Wearable electronic device comprising a polarizing structure

Abstract

According to various embodiments disclosed herein, a wearable electronic device includes: three or more lenses; and a polarization unit comprising a polarizer, a reflective polarizer, a quarter-wave plate, and a beam splitter arranged sequentially along a first direction, wherein the polarizer, reflective polarizer, and quarter-wave plate are spaced apart from the beam splitter, wherein at least one of the three or more lenses is located between the polarizer, reflective polarizer, and quarter-wave plate and the beam splitter, and the polarization unit includes a layer that is stiffer than the polarizer and reflective polarizer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure relate to an electronic device, such as a wearable electronic device including a polarization structure. Background Technology

[0002] Electronic devices for portable purposes, such as electronic notebooks, portable multimedia players, mobile communication terminals, or tablet PCs, typically include a display member (e.g., a display module) and a battery, and have a strip-shaped, foldable, or sliding appearance due to the shape of the display member or battery. Recently, as the performance of display members and batteries has been enhanced and they have been miniaturized, electronic devices that can be worn on parts of the body (such as the wrist or head) or in the form of clothing have emerged (hereinafter, "wearable electronic devices").

[0003] Examples of wearable electronic devices include head-mounted devices (HMDs), smart glasses, smartwatches (or bands), contact lens-type devices, ring-type devices, and clothing / shoe / glove-type devices. These body-worn electronic devices are easy to carry and can enhance user accessibility.

[0004] As an example, a head-mounted wearable device is a device worn on a user's head or face that projects images onto the user's retina to allow viewing virtual images in three-dimensional space. For instance, head-mounted wearable devices can be categorized into see-through types that provide augmented reality (AR) and see-closed types that provide virtual reality (VR). See-through head-mounted wearable devices can take the form of glasses and can provide the user with information, such as buildings and objects in the space within the user's field of vision, in the form of images or text. See-closed head-mounted wearable devices can output independent images to the user's eyes separately and provide the user with content (games, movies, streaming media, broadcasts, etc.) from mobile communication terminals or external inputs in the form of video or sound, thus providing a superior sense of immersion. Furthermore, head-mounted wearable devices can be used to provide mixed reality (MR) or extended reality (XR), which is a combination of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

[0005] Recently, the development of products related to head-mounted wearable devices has been actively underway. Head-mounted wearable devices are used for various purposes, such as military, gaming, industrial, and medical applications. Therefore, there is a need to provide good image quality while being lighter and smaller in size.

[0006] The above information is provided as relevant technology for the purpose of aiding understanding of this disclosure. No assertion or determination is made as to whether any of the above content can be applied as prior art in connection with this disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical solution

[0008] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a lens assembly may be provided, comprising: at least three lenses; and a polarization part (PP) spaced apart from a beam splitter, wherein at least one lens is inserted between the polarization part and the beam splitter, and the polarization part (PP) includes a polarizer, a reflective polarizer, a quarter-wave plate, and a layer harder than the polarizer and the reflective polarizer, arranged sequentially along a first direction.

[0009] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a lens assembly may be provided, comprising: at least three lenses; and a polarizing portion (PP) spaced apart from a beam splitter, wherein at least one lens is inserted between the polarizing portion and the beam splitter, and the polarizing portion (PP) includes a polarizer, a reflective polarizer, a quarter-wave plate, and a layer having a modulus higher than that of the polarizer and the reflective polarizer, arranged sequentially along a first direction.

[0010] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a wearable electronic device may be provided, comprising: at least three lenses disposed between the user's eye (E) side and the display (D) side and aligned along an optical axis; and a polarizing portion (PP) spaced apart from a beam splitter, wherein at least one lens is inserted between the polarizing portion and the beam splitter, and the polarizing portion (PP) includes a polarizer, a reflective polarizer and a quarter-wave plate arranged sequentially from the user's eye side toward the display side, and a rigid layer disposed between the polarizer and the reflective polarizer. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The above or other aspects, configurations and / or advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a view illustrating a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a view showing the front surface of a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a view showing the rear surface of a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 The path of light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown as it is focused or directed to the user's eye.

[0017] Figure 6 The path of light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown through which it is focused or directed to the user's eye.

[0018] Figure 7 The path of light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown as it is focused or directed to the user's eye.

[0019] Figure 8 The path of light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown through which it is focused or directed to the user's eye.

[0020] Figure 9 The path of light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure is shown through which it is focused or directed to the user's eye.

[0021] Figure 10 The path of light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, through which it is focused or directed to the user's eye.

[0022] Figure 11 This is a view showing the laminated structure between the polarizing portion and the lens of a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 12 This is a view showing the lamination of the polarization section according to various embodiments.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a view showing the surface roughness and resolving power of the polarized portion of the laminate according to various embodiments.

[0025] Figure 14 This is a view showing the positions where the resolution is measured in two different directions relative to the ray axis.

[0026] Figure 15 This is a view showing the lens and laminated polarizing section assembled into the lens barrel.

[0027] Figure 16 This is a view showing the process of laminating the polarizing part onto the lens.

[0028] Figure 17 This is a block diagram illustrating the process of laminating the polarizing part onto the lens.

[0029] Figure 18 This is a view showing the laminated structure, MTF peak curve, and surface roughness of the lens and polarizing section according to various embodiments.

[0030] Figure 19 These are conceptually comparative views of the first, second, and third embodiments of this disclosure.

[0031] Throughout the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals may be assigned to similar parts, configurations, and / or structures. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Wearable electronic devices that enable augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and / or extended reality are typically used when worn on a user's head or face. For example, a display that outputs visual information may be positioned at a distance quite close to the user's eyes. When the display and the user's eyes are positioned at such close proximity, it can be difficult to configure an optical system that guides or focuses visual information onto the user's eyes. For example, the size or number of lenses may be limited in order to miniaturize or reduce the weight of the wearable electronic device, and it may be difficult to achieve an optical system capable of providing good image quality using a limited number of lenses. According to embodiments, in usage environments where the display and the user's eyes are positioned at such close proximity, an optical system with a pancake lens structure can be used to provide good image quality while using a limited number of lenses.

[0033] An optical system with a pancake lens structure can achieve an optical path of sufficient length relative to the total lens length by reflecting the visual information output from the display at least twice along its path to the user's eye. Here, "total lens length" can refer to the distance from the subject-side surface (the user's eye-side surface) of the lens closest to the subject (e.g., the user's eye) to the display-side surface of the lens closest to the display (the lens furthest from the subject). Compared to wearable electronic devices manufactured using general lenses or Fresnel lenses, assuming the required focal length between the display and the lenses is the same, wearable electronic devices including a pancake lens structure can have the shortest total lens length. For example, compared to wearable electronic devices including general concave or convex lens structures, wearable electronic devices including a pancake lens structure have the advantage of being able to reduce the total lens length by approximately 70%. Furthermore, the pancake lens structure can provide good image quality while reducing size.

[0034] Therefore, a pancake lens structure may include a polarizing section (PP). The polarizing section can typically be implemented in the form of a polarizing film. For example, the polarizing section can be implemented by laminating multiple sub-polarizing films therein. However, when multiple sub-polarizing films are laminated, each sub-polarizing film has inherent optical axis characteristics; therefore, resolution degradation may occur due to surface wrinkles and / or roughness defects.

[0035] According to this disclosure, surface wrinkles caused by polarizing films can be mitigated, removed, and / or prevented to reduce image distortion and enhance resolution.

[0036] The embodiments of this disclosure can at least solve the above-mentioned problems and / or disadvantages and provide at least the following advantages, and can provide a wearable electronic device including a polarizing portion that achieves good image quality by reducing, removing and / or preventing wrinkles caused by the polarizing film.

[0037] Embodiments of this disclosure can mitigate, eliminate, and / or prevent surface wrinkles caused by polarizing films, thereby reducing distortion and enhancing resolution of screens displayed on wearable electronic devices.

[0038] Embodiments of this disclosure may provide a wearable electronic device that includes a lens assembly that is smaller and / or lighter while providing good image quality.

[0039] The purpose of this disclosure is not limited to the foregoing, and other purposes not mentioned will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0040] The following description of the accompanying drawings provides an understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, including the claims and their corresponding contents. The specific embodiments disclosed in the following description require various specific details to aid understanding, but are considered as one of various embodiments. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described in this disclosure without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations may be omitted.

[0041] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to their literal meaning, but are intended to clearly and consistently describe embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the following description of various embodiments of this disclosure is for descriptive purposes only and not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims and their equivalents.

[0042] It should be understood that, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “one,” and “the” include plural meanings. Therefore, as an example, “component surface” can be interpreted as including one or more surfaces of a component.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. (Refer to...) Figure 1 In network environment 100, electronic device 101 can communicate with electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or with at least one of electronic device 104 or server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, electronic device 101 can communicate with electronic device 104 via server 108. According to an embodiment, electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, memory 130, input module 150, sound output module 155, display module 160, audio module 170, sensor module 176, interface 177, connection terminal 178, haptic module 179, camera module 180, power management module 188, battery 189, communication module 190, subscriber identification module (SIM) 196, or antenna module 197. According to an embodiment, at least one of the above components (e.g., connection terminal 178) may be omitted from electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, some of the components described above (e.g., sensor module 176, camera module 180, or antenna module 197) may be integrated into a single component (e.g., display module 160).

