Display system with optical elements for in-coupling multiplexed light streams

• US 10,254,454 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Inventors: Klug, Michael Anthony, Schowengerdt, Brian T., Miller, Michael Nevin, Singh, Vikramjit, Peroz, Christophe, St. Hilaire, Pierre, Sun, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Kakalec, Kimberly N.
• Application Number:
  US15/182,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20170010466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 385 31- 50
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/002 made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0112 comprising device for genereting colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0125 Field-of-view increase by wavefront division
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0185 Displaying image at variable distance
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/103 having movable or deformable optical fibres, light guides or waveguides as scanning elements light guides per se G02B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0081 with means for altering, e.g. enlarging, the entrance or exit pupil
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1006 for splitting or combining different wavelengths G02B27/1086, G02B27/141 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4272 having plural diffractive elements positioned sequentially along the optical path
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1809 with pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1833 comprising birefringent materials birefringent elements per se G02B5/3083
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3016 involving passive liquid crystal elements optical properties of liquid crystals G02F1/0063; polarising elements associated with active liquid crystal devices G02F1/133528
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0016 Grooves, prisms, gratings, scattering particles or rough surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/004 Scattering dots or dot-like elements, e.g. microbeads, scattering particles, nanoparticles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0076 Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1303 Apparatus specially adapted to the manufacture of LCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1326 Liquid crystal optical waveguides or liquid crystal cells specially adapted for gating or modulating between optical waveguides

Abstract

Architectures are provided for selectively incoupling one or more streams of light from a multiplexed light stream into a waveguide. The multiplexed light stream can have light with different characteristics (e.g., different wavelengths and/or different polarizations). The waveguide can comprise in-coupling elements that can selectively couple one or more streams of light from the multiplexed light stream into the waveguide while transmitting one or more other streams of light from the multiplexed light stream.

Claims

1. A display system comprising:

a waveguide; and

an image injection device configured to direct a multiplexed light stream into the waveguide, the multiplexed light stream comprising a plurality of light streams having different light properties, the light properties comprising wavelength and polarization,

wherein the waveguide comprises liquid crystal in-coupling optical elements configured to selectively in-couple a first of the streams of light while being transmissive to one or more other streams of light, wherein the liquid crystal in-coupling optical elements are configured to selectively in-couple the first stream of light based upon a wavelength and a polarization of light forming the first stream of light, and

wherein the in-coupling optical elements comprise at least one of meta-surfaces, metamaterials, or PBPE structures.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is part of a stack of waveguides, wherein the stack of waveguides includes a second waveguide comprising in-coupling optical elements configured to selectively turn a second of the streams of light while being transmissive to one or more other streams of light, wherein the in-coupling optical elements of the waveguide are configured to transmit at least one of the streams of light to the in-coupling optical elements of the second waveguide.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal in-coupling optical elements comprise a liquid crystal polarization grating.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-coupling optical elements comprise liquid crystal material.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-coupling optical elements are switchable between transmissive and actively light redirecting states.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-coupling optical elements are meta-surfaces.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-coupling optical elements are metamaterials.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-coupling optical elements are PBPE structures.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the image injection device is a scanning optical fiber.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the image injection device comprises a light modulating device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is included in an eyepiece of a head mounted display.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises out-coupling elements configured to output the in-coupled first stream of light propagating in the waveguide.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the out-coupling elements comprise a first group of light redirecting elements configured to increase dimensions of an eyebox along at least one axis.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal in-coupling optical elements comprise polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

15. A display system comprising:

a waveguide; and

an image injection device configured to direct a multiplexed light stream into the waveguide, the multiplexed light stream comprising a plurality of light streams having different light properties,

wherein the waveguide comprises first in-coupling optical elements configured to selectively in-couple a first of the stream of light while being transmissive to one or more other streams of light, and

wherein the first in-coupling optical elements include a liquid crystal layer comprising a metasurface.

16. The display system of claim 15, further comprising second in-coupling optical elements configured to selectively in-couple a second of the stream of light while being transmissive to one or more other streams of light, the second in-coupling optical elements including a layer of liquid crystal comprising a metasurface.

17. The display system of claim 16, wherein the second in-coupling optical elements are disposed over the first in-coupling optical elements.

18. The display system of claim 15, further comprising third in-coupling optical elements configured to selectively in-couple a third of the stream of light while being transmissive to one or more other streams of light, the third in-coupling optical elements including a layer of liquid crystal comprising a metasurface.

19. The display system of claim 18, wherein the third in-coupling optical elements are disposed over the second in-coupling optical elements.

20. The display system of claim 15, wherein the first in-coupling optical elements comprise a liquid crystal polarization grating.