Waveguide alignment with scanner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12572016-B1
Application number	US-202217978041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 31, 2022
Priority date	Oct 31, 2022
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

A near-eye system includes a display waveguide, an eye-tracking waveguide, and a scanner. The display waveguide is configured to present a virtual image to an eyebox region. The eye-tracking waveguide is configured to illuminate the eyebox region with illumination light. The scanner is configured to be driven to varying image scan angles to direct image light to the display waveguide to present the virtual image to the eyebox region. The scanner is also configured to be driven to one or more alignment scan angles to sense an alignment between the display waveguide and the eye-tracking waveguide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A near-eye system comprising:
a display waveguide configured to present a virtual image to an eyebox region; an eye-tracking waveguide configured to illuminate the eyebox region with illumination light; and a scanner configured to be driven to varying image scan angles to direct image light to the display waveguide to present the virtual image to the eyebox region, wherein the scanner is configured to be driven to one or more alignment scan angles to sense an alignment between the display waveguide and the eye-tracking waveguide.

2 . The near-eye system of claim 1 further comprising:
an array of reflectors disposed along a boundary between the eye-tracking waveguide and the display waveguide, wherein the scanner is configured to illuminate the array of reflectors with light at different alignment scan angles; and
a detection module configured to receive and measure returning light, wherein the returning light is the light reflected by the reflectors in the array of reflectors.

3 . The near-eye system of claim 2 , wherein the returning light is directed to the detection module by the scanner while the scanner is driven to the alignment scan angle that directed the light to a particular reflector in the array of reflectors.

4 . The near-eye system of claim 2 , wherein the display waveguide includes an input coupler configured to incouple the image light into the display waveguide to deliver the virtual image to the eyebox region, and wherein the input coupler is configured to incouple the light into the display waveguide to propagate to the reflectors in the array.

5 . The near-eye system of claim 2 further comprising:
processing logic configured to generate alignment data from alignment measurements received from the detection module, wherein the alignment measurements are measurements of the returning light reflected by the reflectors.

6 . The near-eye system of claim 2 , wherein the reflectors in the array of reflectors are angled to reflect the light along a reverse optical path back to the scanner.

7 . The near-eye system of claim 6 , wherein the reflectors include Bragg gratings configured to reflect a narrow-band wavelength of the light back to the scanner, and wherein the Bragg gratings are angle-tuned to reflect the light received from the scanner.

8 . The near-eye system of claim 6 , wherein the reflectors include a reflective layer configured to reflect of the light back to the scanner.

9 . The near-eye system of claim 6 , wherein the reflectors are polarization selective to a polarization orientation of the light received from the scanner.

10 . The near-eye system of claim 1 , wherein the image scan angles are different from the alignment scan angles.

11 . The near-eye system of claim 1 further comprising:
a display light source configured to illuminate the scanner with the image light, wherein the scanner is configured to direct the image light to a reflector while the scanner is driven to the one more alignment scan angles, wherein the reflector is included in the display waveguide or the eye-tracking waveguide.

12 . The near-eye system of claim 11 , wherein the display waveguide includes an input coupler configured to incouple the image light into the display waveguide to present a virtual image to an eyebox region, wherein the input coupler is configured to receive light from the scanner and directs the light to the reflector.

13 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
generating image light with a display light source, wherein the image light is visible light; driving a scanner to varying image scan angles to direct the image light to a display waveguide to present a virtual image to an eyebox region; and driving the scanner to one or more alignment scan angles to sense an alignment between the display waveguide and an eye-tracking waveguide coupled with the display waveguide.

14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the driving the scanner to the one or more alignment scan angles includes sequentially directing light to reflectors disposed along a boundary of the eye-tracking waveguide and the display waveguide.

15 . The computer-implemented method of claim 14 further comprising:
generating alignment measurements from returning light returning light reflected by the reflectors; and
generating alignment data based on the alignment measurements, wherein the alignment measurements represent an alignment between the display waveguide and the eye-tracking waveguide.

16 . The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein generating the alignment data includes comparing the alignment measurements with baseline reflection measurements for the reflectors.

17 . The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein the reflectors are angled to reflect the light along a reverse optical path back to the scanner.

18 . The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the image scan angles are different from the alignment scan angles.

19 . The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:
adjusting a position of the virtual image in response to the alignment between the display waveguide and the eye-tracking waveguide.

20 . A head mounted display (HMD) comprising:
a frame securing a lens, wherein the lens includes:
a display waveguide configured to present a virtual image to an eyebox region; and
an eye-tracking waveguide configured to illuminate the eyebox region with illumination light, wherein the display waveguide is coupled with the eye-tracking waveguide; and
a scanner configured to be driven to varying image scan angles to direct image light to the display waveguide to present the virtual image to the eyebox region, wherein the scanner is configured to be driven to one or more alignment scan angles to sense an alignment between the display waveguide and the eye-tracking waveguide.

Assignees

• Meta Platforms Tech Llc

Inventors

• El-Haddad Mohamed Tarek Ahmed
• Sharma Robin

Classifications

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

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

• G02B27/0093 Primary

  with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking · CPC title