[0044] Processor 120 may run software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of electronic device 101 connected to processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, processor 120 may store commands or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) in volatile memory 132, process the commands or data stored in volatile memory 132, and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory 134. According to embodiments, processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or application processor (AP)) or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., graphics processing unit (GPU), neural processing unit (NPU), image signal processor (ISP), sensor central processor, or communication processor (CP)) that is operationally independent of or combined with the main processor 121. For example, when electronic device 101 includes a main processor 121 and an auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may be configured to consume less power than the main processor 121, or may be configured for a specific function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121, or may be implemented as part of the main processor 121.

[0045] When the main processor 121 is inactive (e.g., in sleep) state, the auxiliary processor 123 (rather than the main processor 121) can control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., display module 160, sensor module 176, or communication module 190), or when the main processor 121 is active (e.g., running an application), the auxiliary processor 123 can work with the main processor 121 to control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., display module 160, sensor module 176, or communication module 190). According to embodiments, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., camera module 180 or communication module 190) functionally associated with the auxiliary processor 123. According to embodiments, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a neural processing unit) may include hardware architecture dedicated to artificial intelligence model processing. Artificial intelligence models can be generated through machine learning. For example, such learning can be performed via electronic device 101 where artificial intelligence is performed or via a separate server (e.g., server 108). The learning algorithm may include, but is not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. The artificial intelligence model may include multiple layers of artificial neural networks. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), or a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more thereof, but is not limited thereto. Additionally or optionally, the artificial intelligence model may include software structures in addition to hardware structures.

[0046] Memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of electronic device 101 (e.g., processor 120 or sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., program 140) and input or output data for commands associated with it. Memory 130 may include volatile memory 132 or non-volatile memory 134.

[0047] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130, and the program 140 may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, or application 146.

[0048] The input module 150 can receive commands or data from outside the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) that will be used by other components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., processor 120). The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, mouse, keyboard, keys (e.g., buttons), or digital pen (e.g., stylus).

[0049] The sound output module 155 can output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing records. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0050] Display module 160 can visually provide information to the outside of electronic device 101 (e.g., to a user). Display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and control circuitry for controlling a respective one of the display, holographic device, and projector. According to an embodiment, display module 160 may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of the force generated by a touch.

[0051] The audio module 170 can convert sound into electrical signals and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 can obtain sound via the input module 150, or output sound via the sound output module 155 or headphones of an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) that is directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101.

[0052] Sensor module 176 can detect the operating state of electronic device 101 (e.g., power or temperature) or the environmental state outside electronic device 101 (e.g., user state), and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to embodiments, sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, gyroscope sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, magnetic sensor, accelerometer, grip sensor, proximity sensor, color sensor, infrared (IR) sensor, biometric sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, or illuminance sensor.

[0053] Interface 177 may support one or more specific protocols used to enable electronic device 101 to connect directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to external electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 102). According to embodiments, interface 177 may include, for example, a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Secure Digital Card (SD) interface, or an audio interface.

[0054] Connection 178 may include a connector, through which electronic device 101 may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102). According to embodiments, connection 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0055] The haptic module 179 can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or motion) or electrical stimuli that can be recognized by a user through his touch or kinesthesia. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0056] Camera module 180 can capture still or moving images. According to an embodiment, camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0057] The power management module 188 manages the power supply to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0058] Battery 189 can power at least one component of electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable rechargeable battery, or a fuel cell.

[0059] Communication module 190 can support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication channel between electronic device 101 and external electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 102, electronic device 104, or server 108), and perform communication via the established communication channel. Communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors capable of operating independently of processor 120 (e.g., application processor (AP)) and supporting direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication. According to embodiments, communication module 190 may include wireless communication module 192 (e.g., cellular communication module, short-range wireless communication module, or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communication module) or wired communication module 194 (e.g., local area network (LAN) communication module or power line communication (PLC) module). One of these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a traditional cellular network, 5G network, next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or a wide area network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules can be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip) or as multiple components separate from each other (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 can identify or verify the electronic device 101 in the communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) using user information (e.g., the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

[0060] Wireless communication module 192 can support 5G networks following 4G networks and next-generation communication technologies (such as new radio (NR) access technologies). NR access technologies can support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). Wireless communication module 192 can support high-frequency bands (e.g., millimeter-wave bands) to achieve, for example, high data transmission rates. Wireless communication module 192 can support various technologies used to ensure performance in high-frequency bands, such as, for example, beamforming, massive MIMO, full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, or massive antennas. Wireless communication module 192 can support various requirements specified in electronic device 101, external electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 104), or network systems (e.g., second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may support peak data rates (e.g., 20 Gbps or greater) for implementing eMBB, lost coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for implementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less round trip) for implementing URLLC.

[0061] Antenna module 197 can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external source (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, antenna module 197 may include an antenna comprising a radiator formed of a conductor or conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, antenna module 197 may include multiple antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as a first network 198 or a second network 199) can be selected from the multiple antennas by, for example, communication module 190. Signals or power can then be transmitted or received between communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, other components besides the radiator (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be further formed as part of antenna module 197.

[0062] According to an embodiment, antenna module 197 can form a millimeter-wave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the millimeter-wave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and multiple antennas (e.g., an array antenna), wherein the RFIC is disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (e.g., a bottom surface) of the printed circuit board and is capable of supporting a specified high-frequency band (e.g., a millimeter-wave band), and the multiple antennas are disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (e.g., a top surface or a side surface) of the printed circuit board and are capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the specified high-frequency band.

[0063] At least some of the aforementioned components can be interconnected and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) between them via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., bus, general purpose input / output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industrial processor interface (MIPI)).

[0064] According to an embodiment, instructions or data can be sent or received between electronic device 101 and external electronic device 104 via server 108 connected to a second network 199. Each of electronic device 102 or electronic device 104 can be a device of the same type as electronic device 101, or a device of a different type. According to an embodiment, all or some operations to be performed on electronic device 101 can be performed on one or more of external electronic devices 102, external electronic devices 104, or server 108. For example, if electronic device 101 is required to automatically perform a function or service, or is required to perform a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a portion of the function or service instead of running the function or service, or electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a portion of the function or service in addition to running the function or service. Upon receiving the request, the one or more external electronic devices may perform the requested at least portion of the function or service, or perform additional functions or services related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to electronic device 101. Electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial response to the request, with or without further processing of the result. For this purpose, technologies such as cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing may be used. Electronic device 101 may use, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing to provide ultra-low latency services. In an embodiment, external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. Server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to an embodiment, external electronic device 104 or server 108 may be included in a second network 199. Electronic device 101 can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart homes, smart cities, smart cars, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technologies.

[0065] Figure 2 This is a view showing a wearable electronic device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] Although some figures are presented in describing embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that these figures do not limit the embodiments of the present disclosure unless they are set forth in the claims.

[0067] Reference Figure 2 Wearable electronic devices 200 (e.g., Figure 1The electronic device 101 can be a wearable device worn on a user's head or face, allowing the user to visually recognize surrounding objects or the environment even while wearing the wearable electronic device 200. The wearable electronic device 200 can use a camera module to acquire and / or recognize visual images of the environment or objects in the orientation of the wearable electronic device 200 or the direction the user is looking, and receive information about objects or the environment from external electronic devices via a network. The wearable electronic device 200 can provide the user with the received object or environment-related information in audio or visual form. For example, the wearable electronic device 200 can provide the user with the received object or environment-related information in visual form through a display component such as a display module. By visually realizing information about objects or the environment and combining it with real images (or videos) of the user's surrounding environment, the wearable electronic device 200 can realize augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and / or extended reality (XR). The display component can output a screen showing actual images (or videos) of augmented reality objects being added to the user's surrounding environment, thereby providing the user with information about the surrounding things or environment.

[0068] According to embodiments, all or some operations to be performed at electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200 may be performed at one or more of external electronic devices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200 is required to automatically perform a function or service, or in response to a request from a user or another device, electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200 may request one or more external electronic devices 102, 104, or 108 to perform at least a portion of that function or service, rather than performing that function or service, or other than performing that function or service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform at least a portion of the requested function or service, or additional functions or services related to the request, and transmit the result of the performance to electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200. Electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200 may provide the result, with or without further processing, as at least part of a response to the request. For example, external electronic device 102 can render content data executed on the application and transmit it to electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200, and electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200 receiving the data can output the content data to a display module. When electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200 detects user movement via sensors such as inertial measurement unit sensors, the processor of electronic device 101 or wearable electronic device 200 (e.g., Figure 1The processor 120 can correct the rendered data received from the external electronic device 102 based on motion information and output it to the display module. Alternatively, when user movement is detected by sensors, the processor of the electronic device 101 or the wearable electronic device 200 (e.g., ...) can... Figure 1 The processor 120 can transmit motion information to the external electronic device 102 and render it to update screen data. According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 102 can be various types of devices, such as a housing device capable of storing and charging the electronic device 101.

[0069] In the detailed description below, references may be made in various ways to “the state or position of an electronic device or a designated part of an electronic device facing the user’s face,” and it should be noted that this assumes the user is wearing the wearable electronic device 200.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the wearable electronic device 200 may include at least one display component and a wearable component. Depending on the structure of the display component, the wearable electronic device 200 may also include a structure for mounting or supporting the display component (e.g., a lens frame). A pair of display components, including a first display component and a second display component, may be provided, and when the wearable electronic device 200 is worn by a user, the pair of display components are configured to correspond to the user's right and left eyes, respectively. According to an embodiment, the wearable electronic device 200 may have a housing shape (e.g., a goggle shape) including one display component corresponding to the right and left eyes.

[0071] According to an embodiment, a display component is a part configured to provide visual information to a user and may include, for example, a display D, a plurality of lenses L1, L2, L3, and L4 (e.g., a lens assembly) and / or at least one sensor. Here, the lens assembly and the display D may each be formed as transparent or translucent. However, the display component is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment, the display component may include a window component, which may be translucent glass or a component capable of adjusting its light transmittance depending on the tint density. According to an embodiment, the display component may include a reflective lens or a lens including a waveguide. An image output from a light output device (e.g., a projector or display D) may be formed on each lens to provide visual information to the user. For example, the display component may represent a display that may include a waveguide (e.g., an optical waveguide) in at least a portion of each lens, and an image (or light) output from a light output device (such as display D) is transmitted to the user's eye through the waveguide included in the display component, while simultaneously transmitting the real world to the user's eye in a perspective manner through that area. According to an embodiment, a waveguide can be understood as part of a lens assembly. A lens assembly (e.g., below) Figures 5 to 9The lens assembly (LA) is a configuration comprising multiple lenses (e.g., L1, L2, L3, L4) and can be aligned with the ray axis O (e.g., Figures 5 to 9 The light axis (DE) is aligned and placed within the space of the wearable electronic device 200. See below for reference. Figure 5 Recheck the configuration of the visual information output from the display D to the user's eyes via the lens assembly.

[0072] Figure 3 and Figure 4 This is a view showing the front and rear surfaces of a wearable electronic device 300 according to an embodiment.

[0073] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 According to an embodiment, camera modules 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316 and / or depth sensor 317 for acquiring information related to the surrounding environment of the wearable electronic device 300 may be disposed on a first surface 310 of the electronic device 300 (e.g., housing).

[0074] According to an embodiment, camera modules 311 and 312 can acquire images related to the surrounding environment of the wearable electronic device.

[0075] According to embodiments, camera modules 313, 314, 315, and 316 can acquire images while the wearable electronic device is worn by a user. Camera modules 313, 314, 315, and 316 can be used for hand detection, tracking, and recognition of user gestures (e.g., hand movements). Camera modules 313, 314, 315, and 316 can be used for 3DoF (degrees of freedom), 6DoF head tracking, position (space, environment) recognition, and / or motion recognition. According to embodiments, camera modules 311 and 312 can also be used for hand detection and tracking, or for recognizing or detecting user gestures.

[0076] According to an embodiment, depth sensor 317 can be configured to send signals and receive signals reflected from a subject, and can be used for purposes such as determining the distance to an object, including time-of-flight (TOF). As an alternative to or supplement to depth sensor 317, camera modules 313, 314, 315, and 316 can determine the distance to an object.

[0077] According to an embodiment, camera modules 325 and 326 for facial recognition and / or display 331 (and / or lens) may be disposed on the second surface 320 of the housing.

[0078] According to an embodiment, the face recognition camera modules 325 and 326 adjacent to the display can be used to recognize the user's face, or can recognize and / or track the user's eyes.

[0079] According to an embodiment, the display 331 (and / or lens) may be disposed on the second surface 320 of the wearable electronic device 300. According to an embodiment, the display 331 (and / or lens) may at least partially interact with... Figure 2 The display D (and / or lenses L1, L2, L3, L4) are similar or substantially identical. According to an embodiment, among the plurality of camera modules 313, 314, 315, 316, the wearable electronic device 300 may not include camera modules 315, 316. Although not explicitly stated... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, however, the wearable electronic device 300 may also include Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 At least one of the components shown.

[0080] According to an embodiment, display 331 can be understood as including a display module with an output screen (e.g., Figure 1 The display module 160) and the lens assembly that focuses the output screen onto the user's eyes (e.g., Figure 6 and Figure 8 The lens assembly (LA). Figure 4 It should be noted that in the structure of the display 331, reference numerals are assigned to the parts visible on the exterior of the wearable electronic device 300 and indicate the lens closest to the user's eyes.

[0081] As described above, the wearable electronic device 300 according to the embodiments may have a shape factor for being worn on a user's head. The wearable electronic device 300 may also include a strap and / or wearing member for securing it to a part of the user's body. The wearable electronic device 300 can provide a user experience based on augmented reality, virtual reality, and / or mixed reality when worn on a user's head.

[0082] Figure 5 The path of light output from display D in a wearable electronic device 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown as the light is focused or directed to the user's eye E.

[0083] Reference Figure 5 as well as Figure 2A wearable electronic device 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a display D, a lens assembly (LA) (e.g., a plurality of lenses L1, L2, L3), and a polarizing portion (PP). The wearable electronic device 400 may be an optical device (e.g., AR / VR glasses) that provides visual information to a user when worn on a user's head or face by including the display D and the lens assembly LA. The polarizing portion PP may be a component laminated with the lens assembly LA. Depending on the embodiment, the lens assembly LA may be interpreted as having only at least three lenses, and in this case, the polarizing portion PP may be interpreted as a component separate from the lens assembly LA. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and according to the present disclosure, based on the aspect of the polarizing portion PP being laminated with the lens assembly LA, the lens assembly LA may also be defined as including the polarizing portion PP.

[0084] According to an embodiment, the display D may include a screen display area that exposes visual information to the portion corresponding to the user's eyes when the user wears the wearable electronic device 400. According to an embodiment, the wearable electronic device 400 may include a pair of displays D corresponding to the user's eyes. The displays D may include, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) display, or an electronic paper display. The displays D may display various content (e.g., text, images, videos, icons, or symbols) provided to the user as visual information.

[0085] According to an embodiment, the lens assembly LA can be configured as a combination of multiple lenses. According to an embodiment, the multiple lenses can be housed within a lens barrel (e.g., the one described below). Figure 14 The lens barrel (LB) surrounds it. Despite being... Figure 5 The diagram shows three lenses L1, L2, and L3 as multiple lenses, but this disclosure is not limited to this and more lenses can be used.

[0086] In this disclosure, the polarization section PP may include a polarizer (POL) 401, a quarter-wave plate (QWP) 403, and a reflective polarizer (RP) 402.

[0087] According to an embodiment, polarizer 401 can be a component that absorbs light vibrating in a predetermined specific direction and transmits only the component polarized in a direction perpendicular to the light travel path DE (hereinafter referred to as the "light axis DE") (hereinafter, the "optical axis direction"). For example, polarizer 401 can be implemented by adsorbing iodine onto a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film and then stretching the film. In this case, the optical axis direction can be defined according to the arrangement direction of the iodine molecule structure. For example, polarizer 401 of this disclosure can have a thickness of about 20 μm. Natural light can be converted into linear polarization by such polarizer 401.

[0088] The reflective polarizer 402 can be a component that transmits linearly polarized light but reflects a portion of that linear polarization. For example, it can reflect vertical polarization within linear polarization and transmit horizontal polarization. Alternatively, it can reflect horizontal polarization within linear polarization and transmit vertical polarization. For this purpose, the reflective polarizer 402 can be formed by stretching an optical film composed of hundreds of reflective layers, which is capable of reflecting some polarizations and transmitting others. The thickness of the reflective polarizer 402 can be greater than the thickness of the polarizer 401, and for example, the reflective polarizer 402 can have a thickness of approximately 35 μm to 60 μm.

[0089] According to embodiments, for example, a wave in a uniaxial crystal can be separated into two components, such as a component h parallel to the optical axis and a component v perpendicular to the optical axis, and the components h and v can accumulate phase at different rates. A quarter-wave plate 403 can be a component that converts the polarization state of the separated light into components h parallel to the optical axis and v perpendicular to the optical axis. The quarter-wave plate 403 can also be referred to as a phase retarder. The quarter-wave plate 403 can, for example, be a birefringent material with different refractive indices in the directions of two different axes (fast axis, slow axis). Of the light passing through the quarter-wave plate 403, light aligned with the fast axis passes through the quarter-wave plate 403 faster, and light aligned with the slow axis passes through the quarter-wave plate 403 relatively slower. Using this principle, when linearly polarized light passes through the quarter-wave plate 403 at an angle of +45 degrees (or -45 degrees) relative to the fast axis, it is converted into circularly polarized light, and conversely, when circularly polarized light passes through the fast axis at an angle of +45 degrees (or -45 degrees), it can be converted into linearly polarized light.

[0090] According to an embodiment, at least one or the entire polarization portion PP of polarizer 401, quarter-wave plate 403, and / or reflective polarizer 402 can be understood as part of lens assembly LA. As described above, polarization portion PP can be understood as a component included in lens assembly LA. According to an embodiment, lens assembly LA may also include beam splitter 404 (or light diffusing member). According to an embodiment, beam splitter 404 can also be understood as a component included in lens assembly LA. Wearable electronic device 400 according to an embodiment can provide vision correction function to a user by adjusting the diopter by moving at least one of a plurality of lenses (e.g., L1, L2, L3).

