Passive Optical Projection Device
Patent Information
- Application Number
- KR1020250030631
- Authority / Receiving Office
- KR · KR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-17
Smart Images

Figure PAT00013_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technology Field
[0001] The invention relates to a design for displaying a foreground, and more specifically, to displaying a foreground obscured by an object on top of the object using only an optical body without a power source. Background Technology
[0002] House windows obstruct the view outside, reducing the sense of openness, and some pedestrian traffic accidents occur when pedestrians are obscured by blind spots created by the front chassis during left and right turns. By projecting the view on the opposite side onto the object itself, safety and the sense of openness can be improved. Currently, while electronic equipment such as radar, thermal imaging, and X-rays can be used to see through objects, the results are not realistic. Furthermore, implementing this using video devices and projection mapping is difficult because it is hard to overcome viewpoint errors when the observer's perspective changes or when viewing from multiple positions. This invention addresses these issues by providing a device that projects images using only optical principles without a power supply, a solution that has not been achieved to date. The problem to be solved
[0003] This invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems by enhancing safety and a sense of openness through visualizing the scene on the opposite side, which is obscured by an object, on top of the object. This invention enables the securing of a sense of openness and improved safety in daily life without the need for separate, complex video equipment. means of solving the problem
[0004] The present invention includes a housing (400) attached to an object (500), an optical body that collects and adjusts a foreground image to be visualized by opening one side of the housing (400) and is disposed inside the housing (400) to form an image adjustment unit (100), and an optical body that visualizes the adjusted foreground image by opening the other side of the housing (400) and is disposed to form an image visualization unit.
[0005] The image adjustment unit (100) includes a structure that increases the illumination of the image visualization unit (300) by additionally configuring a separated image adjustment unit (200) that is placed at a predetermined interval in the housing (400).
[0006] The housing (400) is attached to one side of the object (500) in the direction of the observer and protrudes a certain distance in the lateral direction of the object (500), and the protruding part of the image adjustment unit (100) is opened to illuminate the foreground direction to be visualized, and the image visualization unit (300) is formed in the housing (400) in the direction of the observer's view, and the separated image adjustment unit (200) is attached to the other side of the attachment surface of the housing (400) of the object (500) and protrudes a certain distance parallel to the image adjustment unit (100) in the lateral direction of the object (500), and the side facing the image adjustment unit (100) of the protruding part and the direction to be visualized are opened, and an image adjustment optical body is placed inside. Effects of the invention
[0007] By overlaying the external view onto the window frame, visual obstructions are resolved to ensure a sense of openness. Additionally, by projecting the view onto the pillars to reveal blind spots inside the vehicle, it helps prevent traffic accidents and resolves issues caused by visual interference. In special cases, it can also be applied to the transparency of objects. The effect of see-through viewing can be observed with the naked eye without the need for separate observation equipment. Brief explanation of the drawing
[0008] The representative drawing is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a basic configuration. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a wide configuration. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment for lateral visualization. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment for front and side composite visualization. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment for improving surface roughness with a thin configuration. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment when the device is moved. Specific details for implementing the invention
[0009] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention have been selected to be as widely used as possible, taking into account their functions in the invention; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the overall content of the invention.
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention may be subject to various modifications and may have various embodiments. Therefore, the embodiments and drawings are not intended to limit the scope to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all structures, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the concept and scope of the invention. In describing the embodiments, if it is determined that specific descriptions of related prior art or redundant descriptions may obscure the gist of the matter, such detailed descriptions are omitted.
[0011] Terms may be used to describe various components, but components are not limited by terms. Terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.
[0012] The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "forming" are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and unless specifically stated otherwise, do not exclude other components but may include additional components.
[0013] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, nor are the technical features of the present invention limited by the embodiments described. Various modifications are possible within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the various embodiments of this document and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of said embodiments.
[0014] A power-free optical-based projection device has a housing attached in a manner that covers the entire surface of an object that obstructs the field of view. The housing is formed in a flat shape for ease of image visualization and is positioned in the direction of the observer's view. A portion of the housing protrudes laterally to the side of the object relative to the foreground direction to be visualized. An image adjustment section is formed by opening the protruding part of the housing toward the foreground direction to be visualized and arranging a transparent protective body and an optical body. The optical body of the image adjustment section may be installed by selectively combining reflectors such as flat mirrors, concave mirrors, convex mirrors, and translucent mirrors, as well as concave lenses, convex lenses, and prisms, and includes at least one image-converging optical body. This optical body serves to receive and adjust the foreground image to be visualized, which is seen through the open part of the housing.
