AR HEADSETS WITH IMPROVED PINHOLE MIRROR ARRAYS
Augmented reality headsets. A plurality of tilted pin-mirrors imbedded between an inner surface and an outer surface of a combiner, where the plurality of tilted pin-mirrors are configured to reflect the guided image light towards the eye box, and wherein the plurality of pin-mirrors include one or more gaps between them wherein the one or more gaps allow the passage of an ambient light through the combiner towards the eye box.
1 . A projection augmented reality head set (ARHS) display having a pin-mirror combiner, comprising:
an imager;
a combiner;
imaging optics configured to provide imaging light received from the imager to an inner surface of the combiner;
the combiner comprising an imbedded array of pin-mirrors that are configured to re-direct the image light towards back through the inner surface of the combiner and towards the eye box, and wherein gaps between the pin-mirrors in the array of pin-mirrors allow ambient light to pass through the combiner to the eye box, and
wherein the pin-mirrors within the imbedded array of pin-mirrors have a spatially variant tilt.
2 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the imbedded array of pin-mirrors is optimized relative to a combiner curvature, an angular output range of the imaging optics, and a field-of-view (FOV) supported by the ARHS display.
3 . The ARHS display of claim 2 , wherein the imbedded array of pin-mirrors are optimized and spatially-variant tilted within the combiner such that the combiner curvature and/or the angular output range are reduced in magnitude.
4 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the imbedded array of pin-mirrors are optimized relative to the light efficiency of providing image light and/or ambient light to the eye box.
5 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the spatially-variant tilt of the pin-mirrors in the embedded array of pin-mirrors is optimized relative to a combiner curvature.
6 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the pin-mirrors and the gaps between the pin-mirrors in the embedded array of pin-mirrors are spatially variant across the combiner.
7 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pin-mirrors or gaps between the pin-mirrors in the embedded array of pin-mirrors is small enough to provide a pinhole mirror effect to reduce image blur.
8 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the embedded array of pin-mirrors create an apparent pinhole and the apparent pinhole size, as seen by a viewer, is nominally constant across the combiner.
9 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the combiner defines a curvature.
10 . The ARHS display of claim 9 , wherein the curvature defined by the combiner or falls within a particular range.
11 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the imaging optics and combiner create a wide field-of-view over a particular range.
12 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the incident angles to the combiner, while supporting a particular wide field-of-view, are within a particular range.
13 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the combiner comprises an AR coating.
14 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the pin-mirrors and gaps in the embedded array of pin-mirrors have nominal physical sizes within a particular range.
15 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the pin-mirrors and gaps in the embedded array of pin-mirrors have a maximum size.
16 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the pin-mirrors and gaps in the embedded array of pin-mirrors have a minimum size.
17 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the individual pin-mirrors are formed onto localized scalloped areas.
18 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein at least one linear array of micro-mirrors is formed onto an internal curved surface of the combiner.
19 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the imaging optics include a phase only liquid crystal device path to direct the image light to select pin-mirrors in the embedded array of pin-mirrors.