[0091] According to an embodiment, a polarizing unit PP is disposed between the user's eye E and the display D, and can selectively transmit, reflect, and / or block light entering the user's eye (e.g., light output from the display D). For example, polarizer 401, quarter-wave plate 403, and reflective polarizer 402 can alter the path of light passing through them to extend the path of light substantially longer than the mechanical or physical length of the lens assembly LA. Here, altering the path of light by polarizer 401, quarter-wave plate 403, and reflective polarizer 402 can be understood as altering the polarization state of the light. By using the polarizing unit PP to achieve a focal length longer than the mechanical or physical length of the lens assembly LA, the quality of the image provided to the user can be enhanced. Because the size or weight of the wearable electronics 400 is limited by the actual usage environment (e.g., use in a worn state), the resolution of the output virtual image may be limited, and it may be difficult to provide a good quality image to the user even through an optical system. According to an embodiment, by including an optical system with a pancake lens structure (e.g., a lens assembly LA including a polarizing portion PP), the wearable electronic device 400 can extend the optical path length of incident light relative to its external dimensions and / or enhance the image resolution provided to the user.

[0092] According to an embodiment, various contents (e.g., text, images, videos, icons, or symbols) output from the display D in the form of light can pass through a lens assembly LA including a polarizing section PP and be provided to the user's eyes.

[0093] According to an embodiment, the polarizing portion PP may be positioned closer to the user's eye E than the first lens L1 (starting from the user's eye E) among the plurality of lenses (e.g., L1, L2, L3) included in the lens assembly LA, or it may be positioned between at least two lenses. (See reference...) Figure 5The polarizing portion PP can be disposed between the first lens L1 (hereinafter referred to as "first lens L1") extending from the user's eye E and the second lens L2 extending from the user's eye E. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and the position of the polarizing portion PP can be disposed differently depending on the embodiment. For example, the polarizing portion PP can also be disposed between the second lens L2 (hereinafter referred to as "second lens L2") extending from the user's eye E and the third lens L3 (hereinafter referred to as "third lens L3") extending from the user's eye E. Various other embodiments can be applied. If the lens assembly LA includes more than Figure 5 A greater number of lenses, as shown, can also be used in embodiments different from those described above. In the following text, for ease of description, a focus on... Figure 5 The description of the embodiment shown shows a polarizing portion PP disposed between the first lens L1 and the second lens L2. In the illustrated embodiment, the first lens L1 or lens assembly LA of the wearable electronic device 400 can be understood as the lens among a plurality of lenses (e.g., at least three lenses) that is set to be the farthest from the display D, or the lens that is set to be the closest to the user's eye E.

[0094] Reference Figure 5 The polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403 included in the polarization section PP are sequentially arranged between the user's eye E and the display D along the direction in which the user's eye E views the display D. According to Figure 5 In the embodiment shown, polarizer 401 is disposed on the display side of the first lens L1, quarter-wave plate 403 is disposed on the eye side of the second lens L2, and reflective polarizer 402 may be disposed between polarizer 401 and quarter-wave plate 403. Here, "disposed on XX" can mean disposed adjacent to XX or substantially in contact with XX. For example, polarizer 401 may be disposed adjacent to the display side surface of the first lens L1 (or the second lens L2), or may be disposed in a state of substantially contacting the display side surface of the first lens L1 (or the second lens L2).

[0095] According to an embodiment, polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402 can be configured in film form. When polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402 are configured in film form, polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402 can be laminated together. Polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402 can be further laminated together with quarter-wave plate 403 to form polarizing portion PP, and can be attached to the first lens L1 from the user's eye. Here, "lamination" can refer to two different components being bonded together by an adhesive disposed on at least one of them.

[0096] According to an embodiment, when the polarizing portion PP is configured to contact a lens (e.g., a first lens L1), for example, when it is attached to a surface of the first lens L1, the surface of the first lens L1 that contacts the polarizing portion PP can be substantially made into a flat surface.

[0097] Wearable electronic device 400 may include a beam splitter 404. The beam splitter 404 may be disposed on the display D side of the quarter-wave plate 403. The beam splitter 404 may be configured to be spaced a predetermined distance from the quarter-wave plate 403. At least one lens may be disposed between the quarter-wave plate 403 and the beam splitter 404. (Refer to...) Figure 5 The beam splitter 404 can be disposed on the display side surface of the second lens L2.

[0098] According to an embodiment, the polarization portion PP, in which polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403 are laminated, can be thinner than conventional polarizing films and has superior optical performance. According to an embodiment, the lens assembly LA and / or polarization portion PP included in the wearable electronic device 400 may additionally or alternatively include at least one anti-reflection (AR) layer (e.g., Figure 6 Anti-reflective layer 405, Figure 13 Anti-reflective layers 405, 405'). Anti-reflective layers (e.g., Figure 6 Anti-reflective layer 405, Figure 13 The anti-reflective layer (405, 407) can be a component that transmits light but prevents light from being reflected.

[0099] Reference Figure 5 The polarizing portion PP is positioned closer to the user's eye E than the lens assembly LA, and can selectively transmit, reflect, and / or block light entering the user's eye (e.g., light output from the display D). The beam splitter 404 can be configured to transmit a portion of the light output from the display D and incident on it, and reflect another portion of the incident light. According to an embodiment, the beam splitter 404 can be configured as a semi-transparent mirror, and can be configured, for example, in the form of a mirror coated on one surface of the second lens L2, see reference. Figure 5 In the following text, based on the functional aspect of the reflected light, the reflective polarizer 402 may be referred to as the "first reflecting element" and the beam splitter 404 may be referred to as the "second reflecting element".

[0100] In the following description, the direction from the user's eye E toward the display D may be referred to as the first direction ①, and the direction from the display D toward the user's eye E, opposite to the first direction ①, may be referred to as the second direction ②. For example, the lens assembly LA may include a plurality of lenses (e.g., first lens L1, second lens L2, third lens L3) arranged sequentially along the first direction ①. As another example, polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and / or quarter-wave plate 403 may be arranged sequentially along the first direction. As yet another example, light may initially be output from the display D along the second direction ②. Here, the first direction ① and the second direction ② may be substantially parallel to the light travel direction DE.

[0101] According to an embodiment, when the polarizing portion PP is positioned adjacent to (or in contact with) the nth lens (where "n" is a natural number), the beam splitter 404 can be positioned on the (n+1)th lens adjacent to the nth lens. "Positioned on the (n+1)th lens" can be understood as the beam splitter 404 being positioned adjacent to or in contact with a surface of the (n+1)th lens. According to an embodiment, the nth lens can be understood as the lens among lenses L1, L2, and L3 of the lens assembly LA that is positioned furthest from the display D, such as the first lens L1. When the nth lens corresponds to the first lens, the beam splitter 404 can be positioned on a surface of the second lens (e.g., the display side surface). The beam splitter 404 can be substantially attached to one of the surfaces of the (n+1)th lens. According to an embodiment, the surface of the nth lens on which the polarizing portion PP is disposed can be a substantially flat surface. The surface of the (n+1)th lens on which the beam splitter 404 is attached can be a substantially flat surface, but it can also be a curved surface. As described below, when the polarization portion PP, including the first reflecting member (e.g., reflective polarizer 402), is disposed on the display side surface of the first lens L1, the second reflecting member (e.g., beam splitter 404) may be disposed on the display side surface of the second lens L2.

[0102] According to the embodiment, this arrangement of the polarizing section PP and / or the beam splitter 404 can reduce the size of an optical system implemented with a limited number of lenses (e.g., at least three lenses) and provide a good quality image. For example, by reducing the number of lenses (or the number of lens surfaces) disposed between the reflective polarizer 402, which serves as the first reflecting member, and the beam splitter 404, which serves as the second reflecting member, refraction, scattering, and / or birefringence caused by manufacturing errors in the path of the reflected light can be suppressed. As mentioned above, as refraction or scattering increases along the path from the display D to the user's eye E, stabilizing optical performance or image quality becomes more difficult.

[0103] exist Figure 5In the embodiments, the optical path from the display D to the user's eye E, or the polarization state of light that has passed through the polarization section PP or the beam splitter 404 (or been reflected by it), is described. For ease of description of the optical path or polarization state, Figure 5 The illustration shows no other polarizing elements, but the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to this, and another polarizing element (e.g., another polarizer and / or another quarter-wave plate, not shown in the figure) may be additionally or alternatively provided. The following is a description of... Figure 7 This is described in detail in the embodiments.

[0104] Figure 6 The path by which light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is focused or guided to the user's eyes is shown.

[0105] Figure 6 It can be shown in Figure 5 The illustrated embodiment shows a view with an additional anti-reflective (AR) layer 405.

[0106] According to an embodiment, an anti-reflection layer 405 may be disposed between a quarter-wave plate 403 and a lens (e.g., a second lens L2) on which a beam splitter 404 is disposed adjacently. The anti-reflection layer 405 reduces and / or prevents leakage of light moving toward the quarter-wave plate 403, thereby increasing the light transmission efficiency (or brightness) of light transmitted from the display D to the user's eye E.

[0107] Figure 7 The path by which light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is focused or guided to the user's eyes is shown.

