Stereoscopic exit pupil expander display
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate of optical material having a first surface and a second surface, said substrate comprising a first area and a second area substantially adjacent to each other along a line;
two diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface and configured to receive sequentially two input optical beams comprising an optical image of a display such that one of the two input optical beams is received by one of the two diffractive elements and another of the two input optical beams is received by another of the two diffractive elements, wherein one of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the first area and another of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the second area, respectively, wherein said two diffractive elements are substantially next to each other and adjacent to said line;
two further diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface, wherein one of the two further diffractive elements is disposed on the first area and another of said two further diffractive elements is disposed on the second area, respectively; and
an optical delivery system, configured to sequentially switch said two input optical beams comprising the optical image of the display between said two diffractive elements; and
wherein the apparatus is configured such that;
at least part of each of the two sequentially switched input optical beams at any time is diffracted only in one of the two diffractive elements to provide a diffracted optical beam in the same area with said one of the two diffractive elements substantially within the first and second surfaces, andat least part of the diffracted optical beam in the first or the second area is further coupled out of the substrate by diffraction in one of said two further diffractive elements for providing two sequentially switched output optical beams, each comprising the optical image of the display with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions.
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Abstract
The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for providing a stereoscopic display in electronic devices with a diffractive exit pupil expander using sequentially switching between right and left images of one display (e.g., microdisplay). An optical delivery system can provide a sequential left and right image of the display and the illumination is then switched for left and right accordingly using exit pupil expander (EPE) with asymmetric, e.g., highly slanted, in-coupling gratings, sending light practically to only one direction (e.g., one area of the EPE substrate).
101 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a substrate of optical material having a first surface and a second surface, said substrate comprising a first area and a second area substantially adjacent to each other along a line; two diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface and configured to receive sequentially two input optical beams comprising an optical image of a display such that one of the two input optical beams is received by one of the two diffractive elements and another of the two input optical beams is received by another of the two diffractive elements, wherein one of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the first area and another of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the second area, respectively, wherein said two diffractive elements are substantially next to each other and adjacent to said line; two further diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface, wherein one of the two further diffractive elements is disposed on the first area and another of said two further diffractive elements is disposed on the second area, respectively; and an optical delivery system, configured to sequentially switch said two input optical beams comprising the optical image of the display between said two diffractive elements; and wherein the apparatus is configured such that; at least part of each of the two sequentially switched input optical beams at any time is diffracted only in one of the two diffractive elements to provide a diffracted optical beam in the same area with said one of the two diffractive elements substantially within the first and second surfaces, and at least part of the diffracted optical beam in the first or the second area is further coupled out of the substrate by diffraction in one of said two further diffractive elements for providing two sequentially switched output optical beams, each comprising the optical image of the display with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method, comprising:
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receiving two sequentially switched input optical beams by two diffractive elements such that one of the two input optical beams is received by one of the two diffractive elements and another of the two input optical beams is received by another of the two diffractive elements, said two diffractive elements being disposed on a first or a second surface of a substrate made of optical material, said substrate comprising a first area and a second area substantially adjacent to each other along a line, wherein said one of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the first part, wherein said two diffractive elements are substantially next to each other and adjacent to said line, wherein said another of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the second part, respectively, wherein said two sequentially switched input optical beams comprise an optical image of a display and are provided by an optical delivery system; diffracting at least part of each of the two sequentially switched input optical beams at any time only in one of the two diffractive elements to provide a diffracted optical beam in the same area with said one of the two diffractive elements substantially within the first and second surfaces; and coupling at least part of the diffracted optical beam in the first or the second area out of the substrate by diffraction in one of two further diffractive elements for providing two sequentially switched output optical beams, each comprising the optical image of the display with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions, wherein the two further diffractive elements are disposed on the first or the second surface, wherein one of the two further diffractive elements is disposed on the first area and another of said two further diffractive elements is disposed on the second area, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An electronic device, comprising:
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a data processing unit; an optical engine configured to receive image data from the data processing unit; a display device configured to form an image based on the image data; and an exit pupil expander device, comprising; a substrate of optical material having a first surface and a second surface, said substrate comprising a first area and a second area substantially adjacent to each other along a line; two diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface and configured to receive sequentially two input optical beams comprising an optical image of a display such that one of the two input optical beams is received by one of the two diffractive elements and another of the two input optical beams is received by another of the two diffractive elements, wherein one of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the first area and another of the two diffractive elements is disposed on the second area, respectively, wherein said two diffractive elements are substantially next to each other and adjacent to said line; two further diffractive elements disposed on the first or the second surface, wherein one of the two further diffractive elements is disposed on the first area and another of said two further diffractive elements is disposed on the second area, respectively; and an optical delivery system, configured to sequentially switch said two input optical beams comprising the optical image of the display between said two diffractive elements, and wherein the electronic device is configured such that; at least part of each of the two sequentially switched input optical beams at any time is diffracted only in one of the two diffractive elements to provide a diffracted optical beam in the same area with said one of the two diffractive elements substantially within the first and second surfaces, and at least part of the diffracted optical beam in the first or the second area is further coupled out of the substrate by diffraction in one of said two further diffractive elements for providing two sequentially switched output optical beams, each comprising the optical image of the display with an expanded exit pupil in one or two dimensions. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification