Apparatus, system and method for increasing contrast of a plant lens via an asymmetric beam sparter

Abstract

A head mounted display, the head mounted display comprising: (1) an electronic display configured to emit light; and (2) a pancake lens optically coupled to the electronic display, the pancake lens including a beam splitter configured to (A) transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light and (B) reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is smaller than the spatially averaged portion of the light. Various other apparatuses, devices, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Description

[0001] Background

[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus, system, and method for increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head-mounted display including: an electronic display configured to emit light; and a pancake lens optically coupled to the electronic display, the pancake lens including a beam splitter configured to: transmit a spatial average fraction of the light; and reflect an additional spatial average fraction of the light that is smaller than the spatial average fraction of the light.

[0004] Optionally, the spatial average fraction of the light is at least 60% of the light.

[0005] Optionally, the beam splitter includes a central region and a peripheral region; and the beam splitter exhibits a gradual change in transmittance from the central region to the peripheral region.

[0006] Optionally, the gradual change in transmittance includes the transmittance of the central region being at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region.

[0007] Optionally, the light emitted by the electronic display is linearly polarized; and the pancake lens includes: a quarter-wave retarder that converts the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light; and a reflective polarizer system configured to reflect the circularly polarized light.

[0008] Optionally, the reflective polarizer system includes: an additional quarter-wave retarder that converts the circularly polarized light into linearly polarized light; and a reflective polarizer that reflects the linearly polarized light.

[0009] Optionally, the reflective polarizer includes at least one of the following: a multilayer birefringent polymer reflective polarizer; a cholesteric reflective polarizer; or a wire grid.

[0010] Optionally, the beam splitter is positioned between the electronic display and the quarter-wave retarder; and the reflective polarizer is positioned between the quarter-wave retarder and the additional quarter-wave retarder.

[0011] Optionally, the quarter-wave retarder is positioned between the electronic display and the beam splitter; and the additional quarter-wave retarder is positioned between the beam splitter and the reflective polarizer.

[0012] Optionally, the beam splitter includes a thin optical coating disposed on the lens.

[0013] Optionally, the thin optical coating includes at least one of the following: an aluminum coating; a silver coating; a gold coating; or a copper coating.

[0014] Optionally, the thin optical coating includes at least one dielectric layer.

[0015] Optionally, the thin optical coating includes one or more layers of metal and dielectric materials.

[0016] Optionally, the spatially averaged portion of the light includes the average of a plurality of values measured over a particular region of the beam splitter.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an artificial reality system comprising: an electronic display; at least one processing device communicatively coupled to the electronic display and configured to direct the electronic display to emit light; and a pancake lens optically coupled to the electronic display, the pancake lens including a beam splitter configured to: transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light; and reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light.

[0018] Optionally, the spatially averaged portion of the light is at least 60% of the light.

[0019] Optionally, the beam splitter includes a central region and a peripheral region; and the beam splitter exhibits a gradual change in transmittance from the central region to the peripheral region.

[0020] Optionally, the gradual change in transmittance includes the transmittance of the central region being at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region.

[0021] Optionally, the light emitted by the electronic display is linearly polarized; and the pancake lens includes: a quarter-wave retarder that converts the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light; and a reflective polarizer system configured to reflect the circularly polarized light.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising: mounting an electronic display in a head-mounted system; assembling a pancake lens including a beam splitter; and optically coupling the pancake lens to the electronic display in the head-mounted system such that the beam splitter is configured to: transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light emitted by the electronic display; and reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light. Description of the Drawings

[0023] The accompanying drawings illustrate various exemplary embodiments and are part of the specification. These drawings, together with the following description, demonstrate and explain the various principles of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 1 is a diagram of an exemplary head-mounted display according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, which promotes increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter;

[0025] Figure 2 is a diagram of an exemplary implementation according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, in which the contrast of a pancake lens is increased via an asymmetric beam splitter;

[0026] Figure 3 is a diagram of an exemplary implementation according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, in which the head-mounted display promotes increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter;

[0027] Figure 4 is a diagram of an exemplary implementation according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, in which the contrast of a pancake lens is increased via an asymmetric beam splitter;

[0028] Figure 5 is a diagram of an exemplary beam splitter according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmittance of which is asymmetric;

[0029] Figure 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 7 is a diagram of an exemplary augmented reality system that can be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 8 is a diagram of an exemplary virtual reality system that can be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 9 is a diagram of an exemplary haptic device that can be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 10 is a diagram of an exemplary virtual reality environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0034] Figure 11 is a diagram of an exemplary augmented reality environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Although the various exemplary embodiments described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, the various exemplary embodiments described herein are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, this disclosure covers all modifications, combinations, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of this disclosure. Detailed Description

[0036] The present disclosure generally relates to apparatuses, systems, and methods for increasing the contrast of pancake lenses via an asymmetric beam splitter. As will be explained in more detail below, these apparatuses, systems, and methods can provide a number of features and benefits.

[0037] In some examples, a pancake lens may be used and / or applied to form an image based on light emitted by a display in a compact headset. In such examples, the pancake lens may be arranged and / or configured to provide and / or transmit these images for presentation to or viewing by a user of the compact headset. Unfortunately, some pancake lenses may be susceptible to contrast reduction, which may degrade and / or impair the quality of the image perceived by the user. For example, contrast reduction may be caused and / or created by light that irradiates the user's eyes and / or surrounding area and then re-enters the pancake lens. This light may then be reflected back into the user's eyes, reducing the contrast and potentially even forming unwanted ghost images.

[0038] In some examples, users may be sensitive to image contrast - higher contrast results in a better user experience and / or viewability compared to lower contrast. Thus, as the contrast of the headset increases, the user experience and / or viewability can be improved and / or enhanced. For example, the number of ghost images that appear in the images generated by these headsets may decrease as the contrast increases.

[0039] One way to achieve this goal may involve applying an asymmetric beam splitter to the pancake lens in a compact headset. For example, such a beam splitter may transmit at least 60% of the spatially averaged portion of the light. By transmitting at least 60% of the spatially averaged portion of the light, such a beam splitter can enable the pancake lens to mitigate contrast reduction and / or improve the overall experience of the user wearing the headset.

[0040] Reference will be made below to Figures 1 to 5 detailed description of exemplary devices, systems, components, and corresponding embodiments for increasing the contrast of pancake lenses via an asymmetric beam splitter. In addition, methods for increasing the contrast of pancake lenses via an asymmetric beam splitter will also be described in conjunction with Figure 6 detailed description. In contrast to Figures 7 to 11Corresponding discussion will describe in detail types of example augmented reality devices, wearable devices, and / or associated systems that can increase the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter.

[0041] Figure 1 A portion of an example head-mounted display 100 that can increase the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter is shown. In some examples, the head-mounted display 100 can include and / or represent an electronic display 102 and / or a pancake lens 104. In one example, the electronic display 102 can emit light, and the pancake lens 104 can be optically coupled to the electronic display 102. In this example, the pancake lens 104 can include and / or represent a front optical element 106 and / or a rear optical element 108. In certain embodiments, the optical coupling between the electronic display 102 and the pancake lens 104 can be substantially aligned with the electronic display 102 and the pancake lens 102 such that light rays and / or light beams emitted by the electronic display are aimed and / or directed to the pancake lens 104. Thus, such optical coupling can form and / or establish an optical path from the electronic display 102 to the pancake lens 104.