[0015] To increase the luminosity of the image to be finally visualized, the image adjustment unit may additionally be configured with a separated image adjustment unit spaced apart from the image adjustment unit formed in the housing as shown in FIG. 4. The separated image adjustment unit is attached to the opposite side of the object to which the housing is attached, in the foreground direction to be visualized. The separated image adjustment unit may be configured as a separate housing by physically separating it from the housing containing the image adjustment unit, or it may be connected to the housing. One side of the separated image adjustment unit is widely open in the foreground direction for visualization, and a transparent protective layer is placed in the open portion. Inside the separated image adjustment unit, various optical elements for adjusting the size and orientation of the foreground image are selectively placed, and at least one optical element for reducing the image is included. One side of the housing of the separated image adjustment unit protrudes in a direction approximately parallel to the protruding part of the image adjustment unit, and the side facing the image adjustment unit is narrowly open and a transparent glass is placed therein. The optical element of the separated image adjustment unit reduces the foreground image and transmits it through the narrowly open portion of the separated image adjustment unit to the open portion protruding from the image adjustment unit.
[0016] In a configuration where the image adjustment unit or the separated image adjustment unit moves, the alignment between the two optical bodies is separated. When the alignment is separated in this way, a composite configuration can be made so that foreground visualization is maintained in the image adjustment unit as shown in Fig. 6. In this case, if the alignment between the two adjustment units is disrupted, the structure is designed so that the tilt of the optical body of the image adjustment unit, which receives the image from the separated image adjustment unit, is aligned in the direction of the foreground to be visualized. In this configuration, when the image adjustment unit and the separated image adjustment unit are aligned, interference with the image transmitted from the image adjustment unit may occur, and the structure may be designed so that the protruding part of the separated image adjustment unit closes or the tilt of the optical body changes.
[0017] An image visualization section is formed on one side of the housing facing the observer. The image visualization section may be formed with a certain width on one side of the housing facing the observer, or it may be formed across the entire side of the housing. An optical element is placed in the image visualization section to receive and visualize the foreground image adjusted by the image adjustment section. The optical element placed on one side of the image visualization section may be composed of a screen, an image paralleling optical element, or a wide-field optical element, either individually or in combination. For the image paralleling optical element, a collimator lens, a Fresnel lens, a convex lens, or a micro-array lens may be used, while for the wide-field optical element, a curved Fresnel lens, a lenticular lens, or a micro-array lens may be used. Curved Fresnel lenses facilitate securing a viewing angle, and to minimize image scattering caused by the refractive surface of the Fresnel lens, the lens is positioned so that the refractive surface faces the observer; furthermore, arranging multiple Fresnel lenses side by side rather than using a single Fresnel lens can minimize image distortion. Tempered glass may be placed on one side as a protective layer to protect and maintain the cleanliness of the image visualization section. For a simple configuration, it is preferable to use a screen as the optical element in the image visualization section. The observer can see the view obscured by an obstacle over the obstacle with the naked eye, without the need for separate observation equipment.
[0018] All optical elements in the device adjust the foreground image based on their respective focal lengths, curvatures, and inclinations. It is desirable to arrange linear optical elements in parallel to visualize an elongated foreground. The focal length of an optical element is determined by the radius of curvature and follows the focal length formula. However, if the optical element is an elongated linear form, the width to which the curvature is applied is used in the focal length calculation, and the length of the optical element is independent of the focal length. In other words, as the length of the optical element increases, a wider range of the foreground can be visualized, while the focal length remains constant. They are arranged to visualize an upright image, taking into account image inversion due to focus, such as using concave mirrors or convex lenses.
[0019] As an example of image adjustment, FIG. 1 illustrates a three-stage basic configuration for image visualization of the present device. A housing (400) is attached to one side of an object (500) in the direction of the observer's field of view, and a part of the housing (400) protrudes sideways to the side of the object (500) with respect to the foreground direction to be visualized. The part of the housing (400) protruding sideways to the object (500) opens in the direction of the image to be visualized, and an image adjustment unit (100) is formed inside the housing (400). A protective glass (160) is placed at the entrance of the image adjustment unit (100), and a concave mirror (110) is placed inside at a 45-degree angle. A flat mirror (130) is placed at a position symmetrical to the concave mirror (110). A curved Fresnel lens (341) is placed in the image visualization unit (300), a curved lenticular lens (351) is placed overlappingly, and a protective glass (360) is placed on the outside. The foreground image to be visualized is reflected by the concave mirror (110) of the image adjustment unit (100), passes through the focus, and is sent to the flat mirror (130). The image reflected by the flat mirror (130) is visualized by passing through the curved Fresnel lens (341) and the curved lenticular lens (351) of the image visualization unit (300).
[0020] As an example for wide-range image visualization, FIG. 2 shows four concave mirrors (110) arranged side by side at an angle of approximately 45 degrees inside an image adjustment unit (100). The angles of each concave mirror (110) are arranged with slightly different angles so as to illuminate a wide range of the foreground. Four flat mirrors (130) are arranged at regular intervals at symmetrical positions to the concave mirrors (110). Four Fresnel lenses (340) are arranged in the image visualization unit (300), lenticular lenses (350) are arranged in an overlapping manner, and a protective glass (360) is placed on the outside. The foreground image to be visualized is separated and reflected by the four concave mirrors (110) of the image adjustment unit (100), sent to the four flat mirrors (130) through the focus, and the four images reflected by the flat mirrors (130) are visualized by passing through the Fresnel lens (340) and the lenticular lens (340) of the image visualization unit (300).
[0021] As an example for visualizing a side image, FIG. 3 shows that the image adjustment unit (100) of the housing (400) places a convex mirror (120a) in the direction of the foreground to be visualized, which is different from the open direction, and places a concave mirror (110a) on the symmetrical surface. In the image visualization unit (300), a Fresnel lens (340a) and a lenticular lens (350a) are placed overlappingly in the direction of the concave mirror (110a). The foreground image of the other direction to be visualized passes through the convex mirror (120a), converges at the concave mirror (110a), and passes through the Fresnel lens (340a) and the lenticular lens (350a) of the image visualization unit (300) to be visualized.
[0022] In a representative illustration of an example of image adjustment for increasing the illumination of the final image and widening the viewing angle range in the direction of the observer by increasing the illumination of the image visualization unit (300), a separate image adjustment unit (200) may be additionally installed separately from the image adjustment unit (100). The separate image adjustment unit (200) is placed on the other side of the object, separated from the image adjustment unit (100). More specifically, it is attached to the object in the direction of the foreground to be visualized, and it is preferable to place it on the opposite side of the image adjustment unit (100). The image adjustment unit (100) and the separate image adjustment unit (200) protrude a certain portion to the side of the object in the direction facing each other, and are formed so that they face each other with a certain area of the facing surface open. A physical cover may be formed between the image adjustment unit (100) and the separate image adjustment unit (200) in the facing section. The surface of the foreground image direction to be visualized is widely open in the separate image adjustment unit (200). Glass (260) is placed in the wide-open portion of the separated image adjustment unit (200), and three concave mirrors (210) a, b, and c are placed in parallel at a certain angle on the inside, and three convex mirrors (220) a, b, and c are placed in the direction facing the image adjustment unit (100). The foreground image to be visualized is reduced and converged by the three placed concave mirrors (210), passes through the focal point, is reflected by the convex mirrors (220) as three primary foreground images, and is reflected from the convex mirrors (220) as a secondary foreground image in the form of parallel rays and sent to the image adjustment unit (100) which is separated. In the embodiment, the optical body of the image adjustment unit (100) is configured with concave mirrors (110) a, b, and c, plane mirrors (130) a, b, and c, and curved Fresnel lenses (341) a, b, and c with a wide field of view. Three concave mirrors (110) are placed at the beginning of the image adjustment unit (100), and three flat mirrors (130) are placed in parallel at regular intervals at symmetrical positions.In the image visualization unit (300), three curved Fresnel lenses (341) corresponding to each plane mirror (130) are arranged in parallel so that the three become one connected curved surface, and then a curved lenticular lens (351) is placed on the surface of the image visualization unit (300). It is preferable to merge multiple Fresnel lenses to minimize the curvature of the image. Three secondary foreground images incident from the separated image adjustment unit (200) pass through each concave mirror (110), pass through the focal point, and are transmitted to the plane mirror (130), and are visualized by passing through the three curved Fresnel lenses (341) and the curved lenticular lens (351).
