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Retinal projection head-mounted display

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Abstract

Retinal projection displays (RPDs) are an important development direction for head-mounted displays (HMDs). This paper reviews the literature on optical engineering aspects based on the data on advanced technology in RPD design and development. The review includes the principles and applications of four theories, e. g., the Maxwellian view and its modified modality and the monocular and binocular depth cues of stereoscopic objects in the physiology of the human visual system. To support the Maxwellian view and achieve retinal projection systems with depth cues, results of previous design works were summarized using different methods and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. With an extremely long focal depth, a prototype of a full-color stereoscopic see-through RPD system was discussed. Finally, a brief outlook of the future development trends and applications of the RPDs was presented

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (No. 2015AA016301) and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation Program (No. 4152044).

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Correspondence to Dewen Cheng.

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Junguo Lin received his B.S. degree in Optical Information Science and Technology from Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China, in 2015. He is currently working toward his M.S. degree in Optical Engineering in the Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China. His current research interests include optical design, RPD, and AR laser near-eye display.

Dewen Cheng received his B.S. degree in Optics from Beijing Institute of Technology, China, and his Ph.D. degree from Beijing Institute of Technology and the University of Arizona, America. His research interests include optical design, 3D display, VR, and AR technologies and applications, especially on near-eye display, freeform optics, and light field display.

Cheng Yao received his B.S. degree in Optics from Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China, in 2015, where he is currently working toward his Ph.D. degree in Optical Engineering. His research interests include optical design, 3D display, light field display, VR, and AR technology and application.

Yongtian Wang received his B.Sc. degree in Precision Instrumentation from Tianjin University, China, in 1982, and his Ph.D. degree in Optics from the University of Reading, England, in 1986. He is the Yangtze River Scholar of the Chinese Ministry of Education, professor, and director of the Center for Research on Optoelectronics and Information Technology in the Beijing Institute of Technology. His research interests include optical design and CAD, 3D display, and image processing, as well as VR and AR technologies and applications.

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Lin, J., Cheng, D., Yao, C. et al. Retinal projection head-mounted display. Front. Optoelectron. 10, 1–8 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12200-016-0662-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12200-016-0662-8

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