Optical machine, control method of optical machine and near-to-eye display equipment

Abstract

The invention is suitable for the technical field of micro projection display, and discloses an optical machine, an optical machine control method and a near-to-eye display device.The optical machine comprises an illumination system, an imaging module and an optical relay system, and the illumination system comprises a plurality of illumination areas arranged on a two-dimensional surface in an array mode; the imaging module comprises a beam splitter prism and a micro display panel, the lighting system and the micro display panel are symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism, and a plurality of image areas are formed on the micro display panel; the optical relay system comprises a first lens and a second lens, the first lens is located between the illumination system and the beam splitter prism, the second lens is located between the micro display panel and the beam splitter prism, and the first lens and the second lens are symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism, so that the plurality of image areas are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of illumination areas; and each illumination area is used for emitting illumination light when the corresponding image area displays a picture so as to illuminate the corresponding image area. The embodiment can improve the contrast of an optical machine and reduce the power consumption of the optical machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of micro-projection display technology, and in particular to an optical machine, an optical machine control method and a near-eye display device. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of the field of projection optics and the diversification of market demands, near-eye display devices such as AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) devices have once again attracted public attention with their unique visual effects.

[0003] Among them, the near-eye display device includes an optical engine and an optical waveguide. The optical engine is used to generate a specific image and emit a corresponding optical signal. The optical waveguide is used to transmit the optical signal emitted by the optical engine to the human eye in a direction, thereby realizing the display of the corresponding image to the user wearing the near-eye display device. It can be known that the LCOS optical engine is a liquid crystal display device that uses semiconductor silicon crystal technology to control liquid crystals and project color images. At the same time, compared with MicroLED optical engines and DLP optical engines, LCOS optical engines are small in size. LCOS optical engines also have higher resolution, higher brightness and higher color uniformity, but LCOS optical engines have low contrast and high power consumption. Summary of the invention

[0004] The first object of the present invention is to provide an optical machine, which aims to solve the technical problems of low contrast and high power consumption in current optical machines.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the solution provided by the present invention is:

[0006] An optical machine, comprising:

[0007] A lighting system, the lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting areas arranged in an array on a two-dimensional surface;

[0008] An imaging module, wherein the imaging module comprises a beam splitter prism and a micro display panel, the illumination system and the micro display panel are symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism, and a plurality of image areas are formed on the micro display panel;

[0009] An optical relay system, the optical relay system comprising a first lens and a second lens, the first lens being located between the illumination system and the beam splitter prism, the second lens being located between the micro display panel and the beam splitter prism, and the first lens and the second lens being symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism so that the plurality of image areas correspond one to one with the plurality of illumination areas;

[0010] Each of the illumination areas is used to emit illumination light when the corresponding image area displays a picture. The illumination light is transmitted to the micro display panel through the first lens, the beam splitter prism, and the second lens to illuminate the corresponding image area.

[0011] A second object of the present invention is to provide a control method for an optical machine, for controlling the above optical machine, the control method comprising:

[0012] Controlling the micro display panel and the lighting system respectively: controlling at least one image area of ​​the micro display panel to display a picture, and controlling the lighting area of ​​the lighting system corresponding to the image area of ​​the display picture to emit lighting light;

[0013] Illuminating the image area of ​​the display screen: the illumination light is transmitted to the micro display panel through the first lens, the beam splitter prism, and the second lens to illuminate the image area of ​​the display screen.

[0014] The third object of the present invention is to provide a near-eye display device, comprising a device body and the above-mentioned optical machine, wherein the optical machine is arranged on the glasses body.

