Dynamic push-pull lens for XR display

Abstract

An XR display system includes a near-eye optical see-through XR display having an image presentation component with an eye-facing side and an outside-world-facing side and configured to present virtual visual content to a user's eye from a location on an image presentation surface of the eye-facing side. A dynamic push-through lens located at the outside-world-facing side and a dynamic pull-through lens located at the eye-facing side each include a liquid crystal cell that is dynamically switchable between an inactive state and an active state by electrical stimulation. In the active state, the dynamic push-through lens converges ambient light approaching the image presentation component from the outside-world-facing side by applying a positive optical power, and the dynamic pull-through lens diverges light exiting the image presentation component from the eye-facing side toward the user's eye by applying a negative optical power.

Description

[0001] Priority Statement

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 594,221, filed October 30, 2023, and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18 / 919,314, filed October 17, 2024, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates generally to display devices, and more specifically to display devices for extended reality. Background Technology

[0004] Head-mounted displays can be implemented using transparent or semi-transparent displays, allowing users to view their surroundings. Such devices enable users to see through the transparent or semi-transparent displays to view their environment, including objects or other content (e.g., virtual objects such as 3D renderings, images, videos, text, etc.) generated to be displayed as part of and / or overlaid on the surrounding environment (collectively referred to as "virtual content"). This is often called "extended reality" or "XR," and it encompasses technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR). Each of these technologies combines various aspects of the physical world with virtual content presented to the user. Attached Figure Description

[0005] In accompanying drawings that are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar parts in different views. To facilitate identification of any discussion of a particular element or action, the highest digit (one or more) in the reference numerals indicates the reference numeral that first introduced that element. Some non-limiting examples are shown in the accompanying drawings:

[0006] Figure 1A The image presentation component of an XR display system with a passive push / pull lens is shown according to some examples.

[0007] Figure 1B The following are examples of dynamic push / pull lenses with supplementary static push / pull lenses. Figure 1A Image rendering component.

[0008] Figure 2 These are perspective views of some example head-mounted devices.

[0009] Figure 3 The following are examples. Figure 2 Another view of the head-mounted device.

[0010] Figure 4 This is a simplified cross-sectional view of an example near-eye optical perspective XR display with a dynamic push / pull lens, based on some examples.

[0011] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a pair of binocular image rendering components that present virtual visual content to a pair of eyes, based on some examples.

[0012] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a method for switching between the active states of a dynamic push / pull lens in an XR display system, according to some examples.

[0013] Figure 7 A front view of a first liquid crystal cell according to some examples is shown, which shows the parallel liquid crystal orientation direction on the surface of the liquid crystal cell.

[0014] Figure 8A The following are examples. Figure 7 An enlarged front view of the liquid crystal cell, showing the orientation of individual liquid crystals on the surface.

[0015] Figure 8B The following are examples. Figure 7 An enlarged side cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal cell shows the orientation of individual liquid crystals within layers stacked along the depth direction.

[0016] Figure 9 A front view of a second liquid crystal cell according to some examples is shown, which shows the radial liquid crystal orientation direction on the surface of the liquid crystal cell.

[0017] Figure 10 The following are examples. Figure 9 An enlarged front view of the liquid crystal cell, showing the orientation of individual liquid crystals on the surface.

[0018] Figure 11 A front view of a third liquid crystal cell, according to some examples, is shown, which shows the circular liquid crystal orientation on the surface of the liquid crystal cell.

[0019] Figure 12 A front view of a fourth liquid crystal cell according to some examples is shown, which shows the parallel liquid crystal orientation in a first direction on the first surface of the liquid crystal cell.

[0020] Figure 13 The following are examples. Figure 12 The rear view of the liquid crystal cell shows the parallel liquid crystal orientation in a second direction on the second surface of the liquid crystal cell.

[0021] Figure 14A The following are examples. Figure 12 and Figure 13 An enlarged side cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal cell shows the orientation of individual liquid crystals within layers stacked along the depth direction.

[0022] Figure 14B The following are examples. Figure 12 and Figure 13 An enlarged front cross-sectional view of the first layer of the liquid crystal cell, showing the orientation of individual liquid crystals within the layer.

[0023] Figure 14C The following are examples. Figure 12 and Figure 13 An enlarged front cross-sectional view of the intermediate layer of the liquid crystal cell, showing the orientation of individual liquid crystals within the layer.

[0024] Figure 14D The following are examples. Figure 12 and Figure 13 The enlarged front cross-sectional view of the final layer of the liquid crystal cell shows the orientation of individual liquid crystals within the layer.

[0025] Figure 15 A graph showing the refractive index on the surface of an example Fresnelized GRIN lens, based on some examples, is shown.

[0026] Figure 16 A front view of a liquid crystal cell coupled to a dimmer for blocking light in a peripheral area, according to some examples, is shown.

[0027] Figure 17 These are schematic diagrams of machines in the form of computer systems, based on some examples, within which a set of instructions can be executed to cause the machine to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein.

[0028] Figure 18 It is a block diagram showing a software architecture in which examples can be implemented. Detailed Implementation

[0029] XR displays are generally classified as video perspective displays or optical perspective displays. In video perspective, a view of the physical environment is captured by a camera device, combined with virtual content, and then presented to the user on an opaque display. In optical perspective, the user views the physical environment directly through a transparent or semi-transparent display that inserts virtual content between the user's eyes and the physical environment.

[0030] Optical see-through XR displays have two main design goals: first, to ensure the display can present realistic-looking virtual content to the user's eyes; and second, to ensure the display allows for relatively unobstructed see-through of the physical environment. Achieving these goals can be challenging. One challenge is how to present virtual content in a way that appears to be at a specific distance from the user in a manner that feels natural and comfortable to the user's eyes and perceptual system, while maintaining a consistent view of the real world. Many near-eye XR displays are constrained to project virtual visual content to the user's eyes, making the focal length of virtual objects appear infinite: for the user's eyes to focus on a virtual object, the eyes must behave as if the object is very far away. This means that all virtual content is focused at a great distance from the user, interfering with the expected perception of virtual objects interacting with real-world objects at the same depth of field or at the same distance from the user.

[0031] To address this limitation, some examples described herein may use a combination of passive and / or active push / pull lenses located on opposite sides of the waveguide, or other transparent image presentation components for presenting virtual visual content to the user's eyes. A "pull" lens located on the eye-facing side of the waveguide operates to diverge light traveling away from the waveguide as it approaches the user's eye (or "pull" the image from infinity to a finite distance in front of the eye), thus making the light from the waveguide appear closer. Therefore, a pull lens on the eye-facing side of the waveguide can make virtual visual content appear closer than the default focal length at infinity; for example, the pull lens can be configured to provide a negative one diopter (-1D) optical power, making the virtual visual content appear at a focal length of 1 meter from the user's eyes.

[0032] However, while the pull lens on the eye-facing side of the waveguide effectively achieves the goal of making virtual visual content appear closer than infinity, it imposes a similar distortion on ambient light from the real-world view, which travels from the outside-facing side of the waveguide, exits through the eye-facing side, passes through the pull lens, and travels parallel to the user's eye. Without further correction, this would result in a severely distorted view of the real-world view. Therefore, a second corrective ophthalmic lens, known as a "push lens," can be placed on the outside-facing side of the waveguide, opposite the eye-facing side. This push lens applies an optical power equal to but opposite to that applied by the pull lens (e.g., the push lens could apply +1D), ensuring that ambient light from the real world reaches the user's eye without distortion, because the push and pull lenses cancel each other out with respect to the light passing through both lenses.

[0033] Therefore, using passive eye-tracking push / pull lenses can make virtual visual content appear at a selected apparent focal length from the user. However, human depth perception is affected not only by the focal length of the visual object but also by the object's convergence-divergence distance, which is the distance from the user to the point where the gaze vectors of the user's two eyes intersect when viewing an object in space. By presenting virtual visual content at slightly different relative positions on the left and right near-eye optical displays of a binocular near-eye display system, the gaze direction of each of the user's eyes can be mapped to different gaze angles when viewing the virtual visual content with both eyes. This allows the XR display system to specify a convergence-divergence distance, which further enables the user's perceptual and ocular systems to perceive the virtual visual content as being located at that distance.

[0034] However, if there is a mismatch between the convergence distance and the focal length, XR display systems that use convergence to manipulate the user's perception of the depth of virtual visual content may cause user discomfort. If an XR display system uses passive push / pull lenses to set the focal length at a fixed depth (e.g., 1 meter), any virtual visual content presented at a convergence distance that is significantly greater or less than the fixed depth (e.g., greater or less than 1 meter) may cause user discomfort and may also reduce the perceived realism of the virtual visual content.

[0035] Therefore, in some examples, dynamic lenses can be used instead of passive eye-mounted push / pull lenses, or dynamic lenses can be used in addition to passive eye-mounted push / pull lenses. Dynamic lenses can be configured to switch between an active state (where the dynamic lenses apply optical power to the light passing through them) and a passive state (where the dynamic lenses apply zero optical power to the light passing through them). In some examples, dynamic lenses can be configured to change their optical power between more than two states, such as within a continuous range of optical power levels. Some examples use a single pair of dynamic push / pull lenses to make the virtual visual content appear closer when switching to their active state; other examples may also include a second pair of push / pull lenses, where the push lens is on the eye-facing side and the pull lens is on the outward-facing side, such that when switching to their active state, they make the virtual visual content appear farther away. Any of these configurations can be combined with a passive push / pull lens such that when the dynamic lens is inactive, the passive lens provides a baseline focal length (e.g., 1 meter) for the virtual visual content, and the dynamic lens can be activated to change that baseline focal length (e.g., by applying an additional -1D optical power to the virtual visual content, making the total optical power -2D, so that the virtual visual content appears at a focal length of 0.5 meters).

[0036] By using dynamic push / pull lenses, the examples described herein attempt to address one or more technical problems associated with XR display systems. XR display systems with dynamic push / pull lenses can allow convergence and divergence distances to vary over a greater depth range without significantly sacrificing visual realism or causing user discomfort, thereby enhancing the realism of virtual visual content and expanding the range of perceptual distances from which virtual visual content can be presented.

[0037] In some examples, dynamic push / pull lenses can be implemented using liquid crystal (LC) cells driven by ring electrodes to form lenses with uniform thickness but dynamically variable refractive indices on their surface areas through the action of electrically controlled birefringence (ECB). A dynamic push lens can mimic the effect of a convex or Fresnel lens, converging light passing through it. This is achieved by inducing a spatially varying electric field in the liquid crystal located on the surface of the cell, resulting in a high refractive index in the central region and a lower refractive index in the peripheral region of the lens. Conversely, a dynamic pull lens can mimic the effect of a concave lens by inducing a spatially varying electric field, resulting in a low refractive index in the central region and a higher refractive index in the peripheral region, thus diverging light passing through it.

[0038] Dynamic liquid crystal lenses may present various additional technical challenges, including non-uniform liquid crystal response to directional electric fields due to oriented LC alignment, and / or the ability of the LC cell to impart optical power to light with different polarizations. Some examples described herein illustrate various techniques attempting to address these technical challenges.

[0039] As used herein, the terms “active lens” and “dynamic lens” are used interchangeably, as are the terms “static lens” and “passive lens”.

[0040] Figure 1A An image presentation component 102 of an XR display system with a passive push / pull lens is shown. The image presentation component 102 may be a waveguide or other transparent (or substantially transparent) component for projecting or otherwise presenting visual content to a user's eye 100.

[0041] A static push lens 108 (shown as a lens for convex eyes) is positioned on the outward-facing side 104 of the image presentation unit 102, which is the side of the image presentation unit 102 opposite to the direction of the user's eye 100. A static pull lens 110 (shown as a lens for concave eyes) is positioned on the eye-facing side 106 of the image presentation unit 102, which is the side of the image presentation unit 102 in the same direction as the user's eye 100. In the example described herein, the static push lens 108 and the static pull lens 110 have mutually canceling optical powers (e.g., +1D and -1D, respectively).

[0042] Virtual visual content is projected as projection light 120 from image presentation unit 102 toward eye 100. When the virtual visual content leaves image presentation unit 102, it has a focal length of infinity and is shown as a parallel beam of projection light 120. However, after passing through static pull lens 110, projection light 120 diverges, thus providing the virtual visual content with a perceived focal length 116 closer than infinity (e.g., a perceived focal length of 1 meter for static pull lens 110 with an optical power of -1 diopter).

[0043] The real-world field of view is propagated as ambient light 118 toward the XR display system and the user's eye 100. Ambient light 118 passes through a static push lens 108, which causes it to converge; then, ambient light 118 propagates through a transparent image rendering component 102 and through a static pull lens 110, which diverges the ambient light 118, thus correcting the convergence caused by the static push lens 108. Therefore, ambient light 118 reaches the eye 100 with the same apparent depth as if the static push lens 108 and static pull lens 110 were not present.

[0044] Figure 1B As shown Figure 1A The image presentation unit 102 has a dynamic push / pull lens that complements the static push / pull lens. In this example, the dynamic push lens 112 is located on the outward-facing side 104 of the image presentation unit 102 to complement the static push lens 108, and the dynamic pull lens 114 is located on the eye-facing side 106 to complement the static pull lens 110. As in the example of the paired static push / pull lenses described herein, the paired dynamic push / pull lenses have mutually canceling optical powers (e.g., +1D and -1D) when activated.

[0045] In some examples, the dynamic push lens 112 includes a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state via electrical stimulation. In the active state, the dynamic push lens 112 converges ambient light 118 approaching the image presentation unit 102 from the external side 104, such that the dynamic push lens 112 applies positive optical power (e.g., +1D) to the ambient light 118 when active. In the passive state, the dynamic push lens 112 can apply zero optical power to the ambient light 118.

[0046] In some examples, the dynamic pull lens 114 also includes a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state via electrical stimulation. In the active state, the dynamic pull lens 114 diverts light emitted from the eye-facing side 106 of the image presentation unit 102 (e.g., both ambient light 118 and projected light 120 in the illustrated example) toward the user's eye, such that the dynamic pull lens 114 applies a negative optical power (e.g., -1D) to the light when active. In the passive state, the dynamic pull lens 114 can apply zero optical power to the light.

[0047] In some examples, the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 may be operable to switch between multiple different active states with different levels of optical power based on the applied electrical stimulation, or to continuously change the optical power they apply within a range of values.

[0048] Therefore, in the examples using a static push lens 108 with +1D applied, a dynamic push lens 112 with +1D applied when active, a dynamic pull lens 114 with -1D applied when active, and a static pull lens 110 with -1D applied, the perceptual focal length of the virtual visual content will be 1 meter when the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 are inactive, and the perceptual focal length of the virtual visual content will be 0.5 meters when the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 are active. These focal lengths allow XR display systems to present virtual visual content suitable for many common applications: a 1-meter focal length is suitable for presenting virtual visual content that appears to be in the same social space as the user without intruding on the user's personal space, while a 0.5-meter focal length is suitable for presenting virtual visual content that the user wants to examine closely, such as text information presented on the user's palm.

[0049] Experimental tests on near-eye XR displays, combining virtual visual content at different focal lengths and convergence distances, showed that virtual visual content at a focal length of 1.0 meter is rarely or not uncomfortable for most users when presented at convergence distances between 0.67 meters and 2.00 meters (referred to herein as the "comfort zone" for convergence distances at a given focal length). Furthermore, when presented at convergence distances between 0.40 meters and 0.67 meters, virtual visual content at a focal length of 0.5 meters is rarely or not uncomfortable for most users. Therefore, an example XR display system with passive and active push / pull lenses operable to change the focal length of the virtual visual content between 1.0 meters and 0.5 meters can effectively enable the presentation of virtual visual content at any convergence distance from 0.4 meters to 2.00 meters (and thus any effective perceptual depth).

[0050] The following reference Figures 7 to 16 The description describes an example implementation of the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 as an LC cell configured with annular electrodes for applying electrical stimulation to switch states. However, it should be understood that in some examples, the dynamic push lens 112 and / or the dynamic pull lens 114 can be implemented using other means, such as thermally reactive materials, materials configured to physically deform in response to applied stimulation (e.g., electrowetting on a dielectric lens), etc.

[0051] although Figure 1B Not shown, but some examples may include an additional second pair of dynamic push / pull lenses, where their positions are relative to... Figure 1B The dynamic push lens 112 and dynamic pull lens 114 shown are opposite: the second dynamic push lens can be positioned on the eye-facing side, and the second dynamic pull lens is positioned on the outward-facing side, such that when switched to their active state, they make the virtual visual content appear farther away. This configuration can provide a baseline optical power applied by the passive lenses to present the virtual content at a baseline focal length (e.g., 1 meter), wherein the first pair of dynamic push / pull lenses is operable to move the focal length of the virtual content closer (e.g., 0.5 meters in the active state), and the second pair of dynamic push / pull lenses is operable in the active state to move the focal length of the virtual content farther away (e.g., farther than 1 meter, such as at infinity or at 5 meters).

[0052] Figure 2This is a perspective view of a head-mounted XR device (e.g., glasses 200) that can be used to implement some or all of the functions of the XR display system described herein. Glasses 200 may include a frame 202 made of any suitable material such as plastic or metal (including any suitable shape memory alloy). In one or more examples, frame 202 includes a first or left optical element holder 204 (e.g., a display or lens holder) and a second or right optical element holder 206 connected by a bridge 212. A first or left optical element 208 and a second or right optical element 210 may be disposed within the respective left optical element holder 204 and right optical element holder 206. The right optical element 210 and left optical element 208 may be a lens, a display, a display assembly, or a combination thereof. Any suitable display component, such as..., may be provided in glasses 200. Figure 1A or Figure 1B One of the components shown. In some examples, optical elements 208, 210 each include image presentation components 102 coupled to a pair of dynamic and / or static push / pull lenses, as described above.

[0053] Frame 202 further includes a left arm or leg 222 and a right arm or leg 224. In some examples, frame 202 may be formed from a single piece of material to have a monolithic or integral construction.

[0054] The glasses 200 may include a computing device, such as a computer 220, which may be of any suitable type for being carried by the frame 202, and in one or more examples, has a suitable size and shape for being partially housed in one of the leg pieces 222 or 224. The computer 220 may include one or more processors having memory, wireless communication circuitry, and a power supply. Various other examples may include these elements in different configurations or integrated in different ways. In some examples, the computer 220 may be implemented as shown below. Figure 17 The example machine described is 1700. In some examples, computer 220 implements the following reference. Figure 18 The software architecture described is all or part of 1802.

[0055] The computer 220 also includes a battery 218 or other suitable portable power source. In some examples, the battery 218 is disposed in the left leg member 222 and electrically coupled to the computer 220 disposed in the right leg member 224. The glasses 200 may include a connector or port (not shown) adapted to charge the battery 218, a wireless receiver, a transmitter or transceiver (not shown), or a combination of such devices.

[0056] The glasses 200 include a first or left camera device 214 and a second or right camera device 216. While two camera devices are depicted, other examples envision the use of a single camera device or more than two camera devices. In one or more examples, in addition to the left camera device 214 and the right camera device 216, the glasses 200 includes any number of input sensors or other input / output devices, such as one or more optical calibration sensors, eye-tracking sensors, ambient light sensors, and / or environmental sensors. Such sensors or input / output devices may additionally include position sensors, motion sensors, etc. It should be understood that camera devices 214, 216 are one form of optical sensor, and in some examples, the glasses 200 may include additional types of optical sensors.

[0057] One or more buttons 226 may be placed on legs 222 and / or legs 224 to provide user input to computer 220.

[0058] Figure 3 Glasses 200 are shown from the user's perspective. For clarity, details are omitted. Figure 2 The multiple components shown. As... Figure 2 The above, Figure 3 The glasses 200 shown include a left optical element 208 and a right optical element 210, which are respectively fixed in a left optical element holder 204 and a right optical element holder 206.

