Wearable laser based display method and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9927611-B2
Application number	US-201414449700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2014
Priority date	Mar 29, 2010
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

The present invention is directed to wearable display technologies. More specifically, various embodiments of the present invention provide wearable augmented reality glasses incorporating projection display systems where one or more laser diodes are used as light source for illustrating images with optical delivery to the eye using transparent waveguides. In one set of embodiments, the present invention provides wearable augmented reality glasses incorporating projector systems that utilize transparent waveguides and blue and/or green laser fabricated using gallium nitride containing material. In another set of embodiments, the present invention provides wearable augmented reality glasses incorporating projection systems having digital lighting processing engines illuminated by blue and/or green laser devices with optical delivery to the eye using transparent waveguides. In one embodiment, the present invention provides wearable augmented reality glasses incorporating a 3D display system with optical delivery to the eye using transparent waveguides. There are other embodiments as well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus configured to be worn on a human head and used for viewing images, the apparatus comprising:
a frame member configured to fit on a head of a human user;
a display region coupled to the frame member and spatially disposed to allow the human user to view the display region;
a laser diode source comprising a red laser diode, a blue laser diode, and a green laser diode mounted on a common carrier, the common carrier comprising a triangular pedestal having three sidewalls, each of the red laser diode, the blue laser diode, and the green laser diode being an edge emitting laser diode mounted on a respective sidewall of the pedestal and having a laser cavity with a length of 200 microns or less and a width of 150 microns or less, wherein at least one of the red laser diode, the blue laser diode, or the green laser diode is configured on a surface having either a non-polar or semi-polar orientation;
a wave guide structure having a first region and a second region, the first region being coupled to the display region, and the second region being coupled to the laser diode source, and configured to traverse electromagnetic radiation from the laser diode source through the wave guide structure to cause an image to be output on the display, wherein the wave guide structure is disposed above the laser diode source, and light from the laser diode structure is reflected vertically to the wave guide structure using mirrors etched in the laser diode structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display region is monolithically integrated with the wave guide structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the laser diode source is configured to emit a laser beam to traverse through the wave guide structure such that an image enters the waveguide structure in a small aperture of 1 cm or less with collimation of 20 degrees or less, and is diffracted at an angle by a diffractive feature written directly into the waveguide structure or coupled to the waveguide structure, and thereafter the image is reflected with a total internal reflection, or diffracted with additional diffractive features to be directed laterally across the waveguide structure; and such that the image is incident on a final diffractive element and expanded or contracted to be illuminated on a portion of an eye of the human user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display region is configured to allow the human user to view the display region, while allowing the user to view ambient light through regions outside of the display region.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wave guide structure is configured to direct the image to the display.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the laser diode source comprises a laser diode having a current threshold of 10 mA and less.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the laser diode source is characterized by a power such that an image enters the waveguide structure in a small aperture of 1 cm or less with collimation of 20 degrees or less, and the image is directed at an angle by with total internal reflection, laterally to traverse the waveguide such that the image is then incident on a final reflective element and expanded or contracted to illuminate an eye of the human user.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the laser diode source causes an emission of an image enters the waveguide structure in a small aperture of 1 cm or less with collimation of 20 degrees or less, and the image is directed at an angle by with total internal reflection, laterally to traverse the waveguide such that the image is then incident on a final reflective element and expanded or contracted to illuminate an eye of the human user.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the laser diode source has a laser device having a chip size; and the laser diode source images an image; wherein the waveguide structure is polarized.

10. An apparatus configured to be worn on a human head and used for viewing images, the apparatus comprising:
a frame member configured to fit on a head of a human user;
a display region coupled to the frame member and spatially disposed to allow the human user to view the display region;
a laser diode source comprising a red laser diode, a blue laser diode, and a green laser diode mounted on a common carrier, the common carrier comprising a pedestal having at least three sidewalls, each of the red laser diode, the blue laser diode, and the green laser diode being an edge emitting laser diode mounted on a respective sidewall of the pedestal;
a wave guide structure having a first region and a second region, the first region being coupled to the display region, and the second region being coupled to the laser diode source, and configured to traverse electromagnetic radiation from the laser diode source through the wave guide structure to cause an image to be output on the display, wherein the wave guide structure is disposed above the laser diode source, and light from the laser diode structure is reflected vertically to the wave guide structure using mirrors etched in the laser diode structure and the wave guide structure.

Assignees

• Soraa Laser Diode Inc

Inventors

• Rudy Paul
• Raring James W
• Goutain Eric
• Huang Hua

Classifications

• H01S5/32025

  non-polar orientation · CPC title

• H01S5/320275

  semi-polar orientation · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• H01S5/2201

  in a specific crystallographic orientation · CPC title