Grating configurations for a tiled waveguide display

• US 9,164,290 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Robbins, Steve J., Nguyen, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): JORDAN, ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US14/073,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20150125109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4205 having a diffractive optical element [DOE] contributing to image formation, e.g. whereby modulation transfer function MTF or optical aberrations are relevant
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1828 having means for producing variable diffraction controlling the direction of light by means of one or more diffracting elements G02B26/0808; acousto-optical elements G02F1/11, G02F1/33; electro- or magneto-optical diffraction G02F1/292, G02F1/2955

Abstract

Grating configurations are described for creating time sequenced field of view (FOV) tiles for a waveguide display. Pairings of non-output diffraction gratings and output diffraction gratings are activated to create a number of FOV tiles in a time sequence, for example in a frame update period for the image. Examples of a non-output grating are an input grating and a fold grating. For a set of at least three gratings used to make the pairings, each non-output grating is paired with each output grating. The number of pairings, and so the number of FOV tiles, is equal to a product of the total number of non-output gratings and the total number of output gratings. At least one diffraction grating in the pairing is an active pairing. Also described is a multiplexed diffraction grating including multiplexed K-vectors which increases the overall angular bandwidth for both incidence and diffraction.

Claims

1. An apparatus using grating pairings for generating field of view (FOV) tiles for a waveguide display comprising:

a waveguide display;

at least three diffraction gratings positioned within the waveguide display including at least one output diffraction grating for coupling image light out from the waveguide and at least one non-output diffraction grating for coupling image light for traversal along the waveguide;

the at least three diffraction gratings forming a total number of grating pairings equal to a product of a total number of the non-output diffraction gratings and a total number of the output diffraction gratings in the number of grating pairings, each grating pairing including one non-output grating and one output grating, and each grating pairing includes at least one active grating;

each grating pairing includes at least one grating also in another grating pairing of the total number of grating pairings;

a number of FOV tiles equal to the number of grating pairings; and

control circuitry communicatively coupled to the at least one active grating in each pairing for activating each pairing during a respective tile time period of a larger FOV update time period, and deactivating each pairing during respective tile time periods when other grating pairings are activated for generating the number of FOV tiles in the FOV update time period.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-output diffraction grating includes at least one fold grating.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-output diffraction grating includes at least one input grating.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one active grating is a switchable Bragg grating.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the waveguide display is a near-eye display.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a multiplexed grating of the at least three diffraction gratings includes multiplexed K-vectors, each K-vector diffracting a different predetermined set of angles within an angular bandwidth of incidence for the multiplexed grating.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the multiplexed grating is a passive grating.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the multiplexed grating is an active grating.

9. A waveguide display system including at least one grating with multiplexed K-vectors comprising:

a waveguide display;

at least three diffraction gratings positioned within the waveguide display including at least one output diffraction grating for coupling image light out from the waveguide and at least one non-output diffraction grating for coupling image light for traversal along the waveguide;

at least three diffraction gratings forming a total number of grating pairings equal to a product of a total number of the non-output diffraction gratings and a total number of the output diffraction gratings in the total number of grating pairings, each pairing including one non-output grating and one output grating, and the pairing includes at least one active grating;

each grating pairing includes at least one grating also in another grating pairing of the total number of grating pairings;

a number of field of view (FOV) tiles equal to the number of pairings;

a multiplexed grating of the at least three diffraction gratings includes multiplexed K-vectors providing greater than a ten degree FOV tile; and

control circuitry communicatively coupled to at least one active grating in each pairing for activating each pairing during a respective tile time period of a larger FOV update time period, and deactivating each pairing during respective tile time periods when other grating pairings are activated for generating the number of FOV tiles in the FOV update time period.

10. The waveguide display of claim 9 wherein the waveguide display is a near-eye display.

11. The waveguide display of claim 9 wherein the at least three diffraction gratings are active gratings.

12. The waveguide display of claim 9 wherein the at least one active grating is an electrically switchable Bragg grating.

13. The waveguide display of claim 9 wherein the number of non-output diffraction gratings includes a fold grating.

14. The waveguide display of claim 9 wherein the multiplexed grating is a passive grating.

15. The waveguide display of claim 9 further comprising:

each K-vector diffracting a different predetermined set of angles within an angular bandwidth of incidence for the multiplexed grating; and

the predetermined sets of angles overlap within the angular bandwidth of incidence for the multiplexed grating.

16. The waveguide display of claim 15 further comprising:

the multiplexed grating including the multiplexed K-vectors has a diffraction efficiency of at least 90% for a center portion of about 10 degrees of the angular bandwidth of incidence for the multiplexed grating.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the FOV update time period is a frame update time period.

17. A method for displaying image data for a waveguide display in time sequenced field of view (FOV) tiles using diffraction grating pairings, each diffraction grating pairing being associated with a respective FOV tile comprising:

(a) receiving by the waveguide display from an optically coupled image generation unit an image portion associated with the FOV tile for display during a time period which is a subperiod of a FOV update time period;

(b) activating a current grating pairing associated with the FOV tile, including a non-output diffraction grating and an output diffraction grating during the time period;

(c) during a tile transition time period, deactivating the current grating pairing; and

repeating steps (a) through (c) for a next grating pairing until each FOV tile has been displayed in the FOV update time period, wherein at least one grating in each grating pairing is also in another grating pairing.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the output diffraction grating is an active grating and further comprises multiplexed K-vectors which are activated and deactivated simultaneously.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the output diffraction grating is a passive grating and further comprises multiplexed K-vectors.