[0042] In some examples, the pancake lens 104 can include and / or represent a beam splitter 110 that transmits and / or conveys a spatially averaged portion of the light emitted by the electronic display 102. Additionally or alternatively, the beam splitter 110 can reflect and / or reject an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is smaller than the spatially averaged portion of the light transmitted by the beam splitter 110. In one example, the spatially averaged portion of the light can include and / or represent an average of a plurality of values measured over a particular region of the beam splitter 110.

[0043] In some examples, the beam splitter 110 can transmit / or convey at least 60% of the spatially averaged value of the light emitted by the electronic display 102. In such examples, the beam splitter 110 can reflect and / or reject no more than 40% of the light emitted by the electronic display 102.

[0044] In another example, the beam splitter 110 may transmit and / or convey at least 70% of the spatial average of the light emitted by the electronic display 102. In this example, the beam splitter 110 may reflect and / or suppress no more than 30% of the light emitted by the electronic display 102. In yet another example, the beam splitter 110 may transmit and / or convey at least 80% of the spatial average of the light emitted by the electronic display 102. In this example, the beam splitter 110 may reflect and / or suppress no more than 20% of the light emitted by the electronic display 102. In an additional example, the beam splitter 110 may transmit and / or convey at least 85% of the spatial average of the light emitted by the electronic display 102. In this example, the beam splitter 110 may reflect and / or suppress no more than 15% of the light emitted by the electronic display 102.

[0045] In some examples, as Figure 5 shown, the beam splitter 110 may include and / or represent a central region 504 and a peripheral region 502. In such an example, the beam splitter 110 may exhibit a gradient 506 of transmittance from the central region 504 to the peripheral region 502, and / or the beam splitter 110 is characterized by the gradient 506 of transmittance from the central region 504 to the peripheral region 502. In one example, the central region 504 may exhibit a transmittance that is at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region 502, and / or the central region 504 is characterized by a transmittance that is at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region 502. In other words, the central region 504 may exhibit a reflectance that is at least 5% lower than the reflectance of the peripheral region 502, and / or the central region 504 is characterized by a reflectance that is at least 5% lower than the reflectance of the peripheral region 502. In this example, the peripheral region 502 may exhibit a transmittance that is at least 5% lower than the transmittance of the central region 504, and / or the peripheral region 502 is characterized by a transmittance that is at least 5% lower than the transmittance of the central region 504. In other words, the peripheral region 502 may exhibit a reflectance that is at least 5% higher than the reflectance of the central region 504, and / or the peripheral region 502 is characterized by a reflectance that is at least 5% higher than the reflectance of the central region 504.

[0046] In another example, the central region 504 may exhibit a transmittance that is at least 10% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region 502, and / or the central region 504 is characterized in that its transmittance is at least 10% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region 502. In other words, the central region 504 may exhibit a reflectance that is at least 10% lower than the reflectance of the peripheral region 502, and / or the central region 504 is characterized in that its reflectance is at least 10% lower than the reflectance of the peripheral region 502. In yet another example, the central region 504 may exhibit a transmittance that is at least 30% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region 502, and / or the central region 504 is characterized in that its transmittance is at least 30% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region 502. In other words, the central region 504 may exhibit a reflectance that is at least 30% lower than the reflectance of the peripheral region 502, and / or the central region 504 is characterized in that its reflectance is at least 30% lower than the reflectance of the peripheral region 502.

[0047] In some examples, the head-mounted display 100 may include and / or represent any type or form of device, component, and / or system that is sized to be worn on a user's head and / or that is equipped with a light source capable of projecting an image onto one or both of the user's eyes. In one example, the head-mounted display 100 may facilitate, provide, and / or support an artificial reality (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality, and / or mixed reality) environment for the user. Thus, the head-mounted display 100 may include and / or represent an artificial reality device, a virtual reality device, an augmented reality device, a mixed-reality device, a hybrid-reality device, a portion of one or more of them, a combination or variation of one or more of them, and / or any other suitable head-mounted display.

[0048] In some examples, the electronic display 102 can include and / or represent any type or form of display device, screen, and / or projector capable of presenting, transmitting, and / or providing visual information, images, and / or light to a user. In one example, the electronic display 102 can include and / or represent a liquid crystal display (LCD) that spatially modulates light intensity. In this example, the LCD display can emit linearly polarized light capable of forming an image directed to one or both eyes of the user. Additional examples of the electronic display 102 include, but are not limited to, light emitting diode (LED) arrays, micro-LED arrays, organic LED (OLED) arrays, active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) arrays, scanning displays (e.g., two-dimensional scanning lasers), projection LCDs, backlit LCDs, liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) displays, ferroelectric LCoS (FLCoS) displays, flexible displays, portions of one or more of them, combinations or variations of one or more of them, and / or any other suitable electronic display.

[0049] In some examples, the pancake lens 104 can include and / or represent any type or form of refractive optical assembly and / or system equipped with a plurality of optical elements (e.g., front optical element 106 and / or rear optical element 108). In one example, the pancake lens 104 can include and / or represent a plurality of lenses, beam splitters, reflective polarizers, and / or a plurality of quarter-wave retarders. Additional examples of optical elements that can be incorporated into the pancake lens 104 include, but are not limited to, coatings, films, half-wave retarders, mirrors, absorption polarizers, linear reflective polarizers, composite retarders, wave plates, portions of one or more of them, combinations or variations of one or more of them, and / or any other suitable optical element.

[0050] In some examples, the beam splitter 110 can transmit and / or convey a portion of light having a desired wavelength range. In such examples, the beam splitter 110 can reflect, suppress, and / or absorb light outside the desired wavelength range. In one example, the beam splitter 110 can comprise and / or represent a thin optical coating disposed on a transparent substrate and / or lens. Examples of the beam splitter 110 include and / or represent an aluminum coating, a silver coating, a gold coating, a copper coating, one or more dielectric layers (e.g., magnesium fluoride, hafnium(IV) oxide, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, other inorganic materials, etc.), one or more polymer layers (e.g., polyvinylidene fluoride, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, etc.), a metal layer, portions of one or more of them, a combination or variation of one or more of them, and / or any other suitable beam splitter.

[0051] In certain embodiments, the spatial reflectivity and / or transmittance of the beam splitter 110 can be optimized to achieve a desired display efficiency of an image, a desired contrast level, and / or ghosting suppression or avoidance. Additionally or alternatively, the beam splitter 110 can be designed and / or configured to provide and / or impart low scattering of light emitted by the electronic display 102.

[0052] In some examples, the average spatial transmittance, reflectivity, and / or absorptivity can correspond to and / or represent an average measured over a circle with a diameter of 5 millimeters. In one example, the average value can exclude, omit, and / or avoid certain regions, including multiple regions of the beam splitter 110 (e.g., regions with higher reflectivity outside the optical path of the display), a reflective polarizer with a relatively high transmittance level, an eye-tracking region, and / or any other appropriate aberration region.

