polarized light in different directions.

[0008] The eye-coupled module is located in the center of the lens, or positioned aligned with the center of the pupil depending on the wearer's eye position. It includes at least a multi-directional truncated pyramid with a reflective optical path function. The sides of the multi-directional truncated pyramid are reflective or reflective surfaces, and different structural designs can be used to direct light into the viewer's pupil for observation. The eye-coupled module includes, but is not limited to, polarizing holographic surfaces, volume holographic surfaces, metasurfaces, relief diffraction surfaces, off-axis reflective optical surfaces, etc., and multiple materials can be used within the same system. When the eye-coupled module is a holographic surface with polarization characteristics, the light control module can include a polarization converter to convert light from the microdisplay into left / right circularly polarized light. The holographic surface is generally manufactured using optically aligned polarization holography, where two circularly polarized beams interfere on an optically aligned material. It only responds to circularly polarized light with the same rotation direction as the material itself, reflecting a beam of circularly polarized light incident at a certain angle into convergent circularly polarized light that exits in other directions without affecting the environment. The light contains circularly polarized light with another rotation direction; according to the reflection path set when manufacturing the holographic surface, the holographic surface can focus the collimated beam from the light control module into a viewpoint to form a projected image; when the reflective surface of the eye coupling module is a polarized holographic surface, the light enters the eye through Bragg diffraction, and the liquid crystal molecules in the surface rotate along their own optical axis, which can diffract circularly polarized light with the same rotation direction as their own liquid crystal molecules, and the light emitted from the light control module enters the eye through diffraction; when the eye coupling module of the system is an off-axis curved surface optical system that reflects normal light, such as a freeform surface, off-axis parabolic mirror, etc., the reflective surface is curved with a certain arc. When the arc curve of the curved surface is represented by a parabolic function, it is an off-axis parabolic mirror. The arc curve of the curved surface can be defined by a freeform surface; the collimated beam transmitted from the light control module can be focused by the off-axis reflective surface to form a projection. Since the angle of reflected light is different at each point of the off-axis reflective surface, the light can be converged or diverged into the eye through design.

