Near-eye display with on-axis symmetry

A near-eye display for projecting virtual images from an image generator to an eyebox within which the virtual images can be seen by a viewer comprising

• a selectively reflective powered optic connecting first and second effectively parallel optical paths, the first optical path providing for conveying image-bearing light from the image generator to the selectively reflective powered optic and the second optical path providing for conveying the image-bearing light from the selectively reflective powered optic to the eyebox,
• first and second selectively reflective surfaces each encountering the image-bearing light along the first and second optical paths,
• the first selectively reflective surface providing for conveying the image-bearing light from the image generator to the second selectively reflective optic and from the second selectively reflective optic to the selectively reflective powered optic along the first optical path and providing for conveying the image-bearing light from the selectively reflective powered optic to the second selectively reflective surface along the second optical path, and
• the second selectively reflective surface providing for conveying the image-bearing light from the first selectively reflective surface back to the first selectively reflective surface along the first optical path and providing for conveying the image-bearing light from the first selectively reflective surface to the eyebox along the second optical path.

A compound display and imaging device for displaying virtual images from within an eyebox and for imaging external views from a perspective of the eyebox comprising

• a camera, a selectively reflective powered optic, and first and second selectively reflective surfaces,
• the selectively reflective powered optic providing for projecting virtual images from an image generator along a display optical pathway to an eyebox having a field of view within which the virtual images are visible,
• the first and second selectively reflective surfaces each providing for conveying display light along the display pathway from the image generator to the selectively reflective powered optic and from the selectively reflective powered optic to the eyebox,
• the camera providing for imaging the external views along an image pathway through the selectively reflective powered optic,
• the first and second selectively reflective surfaces each providing for conveying image light along the image pathway from the selectively reflective powered optic to the camera, and
• the image pathway between the second selectively reflective optic and the selectively reflective powered optic being aligned with the display pathway between the selectively reflective powered optic and the eyebox so that the external views imaged by the camera are aligned with the virtual images that are visible from within the eyebox.

A near-eye augmented reality device comprising

• an image generator, a camera, and a selectively reflective powered optic,
• the selectively reflective powered optic providing for projecting virtual images from the image generator along a display optical pathway to an eyebox having a field of view within which the virtual images are visible,
• the camera providing for imaging external views along an image pathway through the selectively reflective powered optic,
• a see-through pathway extending through the selectively reflective powered optic to the eyebox for transmitting the external views to the eyebox,
• a portion of the image pathway through the selectively reflective powered optic being aligned with a portion of the display pathway between the selectively reflective powered optic and the eyebox so that the external views imaged by the camera are aligned with the virtual images that are visible from within the eyebox, and
• a portion of the image pathway through the selectively reflective powered optic being aligned with the see-through pathway to the eyebox so that the external views apparent from within the eyebox correspond to the external views that are imaged by the camera.