[0108] Figure 7 It can show, except Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, in addition to the polarization section PP including polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402 and quarter-wave plate 403, another polarization section PP is provided.

[0109] According to an embodiment, in addition to the polarization section PP including polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403, the wearable electronic device 400 may also include another polarization section PP including quarter-wave plate 408 and polarizer 409. According to an embodiment, the polarization section PP including polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403 may be referred to as the first polarization section PP1, and the polarization section PP including quarter-wave plate 408 and polarizer 409 may be referred to as the second polarization section PP2. Furthermore, the polarizer 401 included in the first polarization section PP1 may be referred to as the first polarizer 401, and the polarizer 409 included in the second polarization section PP2 may be referred to as the second polarizer 409. The quarter-wave plate 403 included in the first polarization section PP1 may be referred to as the first quarter-wave plate 403, and the quarter-wave plate 408 included in the second polarization section PP2 may be referred to as the second quarter-wave plate 408.

[0110] According to an embodiment, the wearable electronic device 400 may include two polarization sections, namely a first polarization section PP1 and a second polarization section PP2, and in this case, the optical elements may be arranged, for example, along a first direction in the order of the first polarization section PP1, at least one lens, a beam splitter 404, and the second polarization section PP2.

[0111] According to an embodiment, the second polarization portion PP2 may further include an anti-reflection layer 407, and the anti-reflection layer 405 included in the first polarization portion PP1 may be referred to as the first anti-reflection layer 405, and the anti-reflection layer 407 included in the second polarization portion PP2 may be referred to as the second anti-reflection layer 407.

[0112] Reference Figure 7 The path of light movement in the wearable electronic device 400 according to the embodiment can be examined as follows. Since the anti-reflective layers 405 and 407 are components used to prevent reflection in the case of transmitted light, the description of the anti-reflective layers 405 and 407 can be omitted in the following description of the path of light movement.

[0113] exist Figure 7 At the top, for ease of description, information about the optical axis direction of the optical element is described. Here, "optical axis direction" can refer to the direction perpendicular to the optical axis DE. Figure 7 An example of various embodiments with the optical axis direction can be shown. The description follows the order of the light's path of travel from the display. Figure 7In the embodiments described, the second polarizer 409 is, for example, an optical element having an optical axis in the vertical direction (V), and the second quarter-wave plate 408 can be, for example, an optical element having an optical axis in a direction of +45 degrees relative to the fast axis. The first quarter-wave plate 403 can be, for example, an optical element having an optical axis in a direction of -45 degrees relative to the fast axis. Furthermore, the reflective polarizer 402 and polarizer 401 can be optical elements having an optical axis in the horizontal direction (H). However, it should be noted that the description of the optical axis direction is exemplary, and applications of different embodiments are also possible. Hereinafter, according to... Figure 7 The embodiments illustrate the light movement path based on the optical axis direction, and describe the light conversion behavior in detail.

[0114] The light OL output from the display D can reach the user's eye E after passing through the lens assembly LA and the polarizing section PP. The light OL output from the display D can sequentially pass through the second polarizer 409 and the second quarter-wave plate 408, and then reach the beam splitter 404. In this case, the light OL output from the display D can be light that vibrates simultaneously in various polarization directions (various vector directions). The light output from the display D can be converted into linearly polarized light when passing through the second polarizer 409. Furthermore, this linearly polarized light can be converted into circularly polarized light (right-hand circularly polarized light or left-hand circularly polarized light) when passing through the second quarter-wave plate 408.

[0115] Light that has reached beam splitter 404 can pass through beam splitter 404 and reach first quarter-wave plate 403. Among the light that has reached first quarter-wave plate 403, circularly polarized light (right-handed or left-handed circularly polarized light) can be converted into linearly polarized light by first quarter-wave plate 403 and reach reflective polarizer 402. Before the light that has passed through beam splitter 404 reaches reflective polarizer 402, the light can move in a second direction (display D -> user's eye E). Among the linearly polarized light that has reached reflective polarizer 402, linearly polarized light in one direction (e.g., Figure 7 The vertically polarized light V(v,h) is reflected by the reflecting polarizer 402 and guided toward the first direction (user's eye E -> display D), and can be converted into circularly polarized light (right-hand circularly polarized light or left-hand circularly polarized light) when it passes through the first quarter-wave plate 403 again. In this case, among the linearly polarized light that has reached the reflecting polarizer 402, the linearly polarized light in another direction (e.g., Figure 7The horizontally polarized light (H(v,h)) can pass through the reflecting polarizer 402 as is. The circularly polarized light (right-hand or left-hand circularly polarized light) converted by passing through the first quarter-wave plate 403 can be reflected by the beam splitter 404 and guided again in the second direction. When reflected by the beam splitter 404, the phase of the circularly polarized light (right-hand or left-hand circularly polarized light) can be converted (e.g., if left-hand circularly polarized light -> right-hand circularly polarized light, if right-hand circularly polarized light -> left-hand circularly polarized light). The circularly polarized light with the converted phase can reach the user's eye E by passing through the first quarter-wave plate 403, the reflecting polarizer 402, and the polarizer 401 along the second direction. In this case, the light passing through the first quarter-wave plate 403 can be converted into linearly polarized light (e.g., ...). Figure 7 The horizontally polarized light H(v',h') passes through the reflective polarizer 402 and then reaches the first polarizer 401. In this case, a portion of the linearly polarized light (h'' of H(v',h')) can be reflected by the reflective polarizer 402. When a portion of the polarization components (e.g., the vertical component v of H(v,h) and the vertical component h' of H(v',h')) is removed by the first polarizer 401, the light that has reached the first polarizer 401 can reach the user's eye E with only a portion of the polarization components remaining. However, Figure 7 The embodiments exemplarily refer to the change in the polarization state of light passing through the wearable electronic device 400 according to the embodiments, and it should be noted that the conversion of polarization components by the first polarizer 401, the reflective polarizer 402, the first quarter-wave plate 403, the beam splitter 404, the second quarter-wave plate 408 and / or the second polarizer 409 may differ from the mentioned embodiments.

[0116] according to Figures 5 to 7 The wearable electronic device 400 of the embodiment can significantly reduce the total length of the lens while maintaining the focal length (the total length of the path that light actually travels) required by the lens assembly using a pancake lens structure (i.e., the lens assembly LA including the polarizing portion PP). As described above, the wearable electronic device 400 can reduce the total length of the lens by about 70% using a pancake lens structure (i.e., the lens assembly LA including the polarizing portion PP).

[0117] However, the polarizers 401, 409, and / or the reflective polarizer 402 included in the polarizing portion PP should transmit only a portion of the light without transmitting or reflecting another portion. Therefore, they may need to have physical properties for distinguishing the direction of light travel. Typically, the physical properties of the polarizers 401, 409, and / or the reflective polarizer 402 can be defined by, for example, the optical axis generated during the stretching of a substrate such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to obtain the polarizing film. However, when stretching a substrate such as PVA, wrinkles may form on the surface of the polarizing film depending on the direction of stretching. Therefore, the polarizers 401, 409, and / or the reflective polarizer 402 can be referred to as elements that cause wrinkles. For example, when both the polarizers 401, 409, and the reflective polarizer 402 included in the polarizing portion PP are formed as described above by stretching a substrate such as PVA, films with different optical axes are laminated, and in this case, the wrinkles in the polarizing film may be more pronounced.

[0118] When light is output from the display D to the wearable electronic device 400, which includes a pleated polarizing portion PP as described above, image distortion may occur due to the pleats when an image or video is input to the user's eye. This may be a cause of resolution degradation in the wearable electronic device 400. For embodiments including lens assemblies without and with polarizing portions PP, respectively, by measuring modulation transfer function (MTF) plots and comparing peak values, it has been experimentally determined that when the lens assembly without polarizing portions PP reaches approximately 85%, the lens assembly with polarizing portions PP can reduce this to approximately 50%.

[0119] In summary, when a polarizing part (PP) is provided, the overall length of the lens can be reduced. However, compared with a lens assembly without a polarizing part (PP), the resolution and sharpness of a lens assembly with a polarizing part (PP) may be reduced.

[0120] To reduce and / or eliminate the aforementioned problems, this disclosure provides a lens assembly LA and a wearable electronic device 400 including the lens assembly LA, the lens assembly LA and the wearable electronic device 400 including the lens assembly LA further comprising, as described below Figures 8 to 10 Layer 406 of the embodiment shown.

[0121] Figure 8 The path by which light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is focused or guided to the user's eyes is shown. Figure 9 The path by which light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure is focused or guided to the user's eye is shown. Figure 10The path by which light output from a display in a wearable electronic device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure is focused or guided to the user's eyes is shown.

[0122] exist Figure 8 In the following embodiments, only one polarization section PP (e.g., Figure 7 The first polarizing portion (PP1) is shown as being included in the lens assembly LA and the wearable electronic device 400 including the lens assembly LA. According to an embodiment, based on Figure 8 The wearable electronic device 400 of the following embodiments may further include another polarization portion PP (e.g., Figure 7 The second polarization part PP2), but for ease of description, the connection with another polarization part PP (e.g., Figure 7 The description related to the second polarization section PP2 is omitted in the following description. In other words, the description of the second polarization section PP2 (e.g., the second polarization section PP2) is omitted in the following description. Figure 7 The description of the second polarizer 409, which is the element that causes wrinkles in the second polarization section PP2, can be applied as needed, and the description of the first polarizer 401 below can also be applied.

