Display apparatus comprising first and second optical phased arrays and method for augmented reality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359630-B2
Application number	US-201615199221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A display for augmented reality (AR) includes an array of optical phased arrays (OPAs) integrated into a transparent substrate. The array of OPAs emit light encoded with four dimensional (4D) light field including 2D spatial coordinates and 2D directional coordinates to create an image of a virtual object on a retina of a viewer. By adjusting the emission directions of light beam emitted by individual OPAs in the display, the depth perception can be adjusted accordingly. The array of OPAs can also be encoded with holographic information, including intensity and phase distribution, of a virtual object to create the image of the virtual object on the retina. The AR display can further incorporate liquid crystal (LC) into the OPAs for modulating the amplitudes and relative phases of light emitted by the OPAs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first display comprising:
a first optical phased array (OPA) to emit a first beam at one of a first plurality of steering angles;
a second OPA to emit a second beam at one of a second plurality of steering angles; and

a controller, operably coupled to the first OPA and the second OPA, to steer the first beam through the first plurality of steering angles so as to change a first optical pattern created by the first beam and the second beam on a first retina of a viewer,
wherein a difference between a first steering angle and a second steering angle in the first plurality of steering angles is about 1 degree to about 20 degrees.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises eyewear.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first display is substantially transparent so as to allow the viewer to see through the first display.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of steering angles comprises at least three different steering angles.

5. An apparatus comprising:
a first display comprising:
a first optical phased array (OPA) to emit a first beam at one of a first plurality of steering angles;
a second OPA to emit a second beam at one of a second plurality of steering angles; and

a controller, operably coupled to the first OPA and the second OPA, to steer the first beam through the first plurality of steering angles so as to change a first optical pattern created by the first beam and the second beam on a first retina of a viewer,
wherein a difference between a first steering angle and a second steering angle in the first plurality of steering angles is substantially equal to or greater than 1.22λ/D, wherein λ is a wavelength of the first beam and D is a lateral size of the first OPA.

6. An apparatus comprising:
a first display comprising:
a first optical phased array (OPA) to emit a first beam at one of a first plurality of steering angles;
a second OPA to emit a second beam at one of a second plurality of steering angles; and

a controller, operably coupled to the first OPA and the second OPA, to steer the first beam through the first plurality of steering angles so as to change a first optical pattern created by the first beam and the second beam on a first retina of a viewer,
wherein an optical path length difference between the first OPA and the second OPA is greater than a coherence length of the first beam.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first display is encoded with a four-dimensional light field of a preset image.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a first display comprising:
a first optical phased array (OPA) to emit a first beam at one of a first plurality of steering angles;
a second OPA to emit a second beam at one of a second plurality of steering angles; and

a controller, operably coupled to the first OPA and the second OPA, to steer the first beam through the first plurality of steering angles so as to change a first optical pattern created by the first beam and the second beam on a first retina of a viewer,
wherein an optical path length difference between the first OPA and the second OPA is less than a coherence length of the first beam.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first display is encoded with holographic information of a preset image.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second display to form a second optical pattern, different from the first optical pattern, on a second retina of the viewer so as to create binocular vision for the viewer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first lens, in optical communication with first display, to transmit the first beam and the second beam to the first retina of the viewer so as to create the first optical pattern on the first retina.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the apparatus comprises eyewear.

13. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first display is substantially transparent so as to allow the viewer to see through the first display.

14. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first plurality of steering angles comprises at least three different steering angles.

15. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
a second display to form a second optical pattern, different from the first optical pattern, on a second retina of the viewer so as to create binocular vision for the viewer.

16. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
a first lens, in optical communication with first display, to transmit the first beam and the second beam to the first retina of the viewer so as to create the first optical pattern on the first retina.

17. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the apparatus comprises eyewear.

18. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first display is substantially transparent so as to allow the viewer to see through the first display.

19. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first plurality of steering angles comprises at least three different steering angles.

20. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a second display to form a second optical pattern, different from the first optical pattern, on a second retina of the viewer so as to create binocular vision for the viewer.

21. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a first lens, in optical communication with first display, to transmit the first beam and the second beam to the first retina of the viewer so as to create the first optical pattern on the first retina.

22. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the apparatus comprises eyewear.

23. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first display is substantially transparent so as to allow the viewer to see through the first display.

24. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first plurality of steering angles comprises at least three different steering angles.

25. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a second display to form a second optical pattern, different from the first optical pattern, on a second retina of the viewer so as to create binocular vision for the viewer.

26. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first lens, in optical communication with first display, to transmit the first beam and the second beam to the first retina of the viewer so as to create the first optical pattern on the first retina.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Raval Manan
• Yaacobi Ami
• Watts Michael R
• Zhou Jerry
• Sun Jie
• Poulton Christopher V

Classifications

• G02B27/0075

  with means for altering, e.g. increasing, the depth of field or depth of focus · CPC title

• G02B2027/0127

  comprising devices increasing the depth of field · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · CPC title

• G02B27/0179

  Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title