Holographic substrate-guided wave-based see-through display

• US 10,274,660 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Luminit LLC
• Original Assignee: Luminit LLC
• Inventors: Dimov, Fedor, Aye, Tin, Yu, Kevin, Soboleva, Svetlana, Yin, Khin Swe, Kyaw, Myo, Voloschenko, Dmitry
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapel, Derek S
• Application Number:
  US12/620,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20100157400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,451 Days
• Field of Search: 359 1, 359 13- 15, 359 19, 359 22- 26, 359 32- 34, 359558-576, 359618, 359629-640, 345 7- 9, 385129-132
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/188 Plurality of such optical elements formed in or on a supporting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements
• 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 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0408 Total internal reflection [TIR] holograms, e.g. edge lit or substrate mode holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0439 for recording Holographic Optical Element [HOE] HOE per se G02B5/32
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/261 in optical contact
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/63 Environment affecting the recording, e.g. underwater G03H2001/0432 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2270/21 Curved bearing surface

Abstract

A holographic substrate-guided wave-based see-through display has a microdisplay, capable of emitting light in the form of an image. The microdisplay directs its output to a holographic optical element, capable of accepting the image from the microdisplay, and capable of transmitting the light. The holographic optical element couples its output to an elongate substrate, capable of accepting the light from the holographic optical element at a first location, and transmitting the light along a length of the substrate by internal reflection to a second location, the elongate substrate being capable of transmitting the accepted light from the second location. The substrate couples out what it receives to a transparent holographic optical element, capable of accepting the light transmitted from the substrate and transmitting it to a location outside of the holographic optical element as a viewable image.

Claims

1. A holographic substrate-guided wave based see through display comprising:

a light source positioned to illuminate a reflective area;

a single transparent substrate;

a transparent first holographic lens laminated to the substrate on an exterior side of the substrate and accepting light reflected by the reflective area in the form of an image of the reflective area, and diffracting the accepted light in single diffraction order;

the substrate, being elongate and having a thickness and a length accepting the light diffracted by the transparent first holographic lens at a second location on the exterior side that is transparent through its thickness, and transmitting the light accepted at the second location along the length of the substrate by total internal reflection to a first location on the exterior side spaced from the second location along the length of the substrate, the substrate transmitting the light accepted at the second location from the first location;

a transparent second holographic lens laminated to the exterior side of the substrate spaced from the second location and accepting the light transmitted from the substrate at the first location and diffracting it in single diffraction order at different angles to a location outside of the second holographic lens as a viewable image of the reflective area;

a camera accepting the viewable image of the reflective area from the second holographic optical element, and capturing the viewable image of the reflective area,

wherein the apparatus is transparent in the direction of the thickness at the second location to have a see-through display;

a microdisplay, emitting light in the form of a microdisplay image;

a third holographic lens accepting the emitted light in the form of the microdisplay image from the microdisplay, and diffracting the accepted light in a single diffraction order;

the substrate having a third location accepting the light diffracted from the third holographic lens and transmitting the light accepted at the third location along the length of the substrate by internal reflection to a fourth location, the substrate being transparent through the thickness at the fourth location and transmitting the light accepted at the third location from the fourth location; and

a fourth holographic lens accepting the light transmitted by the substrate at the fourth location diffracting the accepted light in single diffraction order and transmitting it to the reflective area, as a viewable image of the microdisplay,

wherein the display is transparent in a direction through the thickness of the substrate at the fourth location and at least one of the third holographic lens and fourth holographic lens has optical power.