Buried numerical aperture expander having transparent properties
First Claim
1. A buried numerical aperture expander, comprising:
- an exit pupil expander having a surface with a light scattering profile, wherein the light scattering profile results from at least one of a selected shape and spacing of elements making up the surface; and
a reflective layer disposed on the surface of said exit pupil expander;
said exit pupil expander and said reflective layer being disposed within an envelope, said exit pupil expander and said envelope having the same, or nearly the same, coefficient of refraction;
wherein some light impinging on said exit pupil expander may be at least partially reflected by said reflective layer and expanded into a larger output numerical aperture, and some light impinging on said exit pupil expander is at least partially transmitted without substantial distortion through said reflective layer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a buried numerical aperture expander may be utilized to provide a head-up or virtual display at a larger field of view without requiring a larger amount of space, larger sized display, or larger sized optics. The buried numerical aperture expander is capable of selectively reflecting light emanating from a display such that the reflected light is expanded into a larger field of view, while simultaneously allowing other light to be transmitted through the buried numerical aperture expander without expansion so that the buried numerical aperture expander may be deployed in conjunction with a windshield or window without adversely affecting the ability to see through buried numerical aperture expander.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A buried numerical aperture expander, comprising:
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an exit pupil expander having a surface with a light scattering profile, wherein the light scattering profile results from at least one of a selected shape and spacing of elements making up the surface; and a reflective layer disposed on the surface of said exit pupil expander; said exit pupil expander and said reflective layer being disposed within an envelope, said exit pupil expander and said envelope having the same, or nearly the same, coefficient of refraction; wherein some light impinging on said exit pupil expander may be at least partially reflected by said reflective layer and expanded into a larger output numerical aperture, and some light impinging on said exit pupil expander is at least partially transmitted without substantial distortion through said reflective layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A display system, comprising:
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a buried numerical aperture expander, wherein the buried numerical aperture expander comprises; an exit pupil expander having a surface with a light scattering profile, wherein the light scattering profile results from at least one of a selected shape and spacing of elements making up the surface; a reflective layer disposed on the surface of said exit pupil expander; and a display capable of projecting an image onto said buried numerical aperture expander; wherein said buried numerical aperture expander is capable of expanding the beams projected onto said buried numerical aperture expander so as to make the projected image viewable over a controlled viewing region, and is further capable of allowing other light to be transmitted through the reflective layer and said buried numerical aperture expander without substantially distorting the transmitted light. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A display system, comprising:
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a buried numerical aperture expander corresponding to a first display region, wherein the buried numerical aperture expander comprises; an exit pupil expander having a surface with a light scattering profile, wherein the light scattering profile results from at least one of a selected shape and spacing of elements making up the surface; a reflective layer disposed on the surface of said exit pupil expander; a first display capable of projecting a virtual image at a location different than a location of said buried numerical aperture; a second display capable of projecting an image onto said buried numerical aperture expander; wherein said buried numerical aperture expander is capable of expanding the beams projected onto said buried numerical aperture expander to make the projected image viewable over a controlled viewing region by said second display, and is further capable of allowing other light to be transmitted through the reflective layer and said buried numerical aperture expander without substantially distorting the transmitted light. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A windshield capable of being utilized in a head-up display, comprising:
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a windshield layer; an exit pupil expander embedded in the windshield layer, wherein the exit pupil expander has a surface with a light scattering profile, wherein the light scattering profile results from at least one of a selected shape and spacing of elements making up the surface; and a reflective layer disposed on said exit pupil expander; wherein some light impinging on said exit pupil expander may be at least partially reflected by said reflective layer and expanded into a larger output numerical aperture, and some light impinging on said exit pupil expander is at least partially transmitted through said reflective layer substantially without distortion. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A buried numerical aperture expander, comprising:
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an exit pupil expander having a surface with a light scattering profile, wherein the light scattering profile results from at least one of a selected shape and spacing of elements making up the surface; a reflective layer disposed on said exit pupil expander, wherein some light impinging on said exit pupil expander may be at least partially reflected by said reflective layer and expanded into a larger output numerical aperture; and an opaque layer disposed adjacent to said exit pupil expander, said opaque layer being capable of absorbing a substantial majority of light originating from the side nearest the opaque layer and also absorbing a substantial amount of light originating from the side away from the opaque layer that is partially transmitted through said exit pupil expander. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification