Shared AR/VR Eyepiece Display With Polarization Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional augmented and virtual reality display systems face challenges due to bulkiness and weight from dedicated light sources and spatial light modulators, frame rate limitations causing viewing discomfort, and mismatches between head orientation and image presentation, leading to nausea and optical artifacts.
Innovation Solution
Utilization of emissive micro-displays, such as micro-LED or micro-OLED displays, with a shared light projection system and optical router to provide high frame rates and reduce bulkiness, along with waveguide assemblies for image delivery, and variable focus elements to match accommodation and vergence cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated light sources and spatial light modulators are used for each eye, then image quality and viewing comfort are improved, but device bulkiness and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light sources and optical systems for left and right eyes into a shared display structure. Multiple eyes share common light sources and a single spatial light modulator, eliminating redundant components while maintaining stereoscopic image quality and viewing comfort through coordinated optical routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal light source and spatial light modulator that serves multiple eyes simultaneously. The shared components perform the function of providing dedicated illumination and image modulation for each eye, achieving multi-functionality that reduces overall device weight while preserving individual eye image quality.
2Productivity
If conventional display systems are used, then image presentation is achieved, but frame rate limitations cause viewing discomfort and nausea
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs high-speed sequential scanning of the spatial light modulator to present images to multiple eyes in rapid succession. The periodic refresh at high frame rates creates the perception of simultaneous display for all users, eliminating motion sickness while maintaining high productivity through time-multiplexed image delivery.
3Reliability
If head orientation changes are not synchronized with image presentation, then system simplicity is maintained, but mismatches cause nausea and optical artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates sensors that detect head orientation and position, providing feedback to the control system. This feedback enables real-time adjustment of the displayed images to maintain proper alignment with each user's visual field, preventing nausea and optical artifacts while managing complexity through automated compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic image presentation that adapts to changing head orientations. The system continuously adjusts image parameters and routing based on real-time head position data, maintaining image alignment accuracy through dynamic reconfiguration rather than static fixed-position display.
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 provides a compact, high-frame-rate display system that reduces discomfort by aligning accommodation and vergence cues, enhancing the realism and comfort of virtual and augmented reality experiences.
Implementation Method 1
a waveguide assembly configured to receive image light from the light projection system and output the image light to an eye of the user
Implementation Method 2
an in-coupling optical element disposed on a major surface of the waveguide and configured to redirect incident image light into the waveguide
Implementation Method 3
The eyepiece may comprise a plurality of waveguides each having out-coupling optical elements with different optical power to output light with different amounts of wavefront divergence
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A wearable display system includes a light projection system having one or more emissive micro-displays, e.g., micro-LED displays. The light projection system projects time-multiplexed left-eye and right-eye images, which pass through an optical router having a polarizer and a switchable polarization rotator. The optical router is synchronized with the generation of images by the light projection system to impart a first polarization to left-eye images and a second different polarization to right-eye images. Light of the first polarization is incoupled into an eyepiece having one or more waveguides for outputting light to one of the left and right eyes, while light of the second polarization may be incoupled into another eyepiece having one or more waveguides for outputting light to the other of the left and right eyes. Each eyepiece may output incoupled light with variable amounts of wavefront divergence, to elicit different accommodation responses from the user's eyes.