[0015] The optical machine provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] In the optical machine of this embodiment, the micro display panel is divided into multiple image areas, the lighting system is divided into multiple lighting areas, and a first lens and a second lens are provided, and the two are symmetrically arranged around the dichroic prism to ensure that the multiple lighting areas and the multiple image areas are conjugated one by one, so that when the image area displays a picture, the lighting area corresponding to the image area is turned on to illuminate the image area corresponding to the turned-on lighting area. Moreover, in this embodiment, the lighting area corresponding to the image area that displays the picture is turned on, and the lighting area corresponding to the image area that does not display the picture is turned off, that is, this embodiment only provides lighting for the image area with the picture, rather than turning on all the lighting areas to provide lighting for all image areas at the same time. Compared with the method of using the light source of the optical machine to continuously light up the full-frame backlight, the partitioned lighting method used in this embodiment can reduce the brightness of the black background, thereby increasing the difference between the light and dark parts in the image, improving the contrast of the optical machine, and reducing the power consumption of the optical machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an imaging state of an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure of an illumination system, an imaging module and an optical relay system in an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 It is another schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the illumination system, the imaging module and the optical relay system in the optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of partitioning of a micro display panel in an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of multiple lighting areas in an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 is another schematic diagram of the distribution of multiple lighting areas in the optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a light source module in an optical machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig. 9 is a distribution diagram of multiple RGB light sources provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of a partitioning unit in an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a method for controlling an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Fig.12 It is another flowchart diagram of the optical machine control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0031] 10. Optical machine; e. Illumination light;

[0032] 1. Lighting system; 1a. Middle area; 1b. Peripheral area; 11. Lighting area; 11a. First lighting area; 11b. Second lighting area;

[0033] 12. Light source module; 121. RGB light source; 1211. Light emitting unit; 122. Light focusing element; 1221. First light focusing lens; 1222. Second light focusing lens; 123. Color mixing and light homogenizing element;

[0034] 2. Imaging module; 21. Beam splitter prism; 22. Micro display panel; 22a. Image area; 221. Display screen; 23. Imaging lens;

[0035] 3. Optical relay system; 31. First lens; 32. Second lens; 4. Polarization unit; 41. Polarization element; 42. Fast and slow axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present invention (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0038] It should also be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed on" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or may be indirectly connected to the other element through an intermediate element.

[0039] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. in the present invention are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0040] At present, in near-eye display devices, optical waveguides need to be equipped with optical engines to generate images. In related technologies, LCOS optical engines can be used as optical engines in near-eye display devices because their volume can be as small as 1cc (cubic centimeter), their brightness can be as high as 3lm (lumen), and their resolution can be as high as 720P to 2K.

[0041] It is known that the LCOS optical engine includes an imaging module for imaging and an illumination system for light mixing and uniform light. The illumination system is used to emit illumination light to illuminate the micro display panel. However, the contrast of the LCOS optical engine is low, which affects the display effect of the LCOS optical engine. Moreover, the illumination system of the LCOS optical engine adopts a continuous full-frame backlight lighting method, which makes it difficult to control the power consumption of the LCOS optical engine at a low level. Moreover, under different APL (Average Picture Level) displays, the power consumption of the LCOS optical engine is always at a high level. It can be seen that the current LCOS optical engine has the problems of low contrast and high power consumption.

[0042] In view of this, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present embodiment provides an optical machine 10, which may be an LCOS optical machine, which is applied to a near-eye display device (not shown). When the optical machine 10 is working, the contrast of the optical machine can be improved and the power consumption of the optical machine can be reduced by turning on the illumination area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a having the picture, and turning on the illumination area 11 corresponding to the other image areas 22a that do not display the picture.

[0043] The following is combined with Figure 1 To Attachment Fig.12 , some embodiments of the present application are described in detail. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0044] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the optical machine 10 provided in this embodiment includes an illumination system 1, an imaging module 2 and an optical relay system 3, the illumination system 1 includes a plurality of illumination areas 11 arranged in an array on a two-dimensional surface, the illumination area 11 is used to provide a background light source; the imaging module 2 includes a beam splitter prism 21 and a micro display panel 22, the beam splitter prism 21 can be a PBS prism, the micro display panel 22 can be an LCOS display panel, the illumination system 1 and the micro display panel 22 are symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism 21, and a plurality of image areas 22a are formed on the micro display panel 22; the optical relay system 3 includes a first lens 31 and a second lens 32, both of which can be lenses, the first lens 31 is located between the illumination system 1 and the beam splitter prism 21, the second lens 32 is located between the micro display panel 22 and the beam splitter prism 21, and the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 are symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism 21 so that the plurality of image areas 22a correspond one to one with the plurality of illumination areas 11.

[0045] Furthermore, each illumination area 11 is used to emit illumination light e when the corresponding image area 22 a displays a picture. The illumination light e is transmitted to the micro display panel 22 through the first lens 31 , the beam splitter prism 21 , and the second lens 32 to illuminate the corresponding image area 22 a .