[0059] The glasses 200 include a right front optical assembly 302 and a left front optical assembly 308. The right front optical assembly 302 includes a right projector 304 and a right image presentation unit 306, and the left front optical assembly 308 includes a left projector 310 and a left image presentation unit 312. The right front optical assembly 302 may also be referred to herein as a near-eye optical perspective XR display, either alone or in combination with one or both of the corresponding optical elements 208 and 210, and / or in combination with a static push lens 108, a static pull lens 110, a dynamic push lens 112, and / or a dynamic pull lens 114.

[0060] In some examples, the image rendering component 306 is a waveguide. The waveguide includes reflective or diffractive structures (e.g., gratings and / or optical elements such as mirrors, lenses, or prisms). Projected light 410 emitted by projector 304 encounters the diffraction structure of the waveguide of image rendering component 306, which directs the light to the user's right eye to provide an image superimposed on or in the right optics element 210, representing the view of the real world seen by the user. Similarly, projected light 410 emitted by projector 310 encounters the diffraction structure of the waveguide of image rendering component 312, which directs the light to the user's left eye to provide an image superimposed on or in the left optics element 208, representing the view of the real world seen by the user. The combination of the GPU, the right forward-facing optics component 302, the left optics element 208, and the right optics element 210 provides the optical engine for glasses 200. Glasses 200 uses the optical engine to generate a superimposed image of the user's real-world view, including displaying a 3D user interface to the user of glasses 200. The surface from which the projected light of the optical element 208 or 210 exits toward the user's eye is referred to as the user-facing surface or the image presentation surface on the eye-facing side of the near-eye optical perspective XR display.

[0061] It should be understood that other display technologies or configurations can be used within the optical engine to display images to the user in their field of view. For example, instead of the projector 304 and waveguide, an LCD, LED, or other substantially transparent display panel or surface can be provided.

[0062] In use, information, content, and various 3D user interfaces will be presented to the user of glasses 200 on a near-eye display. As described in more detail herein, the user can then interact with glasses 200 using button 226, voice or touch input on the associated device, and / or hand movements, positions, and orientations detected by glasses 200.

[0063] In some examples, as described above, one or more additional optical lenses may be used to adjust the presentation of virtual content to the user's eyes. In some examples, as described above, one or more of the static and / or dynamic lenses on the eye-facing side 106 of the image presentation component 102 may be modified or supplemented with one or more additional lenses to allow a user requiring visual correction to correctly perceive the virtual content. Thus, for example, static pull lens 110 and / or dynamic pull lens 114 may be modified based on the user's ophthalmological prescription for corrective lenses to further apply the optical power required for the specific user's visual correction. In some examples, static and / or dynamic push / pull lenses and / or other lenses included in the glasses 200 may be controlled or manufactured to provide different degrees or types of optical power to the left and right eyes in order to correct individual optical irregularities and / or achieve certain asymmetric optical effects between the left and right eyes.

[0064] It should be understood that the examples described in this article can be combined with a variety of XR display designs.

[0065] Figure 4 This is a simplified cross-sectional view of an example near-eye optical perspective XR display 400 with a dynamic push / pull lens. The near-eye optical perspective XR display 400 includes an XR control system 402 for controlling a projector (shown as projector 304), a dynamic push lens 112, and a dynamic pull lens 114. In some examples, the XR control system 402 is communicatively coupled to a computer 220, which provides virtual visual content to be projected by the projector 304 and also provides control signals for controlling the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114.

[0066] It should be understood that, for the sake of simplicity, Figure 4 The light beam shown is not depicted as bending as it passes through the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114. This can be interpreted as representing the passage of light when the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 are inactive.

[0067] like Figure 4 As shown, ambient light 118 passes through dynamic push lens 112, then through image presentation unit 102, and finally through dynamic pull lens 114 before reaching eye 100. Projector 304 projects projection light 120 into image presentation unit 102, which propagates within or along image presentation unit 102 until it is directed outward from image presentation surface 412 on the eye-facing side 106 of image presentation unit 102, through dynamic pull lens 114, and propagates toward eye 100.

[0068] The XR control system 402 includes a projector controller 408 for providing signals to the projector 304 to effectively control the projection of the projection light 120, so that virtual visual content is presented to the eyes 100. The XR control system 402 also includes a push-lens controller 404 for switching or modulating the state of the dynamic push-lens 112 and a pull-lens controller 406 for switching or modulating the state of the dynamic pull-lens 114. In some examples, the XR control system 402 may operate at least in part based on eye-tracking data received from an eye-tracking system (not shown) to determine the gaze direction of each of the user's eyes, thereby determining the depth and direction of the user's eye fixation. This eye fixation information can be used to control the operation of the dynamic push / pull lenses to improve visibility and user comfort. In some examples, one or more eye-tracking sensors (e.g., one or more active and / or passive infrared optical sensors mounted to frame 202) may be used to incorporate the eye-tracking system into an XR display system such as glasses 200 to generate gaze direction data for each eye. The gaze direction data can be processed (e.g., by computer 220) to generate eye fixation information representing the three-dimensional position of the user's gaze fixation (e.g., the position of intersection 512 in three-dimensional coordinate space). The depth of intersection 512 can be determined by processing the eye fixation information, and this depth value can be used as convergence distance 514 to control dynamic push lens 112 and dynamic pull lens 114.

[0069] Figure 5 A pair of binocular near-eye XR displays (left near-eye XR display 516 and right near-eye XR display 518) are shown, presenting virtual visual content to a pair of eyes (left eye 504 and right eye 506). Virtual visual content 502 is presented at a first position 520 on the image display surface 412 of the left near-eye XR display 516, such that the left eye 504 rotates to an angle indicated by the left viewing direction 508 when fixating on the virtual visual content 502. Virtual visual content 502 is presented at a second position 522 on the image display surface 412 of the right near-eye XR display 518, such that the right eye 506 rotates to an angle indicated by the right viewing direction 510 when fixating on the virtual visual content 502.

[0070] The left gaze direction 508 and the right gaze direction 510 intersect at intersection 512, resulting in a convergence-divergence distance 514 for the eyes. This typically causes the user's depth perception system to perceive the virtual visual content 502 as being at a distance approximately equal to the convergence-divergence distance 514. As mentioned above, it can be beneficial to provide an XR display system that can modulate the focal length to reduce discomfort and improve visual realism within the convergence-divergence distance range.

[0071] Figure 6This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a method 600 for switching between the active states of a dynamic push / pull lens in an XR display system based on displaying virtual visual content at a given expected depth.

[0072] Although example method 600 depicts a specific sequence of operations, that sequence may be modified without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, some of the depicted operations may be performed in parallel or in different orders that do not substantially affect the functionality of method 600. In other examples, different components of the example device or system implementing method 600 may perform their functions substantially simultaneously or in a specific order.

[0073] Method 600 is described as being implemented by an XR display system having a near-eye optical fluoroscopic XR display 400 for each eye, including dynamically push / pull lenses, and having a computer 220 and / or an XR control system 402, as referenced above. Figure 1B , Figure 2 and Figure 4 However, it should be understood that in some cases, the operation of method 600 can be implemented or performed by other suitable systems or devices.

[0074] According to some examples, method 600 includes presenting virtual visual content 502 to the user's left eye 504 from a first position 520 on the image presentation surface 412 of the left near-eye optical perspective XR display 516 at operation 602.

[0075] According to some examples, method 600 includes presenting virtual visual content 502 to the user's right eye 506 from a second position 522 on the image presentation surface 412 of the right near-eye optical perspective XR display 518 at operation 604.

[0076] According to some examples, method 600 includes, at operation 606, switching between active and inactive states a dynamic pull lens 114 and a dynamic push lens 112 of each near-eye optical perspective XR display (e.g., 516 and 518) based on a convergence distance 514 of the user's gaze direction (e.g., 508 and 510) when viewing a first position 520 and a second position 522. In some examples, as described above, the convergence distance 514 may be determined based on eye fixation information received from an eye-tracking system of the XR display system. Therefore, in some examples, the XR display system may determine the user's gaze direction, at least in part, based on eye-tracking data, thereby determining whether the eyes are viewing the first position 520 and the second position 522.

[0077] In some examples, when the convergence distance 514 is reduced to below the activation convergence threshold (e.g., for the switchable 1D / 2D example above, when the convergence distance is reduced to below the activation convergence threshold of 0.6 meters), the dynamic pull lens 114 and dynamic push lens 112 of each near-eye optical fluoroscopic XR display can be switched to an active state.

[0078] In some examples, when the convergence distance 514 rises above the deactivation convergence threshold (e.g., for the switchable 1D / 2D example above, when the convergence distance rises above the deactivation convergence threshold of 0.7 meters), the dynamic pull lens 114 and dynamic push lens 112 of each near-eye optical perspective XR display can switch to an inactive state. In some examples, the activation convergence threshold and the deactivation convergence threshold are the same. In some examples, the dynamic push lens 112 and dynamic pull lens 114 can switch between more than two states, and multiple activation and deactivation convergence thresholds can be used. In some examples, the dynamic push lens 112 and dynamic pull lens 114 can change the focal length within a continuous range of values, and the focal length is based on the convergence distance, for example, based on a mathematical relationship between the convergence distance and the focal length (such as the closest fit between the focal length and the convergence distance) set to a value within that range.

[0079] In some examples, the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 can be used to achieve effects other than simply assisting in displaying virtual content at a desired focal length. For example, the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 can be configured to achieve effects such as magnifying a portion of the real-world field of view, or to achieve a mismatch between the optical power of the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 when the user is specifically focused on the virtual content and wants to “blur” or otherwise reduce the visibility of the real-world field of view.

[0080] In some examples, the left and right dynamic lenses can apply different degrees of optical power based on the left or right orientation of the virtual visual content. For example, when the virtual visual content is presented to the right of the user's field of vision (e.g., ... Figure 5 In the middle, the right dynamic pull lens 114 can apply an optical power slightly lower than -1D (e.g., -0.9D), while the left dynamic pull lens 114 applies -1D or slightly larger (e.g., -1.1D) to compensate for the slight differences in the perceived distance between the virtual visual content and each eye.

[0081] Other applications of dynamic push / pull lenses will be apparent to those skilled in the field of near-eye optical XR displays.

[0082] Figures 7 to 16An example of a liquid crystal cell for implementing a dynamic push lens 112 and / or a dynamic pull lens 114 is shown, potentially addressing technical challenges related to LC orientation, LC response, and optical polarization.

