Beam shaping optic for light sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12270992-B2
Application number	US-202217874306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2022
Priority date	Aug 7, 2019
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

The disclosure includes near-eye optical elements configured to suppress stray infrared light. Infrared light sources illuminate an eyebox area. A combiner layer may receive reflected infrared light and direct the reflected infrared light to a camera.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A near-eye optical element comprising:
a transparent material;
an infrared vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) configured to emit infrared illumination light from an output aperture of the infrared VCSEL, wherein the infrared illumination light propagates through the transparent material; and
a beam shaping optic disposed over the output aperture of the infrared VCSEL, wherein the beam shaping optic is configured to direct the infrared illumination light to an eyebox area, and wherein the beam shaping optic is less than a width of the infrared VCSEL and more than a dimension of the output aperture of the infrared VCSEL.

2. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 , wherein the beam shaping optic includes a diffractive optical element configured to direct the infrared illumination light to the eyebox area.

3. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 , wherein the beam shaping optic includes a lens curvature formed from a high-index material having a high refractive index.

4. The near-eye optical element of claim 3 , wherein the high refractive index is greater than 3.

5. The near-eye optical element of claim 3 , wherein the beam shaping optic includes an anti-reflection (AR) coating disposed over the lens curvature of the beam shaping optic.

6. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 , wherein the infrared VCSEL is a near-infrared VCSEL and the infrared illumination light is near-infrared illumination light.

7. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 , wherein the infrared VCSEL is configured to emit narrow-band infrared illumination light.

8. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 , wherein the infrared VCSEL is an in-field infrared light source.

9. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 , wherein the infrared illumination light is above 800 nm.

10. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 further comprising:
a combiner layer configured to pass visible light and configured to direct reflected infrared light to a camera, wherein the reflected infrared light has a same wavelength as the infrared illumination light.

11. The near-eye optical element of claim 10 , wherein an optical path of the reflected infrared light propagates through the transparent material, encounters the combiner layer, and propagates back through the transparent material toward the camera.

12. The near-eye optical element of claim 1 , wherein the beam shaping optic is disposed between the infrared light source and the transparent material.

13. A near-eye optical element comprising:
a transparent material;
an infrared light source configured to emit infrared illumination light;
a beam shaping optic disposed over an output aperture of the infrared light source, wherein the beam shaping optic is configured to direct the infrared illumination light to an eyebox area; and
a combiner layer configured to pass visible light and configured to direct reflected infrared light to a camera, wherein an optical path of the reflected infrared light propagates through the transparent material, encounters the combiner layer, and propagates back through the transparent material toward the camera.

14. The near-eye optical element of claim 13 , wherein the infrared light source is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), micro light emitting diode (micro-LED), edge emitting LED, or Superluminescent LED (SLED).

15. The near-eye optical element of claim 13 , wherein the infrared light source is an in-field infrared light source.

16. A near-eye optical element comprising:
a transparent material;
an infrared light source configured to emit infrared illumination light from an output aperture of the infrared light source;
a beam shaping optic configured to direct the infrared illumination light, wherein the beam shaping optic is disposed between the transparent material and the infrared light source; and
a combiner layer configured to pass visible light, wherein an optical path of the reflected infrared light propagates through the transparent material, encounters the combiner layer, and propagates back through the transparent material.

17. The near-eye optical element of claim 16 , wherein the infrared light source is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), micro light emitting diode (micro-LED), edge emitting LED, or Superluminescent LED (SLED).

18. The near-eye optical element of claim 16 , wherein the infrared light source is an in-field infrared light source.

Assignees

• Meta Platforms Tech Llc

Inventors

• Zhang Qi
• Sharma Robin
• Ouderkirk Andrew John
• Hatzilias Karol Constantine
• Liao Christopher Yuan-Ting
• Andreev Gregory Olegovic

Classifications

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

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

• G02B27/0977 Primary

  Reflective elements · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G01J5/024

  Special manufacturing steps or sacrificial layers or layer structures · CPC title