Light guide optical device

• US 7,724,441 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Inventors: Amitai, Yaakov
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben; Loha
• Application Number:
  US12/287,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20090052046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 359/13, 359/15, 359/618, 359/629, 359/630, 359/633, 359/636, 359/721, 362/26, 362/241, 362/247, 362/249.02, 362/249.06, 362/615, 345 7- 9, 345/175, 349/33, 349/65, 385/11, 385/16, 385/18, 250/227.11, 252/299.61
• US Class Current: 359/629
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/0098 for scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0114 comprising dichroic elements
• 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 2027/0136 with a single image source for both eyes
• 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 27/022 Viewing apparatus G02B27/04, G02B27/06, G02B27/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1073 characterized by manufacturing or alignment methods
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/108 for sampling a portion of a beam or combining a small beam in a larger one, e.g. wherein the area ratio or power ratio of the divided beams significantly differs from unity, without spectral selectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/145 having sequential partially reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/148 including stacked surfaces having at least one double-pass partially reflecting surface
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/286 for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/26 of the autostereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• 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 6/0018 Redirecting means on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 : Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/003 : Lens or lenticular sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 : Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0056 : for producing polarisation effects, e.g. by a surface with polarizing properties or by an additional polarizing elements

Abstract

The invention provides an optical device, including a light-transmitting substrate, optical means for coupling light into the substrate by total internal reflection, and a plurality of partially reflecting surfaces carried by the substrate, characterized in that the partially reflecting surfaces are parallel to each other and are not parallel to any of the edges of the substrate.

Claims

1. An optical device, comprising:

a display source emitting light waves;

a selective diffuser for non-uniformly diffusing the light waves of the display source;

an imaging optical lens for imagine the light waves from said display source;

a light-transmitting substrate having a light-admitting surface and at least one surface located inside said substrate for coupling the light waves out of said substrate;

an optical coupler for coupling the light waves from said imaging optical lens into said substrate

characterized in that

the light waves from the entire display source are coupled by the optical coupler via said light-admitting surface into the substrate by total internal reflection.

2. The optical device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one light source.

3. The optical device according to claim 2 further comprising at least one converging lens disposed between the light source and the display source.

4. The optical device according to claim 3, wherein said converging lens collects the light waves from said light source and illuminates said display source.

5. The optical device according to claim 4, wherein said selective diffuser diffuses the light waves interposed between said converging lens and said display source.

6. The optical device according to claim 4, wherein each light wave emerging from a single point on the display source is diverged into a predetermined finite solid angle, such that light waves from the entire display source are coupled into said substrate by total internal reflection.

7. The optical device according to claim 6, wherein optical nature and structure of the combination of said light source, converging lens, display source and selective diffuser, dictate said solid angles, resulting in coupling said light waves into said substrate by total internal reflection.

8. The optical device according to claim 6, wherein optical nature and structure of the combination of the components of said optical device result in coupling said light waves into a single eye of an observer.

9. The optical device according to claim 8, wherein optical nature and structure of the combination of the components of said optical device result in a specific brightness at the eye of the observer.

10. The optical device according to claim 6, wherein optical nature and structure of the combination of the components of said optical device result in coupling said light waves into both eyes of an observer.

11. The optical device according to claim 10, wherein optical nature and structure of the combination of the components of said optical device result in a specific brightness at the eyes of the observer.

12. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein from each point source on said display source, only a specific angular cone of light actually couples into said substrate.

13. The optical device according to claim 12, wherein said selective diffuser spreads the light from said point source of said display source into said specific angular cone.

14. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein input waves and image waves are located on the same side of said substrate.

15. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein input waves and image waves are located on the opposite sides of said substrate.

16. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said optical device is utilized as head mounted display.

17. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein said optical device is utilized as head up display.