Structured optical surface and optical imaging system

An optical imaging system comprising:

• a pixelated display surface for displaying an image and comprising a plurality of pixels comprising a plurality of sub-pixels separated by a plurality of gaps;
• and
• a hybrid refractive and diffractive optical surface imaging the pluralities of sub-pixels and the gaps onto an image surface of the optical imaging system as a plurality of imaged sub-pixels separated by a plurality of imaged gaps, and diffracting light from the display surface so that the diffracted light at least partially fills the plurality of imaged gaps without substantially overlapping any of the imaged sub-pixels.

A structured optical surface comprising a plurality of three-dimensional structures formed by an intersection of at least first and second Fresnel patterns, such that when the structured optical surface is incorporated in an optical imaging system comprising a pixelated display surface with at least one pixel comprising at least two sub-pixels spaced apart by a gap, the structured optical surface images the at least two sub-pixels onto an image surface as at least two corresponding imaged sub-pixels spaced apart by a corresponding imaged gap, and the structured optical surface diffracts light so that the diffracted light at least partially fills the imaged gap without substantially overlapping any of the at least two imaged sub-pixels, wherein the first Fresnel pattern has a first center and the second Fresnel pattern has a second center spaced apart from the first center by a distance in a range from about 1 millimeter to about 20 millimeters.