[0023] To adjust the foreground image in three steps, the focal length of each optical element must be adjusted, and the focal length f can be obtained using the relationship between the mirror and the image, the focal length calculation formula, and the magnification calculation formula. The radius of curvature can be calculated using the focus.
[0024] , , ,
[0025] In the above formula is the distance before adjustment (foreground), is the adjusted (image) distance, f is the focal length, R is the radius of curvature, M is the magnification, is the size before adjustment (foreground), is the adjusted (image) size. The size of the object is equal to the size of the mirror.
[0026] Calculate the effective focal length of a curved Fresnel lens using the focal length formula of a Fresnel lens. In the above formula, n is the refractive index of the lens material (typical glass 1.5), represents the effective radius of curvature.
[0027] The specifications of the optical element constituting the embodiment are as follows according to the above calculation formula.
[0028] Separation image adjustment unit (200) optical body optical body Distance before adjustment Mirror diameter focal length Adjusted size Adjusted distance Concave mirror (210)a ∞ 30cm 45cm 10cm 60cm Concave mirror (210)b ∞ 30cm 45.75cm 10cm 61cm Concave mirror (210)c ∞ 30cm 46.5cm 10cm 62cm Convex mirror (220)a 60cm 10cm -15cm 10cm ∞ Convex mirror (220)b 61cm 10cm -15.25cm 10cm ∞ Convex mirror (220)c 62cm 10cm -15.5cm 10cm ∞
[0030] Image adjustment unit (100) optical body optical body Distance before adjustment Mirror diameter focal length Adjusted size Adjusted distance Concave mirror (110)a ∞ 10cm 8cm 30cm 32cm Concave mirror (110)b ∞ 10cm 14.25cm 30cm 57cm Concave mirror (110)c ∞ 10cm 18cm 30cm 72cm Plane mirror (130)a Location 15cm 8.75cm ∞ 30cm 17cm Plane mirror (130)b Location 30cm 11.05cm ∞ 30cm 27cm Plane mirror (130)c Location 50cm 17.78cm ∞ 30cm 22cm
[0031] Image visualization unit (300) optical body optical body Lens diameter focal length Effective radius of curvature Curved Fresnel lens (341)a 30cm 24cm 12cm Curved Fresnel lens (341)b 30cm 42.75cm 21.4cm Curved Fresnel lens (341)c 30cm 54cm 27cm Curved Fresnel lenses (341) a, b, c Refractive index 1.49, center thickness 2 mm, substrate radius of curvature ε1=r2=100 cm, number of rings n = 600, ring spacing 0.25 mm Curved lenticular lens (351) 30cm in diameter Refractive index 1.49, lens spacing 0.2 mm, substrate radius of curvature r=100 cm, lens height 0.1 mm, array type diagonal grid
[0032] In the embodiment of FIG. 4 for visualizing a view in multiple directions, the device is configured with an image adjustment unit (100) and an image visualization unit (300) in a form that integrates FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. In the image adjustment unit (100), four concave mirrors (110) of FIG. 3 and four corresponding planar mirrors (130) are arranged at regular intervals. Convex mirrors (120) are arranged in a direction different from the direction to be visualized by the concave mirrors (110), and concave mirrors (110a) are arranged in a direction corresponding to this. In the image visualization unit (300), four Fresnel lenses (340) and lenticular lenses (350) corresponding to the planar mirrors (130) are arranged in an overlapping manner, and then Fresnel lenses (340a) and lenticular lenses (351a) are arranged in a direction corresponding to the concave lenses (110a).
[0033] In the embodiment for a thin-type device in FIG. 5, the device is configured in a form that applies the representative drawing and FIG. 4. The device is composed of an image adjustment unit (100), an image visualization unit (300), and a separated image adjustment unit (200). The separated image adjustment unit (200) has a concave mirror (210) and a convex mirror (220) arranged in the same way as in the representative drawing, but to make the separated image adjustment unit (200) thin-type, a partial convex lens (270) is added to increase the refractive index of the foreground image reflected from the concave lens. The image adjustment unit (100) can be configured with a multi-directional incidence structure in the form of FIG. 4. The optical body of the image adjustment unit (100) is arranged by overlapping a convex mirror (220), a concave mirror (110), a plane mirror (130), a Fresnel lens (340), and a lenticular lens (350), and by overlapping a convex mirror (120), a concave mirror (110a), a Fresnel lens (340a), and a lenticular lens (350a).
