IP Library Granted Patent US 12699271
Granted Patent B2
US 12699271 · App. 19/047,783 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Retinal projection device and near eye wearable device

Inventors: Tomohito Mizuno (Tokyo, JP); Hideaki Fukuzawa (Tokyo, JP); Kit Chu Lam (Shanghai, CN)
Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
G02B27/0172G02B27/0093G02B27/0179G02B2027/0178G02B2027/0187
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12699271
App. No.
19/047,783
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A retinal projection device includes: a projector module including a light source that emits laser light and a movable mirror that performs scanning with the laser light; a reflector that projects an image onto a retina of a user wearing the near eye wearable device by reflecting the laser light having passed through the movable mirror and irradiating the retina with reflected light; and a controller that determines an irradiation range of the reflector to be irradiated with the laser light in accordance with a position of a pupil of the user and controls the projector module to irradiate the irradiation range with the laser light. The reflector includes a plurality of unit regions provided along a surface of a lens of the near eye wearable device, and the surface faces an eyeball of the user. The irradiation range is a part of the plurality of unit regions.

Claims (68)

1 . A retinal projection device to be mounted on a near eye wearable device, the retinal projection device comprising:

a projector module including a light source configured to emit laser light and a movable mirror configured to perform scanning with the laser light;

a reflector configured to project an image onto a retina of a user wearing the near eye wearable device by reflecting the laser light having passed through the movable mirror and irradiating the retina with reflected light; and

a controller configured to determine an irradiation range of the reflector to be irradiated with the laser light in accordance with a position of a pupil of the user and to control the projector module to irradiate the irradiation range with the laser light, wherein

the reflector includes a plurality of unit regions provided along a surface of a lens of the near eye wearable device, and the surface faces an eyeball of the user,

each of the plurality of unit regions is a nanostructure in a two-dimensional array of alternating nanostructures each configured to reflect one of a plurality of predetermined colors of the laser light at a reflection angle corresponding to a position where the unit region is provided when the laser light having passed through the movable mirror is incident on the unit region, and

the irradiation range is a part of the plurality of unit regions.

2 . The retinal projection device according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflector is divided into a plurality of sections, and

the controller determines one of the plurality of sections as the irradiation range.

3 . The retinal projection device according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the plurality of unit regions is a laminate including a first metal layer, a dielectric layer, and a second metal layer in sequence in a first direction intersecting the surface, and

the second metal layer includes a plurality of metal bodies arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

4 . A near eye wearable device comprising:

the retinal projection device according to claim 1 ; and

the lens.

5 . A retinal projection device to be mounted on a near eye wearable device, the retinal projection device comprising:

a projector module including a light source configured to emit laser light and a movable mirror configured to perform scanning with the laser light;

a reflector configured to project an image onto a retina of a user wearing the near eye wearable device by reflecting the laser light having passed through the movable mirror and irradiating the retina with reflected light;

a movement mechanism configured to move the projector module; and

a controller configured to

determine an irradiation range of the reflector to be irradiated with the laser light in accordance with a position of a pupil of the user and to control the projector module to irradiate the irradiation range with the laser light, and

cause the movement mechanism to move the projector module in accordance with the position of the pupil, wherein

the reflector includes a plurality of unit regions provided along a surface of a lens of the near eye wearable device, and the surface faces an eyeball of the user,

each of the plurality of unit regions is a nanostructure in a two-dimensional array of alternating nanostructures each configured to reflect one of a plurality of predetermined colors of the laser light at a reflection angle corresponding to a position where the unit region is provided when the laser light having passed through the movable mirror is incident on the unit region, and

the irradiation range is a part of the plurality of unit regions.

