US-12625384-B2 - Optical device, display apparatus including same, and method for extending length of optical path

US12625384B2US 12625384 B2US12625384 B2US 12625384B2US-12625384-B2

Abstract

An optical device is provided. The optical device includes a display apparatus including the same, and a method of extending an optical path. The optical device includes at least one electroactive optical cell configured to adjust a phase profile of light, and an optical path extender to extend an optical path by allowing light to transmit through the at least one electroactive optical cell in opposite directions a plurality of times.

Inventors

Dmitriy Evgenyevich PISKUNOV
Svetlana Vladimirovna Danilova
Nikolay Victorovich MURAVEV

Assignees

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220527
Priority Date: 20200324

Claims (16)

1 . An optical device comprising: at least one electroactive optical cell configured to adjust a phase profile of light; and an optical path extender configured to extend a path of light by allowing light to transmit through the at least one electroactive optical cell in opposite directions a plurality of times, wherein the at least one electroactive optical cell comprises: a first electrode layer comprising a plurality of electrodes arranged apart from each other; and a second electrode layer facing the first electrode layer, and wherein the optical device is configured to provide independent voltage levels to the plurality of electrodes of the first electrode layer to adjust the phase profile of light such that the light is split into a plurality of lights having different phase profiles and the plurality of lights are focused at different focal lengths.
2 . The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical path extender comprises at least one of a semi-transparent mirror, a quarter-wave plate (QWP), or a polarization selective element.
3 . The optical device of claim 2 , wherein the optical path extender comprises the polarization selective element, and wherein the polarization selective element comprises at least one of a polarizing beam splitter (PBS), a wire grid polarizer (WGP), a cholesteric crystal, a circular polarization selective mirror, or a geometric phase lens (GPL).
4 . The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one electroactive optical cell further comprises an electroactive layer between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, and wherein the electroactive layer is configured to change the phase profile of light based on the independent voltage levels applied to each of the plurality of electrodes of the first electrode layer and a voltage applied to the second electrode layer.
5 . The optical device of claim 2 , wherein the optical path extender comprises the polarization selective element, and wherein the polarization selective element comprises a first polarization selective element and a second polarization selective element arranged to intersect each other.
6 . The optical device of claim 5 , wherein the first polarization selective element is configured to reflect light of left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) and transmit light of right-hand circular polarization (RHCP), and wherein the second polarization selective element is configured to transmit the light of LHCP and reflect the light of RHCP.
7 . The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical path extender comprises a semi-transparent mirror disposed in front of the at least one electroactive optical cell, and a quarter-wave plate (QWP), and a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) disposed behind the at least one electroactive optical cell on the path of light.
8 . The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical path extender comprises a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) disposed in front of the at least one electroactive optical cell, a first quarter-wave plate (QWP), a semi-transparent mirror, a second QWP, and a wire grid polarizer (WGP) disposed behind the at least one electroactive optical cell on the path of light.
9 . The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical path extender is configured to allow light to pass through the at least one electroactive optical cell at least three times.
10 . The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one electroactive optical cell comprises a first electroactive optical cell and a second electroactive optical cell, and wherein the optical path extender comprises a first polarizing beam splitter (PBS) disposed in front of the first electroactive optical cell, a first quarter-wave plate (QWP) disposed between the first electroactive optical cell and the second electroactive optical cell, a semi-transparent mirror, a second QWP, and a wire grid polarizer (WGP) disposed behind the second electroactive optical cell on the path of light.
11 . A display apparatus comprising: a display panel configured to form an image; and an optical device configured to adjust a phase profile of light emitted from the display panel, wherein the optical device comprises: at least one electroactive optical cell; and an optical path extender to extend a path of light by allowing light to transmit through the at least one electroactive optical cell in opposite directions a plurality of times, wherein the at least one electroactive optical cell comprises: a first electrode layer comprising a plurality of electrodes arranged apart from each other; and a second electrode layer facing the first electrode layer, and wherein the optical device is configured to provide independent voltage levels to the plurality of electrodes of the first electrode layer to adjust the phase profile of light such that the light is split into a plurality of lights having different phase profiles and the plurality of lights are focused at different focal lengths.
12 . The display apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the optical path extender comprises at least one of a semi-transparent mirror, a quarter-wave plate (QWP), or a polarization selective element.
13 . The display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the optical path extender comprises the polarization selective element, and wherein the polarization selective element comprises at least one of a polarizing beam splitter (PBS), a wire grid polarizer (WGP), a cholesteric crystal, a circular polarization selective mirror, or a geometric phase lens (GPL).