[0053] In some examples, the term "contrast" can refer to and / or represent the ratio of the light intensity of the bright regions of an image to the light intensity of the dark regions of the image. Additionally or alternatively, the contrast can include and / or represent the ratio of the light intensity of the brightest shade of the system to the light intensity of the darkest shade of the system. In one example, the contrast target can vary across an image. For example, certain images may exhibit a higher contrast target towards the center and / or a lower contrast target towards the periphery.

[0054] Figure 2 An exemplary embodiment 200 of a head-mounted display 100 capable of increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter is shown. In some examples, embodiment 200 can include and / or represent certain components and / or features that perform and / or provide functions similar and / or identical to those described above in connection with Figure 1 as Figure 2As shown, exemplary embodiment 200 may relate to and / or represent a pancake lens 104 optically coupled to an electronic display 102. In one example, the pancake lens 104 may be configured and / or arranged to transmit and / or transfer a spatially averaged portion of the light emitted by the electronic display 102 to the user's eye 202.

[0055] In one example, the front optical element 106 of the pancake lens 104 may include and / or represent a reflective polarizer system 216 disposed on and / or applied to a transparent substrate and / or lens. In this example, the reflective polarizer system 216 may include and / or represent a reflective polarizer 206 and / or a quarter-wave retarder 208. Examples of the reflective polarizer 206 include, but are not limited to, wire grids, multilayer birefringent polymer reflective polarizers, cholesteric reflective polarizers, portions of one or more of them, combinations or variations of one or more of them, and / or any other suitable reflective polarizer. Additionally or alternatively, the rear optical element 108 of the pancake lens 104 may include and / or represent a beam splitter 110 and / or a quarter-wave retarder 212 disposed on and / or applied to a transparent substrate and / or lens.

[0056] In some examples, the electronic display 102 may emit linearly polarized light. In such examples, the electronic display 102 may provide, direct, and / or project linearly polarized light to the pancake lens 104. In one example, the quarter-wave retarder 212 of the pancake lens 104 may convert and / or transform the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light. In this example, the circularly polarized light may cross and / or travel from the rear optical element 108 to the reflective polarizer system 216.

[0057] In some examples, the reflective polarizer system 216 may reflect and / or suppress the circularly polarized light. For example, the quarter-wave retarder 208 of the reflective polarizer system 216 may convert and / or transform the circularly polarized light back into linearly polarized light. In this example, then, the reflective polarizer 206 of the reflective polarizer system 216 may reflect and / or suppress the linearly polarized light.

[0058] In some examples, the quarter-wave retarder 212 may be positioned and / or placed between the electronic display 102 and the beam splitter 110. In such examples, the quarter-wave retarder 208 may be positioned and / or placed between the beam splitter 110 and the reflective polarizer 206.

[0059] In some examples, the arrangement and / or order of the optical elements may vary according to the specific needs and / or objectives of embodiment 200. For example, the beam splitter 110 may be positioned and / or placed between the electronic display 102 and the quarter-wave retarder 212, although in Figure 2It is not necessarily shown in this way. In such an example, the reflective polarizer 206 can be positioned and / or placed between the quarter-wave retarder 212 and the quarter-wave retarder 208.

[0060] Figure 3 Exemplary embodiment 300 of a head-mounted display 100 capable of increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter is shown. In some examples, embodiment 300 may include and / or represent certain components and / or features that perform and / or provide functions similar and / or identical to those described above in connection with Figure 1 or Figure 2 as described. As Figure 3 shown, the head-mounted display 100 may include and / or represent a pancake lens composed of lenses 322 and 332 and / or optically coupled to an electronic display 102. In one example, a quarter-wave retarder 208 and / or a reflective polarizer 206 may be disposed on and / or applied to lens 332, and a quarter-wave retarder 212 and / or a beam splitter 110 may be disposed on and / or applied to lens 322.

[0061] In some examples, the electronic display 102 may emit, direct, and / or project light 310 toward the pancake lens. In one example, the beam splitter 110 may transmit and / or convey a spatially averaged portion of the light 310 emitted by the electronic display 102. Additionally or alternatively, the beam splitter 110 may reflect and / or suppress an additional spatially averaged portion of the light 310 that is smaller than the spatially averaged portion of the light transmitted by the beam splitter 110.

[0062] Figure 4 Exemplary embodiment 400 of a head-mounted display 100 capable of increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter is shown. In some examples, embodiment 400 may include and / or represent certain components and / or features that perform and / or provide functions similar and / or identical to those described above in connection with Figures 1 to 3 as described. As Figure 4 shown, exemplary embodiment 400 may relate to and / or represent an electronic display 102 and a pancake lens 104. In one example, the pancake lens 104 may be optically coupled to the electronic display 102, and the electronic display 102 may emit linearly polarized light rays 402. In this example, the emitted light rays 402 may cross, pass through, and / or travel through a quarter-wave retarder 212 that converts and / or transforms the linear polarization of the emitted light rays 402 into circular polarization.

[0063] In some examples, the beam splitter 110 may exhibit and / or provide a spatial pattern of desired transmittance and / or reflectance (e.g., at least 60% transmittance and / or at most 40% reflectance). In one example, the beam splitter 110 may also exhibit and / or provide low light absorption. In this example, the emitted light ray 402 may traverse, pass through, and / or travel to the beam splitter 110 from the quarter-wave retarder 212, and the beam splitter separates and / or deconstructs the emitted light ray 402 according to the spatial pattern of transmission and / or reflection.

[0064] In some examples, after passing through the beam splitter 110, the emitted light ray 402 may traverse, pass through, and / or travel to the quarter-wave retarder 208, which converts and / or transforms the circular polarization of the emitted light ray 402 back to linear polarization. In one example, the reflective polarizer 206 may be oriented and / or configured to reflect a portion of the emitted light ray 402 back through the quarter-wave retarder 208, which converts and / or transforms the linear polarization of the emitted light ray 402 to right-handed circular polarization. In this example, then, the portion of the emitted light ray 402 may traverse, pass through, and / or travel back to the beam splitter 110, which converts or transforms the right-handed circular polarization of the emitted light ray 402 to left-handed circular polarization and reflects the portion of the emitted light ray 402 back to the quarter-wave retarder 208.

[0065] In some examples, the portion of the emitted light ray 402 may traverse, pass through, and / or travel back to the quarter-wave retarder 208 from the beam splitter 110, which converts and / or transforms the left-handed circular polarization of the portion of the emitted light ray 402 back to linear polarization. In one example, the portion of the emitted light ray 402 may traverse, pass through, and / or travel to the reflective polarizer 206 from the quarter-wave retarder 208. In this example, the reflective polarizer 206 may be oriented and / or configured to transmit linearly polarized light. As a result, the portion of the emitted light ray 402 may traverse, pass through, and / or travel through the reflective polarizer 206 and reach the user's eye 202 as the imaging light ray 422. Thus, the portion of the emitted light ray 402 that reaches the user's eye 202 through the reflective polarizer 206 may constitute and / or represent the imaging light ray 422.

[0066] In some examples, the imaging light 422 can illuminate the user's eye 202. In one example, a portion of the imaging light 422 can be reflected back from the user's eye as the reflected light 424 towards the pancake lens 104. In this example, the reflected light 424 can cross, pass through, and / or travel through the front optical element 106 of the pancake lens 104 to reach the rear optical element 108. At the rear optical element 108, the reflected light 424 can bounce and / or reflect back to the front optical element 106 and then be reflected back to the rear optical element 108 again. After reaching the rear optical element 108 again, a portion of the reflected light 424 can be reflected through the front optical element 106 as the visible light 426 to reach the user's eye 202 and / or return to the user's eye 202 through the front optical element 106.

[0067] In some examples, the lens and / or headset manufacturer can design the headset 100 and / or the pancake lens 104 by considering various factors and / or in view of various factors. In one example, the lens and / or headset manufacturer can design and / or optimize the display and / or the pancake optics for the main image. In this example, the lens and / or headset manufacturer can generate a prototype image for consideration and / or analysis when performing contrast optimization.

[0068] In some examples, the lens and / or headset manufacturer can optimize the distribution of the spatial reflectivity, transmittance, and / or absorptivity of the beam splitter 110. To this end, the lens and / or headset manufacturer can consider and / or balance the image contrast, ghosting, and / or image brightness. In one example, after completing these optimizations, the lens and / or headset manufacturer can manufacture, produce, and / or obtain an optimized version of the beam splitter 110 and then apply it to the rear optical element 108. In this example, the lens and / or headset manufacturer can assemble the beam splitter 110 and / or the rear optical element 108 into the headset 100 and / or the pancake lens 104. Compared with the headset and / or pancake lens that exclude and / or omit such a beam splitter, the resulting headset 100 and / or pancake lens 104 can exhibit and / or provide increased contrast.

[0069] In some examples, in combination with Figures 1 to 5 the various devices and / or systems described can include and / or represent one or more additional optical elements, components, and / or features, which elements, components, and / or characteristics are not necessarily Figures 1 to 5Shown and / or marked. For example, the head-mounted display 100 may also include and / or represent additional lenses, beam splitters, reflective polarizers, quarter-wave retarders, coatings, films, half-wave retarders, mirrors, absorptive polarizers, linear reflective polarizers, compound retarders, wave plates, analog circuits and / or digital circuits, on-board logic, transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes, inductors, switches, registers, flip-flops, connectors, traces, buses, semiconductor (e.g., silicon) devices and / or structures, processing devices, storage devices, circuit boards, packages, substrates, housings, parts of one or more of them, combinations or variations of one or more of them, and / or any other suitable optical elements or components.

[0070] In some examples, the phrase "coupled" and / or the term "coupling" as used herein may refer to direct connection and / or indirect connection. For example, a direct coupling between two components may constitute and / or represent such a coupling: wherein the two components are directly connected to each other through a single node and / or path that provides electrical continuity or optical continuity from one of the two components to the other. In other words, a direct coupling may exclude and / or omit any additional components between the two components.

[0071] Additionally or alternatively, an indirect coupling between two components may constitute and / or represent such a coupling: wherein the two components are indirectly connected to each other through multiple nodes and / or paths that do not provide electrical continuity and / or optical continuity from one of the two components to the other. In other words, an indirect coupling may include and / or contain at least one additional component between the two components.

[0072] Figure 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 for increasing the contrast of a pancake lens via an asymmetric beam splitter. In one example, Figure 6 the steps shown in can be performed during the manufacture and / or assembly of a wearable optical system such as a head-mounted display. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 6 the steps shown in can be combined with and / or involve various sub-steps and / or variations described in one or more of the descriptions provided above in connection with Figures 1 to 5 .

[0073] As Figure 6 shown, method 600 may include and / or involve the step of mounting an electronic display into a head-mounted system (610). Step 610 can be performed in various ways (including any of the ways described above in connection with Figures 1 to 5 ). For example, a wearable equipment manufacturer or subcontractor can mount the electronic display into the head-mounted system.

[0074] In some examples, method 600 may further include and / or involve the step (620) of assembling a pancake lens including a beam splitter. Step 620 may be performed in various ways (including any of the ways described above in connection with Figures 1 to 5 these ways). For example, a wearable device manufacturer or subcontractor may assemble a pancake lens including a beam splitter.

[0075] In some examples, method 600 may further include and / or involve the step (630) of optically coupling the pancake lens to an electronic display in a head-mounted system such that the beam splitter is configured to transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light emitted by the electronic display and reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light. Step 630 may be performed in various ways (including any of the ways described above in connection with Figures 1 to 6 these ways). For example, a wearable device manufacturer or subcontractor may optically couple the pancake lens to an electronic display in a head-mounted system such that the beam splitter is configured to transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light emitted by the electronic display and reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light.

[0076] Example embodiments

[0077] Example 1: A head-mounted display, the head-mounted display comprising: (1) an electronic display configured to emit light; and (2) a pancake lens optically coupled to the electronic display, the pancake lens including a beam splitter configured to: (A) transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light; and (B) reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light.

[0078] Example 2: The head-mounted display according to Example 1, wherein the spatially averaged portion of the light is at least 60% of the light.

[0079] Example 3: The head-mounted display according to Example 1 or Example 2, wherein the beam splitter includes a central region and a peripheral region; and the beam splitter exhibits a gradual change in transmittance from the central region to the peripheral region.

[0080] Example 4: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the gradual change in transmittance includes the transmittance of the central region being at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region.

[0081] Example 5: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the light emitted by the display panel is linearly polarized, and the pancake lens includes: (1) a quarter-wave retarder that converts the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light; and (2) a reflective polarizer system configured to reflect the circularly polarized light.

[0082] Example 6: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the reflective polarizer system includes: (1) an additional quarter-wave retarder that converts the circularly polarized light into linearly polarized light; and (2) a reflective polarizer that reflects the linearly polarized light.

[0083] Example 7: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the reflective polarizer includes: a multilayer birefringent polymer reflective polarizer; and / or a wire grid.

[0084] Example 8: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the beam splitter is positioned between the electronic display and the quarter-wave retarder; and the reflective polarizer is positioned between the quarter-wave retarder and the additional quarter-wave retarder.

[0085] Example 9: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the quarter-wave retarder is positioned between the electronic display and the beam splitter; and the additional quarter-wave retarder is positioned between the beam splitter and the reflective polarizer.

[0086] Example 10: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the beam splitter includes a thin optical coating disposed on the lens.

[0087] Example 11: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the thin optical coating includes: an aluminum coating; a silver coating; a gold coating; and / or a copper coating.

[0088] Example 12: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the thin optical coating includes at least one dielectric layer.

[0089] Example 13: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the thin optical coating includes one or more layers of metal and dielectric materials.

[0090] Example 14: The head-mounted display according to any one of Examples 1 to 13, wherein the spatially averaged portion of the light includes the average of a plurality of values measured over a specific region of the beam splitter.

[0091] Example 15: An artificial reality system, the artificial reality system comprising: (1) an electronic display; (2) at least one processing device communicatively coupled to the electronic display and configured to direct the electronic display to emit light; and (3) a pancake lens optically coupled to the electronic display, the pancake lens including a beam splitter configured to: (A) transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light; and (B) reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light.

[0092] Example 16: The artificial reality system according to claim 15, wherein the spatially averaged portion of the light is at least 60% of the light.

[0093] Example 17: The artificial reality system according to any one of claims 15 or 16, wherein the beam splitter includes a central region and a peripheral region; and the beam splitter exhibits a gradual change in transmittance from the central region to the peripheral region.

