Modeling a freeform mirror surface for AR system using geometric ray-mapping method

Virtual and augmented reality systems are actively developing and modernizing, and their application is increasingly finding itself in new areas. The role of AR is especially high in learning and navigation processes, medicine and travel. However, modern AR systems are far from perfect - the image quality and ergonomics of existing solutions are imperfect. The paper considers a theoretical variation of an AR system with a reduced number of components using a freeform mirror surface. Through iterative calculations with further approximation by a power polynomial and Bezier curves, the resulting AR system is modeled in Zemax. The use of Bezier curves by CAD-modeling gives an advantage over integrated surfaces, but the amount of residual transverse aberration &Delta;<i>y'</i>_max &equals; 12 arc-min twice the tolerance &Delta;<i>y'</i>_max &le; 5 arc-min, and the exit pupil size is 10&percnt; less than stated (54 mm against the nominal 60 mm) with a tolerance of 1.5&percnt;. Thus, the use of the ray mapping method for the calculation of imaging systems is promising, but requires further improvement of the algorithm calculation process.