Meta Patent | Reflective hollow singlet folded optical lens structure

Patent: Reflective hollow singlet folded optical lens structure

Publication Number: 20250306358

Publication Date: 2025-10-02

Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies

Abstract

According to examples, an optical lens assembly for head-mount display (HMD) devices may include an optical lens configuration with a first optical element and a second optical element. The first optical element and the second optical element may be affixed together along a peripheral edge to form a gap between the two optical elements and may compensate chromatic dispersion characteristics. The optical lens configuration may also include a reflective polarizer layer, a quarter wave layer, and a semi-transparent mirror provided on selected surfaces of the optical elements. In some examples, the gap may be filled with air or an inert gas.

Claims

1. An optical lens assembly, comprising:a first optical element;a second optical element, wherein a gap is formed between the first optical element and the second optical element;a reflective polarizer layer positioned over one of: an inner surface of the first optical element facing the gap, an inner surface of the second optical element facing the gap, or an outer surface of the second optical element;a quarter wave layer positioned over one of: the inner surface of the first optical element, the inner surface of the second optical element, or the outer surface of the second optical element; anda semi-transparent mirror provided on one of an outer surface of the first optical element or the inner surface of the first optical element.

2. The optical lens assembly of claim 1, wherein the quarter wave layer is further positioned over the reflective polarizer layer.

3. The optical lens assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflective polarizer layer comprises calcite or a linear polymer film.

4. The optical lens assembly of claim 1, wherein the quarter wave layer comprises one or more of: quartz, mica, or a polycarbonate material.

5. The optical lens assembly of claim 1, wherein:the reflective polarizer is positioned over the outer surface of the second optical element;the quarter wave layer is positioned over the outer surface of the second optical element; andthe semi-transparent mirror is positioned on the outer surface of the first optical element.

6. The optical lens assembly of claim 1, wherein:the reflective polarizer is positioned over the inner surface of the second optical element;the quarter wave layer is positioned over the inner surface of the second optical element; andthe semi-transparent mirror is positioned on the outer surface of the first optical element.

7. The optical lens assembly of claim 1, further comprising a gas or a liquid within the gap between the first optical element and the second optical element.

8. The optical lens assembly of claim 1, wherein:the first optical element comprises a first peripheral edge;the second optical element comprises a second peripheral edge; andthe first peripheral edge is coupled to the second peripheral edge to form the gap.

9. The optical lens assembly of claim 8, wherein the first peripheral edge is mechanically coupled to the second peripheral edge.

10. A head-mount display (HMD) device, comprising:a near-eye display configured to present visual content to a user; andan optical lens assembly positioned to focus the visual content from the near-eye display, the optical lens assembly comprising:a first optical element comprising a first outer surface and a first inner surface;a second optical element comprising a second outer surface and a second inner surface, wherein a gap is formed between the first optical element and the second optical element, wherein the first inner surface and the second inner surface face the gap;a reflective polarizer layer positioned over one of: the first inner surface, the second inner surface, or the second outer surface;a quarter wave layer positioned over one of: the first inner surface, the second inner surface, or the second outer surface of the second optical element; anda semi-transparent mirror positioned over one of: the first outer surface or the first inner surface.

11. The HMD device of claim 10, wherein the near-eye display is transparent or semi-transparent to allow the user to view a real environment through the near-eye display.

12. The HMD device of claim 10, further comprising a body supporting the near-eye display and the optical assembly.

13. The HMD device of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the body is transparent or semi-transparent.

14. The HMD device of claim 10, wherein the quarter wave layer is further positioned over the reflective polarizer layer.

15. The HMD device of claim 10, wherein the gap is filled with air or an inert gas.

16. The HMD device of claim 10, wherein the gap is filled with a liquid.

17. The HMD device of claim 10, wherein the first optical element comprises a first optical lens and the second optical element comprises a second optical lens.

18. The HMD device of claim 11, wherein:the first optical lens is one of: a convex lens, a concave lens, a plano-convex lens, a plano-concave lens, a positive meniscus lens, or a negative meniscus lens; andthe second optical lens is a different one of: a convex lens, a concave lens, a plano-convex lens, a plano-concave lens, a positive meniscus lens, or a negative meniscus lens.

19. The HMD device of claim 10, wherein:the first optical element comprises a first peripheral edge;the second optical element comprises a second peripheral edge; andthe first peripheral edge is affixed to the second peripheral edge to form the gap.

20. The HMD device of claim 19, wherein the second peripheral edge is mechanically affixed to the first peripheral edge.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 17/715,683, filed Apr. 7, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This patent application relates generally to compact and low-profile display systems, and more specifically, to a head-mount display (HMD) device using an optical lens configuration referred to as a hollow singlet optical lens structure.

BACKGROUND

A head-mounted display (HMD) may be a headset or eyewear used for video playback, gaming, or sports, and in a number of contexts and applications, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and/or mixed reality (MR). A head-mounted display (HMD) device may communicate information to or from a user who is wearing the headset. For example, a virtual reality (VR) headset may be used to present visual information to simulate any number of virtual environments when worn by a user. That same virtual reality (VR) headset may also receive information from the user's eye movements, head/body shifts, voice, or other user-provided signals.

A conventional head-mounted display (HMD) device, however, relies on optical configurations that are typically large and bulky. As head-mounted displays (HMDs) are generally worn on users' heads for prolonged periods, it is becoming more important to emphasize and improve upon head-mounted display (HMD) device characteristics, such as compactness, weight, and optical performance, especially in design and implementation. However, improving optical performance may typically involve increasing the number or size of optical components, which in turn may create or add more bulk and weight. Other head-mounted displays (HMDs) may have optical configurations that improve compactness and reduce size and weight, but these conventional display devices, having fewer optical components, may often have decreased optical resolution or visual acuity, such as limitations with central and/or peripheral fields of view (FOVs) for the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Features of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not limited in the following figures, in which like numerals indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following that alternative examples of the structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employed without departing from the principles described herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a head-mounted display (HMD) device 100, according to an example.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section view of simplified version of a head-mounted display (HMD) device 200, according to an example.

FIG. 3 illustrates focusing of visual content from a display to an eyebox through an optical lens configuration, where the display is smaller than the optical lens configuration, according to an example.

FIG. 4 illustrates focusing of visual content from a display to an eyebox through an optical lens configuration, where the display is larger than the optical lens configuration, according to an example.

FIG. 5 illustrates a number of optical lens configurations, according to an example.

FIG. 6 illustrates details of an optical lens configuration with a reflective polarizer layer, a quarter wave layer, and a semi-transparent mirror, according to an example.

FIGS. 7A-7E illustrate a number of configurations of reflective polarizer layer, quarter wave layer, and semi-transparent mirror in an optical lens configuration, according to an example.

FIG. 8 illustrates an assembly system to provide a head-mount display (HMD) device with an optical lens configuration, according to an example.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method to assemble a head-mount display (HMD) device with an optical lens configuration, according to an example.