[0083] Figure 7 A front view of a first liquid crystal cell 700 is shown, illustrating a parallel liquid crystal alignment direction 702 on the surface of the liquid crystal cell 700. Liquid crystals within the liquid crystal cell 700 are typically aligned using techniques such as photoalignment or rubbing alignment. Photoalignment is generally preferred where there is a risk of damaging the cell surface, or where highly precise small-scale alignment is required, because masking techniques such as photolithography can be used to create highly precise, small-scale liquid crystal alignment patterns at different locations on the surface of the LC cell. Alignment is used to align elliptical liquid crystals to orient their longitudinal axes in a common direction, so that they respond in a predictable manner to stimuli that cause them to change their alignment, resulting in predictable changes in the amount of light passing through the LC cell at that location.

[0084] Some examples described herein can use a pattern of concentric ring electrodes 704 sharing a common center 716 to apply electrical stimulation through the surface of the liquid crystal cell 700, thereby causing the liquid crystals within the liquid crystal cell 700 to reorient their longitudinal axes according to the electric field generated within the liquid crystal cell 700 by the electrical stimulation. In the illustrated example, the ring electrodes 704 generate a radially oriented electric field radiating outward from the common center 716: this results in different orientations of the electric field at different locations on the surface of the liquid crystal cell 700, including a parallel electric field 706 parallel to the LC orientation direction 702, a vertical electric field 708 perpendicular to the orientation direction 702, and an oblique electric field 710 laterally diagonally or tilted to the orientation direction 702.

[0085] Figure 7 The figure is shown in an x / y plane defined by x-axis 712 and y-axis 714, where the z-axis extends into and out of the plane (and through the depth or thickness of the liquid crystal cell 700). In this example, the orientation direction 702 is parallel to x-axis 712.

[0086] Figure 8A An enlarged front view of the liquid crystal cell 700 is shown, illustrating the orientation of individual liquid crystals 800 on the x / y surface. Each individual liquid crystal 800 has a longitudinal axis 810 aligned parallel to the orientation direction 702 and the x-axis 712. This orientation can be achieved using optical alignment, rubbing alignment, or other suitable liquid crystal alignment techniques.

[0087] Figure 8B An enlarged side cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal cell 700 defined by a z-axis 808 and an x-axis 712 is shown, illustrating the orientation of a single liquid crystal 800 within layers stacked along the depth direction of the z-axis 808 between a first surface 812 and a second surface 814 of the liquid crystal cell 700. In some examples, Figure 7 The annular electrode 704 can be applied to the first surface 812.

[0088] The liquid crystal 800 comprises a first layer 802 adjacent to a first surface 812, a final layer 806 adjacent to a second surface 814, and a series of intermediate layers 804 continuously stacked between the first layer 802 and the final layer 806. In the example illustrated, corresponding to Figure 7 The liquid crystal cell 700 is uniformly oriented, and each of layers 802, 804 and 806 has the same orientation.

[0089] Return to Figure 7 As can be seen from the view, when the relative angles of the orientation direction 702 and the electric field differ at different locations on the surface of the liquid crystal cell 700, a non-uniform liquid crystal response may occur. For example, locations with a tilted electric field 710 may exhibit undesirable in-plane twisting or rotation of the liquid crystal in response to electrical stimulation, resulting in optical effects applied in these regions that differ from those applied in regions with a parallel electric field 706 or a perpendicular electric field 708. In some cases, even the LC response of a region with a perpendicular electric field 708 may differ from that of a region with a parallel electric field 706. Specifically, a non-uniform LC response may lead to unintended changes in the refractive index tangential to the annular electrode 704.

[0090] Therefore, the various examples described herein can attempt to improve the homogeneity of the LC response in these different regions of the liquid crystal cell 700, and thus improve the optical effects applied to light.

[0091] Figure 9 A front view of the second liquid crystal cell 900 is shown, illustrating the radial liquid crystal orientation direction on the surface of the liquid crystal cell 900. By radially (shown as radial orientation direction 902) aligning the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal cell 900, and thus paralleling it to the electric field induced by the annular electrode 704, a uniform liquid crystal response can be ensured, thereby potentially improving the uniform optical properties of the liquid crystal cell 900. Figure 9 The pattern of radial orientation direction 902 shown can be created using photolithography, such as during the fabrication of dynamic push lens 112 and dynamic pull lens 114.

[0092] By ensuring that the angle between the electric field and the radial orientation direction 902 is the same at every position on the surface of the liquid crystal cell 900 (in this case, 0 degrees difference). Figure 9The liquid crystal cell 900 shown ensures that any two columnar regions (e.g., the first columnar region 904 and the second columnar region 906) of a columnar sample of liquid crystal 800 extending between the first surface 812 and the second surface 814 of the liquid crystal cell 900 exhibit the same relationship between the radial orientation direction 902 and the electric field direction: in this case, each columnar region will have a parallel electric field 706 parallel to the radial orientation direction 902.

[0093] Figure 10 It shows Figure 9 An enlarged front view of the liquid crystal cell 900 shows the orientation of a single liquid crystal on the surface. The single liquid crystal 800 is oriented with the closest radial orientation direction 902, and in some cases, a continuous directional gradient can be formed between the two radial orientation directions 902 shown. It should be understood that other orientation patterns with non-parallel orientation directions described herein can exhibit similar characteristics. Figure 10 The orientation patterns of those similar individual liquid crystal 800s shown.

[0094] Figure 11 A front view of the third liquid crystal cell 1100 is shown, illustrating the circular orientation direction 1102 of the liquid crystal 800 on the surface of the liquid crystal cell 1100. In this example, by aligning the liquid crystal 800 along the circular orientation direction 1102 tangent to a concentric circle centered at a common center 716, the liquid crystal 800 is oriented to be perpendicular to the electric field at each location on the surface of the liquid crystal cell 1100. In this case, each columnar region of the liquid crystal cell 1100 will have a vertical electric field 708 perpendicular to the circular orientation direction 1102.

[0095] In some cases, the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 are configured to receive and transform light with non-uniform or unknown polarization. This requires both lenses to be able to apply their optical power to light with arbitrary polarization, which can be difficult for a single LC cell with a uniform LC orientation. One possible approach to solving the polarization independence problem is to use two different LC cells for each lens (e.g., two LC cells for the dynamic push lens 112 and two LC cells for the dynamic pull lens 114), with each LC cell in each pair orthogonally oriented to its corresponding paired portion. For example, the dynamic push lens 112 can use a lens with... Figure 7 The first LC cell of the liquid crystal cell 700 is parallel-oriented (where the liquid crystal 800 is oriented parallel to the x-axis 712), and the first LC cell is paired with a second LC cell having the liquid crystal 800 oriented parallel to the y-axis 714.

[0096] However, in order to address both the non-uniform LC response problem and the polarization independence problem, some examples can alternatively use a first LC cell oriented according to liquid crystal cell 900 paired with a second LC cell oriented according to liquid crystal cell 1100 to achieve dynamic push lens 112 and / or dynamic pull lens 114.

[0097] Other examples can be found by referring to the following. Figures 12 to 14D One or more of the described techniques attempt to address the problems of non-uniform LC response and polarization independence by using a single LC cell for each dynamic lens.

[0098] In the first example technique, a twisted nematic liquid crystal can be used in the LC cell to achieve a vertical distribution of liquid crystal 800 with different orientations (along the z-axis 808 of the layer extending through the liquid crystal 800). A quarter-turn (90-degree) twist in orientation between the first surface 812 and the second surface 814 of the LC cell will provide a uniform distribution of liquid crystal 800 orientation at each columnar region on the surface of the LC cell, thereby homogenizing the LC's response to the directional electric field and homogenizing the refractive index generated by birefringence, regardless of the polarization of the light passing through the LC cell.

[0099] Figure 12 A front view of a fourth liquid crystal cell 1200 is shown, illustrating a parallel liquid crystal orientation in a first direction 1202 on a first surface 812 of the liquid crystal cell 1200. The liquid crystal cell 1200 is filled with twisted nematic liquid crystal oriented in the first direction 1202 at the first surface. The twisted nematic orientation of the liquid crystal 800 within the liquid crystal cell 1200 can be achieved using known techniques for manufacturing twisted nematic liquid crystal cells.

[0100] Figure 13 It shows Figure 12 The rear view of the fourth liquid crystal cell 1200 shows the parallel liquid crystal orientation in the second direction 1302 on the second surface 814 of the liquid crystal cell 1200.

[0101] Figure 14A It shows Figure 12 and Figure 13An enlarged side cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal cell 1200 shows the orientation of individual liquid crystals 800 within layers stacked in the depth direction. It can be seen that although the longitudinal axis 810 of the liquid crystal 800 in the first layer 802 is parallel to the first direction 1202 and the x-axis 712, the longitudinal axis 810 rotates in the xy-plane at each successive intermediate layer 804 until the liquid crystal 800 of the final layer 806 has a longitudinal axis 810 parallel to the second direction 1302 and the y-axis 714 (projected outside the drawing). The twisted nematic liquid crystal material, when undriven, is in a high refractive index state as viewed from above. When the twisted nematic liquid crystal material is driven, it becomes a low refractive index state. These two states, and the states in between, are used to change the refractive index through the LC cell and produce the desired optical path difference. It should be understood that the above... Figures 8A to 8B and Figure 10 The example described illustrates a liquid crystal material in a linear ECB state.

[0102] exist Figures 14B to 14D The image further illustrates this 90-degree progressive rotation between the first surfaces 812 and 814.

[0103] Figure 14B It shows Figure 12 and Figure 13 An enlarged front cross-sectional view of the first layer 802 of the liquid crystal cell 1200 shows the orientation of a single liquid crystal 800 within the layer parallel to the first direction 1202.

[0104] Figure 14C It shows Figure 12 and Figure 13 An enlarged front cross-sectional view of the intermediate layer 804 of the liquid crystal cell 1200 shows the orientation of a single liquid crystal 800 within the layer parallel to the intermediate direction 1400 between the first direction 1202 and the second direction 1302.

[0105] Figure 14D It shows Figure 12 and Figure 13 An enlarged front cross-sectional view of the final layer 806 of the liquid crystal cell 1200 shows the orientation of a single liquid crystal 800 within the layer parallel to the second direction 1302.

[0106] Therefore, the aforementioned liquid crystal cell 1200 attempts to address the problems of non-uniform LC response and polarization independence by using twisted nematic liquid crystals distributed between a first parallel orientation and a second parallel orientation orthogonal to the first orientation. The example liquid crystal cell 1200 may be easier to manufacture than other methods because the parallel orientation pattern of its twisted nematic liquid crystals can potentially be achieved through rubbing alignment rather than the relatively more resource-intensive photo-alignment process.

[0107] Other examples can modify the arrangement of the twisted nematic liquid crystal: for example, an LC cell can be used having a twisted nematic liquid crystal that is radially oriented on a first surface 812 according to the liquid crystal cell 900 and twisted 90 degrees at a second surface 814 to form a concentric circle orientation pattern according to the liquid crystal cell 1100.

[0108] In some examples, chiral components can be added to the liquid crystal material to enhance the orientation independence of the LC response, regardless of light polarization and / or electric field orientation. Chirality endows the liquid crystal 800 with an asymmetric helical structure and enables them to refract light and / or mechanically respond to multiple oriented and / or polarized electric fields. LC cells using chiral liquid crystals can effectively improve the homogeneity of the liquid crystal response to electrical stimulation on the LC cell surface, regardless of the LC cell orientation. Because simple parallel alignment configurations can be used with chiral liquid crystals (such as the alignment pattern of liquid crystal cell 700), examples using chiral liquid crystals can also be manufactured relatively easily.

[0109] In the examples described herein, each of these techniques may be used alone or in combination to improve the polarization independence and / or uniformity of the LC response of the dynamic push lens 112 and / or the dynamic pull lens 114.

[0110] Additional complexity may arise in some examples related to visual artifacts created by Fresnel patterns of the dynamic push lens 112 and / or the dynamic pull lens 114.

[0111] Figure 15 A graph of the refractive index on the surface of an example Fresnelized gradient refractive index (GRIN) lens is shown. The refractive index 1502 of the LC cell is shown as the vertical axis, and the radial distance 1504 (in mm) from the center of the lens is shown as the horizontal axis.

[0112] In some examples, the dynamic push lens 112 and the dynamic pull lens 114 are implemented as Fresnelized GRIN lenses. Each dynamic lens has a Fresnel pattern 1506 on its surface with modulated refractive index, including multiple Fresnel zones 1508 with gradually increasing (or decreasing) refractive index, separated from each adjacent Fresnel zone by a reset zone 1510 with a sharp decrease (or increase) in refractive index. The Fresnel pattern effectively achieves the divergence or convergence of light within a relatively narrow band of refractive index values ​​that can be achieved by an LC cell.

[0113] The annular electrodes 704 are periodically spaced at a radial distance 1504 to apply a spatial modulation voltage, thereby producing a Fresnel pattern 1506 in the LC cell. In some examples, each Fresnel region 1508 may span many annular electrodes 704, such as more than fifty or more than one hundred annular electrodes 704. However, it can be seen that the Fresnel regions 1508 decrease in size as they move away from the central region 1512 of the lens and approach the peripheral region 1514 of the lens. Therefore, the Fresnel regions 1508 in the peripheral region 1514 may span fewer annular electrodes 704 than the Fresnel regions 1508 in the central region 1512.

[0114] In some examples, the ring electrode 704 can be formed of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or another transparent conductive oxide (TCO). The ring electrodes 704 can each have a thickness of about 5 micrometers and can be concentrically spaced about 5 micrometers apart from each other.

[0115] In some cases, the refractive index-modulated Fresnel pattern sensed by the ring electrode 704 in the LC cell during active mode may cause unwanted visual artifacts due to light striking the reset region 1510 with a steep refractive index gradient and refracting to an unintended location in the user's eye 100. In some designs of the dynamic push lens 112 and / or the dynamic pull lens 114, these unwanted visual artifacts tend to become more pronounced in the peripheral region 1514 of the lens because the reset region 1510 begins to occupy a larger proportion of the lens's surface area relative to the Fresnel region 1508. Therefore, in some examples, it may be desirable to partially or completely obscure the peripheral region 1514 of the dynamic push lens 112 and / or the dynamic pull lens 114 in order to reduce the visibility of these visual artifacts without obscuring the field of view closer to the central region 1512.

[0116] Figure 16 A front view of a liquid crystal cell 1600 coupled to a dimmer to block light in a region surrounding a lens is shown. The liquid crystal cell 1600 uses a ring electrode 704, similar to the example described above. The dimmer can be incorporated into or coupled to the lens, for example, as an additional layer of a near-eye optical perspective XR display 400. In some examples, the dimmer can be implemented as an additional controllable LC cell configured to dynamically modulate the optical transmittance of the dimmer at an addressable region on the dimmer site.

[0117] In some examples, the dimmer is a bistable liquid crystal filter, which uses bistable LC elements to dynamically control the amount of light propagating through the LC elements. Because bistable liquid crystal displays require low or no power consumption to maintain a fixed level of optical transmittance, some examples can use bistable liquid crystal filters to implement the dimmer. In some examples, non-LC bistable filters, such as electrochromic filters, or bistable electrophoretic materials with suspended colored microparticles that move to a filtering position or orientation by applying an electrical signal, can be used. It should be understood that various techniques can be used to implement the dimmer in different examples.

[0118] In operation, when the liquid crystal cell 1600 is in its active state, the dimmer can be activated to reduce the transmittance of light passing through the outer peripheral region 1602 of the liquid crystal cell 1600. When the liquid crystal cell 1600 is in its active state, the dimmer can also be operated to reduce the transmittance through the inner peripheral region 1604 of the liquid crystal cell 1600 to a lesser extent. In some examples, such as those in which the liquid crystal cell 1600 can be continuously modulated between different levels of optical power, the dimmer can be operated to provide a level of transmittance inversely proportional (or in another negative relationship) to the optical power applied by the lens.

[0119] Machine architecture

[0120] Figure 17 This is a schematic representation of machine 1700, within which instructions 1702 (e.g., software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code) can be executed to cause machine 1700 to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, instructions 1702 can cause machine 1700 to perform any or more of the methods described herein, and machine 1700 can be used to implement some or all of the computational functions of the example XR display system described herein, for example, Figure 2The glasses 200 and the computer 220 have the same functions. Instruction 1702 transforms a general, unprogrammed machine 1700 into a specific machine 1700 programmed to perform the described and illustrated functions in the described manner. Machine 1700 can operate as a standalone device or can be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, machine 1700 can operate as a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. Machine 1700 can be, but is not limited to, server computers, client computers, personal computers (PCs), tablet computers, laptop computers, netbooks, set-top boxes (STBs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), entertainment media systems, cellular phones, smartphones, mobile devices, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, augmented reality glasses), smart home devices (e.g., smart appliances), other smart devices, network devices, network routers, network switches, bridges, or any machine capable of sequentially or otherwise executing the actions specified by instruction 1702 to be performed by machine 1700. Furthermore, although a single machine 1700 is shown, the term "machine" should also be considered as a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute instructions 1702 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. In some examples, machine 1700 may include both client and server systems, wherein certain operations of a particular method or algorithm are performed on the server side and certain operations of a particular method or algorithm are performed on the client side.

[0121] Machine 1700 may include processor 1704, memory 1706, and input / output (I / O) units 1708, which may be configured to communicate with each other via bus 1710. In the example, processor 1704 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include processor 1712 and processor 1714, for example, executing instruction 1702. The term "processor" is intended to include multi-core processors, which may include two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as "cores") capable of executing instructions simultaneously. Although... Figure 17 Multiple processors 1704 are shown, but machine 1700 may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiple cores, or any combination thereof.

[0122] Memory 1706 includes main memory 1716, static memory 1718, and memory cell 1720, all of which are accessible to processor 1704 via bus 1710. Main memory 1706, static memory 1718, and memory cell 1720 store instructions 1702 embodying any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. During execution of instructions 1702 by machine 1700, instructions 1702 may also reside wholly or partially in main memory 1716, static memory 1718, machine-readable medium 1722 within memory cell 1720, at least one of processors 1704 (e.g., the processor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0123] I / O component 1708 may include various components for receiving input, providing output, generating output, transmitting information, exchanging information, capturing measurement results, etc. The specific I / O component 1708 included in a particular machine will depend on the type of machine. For example, a portable machine such as a mobile phone may include a touch input device or other such input mechanism, while a headless server machine may not include such a touch input device. It should be understood that I / O component 1708 may include... Figure 17 Many other components are not shown. In various examples, I / O component 1708 may include user output component 1724 and user input component 1726. User output component 1724 may include visual components (e.g., displays, such as near-eye XR displays 400, plasma display panels (PDPs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), projectors, or cathode ray tubes (CRTs)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), force-sensitive components (e.g., vibration motors, resistive mechanisms), other signal generators, etc. User input component 1726 may include alphanumeric input components (e.g., keyboards, touchscreens configured to receive alphanumeric input, photoelectric keyboards, or other alphanumeric input components), point-based input components (e.g., mice, touchpads, trackballs, joysticks, motion sensors, or other pointing instruments), haptic input components (e.g., physical buttons, touchscreens or other haptic input components that provide the location and force of a touch or a touch gesture), audio input components (e.g., microphones), etc.

[0124] In another example, I / O component 1708 may include motion component 1730, ambient component 1732 or positioning component 1734, and various other components.

[0125] The moving part 1730 includes an acceleration sensor part (e.g., an accelerometer), a gravity sensor part, and a rotation sensor part (e.g., a gyroscope).

[0126] The environmental component 1732 includes, for example, one or more externally facing camera devices (with still image / photograph and video capabilities) (such as left camera device 214 and right camera device 216), lighting sensor components (e.g., photometers), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers for detecting ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometers), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones for detecting background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors for detecting nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors for safety purposes used to detect hazardous gas concentrations or measure pollutants in the atmosphere), depth sensors (e.g., one or more lidar (LIDAR) arrays), or other components that can provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to the surrounding physical environment.

