Substrate-guide optical device

• US 9,551,874 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2016
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Inventors: Amitai, Yaakov
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapel, Derek S
• Application Number:
  US15/051,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20160170214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/0073 Optical laminates
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• 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 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0136 with a single image source for both eyes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/015 involving arrangement aiming to get less bulky devices
• 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 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1066 for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1073 characterized by manufacturing or alignment methods
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/14 operating by reflection only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/144 using partially transparent surfaces without spectral selectivity G02B27/147 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/145 having sequential partially reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• 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 6/003 : Lens or lenticular sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0031 : Reflecting element, 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/105 : having optical polarisation effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 : Electronic devices other than hearing aids

Abstract

An optical device, including a light waves-transmitting substrate has two major surfaces and edges, optical means for coupling light into the substrate by total internal reflection, and a plurality of partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) carried by the substrate. The partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) are parallel to each other and are not parallel to any of the edges of the substrate, one or more of the partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) being an anisotropic surface. The optical device has dual operational modes in see-through configuration. In a first mode, light waves are projected from a display source through the substrate to an eye of a viewer. In a second mode, the display source is shut off and only an external scene is viewable through the substrate.

Claims

1. An optical system, comprising:

first and second light-transmitting substrates, each substrate having at least two major surfaces parallel to each other, edges, a light waves input aperture and at least one partially reflecting surface located in one of the substrates;

first and second electronic display sources for producing light waves;

first and second optical devices for coupling light waves from the first and the second electronic display sources, respectively, into the first and the second substrates, by total internal reflection, to form two electronic images which can be projected by the partially reflecting surfaces into two eyes of a viewer,

the optical system facilitates dual operational modes in see-through configuration of an external scene allowing a viewer to see the electronic images or an external scene,

wherein in a first mode, image light waves projected from the electronic display sources are coupled into the substrates and projected respectively into two eyes of a viewer, by the partially reflecting surfaces,

in a second mode, the electronic displays are shut-off and the external scene is directly viewable through the substrates and the device is utilizable as conventional spectacle lenses, and

wherein in the first mode, the zoom of the projected image can be dynamically controlled.

2. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the two electronic images are identical.

3. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the two electronic images are different from each other.

4. The optical system according to claim 3, wherein the two images are two different parts of the same image with partial overlap.

5. The optical system according to claim 3, wherein the two images produce a stereoscopic image.

6. The optical system according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanical body, wherein the displays, the optical devices and the substrates are integrated into the mechanical body.

7. The optical system according to claim 6, wherein the mechanical body is an eyeglasses frame.

8. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the zoom of the projected image can be continuously controlled.