Light output system with reflector and lens for highly spatially uniform light output

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12460791-B2
Application number	US-202418934988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2024
Priority date	Feb 26, 2016
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A user may interact and view virtual elements such as avatars and objects and/or real world elements in three-dimensional space in an augmented reality (AR) session. The system may allow one or more spectators to view from a stationary or dynamic camera a third person view of the users AR session. The third person view may be synchronized with the user view and the virtual elements of the user view may be composited onto the third person view.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display system comprising:
an array of light emitters; an array of reflectors, each reflector comprising:
a light input opening for receiving light from a respective light emitter;
a light output opening; and
reflective interior sidewalls extending between the light input opening and the light output opening, the reflective interior sidewalls configured to provide angularly uniform light output; and
an array of Fourier transform lenses, each of the Fourier transform lenses being arranged proximate the light output opening of a respective reflector of the reflectors, each of the Fourier transform lenses being configured to receive light from the respective reflector and to transform the light from the respective reflector into lens output light having increased spatial uniformity relative to the light received from the respective reflector, each of the reflectors having an associated Fourier transform lens forward of the light output opening of the respective reflector;
a light modulating device configured to receive light outputted by the array of reflectors through the Fourier transform lenses; and at least one waveguide including at least a first waveguide comprising at least one light incoupling optical element configured to receive light from the light modulating device and at least one light outcoupling optical element configured to output light, wherein a spatial layout of the light emitters matches a spatial layout of the reflectors, and wherein the spatial layout of the reflectors, in planar view, overlaps with the spatial layout of the light incoupling elements such that the reflectors correspond one-to-one with a spatial layout of the light incoupling optical elements.

2 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the light emitters are arranged at the light input openings of the reflectors.

3 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the reflectors comprises a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC).

4 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the array of reflectors is formed by sidewalls of openings in a unitary body.

5 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the reflectors form groups of reflectors, wherein the reflectors of each group have a different length between the light input opening and the light output opening of the reflectors in that group in comparison to reflectors of other groups.

6 . The display system of claim 5 , wherein the length between the light input opening and the light output opening of the reflectors vary depending on a wavelength of light emitted by a light source associated with each reflector.

7 . The display system of claim 6 , wherein light sources associated with the reflectors form groups of light sources, wherein each group emits light of a different range of wavelengths.

8 . The display system of claim 6 , wherein the light sources form three groups of light sources, wherein a first of the groups emit red light, wherein a second of the groups emit green light, and wherein a third of the groups emit blue light.

9 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the light modulating device comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a digital light processing (DLP) display.

10 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one waveguide includes a stack of waveguides, each of the waveguides being configured to output light with a different amount of wavefront divergence in comparison to at least some of the other waveguides of the stack of waveguides.

11 . The display system of claim 10 , wherein the light incoupling optical element of each waveguide is spatially offset from the light incoupling optical element of other waveguides, as seen along the axis of propagation of the light into the stack.

12 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the interior sidewalls have a curvature of a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) as seen in cross-sections taken along midplanes extending along a height of the respective reflector, wherein the midplanes are orthogonal to one another, and wherein a CPC curvature of two opposing interior sidewalls of at least one of the reflectors is different from a CPC curvature of other interior sidewalls of the same at least one of the reflectors.

13 . The display system of claim 12 , wherein at least two of the other interior sidewalls have a same CPC curvature.

14 . The display system of claim 12 , wherein each of the interior sidewalls has a substantially linear profile as seen in a cross-section taken along a plane transverse to an axis extending along a height of the respective reflector.

15 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the interior sidewalls are shaped to provide substantially angularly uniform light output, and wherein the respective Fourier transform lens is configured to convert the substantially angularly uniform light output to substantially spatially uniform light output.

16 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the reflectors is formed of eight or more interior sidewalls.

17 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the light output opening of at least one of the reflectors has a shape wider along a first axis than a second axis.

18 . The display system of claim 17 , wherein the light output opening of the at least one of the reflectors has a shape with straight sides along the first axis and curved sides along the second axis.

19 . The display system of claim 17 , wherein the light output opening and the light input opening of at least one of the reflectors have different shapes.

20 . The display system of claim 1 , further comprising a mask forward of at least one of the Fourier transform lenses such that light output from the respective Fourier transform lens is directed towards the mask, wherein the mask has a mask opening aligned with the light output opening, wherein the mask opening has one or more of a different shape or different size than the light output opening.

Assignees

• Magic Leap Inc

Inventors

• Sissom Bradley Jay
• Hall Heidi Leising
• Curtis Kevin

Classifications

• G02B6/0076

  Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area · CPC title

• G02B6/005

  provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide · CPC title

• G02B23/06

  having a focussing action, e.g. parabolic mirror · CPC title

• G02F2201/00

  Constructional arrangements not provided for in groups G02F1/00 - G02F7/00 · CPC title

• G02B2006/12102

  Lens · CPC title