Substrate-guided optical devices

• US 7,672,055 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Inventors: Amitai, Yaakov
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben; Loha
• Application Number:
  US12/214,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20080285140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 359630-634, 359/481, 359/487, 345 6- 9, 385/31, 385/36, 405/46, 349/64, 238/10.A
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0114 comprising dichroic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0116 comprising devices for correcting chromatic aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/012 comprising devices for attenuating parasitic image effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0125 Field-of-view increase by wavefront division
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0081 with means for altering, e.g. enlarging, the entrance or exit pupil
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/02 Viewing or reading apparatus stereoscopic systems G02B30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/28 for polarising used in stereoscopes G02B30/25
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0035 provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0056 for producing polarisation effects, e.g. by a surface with polarizing properties or by an additional polarizing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/086 Auxiliary lenses located directly on a main spectacle lens or in the immediate vicinity of main spectacles

Abstract

There is provided an optical device, having a light-transmitting substrate having at least two major surfaces (26) parallel to each other and edges; optical means (16) for coupling light waves located in a field-of-view into the substrate by internal reflection, and at least one partially reflecting surface (22) located in the substrate which is non-parallel to the major surfaces of the substrate, characterized in that at least one of the major surfaces is coated with a dichroic coating.

Claims

1. An optical device, comprising:

a light-transmitting substrate having at least two major surfaces parallel to each other and edges;

a first optical element for coupling light waves located in a field-of-view into said substrate by internal reflection; and

a second optical element for coupling said light waves out of said substrate, characterized in that at least one of said major surfaces is coated with an angular sensitive coating.

2. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said first optical element is a wave-reflecting surface.

3. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said first optical element is a folding prism.

4. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said first optical element for coupling light waves into said substrate to be transmitted therein by internal reflection is a diffraction grating.

5. The optical device according to claim 1 wherein said second optical element is located in said substrate.

6. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one coated major surface has a negligible reflection for one part of an angular spectrum and a noticeable reflection for other parts of the angular spectrum.

7. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one coated major surface has a low reflectance at low incident angles and a high reflectance at high incident angles.

8. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said angular sensitive coating causes said field-of-view to be trapped inside said substrate by internal reflections.

9. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said two major surfaces are coated with an angular sensitive coating.

10. The optical device according to claim 9, wherein said two major surfaces are coated with the same angular sensitive coating.

11. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said second optical element causes said field-of-view to exit said substrate at a predetermined location for reaching at least one eye of an observer.

12. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said angular sensitive coating is formed by utilizing an ion-assisted coating procedure.

13. The optical device according to claim 1, further comprising a display light source.

14. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is partially transparent, to enable see-through operation.

15. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said device is mounted in an eyeglasses frame.

16. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said device is located in a head-up-display.