Pinpoint Mirror AR Optics for Brightness and Depth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional augmented reality (AR) optical systems face challenges in combining virtual images with real-world environments, including dimming of real-world objects, complex design, and chromatic aberrations, as well as difficulties in maintaining clear focus and wide depth of field for virtual images.
Innovation Solution
The use of pinpoint mirrors smaller than the human pupil diameter, integrated into a transparent medium, to redirect virtual images onto the eye without being perceivable, allowing for improved view-through ability, a smaller form factor, and a wider depth of field without additional optical elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional AR optical systems use traditional methods to combine virtual images with real-world environments, then virtual images can be displayed, but real-world objects become dimmed and the system becomes complex with chromatic aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the optical system into distinct functional components: a waveguide for light transmission, a grating for beam deviation, and a pinpoint mirror for image redirection. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently without interfering with others, thereby maintaining real-world object brightness while managing system complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary optical elements (the grating and pinpoint mirror) that mediate between the virtual image source and the user's eye. These intermediaries redirect light paths without blocking real-world light, thus maintaining illumination intensity while enabling virtual image display through controlled light manipulation
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional AR systems use larger optical elements to maintain clear focus, then focus quality improves, but the device size and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the size parameter of the mirror to be extremely small (pinpoint size, much smaller than the pupil diameter). This parameter change is compensated by precise positioning and angular orientation of the mirror, maintaining focus quality through controlled light redirection geometry rather than relying on large mirror surface area
Solution Approach 2:
The pinpoint mirror is positioned at a specific location within the waveguide where it can effectively redirect light to the user's eye. The local optical properties and precise positioning of this small mirror element provide sufficient focus quality without requiring a large device form factor
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional AR systems use additional optical elements to expand field of view, then field of view increases, but device complexity and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pinpoint mirror serves multiple functions: it redirects virtual image light to the user's eye, maintains focus quality, and contributes to expanding the field of view. This multi-functionality is achieved through precise angular positioning of the mirror, allowing a single element to perform what would traditionally require multiple separate optical components
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 accurate and efficient combination of virtual and real-world images without altering their perception, reducing system complexity and bulk, while maintaining clear focus and expanding the field of view and depth of field.
Implementation Method 1
a virtual image is transmitted, via a virtual image projection component, through a substantially transparent medium onto a set of pinpoint mirrors in contact with the substantially transparent medium
Data Source
AI summary
Approaches presented herein enable displaying an augmented reality virtual image in a real-world environment. More specifically, a virtual image is transmitted, via a virtual image projection component, through a substantially transparent medium onto a set of pinpoint mirrors in contact with the substantially transparent medium. A view of the virtual image transposed on a real-world image is then provided, via the set of pinpoint mirrors, to a user looking through the substantially transparent medium. While light forming the virtual image is perceived by the human eye, because each pinpoint mirror of the set of pinpoint mirrors is smaller than the pupil of the human eye, none of the set of pinpoint mirrors is perceivable by the human eye due to their size.