Electronic device with multi-element display illumination system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12111467-B2
Application number	US-201916409681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2019
Priority date	Jun 28, 2018
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device may have a spatial light modulator. Control circuitry in the electronic device may use the spatial light modulator to generate images. A light source may be used to produce illumination for the spatial light modulator. An optical system may direct the illumination onto the spatial light modulator and may direct corresponding reflected image light towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. Head-mounted support structures may be used to support the spatial light modulator, light source, and optical system. The light source may include light-emitting elements such as light-emitting diodes or lasers. Multiple light-emitting elements may be provided in the light source in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array. During operation, the control circuitry can individually adjust the light-emitting elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
light sources configured to produce illumination;
a spatial light modulator configured to produce light by reflecting the illumination; and
optics configured to redirect the light, wherein
the optics impart the light with an off-axis roll off in intensity across a field of view of the light,
the light sources are configured to compensate for the off-axis roll off in intensity produced by the optics, and
the optics comprise a hologram or an optical combiner.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the optics comprise at least one lens.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the optics comprise a waveguide.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a digital micromirror device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a liquid-crystal-on-silicon device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the light sources are arranged in an array.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the light sources comprise a first light source at a central axis of the array and a second light source off the central axis of the array, the first light source has a first intensity, and the second light source has a second intensity less than the first intensity.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the light sources are configured to compensate for the off-axis roll off in intensity by producing the illumination with an intensity profile that varies across the field of view.

9. An electronic device comprising:
light sources configured to produce illumination;
a spatial light modulator configured to produce light by reflecting the illumination; and
optics configured to redirect the light, wherein the optics impart the light with an off-axis roll off in intensity across a field of view of the light, the light sources are configured to compensate for the off-axis roll off in intensity produced by the optics, the light sources are configured to compensate for the off-axis roll off in intensity by producing the illumination with an intensity profile that varies across the field of view, and the intensity profile decreases away from a central axis of the field of view.

10. An electronic device comprising:
light sources configured to produce illumination;
a spatial light modulator configured to produce light by reflecting the illumination;
optics configured to redirect the light, wherein
the optics impart the light with an off-axis roll off in intensity across a field of view of the light, and
the light sources are configured to compensate for the off-axis roll off in intensity produced by the optics; and
one or more processors configured to provide image data to the spatial light modulator, the one or more processors being configured to further compensate for the off- axis roll off in intensity by pre-distorting the image data.

11. An electronic device comprising:
an array of light sources configured to emit illumination;
a spatial light modulator configured to generate reflected light based on the illumination; and
optics configured to direct the reflected light, the array of light sources being configured to exhibit an intensity profile that has a variation across a field of view of the reflected light, wherein
the optics impart the reflected light with an off-axis distortion across the field of view that at least partially reverses the variation in the intensity profile exhibited by the one or more light sources, and
the one or more processors are configured to control the array of light sources to exhibit the intensity profile by performing an operation selected from the group consisting of:
adjusting pulse width modulation of the light sources across the array, and
adjusting current provided to the light sources across the array.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a digital micromirror device.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a liquid-crystal-on-silicon device.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , the one or more processors being configured to provide image data to the spatial light modulator and being configured to further compensate for the off-axis roll off in intensity by pre-distorting the image data.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Bhakta Vikrant
• Choi Hyungryul
• Peng Guolin
• Delapp Scott M

Classifications

• G02B2027/013

  comprising a combiner of particular shape, e.g. curvature · CPC title

• G02B2027/0114

  comprising dichroic elements · CPC title

• G02B27/30

  Collimators · CPC title

• G02B27/126

  The splitting element being a prism or prismatic array, including systems based on total internal reflection · CPC title

• G02B27/1026

  for use with reflective spatial light modulators · CPC title