Free-Space Lens Oxel Array for Wide Field of View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Achieving a wide field of view with a single optical element, such as a lens, is challenging due to the difficulty in designing optical systems that provide a large field of view available at the same instant, which is essential for applications like augmented reality systems where users need to see a wide angle of view simultaneously without having to turn their eyes.
Innovation Solution
The development of free-space lenses with passive reflective three-dimensional surfaces using the oxel design method, where thousands of small optical elements (oxels) are used to create a reflective 3D surface that can provide a field of view of at least 100 degrees, with each oxel expressing surface curvature and being adjusted to form a smooth, optically corrected surface that maintains the desired angular field of view by constraining motion along individual fixed lines connected to a reference point, such as the center of the eye.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single optical element (lens) is used to achieve a wide field of view, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision and optical performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the optical surface into multiple discrete optical elements (oxels), where each oxel is a small independent optical component. This segmentation allows each oxel to be manufactured with standard precision while collectively providing the complex wide-field optical performance that would be difficult to achieve with a single monolithic lens. The oxels are arranged in an array and can be independently optimized for their local optical function.
2Area of stationary object
If the field of view is increased to at least 100 degrees, then the viewing capability is improved, but the distortion and optical correction difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each oxel in the array is designed with locally optimized optical properties tailored to its specific position in the field of view. The optical characteristics (curvature, focal length, orientation) of each oxel are customized to correct for the specific distortion and angle of incidence at that location. This local optimization approach enables the entire system to achieve wide-field coverage with minimal distortion, as each element handles only its local correction task.
3Reliability
If thousands of oxels are used to create the reflective surface, then the optical performance is improved, but the device complexity and fabrication difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
While the system comprises many individual oxels, they are merged into a single integrated optical component that functions as one unified reflective surface. The oxels are closely spaced and optically coupled to behave as a continuous surface from the perspective of incoming light. This merging approach maintains the optical performance benefits of multiple individually optimized elements while presenting a compact, single-component form factor that reduces system complexity.
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 approach allows for a consistent focal distance across the optical surface despite an angular spread of incident light, preserving the desired field of view and enabling crisp imagery over a wide angle, enhancing user immersion in virtual reality and augmented reality systems.
Implementation Method 1
a computer-based method for designing a free space reflective optical surface
Data Source
AI summary
A method of designing lenses includes defining a material having an inside reflective surface spanning an area, and providing an optical design algorithm which defines a plurality of oxels across the area. Each oxel has a plurality of sub-elements including a center sub-element and a plurality of neighboring sub-elements. Based on a defined optical prescription for the inside reflective surface, an optically corrected reference 3D surface is calculated for each oxel having spherical and cylindrical corrections relative to a spherical contour which spans a predetermined field of view (FOV) with respect to a single (common) predetermined reference point. A position of at least a first of the sub-elements for each of the oxels is moved to respective final 3D positions on the optically corrected reference 3D surface, where the moving is constrained to be along an individual line connecting each of the first sub-elements to the single predetermined reference point.