[0127] Furthermore, the camera system of the machine 1700 may include dual rear cameras (e.g., a main camera and a depth-sensing camera), or even a configuration of three, four, or five rear cameras on the front and rear sides of the machine 1700. For example, these multi-camera systems may include wide-angle cameras, ultra-wide-angle cameras, telephoto cameras, macro cameras, and depth sensors.

[0128] The positioning component 1734 includes a position sensor component (e.g., a GPS receiver component), an altitude sensor component (e.g., an altimeter or barometer that detects air pressure from which altitude can be derived), an orientation sensor component (e.g., a magnetometer), etc.

[0129] A wide variety of technologies can be used to implement communication. I / O component 1708 also includes communication component 1736, which is operable to couple machine 1700 to network 1738 or device 1740 via appropriate coupling or connection. For example, communication component 1736 may include a network interface component or another suitable device interfaced with network 1738. In further examples, communication component 1736 may include wired communication components, wireless communication components, cellular communication components, near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth components, etc. ® Components (e.g., Bluetooth) ® Low power consumption, Wi-Fi ® Components and other communication components provide communication via other modes. Device 1740 can be another machine or any of a variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via USB).

[0130] Furthermore, communication component 1736 may detect identifiers, or include components operable to detect identifiers. For example, communication component 1736 may include radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., for detecting one-dimensional barcodes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) barcodes, QR codes such as Quick Response (QR) codes, Aztec codes, Data Matrix codes, Dataglyph codes, etc.). TM The device includes optical sensors for multidimensional barcodes (such as codes like MaxiCode, PDF417, UltraCode, UCC RSS-2D, and other optical codes) or acoustic detection components (e.g., microphones for identifying tagged audio signals). Additionally, various information can be exported via communication component 1736, such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detection of NFC beacon signals that can indicate a specific location, etc.

[0131] Various memories (e.g., main memory 1716, static memory 1718, and memory of processor 1704) and storage units 1720 may store one or more instruction sets and data structures (e.g., software) that embody or are used by any or more methods or functions described herein. These instructions (e.g., instruction 1702), when executed by processor 1704, cause various operations to implement the disclosed examples.

[0132] Instruction 1702 can be sent or received on network 1738 using a transmission medium, via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface component included in communication component 1736), and using any of several known transmission protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, instruction 1702 can be sent or received using a transmission medium via a coupling to device 1740 (e.g., peer-to-peer coupling).

[0133] Software Architecture

[0134] Figure 18This is a block diagram 1800 illustrating a software architecture 1802 that can be installed on any or more devices described herein. The software architecture 1802 is supported by hardware such as a machine 1804 including a processor 1806, memory 1808, and I / O components 1810. In this example, the software architecture 1802 can be conceptualized as a stack of layers, where each layer provides specific functionality. The software architecture 1802 includes layers such as an operating system 1812, libraries 1814, frameworks 1816, and applications 1818. Operationally, application 1818 invokes API calls 1820 via the software stack and receives messages 1822 in response to API calls 1820. At least some functionality of the XR control system 402 and its subsystems and controllers can be implemented by components in one or more layers of the software architecture 1802.

[0135] Operating system 1812 manages hardware resources and provides public services. Operating system 1812 includes, for example, kernel 1824, services 1826, and drivers 1828. Kernel 1824 acts as an abstraction layer between hardware and other software layers. For example, kernel 1824 provides memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking and security settings, and other functions. Services 1826 can provide other public services to other software layers. Drivers 1828 are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For example, drivers 1828 may include display drivers, camera drivers, BLUETOOTH® or BLUETOOTH® Low Energy drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g., USB drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, etc.

[0136] Library 1814 provides common low-level infrastructure used by application 1818. Library 1814 may include system libraries 1830 (e.g., the C standard library) that provide functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematical functions, etc. Additionally, library 1814 may include API libraries 1832, such as media libraries (e.g., libraries for supporting the rendering and manipulation of various media formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG4), Advanced Video Decoding (H.264 or AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3), Advanced Audio Decoding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codecs, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG) or Portable Web Graphics (PNG)), graphics libraries (e.g., the OpenGL framework for rendering graphic content on a display in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) formats), database libraries (e.g., SQLite for providing various relational database functionalities), web libraries (e.g., WebKit for providing web browsing functionality), etc. Library 1814 can also include a wide variety of other libraries 1834 to provide many other APIs to application 1818.

[0137] Framework 1816 provides common high-level infrastructure for use by application 1818. For example, Framework 1816 provides various graphical user interface (GUI) functions, advanced resource management, and advanced location services. Framework 1816 can provide a wide range of other APIs that can be used by application 1818, some of which may be specific to a particular operating system or platform.

[0138] In the example, application 1818 may include home application 1836, location application 1838, and a variety of other applications, such as third-party application 1840. Application 1818 is a program that performs functions defined in a program. One or more applications 1818 can be created using various programming languages, such as object-oriented programming languages ​​(e.g., Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages ​​(e.g., C or assembly language). In a specific example, third-party application 1840 (e.g., an application developed by an entity other than a specific platform vendor using the Android™ or iOS™ Software Development Kit (SDK)) can be mobile software running on iOS™, Android™, Windows® Phone, or other mobile operating systems. In this example, third-party application 1840 may invoke API calls 1820 provided by operating system 1812 to facilitate the functions described herein.

[0139] in conclusion

[0140] The examples described herein address one or more technical problems associated with XR display systems by providing passive and / or dynamic push / pull lenses to modulate the focal length of the virtual visual content. In some examples, the focal length is modulated to better match the convergence and divergence distance of the virtual visual content. In some examples, the dynamic push / pull lenses are implemented using an LC cell with liquid crystal and an orientation pattern designed to improve the uniformity and polarization independence of the LC cell's LC response. In some examples, the push / pull lenses, when active, use a dimmer to darken the peripheral region of the lens to reduce or mask unwanted visual artifacts generated by the peripheral region due to Fresnelized GRIN lens patterns used for converging and / or diverging light.

[0141] Other technical features will be obvious to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings, description and claims.

[0142] Example 1 is an extended reality (XR) display system comprising: a near-eye optical perspective XR display, including: an image presentation unit having an eye-facing side and an external-facing side, and configured to present virtual visual content to a user's eye from multiple locations on the eye-facing image presentation surface; a dynamic push lens located on the external-facing side of the image presentation unit, including a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state by electrical stimulation, the dynamic push lens being configured to converge ambient light approaching the image presentation unit from the external-facing side in the active state, such that the active dynamic push lens applies positive optical power to the ambient light; and a dynamic pull lens located on the eye-facing side of the image presentation unit, including a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state by electrical stimulation, the dynamic pull lens being configured to diverge light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation unit toward the user's eye in the active state, such that the active dynamic pull lens applies negative optical power to the light.

[0143] In Example 2, the subject of Example 1 includes the following: in the active state, the negative optical power applied by the dynamic pull lens is equal in magnitude to the positive optical power applied by the dynamic push lens.

[0144] In Example 3, the subject of Example 2 includes: a static push lens located on the outside-facing side of the image presentation unit, the static push lens being configured to converge ambient light approaching the image presentation surface from the outside-facing side, such that the static push lens applies a positive optical power to the ambient light; and a static pull lens located on the eye-facing side of the image presentation unit, the static pull lens being configured to diverge light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation surface toward the user's eye, such that the static pull lens applies a negative optical power to the light that is equal in magnitude to the positive optical power of the static push lens.

[0145] In Example 4, the subject of Example 3 includes: the negative optical power applied by the static pull lens is -1 diopter, which effectively enables the user's eye to perceive virtual visual content at a focal length of 1 meter.

[0146] In Example 5, the subject of Example 4 includes the following: the negative optical power applied by the dynamic pulling lens in the active state is -1 diopter, which, together with the negative optical power of -1 diopter applied by the static pulling lens, effectively enables the user's eye to perceive virtual visual content at a focal length of 0.5 meters.

[0147] In Example 6, the subject matter of Examples 1 to 5 includes: a second dynamic pull lens located on the externally facing side of the image presentation unit, comprising a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state by electrical stimulation, the second dynamic pull lens being configured to diffuse ambient light approaching the image presentation surface from the externally facing side in the active state, such that the second dynamic pull lens in the active state applies negative optical power to the ambient light; and a second dynamic push lens located on the eye-facing side of the image presentation unit, comprising a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state by electrical stimulation, the second dynamic push lens being configured to converge light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation surface toward the user's eye in the active state, such that the second dynamic push lens in the active state applies positive optical power to the light.

[0148] In Example 7, the subject matter of Examples 1 to 6 includes, wherein: the near-eye optical perspective XR display is a left-eye display; the user's eye is the left eye; and the display system further includes: a right-eye display, which includes a second near-eye optical perspective XR display for displaying virtual visual content to the user's right eye.

[0149] In Example 8, the subject of Example 7 includes: a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the XR display system to perform operations including: displaying virtual visual content at corresponding locations on the image rendering surfaces of the left-eye and right-eye displays such that when viewing the virtual visual content on the near-eye optical perspective XR display, the user's left-eye gaze direction and the user's right-eye gaze direction intersect at a convergence distance from the user; and switching between an active state and a dynamic pull-up lens and a dynamic push-up lens for each near-eye optical perspective XR display based on the convergence distance.

[0150] In Example 9, the subject of Example 8 includes: an eye-tracking system configured to generate eye-tracking data; wherein the operation further includes: processing the eye-tracking data to determine the convergence / discontinuity distance.

[0151] In Example 10, the subject matter of Examples 8 and 9 includes a dynamic pull lens and a dynamic push lens for each near-eye optics XR display that switch between an active and inactive state based on convergence distance, comprising: switching the dynamic pull lens and the dynamic push lens of each near-eye optics XR display to an active state when the convergence distance decreases to below an activation convergence threshold; and switching the dynamic pull lens and the dynamic push lens of each near-eye optics XR display to an inactive state when the convergence distance increases to above a deactivation convergence threshold.