14 . The display apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising: a waveguide configured to transfer the light from the display panel.
15 . A method, performed by an optical device, of extending an optical path length (OPL) of incident light, the method comprising: splitting incident light into light of a first polarization and light of a second polarization; converting, by a quarter-wave plate (QWP), a polarization of an optical light by using at least one of the first polarization or the second polarization; controlling independent voltage levels of each of a plurality of electrodes of an electrode layer of an electroactive optical cell of the optical device to adjust a phase profile of light of the electroactive optical cell; transmitting the light of the first polarization and the light of the second polarization through the electroactive optical cell; at least partially reflecting, by a polarizing beam splitter (PBS), light of the converted polarization; transmitting the light of the converted polarization through the electroactive optical cell; at least partially reflecting the light by a semi-transparent mirror; and transmitting the light reflected by the semi-transparent mirror through the electroactive optical cell such that the light is split into a plurality of lights having different phase profiles and the plurality of lights are focused at different focal lengths.
16 . The display apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the at electroactive optical cell further comprises an electroactive layer, and wherein the electroactive layer is configured to change the phase profile of light based on the independent voltage levels applied to each of the plurality of electrodes of the first electrode layer and a voltage applied to the second electrode layer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application is a continuation application, claiming priority under § 365(c), of an International application No. PCT/KR2020/017190, filed on Nov. 27, 2020, which is based on and claims the benefit of a Russian patent application number 2019138594, filed on Nov. 28, 2019, in the Russian Intellectual Property Office, and of a Korea patent application number 10-2020-0035813, filed on Mar. 24, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Field The disclosure relates to an optical system. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an optical device capable of extending an optical path length (OPL), a display apparatus including the optical device, and a method. 2. Description of Related Art In augmented reality or virtual reality (AR/VR) systems used for various applications, tunable focus glasses for vision correction, and in particular for compensating for age-related presbyopia, lenses for photo and video cameras, electroactive diffractive lenses, in particular liquid crystal (LC) lenses or polymer gel based lenses are used. To improve such optical systems, focal length adjustment of an optical system for changing visible position of a virtual image as well as frame shifting to increase image resolution are provided. The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure. SUMMARY Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide an optical device capable of extending an optical path length (OPL). Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a display apparatus including an optical device capable of extending an OPL. Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of extending an OPL. Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments. In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an optical device is provided. The optical device includes at least one electroactive optical cell configured to adjust a phase profile of light, and an optical path extender to extend a path of light by allowing light to transmit through the at least one electroactive optical cell in opposite directions a plurality of times. The optical path extender may include at least one of a semi-transparent mirror, a quarter-wave plate (QWP), or a polarization selective element. The polarization selective element may include at least one of a polarizing beam splitter (PBS), a wire grid polarizer (WGP), a cholesteric crystal, a circular polarization selective mirror, or a geometric phase lens (GPL). The at least one electroactive optical cell may include a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer facing the first electrode layer, and an electroactive layer between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, and wherein the electroactive layer changes the phase profile by a voltage applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The polarization selective element may include a first polarization selective element and a second polarization selective element arranged to intersect each other. The first polarization selective element may be configured to reflect left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) and transmit right-hand circular polarization (RHCP), and the second polarization selective element is configured to transmit LHCP and reflect RHCP. The optical path extender may include a semi-transparent mirror disposed in front of the at least one electroactive optical cell, and a QWP, and a PBS disposed behind the at least one electroactive optical cell on the path of light. The optical path extender may include a PBS disposed in front of the at least one electroactive optical cell, a first QWP, a semi-transparent mirror, a second QWP, and a WGP disposed behind the at least one electroactive optical cell on the path of light. The optical path extender may be configured to allow light to pass through the at least one electroactive optical cell at least three times. The at least one electroactive optical cell may include a first electroactive optical cell and a second electroactive optical cell, and wherein the optical path extender comprises a first PBS disposed in front of the first electroactive optical cell, a first QWP disposed between the first electroactive optical cell and the second electroactive optical cell, a semi-transparent mirror, a second QWP, and a WGP disposed behind the second electroactive optical cell on the path of light.