[0046] In the optical machine 10 of this embodiment, the micro display panel 22 is divided into multiple image areas 22a, the lighting system 1 is divided into multiple lighting areas 11, and a first lens 31 and a second lens 32 are provided, and the two are symmetrically arranged around the dichroic prism 21 to ensure that the multiple lighting areas 11 and the multiple image areas 22a are conjugated one by one, so that when the image area 22a displays a picture, the lighting area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a is turned on to illuminate the image area 22a corresponding to the turned-on lighting area 11. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the lighting area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a that displays the picture is in an on state, and the lighting area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a that does not display the picture is in an off state. That is, the present embodiment only provides lighting for the image area 22a with the picture, rather than turning on all the lighting areas 11 to provide lighting for all the image areas 22a at the same time. Compared with the method of using the LCOS optical machine's light source to continuously light up the full-frame backlight in the related art, the present embodiment uses a zoned lighting method to reduce the brightness of the black background, thereby increasing the difference between the light and dark parts in the image, improving the contrast of the optical machine, and at the same time reducing the power consumption of the optical machine.

[0047] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, as an embodiment, the imaging module 2 further includes an imaging lens 23, which may be an imaging lens. The imaging lens 23 is arranged on the transmission light path of the beam splitter prism 21. The micro display panel 22 is used to modulate the light of the illuminated image area 22a and transmit the modulated light (such as Figure 1 The dotted line g) shown in the figure is transmitted to the imaging lens 23 through the second lens 32 and the beam splitter prism 21; the imaging lens 23 is used to image the light modulated by the micro display panel 22 to display the picture, for example Figure 1 The display screen with the word “AR” on the side of the middle beam splitter prism 21 facing away from the illumination system 1 .

[0048] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, as an implementation mode, the lighting system 1 and the micro display panel 22 are respectively located on two adjacent sides of the dichroic prism 21. In this case, the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 are respectively located on two adjacent sides of the dichroic prism 21. Specifically, the first lens 31 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise with the dichroic prism 21 as the center and then overlaps with the second lens 32 to form a double-ended finite conjugate system to achieve a one-to-one correspondence between multiple lighting areas 11 and multiple image areas 22a.

[0049] In this embodiment, during the operation of the optical machine 10, each illumination area 11 emits illumination light e when the corresponding image area 22a displays an image. The illumination light e is transmitted to the dichroic prism 21 through the first lens 31. The dichroic prism 21 transmits the light with a first polarization state (such as a P polarization state) in the illumination light e, and reflects the light with a second polarization state (such as an S polarization state) in the illumination light e to the second lens 32. The second lens 32 then transmits the illumination light e with the second polarization state to the micro display panel 22, so that the image area 22a displaying the image is illuminated.

[0050] It can be understood that the illumination light e transmitted by the second lens 32 may still contain a small amount of light with the second polarization state, so the micro display panel 22 receives the illumination light e and modulates the polarization state of the light at the illuminated image area 22a to increase the proportion of the light with the first polarization state in the illumination light e, for example, modulating the S light into the P light, and then modulating the modulated light (such as Figure 1 The dotted line g) shown is reflected to the second lens 32, and is transmitted to the imaging lens 23 through the second lens 32 and the beam splitter prism 21. The imaging lens 23 projects the light modulated by the micro display panel 22 to form a virtual image for screen display.

[0051] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, as another embodiment, the lighting system 1 and the micro display panel 22 are respectively located on opposite sides of the dichroic prism 21. In this case, the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 are respectively located on opposite sides of the dichroic prism 21. Specifically, the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 are respectively arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner with the dichroic prism 21 as the center to form a double-ended telecentric conjugate system to achieve a one-to-one correspondence between the multiple lighting areas 11 and the multiple image areas 22a.

[0052] In this embodiment, during the operation of the optical machine 10, each illumination area 11 emits illumination light e when the image area 22a corresponding to it displays an image. Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 In the example, four image areas 22a are shown together to display an image with the word "AR", and correspondingly, Figure 6 The corresponding Figure 5 The four illumination areas 11 of the four image areas 22a are in the on state (on), while the other illumination areas 11 are in the off state (off), which can reduce the power consumption of the optical machine. The illumination light e is transmitted to the beam splitter prism 21 through the first lens 31, and the beam splitter prism 21 transmits the light with the first polarization state (such as the P polarization state) in the illumination light e to the second lens 32, and then the second lens 32 transmits the illumination light e with the first polarization state to the micro display panel 22, so that the image area 22a displaying the image screen is illuminated.

[0053] It can be understood that the illumination light e transmitted by the second lens 32 may still contain a small amount of light with the second polarization state, so the micro display panel 22 receives the illumination light e and modulates the polarization state of the light at the illuminated image area 22a to increase the proportion of light with the first polarization state in the illumination light e, for example, modulating the S light into P light, and then reflecting the modulated light to the second lens 32, and transmitting to the imaging lens 23 through the second lens 32 and the beam splitter prism 21, and the imaging lens 23 projects the modulated light of the micro display panel 22 to form a virtual image for screen display.

[0054] like Figure 1As shown, as an implementation mode, on the basis that the illumination system 1 and the micro display panel 22 are arranged adjacently, the imaging lens 23 is located on the side of the beam splitter prism 21 away from the micro display panel 22. In a specific application, after the imaging lens 23 receives the light modulated by the micro display panel 22, it can project a virtual image on the side of the imaging lens 23 away from the beam splitter prism 21, or it can first reflect on the beam splitter prism 21, and then reflect out from the beam splitter prism 21 to form an image on the side of the beam splitter prism 21 away from the illumination system 1. Specifically in this embodiment, the imaging lens 23 is a reflective lens, and the imaging lens 23 projects the light modulated by the micro display panel 22 onto the beam splitter prism 21, and then reflects from the beam splitter prism 21 to the side away from the illumination system 1 to form a virtual image for screen display.

[0055] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, combined with Figure 2 As an implementation mode, the micro display panel 22 has a display screen 221, and multiple image areas 22a are located in the display screen 221. The aspect ratio of the two-dimensional plane formed by projecting the multiple illumination areas 11 along the first direction is equal to the aspect ratio of the display screen 221, which can ensure that the picture projected by the illuminated image area 22a is not deformed, thereby improving the projection effect. The first direction is the arrangement direction of the dichroic prism 21 and the illumination system 1.

[0056] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, combined with Figure 2 As an implementation mode, the micro display panel 22 has a display screen 221, and multiple image areas 22a are located in the display screen 221. The aspect ratio of the two-dimensional plane formed by projecting each illumination area 11 along the first direction is equal to the aspect ratio of the display screen 221, which can ensure that the picture projected by the illuminated image area 22a is not deformed, thereby improving the projection effect. The first direction is the arrangement direction of the dichroic prism 21 and the illumination system 1.

[0057] like Figure 6As shown, in some embodiments, the plurality of lighting areas 11 may be evenly distributed or non-uniformly distributed. The non-uniform distribution of the plurality of lighting areas 11 may focus on illuminating the areas with higher frequency of use, and the specific selection may be made according to actual needs. Specifically, as an embodiment, among the plurality of lighting areas 11, the number of lighting areas 11 arranged along the second direction is equal to the number of lighting areas 11 arranged along the third direction. For example, the plurality of lighting areas 11 may be evenly distributed in an array of 2*2, 3*3, 4*4, 5*5, ..., 9*9, 10*10, etc. As another embodiment, among the plurality of lighting areas 11, the number of lighting areas 11 arranged along the second direction is not equal to the number of lighting areas 11 arranged along the third direction. For example, the plurality of lighting areas 11 may be unevenly distributed in an array of 2*3, 3*4, 4*5, 5*6, ..., 8*9, 9*10, etc. Wherein, the second direction intersects with the third direction.

[0058] like Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, in some application scenarios, the micro display panel 22 includes a middle part (not shown) and an edge part (not shown), and the edge part is arranged around the middle part. Compared with the image area 22a of the edge part, the image area 22a of the middle part is used more frequently. Therefore, as an embodiment, the two-dimensional plane formed by the projection of multiple lighting areas 11 of the lighting system 1 along the first direction includes a middle area 1a and a peripheral area 1b, and the peripheral area 1b is arranged around the middle area 1a. The middle area 1a corresponds to the middle part, and the peripheral area 1b corresponds to the edge part. The first direction is the arrangement direction of the dichroic prism 21 and the lighting system 1. The bright area 11 includes a first lighting area 11a and a second lighting area 11b, the first lighting area 11a is located in the middle area 1a, the second lighting area 11b is any lighting area 11 among the multiple lighting areas 11 except the first lighting area 11a, and the second lighting area 11b is located in the peripheral area 1b; the projection area of ​​the first lighting area 11a along the first direction is S1, and the projection area of ​​the second lighting area 11b along the first direction is S2, wherein S1 is greater than S2, and when the lighting area 11 in the middle area 1a is turned on and the lighting area 11 in the peripheral area 1b is turned off, the brightness of the image area 22a located in the middle part can be improved.

[0059] like Figure 1 and Figure 8As shown, as an implementation mode, each lighting area 11 has at least one light source module 12, such as one, two, etc. This embodiment does not specifically limit the number of light source modules 12 in each lighting area 11. The light source module 12 is used to emit lighting light e to provide a background light source. In a specific embodiment, a light source module 12 is provided in each lighting area 11, and a plurality of light source modules 12 are arranged in an array. It can be understood that one light source module 12 forms one lighting area 11, and the aspect ratio of the two-dimensional plane formed by the projection of each light source module 12 along the first direction is equal to the aspect ratio of the display screen 221, which can ensure that the image projected from the illuminated image area 22a does not deform, thereby improving the projection effect.

[0060] like Figure 8 As shown, as an embodiment, each light source module 12 includes an RGB light source 121, a focusing element 122 and a color mixing and homogenizing element 123. The RGB light source 121 can be an RGB LED lamp for providing illumination light. The focusing element 122 is located on the light-emitting side of the RGB light source 121. The focusing element 122 can be one of a Fresnel focusing lens, a TIR focusing lens, and an integrating rod, and is used to collect the light emitted by the RGB light source 121. The color mixing and homogenizing element 123 is located on the side of the focusing element 122 away from the RGB light source 121. The color mixing and homogenizing element 123 can be a diffusion film for color mixing and homogenizing.

[0061] like Figure 8 As shown, in a specific embodiment, the focusing element 122 includes a first focusing lens 1221 and a second focusing lens 1222. The first focusing lens 1221 and the second focusing lens 1222 are arranged at an interval. The first focusing lens 1221 is located between the second focusing lens 1222 and the RGB light source 121. The first focusing lens 1221 and the second focusing lens 1222 can both be Fresnel focusing lenses for collecting and focusing light.

[0062] like Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments, each RGB light source 121 includes at least three light emitting units 1211, such as three or four, and the at least three light emitting units 1211 respectively emit a first color light (such as red light), a second color light (such as green light) and a third color light (such as blue light), so that the RGB light source 121 can emit colored light. In a specific embodiment, Fig. 9 As shown in 9-1, the number of light-emitting parts 1211 in each RGB light source 121 is three, and the three light-emitting parts 1211 are arranged at three ends of a triangle, or as Fig. 9 As shown in 9-2 in FIG. 1 , the straight line formed by the three light emitting units 1211 is located on the diagonal line of the rectangle formed by the projection of the RGB light source 121. In another specific embodiment, as Fig. 9 As shown in 9-3, each RGB light source 121 has four light-emitting parts, which are arranged in a matrix, wherein the number of light-emitting parts emitting red light and the number of light-emitting parts emitting blue light are both smaller than the number of light-emitting parts emitting green light. In this embodiment, the proportion of each of the three primary colors (i.e., red, green, and blue) of each RGB light source 121 in the total primary colors can be set as needed, as long as it can be adjusted to a color.

[0063] like Figure 1 and Fig.10 As shown, as an embodiment, the optical machine 10 further includes a polarization unit 4, which is located between the second lens 32 and the micro display panel 22. The polarization unit 4 includes a plurality of polarization elements 41 arranged in an array on a two-dimensional surface, and the plurality of polarization elements 41 correspond to the plurality of image regions 22a one by one. One polarization element 41 can be used as a polarization partition, and each polarization element 41 is used to modulate the polarization state of the light emitted from the corresponding image region 22a. In this embodiment, each polarization element 41 (polarization partition) can individually adjust the polarization state of the image light emitted from the corresponding image region 22a, so that the light with the second polarization state that may exist in the image light can be adjusted to adjust the light with the second polarization state to the light with the first polarization state, for example, modulate the S light to the P light, and improve the purity of the light with the first polarization state in the image light, thereby improving the contrast of the optical machine.