[0094] Example 18: The artificial reality system according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the gradual change in transmittance includes the transmittance of the central region being at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region.

[0095] Example 19: The artificial reality system according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein (1) the light emitted by the display panel is linearly polarized, and (2) the pancake lens includes: (A) a quarter-wave retarder that converts the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light; and (B) a reflective polarizer system configured to reflect the circularly polarized light.

[0096] Example 20: A method, the method comprising: (1) mounting an electronic display in a head-mounted system; (2) assembling a pancake lens including a beam splitter; and (3) optically coupling the pancake lens to the electronic display in the head-mounted system such that the beam splitter is configured to: (A) transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light emitted by the electronic display; and (B) reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light.

[0097] Embodiments of the present disclosure may include various types of artificial reality systems or be implemented in combination with various types of artificial reality systems. Artificial reality is a form of reality that has been conditioned in some way before being presented to a user, and artificial reality may include, for example, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, hybrid reality, or some combination and / or derivative thereof. Artificial reality content may include entirely computer-generated content or computer-generated content combined with captured (e.g., real-world) content. Artificial reality content may include video, audio, haptic feedback, or some combination thereof, and any of video, audio, haptic feedback, or some combination thereof may be presented in a single channel or multiple channels (such as stereoscopic video that produces a three-dimensional (3D) effect for an observer). Additionally, in some embodiments, artificial reality may also be associated with applications, products, accessories, services, or some combination thereof for, e.g., creating content in artificial reality and / or otherwise for artificial reality (such as to perform an activity therein).

[0098] Artificial reality systems may be implemented in a variety of different form factors and configurations. Some artificial reality systems may be designed to operate without a near-eye display (NED). Other artificial reality systems may include a NED that also provides visibility of the real world (e.g., the augmented reality system 700 in Figure 7 ), or a NED that visually immerses a user in the artificial reality (e.g., the virtual reality system 800 in Figure 8 ). Although some artificial reality devices may be stand-alone systems, other artificial reality devices may communicate with and / or cooperate with external devices to provide a user with an artificial reality experience. Examples of such external devices include handheld controllers, mobile devices, desktop computers, devices worn by a user, devices worn by one or more other users, and / or any other suitable external system.

[0099] Turning to Figure 7 , the augmented reality system 700 may include an eye-wearable device 702 having a frame 710 configured to hold a left display device 715(A) and a right display device 715(B) in front of a user's eyes. The display devices 715(A) and 715(B) may act together or independently to present an image or a series of images to the user. Although the augmented reality system 700 includes two displays, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in augmented reality systems having a single NED or more than two NEDs.

[0100] In some embodiments, the augmented reality system 700 may include one or more sensors, e.g., sensor 740. The sensor 740 may generate measurement signals in response to the movement of the augmented reality system 700 and may be located generally on any part of the frame 710. The sensor 740 may represent one or more of various different sensing mechanisms, such as a position sensor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a depth camera assembly, a structured light emitter and / or detector, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the augmented reality system 700 may include or not include the sensor 740, or may include more than one sensor. In embodiments where the sensor 740 includes an IMU, the IMU may generate calibration data based on the measurement signals from the sensor 740. Examples of the sensor 740 may include, but are not limited to, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, other suitable types of sensors for detecting motion, sensors for error correction of the IMU, or some combination thereof.

[0101] In some examples, the augmented reality system 700 may further include a microphone array having a plurality of acoustic transducers 720(A) through 720(J), collectively referred to as acoustic transducers 720. The acoustic transducers 720 may represent transducers that detect changes in air pressure caused by sound waves. Each acoustic transducer 720 may be configured to detect sound and convert the detected sound into an electronic format (e.g., analog format or digital format). Figure 7 The microphone array in may include, for example, ten acoustic transducers: acoustic transducers 720(A) and 720(B), which may be designed to be placed in the corresponding ears of the user; acoustic transducers 720(C), 720(D), 720(E), 720(F), 720(G), and 720(H), which may be located at various positions on the frame 710; and / or acoustic transducers 720(I) and 720(J), which may be located on the corresponding neckband 705.

[0102] In some embodiments, one or more of the acoustic transducers 720(A) through 720(J) may be used as output transducers (e.g., speakers). For example, acoustic transducers 720(A) and / or 720(B) may be earbuds or any other suitable type of headphones or speakers.

[0103] The configuration of each acoustic transducer 720 in the microphone array may vary. Although the augmented reality system 700 is in Figure 7is shown as having ten acoustic transducers 720, but the number of acoustic transducers 720 can be greater than or less than ten. In some embodiments, using a greater number of acoustic transducers 720 can increase the amount of audio information collected and / or the sensitivity and accuracy of the audio information. In contrast, using a smaller number of acoustic transducers 720 can reduce the computational power required by the associated controller 750 to process the collected audio information. Additionally, the position of each acoustic transducer 720 of the microphone array can be changed. For example, the position of the acoustic transducer 720 can include defined positions on the user, defined coordinates on the frame 710, the orientation associated with each acoustic transducer 720, or some combination thereof.

[0104] The acoustic transducers 720(A) and 720(B) can be located on different parts of the user's ear, such as behind the pinna, behind the tragus, and / or within the auricle or concha. Alternatively, in addition to the acoustic transducers 720 within the ear canal, there can be additional acoustic transducers 720 on or around the ear. Positioning the acoustic transducers 720 near the user's ear canal enables the microphone array to collect information about how sound reaches the ear canal. By positioning at least two of the acoustic transducers 720 on opposite sides of the user's head (e.g., as a binaural microphone), the augmented reality system 700 can simulate binaural hearing and capture the 3D stereo field around the user's head. In some embodiments, the acoustic transducers 720(A) and 720(B) can be connected to the augmented reality system 700 via a wired connection 30, while in other embodiments, the acoustic transducers 720(A) and 720(B) can be connected to the augmented reality system 700 via a wireless connection (e.g., a Bluetooth connection). In other examples, the acoustic transducers 720(A) and 720(B) may not be used in combination with the augmented reality system 700 at all.

[0105] The acoustic transducers 720 on the frame 710 can be positioned in a variety of different ways, including along the length of the temple, across the bridge, above or below the display devices 715(A) and 715(B), or some combination thereof. The acoustic transducers 720 can also be oriented such that the microphone array can detect sounds in a wide range of directions around the user wearing the augmented reality system 700. In some embodiments, an optimization process can be performed during the manufacture of the augmented reality system 700 to determine the relative positioning of each acoustic transducer 720 within the microphone array.

[0106] In some examples, the augmented reality system 700 can include or be connected to an external device (e.g., a paired device), such as a neckband 705. The neckband 705 generally represents any type or form of paired device. Thus, the following discussion of the neckband 705 can also apply to various other paired devices, such as a charging case, a smartwatch, a smartphone, a wristband, other wearable devices, a handheld controller, a tablet computer, a portable computer, other external computing devices, etc.

