Thin Optical Device With Polarization-Based Aberration Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable electronic devices, such as goggles and glasses, face challenges in achieving a thin, lightweight design with high light utilization efficiency and low power consumption due to the use of half mirrors and multiple lenses to correct aberrations, which increase power consumption and reduce reliability.
Innovation Solution
A thin optical device comprising a first reflective polarizing plate, a first lens, an optical rotator, a retardation plate, and a second reflective polarizing plate with a layered cholesteric liquid crystal structure, which selectively reflects circularly polarized light to correct chromatic aberration without increasing the number of lenses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a half mirror with low light utilization efficiency is used in the optical device, then the device can be made thin and lightweight, but the power consumption increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the optical parameters by using reflective polarizing plates with specific polarization characteristics and an optical rotator to rotate the polarization direction. This allows the system to achieve high light utilization efficiency (90% or more) while maintaining a thin and lightweight structure suitable for wearable devices.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple lenses are combined to correct chromatic aberration, then the aberration is reduced, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the chromatic aberration correction function from the traditional multi-lens system and implements it using a different mechanism: a reflective polarizing plate with specific optical characteristics. This single component replaces what would traditionally require multiple lenses, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining aberration correction capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If lenses made from materials with less light dispersion are used to correct chromatic aberration, then the aberration correction is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical system of using special low-dispersion lens materials with an electromagnetic field-based solution: a reflective polarizing plate that corrects chromatic aberration through its polarization and reflection properties. This substitution eliminates the need for expensive special materials while achieving the same correction effect.
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 optical device achieves high light utilization efficiency, reduces chromatic aberration, and enables a small, low-power consumption electronic device with improved reliability and a wide viewing angle.
Implementation Method 1
The second reflective polarizing plate reflects one of right circularly polarized light and left circularly polarized light in a wavelength range of blue light to red light and transmits the other of the right circularly polarized light and the left circularly polarized light
Implementation Method 2
The first layer, the second layer, and the third layer include cholesteric liquid crystals with different helical pitches and can be placed in this order from the optical rotator side
Implementation Method 3
an optical rotator, a retardation plate, a second reflective polarizing plate
Data Source
AI summary
A thin optical device having high light utilization efficiency and less chromatic aberration and a small electronic device including the optical device are provided. The thin optical device includes a first reflective polarizing plate, a lens, an optical rotator, a retardation plate, and a second reflective polarizing plate. The optical device can be a thin optical device by rotation of the polarization plane of linearly polarized light with the optical rotator and utilization of a property of selectively reflecting circularly polarized light of the second reflective polarizing plate. Furthermore, the optical device does not use a half mirror and thus has a property of high light utilization efficiency. When the second reflective polarizing plate has a layered structure, chromatic aberration of an optical system can be reduced.