[0152] In Example 11, the subject matter of Examples 1 to 10 includes, wherein: the dynamic push lens further includes a plurality of concentric annular electrodes in contact with a first surface of the liquid crystal cell, each pair of adjacent annular electrodes being configured to apply electrical stimulation therebetween to generate an electric field within the liquid crystal cell, the electric field being oriented radially outward from the common center of the annular electrodes; and the liquid crystal cell includes a plurality of liquid crystal layers stacked between the first surface and the second surface of the liquid crystal cell.

[0153] In Example 12, the subject matter of Example 11 includes the following: the liquid crystal of the layer is oriented such that each columnar region extending between the first and second surfaces of the liquid crystal cell has a substantially similar distribution of liquid crystal oriented at a different angle from the orientation of the electric field.

[0154] In Example 13, the subject matter of Examples 11 to 12 includes, wherein: the liquid crystal is oriented radially outward from the common center.

[0155] In Example 14, the subject matter of Examples 11 to 13 includes: a liquid crystal and a circle tangentially oriented to a common center.

[0156] In Example 15, the subject matter of Examples 11 to 14 includes: the liquid crystal cell of the dynamic push lens is a first liquid crystal cell; the dynamic push lens also includes a second liquid crystal cell and a second plurality of concentric annular electrodes in contact with a first surface of the second liquid crystal cell, each pair of adjacent annular electrodes being configured to apply electrical stimulation therebetween, thereby generating an electric field within the second liquid crystal cell, the electric field being radially outwardly oriented from the common center of the annular electrodes; the liquid crystal of the first liquid crystal cell being radially outwardly oriented from the common center of the annular electrodes of the first liquid crystal cell; and the liquid crystal of the second liquid crystal cell being tangentially oriented to a circle concentric with the common center of the annular electrodes of the second liquid crystal cell.

[0157] In Example 16, the subject matter of Examples 11 to 15 includes, wherein: the liquid crystal is a twisted nematic liquid crystal, which is oriented such that: the liquid crystal of the first layer closest to the first surface is oriented radially outward from the common center; the liquid crystal of the final layer closest to the second surface is tangentially oriented to a circle concentric with the common center; and the liquid crystal of the intermediate layer continuously stacked between the first layer and the final layer has an orientation that rotates continuously between the orientation of the liquid crystal of the first layer and the orientation of the liquid crystal of the final layer.

[0158] In Example 17, the subject matter of Examples 11 to 16 includes, wherein: the liquid crystal is a twisted nematic liquid crystal, which is oriented such that: the liquid crystal of the first layer closest to the first surface is oriented in a first direction; the liquid crystal of the final layer closest to the second surface is oriented in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and the liquid crystal of the intermediate layer continuously stacked between the first layer and the final layer has an orientation that rotates continuously between the first direction and the second direction.

[0159] In Example 18, the subject matter of Examples 11 to 17 includes, wherein: the liquid crystal includes a chiral liquid crystal configured to improve the homogeneity of the liquid crystal response to electrical stimulation on a first surface.

[0160] In Example 19, the subject matter of Examples 11 to 18 includes, wherein: the liquid crystal cell includes a peripheral region that produces visual artifacts when light passes through the peripheral region and propagates to the user's eye; and the XR display system also includes a dimming filter positioned to block at least a portion of the light passing through the peripheral region.

[0161] Example 20 is a method for dynamically adapting focal length to convergence distance in an extended reality (XR) display system, comprising: displaying virtual visual content at corresponding positions on the image presentation surfaces of the image presentation components of the left and right near-eye optical perspective XR displays of the XR display system, such that when viewing the virtual visual content on the near-eye optical perspective XR displays, the gaze direction of the user's left eye and the gaze direction of the user's right eye intersect at the convergence distance from the user; and switching between an active and an inactive state of each near-eye optical perspective XR display based on the convergence distance, wherein: the dynamic push lens is positioned on the outward-facing side of the image presentation component of the corresponding near-eye optical perspective XR display. On the side, the dynamic push lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive state and an active state through electrical stimulation. The dynamic push lens is configured to converge ambient light approaching the image display unit from the external side of the image display unit in the active state, so that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies positive optical power to the ambient light. The dynamic pull lens is positioned on the eye-facing side of the image display unit of the corresponding near-eye optical perspective XR display. The dynamic pull lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive state and an active state through electrical stimulation. The dynamic pull lens is configured to diverge light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image display unit toward the user's corresponding eye in the active state, so that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies negative optical power to the light.

[0162] Example 21 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a system processor, cause the system to perform operations including: displaying virtual visual content at corresponding positions on the image presentation surfaces of image presentation components of the system's left and right near-eye XR displays, such that when viewing the virtual visual content on the near-eye XR displays, the user's left eye gaze direction and the user's right eye gaze direction intersect at a convergence distance from the user; and switching between an active and inactive state of each near-eye XR display based on the convergence distance, wherein the dynamic push lens is positioned on the corresponding near-eye XR display. On the externally facing side of the image display unit, a dynamic push lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive and an active state through electrical stimulation. The dynamic push lens is configured to converge ambient light approaching the image display unit from the externally facing side of the image display unit in the active state, so that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies positive optical power to the ambient light. A dynamic pull lens is positioned on the eye-facing side of the image display unit of a corresponding near-eye optical perspective XR display. The dynamic pull lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive and an active state through electrical stimulation. The dynamic pull lens is configured to diverge light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image display unit toward the user's corresponding eye in the active state, so that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies negative optical power to the light.

[0163] Example 22 is at least one machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations to implement any of the operations in Examples 1 to 21.

[0164] Example 23 is an apparatus that includes means for implementing any one of Examples 1 to 21.

[0165] Example 24 is a system for implementing any one of Examples 1 through 21.

[0166] Example 25 is a method for implementing any one of Examples 1 through 21.

[0167] Vocabulary

[0168] For example, "extended reality" (XR) refers to an interactive experience within a real-world environment where physical objects residing in the real world are "enhanced" or strengthened by computer-generated digital content (also known as virtual or synthetic content). XR can also refer to systems that combine the real and virtual worlds, enable real-time interaction, and achieve 3D registration of virtual and real objects. In an XR system, the user perceives virtual content that appears to be attached to or interacts with real-world physical objects.

[0169] For example, "client device" refers to any machine that interfaces with a communication network to obtain resources from one or more server systems or other client devices. Client devices can be, but are not limited to, mobile phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, portable digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks, netbooks, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, or any other communication device that a user can use to access the network.

[0170] "Communications network" refers to one or more parts of a network, which can be an ad hoc network, intranet, extranet, virtual private network (VPN), local area network (LAN), wireless LAN (WLAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless WAN (WWAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a part of the Internet, a part of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Common Old-Style Telephone Service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network or a part of a network may include a wireless or cellular network, and the coupling may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) connection, or other types of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, coupling can enable any of a variety of data transmission technologies, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission (1xRTT), Evolved Data Optimization (EVDO), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rate (EDGE) for GSM evolution, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, 4G networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), WiMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards, other standards defined by various standards setting organizations, other remote protocols, or other data transmission technologies.

[0171] For example, a “component” refers to a device, physical entity, or logic having boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branch points, APIs, or other technologies that provide specific processing or control functionality, such as partitions or modularization. Components can be combined via their interfaces with other components to perform machine processing. A component can be a packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other components and part of a program that typically performs a specific function within a related function. Components can constitute software components (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware components. A “hardware component” is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and can be configured or arranged in some physical manner. In various examples, one or more computer systems (e.g., standalone computer systems, client computer systems, or server computer systems) or one or more hardware components (e.g., processors or a group of processors) of a computer system can be configured by software (e.g., an application or an application portion) to operate to perform certain operations as described herein. Hardware components can also be implemented mechanically, electronically, or in any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware component can include dedicated circuitry or logic permanently configured to perform certain operations. A hardware component can be a dedicated processor, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Hardware components may also include programmable logic or circuitry temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware component may include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such software, the hardware component becomes a specific machine (or a specific part of a machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured function and is no longer a general-purpose processor. It should be understood that the decision to implement a hardware component mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured (e.g., software-configured) circuitry can be driven by cost and time considerations. Therefore, the phrase “hardware component” (or “hardware-implemented component”) should be understood to encompass tangible entities that are physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate or perform certain operations described herein. Consider examples where hardware components are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), and it is not necessary to configure or instantiate each of the hardware components at any given time. For example, where a hardware component includes a general-purpose processor configured by software to be a dedicated processor, the general-purpose processor may be configured at different times as separately different dedicated processors (e.g., including different hardware components). The software accordingly configures a specific processor or multiple processors, for example, to constitute a specific hardware component at one time instance and different hardware components at different time instances. Hardware components can provide information to and receive information from other hardware components. Therefore, the described hardware components can be considered communicatively coupled.In the presence of multiple hardware components, communication can be achieved through signal transmission between two or more hardware components (e.g., via appropriate circuitry and buses). In examples where multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated at different times, such communication between hardware components can be achieved, for example, by storing and retrieving information in a memory structure accessible to the multiple hardware components. For example, a hardware component can perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device communicatively coupled to it. Another hardware component can then access the memory device at a later time to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware components can also initiate communication with input or output devices and can operate on resources (e.g., collections of information). The various operations of the example methods described herein can be performed at least in part by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors can constitute processor-implemented components whose operations are to perform one or more operations or functions described herein. As used herein, "processor-implemented component" refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors. Similarly, the methods described herein can be implemented at least in part by processors, where a particular processor or processors are examples of hardware. For example, at least some operations of the method can be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented components. Furthermore, one or more processors can operate to support the execution of related operations in a "cloud computing" environment or as "Software as a Service" (SaaS). For example, at least some operations can be performed by a group of computers (as an example of a machine including processors), where these operations are accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., APIs). The execution of some operations can be distributed among processors, residing not only within a single machine but also deployed across multiple machines. In some examples, the processors or processor-implemented components can be located in a single geographic location (e.g., in a home environment, office environment, or server farm). In other examples, the processors or processor-implemented components can be distributed across multiple geographic locations.

