Waveguide structure and outcoupling elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12164140-B2
Application number	US-202218077567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2022
Priority date	Oct 5, 2019
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

Outcoupling elements are disposed with a transparent layer. A transparent waveguide structure receives non-visible light and delivers the non-visible light to the outcoupling elements. The outcoupling elements outcouple the non-visible light as non-visible illumination light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head mounted device comprising:
a frame;
a near-infrared light source coupled with the frame, wherein the near-infrared light source is configured to emit near-infrared light; and
an optical element secured to the frame, the optical element including:
a transparent layer;
a plurality of outcoupling elements distributed across the transparent layer; and
a transparent waveguide structure configured to receive the near-infrared light from the near-infrared light source coupled with the frame, wherein the transparent waveguide structure is configured to deliver the near-infrared light from the near-infrared light source to the outcoupling elements, and wherein the outcoupling elements are configured to outcouple the near-infrared light as near-infrared illumination light to illuminate an eye region with patterned near-infrared illumination light, the outcoupling elements including a grating configured to receive the near-infrared light from the transparent waveguide, wherein the outcoupling elements further include a diffractive optical element (DOE), and wherein the grating is configured to receive the near-infrared light and illuminate the DOE.

2. The head mounted device of claim 1 , wherein the DOE is configured to control a divergence and a direction of the near-infrared illumination light.

3. The head mounted device of claim 1 , wherein the DOE includes a metasurface.

4. An optical system comprising:
a non-visible light source configured to emit non-visible light;
a transparent layer;
outcoupling elements positioned across the transparent layer; and
a waveguide structure configured to deliver the non-visible light from the non-visible light source to the outcoupling elements, wherein the outcoupling elements are configured to outcouple the non-visible light as non-visible illumination light, and wherein the outcoupling elements include a curved mirror and a refractive microlens configured to provide beam shaping for the non-visible illumination light, wherein the curved mirror directs the non-visible light through the refractive microlens.

5. The optical system of claim 4 , wherein a first outcoupling element of the outcoupling elements is configured to outcouple the non-visible illumination light as a first light cone having a first divergence angle, and wherein a second outcoupling element of the outcoupling elements is configured to outcouple the non-visible illumination light as a second light cone having a second divergence angle that is different than the first divergence angle.

6. The optical system of claim 4 , wherein the waveguide structure includes a transparent dielectric material to confine the non-visible light to the waveguide structure.

7. The optical system of claim 4 , wherein a material used for the waveguide structure is transparent to visible light.

8. The optical system of claim 4 , wherein the waveguide structure is coupled between the non-visible light source and at least a portion of the outcoupling elements.

9. The optical system of claim 8 , wherein the waveguide structure follows an indirect curving path between the non-visible light source and the outcoupling elements.

10. The optical system of claim 4 , wherein the non-visible light source includes at least one of a laser source, a superluminescent light emitting diode (S-LED), a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), or an integrated laser array.

11. The optical system of claim 4 , wherein the outcoupling elements are less than 75 microns at a widest or longest dimension.

12. The optical system of claim 4 , wherein the outcoupling elements are in a field of view (FOV) of an eye of a user of the optical system.

13. The optical system of claim 4 further comprising:
an input coupling structure configured to receive the non-visible light from the non-visible light source and inject the non-visible light into the waveguide structure.

14. The optical system of claim 4 further comprising:
an input coupler configured to incouple the non-visible light emitted by the non-visible light source into the waveguide structure.

15. An optical system comprising:
a non-visible light source configured to emit non-visible light;
a transparent layer;
outcoupling elements positioned across the transparent layer; and
a waveguide structure configured to deliver the non-visible light from the non-visible light source to the outcoupling elements, wherein the outcoupling elements are configured to outcouple the non-visible light as non-visible illumination light, and wherein the outcoupling elements include a curved mirror and a refractive microlens configured to provide beam shaping for the non-visible illumination light, wherein the outcoupling elements further include a microlens, and wherein the grating is configured to receive the near-infrared light and illuminate the microlens.

16. The optical system of claim 15 , wherein the outcoupling elements further include a microlens, and wherein the grating is configured to receive the near-infrared light and illuminate the microlens.

17. The optical system of claim 15 , wherein the microlens is configured to control a divergence and a direction of the near-infrared illumination light.

18. The optical system of claim 15 , wherein the microlens includes a dielectric material.

19. The optical system of claim 15 , wherein the outcoupling elements are less than 75 microns at a widest or longest dimension.

Assignees

• Meta Platforms Tech Llc

Inventors

• Wei Guohua
• Zhang Qi
• Ouderkirk Andrew John
• Colburn Matthew E

Classifications

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

  comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera · CPC title