[0107] As shown, the neckband 705 can be coupled to the eye-wearable device 702 via one or more connectors. These connectors can be wired or wireless and can include electrical components and / or non-electrical components (e.g., structural components). In some cases, the eye-wearable device 702 and the neckband 705 can operate independently without any wired or wireless connection between them. Although Figure 7 examples of the locations of various components of the eye-wearable device 702 and the neckband 705 on the eye-wearable device 702 and the neckband 705 are shown, these components can be located at other locations on the eye-wearable device 702 and / or the neckband 705 and / or distributed differently on the eye-wearable device and / or the neckband. In some embodiments, various components of the eye-wearable device 702 and the neckband 705 can be located on one or more additional peripheral devices paired with the eye-wearable device 702, on the neckband 705, or some combination thereof.

[0108] Pairing an external device (e.g., neckband 705) with an augmented reality eyewear device can enable the eyewear device to achieve the form factor of a pair of glasses while still providing sufficient battery power and computing power for the extended capabilities. Some or all of the battery power, computing resources, and / or additional features of the augmented reality system 700 can be provided by the paired device or shared between the paired device and the eyewear device, thereby generally reducing the weight, heat distribution, and form factor of the eyewear device while still maintaining the desired functionality. For example, the neckband 705 can allow components that would otherwise be included on the eyewear device to be included in the neckband 705 because users can tolerate a heavier weight load on their shoulders than on their heads. The neckband 705 can also have a larger surface area through which heat can be diffused and dispersed into the surrounding environment. Thus, the neckband 705 can allow for greater battery power and computing power than might be achievable on a stand-alone eyewear device. Since the weight carried in the neckband 705 can be less intrusive to the user than the weight carried in the eyewear device 702, the user can tolerate wearing the lighter eyewear device and carrying or wearing the paired device for a longer period of time compared to enduring the wearing of a heavy stand-alone eyewear device, enabling the user to more fully integrate the artificial reality environment into their daily activities.

[0109] The neckband 705 can be communicatively coupled to the eyewear device 702 and / or other devices. These other devices can provide certain functions (e.g., tracking, localization, depth map construction, processing, storage, etc.) to the augmented reality system 700. In Figure 7 an embodiment, the neckband 705 can include two acoustic transducers (e.g., 720(I) and 720(J)), which are part of a microphone array (or may form their own microphone sub-array). The neckband 705 can also include a controller 725 and a power supply 735.

[0110] The acoustic transducers 720(I) and 720(J) in the neckband 705 can be configured to detect sound and convert the detected sound into an electronic format (analog or digital). In Figure 7In an embodiment, the acoustic transducers 720(I) and 720(J) may be located on the neckband 705, thereby increasing the distance between the acoustic transducers 720(I) and 720(J) on the neckband and other acoustic transducers 720 located on the eye-wearable device 702. In some cases, increasing the distance between the acoustic transducers 720 of the microphone array may improve the accuracy of beamforming performed via the microphone array. For example, if the acoustic transducers 720(C) and 720(D) detect a sound, and the distance between the acoustic transducers 720(C) and 720(D) is greater than, for example, the distance between the acoustic transducers 720(D) and 720(E), the determined source location of the detected sound may be more accurate than when the sound is detected by the acoustic transducers 720(D) and 720(E).

[0111] The controller 725 of the neckband 705 may process information generated by sensors on the neckband 705 and / or on the augmented reality system 700. For example, the controller 725 may process information from the microphone array that describes the sounds detected by the microphone array. For each detected sound, the controller 725 may perform a Direction-Of-Arrival (DOA) estimation to estimate from which direction the detected sound arrives at the microphone array. When the microphone array detects a sound, the controller 725 may populate an audio data set with this information. In an embodiment where the augmented reality system 700 includes an inertial measurement unit, the controller 725 may calculate all inertial operations and spatial operations based on the IMU located on the eye-wearable device 702. The connector may transmit information between the augmented reality system 700 and the neckband 705, and between the augmented reality system 700 and the controller 725. The information may be in the form of optical data, electrical data, wireless data, or any other form of data that can be transmitted. Transferring the processing of the information generated by the augmented reality system 700 to the neckband 705 may reduce the weight of the eye-wearable device 702 and the heat in the eye-wearable device, making it more comfortable for the user.

[0112] The power source 735 in the neckband 705 may supply power to the eye-wearable device 702 and / or to the neckband 705. The power source 735 may include, but is not limited to, a lithium-ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a primary lithium battery, an alkaline battery, or any other form of electrical energy storage device. In some cases, the power source 735 may be a wired power source. Including the power source 735 on the neckband 705 rather than on the eye-wearable device 702 may help to better distribute the weight and heat generated by the power source 735.

[0113] As mentioned, some artificial reality systems can largely replace one or more of a user's sensory perceptions of the real world with virtual experiences, rather than mixing artificial reality with physical reality. An example of this type of system is a head-mounted display system that mostly or completely covers a user's field of view, such as the virtual reality system 800 in Figure 8 . The virtual reality system 800 can include a front rigid body 802 and a strap 804 that is shaped to fit around a user's head. The virtual reality system 800 can also include output audio transducers 806(A) and output audio transducers 806(B). Additionally, although not shown in Figure 8 , the front rigid body 802 can include one or more electronic components that include one or more electronic displays, one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs), one or more tracking transmitters or detectors, and / or any other suitable devices or systems for creating an artificial reality experience.

[0114] Artificial reality systems can include various types of visual feedback mechanisms. For example, the display device in the augmented reality system 700 and / or the display device in the virtual reality system 800 can include one or more liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, micro-LED displays, organic LED (OLED) displays, digital light projection (DLP) microdisplays, liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) microdisplays, and / or any other suitable type of display screen. These artificial reality systems can include a single display screen for both eyes, or can provide a display screen for each eye, which can provide additional flexibility for zoom adjustment or correcting a user's refractive error. Some of these artificial reality systems can also include multiple optical subsystems that have one or more lenses (e.g., concave or convex lenses, Fresnel lenses, adjustable liquid lenses, etc.) through which a user views the display screen. These optical subsystems can be used for various purposes, including collimating light (e.g., making an object appear at a distance farther than its physical distance), magnifying light (e.g., making an object appear larger than its actual size), and / or relaying light (e.g., relaying light to a viewer's eyes). These optical subsystems can be used in non-pupil-forming architectures (e.g., a single lens configuration that directly collimates light but produces a so-called pincushion distortion) and / or pupil-forming architectures (e.g., a multi-lens configuration that produces a so-called barrel distortion to cancel out the pincushion distortion).

[0115] In addition to, or instead of, using a display screen, some of the artificial reality systems described herein may include one or more projection systems. For example, the display devices in the augmented reality system 700 and / or the display devices in the virtual reality system 800 may include micro-LED projectors that project light (e.g., using waveguides) into the display device, such as a transparent combiner lens that allows ambient light to pass through. The display device may refract the projected light towards the user's pupil and may enable the user to view both the artificial reality content and the real world simultaneously. The display device may use any of a variety of different optical components, including waveguide components (e.g., holographic waveguide elements, planar waveguide elements, diffractive waveguide elements, polarization waveguide elements, and / or reflective waveguide elements), light manipulation surfaces and elements (e.g., diffractive elements and gratings, reflective elements and gratings, and refractive elements and gratings), coupling elements, etc. The artificial reality system may also be configured with any other suitable type or form of image projection system, such as a retinal projector used in a virtual retinal display.