[0123] The wearable electronic device 400 of this disclosure may additionally include layer 406 in a pancake lens structure. (See reference...) Figures 8 to 10 The polarization section PP of the wearable electronic device 400 includes a polarizer 401, a reflective polarizer 402, and a quarter-wave plate 403 arranged sequentially from the user's eye side E toward the display side D (first direction), and may additionally include a layer 406 that is harder than the polarizer 401 and the reflective polarizer 402. Figures 8 to 10 The embodiments illustrate in Figure 5 The wearable electronic device 400 shown additionally includes an embodiment of layer 406, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and Figure 6 The application of an embodiment in which the wearable electronic device 400 additionally includes layer 406 is also possible. Furthermore, with... Figure 7 The relevant descriptions can be applied to the following: Figures 8 to 10 The implementation method.

[0124] According to this disclosure, by additionally providing a layer 406 in the polarization portion PP, a wearable electronic device 400 can be provided to reduce the wrinkles of the polarization film, prevent image or video distortion, and enhance the resolution of the output image or video.

[0125] exist Figure 8 In this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the "first embodiment"), the polarizer 401, the reflective polarizer 402, the layer 406, and the quarter-wave plate 403 can be arranged from the user's eye side E towards the display side D (a first direction). In other words, in Figure 8In one embodiment, layer 406 may be disposed between reflective polarizer 402 and quarter-wave plate 403.

[0126] exist Figure 9 In this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the "second embodiment"), the polarizer 401, layer 406, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403 can be arranged from the user's eye side E towards the display side D (first direction). In other words, in Figure 9 In one embodiment, layer 406 may be disposed between polarizer 401 and reflective polarizer 402.

[0127] exist Figure 10 In the embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the "third embodiment"), layer 406, polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403 can be arranged from the user's eye side E towards the display side D (first direction). In other words, in Figure 10 In one embodiment, layer 406 may be positioned closer to the user's eye E side than polarizer 401.

[0128] exist Figures 8 to 10 In the embodiments shown, the polarizing portion PP including layer 406 is depicted as disposed between the first lens L1 and the second lens L2, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. According to embodiments, the polarizing portion PP including layer 406 may be positioned closer to the user's eye E than the first lens L1, or it may be disposed between the second lens L2 and the third lens L3. When the number of lenses is greater, other embodiments, such as those including the polarizing portion PP of layer 406 disposed between the third lens L3 and the fourth lens, are also possible.

[0129] Layer 406 of this disclosure can be used to reduce, remove and / or prevent wrinkles in wrinkle-causing elements (e.g., polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402) included in the polarizing portion PP.

[0130] According to an embodiment, layer 406 may be composed of a material that is harder (has higher hardness) than the elements that cause wrinkling (e.g., polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402). Accordingly, layer 406 may be referred to as "rigid layer 406". As an example, a material with a pencil hardness of 6H or greater may be applied as layer 406. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) may be used as a substrate to form layer 406. When hard coating is performed, PET may have a pencil hardness of 2H to 3H, and PMMA may have a pencil hardness of 6H when hard coating is performed, so PMMA may be more advantageous in terms of hardness.

[0131] According to an embodiment, layer 406 may be composed of a material having a higher modulus (or tensile modulus) than the elements that cause wrinkles (e.g., polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402). PET may have a modulus of 2 GPa to 2.7 GPa, and PMMA may have a modulus of 2.9 GPa, thus PMMA may be more advantageous in terms of modulus.

[0132] According to another embodiment, layer 406 may have low expansion rate characteristics. For example, layer 406 may have an expansion rate based on 10⁻⁻⁶. 6 A coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 10 per 100 μm / m°C. According to another embodiment, since layer 406 can be located between multiple lenses or closer to the user's eye than the lenses, layer 406 can be composed of a transparent material with 90% or greater visible light transmittance. According to another embodiment, layer 406 can have a refractive index of 1.5 or greater. According to another embodiment, as described in detail below, layer 406 can be composed of a flexible material for performing a lamination process according to a roller method (hereinafter referred to as "roll lamination process"). According to another embodiment, layer 406 can have a thickness of 100 μm or less.

[0133] According to embodiments, layer 406 may be a thin glass (TG) having a very thin profile (e.g., about 100 μm or less). As an example, layer 406 may also be implemented as a foldable thin glass (FTG) having a very thin profile (e.g., about 100 μm or less). Furthermore, applications of other embodiments as materials for layer 406 are possible. For example, layer 406 may be a thin synthetic resin (or thin plastic (TP)) having a very thin profile (e.g., about 100 μm or less). For example, layer 406 may be configured by applying and / or depositing a hard coating liquid onto a soft layer having a very thin profile (e.g., about 100 μm or less).

[0134] Figure 11 This is a view showing the laminated structure between the polarizing portion and the lens of a wearable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0135] It can be done Figure 11 Inspect the lamination structure between the polarizing part PP and the lens. Figure 11 The predetermined lens La shown may be a lens disposed relatively closer to the subject side (e.g., the user's eye side) among a plurality of lenses included in a lens assembly, and the other lens Lb may be a lens disposed relatively closer to the display side among a plurality of lenses included in a lens assembly. For example, the predetermined lens La may be a first lens, and the other lens Lb may be a second lens, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0136] although Figure 11 The diagram shows a polarizing section PP positioned between a predetermined lens La and another adjacent lens Lb, but this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the polarizing section PP may be positioned closer to the subject side (e.g., the user's eye side) than the predetermined lens La.

[0137] and Figures 8 to 10 The embodiments shown are different. Figure 11 A laminated structure is shown, wherein an antireflective layer 405' is additionally disposed at a position closer to the subject side (e.g., the user's eye side) than the polarizer 401, and an antireflective layer 405 is disposed at a position closer to the display side than the quarter-wave plate 403. According to an embodiment, the antireflective layers 405, 405' can be formed in the form of a film, but alternatively, they can also be formed in the form of a coating applied to the lens. For example, the antireflective layer 405' disposed at a position closer to the subject side (e.g., the user's eye side) than the polarizer 401 can be coated on a surface (subject-side surface) of the lens La disposed relatively closer to the subject side (e.g., the user's eye side). As another example, the antireflective layer 405 disposed closer to the display side than the quarter-wave plate 403 can be formed in the form of a film and can also be laminated together with other components of the polarizing section PP.

[0138] Reference Figure 11 The polarizing section PP may include a polarizer 401, a reflective polarizer 402, a layer 406, a quarter-wave plate 403, and an anti-reflection layer 405, and all of these components may be laminated. Furthermore, the laminated polarizing section PP may be laminated with lenses La and / or Lb.

[0139] Figure 12 This is a view showing the lamination of the polarization section according to various embodiments.

[0140] Figure 12 Part (a) may show the lamination of some elements of the polarization portion PP in an embodiment excluding layer 406. Figure 12 Part (b) may show the lamination of some elements of the polarization portion PP in the embodiment including layer 406. Figure 12 Parts (a) and (b) may be shown Figure 10 A conceptual diagram of a magnified portion of some components of the polarization section PP.

[0141] Figure 12 Parts (a) and (b) respectively show polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402 and quarter-wave plate 403, and here, it is assumed that wrinkles are formed only on reflective polarizer 402 to give the description.

[0142] Reference Figure 12In part (a), when polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403 are laminated without layer 406, the wrinkles of reflective polarizer 402 can be visually identified as is on the exterior of the laminated structure. The wrinkles of reflective polarizer 402 in the laminated structure can be a factor causing image or video distortion.

[0143] Compare Figure 12 Part (a), see reference Figure 12 In part (b), when layer 406 is laminated with polarizer 401, reflective polarizer 402, and quarter-wave plate 403, wrinkles in reflective polarizer 402 can be reduced, removed, and / or prevented in the laminated structure. Therefore, in Figure 12 In part (b), since the effect of the wrinkles of the reflective polarizer 402 in the laminated structure can be reduced, the possibility of image or video distortion can also be reduced, which can have the advantage of enhancing resolution.

[0144] Figure 13 This is a view showing the surface roughness and resolution of the polarized portion of the laminate according to various embodiments. Figure 14 This is a view showing the locations where surface roughness is measured in two different directions relative to the ray axis.

[0145] For example, Figure 13 Comparison examples can be shown as follows: Figure 12 The surface roughness and resolution of the polarized portion laminated in part (a). For example, Figure 13 This example can be shown as follows Figure 12 The surface roughness and resolution of the polarization section of the laminate in part (b).

[0146] Reference Figure 13 In a comparative example, when the polarized portion of the laminate is observed under magnification, wrinkles can be clearly seen on the surface of the polarized portion of the laminate. (See reference...) Figure 13 In this embodiment, when the lamination polarization section is observed in a magnified manner, it can be determined that there are almost no wrinkles on the surface of the lamination polarization section.

[0147] Refer to together Figure 13 and Figure 14 Resolution can be measured in two different directions relative to the ray axis (sagittal and tangential), and the results can be displayed as an MTF curve. Figure 13 In the graph shown, the solid line represents the sagittal direction, and the dashed line represents the meridional direction MTF curve. It can be identified that the peaks of contrast values ​​in both the sagittal and meridional directions occur near the center of the ray axis. Figure 13In the comparative example, the contrast values ​​measured at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions were approximately 53% and 42%, respectively, and... Figure 13 In this embodiment, the contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions were determined to be approximately 76% and 73%, respectively.

[0148] exist Figure 13 In the comparative example, the contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions differ by approximately 13%, and this significant difference in contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions can be termed peak separation. Figure 13 Compared to the previous example, in this example, it can be determined that the difference in contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions is approximately 3%, and the peak separation phenomenon is also significantly reduced.

[0149] Refer to together Figures 12 to 14 It can be determined that, as Figure 12 Compared to the polarization portion of the laminate in part (a), such as Figure 12 The polarization section laminated in part (b) not only has enhanced surface roughness flatness, but also significantly increased resolution (23% increase in the sagittal direction and 31% increase in the meridional direction).

[0150] Figure 15 This diagram shows the assembly of the lens and laminated polarizing section into the lens barrel.

[0151] According to an embodiment, during the process of assembling the laminated polarizing portion PP together with the lens into the lens barrel LB, a protective member 406' may be additionally provided at the edge of layer 406 to prevent damage to layer 406.

[0152] According to one embodiment, the protective member 406' may be disposed between layer 406 and lens barrel LB. According to another embodiment, the protective member 406' may be configured to surround the periphery of layer 406 in the circumferential direction.

[0153] The protective member 406' can be formed of, for example, optically transparent adhesive (OCA) or optically transparent resin (OCR).

[0154] In the following text, refer to Figure 16 and Figure 17 An embodiment is described, illustrating the process of laminating a polarizing portion onto a lens.

[0155] Figure 16 This is a view showing the process of laminating the polarizing part onto the lens. Figure 17 This is a block diagram illustrating the process of laminating the polarizing part onto the lens.

[0156] Reference Figure 16 In part (a), the polarization section PP may include a polarizer 401, a reflective polarizer 402, a layer 406, a quarter-wave plate 403, and an anti-reflection layer 405, and all of these components may be laminated. Furthermore, referring to… Figure 16 Part (b) can be processed (e.g., stamped) into a shape corresponding to the lens using a laser cutting device or a CNC machining device. Furthermore, refer to... Figure 16 In part (c), the processed (e.g., stamped) polarizing portion PP can be laminated onto one surface of the lens (e.g., La) using a roller R. By using the lamination process of the roller R (hereinafter referred to as the "roller lamination process"), the generation and / or retention of air bubbles between the lens and the film can be reduced and / or prevented.

[0157] Reference Figure 17 The process of laminating the polarizing part onto the lens is described in more detail.

[0158] Referring to Operation 511 (hereinafter referred to as "Operation 511"), the lamination process according to the embodiment can first prepare a wrinkle-inducing element. In this disclosure, the wrinkle-inducing element can be, for example, polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402, and for convenience, can be referred to hereinafter as a "polarizing film". The wrinkle-inducing element prepared in Operation 511 can be one of polarizer 401 and / or reflective polarizer 402. Due to stretching, an optical axis can be formed on the wrinkle-inducing element prepared in Operation 511. For example, the optical axis formed on the wrinkle-inducing element prepared in Operation 511 can be parallel to the horizontal direction. According to the embodiment, an adhesive for lamination (e.g., OCA or OCR) can be attached to at least one surface of the wrinkle-inducing element prepared in Operation 511.

[0159] As an example of operation 511, when the wrinkle-causing element is a reflective polarizer 402, in operation 511, the reflective polarizer 402 can be coated with an adhesive (e.g., OCA or OCR) while having an optical axis in one direction (e.g., horizontal). Regarding operation 512, a layer 406 having high hardness and / or high modulus can be laminated onto a polarizing film stretched along the optical axis direction in operation 511. For example, when the wrinkle-causing element prepared in operation 511 is a reflective polarizer 402, in operation 512, layer 406 can be laminated onto the reflective polarizer 402.

[0160] Regarding operation 513, other components for configuring the polarization section PP can be attached. For example, when the wrinkling element prepared in operation 511 is the reflective polarizer 402, in operation 513, the quarter-wave plate 403 can be laminated onto the reflective polarizer 402.

[0161] Regarding operation 514, when the component laminated on the reflective polarizer 402 in operation 513 is a quarter-wave plate 403, for example, a protective film may be attached to one surface of the quarter-wave plate 403, and this may be removed.

[0162] Regarding operation 515, in addition to the aforementioned operations 511, 512, 513, and 514, the operation of forming antireflective layers 405 and 405' can also be performed. However, operation 515 can be performed at any stage before, during, or after the aforementioned operations 511, 512, 513, and 514.

[0163] Furthermore, the annealing process can be performed while the polarizing PP is laminated. Annealing is a heat treatment method that heats the object to a predetermined temperature and then slowly cools it. In this disclosure, the annealing process can be performed to increase the adhesion between the laminated polarizing PP components. For example, a method can be performed where the laminated polarizing PP is heated at 80°C or higher for 2 hours or more, followed by slow cooling.

[0164] Regarding operation 516, the process of additionally laminating polarizer 401 can be performed. Here, polarizer 401 can also be an element that causes wrinkling by stretching in one direction (e.g., the vertical direction). Although not shown in the figures, an annealing process can be performed separately after the lamination process of operation 516.

[0165] Regarding operations 517 and 518, the laminated polarizing portion PP can be processed using a laser cutting device or a CNC machining device, and the polarizing portion PP can be processed to correspond to the shape of the lens. Figure 16 The roller R described in part (c) will be processed into a polarizing portion PP corresponding to the shape of the lens and laminated onto the lens (e.g., La).

[0166] According to the embodiments, it is possible to Figure 16 and Figure 17 The processes included here are further processed using a high-pressure autoclave.

[0167] In the following text, refer to Figure 18 and 19 The performance of the layer 406 in the polarization section PP can be compared by referring to the peak value and surface roughness of the MTF plot according to various embodiments.

[0168] Figure 18 This is a view showing the laminated structure, MTF peak curve, and surface roughness of the lens and polarizing section according to various embodiments. Figure 19 These are conceptually comparative views of the first, second, and third embodiments of this disclosure.

[0169] Figure 18 It shows the relationship with Figure 13 The comparison examples corresponding to the comparison examples and the comparison examples with Figure 13 The peak value and surface roughness of the MTF curves corresponding to the first, second and third embodiments of this example.

[0170] Figure 18 and Figure 19 The wearable electronic device shown may include a lens 601, a polarizer 601, a reflective polarizer 602, a quarter-wave plate 603, and an anti-reflective layer 605. (In the description...) Figure 18 and Figure 19 In the embodiments shown, descriptions that are repeated in the above embodiments may be omitted. For example, other lenses and beam splitters in the above embodiments are omitted from the figures. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, as Figure 18 As shown, the wearable electronic device may additionally include an anti-reflective layer 605.

[0171] Refer to together Figure 18 and Figure 19 The first embodiment shows the state in which layer 606 is attached to the surface of reflective polarizer 602 facing the display D side. The second embodiment shows the state in which layer 606 is attached to the surface of reflective polarizer 602 facing the user's eye E side and between reflective polarizer 602 and polarizer 601. The third embodiment shows the state in which layer 606 is attached to the surface of polarizer 601 facing the user's eye E side.

[0172] Reference Figure 18 The comparative example of surface roughness shows that when the polarized portion of the laminate is viewed in a magnified manner, wrinkles are relatively clearly visible on the surface of the polarized portion. On the other hand, Figure 18 The surface roughness of the first, second, and third embodiments shows that, when the lamination polarization section is viewed in a magnified manner, there are almost no wrinkles on the surface of the lamination polarization section.

[0173] Similar to Figure 13 , Figure 18 MTF plots for resolution measurements in two different directions relative to the ray axis (sagittal and tangential) are also shown. Figure 18 In the graph shown, the solid line represents the sagittal direction and the dashed line represents the meridional direction MTF curve. It can be identified that the peaks of the contrast values ​​in both the sagittal and meridional directions occur near the center of the optical axis. Figure 18In the comparative example, the contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions were identified as approximately 53% and 42%, respectively. Figure 18 In the case of the first embodiment, the contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions were identified as approximately 65% ​​and 68%, respectively. Figure 18 In the second embodiment, the contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions were identified as approximately 76% and 73%, respectively. Figure 18 In the case of the third embodiment, the contrast values ​​at the MTF peaks in the sagittal and meridional directions were identified as approximately 68% and 72%, respectively.

[0174] Compare the first, second, and third embodiments corresponding to this example, with reference to... Figure 18 and Figure 19 It can be identified that, in the first embodiment, the deviation of the contrast value at the MTF peak in the sagittal and meridional directions increases with the increase of the distance from the center of the optical axis; however, in the second and third embodiments, the deviation of the contrast value at the MTF peak in the sagittal and meridional directions is almost constant. Examining these results, it can be determined that, from the perspective of resolution, the second and third embodiments have a more advantageous effect than the first embodiment.

