Low-cost light-adjustable AR glasses
By employing a combination of polarizers and waveplates in AR glasses, and utilizing a rotating fourth polarizer to adjust the optical axis coincidence, the high cost of electrochromic films is solved, enabling low-cost adjustment of the intensity of light entering the eye while ensuring image quality and privacy protection.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520852146.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-06
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-04-29
AI Technical Summary
The high cost of electrochromic lenses in existing AR glasses leads to high overall product costs, making it difficult to maintain low costs while ensuring image quality.
The design employs a combination of flat glass, a first polarizer, a second polarizer, a first quarter-wave plate, a curved mirror, a second quarter-wave plate, a third polarizer, and a fourth polarizer. By rotating the fourth polarizer, the optical axis coincidence can be adjusted to regulate the intensity of light entering the eye, eliminate light leakage, protect user privacy, and ensure image quality.
It achieves the goal of adjusting the intensity of light entering the eye in a low-cost manner while ensuring image quality, avoiding interference from external light, and reducing product costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN223977447U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of near-eye display technology, specifically relating to a low-cost dimmable AR glasses. Background Technology
[0002] In modern AR (Augmented Reality) products, cost is a crucial factor in product competitiveness. Therefore, maintaining a relatively low cost is a critical challenge that AR products must overcome while continuously improving functionality and display effects. For AR glasses, the brightness entering the eye needs to be adjusted according to the ambient light intensity. Too much or too little ambient light can interfere with the viewer's perception of AR images. Current optical solutions on the market use electrochromic filters at the front end of AR products to adjust the transmittance and thus the brightness entering the eye under different ambient light intensities. However, electrochromic filters are expensive, and adding them to AR glasses inevitably increases the overall product cost significantly. Therefore, this paper proposes a low-cost, dimmable AR glasses solution. Utility Model Content
[0003] The purpose of this invention is to address the above-mentioned problems by proposing a low-cost, dimmable AR glasses that can adjust the intensity of light entering the eye, ensuring image quality, and at a low cost.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:
[0005] This utility model proposes a low-cost, dimmable AR glasses, comprising a flat glass, a first polarizer, a second polarizer, a first quarter-wave plate, a curved mirror, a second quarter-wave plate, a third polarizer, and a fourth polarizer, wherein:
[0006] The first quarter-wave plate, the curved mirror, the second quarter-wave plate, the third polarizer, and the fourth polarizer are arranged sequentially along the optical axis of the curved mirror. The flat glass is tilted relative to the optical axis of the curved mirror and is located on the side of the first quarter-wave plate away from the curved mirror. The first polarizer and the second polarizer are attached to the flat glass sequentially along the direction close to the curved mirror. The fourth polarizer also rotates around the optical axis of the curved mirror. The second polarizer is used to reflect the imaging light to the curved mirror, and then the light is reflected by the curved mirror and passes through the flat glass to enter the human eye. External light passes through the fourth polarizer, the third polarizer, the second quarter-wave plate, the curved mirror, the first quarter-wave plate, the second polarizer, the first polarizer, and the flat glass sequentially to enter the human eye.
[0007] Preferably, the first, third, and fourth polarizers are all absorptive polarizers, and the second polarizer is a reflective polarizer.
[0008] Preferably, a semi-transparent and semi-reflective film is provided on the surface of the curved mirror near the second polarizer.
[0009] Preferably, the surface shape of the curved mirror is a free combination of a spherical surface, an aspherical surface, a free-form surface, a Fresnel surface, or a plane.
[0010] Preferably, the first polarizer is used to absorb S-polarized light, and the second polarizer is used to reflect S-polarized light.
[0011] Preferably, the first quarter-wave plate is attached to the curved mirror, and the second quarter-wave plate is attached to the third polarizer.
[0012] Preferably, the low-cost dimmable AR glasses also include an optical mechanism for providing imaging light.
[0013] Preferably, the optical engine is an OLED display.
[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:
[0015] This low-cost, dimmable AR glasses comprises a flat glass panel, a first polarizer, a second polarizer, a first quarter-wave plate, a curved mirror, a second quarter-wave plate, a third polarizer, and a fourth polarizer. On one hand, the imaging light is reflected from the second polarizer to the curved mirror, then reflected again by the curved mirror and passes through the flat glass into the user's eye to form a virtual image. The design of the second quarter-wave plate and the third polarizer eliminates light leakage and protects user privacy. On the other hand, by enabling the fourth polarizer to rotate around the optical axis of the curved mirror, the overlap of the optical axes of the third and fourth polarizers is changed, thus adjusting the intensity of the light entering the eye. This avoids interference from excessively strong or weak external light during viewing, ensuring image quality, and is cost-effective. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the low-cost dimmable AR glasses of this utility model.
[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Flat glass; 2. First polarizer; 3. Second polarizer; 4. First quarter-wave plate; 5. Curved mirror; 6. Second quarter-wave plate; 7. Third polarizer; 8. Fourth polarizer. Detailed Implementation
[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0019] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application.
[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, a low-cost dimmable AR glasses includes a flat glass 1, a first polarizer 2, a second polarizer 3, a first quarter-wave plate 4, a curved mirror 5, a second quarter-wave plate 6, a third polarizer 7, and a fourth polarizer 8, wherein:
[0021] The first quarter-wave plate 4, the curved mirror 5, the second quarter-wave plate 6, the third polarizer 7, and the fourth polarizer 8 are arranged sequentially along the optical axis of the curved mirror 5. The flat glass 1 is tilted relative to the optical axis of the curved mirror 5 and is located on the side of the first quarter-wave plate 4 away from the curved mirror 5. The first polarizer 2 and the second polarizer 3 are attached to the flat glass 1 sequentially along the direction close to the curved mirror 5. The fourth polarizer 8 also rotates around the optical axis of the curved mirror 5. The second polarizer 3 is used to reflect the imaging light to the curved mirror 5, and then the light is reflected by the curved mirror 5 and passes through the flat glass 1 to enter the human eye. External light passes through the fourth polarizer 8, the third polarizer 7, the second quarter-wave plate 6, the curved mirror 5, the first quarter-wave plate 4, the second polarizer 3, the first polarizer 2, and the flat glass 1 in sequence to enter the human eye.
[0022] The low-cost, dimmable AR glasses include a flat glass 1, a first polarizer 2 (POL1), a second polarizer 3 (IQPS), a first quarter-wave plate 4 (QWP1), a curved mirror 5, a second quarter-wave plate 6 (QWP2), a third polarizer 7 (POL2), and a fourth polarizer 8 (POL3), as follows: Figure 1As shown. The first polarizer 2 and the second polarizer 3 have opposite polarization states and are bonded together to form a composite film system, which is attached to the upper surface of the flat glass 1. The first polarizer 2 is positioned close to the flat glass 1, and the second polarizer 3 has a reflective function. For example, to achieve the function of transmitting P and reflecting S, the first polarizer 2 has an absorption function, that is, transmitting P and absorbing S. P represents P-polarized light, and S represents S-polarized light. The flat glass 1 can be made of plastic or glass. The first quarter-wave plate 4 is attached to the inner surface of the curved mirror 5 (i.e., the side close to the second polarizer 3). Each quarter-wave plate is used to realize the conversion between linearly polarized light and circularly polarized light. The curved mirror 5 is a lens with aberration correction and light path reflection functions. The lens material can be either glass or plastic. The design of the second quarter-wave plate 6 and the third polarizer 7 eliminates light leakage and protects user privacy. By rotating the fourth polarizer 8 around the optical axis of the curved mirror 5, the overlap between the optical axes of the third polarizer 7 and the fourth polarizer 8 is changed, thus adjusting the intensity of light entering the eye. This prevents interference from excessively strong or weak external light, ensuring image quality, and is cost-effective. It is easy to understand that the rotation of the fourth polarizer 8 can be achieved manually or electrically by rotating a ring on the AR glasses frame (not shown in the figure). That is, the fourth polarizer 8 is fixed to the ring, and the ring can rotate relative to the AR glasses frame, thereby driving the rotation of the fourth polarizer 8. The specific structural design can also be adjusted according to actual needs.
[0023] In one embodiment, the first polarizer 2, the third polarizer 7, and the fourth polarizer 8 are all absorptive polarizers, and the second polarizer 3 is a reflective polarizer.
[0024] In one embodiment, a semi-transparent and semi-reflective film is provided on the surface of the curved mirror 5 near the second polarizer 3. For example, if the inner surface of the curved mirror 5 is concave and a semi-transparent and semi-reflective film is provided, the semi-transparent and semi-reflective film can be implemented by coating or by applying a film.
[0025] In one embodiment, the surface shape of the curved mirror 5 is a free combination of a spherical, aspherical, freeform, Fresnel, or planar surface. It is easy to understand that each surface shape can be freely selected and combined among spherical, aspherical, freeform, Fresnel, and planar surfaces. The surface shapes of the mirrors are not required to be identical; each mirror only needs to select one of these surface shapes. Therefore, the surface shape of the curved mirror 5 can be the same or different.
[0026] In one embodiment, the first polarizer 2 is used to absorb S-polarized light, and the second polarizer 3 is used to reflect S-polarized light.
[0027] In one embodiment, a first quarter-wave plate 4 is attached to a curved mirror 5, and a second quarter-wave plate 6 is attached to a third polarizer 7.
[0028] In one embodiment, the low-cost dimmable AR glasses also include an optical engine for providing imaging light.
[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the optical engine can be mounted above the flat glass 1. A polarization unit (such as a polarizer) can also be mounted on the light-emitting side of the optical engine. Its function is to modulate the light emitted by the optical engine into linearly polarized light that meets the requirements, such as modulating it to be opposite to the polarization state of the second polarizer 3. In this embodiment, the linearly polarized light formed by modulation is S-polarized light. The second polarizer 3 is used to reflect the S-polarized light, and the first polarizer 2 is used to absorb the S-polarized light.
[0030] In one embodiment, the optical engine is an OLED display. It is readily understood that the type of optical engine can also be adjusted according to the actual needs of those skilled in the art.
[0031] Working principle:
[0032] The imaging light emitted by the optical engine, assuming it is directly or indirectly modulated into S-polarized light, is reflected by the second polarizer 3. Upon first passing through the first quarter-wave plate 4, the light is modulated, changing from linearly polarized to circularly polarized. The light continues to trace to the inner surface of the curved mirror 5. Since the inner surface of the curved mirror 5 is coated with a semi-transparent, semi-reflective film, its transmittance-to-reflection ratio can be adjusted according to actual needs, causing a portion of the light to be reflected. This portion of the light is effectively utilized, and the reflected light passes through the first quarter-wave plate 4 again. Here, the light is modulated again, changing from circularly polarized to linearly polarized, forming a 90° angle with the linearly polarized light emitted by the optical engine, assuming it becomes P-polarized light. This P-polarized light sequentially passes through the second polarizer 3, the first polarizer 2, and the flat glass 1 before entering the eye to form a virtual image. A portion of the light is transmitted through the curved mirror 5, and after being modulated by the second quarter-wave plate 6, it is changed from circularly polarized to linearly polarized, and then absorbed by the third polarizer 7 to eliminate light leakage. External light passes sequentially through the fourth polarizer 8, the third polarizer 7, the second quarter-wave plate 6, the curved mirror 5, the first quarter-wave plate 4, the second polarizer 3, the first polarizer 2, and the flat glass 1 before entering the human eye. Figure 1 The arrows in the diagram indicate the direction. Depending on the intensity of external light, the optical axis overlap between the third polarizer 7 and the fourth polarizer 8 can be changed by rotating the fourth polarizer 8, thereby adjusting the intensity of light entering the eye. This avoids interference from excessively strong or weak external light when viewed by the human eye, ensuring image quality, and is also cost-effective.
[0033] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0034] The embodiments described above are merely specific and detailed examples of the embodiments described in this application, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A low cost tunable light AR eyewear characterized by: The low-cost adjustable light AR glasses comprise a flat glass (1), a first polarizer (2), a second polarizer (3), a first quarter-wave plate (4), a curved mirror (5), a second quarter-wave plate (6), a third polarizer (7) and a fourth polarizer (8), wherein: The first quarter-wave plate (4), the curved mirror (5), the second quarter-wave plate (6), the third polarizer (7) and the fourth polarizer (8) are sequentially arranged along the optical axis direction of the curved mirror (5), the flat glass (1) is arranged obliquely relative to the optical axis of the curved mirror (5) and located on the side of the first quarter-wave plate (4) away from the curved mirror (5), the first polarizer (2) and the second polarizer (3) are sequentially attached to the flat glass (1) in the direction close to the curved mirror (5), the fourth polarizer (8) also rotates around the optical axis of the curved mirror (5), the second polarizer (3) is used for reflecting imaging light to the curved mirror (5), and then the imaging light is transmitted into the human eye through the flat glass (1) after being reflected by the curved mirror (5), external light is sequentially transmitted into the human eye through the fourth polarizer (8), the third polarizer (7), the second quarter-wave plate (6), the curved mirror (5), the first quarter-wave plate (4), the second polarizer (3), the first polarizer (2) and the flat glass (1).
2. The low cost tunable light AR eyewear of claim 1, wherein: The first polarizer (2), the third polarizer (7) and the fourth polarizer (8) are all absorption polarizers, and the second polarizer (3) is a reflective polarizer.
3. The low cost tunable light AR eyewear of claim 1, wherein: The surface of the curved mirror (5) close to the second polarizer (3) is provided with a semi-transmissive and semi-reflective film.
4. The low cost tunable light AR eyewear of claim 1, wherein: The mirror surface of the curved mirror (5) is a spherical surface or a non-spherical surface or a free curved surface or a Fresnel surface or a plane.
5. The low cost tunable light AR eyewear of claim 1, wherein: The first polarizer (2) is used for absorbing S linearly polarized light, and the second polarizer (3) is used for reflecting S linearly polarized light.
6. The low cost tunable light AR eyewear of claim 1, wherein: The first quarter-wave plate (4) is attached to the curved mirror (5), and the second quarter-wave plate (6) is attached to the third polarizer (7).
7. The low cost tunable light AR eyewear of claim 1, wherein: The low-cost adjustable light AR glasses further comprise an optical machine for providing imaging light.
8. The low cost tunable light AR eyewear of claim 7, wherein: The optical machine is an OLED display.