Optical: systems and elements – Single channel simultaneously to or from plural channels – By surface composed of lenticular elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-12
2001-04-10
Mack, Ricky (Department: 2873)
Optical: systems and elements
Single channel simultaneously to or from plural channels
By surface composed of lenticular elements
C359S626000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215593
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to optics and more particularly to an optical system for converting a planar surface display of an image to a curved surface display of the image.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A retinal display beams light directly onto a viewing surface of an eye as pixels that form an image. The retinal display produces a brighter, higher resolution image than previous cathode-ray or liquid crystal displays. Head mounted display applications of retinal displays are suitable for consumer virtual reality viewer applications. For a full virtual reality effect, the head mounted display should project onto an undistorted visual field that fills the user's field of view. With a head mounted display, the source display is positioned relatively close to the eye in order for the head mounted display to be compact. However, close proximity to the eye is normally a problem in that the human eye cannot see a very closely positioned image unless it is focused with a lens.
A conventional lens system, as shown by the diagram
1
in
FIG. 1
, presents a planar display through a right lens
11
to the right eye
14
and through a left lens
11
′ to the left eye
14
′. The traditional single stage optic lenses,
11
and
11
′, severely limit the horizontal field of views
12
and
13
for each eye to, typically, 30 degrees. As a result, the total viewing field
16
is limited to 30 degrees. As the display size is directly proportional to the angular incidence, it becomes increasingly more difficult for the eye to resolve images which occupy much more than 30 degrees of the visual field
16
. Consequently, as shown by the diagram
1
in
FIG. 1B
, the stereo aperture
15
in relation to the combined left and right viewing fields
12
and
13
is farther out from the retinal surfaces of the eyes
14
and
14
′. These single type optical solutions to the problem of wide-field image presentation lead to problems of spherical distortion, chromatic shift, and focus, as the distance to the eye from the center of the image plane increase.
In designing remote vision systems for human operators, two different aspects of human vision should be considered: the high central (foveal) acuity of the eye, and the combined peripheral field of view which accounts for 90% of orientation in three dimensional space. In addition, when creating a commercially viable product of this type, several other engineering factors must be considered including: wearer comfort, versatility and contemporary design.
Accordingly there is a need for an optical system that is capable of converting images from a small electronic source display onto an undistorted visual plane that can fill a viewer's visual field.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present optical system includes an image source means for displaying an image on an array of image elements constituting a first image plane, wherein at least one of the image elements provides a light that is different from light, if any, provided by another of the image elements, whereby to display the image. Optical means is provided for transferring the light from at least one of the image elements to a non-planar image surface of the optical means; and lens means for receiving the light from the non-planar image surface of the optical means and focusing the received light with respect to a predetermined viewer. In a preferred embodiment the image source means is a liquid crystal display of high resolution matrix of pixels emitting light to display an image. The optical means is a shaped array of optical fibers, with the optical fiber array being optically coupled to the image elements. The optical fibers are preferably fused together as a single bundle. The lens means is an array of lenses, with each of the lenses being optically coupled to a decreet section of the optical transfer element. In the preferred embodiment, the array of image elements is planar and the array of lenses is convex to the array of image elements.
In an alternative embodiment, the optical system further includes a pair of the image display means, optical means and lens means for respective eyes of a user for stereoscopic display of the image.
In a yet further alternative embodiment, the optical system further includes another of the image display means, optical means and lens means as an accurately displaced chord side by side with the first-mentioned thereof for viewing by a single eye, whereby to expand the field of view for the single eye.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4076378 (1978-02-01), Cole
patent: 4414565 (1983-11-01), Shanks
patent: 4636866 (1987-01-01), Hattori
patent: 5034809 (1991-07-01), Katoh
patent: 5371556 (1994-12-01), Suwa et al.
patent: 5499138 (1996-03-01), Iba
patent: 5561538 (1996-10-01), Kato et al.
patent: 9722964 (1997-06-01), None
Ladas & Parry
Mack Ricky
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