Controllable waveguide for near-eye display applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400395-B2
Application number	US-201214342013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2012
Priority date	Aug 29, 2011
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

A near-eye display includes an image generator that generates angularly related beams over a range of angles for forming a virtual image and a waveguide that propagates the angularly related beams over a limited range of angles. An input aperture of the waveguide includes a plurality of controllable components that are selectively operable as diffractive optics for injecting subsets of the angularly related beams into the waveguide. An output aperture of the waveguide includes a plurality of controllable components that selectively operable as diffractive optics for ejecting corresponding subsets of the angularly related beams out of the waveguide toward an eyebox. A controller synchronizes operation of the controllable components of the output aperture with the propagation of different subsets of angularly related beams along the waveguide for ejecting the subsets of angularly related beams out of the waveguide for presenting the virtual image within the eyebox.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A near-eye display comprising:
a waveguide that propagates angularly related beams by internal reflection over a limited first range of angles,
an image generator that generates angularly related beams over a second wider range of angles for forming a virtual image,
an input aperture of the waveguide including a plurality of controllable components,
each of the controllable components of the input aperture being selectively operable as a diffractive optic for injecting a subset of the angularly related beams over a limited portion of the second range of angles for propagating the subset of angularly related beams along the waveguide within the first range of angles,
together, the controllable components of the input aperture providing for injecting two or more different subsets of angularly related beams spanning the second range of angles,
an output aperture of the waveguide including a plurality of controllable components,
each of the controllable components of the output aperture being selectively operable as a diffractive optic for ejecting a corresponding subset of the angularly related beams out of the waveguide toward an eyebox,
together, the controllable components of the output aperture providing for ejecting two or more corresponding subsets of angularly related beams spanning the second range of angles,
a controller that synchronizes operation of the controllable components of the output aperture with the propagation of different subsets of angularly related beams along the waveguide for ejecting the subsets of angularly related beams out of the waveguide for presenting the virtual image within the eyebox over the second wider range of angles.

2. The near-eye display of claim 1 in which each of the controllable components of the input aperture is paired with one of the controllable components of the output aperture for injecting and ejecting one of the subsets of angularly related beams.

3. The near-eye display of claim 2 in which the controllable components of the input aperture comprise a plurality of transformable diffractive optics having different effective periods for diffracting the different subsets of angularly related beams through different angles.

4. The near-eye display of claim 3 in which the controllable components of the output aperture comprise a plurality of transformable diffractive optics having different effective periods for diffracting the different subsets of angularly related beams through different angles, the controllable components of the output aperture being transformable between a first state that is substantially transparent to the subsets of angularly related beams and a second state that diffracts the subsets of angularly related beams according to their period.

5. The near-eye display of claim 4 in which the controller transforms the controllable output components of the output aperture into the first state for supporting a view of the ambient environment from the eyebox through the output aperture of the waveguide.

6. The near-eye display of claim 1 in which the image generator is operable for generating a succession of the angularly related beams over the second wider range of angles, and the controller provides for synchronizing the operation of the controllable components of the output aperture with the operation of the image generator for sequentially ejecting the subsets of angularly related beams out of the waveguide.

7. The near-eye display of claim 1 in which the waveguide includes a front surface adjacent to the eyebox, a back surface adjacent to an ambient environment, and a length along which the angularly related beams are propagated, and the components of the input and output apertures include individually controllable segments that reside in positions that are relatively shifted with respect to each other in a direction substantially parallel to the front and back surfaces of the waveguide.

8. The near-eye display of claim 7 in which the components of the output aperture include sections arranged in a grid.

9. The near-eye display of claim 2 in which the controller synchronizes operation the paired components of the input and output apertures for injecting and ejecting the subsets of angularly related beams.

10. The near-eye display of claim 9 in which the waveguide includes a front surface adjacent to the eyebox, a back surface adjacent to an ambient environment, and a length along which the angularly related beams are propagated, and the components of the input and output apertures include components that are overlaid in a direction substantially normal to the front and back surfaces of the waveguide.

11. The near-eye display of claim 1 in which the image generator provides for generating the angularly related beams in a plurality of different nominal wavelengths, each of the controllable components of the input aperture provides for injecting a subset of the angularly related beams in one of the plurality of different nominal wavelengths, and each of the controllable components of the output aperture is operable for ejecting a corresponding subset of the angularly related beams in one of the plurality of different nominal wavelengths for overlapping the subsets of angularly related beams in the different nominal wavelengths within the eyebox.

12. The near-eye display of claim 11 in which the controllable components of the input and output apertures comprise a plurality of transformable diffractive optics that are transformable between a first state that is substantially transparent to the subsets of angularly related beams and a second state that diffracts the subsets of angularly related beams.

13. The near-eye display of claim 12 in which the controller provides for synchronizing operation of the controllable components of the input and output apertures with the operation of the image generator for sequentially ejecting the subsets of angularly related beams of different nominal wavelengths out of the waveguide.

14. The near-eye display of claim 1 further comprising an intermediate diffractive optic having controllable sections located along the waveguide between the input and output apertures for selectively reorienting the subsets of angularly related beams toward the output aperture.

15. The near-eye display of claim 14 in which the sections of the intermediate diffractive optic spatially separate the subsets of angularly related beams.

16. A waveguide of a near-eye display for conveying virtual images to a viewer's eye within an eyebox through the waveguide comprising:
a plate-shaped body having a front surface for facing an ambient environment, a back surface for facing an eyebox, and a length for propagating a limited range of angularly related beams by successive reflections from the front and back surfaces,
an input aperture of the plate-shaped body having a plurality of controllable components for collectively receiving angularly related beams over multiple wavelengths that define a pupil of a virtual image generator and for individually injecting subsets of the angularly related beams over the multiple wavelengths into the plate-shaped body within the limited range of angles,
together, the controllable components of the input aperture providing for injecting two or more different subsets of angularly related beams spanning a range of angles that is greater than the limited range of angles that can be propagated along the plate-shaped body,
an output aperture of the plate-shaped body having a plurality of controllable components for individually receiving the subsets of angularly relat

Assignees

• Travers Paul J
• Schultz Robert J
• Vuzix Corp

Inventors

• Travers Paul J
• Schultz Robert J

Classifications

• G02B6/0015

  provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B27/0101

  characterised by optical features (G02B27/0172 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03H1/2205

  using downstream optical component · CPC title

• G02B27/4272

  having plural diffractive elements positioned sequentially along the optical path · CPC title