Multi-focal display system and method

1. A display system, comprising: a light projection device operatively coupled to an image source that generates image data for viewing by a user through a display; and a composite variable focus element (VFE) assembly operatively coupled to the light projection device, the composite VFE assembly comprising a first VFE and a second VFE, wherein the first VFE and the second VFE are arranged in series, the first VFE is configured to switch between focal states within a first focal range with a first switching response time, the second VFE is configured to switch between focal states within a second focal range with a second switching response time, wherein the first switching response time of the first VFE is slower than the second switching response time of the second VFE, the second VFE is configured to generate a pair of focal planes comprising a first focal plane and a second focal plane by switching between a first focus state of the first focal plane and a second focus state of the second focal plane with the second switching response time of the second VFE, wherein the second focal range of the second VFE is defined between the pair of focal planes generated by the second VFE, and the first focal range encompasses each possible position of the pair of focal planes generated by the second VFE, and the first VFE is configured to modulate a focus of the pair of focal planes generated by the second VFE by shifting the pair of focal planes generated by the second VFE at varying distances relative to eyes of a user of the display system and within the first focal range of the first VFE with the first switching response time to create an impression that the user is seeing the first image plane and the second image plane simultaneously within the first focal range of the first VFE as the pair of focal planes generated by the second VFE is moved within the first focal range of the first VFE;

wherein the first focal range is multiple times larger than the second focal range;

wherein the first focal range is 0 to 3 diopters, and the second focal range is 0 diopters to 0.3 diopters.

2. The display system of claim 1 , further comprising a telecentric lens system, wherein the composite VFE is disposed within the telecentric lens system such that modulation of the composite VFE generates a change in the focus of incident light, while generating little or no change in image magnification.

3. The display system of claim 1 , wherein the first switching response time of the first VFE is less than a refresh time of the light projection device.

4. The display system of claim 1 , wherein the composite VFE is configured to display images at a first focal distance in even numbered frames and to display images at a second focal distance in odd numbered frames such that a viewer perceives a multi-focal display.

5. The display system of claim 1 , wherein the second VFE is configured to display a first image at a first focal distance in a first frame and to display a second image at a second focal distance in a second frame.

6. The display system of claim 5 , wherein the first VFE is configured to focus the first and second images to respective third and fourth focal distances.

7. The display system of claim 6 , further comprising an accommodation-tracking system configured to measure a viewer's accommodation, wherein the third and fourth focal distances are determined based at least in part on a change in the viewer's accommodation.

8. The display system of claim 6 , further comprising an eye-tracking system configured to measure a viewer's fixation distance, wherein the third and fourth focal distances are determined based at least in part on a change in the viewer's fixation distance.

9. The display system of claim 1 , wherein the second VFE increases a tolerance of the display system to accuracy errors and latency in an operatively coupled accommodation-tracking or eye-tracking system.

10. The display system of claim 1 , wherein the light projection device is a Digital Light Projection (DLP) display with a refresh rate.

11. The display system of claim 10 , wherein the second VFE switches between the first focus state and the second focus state at the refresh rate of the DLP display and in phase with a refreshing of the DLP display such that even numbered image frames are displayed at the first focal state and odd numbered image frames are displayed at the second focal state.

12. The display system of claim 11 , wherein the image source generates first layer image content at first viewing distance for the even numbered image frames and second layer image content at second viewing distance for the odd numbered image frames such that a viewer perceives the first and second layer image content to be parts of a multifocal scene.

13. The display system of claim 12 , wherein the refresh rate of the DLP display is 240 Hz, and wherein the display system has an overall effective refresh rate of 120 Hz.

14. The display system of claim 1 , wherein a total optical power of the composite VFE is a combination of a first optical power of the first VFE and a second optical power of the second VFE.

15. The display system of claim 14 , wherein a first distance between the first focal plane and the second focal plane is based at least in part upon a constant optical power difference comprising a difference between the first optical power of the first VFE and the second optical power of the second VFE.