[0172] "Computer-readable storage medium" refers to both, for example, machine storage media and transmission media. Therefore, the term includes both storage devices / media and carrier / modulated data signals. The terms "machine-readable medium," "computer-readable medium," and "device-readable medium" refer to the same thing and can be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0173] "Machine storage medium" refers to one or more storage devices and media (e.g., centralized or distributed databases and associated caches and servers) that store executable instructions, routines, and data. Therefore, this term should be considered to include, but is not limited to, solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media, including memory internal or external to the processor. Specific examples of machine storage media, computer storage media, and device storage media include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices, such as erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FPGAs, and flash memory devices; disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The terms "machine storage medium," "device storage medium," and "computer storage medium" have the same meaning and are used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms "machine storage medium," "computer storage medium," and "device storage medium" specifically exclude carrier waves, modulated data signals, and other such media, at least some of which are covered under the term "signal medium."

[0174] "Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" means, for example, a tangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by a machine.

[0175] "Signal medium" means, for example, any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for machine execution, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media to facilitate the communication of software or data. The term "signal medium" should be considered to include any form of modulated data signal, carrier wave, etc. The term "modulated data signal" refers to a signal whose characteristics are set or altered to encode information within the signal. The terms "transmission medium" and "signal medium" have the same meaning and are used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0176] For example, "user equipment" refers to a device that is accessed, controlled, or owned by a user and that the user interacts with to perform actions or interact with other users or computer systems.

Claims

1. An extended reality (XR) display system, comprising: Near-eye optical XR displays include: An image presentation component having an eye-facing side and an outside-facing side, and configured to present virtual visual content to the user's eyes from multiple locations on the eye-facing image presentation surface; A dynamic push-lens, located on the externally facing side of the image display unit, includes a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state via electrical stimulation. The dynamic push-lens is configured, in the active state, to converge ambient light approaching the image display unit from the externally facing side, such that the active dynamic push-lens applies positive optical power to the ambient light; and A dynamic pull lens, located on the eye-facing side of the image presentation unit, includes a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state via electrical stimulation. The dynamic pull lens is configured to, in the active state, radiate light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation unit toward the user's eye, such that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies a negative optical power to the light.

2. The XR display system according to claim 1, wherein: In the active state, the negative optical power applied by the dynamic pull lens is equal to the positive optical power applied by the dynamic push lens.

3. The XR display system according to claim 2, further comprising: A static push lens is located on the externally facing side of the image display unit. The static push lens is configured to converge ambient light approaching the image display surface from the externally facing side, such that the static push lens applies positive optical power to the ambient light. as well as A static pull lens is located on the eye-facing side of the image presentation component. The static pull lens is configured to diverge light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation surface toward the user's eye, such that the static pull lens applies a negative optical power to the light that is equal in magnitude to the positive optical power of the static push lens.

4. The XR display system according to claim 3, wherein: The negative optical power applied by the static pull lens is -1 diopter, which effectively enables the user's eyes to perceive the virtual visual content at a focal length of 1 meter.

5. The XR display system according to claim 4, wherein: In the active state, the negative optical power applied by the dynamic pulling lens is -1 diopter, which, together with the negative optical power of -1 diopter applied by the static pulling lens, effectively enables the user's eye to perceive the virtual visual content at a focal length of 0.5 meters.

6. The XR display system according to claim 1, further comprising: The second dynamic pull lens is located on the externally facing side of the image presentation component and includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive state and an active state by electrical stimulation. The second dynamic pull lens is configured to emit ambient light approaching the image presentation surface from the externally facing side in the active state, such that the second dynamic pull lens in the active state applies negative optical power to the ambient light. as well as The second dynamic push lens, located on the eye-facing side of the image presentation component, includes a liquid crystal cell capable of dynamically switching between an inactive and an active state via electrical stimulation. The second dynamic push lens is configured to converge light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation surface toward the user's eye in the active state, such that the active second dynamic push lens applies positive optical power to the light.

7. The XR display system according to claim 1, wherein: The near-eye optical XR display is a left-eye display; The user's eye is the left eye; as well as The display system also includes: A right-eye display, the right-eye display including a second near-eye optical perspective XR display for displaying the virtual visual content to the user's right eye.

8. The XR display system according to claim 7, further comprising: processor; as well as The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the XR display system to perform operations, including: The virtual visual content is displayed at corresponding positions on the image presentation surfaces of the left-eye and right-eye displays, such that when the virtual visual content is viewed on the near-eye optical perspective XR display, the gaze direction of the user's left eye and the gaze direction of the user's right eye intersect at a convergence distance from the user. as well as The dynamic pull lens and dynamic push lens of each near-eye optical perspective XR display switch between active and inactive states based on the convergence-divergence distance.

9. The XR display system according to claim 8, It also includes eye-tracking systems configured to generate eye-tracking data; in, The operation also includes: The eye-tracking data is processed to determine the convergence / disconvergence distance.

10. The XR display system according to claim 8, wherein: The dynamic pull lens and dynamic push lens of each near-eye optical fluoroscopic XR display, which switch between active and inactive states based on the convergence-divergence distance, include: When the convergence distance decreases below the activation convergence threshold, the dynamic pull lens and dynamic push lens of each near-eye optical XR display are switched to active state; and When the convergence distance rises above the deactivation convergence threshold, the dynamic pull lens and dynamic push lens of each near-eye optical XR display are switched to an inactive state.

11. The XR display system according to claim 1, wherein: The dynamic push lens also includes a plurality of concentric ring electrodes in contact with a first surface of the liquid crystal cell. Each pair of adjacent ring electrodes is configured to apply electrical stimulation therebetween, thereby generating an electric field within the liquid crystal cell, the electric field being radially oriented outward from the common center of the ring electrodes. as well as The liquid crystal cell includes multiple liquid crystal layers stacked between the first and second surfaces of the liquid crystal cell.

12. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal in the layer is oriented such that each columnar region extending between the first and second surfaces of the liquid crystal cell has a distribution substantially similar to that of liquid crystal oriented at a different angle from the orientation of the electric field.

13. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal is oriented radially outward from the common center.

14. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal is tangentially oriented to a circle concentric with the common center.

15. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal cell of the dynamic push lens is the first liquid crystal cell. The dynamic push lens also includes a second liquid crystal cell and a second plurality of concentric ring electrodes in contact with a first surface of the second liquid crystal cell. Each pair of adjacent ring electrodes is configured to apply electrical stimulation therebetween, thereby generating an electric field within the second liquid crystal cell, the electric field being radially oriented outward from the common center of the ring electrodes. The liquid crystal in the first liquid crystal cell is oriented radially outward from the common center of the annular electrodes of the first liquid crystal cell; and The liquid crystal of the second liquid crystal cell is tangentially oriented to a circle concentric with the common center of the annular electrode of the second liquid crystal cell.

16. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal is a twisted nematic liquid crystal, which is oriented such that: The liquid crystal in the first layer closest to the first surface is oriented radially outward from the common center; The liquid crystal of the final layer closest to the second surface is tangentially oriented to a circle concentric with the common center; and The liquid crystal in the intermediate layer, which is continuously stacked between the first layer and the final layer, has an orientation that rotates continuously between the orientation of the liquid crystal in the first layer and the orientation of the liquid crystal in the final layer.

17. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal is a twisted nematic liquid crystal, which is oriented such that: The liquid crystal in the first layer closest to the first surface is oriented in the first direction; The liquid crystal in the final layer closest to the second surface is oriented in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and The liquid crystal in the intermediate layer, which is continuously stacked between the first layer and the final layer, has an orientation that rotates continuously between a first direction and a second direction.

18. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal includes a chiral liquid crystal, which is configured to improve the homogeneity of the liquid crystal response to electrical stimulation on the first surface.

19. The XR display system according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid crystal cell includes a peripheral region, which produces visual artifacts when light passes through and reaches the user's eye; and The XR display system also includes a dimming filter positioned to block at least a portion of the light passing through the peripheral region.

20. A method for dynamically adapting the focal length to the convergence / diffusion distance in an extended reality (XR) display system, comprising: Virtual visual content is displayed at corresponding positions on the image presentation surfaces of the image presentation components of the left and right near-eye optical perspective XR displays of the XR display system, such that when the virtual visual content is viewed on the near-eye optical perspective XR display, the gaze direction of the user's left eye and the gaze direction of the user's right eye intersect at the convergence distance from the user. as well as Based on the convergence-divergence distance, the dynamic pull lens and dynamic push lens of each near-eye optical fluoroscopic XR display switch between active and inactive states, wherein: The dynamic push lens is positioned on the outside-facing side of the image presentation component of the corresponding near-eye optical XR display. The dynamic push lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive state and an active state by electrical stimulation. The dynamic push lens is configured to converge ambient light approaching the image presentation component from the outside-facing side of the image presentation component in the active state, such that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies positive optical power to the ambient light. as well as The dynamic pull lens is positioned on the eye-facing side of the image presentation component of the corresponding near-eye optical XR display. The dynamic pull lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive and an active state by electrical stimulation. The dynamic pull lens is configured to emit light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation component toward the user's corresponding eye in the active state, such that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies negative optical power to the light.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a system, cause the system to perform an operation, the operation comprising: Virtual visual content is displayed at corresponding positions on the image display surfaces of the image display components of the left and right near-eye XR displays of the system, such that when the virtual visual content is viewed on the near-eye XR display, the gaze direction of the user's left eye and the gaze direction of the user's right eye intersect at the convergence distance from the user. as well as Based on the convergence-divergence distance, the dynamic pull lens and dynamic push lens of each near-eye optical fluoroscopic XR display switch between active and inactive states, wherein: The dynamic push lens is positioned on the outside-facing side of the image presentation component of the corresponding near-eye optical XR display. The dynamic push lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive state and an active state by electrical stimulation. The dynamic push lens is configured to converge ambient light approaching the image presentation component from the outside-facing side of the image presentation component in the active state, such that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies positive optical power to the ambient light. as well as The dynamic pull lens is positioned on the eye-facing side of the image presentation component of the corresponding near-eye optical XR display. The dynamic pull lens includes a liquid crystal cell that can dynamically switch between an inactive and an active state by electrical stimulation. The dynamic pull lens is configured to emit light emitted from the eye-facing side of the image presentation component toward the user's corresponding eye in the active state, such that the dynamic pull lens in the active state applies negative optical power to the light.

Images