Light-guide optical element with multiple-axis internal aperture expansion
First Claim
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1. An optical device comprising:
- (a) a lightguide having;
(i) a first external face and a second external face, said first and second external faces parallel to each other, and(ii) at least two sets of facets, each of said sets;
(A) including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other, and(B) between said first and second external faces, andin each of said sets of facets, the respective facets are;
at an oblique angle relative to said first and second external faces, andeach of said facets lying in a plane,a first of said sets of facets having a first set of lines of intersection between said planes of said first set of facets and a plane of said first external face,a second of said sets of facets having a second set of lines of intersection between said planes of said second set of facets and said plane of said first external face,said first and second sets of lines being non-parallel.
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Abstract
An optical device includes a lightguide having a first pair of external surfaces parallel to each other, and at least two sets of facets. Each of the sets including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other, and between the first pair of external surfaces. In each of the sets of facets, the respective facets are at an oblique angle relative to the first pair of external surfaces, and at a non-parallel angle relative to another of the sets of facets. The optical device is particularly suited for optical aperture expansion.
190 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An optical device comprising:
(a) a lightguide having; (i) a first external face and a second external face, said first and second external faces parallel to each other, and (ii) at least two sets of facets, each of said sets; (A) including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other, and (B) between said first and second external faces, and in each of said sets of facets, the respective facets are; at an oblique angle relative to said first and second external faces, and each of said facets lying in a plane, a first of said sets of facets having a first set of lines of intersection between said planes of said first set of facets and a plane of said first external face, a second of said sets of facets having a second set of lines of intersection between said planes of said second set of facets and said plane of said first external face, said first and second sets of lines being non-parallel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of producing an optical device, the optical device comprising a lightguide having:
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(i) a first external face and a second external face, said first and second external faces parallel to each other, and (ii) at least two sets of facets, each of said sets; (A) including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other, and (B) between said first and second external faces, and in each of said sets of facets, the respective facets are; at an oblique angle relative to said first and second external faces, and each of said facets lying in a plane, a first of said sets of facets having a first set of lines of intersection between said planes of said first set of facets and a plane of said external face, a second of said sets of facets having a second set of lines of intersection between said planes of said second set of facets and said plane of said first external face, said first and second sets of lines being non-parallel, the method comprising; (a) providing a first array of partially reflecting facets, (b) providing a second array of partially reflecting facets, and (c) optically attaching said first array and said second array such that said facets of said first array and said facets of said second array are at an oblique angle relative to said first and second external faces, and non-parallel to each other. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of producing an optical device, the optical device comprising a lightguide having:
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(i) a first external face and a second external face, said first and second external faces parallel to each other, and (ii) at least two sets of facets, each of said sets; (A) including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other, and (B) between said first and second external faces, and in each of said sets of facets, the respective facets are; at an oblique angle relative to said first and second external faces, and each of said facets lying in a plane, a first of said sets of facets having a first set of lines of intersection between said planes of said first set of facets and a plane of said external face, a second of said sets of facets having a second set of lines of intersection between said planes of said second set of facets and said plane of said first external face, said first and second sets of lines being non-parallel, the method comprising; (a) providing a plurality of transparent flat windows having partially reflecting surfaces; (b) optically attaching together said windows so as to create a first stack, (c) slicing said first stack to create a plurality of first flat arrays said slicing across a plurality of said windows and at an oblique angle relative to at least two pairs of opposing sides of said first stack, (d) optically attaching together a plurality of said first flat arrays so as to create an array stack, and (e) slicing said array stack to create at least one said lightguide, said slicing across a plurality of said first flat arrays and at an oblique angle relative to at least two pairs of opposing sides of said array stack. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A method for expanding an optical aperture in two dimensions, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an optical device comprising a lightguide having; (i) a first external face and a second external face, said first and second external faces parallel to each other, and (ii) at least two sets of facets, each of said sets; (A) including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other, and (B) between said first and second external faces, and in each of said sets of facets, the respective facets are; at an oblique angle relative to said first and second external faces, and each of said facets lying in a plane, a first of said sets of facets having a first set of lines of intersection between said planes of said first set of facets and a plane of said external face, a second of said sets of facets having a second set of lines of intersection between said planes of said second set of facets and said plane of said first external face, said first and second sets of lines being non-parallel, (b) inputting an image as a light input to the optical device.
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29. An optical device comprising:
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(a) a lightguide having; (i) a first external face and a second external face, said first and second external faces parallel to each other, and (ii) at least two sets of facets, each of said sets; (A) including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other, and (B) between said first and second external faces, and in each of said sets of facets, the respective facets are; at an oblique angle relative to said first and second external faces, and each of said facets lying in a plane, a first of said sets of facets having a first set of lines of intersection between said planes of said first set of facets and a plane of said external face, a second of said sets of facets having a second set of lines of intersection between said planes of said second set of facets and said plane of said first external face, said first and second sets of lines being non-parallel, (c) a coupling-in arrangement configured to guide light into said lightguide such that said light propagates via internal reflection of said first and second external faces along the lightguide in a propagation direction with a first in-plane component, and wherein in one of said sets of facets, the respective facets are orientated to deflect part of the light to be guided by internal reflection of said lightguide to propagate along said lightguide with a propagation direction with a second in-plane component non-parallel to said first in-plane component.
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Specification