Display and optical assembly with color-selective effective focal length

1. A head mounted display (HMD) comprising:

a display having a display pixel array including:

first pixels emitting first display light; and

second pixels emitting second display light, wherein the first display light includes a first light spectrum that is different than a second light spectrum of the second display light; and

an optical assembly configured to focus the first display light and the second display light for a user of the HMD, wherein the optical assembly provides a first effective focal length to the first light spectrum of the first display light and provides a second effective focal length to the second light spectrum of the second display light, wherein the optical assembly includes:

a color-selective reflective polarizer (CSRP) configured to reflect the first light spectrum of the first display light when the first display light is oriented in a first linear polarization orientation and pass the first display light when the first display light is oriented in a second linear polarization orientation that is orthogonal to the first linear polarization orientation, wherein the CSRP is configured to pass the second light spectrum of the second display light when the second display light is in the first linear polarization orientation and in the second linear polarization orientation.

2. The HMD of claim 1 , wherein the optical assembly further includes:

a color-selective partially reflective layer (CSPRL) disposed on a curved surface that imparts a first optical power in reflection to the first display light, wherein the CSPRL is configured to reflect a percentage of the first light spectrum of the first display light while passing a remaining percentage of the first light spectrum of the first display light,

and wherein the CSPRL is configured to pass substantially all of the second light spectrum of the second display light, the CSPRL disposed between the display and the CSRP.

3. The HMD of claim 2 , wherein the optical assembly further includes:

a second CSPRL disposed on a second curved surface that imparts a second optical power in reflection to the second display light, wherein the second CSPRL is configured to reflect a percentage of the second light spectrum of the second display light while passing a remaining percentage of the second light spectrum of the second display light, and wherein the second CSPRL is configured to pass substantially all of the first light spectrum of the first display light; and

a reflective polarizer configured to reflect the second linear polarization orientation that is orthogonal to the first linear polarization orientation, wherein the second CSPRL is disposed between the display and the reflective polarizer.

4. The HMD of claim 3 , wherein the optical assembly further includes:

a first quarter-waveplate disposed between the CSPRL and the CSRP;

a second quarter-waveplate disposed between the CSRP and the second CSPRL; and

a third quarter-waveplate disposed between the second CSPRL and the reflective polarizer.

5. The HMD of claim 4 , wherein a circular polarizer is disposed between the first quarter-waveplate and the display.

6. The HMD of claim 1 , wherein the display includes:

a first illumination zone populated by the first pixels that include first red-green-blue (RGB) subpixels that emit the first light spectrum of the first display light; and

a second illumination zone populated by the first pixels and the second pixels that include second RGB subpixels that emit the second light spectrum of the second display light, wherein the second illumination zone surrounds the first illumination zone.

7. The HMD of claim 6 , wherein a color filter array disposed over the display pixel array includes:

a first red color filter disposed over the first red subpixels;

a second red color filter disposed over the second red subpixels;

a first green color filter disposed over the first green subpixels;

a second green color filter disposed over the second green subpixels;

a first blue color filter disposed over the first blue subpixels; and

a second blue color filter disposed over the second blue subpixels, wherein the first red color filter passes a first red band different from a second red band passed by the second red color filter, the first green color filter passes a first green band different from a second green band passed by the second green color filter, and the first blue color filter passes a first blue band different from a second blue band passed by the second blue color filter.

8. The HMD of claim 6 , wherein the first pixels occupy approximately 50% of the second illumination zone, and wherein the second pixels occupy approximately 50% of the second illumination zone and none of the first illumination zone.

9. The HMD of claim 6 , wherein the display includes a transition illumination zone disposed between the first illumination zone and the second illumination zone, and wherein a density of the second pixels in the transition illumination zone increases as a distance from a center of the first illumination zone increases.

10. The HMD of claim 1 , wherein the second effective focal length is approximately half of the first effective focal length.

11. A head mounted display (HMD) comprising:

a display having a display pixel array including:

first pixels emitting first display light; and

second pixels emitting second display light, wherein the first display light includes a first light spectrum that is different than a second light spectrum of the second display light; and

an optical assembly including a color-selective reflective polarizer (CSRP) configured to reflect the first light spectrum of the first display light when the first display light is oriented in a first linear polarization orientation and pass the first display light when the first display light is oriented in a second linear polarization orientation that is orthogonal to the first linear polarization orientation, wherein the CSRP is configured to pass the second light spectrum of the second display light when the second display light is in the first linear polarization orientation and in the second linear polarization orientation.