Wearable 3D augmented reality display
A wearable 3D augmented reality display and method, which may include 3D integral imaging optics.
1. A 3D augmented reality display, comprising:
a microdisplay for providing a virtual 3D image for display to a user;
display optics configured to receive optical radiation from the microdisplay and configured to create, from the received radiation, a 3D lightfield extending through a depth range at a reference plane, the display optics including a microlens array having an array width and the display optics including a first lens attached to and in optical communication with the microlens array, the first lens having a diameter at least as large as the array width to receive optical radiation from the microlens array;
an eyepiece in optical communication with the display optics configured to receive the 3D lightfield from the display optics and configured to create a virtual image, at a virtual reference plane, of the 3D light field, the reference plane and virtual reference plane being optically conjugate to one another across the eyepiece.
2. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the display optics comprises a second lens in optical communication with both the first lens and the eyepiece, the second lens having a focal length equal to that of the first lens.
3. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 2 , wherein the second lens is spaced apart from the first lens by a distance equal to the focal length.
4. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the eyepiece comprises a selected surface configured to receive the 3D lightfield from the display optics and reflect the received radiation to an exit pupil, the selected surface also configured to receive optical radiation from a source other than the microdisplay and to transmit the optical radiation to the exit pupil.
5. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the eyepiece comprises a freeform prism shape.
6. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the eyepiece comprises a first surface configured to receive and refract optical radiation from the display optics and comprises a second surface configured to receive the refracted optical radiation from the first surface, the second surface configured to reflect the optical radiation to a third surface of the eyepiece, the third surface configured to reflect the optical radiation reflected from the second surface to an exit pupil.
7. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 6 , comprising a corrector lens disposed adjacent the second surface of the eyepiece.
8. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the surfaces of the eyepiece comprise a rotationally asymmetric surface.
9. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the eyepiece comprises a wedge shape.
10. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the eyepiece comprises a surface respresented by the equation
z
=
c
r
2
1
+
1
-
(
1
+
k
)
c
2
r
2
+
∑
j
=
2
6
6
C
j
x
m
y
n
j
=
(
m
+
n
)
2
+
m
+
3
n
2
+
1
,
where z is the sag of the free-form surface measured along the z-axis of a local x, y, z coordinate system, c is the vertex curvature (CUY), r is the radial distance, k is the conic constant, and C j is the coefficient for x m y n .
11. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the display optics comprises one or more of a holographic display, multi-layer computational lightfield display, and a volumetric display.
12. The 3D imaging augmented reality display of claim 1 , wherein the 3D lightfield provides full parallax.