Curved Lens Arrays for Wide FOV Head-Mounted Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional head-mounted displays (HMDs) are bulky and exhibit poor visual performance, particularly at the periphery, with limited field-of-view (FOV) due to the limitations of traditional optics, leading to degraded resolution and geometric distortions.
Innovation Solution
The use of a curved heterogeneous or homogeneous lens array in HMDs, along with techniques for rendering and presenting virtual reality images, including curved screens and lens arrays that magnify elemental images, allowing for a thinner design and wider FOV while maintaining resolution, and the ability to adjust for near-sightedness and accommodate prescription lenses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional optics are used in HMDs, then the device structure is simple, but the HMD becomes bulky and has limited field-of-view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the optical system into multiple lens arrays, each responsible for different portions of the field of view. This segmentation allows the HMD to achieve a wider overall FOV while keeping individual lens elements small and compact, resolving the contradiction between device size and field-of-view coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional flat display surfaces to curved display surfaces that conform to the natural curvature of the human eye and head. This dimensional change allows for a more compact HMD design while expanding the effective field of view by matching the optical path to human anatomy.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional lens arrays are used, then manufacturing is simple, but visual performance degrades at the periphery with geometric distortions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements heterogeneous lens arrays where individual lenses have different optical properties (focal lengths, curvatures) optimized for their specific positions in the array. This local customization corrects peripheral distortions and maintains uniform visual performance across the entire field of view, while each individual lens remains manufacturable using standard techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent varies key optical parameters (lens curvature, focal length, spacing) across the lens array to compensate for positional effects and maintain image quality. By systematically adjusting these parameters based on location, the system achieves uniform visual performance without requiring complex custom manufacturing for each lens.
3Device complexity
If flat screens with conventional optics are used, then the design is simple, but the HMD is bulky and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces flat screens and planar optical paths with curved surfaces that follow the natural geometry of human anatomy. This curvature allows light to travel more efficiently along the eye's optical path, reducing the distance light must travel and enabling a more compact, lighter HMD design while maintaining or improving optical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates multiple optical functions into nested configurations where lens arrays are positioned in front of curved screens, with each component optimized to work together. This nesting allows for compact arrangement of optical elements, reducing overall device volume and weight while maintaining complex optical capabilities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables a thinner, more comfortable HMD design with a wider FOV (>180 degrees) and improved peripheral vision, reducing bulkiness and visual distortions, while also allowing for customizable optics for users with prescriptions.
Implementation Method 1
a curved lens array concentrically displaced in front of the curved screen to magnify the elemental images
Data Source
AI summary
An example apparatus for displaying stereo elemental images includes two coupled eyepieces. Each of the two eyepieces also includes a curved screen to display a number of elemental images. Each of the two eyepieces also includes a curved lens array concentrically displaced in front of the curved screen to magnify the elemental images. Each of the number of elemental images is magnified by a different lens in the curved lens array.