Plenoptic Cellular Vision Correction via Light Field Sub-Image Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic displays and cameras are limited in their ability to accurately capture and display the full photonic environment, lacking integration and efficiency in capturing and reproducing light fields, leading to bulky and uncomfortable devices that do not provide a complete or accurate recreation of a target light field.
Innovation Solution
An electronic display assembly with a microlens layer, pixel array layer, and logic unit layer that performs linear transformations on sub-images to provide digital vision correction, allowing for the accurate capture and display of light fields, enabling lightweight, comfortable, and efficient systems with unidirectional emulated transparency and high-resolution displays and cameras.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional electronic displays and cameras are used separately to capture and reproduce light fields, then device functionality is provided, but device weight and bulk increase, making them uncomfortable to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate camera and display functionalities into an integrated plenoptic cellular system where microlens arrays, sensor arrays, and display elements are merged into a single lightweight structure. This integration eliminates the need for separate bulky devices while maintaining accurate light field capture and reproduction capabilities through the unified plenoptic cellular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested multi-layer structure where microlens arrays are positioned over sensor arrays, which are in turn positioned over display elements. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional layers to be compactly integrated within a thin profile, reducing overall device weight and bulk while preserving the complete light field capture and reproduction functionality across all layers.
2Device complexity
If separate camera and display systems are used, then basic functionality is achieved, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the light field processing into distinct plenoptic cells, each with dedicated microlens arrays, sensors, and display elements. This segmentation allows independent processing of light field data at the cellular level, reducing the need for complex centralized processing and lowering overall system complexity and power requirements compared to traditional integrated systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces plenoptic cells as intermediary structures that directly map sensor outputs to corresponding display elements through localized optical paths. This intermediary architecture eliminates the need for complex image transformation and data transmission between separate camera and display systems, thereby reducing processing complexity and energy consumption.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional displays are used without plenoptic cellular structure, then manufacturing is simpler, but light field recreation accuracy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs standardized plenoptic cellular parameters including specific microlens focal lengths, cell pitches, and layer spacing that are optimized for accurate light field recreation. These parameter standards enable precise light field reconstruction while facilitating consistent manufacturing across production batches, balancing manufacturing precision requirements with manufacturing ease through standardization.
4Measurement precision
If high-resolution light field displays are implemented, then display quality improves, but device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional two-dimensional display architectures to three-dimensional plenoptic cellular structures with multiple layers positioned at different depths. This dimensional transformation enables high-resolution light field display by utilizing the third dimension (depth) for additional display elements, thereby achieving high resolution without proportionally increasing device surface area or overall size.
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 complete and accurate recreation of a target light field, providing digital vision correction, reducing complexity, cost, and power requirements while offering high-resolution displays and cameras that are comfortable to wear, suitable for VR, AR, and MR applications.
Implementation Method 1
utilize microlens layers with arrays of plenoptic cells to accurately capture and display a volume of light to a viewer
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, an electronic display assembly includes a circuit board, a microlens layer, a pixel array layer, and a logic unit layer. The microlens layer includes cells that are arranged in a grid pattern that includes a center cell and a plurality of surrounding cells around the center cell. The pixel array layer includes a plurality of display pixels. The logic unit layer includes logic configured to display, using some of the plurality of display pixels, a sub-image in each particular cell of the first plurality of cells and to access vision correction parameters of a user. The logic is further configured to perform linear transformations on a plurality of the sub-images of the surrounding cells according to the vision correction parameters of the user and to shift the plurality of sub-images of the surrounding cells according to the linear transformations, thereby providing digital vision correction for the user.