Curved Optical Lens Group for Thin AR Near-Eye Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing near-eye AR display technologies face challenges in achieving a compact, lightweight, and comfortable form while maintaining good optical performance and simulating the appearance of ordinary glasses, as they often require thick structures to accommodate large exit pupil diameters and distances, leading to concerns about wearability and visual correction capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An optical lens group comprising a primary lens with four effective optical surfaces and an auxiliary lens, designed to provide a thin and curved appearance, allowing for optical see-through AR display with a field of view of at least 360 degrees, and incorporating a micro-display panel for virtual image projection, which can be integrated into eyeglasses for a fashionable and user-friendly design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing near-eye AR display technologies use thick structures to accommodate large exit pupil diameters and distances, then optical performance is improved, but device thickness and wearability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curved surface design to the optical lens group, using spherical or aspherical surfaces to focus and guide light efficiently. This curvature enables the system to achieve adequate exit pupil characteristics without requiring excessive thickness, as the curved surfaces naturally converge and direct light paths more compactly than flat surfaces could achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes multiple optical parameters including the tilt angle θ of the normal line at the vertex position (satisfying 0° ≤ θ < 5°), the field of view angle (≥360°), and the relative positioning of optical surfaces. By carefully adjusting these parameters, the system achieves proper exit pupil diameter and distance while maintaining a thin overall structure that can be worn as eyeglasses.
2Reliability
If existing near-eye AR display technologies increase device size to improve optical performance, then display quality is improved, but weight and comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the optical system into a primary lens and an auxiliary lens that work together. The primary lens handles the main optical functions while the auxiliary lens supplements the optical performance. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, achieving high display quality without requiring a single large, heavy optical element.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical lens group is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides AR display optics, vision correction capabilities, and maintains an aesthetically pleasing appearance similar to ordinary eyeglasses. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining display quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing near-eye AR display technologies use complex optical structures to achieve vision correction capabilities, then functional versatility is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the AR display optical function with the vision correction function into a single integrated optical lens group. The primary lens and auxiliary lens work together to provide both augmented reality imaging and optical power for vision correction. This combination eliminates the need for separate AR optics and prescription lenses, reducing device complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses free-form surfaces, spherical surfaces, or aspherical surfaces in the lens design to achieve both AR optical performance and vision correction in a single optical structure. These curved surface designs provide the necessary optical power and image quality without requiring complex multi-element assemblies, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining functional versatility.
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
The solution enables a thin, lightweight near-eye AR display that accurately merges virtual and real-world images, providing a comfortable and fashionable form factor while achieving high optical performance and vision correction, thus addressing the limitations of existing technologies in size, weight, and display quality.
Implementation Method 1
The image light undergoes at least one total reflection and one reflection depending on a transmission-reflection split ratio in the primary lens after entering the primary lens through the first optical surface
Implementation Method 2
The image light undergoes at least one total reflection and one reflection depending on a transmission-reflection split ratio in the primary lens
Data Source
AI summary
An optical lens group for augmented reality (AR) near-eye display includes a primary lens and an auxiliary lens. An image presented by a microdisplay is enlarged by the optical lens group to form a virtual image which can be observed by an eye of a user. A shape of an outermost surface of the optical lens group can be changed to meet requirements of different diopters. The optical lens group has a primary lens mainly used for image information transmission and image enlargement and an auxiliary lens close to at least one surface of the primary lens. The auxiliary lens is arranged on a lower side or an outer side of the primary lens without propagating any image light signal from a micro image display.