[0116] The artificial reality systems described herein may also include various types of computer vision components and subsystems. For example, the augmented reality system 700 and / or the virtual reality system 800 may include one or more optical sensors, such as a two-dimensional (2D) camera or a three-dimensional (3D) camera, a structured light emitter and detector, a time-of-flight depth sensor, a single-beam rangefinder or a scanning lidar rangefinder, a 3D lidar (LiDAR) sensor, and / or any other suitable type or form of optical sensor. The artificial reality system may process data from one or more of these sensors to identify the user's location, map the real world, provide content to the user about the surrounding environment of the real world, and / or perform various other functions.

[0117] The artificial reality systems described herein may also include one or more input and / or output audio transducers. The output audio transducers may include voice coil speakers, ribbon speakers, electrostatic speakers, piezoelectric speakers, bone conduction transducers, cartilage conduction transducers, tragus vibration transducers, and / or any other suitable type or form of audio transducer. Similarly, the input audio transducers may include condenser microphones, dynamic microphones, ribbon microphones, and / or any other type or form of input transducer. In some embodiments, a single transducer may be used for both audio input and audio output.

[0118] In some embodiments, the artificial reality systems described herein may also include tactile (i.e., haptic) feedback systems that may be incorporated into a headset, gloves, clothing, handheld controllers, environmental devices (e.g., chairs, floor mats, etc.), and / or any other type of device or system. The tactile feedback systems may provide various types of cutaneous feedback, including vibration, force, traction, texture, and / or temperature. The tactile feedback systems may also provide various types of kinesthetic feedback, such as motion and compliance. Tactile feedback may be implemented using motors, piezoelectric actuators, fluid systems, and / or various other types of feedback mechanisms. The tactile feedback systems may be implemented independently of other artificial reality devices, within other artificial reality devices, and / or in combination with other artificial reality devices.

[0119] By providing tactile sensations, auditory content, and / or visual content, the artificial reality systems can create a complete virtual experience or enhance the user's real-world experience in various scenarios and environments. For example, the artificial reality systems may assist or extend the user's perception, memory, or cognition within a particular environment. Some systems may enhance the user's interaction with others in the real world, or may enable a more immersive interaction with others in a virtual world. Artificial reality systems may also be used for educational purposes (e.g., for teaching or training in schools, hospitals, government organizations, military organizations, commercial enterprises, etc.), entertainment purposes (e.g., for playing video games, listening to music, watching video content, etc.), and / or for accessibility purposes (e.g., as hearing aids, visual aids, etc.). The embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or enhance the user's artificial reality experience in one or more of these scenarios and environments and / or in other scenarios and environments.

[0120] As noted, the artificial reality systems 700 and 800 may be used with a variety of other types of devices to provide a more engaging artificial reality experience. These devices may be tactile interfaces with transducers that provide tactile feedback and / or collect tactile information regarding the user's interaction with the environment. The artificial reality systems disclosed herein may include various types of tactile interfaces that detect or convey various types of tactile information, including cutaneous feedback (e.g., feedback detected by the user via nerves in the skin, which may also be referred to as skin feedback) and / or kinesthetic feedback (e.g., feedback detected by the user via receptors located in muscles, joints, and / or tendons).

[0121] Tactile feedback may be provided by interfaces located within the user's environment (e.g., chairs, tables, floors, etc.) and / or by interfaces on items that the user wears or carries (e.g., gloves, wristbands, etc.). As an example, Figure 9Shows a vibrotactile system 900 in the form of a wearable glove (haptic device 910) and a wristband (haptic device 920). The haptic device 910 and the haptic device 920 are shown as examples of wearable devices and include a flexible wearable textile material 930 that is shaped and configured to be positioned against a user's hand and wrist, respectively. The present disclosure also includes vibrotactile systems that can be shaped and configured to be positioned against other body parts of a human (e.g., fingers, arms, head, torso, feet, or legs). By way of example and not limitation, the vibrotactile systems according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be in the form of gloves, headbands, armbands, sleeves, caps, socks, shirts, or pants, as well as other possible forms. In some examples, the term "textile" can include any flexible wearable material, including woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, leather, cloth, flexible polymer materials, composite materials, etc.

[0122] One or more vibrotactile devices 940 can be positioned to be at least partially located within one or more respective pockets formed in the textile material 930 of the vibrotactile system 900. The vibrotactile devices 940 can be positioned in place to provide a vibration perception (e.g., haptic feedback) to a user of the vibrotactile system 900. For example, the vibrotactile devices 940 can be positioned against one or more fingers or wrists of the user, as Figure 9 shown. In some examples, the vibrotactile devices 940 can be flexible enough to conform to or bend with one or more corresponding body parts of the user.

[0123] A power source 950 (e.g., a battery) for applying a voltage to the plurality of vibrotactile devices 940 for activating these vibrotactile devices can be electrically coupled (e.g., via wires 952) to the vibrotactile devices 940. In some examples, each of the plurality of vibrotactile devices 940 can be independently electrically coupled to the power source 950 for individual activation. In some embodiments, a processor 960 can be operatively coupled to the power source 950 and be configured (e.g., programmed) to control the activation of the vibrotactile devices 940.

[0124] The vibrotactile system 900 can be implemented in various ways. In some examples, the vibrotactile system 900 can be a stand-alone system with multiple integrated subsystems and multiple components to operate independently of other devices and systems. As another example, the vibrotactile system 900 can be configured to interact with another device or system 970. For example, in some examples, the vibrotactile system 900 can include a communication interface 980 for receiving signals and / or sending signals to the other device or system 970. The other device or system 970 can be a mobile device, a game console, an artificial reality (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality) device, a personal computer, a tablet, a network device (e.g., a modem, a router, etc.), a handheld controller, etc. The communication interface 980 can enable communication between the vibrotactile system 900 and the other device or system 970 via a wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH, cellular, radio, etc.) link or a wired link. If there is a communication interface 980, the communication interface can communicate with the processor 960, for example, to provide signals to the processor 960 to activate or deactivate one or more of the multiple vibrotactile devices 940.

[0125] The vibrotactile system 900 can optionally include other subsystems and components, such as a touch-sensitive pad 990, a pressure sensor, a motion sensor, a position sensor, a lighting element, and / or user interface elements (e.g., an on / off button, a vibration control element, etc.). During use, the vibrotactile devices 940 can be configured to be activated for various different reasons, such as in response to a user's interaction with a user interface element, a signal from a motion sensor or a position sensor, a signal from the touch-sensitive pad 990, a signal from a pressure sensor, a signal from the other device or system 970, etc.

[0126] Although the power supply 950, the processor 960, and the communication interface 980 are shown in Figure 9 to be located in the tactile device 920, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, one or more of the power supply 950, the processor 960, or the communication interface 980 can be located within the tactile device 910 or another wearable textile.

[0127] The tactile wearable (e.g., the tactile wearable Figure 9 shown and described) can be implemented in various types of artificial reality systems and environments. Figure 10An exemplary artificial reality environment 1000 is shown that includes a head-mounted virtual reality display and two haptic devices (i.e., gloves). In other embodiments, an artificial reality system may include any number of these components and other components, and / or any combination of these components and other components. For example, in some embodiments, there may be multiple head-mounted displays, each with an associated haptic device, where each head-mounted display and each haptic device communicate with the same console, portable computing device, or other computing system.