6 . The retinal projection device according to claim 5 , wherein

each of the plurality of unit regions is a laminate including a first metal layer, a dielectric layer, and a second metal layer in sequence in a first direction intersecting the surface, and

the second metal layer includes a plurality of metal bodies arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

7 . A retinal projection device to be mounted on a near eye wearable device, the retinal projection device comprising:

a projector module including a light source configured to emit laser light and a movable mirror configured to perform scanning with the laser light;

a reflector configured to project an image onto a retina of a user wearing the near eye wearable device by reflecting the laser light having passed through the movable mirror and irradiating the retina with reflected light;

a movement mechanism configured to move the projector module; and

a controller configured to

determine an irradiation range of the reflector to be irradiated with the laser light in accordance with a position of a pupil of the user and to control the projector module to irradiate the irradiation range with the laser light, and

cause the movement mechanism to move the projector module in accordance with the position of the pupil, wherein

the reflector includes a plurality of unit regions provided along a surface of a lens of the near eye wearable device, and the surface faces an eyeball of the user,

each of the plurality of unit regions is a nanostructure configured to reflect the laser light at a reflection angle corresponding to a position where the unit region is provided when the laser light having passed through the movable mirror is incident on the unit region, and

the irradiation range is a part of the plurality of unit regions, wherein

each of the plurality of unit regions is a laminate including a first metal layer, a dielectric layer, and a second metal layer in sequence in a first direction intersecting the surface,

the second metal layer includes a plurality of metal bodies arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction,

each of the plurality of unit regions has a length in accordance with the reflection angle in the second direction, and

a size of each of the plurality of metal bodies is set so that a phase change amount of the reflected light linearly increases or decreases from a first end toward a second end in the second direction of the unit region.

8 . A retinal projection device to be mounted on a near eye wearable device, the retinal projection device comprising:

a projector module including a light source configured to emit laser light and a movable mirror configured to perform scanning with the laser light;

a reflector configured to project an image onto a retina of a user wearing the near eye wearable device by reflecting the laser light having passed through the movable mirror and irradiating the retina with reflected light; and

a controller configured to determine an irradiation range of the reflector to be irradiated with the laser light in accordance with a position of a pupil of the user and to control the projector module to irradiate the irradiation range with the laser light, wherein

the reflector includes a plurality of unit regions provided along a surface of a lens of the near eye wearable device, and the surface faces an eyeball of the user,

each of the plurality of unit regions is a nanostructure in a two-dimensional array of alternating nanostructures each configured to reflect one of a plurality of predetermined colors of the laser light at a reflection angle corresponding to a position where the unit region is provided when the laser light having passed through the movable mirror is incident on the unit region,

the irradiation range is a part of the plurality of unit regions,

the laser light contains a first component for projecting an image onto the retina and a second component for detecting the position of the pupil, and

the plurality of unit regions includes a unit region for the first component and a unit region for the second component.

9 . The retinal projection device according to claim 8 , wherein

each of the plurality of unit regions is a laminate including a first metal layer, a dielectric layer, and a second metal layer in sequence in a first direction intersecting the surface, and

the second metal layer includes a plurality of metal bodies arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

10 . A retinal projection device to be mounted on a near eye wearable device, the retinal projection device comprising:

a projector module including a light source configured to emit laser light and a movable mirror configured to perform scanning with the laser light;

a reflector configured to project an image onto a retina of a user wearing the near eye wearable device by reflecting the laser light having passed through the movable mirror and irradiating the retina with reflected light; and

a controller configured to determine an irradiation range of the reflector to be irradiated with the laser light in accordance with a position of a pupil of the user and to control the projector module to irradiate the irradiation range with the laser light, wherein

the reflector includes a plurality of unit regions provided along a surface of a lens of the near eye wearable device, and the surface faces an eyeball of the user,

each of the plurality of unit regions is a nanostructure configured to reflect the laser light at a reflection angle corresponding to a position where the unit region is provided when the laser light having passed through the movable mirror is incident on the unit region,

the irradiation range is a part of the plurality of unit regions,

the laser light contains a first component for projecting an image onto the retina and a second component for detecting the position of the pupil, and

the plurality of unit regions includes a unit region for the first component and a unit region for the second component, wherein

each of the plurality of unit regions is a laminate including a first metal layer, a dielectric layer, and a second metal layer in sequence in a first direction intersecting the surface,

the second metal layer includes a plurality of metal bodies arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction,

each of the plurality of unit regions has a length in accordance with the reflection angle in the second direction, and

a size of each of the plurality of metal bodies is set so that a phase change amount of the reflected light linearly increases or decreases from a first end toward a second end in the second direction of the unit region.