[0064] In a specific embodiment, the polarizing element 41 may be a compensating plate having a fast and slow axis 42. Different polarizing elements 41 have different fast and slow axes 42, and light emitted from different image regions 22a may be modulated separately, resulting in more precise adjustment.

[0065] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Fig.11 As shown, the embodiment of the present application further provides a control method of an optical machine, which is used to control the optical machine 10 in any of the above embodiments, and the control method includes:

[0066] S1, respectively controlling the micro display panel 22 and the lighting system 1: controlling at least one image area 22a of the micro display panel 22 to display a picture, and controlling the lighting area 11 of the lighting system 1 corresponding to the image area 22a of the display picture to emit lighting light;

[0067] S2, illuminating the image area 22a of the display screen: the illumination light is transmitted to the micro display panel 22 through the first lens 31, the beam splitter prism 21, and the second lens 32 to illuminate the image area 22a of the display screen.

[0068] In the present embodiment, the lighting area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a displaying the picture is controlled to be in an on state, and the lighting area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a not displaying the picture is in an off state, that is, lighting is provided only for the image area 22a with the picture, instead of turning on all the lighting areas 11 to provide lighting for all the image areas 22a at the same time. Compared with the method of using the LCOS optical machine's light source to continuously light up the full-frame backlight in the related art, the brightness of the black background can be weakened, thereby increasing the difference between the light and dark parts in the image, improving the contrast of the optical machine, and reducing the power consumption of the optical machine.

[0069] like Figure 1 and Fig.12 As shown, in some embodiments, the micro display panel 22 has a first chip, and the lighting system 1 has a second chip, the second chip is controlled by the first chip, the first chip can be a control chip of the micro display panel 22, and the second chip can be a control chip of the lighting system 1, wherein the steps of respectively controlling the micro display panel 22 and the lighting system 1 include: the first chip controls at least one image area 22a to display a picture according to the received image information, and at the same time, the second chip controls the lighting area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a of the display picture in the lighting system 1 to emit lighting light under the control of the first chip.

[0070] In this embodiment, after the first chip receives the digital image signal carrying image information, it controls at least one image area 22a of the micro display panel 22 to display a picture, for example, displaying a picture with a word such as "AR". The first chip also sends a control signal to the second chip, and the control signal carries the position information of the illumination area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a of the display picture. It can be understood that the first chip can not only control the image area 22a of the micro display panel 22 to display a picture, but also control the second chip. Therefore, by controlling the first chip, it is possible to control at least one image area 22a to display a picture while controlling the illumination area 11 corresponding to the image area 22a of the display picture to emit illumination light to light up the desired illumination area 11, so that the illumination system 1 illuminates the image area 22a of the display picture, for example, illuminates the image area 22a with a word such as "AR".

[0071] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 The embodiment of the present application also provides a near-eye display device (not shown in the figure), which can be smart glasses such as AR glasses and VR glasses, which includes a device body (not shown in the figure) and an optical machine 20 arranged on the device body.

[0072] Combination Figure 2In some embodiments, the near-eye display device is a pair of smart glasses. In this case, the device body includes a frame (not shown), temples (not shown) and lenses (not shown). The temples are rotatably connected to the frame, and the lenses are mounted on the frame. The lenses may be resin lenses containing waveguides, such as optical waveguides. An optical machine is disposed on the frame to emit a light beam to the lenses, and the lenses are used in conjunction with the optical machine 10.

[0073] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical machine, characterized in that: include: A lighting system, the lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting areas arranged in an array on a two-dimensional surface; An imaging module, wherein the imaging module comprises a beam splitter prism and a micro display panel, the illumination system and the micro display panel are symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism, and a plurality of image areas are formed on the micro display panel; An optical relay system, the optical relay system comprising a first lens and a second lens, the first lens being located between the illumination system and the beam splitter prism, the second lens being located between the micro display panel and the beam splitter prism, and the first lens and the second lens being symmetrically arranged around the beam splitter prism so that the plurality of image areas correspond one to one with the plurality of illumination areas; Each of the illumination areas is used to emit illumination light when the corresponding image area displays a picture. The illumination light is transmitted to the micro display panel through the first lens, the beam splitter prism, and the second lens to illuminate the corresponding image area.

2. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The illumination system and the micro display panel are respectively located on two adjacent sides of the beam splitter prism; or, the illumination system and the micro display panel are respectively located on two opposite sides of the beam splitter prism.

3. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The micro display panel has a display screen, and the plurality of image areas are located within the display screen; The aspect ratio of a two-dimensional plane formed by projecting the multiple illumination areas along the first direction is equal to the aspect ratio of the display screen, and / or the aspect ratio of a two-dimensional plane formed by projecting each illumination area along the first direction is equal to the aspect ratio of the display screen; The first direction is the arrangement direction of the beam splitter prism and the illumination system.

4. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple lighting areas are arranged evenly, or the multiple lighting areas are arranged unevenly.

5. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: Among the plurality of illumination areas, the number of the illumination areas arranged along the second direction is equal to the number of the illumination areas arranged along the third direction, and the second direction intersects the third direction.

6. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: Among the plurality of illumination areas, the number of the illumination areas arranged along a second direction is greater than or less than the number of the illumination areas arranged along a third direction, and the second direction intersects the third direction.

7. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two-dimensional plane formed by projecting the multiple illumination areas along the first direction includes a middle area and a peripheral area, the peripheral area is arranged around the middle area, and the first direction is the arrangement direction of the beam splitter prism and the illumination system; The plurality of lighting areas include a first lighting area and a second lighting area, the first lighting area is located in the middle area, the second lighting area is any lighting area among the plurality of lighting areas except the first lighting area, and the second lighting area is located in the peripheral area; The projection area of ​​the first illumination area along the first direction is S1, and the projection area of ​​the second illumination area along the first direction is S2, wherein S1 is greater than S2.

8. The optical machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: Each of the illumination areas has at least one light source module, and the at least one light source module is used to emit illumination light.

9. The optical machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: Each of the light source modules comprises an RGB light source, a light focusing element and a color mixing and light homogenizing element. The light focusing element is located at the light emitting side of the RGB light source, and the color mixing and light homogenizing element is located at a side of the light focusing element away from the RGB light source.

10. The optical machine according to claim 9, characterized in that: The focusing element is one of a Fresnel condenser, a TIR condenser, and an integrating rod; and / or, The focusing element includes a first focusing lens and a second focusing lens. The first focusing lens and the second focusing lens are arranged at an interval. The first focusing lens is located between the second focusing lens and the RGB light source.

11. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The imaging module further comprises an imaging lens, and the imaging lens is arranged on the transmission light path of the beam splitter prism; The micro display panel is used to modulate the light of the illuminated image area, and transmit the modulated light to the imaging lens through the second lens and the beam splitter prism; The imaging lens is used to image the light modulated by the micro display panel.

12. The optical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical machine further comprises a polarization unit, and the polarization unit is located between the second lens and the micro display panel; The polarization unit includes a plurality of polarization elements arranged in an array on a two-dimensional surface, the plurality of polarization elements correspond to a plurality of image regions one by one, and each of the polarization elements is used to modulate the polarization state of light emitted from the corresponding image region.

13. A method for controlling an optical machine, for controlling the optical machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The control method comprises: Controlling the micro display panel and the lighting system respectively: controlling at least one image area of ​​the micro display panel to display a picture, and controlling the lighting area of ​​the lighting system corresponding to the image area of ​​the display picture to emit lighting light; Illuminating the image area of ​​the display screen: the illumination light is transmitted to the micro display panel through the first lens, the beam splitter prism, and the second lens to illuminate the image area of ​​the display screen.

14. The optical machine control method according to claim 13, characterized in that: The micro display panel has a first chip, the lighting system has a second chip, the second chip is controlled by the first chip, and the steps of controlling the micro display panel and the lighting system separately include: The first chip controls at least one of the image areas to display a picture according to the received image information, and at the same time, the second chip controls the lighting area in the lighting system corresponding to the image area of ​​the displayed picture to emit lighting light under the control of the first chip.

15. A near-eye display device, characterized in that: It comprises a device body and an optical machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the optical machine is arranged on the device body.

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