[0128] The head-mounted display 1002 generally represents any type or form of virtual reality system, such as Figure 8 the virtual reality system 800 in. The haptic device 1004 generally represents any type or form of wearable device worn by a user of an artificial reality system that provides haptic feedback to give the user the perception that he or she is physically contacting a virtual object. In some examples, the haptic device 1004 may provide haptic feedback by applying vibration, motion, and / or force to the user. For example, the haptic device 1004 may limit or enhance the user's movement. To give a specific example, the haptic device 1004 may limit the forward movement of the user's hand such that the user feels that his or her hand has physically contacted a virtual wall. In this particular example, one or more actuators within the haptic device may achieve physical movement limitation by pumping fluid into an inflatable bladder of the haptic device. In some examples, the user may also use the haptic device 1004 to send action requests to the console. Examples of action requests include, but are not limited to, requests to launch and / or terminate an application and / or requests to perform a specific action within an application.

[0129] Although a haptic interface can be used with a virtual reality system (as Figure 10 shown), a haptic interface can also be used with an augmented reality system (as Figure 11 shown). Figure 11 is a stereogram of a user 1110 interacting with an augmented reality system 1100. In this example, the user 1110 may wear augmented reality glasses 1120 that may have one or more displays 1122 and are paired with a haptic device 1130. In this example, the haptic device 1130 may be a wristband that includes a plurality of strap elements 1132 and a tensioning mechanism 1134 that connects these strap elements 1132 to each other.

[0130] One or more of the plurality of belt elements 1132 may include any type or form of actuator adapted to provide haptic feedback. For example, one or more of the plurality of belt elements 1132 may be configured to provide one or more types of cutaneous feedback of various types of cutaneous feedback, which types of cutaneous feedback include vibration, force, traction, texture, and / or temperature. To provide such feedback, one or more of the plurality of belt elements 1132 may include one or more types of actuators of various types of actuators. In one example, each of these belt elements 1132 may include a vibrotactile (e.g., vibrotactile actuator) configured to vibrate jointly or independently to provide one or more of various types of tactile sensations to a user. Alternatively, only a single belt element or a subset of belt elements may include a vibrotactile.

[0131] The haptic devices 910, 920, 1004, and 1130 may include any suitable number and / or type of haptic transducers, sensors, and / or feedback mechanisms. For example, the haptic devices 910, 920, 1004, and 1130 may include one or more mechanical transducers, one or more piezoelectric transducers, and / or one or more fluid transducers. The haptic devices 910, 920, 1004, and 1130 may also include various combinations of different types and forms of transducers that work together or independently to enhance the user's artificial reality experience. In one example, each of the plurality of belt elements 1132 of the haptic device 1130 may include a vibrotactile (e.g., vibrotactile actuator) configured to vibrate jointly or independently to provide one or more of various types of tactile sensations to a user.

[0132] The order of process parameters and steps described and / or illustrated herein is given only as an example and may be changed as needed. For example, although the steps shown and / or described herein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps need not be performed in the order shown or discussed. The various exemplary methods described and / or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of these steps described or illustrated herein, or include additional steps in addition to the disclosed steps.

[0133] The foregoing description has been provided to enable other technicians in the art to best utilize the various aspects of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein. The exemplary description is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to any precise form. Many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects. When determining the scope of the disclosure, reference should be made to any appended claims and their equivalents.

[0134] Unless otherwise specified, the terms "connected to" and "coupled to" (and their derivatives) as used in the specification and / or claims shall be interpreted to allow both direct connection and indirect (i.e., via other elements or components) connection. Further, as used in the specification and / or claims, the term "a" or "an" is interpreted to mean "at least one". Finally, for ease of use, the terms "comprising" and "having" (and their derivatives) as used in the specification and / or claims may be interchanged with the word "including" and have the same meaning.

Claims

1. A head-mounted display, the head-mounted display comprising: An electronic display configured to emit light; And A pancake lens optically coupled to the electronic display, the pancake lens including a beam splitter configured to: Transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light; and Reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light.

2. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein, The spatially averaged portion of the light is at least 60% of the light.

3. The head-mounted display according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The beam splitter includes a central region and a peripheral region; and The beam splitter exhibits a gradient in transmittance from the central region to the peripheral region, optionally where the gradient in transmittance includes the transmittance of the central region being at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region.

4. The head-mounted display according to the preceding claim, wherein: The light emitted by the electronic display is linearly polarized; And The pancake lens includes: A quarter-wave retarder that converts linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light; And A reflective polarizer system configured to reflect the circularly polarized light.

5. The head-mounted display according to claim 4, wherein, The reflective polarizer system includes: An additional quarter-wave retarder that converts the circularly polarized light to linearly polarized light; and A reflective polarizer that reflects the linearly polarized light.

6. The head-mounted display according to claim 5, wherein, The reflective polarizer includes at least one of the following: A multilayer birefringent polymer reflective polarizer; A cholesteric reflective polarizer; or A wire grid.

7. The head-mounted display according to claim 5, wherein: The beam splitter is positioned between the electronic display and the quarter-wave retarder; and The reflective polarizer is positioned between the quarter-wave retarder and the additional quarter-wave retarder.

8. The head-mounted display according to claim 5, wherein: The quarter-wave retarder is positioned between the electronic display and the beam splitter; and The additional quarter-wave retarder is positioned between the beam splitter and the reflective polarizer.

9. The head-mounted display according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The beam splitter includes a thin optical coating disposed on the lens.

10. For the head-mounted display according to claim 9, any one or more of the following exist: a) wherein, The thin optical coating includes at least one of the following: An aluminum coating; A silver coating; A gold coating; or A copper coating; or b) where the thin optical coating includes at least one dielectric layer; or c) where the thin optical coating includes one or more layers of metal and dielectric material.

11. The head-mounted display according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The spatially averaged portion of the light includes the average of a plurality of values measured over a specific region of the beam splitter.

12. An artificial reality system, the artificial reality system comprising: An electronic display; At least one processing device communicatively coupled to the electronic display and configured to direct the electronic display to emit light; And A pancake lens optically coupled to the electronic display, the pancake lens including a beam splitter configured to: Transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light; and Reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is less than the spatially averaged portion of the light, optionally where the spatially averaged portion of the light is at least 60% of the light.

13. The artificial reality system according to claim 12, wherein: The beam splitter includes a central region and a peripheral region; and The beam splitter exhibits a gradient in transmittance from the central region to the peripheral region.

14. The artificial reality system according to claim 13, there is any one or more of the following: a) wherein, The gradient in transmittance includes the transmittance of the central region being at least 5% higher than the transmittance of the peripheral region; or b) wherein: the light emitted by the electronic display is linearly polarized; and the pancake lens comprises: a quarter-wave retarder that converts the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light; and a reflective polarizer system configured to reflect the circularly polarized light.

15. A method, the method comprising: mount the electronic display in a head-mounted system; assemble a pancake lens including a beam splitter; and optically couple the pancake lens to the electronic display in the head-mounted system such that the beam splitter is configured to: transmit a spatially averaged portion of the light emitted by the electronic display; and reflect an additional spatially averaged portion of the light that is smaller than the spatially averaged portion of the light.

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