[0009] The eye-tracking module is positioned above the lens or elsewhere where the pupil position can be captured. It consists of a camera and an image processing chip. The camera captures the user's eye position and transmits the data to the chip. After data processing, the chip controls the on / off state of the microdisplay module. When the projection method is retinal projection, since the image of each microdisplay is focused at a different position, after the camera captures the eye's position information, the image recognition system identifies the current pupil position using image recognition technology and controls the corresponding viewpoint to fall on the microdisplay at the current pupil position. The eye-tracking module includes, but is not limited to, infrared eye tracking, optical eye tracking, and transparent image sensors. Because this system is designed with multiple microdisplays, each with a different focusing position, it achieves a pupil dilation effect and provides a large eye movement range.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the light from multiple micro-display modules can be focused onto the center of the pupil by adjusting the tilt angle of the side reflective surface of the eye-coupled module, thereby forming multiple viewpoints arranged in a flat pattern. Alternatively, the light from the side surface of the eye-coupled module can be focused onto different depth positions or onto the same point by adjusting the material properties, such as the degree of curvature or the internal structure of the holographic element. The light divergence function of the side surface of the eye-coupled module can also be used to magnify the micro-display image and form a virtual image at a distance. When multiple viewpoints are arranged in a flat pattern, if one viewpoint falls within the pupil range, the complete image can be observed. Multiple viewpoints achieve pupil expansion, greatly improving the eye movement range. When different viewpoints are formed... When viewing different depths, the device can accommodate varying pupillary distances. When focusing on a single point, the device offers only one viewpoint, but the brightness of that viewpoint is superimposed. Alternatively, different monochromatic lights can be displayed on different micro-display modules, achieving multi-color superposition at the same location. Another approach is to use image stitching, where each micro-display module displays a different position of an image, and then the light is converged at a single point to stitch the images together. When using virtual image projection, each micro-display module, through its corresponding eye-coupled module, causes the light to diverge to varying degrees, forming virtual images of different depths. This prevents the wearer's gaze from constantly focusing on a single plane, alleviating convergence conflict and enhancing the wearer's experience.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lens shape of the projection system can be circular or a polygon with certain symmetrical features, such as a quadrilateral or hexagon. The number of micro-displays is not limited, as long as each micro-display has a corresponding side surface of the central module to reflect light, ensuring that the light from each micro-display module can enter the eye in an appropriate manner. The micro-display module, the beam shaping lens group module, and the eye coupling module can be encapsulated together in the lens, wherein the lens material includes, but is not limited to, glass, plastic, resin, crystal material, etc. Alternatively, each module can be installed in a suitable place outside the lens, as long as the light can be reasonably shaped by the light control module and coupled into the eye by the eye coupling module.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the micro-display at different locations can be designed to reflect to any position within a certain range, including lateral positions and various depth positions, depending on the different geometric shapes of the eye-in-coupling module. The geometric shape of the eye-in-coupling module is a multi-directional frustum, which can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The top and bottom of the multi-directional frustum are polygonal geometric surfaces, and the size of the top polygon is smaller than that of the bottom polygon. The edges of the top and bottom polygons are parallel to each other. When the reflective surface is non-curved, the specific horizontal position of the upper plane is determined according to the required tilt angle of each reflective surface. When the reflective surface is curved, the specific position of the upper plane is determined according to the designed freeform surface or off-axis paraboloid. In this case, the geometric shape of the eye-in-coupling module is a curved frustum. After determining the geometric shape, a corresponding optical element thin film is manufactured on the side surface, including but not limited to metasurfaces, holographic surfaces, volume holographic surfaces, off-axis paraboloid reflective thin films, freeform reflective thin films, etc. The field of view of the entire system is constrained by the size of the eye-in-coupling module and the tilt or curvature of the corresponding reflective side surface, and different field of view sizes can be customized according to the wearer's needs.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the system is applied to a holographic reflective retinal projection method, the distance between the reflective surface and the viewpoint entering the eye is called f1. During the fabrication of the holographic reflective surface, two beams of light simultaneously illuminate the substrate to form a light orientation pattern. One beam is parallel light, representing a collimated beam emitted from the light control module. The other beam, composed of parallel light of the same intensity, passes through a lens with a focal length of f1 and then illuminates the substrate. The distance between the lens and the substrate is 2f1. At this time, the simulated phase profile at each point on the substrate... This can be expressed by a formula: Where λ represents the wavelength of the incident light, x and y represent the coordinates of a point on the substrate, f represents the focal length (f1), and θ represents the tilt angle of the substrate relative to the vertical direction. When the system is applied to a multi-virtual image plane viewing method using holographic surface reflection, the distance from the reflecting surface to the virtual focal point is called f2. During the fabrication of the holographic reflecting surface, two beams of light simultaneously illuminate the substrate to form an interference pattern. One beam is parallel light, representing the collimated beam emitted from the light control module, while the other beam, composed of parallel light of equal intensity, passes through a lens with a focal length of f2 before illuminating the substrate. The distance between the lens and the substrate is 2f². The phase at each point on the substrate can also be expressed using the above formula. When the system is applied to a non-holographic surface for reflection into the eye, the system must satisfy the condition that the optical path length of the light rays from the microdisplay module to the final eye is equal. Assuming there are two points (x1, y1, z1) and (x2, y2, z2) on the microdisplay module, and the light rays emitted from these two points pass through (x3, y3, z3) and (x4, y4, z4) on the eye-coupled module respectively, and finally focus at point (x5, y5, z5), then the following condition should be met: Where n1 represents the refractive index of the lens and n2 represents the refractive index of air; if it is the form of a reversed virtual image entering the eye, then (x5, y5, z5) is the point where the virtual image is focused.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the material used for the eye-coupled module is a polarization holographic surface, a freeform surface, or an off-axis reflector, the eye-coupled module will not affect the transmission of ambient light. When a polarization holographic surface is used, since the eye-coupled module only reflects circularly polarized light in one direction, other components of the ambient light can be transmitted unaffected. When the eye-coupled module uses a curved off-axis reflection system, the reflection method used is to coat a semi-transparent and semi-reflective thin film material, which will have a certain reflection effect on ambient light. When the eye-coupled module uses a metasurface, a surface relief diffraction surface, or other materials that achieve light diffraction through the tiny geometric shapes of the reflective surface, the eye-coupled module will have a partial refraction effect on ambient light. In this case, a compensation module needs to be added at the corresponding location of the eye-coupled module to compensate for the ambient light distorted by the eye-coupled module.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the light control module cannot achieve perfect collimation, the non-collimated stray light can be propagated through the lens as a waveguide and incident on the eye coupling module, and finally enter the eye, so that the light utilization rate is maximized. In addition, when the light emitted by the micro display screen is not parallel to the lens, but has a certain angle with the lens, the light can be reflected by the lens as a waveguide to achieve beam propagation in the form of an optical waveguide. At this time, the eye coupling module still acts as a waveguide coupling module to reflect the light into the eye.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, when this structure is used in a VR system, the system no longer needs to consider the propagation of ambient light. A light shield can be used to cover the front of the lens, or the system can be used in a head-mounted virtual reality display device. The micro-display module no longer needs to be fixed inside the lens, but emits light at a suitable position in the head-mounted device, which is reflected into the eye by the eye coupling module. The way the light enters the eye is still consistent with that used in augmented reality.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the optical structure can be combined with special lenses such as infrared cameras and zoom cameras to switch between displaying infrared images, distant images, and close-up images, and can be applied to military tactical helmets, etc. The head-mounted near-eye display devices made from the optical structure, such as smart glasses and smart helmets, can be combined with sensors and cameras to capture iris information and realize functions such as identity verification and health monitoring. In the above applications, the optical structure can be used alone or in combination with both eyes. When used in a binocular structure, the optical structures of the left and right eyes are the same, the difference being that the images of the left and right eyes displayed by the micro-display module are slightly different, so as to form a stereoscopic image in human vision.

[0018] Compared to existing technologies, this invention offers the following advantages: The invention uses a light control module to regulate the light from the micro-display module, an eye coupling module to reflect or diffract the light beam from the light control module into the pupil, and an eye-tracking module to track the eye's position, facilitating pupil dilation. Furthermore, this invention employs retinal projection or a virtual image plane to mitigate convergence conflict. This system boasts advantages of being lightweight and highly efficient, making it suitable for near-eye display devices such as AR glasses and VR headsets. While maintaining high luminous efficiency, it significantly reduces the system's size and weight, enhancing the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a monocular stereoscopic view of the near-eye display system with edge-projection at the lens edge according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a binocular stereoscopic view of the near-eye display system with edge-projection at the lens edge according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a monocular front view of the near-eye display system with edge-projection at the lens edge according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a monocular side view of the near-eye display system of the present invention, which uses a lens edge-mounted side-projection method for retinal projection into the eye.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a monocular side view of the near-eye display system of the present invention, which uses a lens edge-mounted side-projection method with multiple virtual image planes entering the eye.

[0024] Figure 6 The following are the types of eye-entry coupling modules of the present invention and their three-dimensional stereoscopic diagrams: (a) retinal projection of holographic surface reflection into the eye, (b) multiple virtual image surfaces of holographic surface reflection into the eye, (c) retinal projection of freeform surface reflection into the eye, and (d) multiple virtual image surfaces of freeform surface reflection into the eye.

