Samsung Patent | Head-mounted display apparatus

Patent: Head-mounted display apparatus

Publication Number: 10197807

Publication Date: 2019-02-05

Applicants: Samsung

Abstract

A head-mounted display apparatus includes a display unit including a plurality of emissive areas which displays images and a plurality of transmissive areas disposed between the emissive areas and which transmits light from external light sources, a first optical element which receives and converges light emitted from the display unit onto a predetermined area, and a second optical element disposed opposite to the first optical element with respect to the display unit and which receives and diverges light incident toward the display unit from an outside.

Background

One or more embodiments relate to a head-mounted display apparatus, and more particularly, to a see-through head-mounted display apparatus that enables a user to perceive not only an image that is displayed by the see-through head-mounted display apparatus, but also a background at the rear side of the see-through head-mounted display apparatus.

In general, a head-mounted display apparatus, which typically has a glasses-like shape or a helmet-like shape and may be mounted on a user’s head, enables the user to perceive an image that is displayed in front of the user’s eyes. Research on a see-through head-mounted display apparatus that enables a user to perceive not only an image that is displayed in front of the user’s eyes but also a background at the rear side of the see-through head-mounted display apparatus has been carried out.

Summary

In a conventional see-through head-mounted display apparatus, a background image may be distorted by an optical element that is disposed between a user’s eyes and display apparatus to obtain a shortest focal length.

One or more embodiments include a see-through head-mounted display apparatus, where a background image displayed therethrough is not distorted and a display unit thereof is disposed substantially close to an eye of a user when the head-mounted display apparatus is mounted on the head of the user.

According to exemplary embodiments, a head-mounted display apparatus includes a display unit including a plurality of emissive areas which displays images and a plurality of transmissive areas disposed between the emissive areas and which transmits external light; a first optical element receives and converges light emitted from the display unit onto a predetermined area; and a second optical element disposed opposite side to the first optical element with respect to the display unit which receives and diverges light incident toward the display unit from the outside.

In an exemplary embodiment, an absolute value of a focal length of the first optical element may be substantially equal to an absolute value of a focal length of the second optical element.

In an exemplary embodiment, a focal length of the first optical element may be about 20 centimeters () or more.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first optical element may include a positive lens, and the second optical element may include a negative lens.

In an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the first optical element and the second optical element may include a Fresnel lens or a holographic optical element (“HOE”) lens.

In an exemplary embodiment, the display unit may include a plurality of pixels, and each of the plurality of pixels may include a first emission portion, a second emission portion and a third emission portion, which are disposed in the emissive areas, and a transmissive window which is disposed in the transmissive areas and adjacent to the first emission portion, the second emission portion and the third emission portion.

In an exemplary embodiment, the head-mounted display apparatus may further include a frame which accommodates the display unit, the first optical element, and the second optical element and configured to be mounted on a user’s head.

According to exemplary embodiments, a head-mounted display apparatus includes a display unit including a plurality of emissive areas which displays images and a plurality of transmissive areas disposed between the emissive areas and which transmits external light; a first optical element which receives light emitted from the display unit, where the first optical element converts light emitted from the emissive areas into polarized light in a first direction, and converts external light that has been transmitted through the transmissive areas into polarized light in a second direction; and a second optical element which receives light transmitted through the first optical element, where the second optical element converges the polarized light in the first direction onto a predetermined area and transmits the polarized light in the second direction substantially in the same direction as an incident direction thereof on the second optical element.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first optical element may include: a polarizer disposed to correspond to the emissive areas and the transmissive areas; and a liquid crystal layer which receives light transmitted through the polarizer and including a first liquid crystal disposed to correspond to the emissive areas and a second liquid crystal disposed to correspond to the transmissive areas.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second optical element may include: a first medium whose refractive index changes depending on a polarization direction of incident light; and a second medium in contact with the first medium and having a smaller refractive index than a maximum refractive index of the first medium.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first medium may include a liquid crystal.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first optical element may include: a polarizer disposed to correspond to the emissive areas and the transmissive areas; and a .lamda./2 retarder disposed to correspond to the emissive areas or the transmissive areas.

In one embodiment, the first optical element may include: a first polarizer disposed to correspond to the emissive areas and convert light emitted from the emissive areas into polarized light in the first direction; and a second polarizer disposed to correspond to the transmissive areas and which converts external light transmitted through the transmissive areas into polarized light in the second direction.

In an exemplary embodiment, each of the first polarizer and the second polarizer may include a wire grid polarizer.

In an exemplary embodiment, the display unit may include a plurality of pixels, and each of the plurality of pixels may include a first emission portion, a second emission portion and a third emission portion, which are disposed in the emissive areas, and a transmissive window disposed in the transmissive areas and adjacent to the first emission portion, the second emission portion, and the third emission portion.

In an exemplary embodiment, the head-mounted display apparatus may further include a frame which accommodates the display unit, the first optical element and the second optical element and configured to be mounted on a user’s head.