Optical Display Device With Adjustable Focal Length
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional three-dimensional display systems often cause a vergence-accommodation conflict in human observers, leading to fatigue and discomfort, as they simulate depth without correctly aligning eye accommodation, and are limited by speckle effects and complexity of coherent radiation and spatial light modulators.
Innovation Solution
An optical display device with emitters emitting incoherent radiation and an optical modulation unit with adjustable focal length, allowing for precise control of image distance and reduction of the vergence-accommodation conflict, enabling a lifelike three-dimensional appearance without the need for coherent radiation or complex spatial light modulators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional three-dimensional display systems use coherent radiation and spatial light modulators to simulate depth, then three-dimensional image content can be displayed, but vergence-accommodation conflict occurs causing fatigue and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of radiation coherence from coherent to incoherent, and modifies the optical modulation approach from spatial light modulators to adjustable focal length optics. This parameter change eliminates the vergence-accommodation conflict while preserving three-dimensional display capability, as the incoherent radiation with dynamic focal length adjustment creates real optical focus at different depths without the conflicts inherent in conventional coherent systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/spatial light modulator system with an optical modulation unit that adjusts focal length. This substitution eliminates the need for complex spatial light modulators and coherent radiation sources, using instead a more direct optical focusing mechanism that naturally aligns accommodation with vergence by creating real optical images at the desired depths
2Adaptability or versatility
If coherent radiation and spatial light modulators are used in three-dimensional display systems, then depth simulation is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the unnecessary components of coherent radiation sources and spatial light modulators from the system. By taking out these complex elements and replacing them with incoherent emitters and an adjustable focal length optical modulation unit, the system achieves depth simulation with significantly reduced complexity while maintaining the essential three-dimensional display function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs incoherent emitters that are simpler and more readily available than coherent radiation sources. These incoherent light sources, combined with the adjustable focal length optics, provide a more practical and marketable solution that avoids the complexity and cost of maintaining coherent radiation systems and spatial light modulators
3Stability of the object's composition
If emitters with small expansion are used to approach point light sources, then uniform radiation in all spatial directions is achieved, but directional emission behavior is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the focal length of the optical modulation unit adjustable rather than fixed. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize the balance between uniform radiation distribution and directional emission efficiency depending on the display requirements, creating images at different depths while maintaining both uniformity and directionality as needed
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 allows for comfortable and fatigue-free viewing of three-dimensional content by aligning eye accommodation with image distance, reducing the vergence-accommodation conflict and eliminating the need for coherent radiation, while providing high resolution and parallax with a simpler, more marketable technology.
Implementation Method 1
The optical modulation unit is formed, for example, with at least one optical element that has a diffractive or a refractive effect
Implementation Method 2
The optical modulation unit is formed, for example, with at least one optical element that has a diffractive or a refractive effect
Data Source
AI summary
An optical display device includes a plurality of emitters configured to emit electromagnetic radiation in a main emission direction and at least one optical modulation unit which has an adjustable focal length. The emitters are arranged in a main plane and are separately controllable from one another. The optical modulation unit is arranged downstream of the emitters in the main emission direction. Images of the emitters are generated by means of the optical modulation unit, the images of the emitters each having a distance from the main plane which can be predetermined by means of the adjustable focal length. Methods of operating an optical display device are also disclosed.