[0025] In the diagram: 101: Human eye, 102: Micro-display module light, 103: Ambient light, 104: Micro-display module, 105: Light control module, 106: Eye coupling module, 107: Eye tracking module, 108: Virtual image plane, 109: Compensation module. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solution of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] This invention provides preferred embodiments, which are only used for further explanation of the invention and should not be considered as limiting the scope of protection of the invention to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed descriptions are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation of this application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0028] This invention provides a near-eye display system with edge-projection projection, comprising a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye-coupled module, an eye-tracking module, and a compensation module; wherein,

[0029] The micro-display modules are distributed on the inner side of the lens edge or on the outer side of the complete lens edge, and at least one set of micro-display modules are evenly or non-uniformly distributed along the lens edge, with the screen of the micro-display module pointing towards the center of the lens;

[0030] The light control module includes a beam shaping lens group, which performs beam shaping functions, including collimation, convergence, and divergence, according to the requirements of the eye coupling module.

[0031] The eye coupling module is placed at the center of symmetry of the lens, or at a position aligned with the center of the pupil depending on the position of the human eye. The eye coupling module has a reflective surface, and different structural design schemes are used to control the light to be observed inside the human eye pupil.

[0032] The eye-tracking module is placed above the lens or in another location that can capture the position of the pupil.

[0033] The following are specific implementation examples of the present invention.

[0034] Example 1

[0035] like Figure 1-4As shown, the present invention provides a near-eye display system with edge-projection projection, comprising the following modules: a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye coupling module, an eye tracking module, and a compensation module. The micro-display module 104 consists of a micro-display screen, its control chip, and control circuit, and can display monochrome or color images. The light control module 105 consists of a light-shaping lens group or a polarizer, which can shape or polarize the light emitted from the micro-display module. The eye coupling module 106 is a polygonal frustum or a curved frustum, wherein the side surface of the geometry can be various optical surfaces capable of reflecting and diffracting light. The eye tracking module 107 can track the position of the eyeball, providing a basis for pupil dilation.

[0036] The microdisplay module 104 in this embodiment is used to display images and includes a microdisplay, a control chip, and a driving power supply. The display screen includes, but is not limited to, micro-LEDs, OLEDs, Nano-LEDs, LCoS, and other miniature monochrome or color microdisplays. The microdisplay can display full-screen monochrome images, full-screen color images, and spliced ​​images; in this embodiment, it is mainly used to display full-screen monochrome or color images.

[0037] The light control module 105 in this embodiment is used to shape light rays and apply polarization states to the light rays as needed. The light control module includes a beam-shaping lens group, and may also include a polarization converter as needed. The polarization converter generally includes a linear polarizer and a quarter-wave plate. The beam-shaping lens group in the light control module includes, but is not limited to, liquid crystal lenses, metasurface structures, Fresnel lenses, microlens arrays, superlenses, and holographic optical elements. When the lens group is a lens group with beam-shaping function, the lens composition includes, but is not limited to, free combinations of liquid crystal lenses, metasurface structures, Fresnel lenses, microarray lenses, superlenses, and holographic optical elements. When the eye coupling module is a polarization-selective reflective surface, the light control module needs to include a polarization conversion module so that the light control module only works on circularly polarized light in one direction without affecting the transmission of natural light. The polarization conversion module generally consists of a linear polarizer and a quarter-wave plate. The linear polarizer decomposes the light from the microdisplay module into two orthogonal linearly polarized lights, and then the quarter-wave plate leads or lags the phase of the linearly polarized light in one direction by a quarter of a period, thus converting it into circularly polarized light in the corresponding direction.

[0038] The eye-entry coupling module 106 in this embodiment is used to reflect or diffract light from the microdisplay into the pupil and project it around the pupil to form a viewpoint. The eye-entry coupling module 106 is located in the center of the lens, or, depending on the wearer's position, aligned with the center of the pupil. It includes at least one multi-directional truncated pyramid with a reflective light path function. The sides of the multi-directional truncated pyramid are reflective or reflective surfaces, and different structural designs can be used to direct light into the viewer's pupil for observation. The reflective surface material of the eye-entry coupling module 106 includes, but is not limited to, polarizing holographic surfaces, volume holographic surfaces, metasurfaces, relief diffraction surfaces, off-axis reflective optical surfaces, etc., and multiple materials can be used in the same system. When the eye-entry coupling module is a holographic surface with polarization characteristics, the light control module needs to include a polarization converter to convert light from the microdisplay into left / right circularly polarized light. When the reflective surface of the eye-entry coupling module is a polarizing holographic surface... When the vibrating holographic surface is used, the liquid crystal molecules within the surface rotate along their own optical axis, causing Bragg diffraction of circularly polarized light with the same rotation direction as the liquid crystal molecules, thus diffracting the light emitted from the light control module into the eye. When the eye-entry coupling module of the system is an off-axis curved surface optical system that normally reflects light, such as a freeform surface or an off-axis parabolic mirror, the reflecting surface is curved with a certain arc. When the arc curve of the curved surface can be represented by a parabolic function, it is an off-axis parabolic mirror; when the arc curve of the curved surface is difficult to represent by a function, it is a freeform surface reflecting surface. The collimated beam transmitted from the light control module can be focused by the off-axis reflecting surface to form a projection. Since the angle of reflected light is different at each point of the off-axis reflecting surface, the light can be converged or diverged into the eye through design.

[0039] In this embodiment, the eye-tracking module 107 tracks the eye position and controls the on / off state of the microdisplay corresponding to the current eye position. Through the design of the eye coupling module 106, the light from each microdisplay module 104 is projected onto viewpoints at different positions around the pupil. After the eye-tracking module 107 captures the eye position information, it controls the microdisplays whose viewpoints fall within the current pupil area to turn on, while the other displays turn off, thus achieving dynamic eye tracking.

[0040] When the optical structure of this embodiment is applied to a head-mounted near-eye display device, the optical structure can be a set, displaying images for the left or right eye separately; or the optical structure can be two sets, displaying images for both the left and right eyes simultaneously.

[0041] When the display system is activated, the micro-display module 104 projects the image onto the light control module 105 for light shaping. Through the coupling eye-entry module 106, the light from each micro-display module is projected onto different viewpoints around the pupil. This, combined with the eye-tracking module 107, expands the exit pupil, resulting in a larger eye movement range. Simultaneously, ambient light can also propagate normally to the pupil through the compensation module 109.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] like Figure 1 , 4 As shown, the present invention provides a near-eye display system with edge-projection projection, comprising: a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye-coupled module, an eye-tracking module, and a compensation module. The micro-display module, light control module, and eye-coupled module are collectively encapsulated within a lens, wherein the lens material includes, but is not limited to, glass, plastic, resin, and crystalline materials.

[0044] The optical structural features referred to in this embodiment are similar to those in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0045] In this embodiment, the micro-display modules may not display the entire image, but rather each display a portion of a complete image and project them onto the same viewpoint within the pupil, stitching them together to form a complete image, which is then projected onto the retina. The specific image segmentation method is determined by the image display format. If the graphic displayed on the micro-display is a rectangular image, the image can be divided into four parts along the diagonal, each part being a triangular display area, and the corresponding image is displayed by four micro-display modules distributed on the inner edge of the lens, positioned vertically, horizontally, and vertically. Alternatively, a monochrome complete image can be displayed, using three micro-displays to display monochrome images of RGB colors and projecting them onto the same viewpoint to form a full-color complete image. In this case, the three micro-displays can be distributed at any three of the four positions on the lens edge (vertical, horizontal, and vertical). Alternatively, all three can display complete full-color images and project them onto the same viewpoint to form a brighter image.

[0046] When the display system is activated, the micro-display module 104 projects the image onto the light control module 105 for light shaping, and projects the light from each micro-display module onto the same viewpoint through the coupling-in-eye module 106. Simultaneously, ambient light can also be transmitted normally to the pupil through the compensation module 109.

[0047] Example 3

[0048] like Figure 5 As shown, the present invention provides a near-eye display system with edge-mounted projection from a lens. The system includes: a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye-coupled module, an eye-tracking module, and a compensation module. The micro-display module, light control module, and eye-coupled module are all encapsulated within a lens, and the lens material includes, but is not limited to, glass, plastic, resin, and crystalline materials.

[0049] The optical structural features referred to in this embodiment are similar to those in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0050] In this embodiment, the eye-coupled module 106 no longer projects light onto the pupil to form a viewpoint. Instead, it diverges and amplifies the incident light from the light control module 105 and focuses it in the opposite direction on the side of the lens away from the pupil to form a virtual image. The side reflective surface of the eye-coupled module 106 includes, but is not limited to, a polarizing volume holographic surface, a volume holographic surface, a metasurface, an embossed diffraction surface, an off-axis reflective optical surface, etc., and multiple materials can be used in the same system. When the eye-coupled module is a holographic surface with polarization selectivity, the light control module 105 may include a polarization converter that can convert light from the microdisplay into left / right circularly polarized light. The holographic surface is manufactured by light-aligned polarization holography, in which two beams of circularly polarized light interfere on the light-aligning material, and respond only to circularly polarized light in one rotation direction. It can reflect a collimated circularly polarized light beam incident at a certain angle into convergent circularly polarized light that exits in other directions, while not affecting the other circularly polarized light contained in the ambient light. The circularly polarized light in the direction of rotation passes through; according to the reflection path set during the fabrication of the holographic surface, the holographic surface can reflect and diverge the collimated beam from the light control module, forming a virtual projection image in the opposite direction; when the eye-coupled module of the system is an off-axis curved surface optical system that reflects normal light, such as a freeform surface or an off-axis parabolic mirror, the reflecting surface is curved with a certain arc. When the arc curve of the curved surface can be represented by a parabolic function, it is an off-axis parabolic mirror; when the arc curve of the curved surface is difficult to represent by a function, it is a freeform surface reflecting surface; the collimated beam transmitted from the light control module can be focused by the off-axis reflecting surface to form a projection. Since the angle of reflected light is different at each point of the off-axis reflecting surface, the light can be diverged through design. Because the degree of light divergence of the eye-coupled module corresponding to each microdisplay is different, each microdisplay module can form a virtual image of different depths, forming a multi-image projection and alleviating convergence conflict. When the side surface of the eye coupling module 106 is an off-axis reflective optical surface, ambient light will be distorted to a certain extent after passing through the module, and a compensation module is needed to compensate for it.

[0051] When the display system is activated, the micro-display module 104 projects the image onto the light control module 105 for light beam shaping, and then, through the coupling eye module 106, diffuses the light from each micro-display module, forming a virtual image plane in the opposite direction. Simultaneously, ambient light can also propagate normally to the pupil through the compensation module 109.

[0052] Figure 6 The following are the types of eye-entry coupling modules of the present invention and their three-dimensional stereoscopic diagrams: (a) retinal projection of holographic surface reflection into the eye, (b) multiple virtual image surfaces of holographic surface reflection into the eye, (c) retinal projection of freeform surface reflection into the eye, and (d) multiple virtual image surfaces of freeform surface reflection into the eye.

[0053] The above are preferred embodiments of the present invention. Any changes made to the technical solution of the present invention that do not exceed the scope of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A near-eye display system with edge-projection from a lens, characterized in that, It includes a micro-display module, a light control module, an eye-coupled module, an eye-tracking module, and a compensation module; among which, The micro-display modules are distributed on the inner side of the lens edge or on the outer side of the complete lens edge, and at least one set of micro-display modules are evenly or non-uniformly distributed along the lens edge, with the screen of the micro-display module pointing towards the center of the lens; The light control module includes a beam shaping lens group, which performs beam shaping functions, including collimation, convergence, and divergence, according to the requirements of the eye coupling module. The eye coupling module is placed at the center of symmetry of the lens, or at a position aligned with the center of the pupil depending on the position of the human eye. The eye coupling module has a reflective surface, and different structural design schemes are used to control the light to be observed inside the human eye pupil. The eye-tracking module is positioned above the lens; The system emits an image from a micro-display module on the side of the lens. The light is shaped by a light control module and then incident on a multi-directional prism of an eye coupling module, where it is reflected and focused into the eye. This system can achieve retinal projection and magnify the micro-display image to form a virtual image at a distance for human observation. When the system is applied to a holographic reflective retinal projection method, the distance from the reflective surface to the viewpoint entering the eye is called f1. During the fabrication of the holographic reflective surface, two beams of light simultaneously illuminate the substrate, interfering to form a light orientation pattern. One beam is a collimated parallel beam, representing the collimated beam emitted from the light control module. The other beam, a collimated parallel beam of equal intensity, passes through a lens with a focal length of f1 and then illuminates the substrate. The distance between the lens and the substrate is 2f1. At this point, the simulated phase at each point on the substrate... Expressed using a formula: Where λ represents the wavelength of the incident light, x and y represent the coordinates of a point on the substrate, f represents the focal length (f1), and θ represents the tilt angle of the substrate relative to the vertical direction; when the system is applied to the multi-virtual image plane viewing method of holographic surface reflection, the distance from the reflecting surface to the virtual focal point is called f2; when fabricating the holographic reflecting surface, two beams of light simultaneously illuminate the substrate to form an interference pattern. One beam is parallel light, representing the collimated beam emitted from the light control module, and the other beam is parallel light of the same intensity that passes through a lens with a focal length of f2 before illuminating the substrate. The distance between the substrates is 2f², and the phase at each point on the substrate can also be expressed by the above formula. When the system is applied to the reflection of a non-holographic surface into the eye, the system must satisfy the condition that the optical path length of the light rays from the microdisplay module to the final eye is equal. Assuming there are two points (x1, y1, z1) and (x2, y2, z2) on the microdisplay module, and the light rays emitted from these two points pass through points (x3, y3, z3) and (x4, y4, z4) on the eye coupling module respectively, and finally focus on point (x5, y5, z5), then the following should be satisfied: Where n1 represents the refractive index of the lens and n2 represents the refractive index of air; if it is the form of a reversed virtual image entering the eye, then (x5, y5, z5) are the coordinates of the point where the virtual image is focused.

2. The near-eye display system with edge-mounted projection according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple micro-display modules emit light that is focused onto the center of the pupil by adjusting the tilt angle of the reflective surface of the eye-coupled module, forming multiple viewpoints arranged in a flat pattern. Alternatively, the light can be focused to different depth positions or the same point by adjusting the material properties of the reflective surface of the eye-coupled module. Furthermore, the light-diffusing function of the reflective surface of the eye-coupled module can be used to magnify the micro-display image and project it onto a distant virtual image plane to form a virtual image. When multiple viewpoints are arranged in a flat pattern, the complete image can be observed if one viewpoint falls within the pupil's range. Multiple viewpoints achieve pupil expansion, increasing the range of eye movement. When viewpoints at different depths are formed, different pupil sizes can be accommodated. Distance; When focused on the same point, the system has only one viewpoint, but the brightness of that viewpoint is superimposed, enabling different monochromatic lights to be displayed on different micro-display modules, achieving multi-color superposition at the same location, or using a stitched image method, where each micro-display module displays different positions of an image, and then the light is converged at one point to achieve image stitching; When using virtual image projection, each micro-display module causes the corresponding light to diverge to different degrees through the corresponding eye coupling module, forming virtual images of different depths, so that the wearer's gaze does not have to focus on one plane all the time, alleviating convergence conflict and improving the wearer's experience.

3. The near-eye display system with edge-projection projection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective surface of the eye-in-coupling module includes one or more of the following: polarizing volume holographic surface, volume holographic surface, metasurface, relief diffraction surface, and off-axis reflective optical surface.

