Exit Pupil Expanders with Wide Field-of-View
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a first substrate of optical material having a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface;
an in-coupling diffractive element disposed on the first or the second surface of said first substrate;
one or more out-coupling diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface,wherein said in-coupling diffractive element is configured to diffract optical rays of the input optical beam, which are incident from one half space relative to a plane perpendicular to said first substrate and parallel to periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, so as to provide one diffracted optical beam substantially within said first and second surfaces such that at least a portion of said one diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of said one or more out-coupling diffractive elements;
a second substrate of optical material having a further first surface and a further second surface and being positioned substantially parallel to the first substrate and in juxtaposed spaced relationship hereto, wherein the further second surface is opposite to the further first surface;
a further in-coupling diffractive element disposed on the further first or the further second surface substantially in alignment with said in-coupling diffractive element and having further periodic lines parallel to said periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, and configured to receive a portion of said input optical beam which propagates through said first substrate into the further substrate; and
one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements disposed on the further first or the further second surface and each being substantially opposite to a corresponding diffractive element of said one or more out-coupling diffractive elements,wherein said further in-coupling diffractive element is configured to diffract optical rays of the portion of the input optical beam, which are incident from another half space relative to said plane, to provide a further one diffracted optical beam substantially within said further first and further second surfaces such that at least a portion of said further diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of said one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements which is opposite to said one of the one or more out-coupling diffractive elements,and wherein said one of the one or more out-coupling diffractive elements is configured to couple by diffraction parts of said one diffracted optical beam from the first substrate for providing an output optical beam out of said first substrate with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions, said output optical beam being propagated through said second substrate, andsaid one of the one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements is configured to couple by diffraction parts of said further one diffracted optical beams from the second substrate for providing a further output optical beam out of said second substrate with said expanded exit pupil in said one or two dimensions.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for providing a wide field-of-view as well as illumination uniformity in exit pupil expanders (EPE) using stacked EPE substrates (or plates) with non-symmetric exit pupil expansion that use a plurality of diffractive elements for expanding the exit pupil of a display for viewing.
197 Citations
25 Claims
-
1. An apparatus, comprising:
-
a first substrate of optical material having a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface; an in-coupling diffractive element disposed on the first or the second surface of said first substrate; one or more out-coupling diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface, wherein said in-coupling diffractive element is configured to diffract optical rays of the input optical beam, which are incident from one half space relative to a plane perpendicular to said first substrate and parallel to periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, so as to provide one diffracted optical beam substantially within said first and second surfaces such that at least a portion of said one diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of said one or more out-coupling diffractive elements; a second substrate of optical material having a further first surface and a further second surface and being positioned substantially parallel to the first substrate and in juxtaposed spaced relationship hereto, wherein the further second surface is opposite to the further first surface; a further in-coupling diffractive element disposed on the further first or the further second surface substantially in alignment with said in-coupling diffractive element and having further periodic lines parallel to said periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, and configured to receive a portion of said input optical beam which propagates through said first substrate into the further substrate; and one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements disposed on the further first or the further second surface and each being substantially opposite to a corresponding diffractive element of said one or more out-coupling diffractive elements, wherein said further in-coupling diffractive element is configured to diffract optical rays of the portion of the input optical beam, which are incident from another half space relative to said plane, to provide a further one diffracted optical beam substantially within said further first and further second surfaces such that at least a portion of said further diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of said one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements which is opposite to said one of the one or more out-coupling diffractive elements, and wherein said one of the one or more out-coupling diffractive elements is configured to couple by diffraction parts of said one diffracted optical beam from the first substrate for providing an output optical beam out of said first substrate with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions, said output optical beam being propagated through said second substrate, and said one of the one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements is configured to couple by diffraction parts of said further one diffracted optical beams from the second substrate for providing a further output optical beam out of said second substrate with said expanded exit pupil in said one or two dimensions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23)
-
-
18. A method, comprising:
-
receiving an input optical beam by an in-coupling diffractive element disposed on a first or a second surface of a first substrate, wherein the second surface is opposite to the first surface; diffracting optical rays of the input optical beam, which are incident from one half space relative to a plane perpendicular to said first substrate and parallel to periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, using said in-coupling diffractive element disposed on the first or the second surface, so as to provide one diffracted optical beam substantially within said first and second surfaces such that at least a portion of said one diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of one or more out-coupling diffractive elements disposed on the first or the further second surface of the first substrate; coupling by diffraction parts of said one diffracted optical beams from the first substrate using said one of said one or more out-coupling diffractive elements for providing an output optical beam out of said first substrate with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions, and propagating said output optical beam through a second substrate, said second substrate being positioned substantially parallel to the first substrate and in juxtaposed spaced relationship hereto; receiving a portion of said input optical beam which propagates through said first substrate into the second substrate, by a further in-coupling diffractive element disposed on a further first or a further second surface of the second substrate substantially in alignment with said in-coupling diffractive element and having further periodic lines parallel to said periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, wherein the further second surface is opposite to the further first surface; diffracting optical rays of the portion of the input optical beam, which are incident from said another half space relative to said plane, using said further in-coupling diffractive element to provide a further one diffracted optical beam substantially within said further first and further second surfaces such that at least a portion of said further one diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of said one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements which is opposite to said one of the one or more out-coupling diffractive elements; and coupling by diffraction parts of said further one diffracted optical beam from the second substrate using said one of said one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements for providing a further output optical beam out of said second substrate with said expanded exit pupil in said one or two dimensions. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
-
-
24. An electronic device, comprising:
-
a data processing unit; an optical engine operatively connected to the data processing unit for receiving image data from the data processing unit; a display device operatively connected to the optical engine for forming an image based on the image data; and an exit pupil expander comprising; a first substrate of optical material having a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface; an in-coupling diffractive element disposed on the first or the second surface of said first substrate; one or more out-coupling diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface, wherein said in-coupling diffractive element is configured to diffract optical rays of the input optical beam, which are incident from one half space relative to a plane perpendicular to said first substrate and parallel to periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, so as to provide one diffracted optical beam substantially within said first and second surfaces such that at least a portion of said one diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of said one or more out-coupling diffractive elements; a second substrate of optical material having a further first surface and a further second surface and being positioned substantially parallel to the first substrate and in juxtaposed spaced relationship hereto, wherein the further second surface is opposite to the further first surface; a further in-coupling diffractive element disposed on the further first or the further second surface substantially in alignment with said in-coupling diffractive element and having further periodic lines parallel to said periodic lines of the in-coupling diffractive element, and configured to receive a portion of said input optical beam which propagates through said first substrate into the further substrate; and one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements disposed on the further first or the further second surface and each being substantially opposite to a corresponding diffractive element of said one or more out-coupling diffractive elements, wherein said further in-coupling diffractive element is configured to diffract optical rays of the portion of the input optical beam, which are incident from another half space relative to said plane, to provide a further one diffracted optical beam substantially within said further first and further second surfaces such that at least a portion of said further diffracted optical beam is coupled only to one of said one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements which is opposite to said one of the one or more out-coupling diffractive elements, and wherein said one of the one or more out-coupling diffractive elements is configured to couple by diffraction parts of said one diffracted optical beam from the first substrate for providing an output optical beam out of said first substrate with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions, said output optical beam being propagated through said second substrate, and said one of the one or more further out-coupling diffractive elements is configured to couple by diffraction parts of said further one diffracted optical beams from the second substrate for providing a further output optical beam out of said second substrate with said expanded exit pupil in said one or two dimensions. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
Specification