Aperture multiplier using a rectangular waveguide
First Claim
1. An optical arrangement comprising:
- (a) an optical waveguide having at least a first pair of parallel faces for conveying an image via total internal reflection; and
(b) an image projecting arrangement optically coupled to said optical waveguide for introducing into said optical waveguide a collimated image, said image projecting arrangement comprising a polarized beam splitter prism having;
(i) an image input surface;
(ii) a collimating optical element deployed on a second surface substantially perpendicular to said image input surface; and
(iii) a polarized beam splitter deployed on a diagonal plane so as to direct image illumination from said image input surface towards said collimating optical element,said polarized beam splitter prism being optically coupled to said optical waveguide with said image input surface and said second surface tilted relative to said first pair of parallel faces, said polarized beam splitter prism further comprising a modified bottom face lying on a side of said polarized beam splitter away from said collimating optical element and forming a continuation of a first of said first pair of parallel faces.
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Abstract
An optical aperture multiplier includes a first optical waveguide (10) having a rectangular cross-section and including partially reflecting surfaces (40) at an oblique angle to a direction of elongation of the waveguide. A second optical waveguide (20), also including partially reflecting surfaces (45) at an oblique angle, is optically coupled with the first optical waveguide (10). An image coupled into the first optical waveguide with an initial direction of propagation at an oblique coupling angle advances by four-fold internal reflection along the first optical waveguide, with a proportion of intensity of the image reflected at the partially reflecting surfaces so as to be coupled into the second optical waveguide, and then propagates through two-fold reflection within the second optical waveguide, with a proportion of intensity of the image reflected at the partially reflecting surfaces so as to be directed outwards from one of the parallel faces as a visible image.
326 Citations
8 Claims
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1. An optical arrangement comprising:
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(a) an optical waveguide having at least a first pair of parallel faces for conveying an image via total internal reflection; and (b) an image projecting arrangement optically coupled to said optical waveguide for introducing into said optical waveguide a collimated image, said image projecting arrangement comprising a polarized beam splitter prism having; (i) an image input surface; (ii) a collimating optical element deployed on a second surface substantially perpendicular to said image input surface; and (iii) a polarized beam splitter deployed on a diagonal plane so as to direct image illumination from said image input surface towards said collimating optical element, said polarized beam splitter prism being optically coupled to said optical waveguide with said image input surface and said second surface tilted relative to said first pair of parallel faces, said polarized beam splitter prism further comprising a modified bottom face lying on a side of said polarized beam splitter away from said collimating optical element and forming a continuation of a first of said first pair of parallel faces. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification