High resolution display component, system and method

An optical component comprising:

• a combiner formed of optical fibers,
• each optical fiber having a fiber input end and a fiber output end,
• said optical fibers being grouped together so that said combiner has a plurality of image input ends and an image output end,
• each image input end of said combiner being made up of a respective subset of the input ends of the optical fibers supported in an input pattern so that said input ends are each secured in a respective position so as to align with a respective pixel of a microdisplay when aligned with said image input end and to receive from said pixel light corresponding to an input image displayed on the microdisplay at an input resolution of pixels per area,
• the image output end being formed of the output ends of the optical fibers supported in an output pattern of pixels and being configured to transmit to an optical system an output image therefrom at an output resolution of pixels per area, said output image being composed of light from the pixels of the microdisplays received from the input ends,
• said output pattern corresponding to said input patterns so that the output image is a composite image comprising a combination of images each coherently transmitted from a respective one of said input images;
• and
• said output resolution being higher in at least one dimension than the input resolutions;
• and
• said output pattern having discrete component fields each corresponding to a respective input image, the light from each of the input images each being transmitted only from the output ends of the optical fibers in the component field corresponding to said input image.

An optical system comprising:

• a display device transmitting light in a pattern of an image to be displayed;
• an optical component comprising optical fibers each having an input end adapted to receive light and an output end through which the light received is transmitted;
• said component having an input end containing the input ends of the optical fibers positioned in an input pattern so that each of said fibers receives light from a respective pixel or location of the image displayed by the display device and transmits said light to the output end thereof,
• said component further having an output end composed of the output ends of the optical fibers supported so as to transmit the light of the image received at the input end in an output pattern;
• said output pattern corresponding to said input pattern so that the light is transmitted as an output image comprising an image coherently transmitted from the image displayed by the display device;
• an optical relay system receiving the output image from the output end of the component and transmitting said output image to one or two eyes of a user for viewing thereof;
• said optical relay system having imperfect imaging performance so as to introduce an aberration in light of images passing therethrough;
• said component having said output pattern with the output ends of the optical fibers in positions such that the output pattern has an alteration of the input pattern that at least partially counteracts the aberration of the relay optics.

An optical system comprising:

• an image generator;
• a plurality of microdisplay devices operatively associated with the image generator and each having a display screen with a diagonal dimension of less than two inches;
• the image generator generating and transmitting to each of said microdisplay devices a respective electronic image signal, and said microdisplay devices each producing from the associated electronic image signal a respective input image made up of pixels of transmitted light;
• an optical combiner comprising a plurality of sets of optical fibers, said optical fibers each having an input end and an output end;
• each set of optical fibers being associated with a respective one of the display screens of the microdisplay devices and having the input ends thereof secured in an input pattern adjacent thereto so that each optical fiber receives the light from a respective pixel of the associated microdisplay device and transmits said light to the output end thereof;
• the output ends of the sets of optical fibers being secured in an output pattern in which the light transmitted through the optical fibers is combined in an output image having an area and made up of pixels of the light transmitted through the optical fibers;
• said output pattern corresponding to said input patterns so that the output image is a composite image comprising images each coherently transmitted from a respective one of said input images so as to be adjacent each other in the output image;
• and
• said output image having a greater number of the pixels per area thereof than the microdisplay devices;
• and
• said output pattern having discrete component fields each corresponding to a respective input image, the light from each of the input images each being transmitted only from the output ends of the optical fibers in the component field corresponding to said input image.

A method of displaying an image to a viewer, said method comprising the steps of:

• generating at least two input images each representing a portion of the image to be displayed;
• displaying each of the input images on respective screens of respective microdisplay devices so as to generate light corresponding to the input images;
• transmitting the light from the input images through an optical combiner formed of optical fibers, said optical combiner outputting light of said input images combined in an output image, said output image being of higher resolution than said input images;
• said output image being a composite image comprising images each coherently transmitted from a respective one of said input images and adjacent each other in the output image, said output image having discrete component fields therein each corresponding to a respective input image, the light from each of the input images each being transmitted only in the component field of the output image corresponding to said input image;
• and
• relaying the output image via relay optics to the viewer.

An optical display system comprising:

• a plurality of microdisplay devices each having a screen with a field of pixels, each of said pixels transmitting a portion of light of an image displayed on the associated screen,
• a plurality of sets of optical fibers, each set being associated with a respective microdisplay, and each of the optical fibers having an input end positioned so as to receive the portion of light from a respective pixel of the associated microdisplay,
• said optical fibers each having an output end and causing light to be transmitted from said output end responsive to introduction of light at the input end thereof,
• the output ends of the optical fibers being supported in an output pixel pattern wherein each of the output ends constitutes a respective pixel of an output image, said pixels transmitting light corresponding to the images displayed on the microdisplays,
• said output pixel pattern corresponding to said input ends so that the output image is a composite image comprising a combination of images each coherently transmitted from a respective image of one of said microdisplays, said output pixel pattern having discrete component fields each corresponding to a respective microdisplay, the pixels transmitting the light from each of the microdisplays being grouped coherently in the corresponding component field of the output image, the light from each of the microdisplays being transmitted only from the output ends of the optical fibers in the component field corresponding to said microdisplay,
• at least some of the output ends of the optical fibers being organized so as to provide an increase in resolution in at least a portion of the output pixel pattern relative to the field of pixels of the associated microdisplay,
• optics receiving the light from the output pixel pattern and transmitting said light to a user for viewing;
• said optics including at least one lens.