Granted Patent B2

US 12,613,399 · App. 18/104,160 · Granted Apr 28, 2026

Inventor: Marco Pretorius (Oberkochen, DE)

Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG

G02B21/0012G02B3/005G02B5/1833G02B7/003G02B21/361G02B21/368G02B27/0955

Abstract

Claims (71)

1 . An optical system, comprising:

a display or a digital display configured to display an image; and

an eyepiece configured to observe the image with at least one eye,

wherein the eyepiece defines a pre-definable spatial region such that the at least one eye is movable in the pre-definable spatial region without a pre-definable threshold value of an image quality of an image representation of the image produced by the eyepiece being undershot,

wherein, in a direction of the pre-definable spatial region starting from the display, the display is arranged first in a light incidence direction, followed by the eyepiece and then by the at least one spatial region,

wherein the eyepiece includes at least a first lens group and at least a second lens group,

wherein, as seen in a direction opposite to the light incidence direction, the first lens group is arranged first, followed by the second lens group,

wherein an intermediate pupil is arranged between the first lens group and the second lens group,

wherein the second lens group is configured to image the image displayed by the display into the intermediate pupil,

wherein the first lens group is configured to image the image arranged in the intermediate pupil into the spatial region,

wherein the intermediate pupil and the spatial region are conjugate to one another, and

wherein at least one of a filter and a wavefront manipulator is/are arranged at the intermediate pupil.

2 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system has at least one of the following features:

(i) at least a first drive configured to move the filter, wherein the first drive is operatively arranged at the filter, and wherein the filter is configured to be movable such that the filter can be moved from a first filter position outside of the intermediate pupil to a second filter position at the intermediate pupil, and

(ii) at least a second drive configured to move the wavefront manipulator, wherein the second drive is operatively arranged at the wavefront manipulator, and wherein the wavefront manipulator is configured to be movable such that the wavefront manipulator can be moved from a first wavefront manipulator position outside of the intermediate pupil to a second wavefront manipulator position at the intermediate pupil.

3 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the filter is at least one of:

(i) an anti-aliasing filter,

(ii) an anti-aliasing filter including a birefringent plate,

(iii) an anti-aliasing filter including birefringent layers,

(iv) an apodization filter, and

(v) an optical spatial frequency filter.

4 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system has at least one of the following features:

(i) the wavefront manipulator is a static wavefront manipulator,

(ii) the wavefront manipulator includes at least one lens unit,

(iii) the wavefront manipulator includes at least a first lens unit and at least a second lens unit, wherein the first lens unit has at least one of a first spherical power and a first cylindrical power, wherein the second lens unit has at least one of a second spherical power and a second cylindrical power, and wherein at least one of the following features is present: (a) the first spherical power is different from the second spherical power; and (b) the first cylindrical power is different from the second cylindrical power, and

(iv) the wavefront manipulator includes at least one phase plate.

5 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system has at least one of the following features:

(i) the wavefront manipulator is an adjustable wavefront manipulator,

(ii) the wavefront manipulator includes at least one liquid lens,

(iii) the wavefront manipulator includes at least one elastopolymer lens,

(iv) the wavefront manipulator includes at least a first lens unit and at least a second lens unit, wherein the first lens unit is a first cylindrical lens unit, wherein the second lens unit is a second cylindrical lens unit, and wherein the first lens unit and the second lens unit are configured to be rotatable relative to one another.

6 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wavefront manipulator is adjustable and includes at least a first optical unit and at least a second optical unit,

wherein the first optical unit and the second optical unit are arranged successively in the light incidence direction or in the direction opposite to the light incidence direction,

wherein the first optical unit and the second optical unit each are arranged such that the first optical unit and the second optical unit can be moved relative to one another in a movement direction perpendicular to an axis, and

wherein the first optical unit and the second optical unit each have at least one refractive free-form surface.

7 . The optical system as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising an immersion medium, wherein the immersion medium is at least one of:

(i) arranged between the first optical unit and the second optical unit, wherein the immersion medium is in contact with both the first optical unit and the second optical unit,

(ii) arranged between the first optical unit and the second optical unit, wherein the immersion medium is in contact with both the first optical unit and the second optical unit, wherein the immersion medium is a liquid, and

(iii) arranged between the first optical unit and the second optical unit, wherein the immersion medium is in contact with both the first optical unit and the second optical unit, and wherein the immersion medium is an elastic optical cement.

8 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an aperture,

wherein the aperture is arranged at the intermediate pupil, and

wherein the aperture trims beams emanating from the display.

9 . The optical system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the aperture is a mechanical aperture.

10 . The optical system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the aperture is at least one of:

(i) a circular aperture, wherein a size of the aperture is fixedly predefined or adjustable, and

(ii) an elliptical aperture, wherein the size of the aperture is fixedly predefined or adjustable.

11 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first lens group has an intermediate caustic.

12 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first beam runs from a first location on the display in the light incidence direction,

wherein a second beam runs from a second location on the display in the light incidence direction, and

wherein at least 90% of the first beam and the second beam overlap at the intermediate pupil.

13 . The optical system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the first beam runs from the first location on the display in the light incidence direction,

wherein the second beam runs from the second location on the display in the light incidence direction, and

wherein the second lens group is configured such that at least 90% of the first beam and the second beam overlap at the intermediate pupil.

14 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system defines an optical axis,

wherein the display is arranged on the optical axis,

wherein the optical axis runs through the eyepiece, and

wherein, as seen in the direction opposite to the light incidence direction, the first lens group is arranged first along the optical axis, followed by the second lens group.

15 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one eye tracking device configured to determine a position of an eye pupil and a viewing direction of an observer.

16 . An optical device having an optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical device is configured as at least one of a pair of field glasses, a refractor, a telescope, a light microscope, night vision equipment, digital-optical equipment for use in surgery, augmented reality equipment, virtual reality equipment, a digital microscope, and a digital surgical microscope.

17 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first beam runs from a first location on the display in the light incidence direction,

wherein a second beam runs from a second location on the display in the light incidence direction, and

wherein at least 80% of the first beam and the second beam overlap at the intermediate pupil.

18 . The optical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first beam runs from a first location on the display in the light incidence direction,

wherein a second beam runs from a second location on the display in the light incidence direction, and

wherein at least 70% of the first beam and the second beam overlap at the intermediate pupil.

19 . The optical system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the first beam runs from the first location on the display in the light incidence direction,

wherein the second beam runs from the second location on the display in the light incidence direction, and

wherein the second lens group is configured such that at least 80% of the first beam and the second beam overlap at the intermediate pupil.

20 . The optical system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the first beam runs from the first location on the display in the light incidence direction,

wherein the second beam runs from the second location on the display in the light incidence direction, and

wherein the second lens group is configured such that at least 70% of the first beam and the second beam overlap at the intermediate pupil.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (61)