4. A near-eye display system with edge-projection projection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam-shaping lens group includes a liquid crystal lens, a metasurface structure, a Fresnel lens, a microlens array, a superlens, and a holographic optical element. In practical applications, the beam-shaping lens group is selected according to different parameter indicators so that the light emitted by the microdisplay module can be shaped. When the reflective surface of the eye coupling module is a polarization-selective reflective surface, the light control module also includes a polarization conversion module that enables the eye coupling module to act only on circularly polarized light in one direction without affecting the transmission of ambient light. The polarization conversion module consists of a linear polarizer and a quarter-wave plate. The linear polarizer decomposes the light from the microdisplay module into two linearly polarized lights with perpendicular vibration directions. Then, the quarter-wave plate advances or lags the phase of one of the linearly polarized lights by a quarter of a period, thus converting it into circularly polarized light with different rotation directions.

5. A near-eye display system with edge-projection projection according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lens shape includes a circle or a polygon with symmetrical features. Each micro-display module has a corresponding reflective surface of the eye coupling module to reflect light, ensuring that the light from each micro-display module can enter the eye. The micro-display module, light control module, and eye coupling module are all encapsulated within the lens. The lens material includes glass, plastic, resin, and crystal material. Alternatively, the micro-display module, light control module, and eye coupling module may not be encapsulated within the lens, as long as the light can be controlled by the light control module and projected into the eye by the eye coupling module. The images emitted by the micro-display modules at different positions are designed to be projected onto a viewpoint position within a predetermined range, including lateral positions and different depth positions, based on the different geometric shapes of the eye coupling modules. The geometry of the eye-coupled module is a multi-directional frustum. Both the top and bottom surfaces of the frustum are polygonal, with the area of ​​the top polygon being smaller than that of the bottom polygon. The edges of the top and bottom polygons are parallel to each other. When the reflective surface is planar, the specific horizontal position of the top surface is determined by the required tilt angle of each reflective surface. When the reflective surface is curved, the specific position of the top surface is determined by the designed freeform surface or off-axis paraboloid. In this case, the geometry of the eye-coupled module is a curved frustum. After determining the geometry, corresponding optical element films are fabricated on the reflective surface, including metasurface films, holographic surface films, volume holographic surface films, off-axis paraboloid reflective films, and freeform reflective films. The field of view of the entire system is constrained by the size of the eye-coupled module and the tilt or curvature of the corresponding reflective surface, allowing for customization of different field of view sizes according to the wearer's needs.

6. A near-eye display system with edge-projection projection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The eye-tracking module consists of a camera and an image processing chip. The camera is located close to the lens and is used to capture the position of the eye. When the eye is projected onto the retina, since the image of each micro-display module is projected onto a different viewpoint, after the camera captures the position information of the eye, the image processing chip identifies the current pupil position through image recognition technology and controls the micro-display module whose viewpoint falls on the current pupil position to turn on.

7. A near-eye display system with edge-projection projection according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the eye-coupled module uses a curved off-axis reflection system, the reflection method is to coat a semi-transparent, semi-reflective thin film material. This method will have a reflection effect on ambient light. In this case, the system also includes a compensation module to compensate for the external ambient light distorted by the eye-coupled module. When the eye-coupled module uses a metasurface or a surface relief diffraction surface to achieve light diffraction through the tiny geometric shapes of the reflective surface, the eye-coupled module will have a partial refraction effect on ambient light. In this case, the system also includes a compensation module to compensate for the external ambient light distorted by the eye-coupled module.

8. A near-eye display system with edge-projection projection according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the system is used in a VR system, it is no longer necessary to consider the propagation of ambient light. A light shield can be used to cover the front of the lens. Alternatively, when the system is used in a head-mounted virtual reality display device, the micro-display module no longer needs to be fixed inside the lens. Instead, light is emitted from a corresponding position in the head-mounted device and reflected into the eye through the eye coupling module. The system, combined with lenses including an infrared camera and a zoom camera, can switch between displaying infrared images, distant images, and close-up images, and can be applied to military tactical helmets. The head-mounted near-eye display device manufactured by the system can combine sensors and cameras to capture iris information and realize functions including identity verification and health monitoring. The system can be used monocularly or binocularly. When used binocularly, the optical structures of the left and right eyes are the same, the difference being that the images of the left and right eyes displayed by the micro-display module are slightly different, so as to form a stereoscopic image in human vision.

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