US 11,726,318 B2
Increased depth of field for mixed-reality display
Michael Anthony Klug, Austin, TX (US); William Hudson Welch, Fort Lauderdale, FL (US); Jason Schaefer, Coral Springs, FL (US); Björn Nicolaas Servatius Vlaskamp, Plantation, FL (US); Robert D. Tekolste, Fort Lauderdale, FL (US); and Michael Beau Dennison Vaughn, Round Rock, TX (US)
Assigned to Magic Leap, Inc., Plantation, FL (US)
Filed by Magic Leap, Inc., Plantation, FL (US)
Filed on Dec. 9, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/116,391.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/946,291, filed on Dec. 10, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0173204 A1, Jun. 10, 2021
Int. Cl. G02B 27/00 (2006.01); G02B 27/01 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 27/0075 (2013.01) [G02B 27/0172 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0127 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating an optical system, the method comprising:
defining, based on a vergence-accommodation conflict (VAC) limit, a delimited zone as a function of distance from the optical system, the delimited zone having at least one distance threshold;
determining a virtual distance of a virtual depth plane from the optical system at which a virtual object is to be displayed;
determining whether the virtual distance is outside the delimited zone by comparing the virtual distance to the at least one distance threshold;
generating, by a projector of the optical system, a collimated pixel beam associated with the virtual object;
based on determining that the virtual distance is outside the delimited zone, modifying the collimated pixel beam to generate a modified pixel beam, wherein modifying the collimated pixel beam includes at least one of:
converging the collimated pixel beam; or
reducing a diameter of the collimated pixel beam;
injecting the modified pixel beam into an eyepiece of the optical system; and
outputting the modified pixel beam from the eyepiece toward an eye of a user.