[0034] FIG. 6 is an example of a configuration in which the alignment between two image adjustment units is separated by the movement of the image adjustment unit (100) or the separated image adjustment unit (200). When the alignment of the two adjustment units is misaligned, the inclination of the concave mirror (110) of the image adjustment unit (100) deviates from the direction in which the convex mirror (220) and the plane mirror (130) of the separated image adjustment unit (200) mutually reflect each other, and is aligned with the direction in which the foreground to be visualized and the plane mirror are reflected. In this configuration, when the image adjustment unit (100) and the separated image adjustment unit (200) are aligned, interference of the image transmitted from the image adjustment unit (100) may occur, and the glass (160) of the protruding part of the image adjustment unit (100) may be closed.
[0035] Since the optical body according to the present invention is directly fixed to the housing, it can be stably maintained without a separate support. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may include an additional support structure as needed. The purpose of the device is to visualize the overall shape rather than to realize a detailed image, and thus it is not intended for detailed image realization. However, a clearer image may be obtained by reflecting the change in image size according to the tilt of the mirror. The mirror tilt is ( The correction slope can be verified using the )calculation formula. When placing a Fresnel lens in the visualization unit for the purpose of acquiring additional sharp images, if light incident from the back is not aligned with the lens's center normal, correction can be achieved by using Snell's Law to adjust the pitch and curvature of the grooves and optimizing the angles of incidence and refraction. While the wide-angle lens in the image visualization unit can expand the field of view by using a curved Fresnel lens, the angle and curvature of the Fresnel lens grooves can also be adjusted for a sharper image. Since each groove of the Fresnel lens acts as a small prism and the angle of refraction (θ₂) is determined by the angle of incidence (θ₁), the path of light can be controlled by adjusting the angle and curvature of the groove's cross-section. This is Snell's Law ( This is because light is refracted according to the refractive surface, and by adjusting the refractive surface, the final image seen by the observer can be designed to be more clearly aligned. The pitch (p) of the grooves refers to the spacing between the grooves and is adjusted so that when incident light passes through the lens, it forms aligned rays after being refracted. Additionally, the curvature (k) of the grooves serves to control the direction in which the incident light is refracted after passing through the lens. Through this, light passing through the Fresnel lens is aligned at the front, allowing the observer to see a clearer image. Explanation of the symbols
[0036] 100: Image adjustment section 200: Extended image receiving section 300: Image Visualization Section 400: Housing 500: Objects 110-210: Concave mirror 120-220: Convex mirror 130: Plane mirror 340: Fresnel lens 341: Curved Fresnel Lens 350: Lenticular lens 351: Curved Lenticular Lens 160-360: Glass 270: Partially convex lens
Claims
Claim 1 A power-free optical-based projection device, comprising a housing attached to an object, wherein an optical body for collecting and adjusting a foreground image to be visualized is disposed inside the housing by opening one side of the housing to form an image adjustment unit, and an optical body for visualizing the adjusted foreground image is disposed by opening the other side of the housing to form an image visualization unit, thereby being a device specialized in showing a hidden foreground that does not exist in the past. Claim 2 A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the image adjustment unit further comprises a structure that increases the illumination of the image visualization unit by additionally configuring a separated image adjustment unit disposed at a predetermined interval in the housing. Claim 3 A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing is attached to one side of an object in the direction of an observer and protrudes a certain distance in the lateral direction of the object, and the protruding part of the image adjustment unit is opened to illuminate the foreground direction to be visualized, the image visualization unit is formed in the housing in the direction of the observer's view, and the separated image adjustment unit is attached to the other side of the housing attachment surface of the object and opens the direction surface to be visualized. Claim 4 An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image adjustment unit comprises at least one image convergence optical element, and the image visualization unit comprises a wide-field optical element for widening the field of view. Claim 5 A device for overlaying a hidden foreground for a new purpose, wherein the device comprises an image adjustment unit, a separated image adjustment unit, and an image visualization unit, and wherein the separated image adjustment unit comprises a structure that increases the illumination of the image visualization unit.
