Wrapped waveguide with large field of view

• US 10,353,202 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tervo, Jani, Vallius, Tuomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Beatty, Collin X
• Application Number:
  US15/177,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20170357089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 359 13, 359 15, 359566, 359630, 359567, 385 15, 385 31, 385 37, 345 7, 345 9
• 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 2027/013 comprising a combiner of particular shape, e.g. curvature
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0026 Wavelength selective element, sheet or layer, e.g. filter or grating
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/005 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0076 Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0078 Side-by-side arrangements, e.g. for large area displays

Abstract

An apparatus having optical waveguides for providing a large FOV is disclosed. A first light engine projects light into an input diffractive coupler of a first waveguide at a first central angle. An output coupler of the first waveguide projects the light out of the first optical waveguide. A second light engine projects light into an input diffractive coupler of a second waveguide at a second central angle that is greater than the first central angle. An output coupler of the second waveguide projects the light out of the second optical waveguide to intersect with the light projected out of the first optical waveguide. The first waveguide may be used to project a first part of an image into a central portion of a user'"'"'s vision. The second waveguide may be used to project a second part of the image into a peripheral portion of the user'"'"'s vision.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first optical waveguide having a first input diffractive coupler and a first output coupler;

a second optical waveguide having a second input diffractive coupler and a second output coupler, wherein the second optical waveguide is angled with respect to the first optical waveguide;

a first light engine configured to project a first light into the first input diffractive coupler at a first central angle of incidence, the first output coupler configured to project the first light out of the first optical waveguide; and

a second light engine configured to project a second light into the second input diffractive coupler at a second central angle of incidence that is greater than the first central angle of incidence, the second output coupler configured to project the second light out of the second optical waveguide to intersect with the first light projected out of the first optical waveguide,

wherein the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide are configured to respectively provide the first projected light and the second projected light to a common eye of a user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first light engine is configured to project a first portion of an image into the first input diffractive coupler, the first portion of the image having a first field of view, and wherein the second light engine is configured to project a second portion of the image into the second input diffractive coupler, the second portion of the image having a second field of view that is greater than the first field of view.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the image has a first resolution, and wherein the second portion of the image has a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second optical waveguide comprises a major surface that is planar, and wherein the second light engine is configured to project the light into the planar major surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first optical waveguide comprises a major surface that is planar, wherein the first light engine is configured to project the light into the planar major surface of the first optical waveguide, and wherein an angle between the planar major surface of the first optical waveguide and the planar major surface of the second optical waveguide is between approximately 30 degrees and 90 degrees.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second optical waveguide comprises a major surface that is curved, and wherein the second light engine is configured to project the light into the curved major surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first optical waveguide comprises a major surface that is curved.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first optical waveguide comprises a major surface that is planar.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second central angle of incidence is between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, and wherein the first central angle of incidence is approximately zero degrees.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second output coupler is a diffractive coupler, and further comprising a diffractive optical element between the second input diffractive coupler and the second output coupler.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first output coupler is configured to project the light to a central vision of user wearing the apparatus, and wherein the second output coupler is configured to project the light to a peripheral vision of the user wearing the apparatus.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a field of view covered by the first light and the second light ranges from about −

15 degrees to about 85 degrees.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second optical waveguide is positioned adjacent to, and extends away from, an end of the first optical waveguide.

12. A method of operating a head mounted display, the method comprising:

coupling a first portion of an image into a first input diffractive coupler of a first optical waveguide of the head mounted display at a first central angle of incidence;

coupling a second portion of the image into a second input diffractive coupler of a second optical waveguide of the head mounted display at a second central angle of incidence that is greater than the first central angle of incidence, the second input diffractive coupler being angled with respect to the first input diffractive coupler;

coupling the first portion of the image out of a first output coupler of the first optical waveguide to a central portion of a user'"'"'s vision for a common eye of the user; and

coupling the second portion of the image out of a second output coupler of the second optical waveguide to a peripheral portion of the user'"'"'s vision for the common eye of the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein coupling the first portion of the image into the first input diffractive coupler comprises coupling a portion of the image that comprises a first horizontal field of view, and wherein coupling the second portion of the image into the second input diffractive coupler comprises coupling a portion of the image that comprises a second horizontal field of view that is greater than the first horizontal field of view.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein coupling the first portion of the image into the first input diffractive coupler comprises coupling a portion of the image that comprises a first resolution, and wherein coupling the second portion of the image into the second input diffractive coupler comprises coupling a portion of the image that comprises a second resolution that is less than the first resolution.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second central angle of incidence is between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, and wherein the first central angle of incidence is approximately zero degrees.

16. A see-through, near eye display system, comprising:

a first optical waveguide including a first bulk substrate, a first diffractive optical element and a second diffractive optical element;

a first light engine configured to scan a first portion of an image into the first diffractive optical element at a central angle of incidence that is approximately zero degrees, wherein the first optical waveguide is configured to transmit the first portion of the image by total internal reflection through the first bulk substrate, and wherein the second diffractive optical element is configured to deliver the first portion of the image to a central vision of a common eye of a wearer of the see-through, near eye display system;

a second optical waveguide including a second bulk substrate, a third diffractive optical element and a fourth diffractive optical element, wherein the second optical waveguide is angled with respect to the first optical waveguide;

a second light engine configured to scan a second portion of the image into the third diffractive optical element at a second central angle of incidence that is at least 30 degrees, the second optical waveguide configured to transmit the second portion of the image by total internal reflection through the second bulk substrate, the fourth diffractive optical element configured to deliver the second portion of the image to a peripheral vision of the common eye of the wearer of the see-through, near eye display system.

17. The see-through, near eye display system of claim 16, wherein the first portion of the image has a first horizontal field of view, and wherein the second portion of the image having a second horizontal field of view that is greater than the first horizontal field of view.

18. The see-through, near eye display system of claim 17, wherein first portion of the image has a first resolution, and wherein the second portion of the image has a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution.

19. The see-through, near eye display system of claim 17, wherein the second optical waveguide comprises a major surface that is curved, the second light engine being configured to scan the second portion of the image into the curved major surface.

20. The see-through, near eye display system of claim 17, wherein the first optical waveguide comprises a first major surface that is planar, wherein the first light engine is configured to scan the first portion of the image into the first planar major surface, wherein the second optical waveguide comprises a second major surface that is planar, and wherein the second light engine is configured to scan the second portion of the image into the second planar major surface, and wherein an angle between the first planar major surface and the second planar major surface is between approximately 30 degrees and 90 degrees.