Optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12050319-B2
Application number	US-202117460343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2021
Priority date	Aug 30, 2021
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

The invention discloses an optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources, including a light-source array of timing-orthogonal-characteristic, a relay device, a display device of orthogonal-characteristic, an optical waveguide device, a converging device, a control device, and other components. The light-source array of timing-orthogonal-characteristic includes more than one orthogonal-characteristic light sources. All orthogonal-characteristic light sources are switched on and off in each time cycle sequentially, with only one orthogonal-characteristic light source being switched on at a time-point of each time cycle. By designing the spatial distribution of converging spots of lights from different orthogonal-characteristic light sources, one two-dimensional image is projected into the pupil of the viewer in each time cycle, which realizes VAC-free three-dimensional display based on Maxwellian view technology or More-than-one-view-one-pupil technology.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources, comprises:
a light-source array of timing-orthogonal-characteristic comprised of M orthogonal-characteristic light sources, which are switched on and off sequentially at M time-points of each time cycle, with only one orthogonal-characteristic light source being switched on at a time-point, where M≥2;
wherein each orthogonal-characteristic light source is composed of L sub-light sources, which have a one-to-one correspondence with L kinds of orthogonal characteristics, and a sub-light source only emits light of corresponding orthogonal characteristic, where L≥2;
a relay device, which is designed to modulate the light from the light-source array of timing-orthogonal-characteristic, for reducing divergence of the light beam from each sub-light source;
a display device of orthogonal-characteristic comprising multiple pixels, which modulates the light from the relay device with optical information;
wherein the pixels or subpixels of the display device of orthogonal-characteristic are divided into L pixel-groups or L subpixel-groups, with all the L pixel-groups or all the L subpixel-groups taking a one-to-one correspondence with the L sub-light sources of each orthogonal-characteristics light source, and each pixel-group or each subpixel-group blocking light from non-corresponding sub-light sources;
an optical waveguide device, which guides light from the display device of orthogonal-characteristic;
a converging device, for converging light from the optical waveguide device to the observing zone of a pupil of a viewer;
a control device, which is connected with the light-source array of timing-orthogonal-characteristic and the display device of orthogonal-characteristic, for controlling the sequential switching of the orthogonal-characteristic light sources and the synchronous refreshing of optical information loaded onto the display device of orthogonal-characteristic;
wherein a pixel or a subpixel of the display device of orthogonal-characteristic projects at most one beam of light into the pupil of the viewer at a time-point, with the optical information refreshed synchronously by the pixel or the subpixel being a projection information of a displayed scene along its light beam projected into the pupil.

2. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide device comprises a wave-guide body, an entrance pupil, a couple-in element, reflecting surfaces, a couple-out element, and an exit pupil;
wherein the light from the display device of orthogonal-characteristic enters the wave-guide body through the entrance pupil; then, guided by the couple-in element and reflected by the reflecting surfaces, the light propagates in the wave-guide body toward the couple-out element; the couple-out element guides the light from each sub-light source to exit the wave-guide body through the exit pupil along a corresponding direction.

3. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-light sources are linear-shaped, and a number of light beams projected into the pupil in a time cycle is not less than a pixel number of two pixel-groups or a subpixel number of two subpixel-groups, under a premise that all pixels or all subpixels are loaded with optical information.

4. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-light sources are point-shaped, and a number of light beams projected into a pupil in a time cycle is not less than a pixel number of one pixel-group or a subpixel number of one subpixel-group under a premise that all pixels or all subpixels are loaded with optical information.

5. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the converging device is integrated into the optical waveguide device.

6. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the optical-waveguide display module further comprises an auxiliary relay device, which is inserted into the light path to modulate the incident light of the optical waveguide device.

7. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 6 , wherein the auxiliary relay device is a zooming in/out element, for adjusting the projection size of the light from the display device of orthogonal-characteristic.

8. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 6 , wherein the auxiliary relay device is a filter module, which projects the spectral plane of the display device of orthogonal-characteristic and performs filtering on the spectral plane.

9. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 6 , wherein the auxiliary relay device is a guiding device, which guides the light from the display device of orthogonal-characteristic to the couple-in element of the optical waveguide device.

10. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the optical-waveguide display module further comprises a compensation unit, which is designed to eliminate the effect of the converging device on the incident light from the external environment.

11. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the optical-waveguide display module further comprises a tracking device connected to the control device, for tracking the spatial position of the pupil.

12. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 11 , wherein according to the real-time spatial position of the pupil, the control device switches on and off corresponding K orthogonal-characteristic light sources at K time-points of a time cycle, with the display device of orthogonal-characteristic refreshed by corresponding optical information synchronously, where 2≤K<M.

13. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 11 , wherein according to the real-time spatial position of the pupil at a time-point, a corresponding orthogonal-characteristic light source is switched on by the control device, with the display device of orthogonal-characteristic refreshed by corresponding optical information synchronously.

14. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the M orthogonal-characteristic light sources are replaced by an orthogonal-characteristic light source and a controllable deflection device;
wherein the controllable deflection device can deflect the light from the orthogonal-characteristic light source under control of control device, to provide backlights to the display device of orthogonal-characteristic along M directions,
or the controllable deflection device can deflect the light from the display device of orthogonal-characteristic, to incident onto the entrance pupil along M directions.

15. The optical-waveguide display module with multiple light sources according to claim 1 , wherein the M orthogonal-characteristic light sources and the relay device are replaced by a controllable deflection device, which can deflect the light from the display device of orthogonal-characteristic under control of the control device;
wherein a microstructure array comprising microstructures is attached to the display device of orthogonal-characteristic, with the microstructures taking a one-to-one relationship to the pixels or the subpixels for modulating exit angles and exit directions of the

Assignees

• Univ Sun Yat Sen

Inventors

• Teng Dongdong
• Liu Lilin

Classifications

• G02B27/0179

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

• G02B2027/0123

  comprising devices increasing the field of view · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

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

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title