[0175] Reference Figure 19 In the first embodiment, since layer 606 and polarizer 601 are spaced apart, the effect of reducing, removing, and / or preventing wrinkles in polarizer 601 through lamination between polarizer 601 and reflective polarizer 602 may be less than that in the second embodiment. Similarly, in the third embodiment, since layer 606 and reflective polarizer 602 are spaced apart, the effect of reducing, removing, and / or preventing wrinkles in polarizer 601 through lamination between polarizer 601 and reflective polarizer 602 may be less than that in the second embodiment. Regarding wrinkle enhancement effect, the second embodiment exhibits the most significant effect among the first, second, and third embodiments.

[0176] The electronic device according to embodiments of this disclosure can be one of various types of electronic devices. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those described above.

[0177] The embodiments of this disclosure and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described herein to particular embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of the embodiments. Similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related parts in conjunction with the description of the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that, unless the relevant context explicitly states otherwise, the singular form of the noun corresponding to an item may include one or more things. In this document, phrases such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” may each include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. As used herein, terms such as “first” and “second” or “first” and “second” may be used simply to distinguish the corresponding part from another part and do not limit the parts in other respects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that, whether the terms “operably” or “communically” are used or not, if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as “combined with another element (e.g., a second element),” “combined to another element (e.g., a second element),” “connected to another element (e.g., a second element),” or “connected to another element (e.g., a second element)”, it means that the element can be directly (e.g., wiredly) connected to the other element, wirelessly connected to the other element, or connected to the other element via a third element.

[0178] As used herein, the term "module" can include units implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and is used interchangeably with other terms such as "logic," "logic block," "part," or "circuit." A module can be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions, or its smallest unit or part. For example, according to an embodiment, a module can be implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0179] The embodiments described herein can be implemented as software (e.g., a program) including one or more instructions readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device) stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal or external memory). For example, under the control of a processor, the processor of the machine (e.g., an electronic device) can invoke and execute at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, with or without the use of one or more other components. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the invoked at least one instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be run by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the term "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but this term does not distinguish between data being stored semi-permanently in the storage medium and data being temporarily stored in the storage medium.

[0180] According to embodiments, methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or via an app store (e.g., the Play Store). TM The computer program product may be published online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded), or may be distributed directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones) (e.g., downloaded or uploaded). If published online, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily generated, or at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium (such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an app store's server, or a forwarding server).

[0181] According to embodiments, each of the above components (e.g., a module or program) may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately disposed in different components. According to embodiments, one or more of the above components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Optionally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as a corresponding component of the multiple components performed one or more functions before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more operations may be run in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0182] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a lens assembly (LA) may be provided, comprising: at least three lenses; and a polarizing portion (PP) comprising polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602, quarter-wave plates 403, 603, and a beam splitter 404 arranged sequentially along a first direction, wherein polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602, and quarter-wave plates 403, 603 are spaced apart from beam splitter 404, wherein at least one of the at least three lenses is inserted between polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602, and quarter-wave plates 403, 603 and beam splitter 404, and wherein the polarizing portion PP comprises layers 406, 606 that are harder than polarizers 401, 601, and reflective polarizers 402, 602.

[0183] According to an embodiment, the lens assembly may be a pancake-shaped lens assembly.

[0184] According to the embodiment, polarizers 401, 601 and reflective polarizers 402, 602 can be stretched to have optical axes in different directions.

[0185] According to an embodiment, the polarization section PP may include a first polarization section PP1 and a second polarization section PP2. The first polarization section PP1 includes a first polarizer 401, 601, a first reflective polarizer 402, 602 and a first quarter-wave plate 403, 603. The second polarization section PP2 includes a second quarter-wave plate 408 and a second polarizer 409.

[0186] According to an embodiment, the polarizing portion PP can be disposed between two adjacent lenses among at least three lenses.

[0187] According to an embodiment, layers 406 and 606 can be configured to be closer to the user's eye than the polarizer.

[0188] According to an embodiment, layers 406 and 606 can be disposed between polarizers 401 and 601 and reflective polarizers 402 and 602.

[0189] According to an embodiment, the layer can be disposed between the reflective polarizer and the quarter-wave plate.

[0190] According to an embodiment, the layer may be a layer having a higher modulus than that of the polarizer and the reflective polarizer.

[0191] According to an embodiment, the layer may be formed of a transparent material with a visible light transmittance of 90% or higher.

[0192] According to an embodiment, at least a portion of the layer may be flexible.

[0193] According to an embodiment, the layer may have a refractive index of 1.5 or greater.

[0194] According to an embodiment, the manufacturing process of the polarization portion may include an annealing process for the laminated polarization portion.

[0195] According to embodiments, the layer may have a thickness of 100 μm or less. This layer can be formed by applying and / or depositing a hard coating liquid onto thin glass (TG), foldable thin glass (FTG), thin synthetic resin (or thin plastic (TP)), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and / or a soft layer.

[0196] According to an embodiment, a wearable electronic device may be provided, including a lens assembly LA and a display D configured to emit light toward the user's eye side (E).

[0197] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a lens assembly (LA) may be provided, comprising: at least three lenses; and a polarizing portion (PP) comprising polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602, quarter-wave plates 403, 603, and a beam splitter 404 arranged sequentially along a first direction, wherein polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602, and quarter-wave plates 403, 603 are spaced apart from beam splitter 404, wherein at least one of the at least three lenses is inserted between polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602, and quarter-wave plates 403, 603 and beam splitter 404, and wherein the polarizing portion PP includes layers 406, 606 having a higher modulus than polarizers 401, 601, and reflective polarizers 402, 602.

[0198] According to an embodiment, the manufacturing process of the polarization portion may include an annealing process for the laminated polarization portion.

[0199] According to embodiments, the layer may have a thickness of 100 μm or less. This layer can be formed by applying and / or depositing a hard coating liquid onto thin glass (TG), foldable thin glass (FTG), thin synthetic resin (or thin plastic (TP)), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and / or a soft layer.

[0200] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in a wearable electronic device 400, a wearable electronic device may be provided, including: at least three lenses disposed between the user's eye (E) side and the display (D) side and aligned along a ray axis (O); and a polarizing portion (PP) comprising polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602, quarter-wave plates 403, 603 and a beam splitter 404 arranged sequentially along a first direction, wherein polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602 and quarter-wave plates 403, 603 are spaced apart from beam splitter 404, wherein at least one of the at least three lenses is located between polarizers 401, 601, reflective polarizers 402, 602 and quarter-wave plates 403, 603 and beam splitter 404, and rigid layers 406, 606 are disposed between polarizers and reflective polarizers.

[0201] According to an embodiment, the lens assembly may be a pancake-shaped lens assembly.

[0202] While this disclosure has been described and illustrated in conjunction with various embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are not limiting but illustrative. Various changes in form and detail may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the overall scope of this disclosure, including the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A lens assembly (LA), comprising: At least three lenses; and The polarization section (PP) includes polarizers (401, 601), reflective polarizers (402, 602), quarter-wave plates (403, 603), and beam splitters (404) arranged sequentially along a first direction. The polarizers (401, 601), the reflective polarizers (402, 602), and the quarter-wave plates (403, 603) are spaced apart from the beam splitter (404), wherein at least one of the at least three lenses is inserted between the polarizers (401, 601), the reflective polarizers (402, 602), and the quarter-wave plates (403, 603) and the beam splitter (404), and... The polarizing portion (PP) includes a layer (406, 606) that is harder than the polarizers (401, 601) and the reflective polarizers (402, 602).

2. The lens assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The lens assembly is a pancake-shaped lens assembly.

3. The lens assembly according to claim 1 or 2, in, The polarizers (401, 601) and the reflective polarizers (402, 602) are stretched to have optical axes in different directions.

4. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The polarization section (PP) includes: The first polarization section (PP1) includes a first polarizer (401, 601), a first reflective polarizer (402, 602), and a first quarter-wave plate (403, 603); and The second polarization section (PP2) includes a second quarter-wave plate (408) and a second polarizer (409).

5. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in, The polarizing section (PP) is disposed between two adjacent lenses among the at least three lenses.

6. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in, The layers (406, 606) are positioned closer to the user's eye than the polarizers (401, 601).

7. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in, The layers (406, 606) are disposed between the polarizers (401, 601) and the reflective polarizers (402, 602).

8. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in, The layers (406, 606) are disposed between the reflective polarizer (402, 602) and the quarter-wave plate (403, 603).

9. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in, The layers (406, 606) have a higher modulus than the polarizers (401, 601) and the reflective polarizers (402, 602).

10. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, in, The layers (406, 606) are formed of a transparent material with 90% or greater visible light transmittance.

11. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10, in, At least a portion of the layers (406, 606) is flexible.

12. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11, in, The layers (406, 606) have a refractive index of 1.5 or greater.

13. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, in, The manufacturing process of the polarizing portion (PP) includes an annealing process for the laminated polarizing portion (PP).

14. The lens assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 13, in, The layer has a thickness of 100 μm or less, and The layer is formed of thin glass (TG), foldable thin glass (FTG), thin synthetic resin (thin plastic (TP)), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and / or the layer is formed by applying and / or depositing a hard coating liquid on a soft layer.

15. A wearable electronic device comprising a lens assembly (LA) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 and a display (D) configured to emit light toward the user's eye side (E).

Images