Head up display with an angled light pipe

• US 10,705,337 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2019
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Brown, Robert D., Stratton, Eric P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, James C.
• Application Number:
  US16/384,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20190243136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 359633
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• 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 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence

Abstract

A head up display includes a light pipe and a waveguide combiner. The light pipe is configured to expand a pupil in a first direction and includes an input grating and an output put grating. The light pipe also includes four elongated surfaces, and the input grating and the output grating are provided in one or more planes parallel to two of the elongated surfaces. The waveguide combiner is configured to expand the pupil in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first light pipe is disposed at an angle with respect to a waveguide combiner.

Claims

1. A head up display, comprising:

a light pipe configured to expand a pupil in a first direction, the light pipe comprising four elongated surfaces comprising at least two elongated surfaces that are parallel to each other, wherein the light pipe is configured so that light travels through the light pipe in a fashion where the four elongated surfaces are struck by the light as the light travels from a first end to a second end in the first direction; and

a waveguide combiner in optical communication with the light pipe and comprising a main surface disposed at an angle with respect to the two elongated surfaces that are parallel to each other, the waveguide combiner being configured to expand the pupil in a second direction along the main surface.

2. The head up display of claim 1, wherein the angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees, and wherein the waveguide combiner is spaced apart from the light pipe.

3. The head up display of claim 2, further comprising a light pipe input grating and a light pipe output grating disposed on the light pipe, wherein the light pipe input grating and the light pipe output grating are matched.

4. The head up display of claim 3, wherein the light pipe input grating and the light pipe output grating are reciprocal.

5. The head up display of claim 1, wherein the angle is more than 5 degrees and less than 25 degrees.

6. The head up display of claim 1, wherein the waveguide combiner comprises a waveguide input grating and a waveguide output grating, wherein the waveguide input grating and the waveguide output grating are provided in one or more planes parallel to the main surface or on the main surface.

7. The head up display of claim 3, further comprising:

a collimator disposed in front of the light pipe input grating.

8. The head up display of claim 7, wherein the light pipe and the waveguide combiner are part of a head worn display.

9. The head up display of claim 8, wherein the light pipe comprises a first beam splitter disposed between the light pipe input grating and the light pipe output grating, the first beam splitter being disposed in a plane perpendicular to the two elongated surfaces that are parallel to each other, and wherein the waveguide combiner comprises two main surfaces, a waveguide input grating, a waveguide output grating, and a second beam splitter disposed between the waveguide input grating and the waveguide output grating, and wherein the waveguide input grating and the waveguide output grating are disposed in a plane parallel to at least one of the main surfaces.

10. A method of providing information to a user, the method comprising:

providing light from a projector;

providing the light from the projector to a light pipe, wherein the light travels through the light pipe in a fashion where four elongated surfaces elongated surfaces of the light pipe are struck by the light as the light travels from a first end to a second end in a first direction; and

providing the light from the light pipe to a waveguide combiner having a main surface, wherein at least one of the elongated surfaces is disposed at an angle and spaced apart from the main surface of the waveguide combiner, wherein the light travels through the waveguide combiner in a second direction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the light pipe comprises an input grating and an output grating associated with the at least one elongated surface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the input grating and the output grating are matched reciprocal gratings.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

diffracting light out of the waveguide combiner and expanding a pupil in the second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction.

14. A head up display system, comprising:

at least one light pipe having four elongated surfaces, wherein a first pair of the elongated surfaces are parallel to each other and a second pair of the elongated surfaces are perpendicular to the first pair of the elongated surfaces, wherein light travels through the light pipe in a fashion where the four elongated surfaces are struck by the light as the light travels from a first end to a second end in a first direction; and

a waveguide combiner having a main surface for viewing an image and an input grating, the waveguide combiner being disposed such that the first pair of the elongated surfaces are spaced apart from and disposed at an angle with respect to the main surface of the waveguide combiner, wherein the at least one light pipe is configured to expand a pupil in the first direction and provide the light to the input grating of the waveguide combiner, the waveguide combiner being configured to expand the pupil in a second direction on the main surface.

15. The head up display system of claim 14, wherein the at least one light pipe comprises a volumetric input grating and a volumetric output grating.

16. The head up display system of claim 14, wherein an output grating of the waveguide combiner is a reciprocal grating to the input grating.

17. The head up display system of claim 14 further comprising a collimator.

18. The head up display system of claim 15, wherein the waveguide combiner comprises a first beam splitter disposed between the input grating on the waveguide combiner and an output grating on the waveguide combiner and wherein the light pipe comprises a second beam splitter disposed between the volumetric input grating and the volumetric output grating.

19. The head up display system of claim 14, wherein the head up display system is a fixed head up display or a head worn display.

20. The head up display system of claim 15, wherein the volumetric output grating is a rolled k vector output grating.