Patent Grant
11635624
The present disclosure relates generally to devices and, more specifically, to a light guide display assembly for providing an increased pupil replication density.
Near-eye displays (“NEDs”) and head-up displays (“HUDs”) have been widely implemented in a variety of applications, such as video playback, gaming, and sports. NEDs and HUDs have been used to realize virtual reality (“VR”), augmented reality (“AR”), or mixed reality (“MR”). NEDs and HUDs for AR ad/or MR applications display a virtual-environment image overlapping with or superimposed on real-world images or see-through images. Pupil-expansion light guide (or waveguide) display systems or assemblies with diffractive coupling structures are promising designs for NEDs and HUDs, which can potentially offer sun/eye-glasses form factors, a moderately large field of view (“FOV”), a high transmittance, and a large eye-box. A light guide display system includes a display element that generates an image light representing a virtual-environment image, and a light guide coupled with diffractive coupling structures to guide the image light to an eye-box of the light guide display system. The diffractive coupling structures functioning as an out-coupling element replicate the virtual-environment image at the output side of the light guide to expand an effective pupil. The light guide coupled with diffractive coupling structures may also function as an optical combiner to combine the image light and a light from the real world environment, such that the virtual-environment image represented by the image light generated by the display element is overlapped with or superimposed on a real-world image represented by the light from the real world environment.
Consistent with a disclosed embodiment of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes a light guide and at least one in-coupling element configured to couple an image light into the light guide. The device also includes a first out-coupling element configured to couple a first portion of the image light out of the light guide as a plurality of first output lights. The device further includes a second out-coupling element spaced apart from the first out-coupling element by a distance and configured to couple a second portion of the image light out of the light guide as a plurality of second output lights. The second output lights are substantially non-overlapping with the first output lights.
Consistent with a disclosed embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes coupling, by at least one in-coupling element, an image light into a light guide. The method also includes coupling, by a first out-coupling element, a first portion of the image light out of the light guide as a plurality of first output lights. The method further includes coupling, by a second out-coupling element spaced apart from the first out-coupling element by a distance, a second portion of the image light out of the light guide as a plurality of second output lights. The second output lights are substantially non-overlapping with the first output lights.
Other aspects of the present disclosure can be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the description, the claims, and the drawings of the present disclosure. The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the claims.
The following drawings are provided for illustrative purposes according to various disclosed embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In the drawings:
Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are merely examples for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts, and a detailed description thereof may be omitted.
Further, in the present disclosure, the disclosed embodiments and the features of the disclosed embodiments may be combined. The described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the disclosed embodiments, persons of ordinary skill in the art may derive other embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. For example, modifications, adaptations, substitutions, additions, or other variations may be made based on the disclosed embodiments. Such variations of the disclosed embodiments are still within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Instead, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.
As used herein, the terms “couple,” “coupled,” “coupling,” or the like may encompass an optical coupling, a mechanical coupling, an electrical coupling, an electromagnetic coupling, or any combination thereof. An “optical coupling” between two optical elements refers to a configuration in which the two optical elements are arranged in an optical series, and a light output from one optical element may be directly or indirectly received by the other optical element. An optical series refers to optical positioning of a plurality of optical elements in a light path, such that a light output from one optical element may be transmitted, reflected, diffracted, converted, modified, or otherwise processed or manipulated by one or more of other optical elements. In some embodiments, the sequence in which the plurality of optical elements are arranged may or may not affect an overall output of the plurality of optical elements. A coupling may be a direct coupling or an indirect coupling (e.g., coupling through an intermediate element).
The phrase “at least one of A or B” may encompass all combinations of A and B, such as A only, B only, or A and B. Likewise, the phrase “at least one of A, B, or C” may encompass all combinations of A, B, and C, such as A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. The phrase “A and/or B” may be interpreted in a manner similar to that of the phrase “at least one of A or B.” For example, the phrase “A and/or B” may encompass all combinations of A and B, such as A only, B only, or A and B. Likewise, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” has a meaning similar to that of the phrase “at least one of A, B, or C.” For example, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” may encompass all combinations of A, B, and C, such as A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.
When a first element is described as “attached,” “provided,” “formed,” “affixed,” “mounted,” “secured,” “connected,” “bonded,” “recorded,” or “disposed,” to, on, at, or at least partially in a second element, the first element may be “attached,” “provided,” “formed,” “affixed,” “mounted,” “secured,” “connected,” “bonded,” “recorded,” or “disposed,” to, on, at, or at least partially in the second element using any suitable mechanical or non-mechanical manner, such as depositing, coating, etching, bonding, gluing, screwing, press-fitting, snap-fitting, clamping, etc. In addition, the first element may be in direct contact with the second element, or there may be an intermediate element between the first element and the second element. The first element may be disposed at any suitable side of the second element, such as left, right, front, back, top, or bottom.
When the first element is shown or described as being disposed or arranged “on” the second element, term “on” is merely used to indicate an example relative orientation between the first element and the second element. The description may be based on a reference coordinate system shown in a figure, or may be based on a current view or example configuration shown in a figure. For example, when a view shown in a figure is described, the first element may be described as being disposed “on” the second element. It is understood that the term “on” may not necessarily imply that the first element is over the second element in the vertical, gravitational direction. For example, when the assembly of the first element and the second element is turned 180 degrees, the first element may be “under” the second element (or the second element may be “on” the first element). Thus, it is understood that when a figure shows that the first element is “on” the second element, the configuration is merely an illustrative example. The first element may be disposed or arranged at any suitable orientation relative to the second element (e.g., over or above the second element, below or under the second element, left to the second element, right to the second element, behind the second element, in front of the second element, etc.).
When the first element is described as being disposed “on” the second element, the first element may be directly or indirectly disposed on the second element. The first element being directly disposed on the second element indicates that no additional element is disposed between the first element and the second element. The first element being indirectly disposed on the second element indicates that one or more additional elements are disposed between the first element and the second element.
The term “processor” used herein may encompass any suitable processor, such as a central processing unit (“CPU”), a graphics processing unit (“GPU”), an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a programmable logic device (“PLD”), or any combination thereof. Other processors not listed above may also be used. A processor may be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.
The term “controller” may encompass any suitable electrical circuit, software, or processor configured to generate a control signal for controlling a device, a circuit, an optical element, etc. A “controller” may be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, a controller may include a processor, or may be included as a part of a processor.
The term “non-transitory computer-readable medium” may encompass any suitable medium for storing, transferring, communicating, broadcasting, or transmitting data, signal, or information. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may include a memory, a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a tape, etc. The memory may include a read-only memory (“ROM”), a random-access memory (“RAM”), a flash memory, etc.
The term “film” and “layer” may include rigid or flexible, self-supporting or free-standing film, coating, or layer, which may be disposed on a supporting substrate or between substrates. The phrases “in-plane direction,” “in-plane orientation,” “in-plane rotation,” “in-plane alignment pattern,” and “in-plane pitch” refer to a direction, an orientation, a rotation, an alignment pattern, and a pitch in a plane of a film or a layer (e.g., a surface plane of the film or layer, or a plane parallel to the surface plane of the film or layer), respectively. The term “out-of-plane direction” indicates a direction that is non-parallel to the plane of the film or layer (e.g., perpendicular to the surface plane of the film or layer, e.g., perpendicular to a plane parallel to the surface plane). For example, when an “in-plane” direction refers to a direction within a surface plane, an “out-of-plane” direction may refer to a thickness direction perpendicular to the surface plane, or a direction that is not parallel with the surface plane.
The term “orthogonal” as used in “orthogonal polarizations” or the term “orthogonally” as used in “orthogonally polarized” means that an inner product of two vectors representing the two polarizations is substantially zero. For example, two lights with orthogonal polarizations or two orthogonally polarized lights may be two linearly polarized lights with polarizations in two orthogonal directions (e.g., an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction in a Cartesian coordinate system) or two circularly polarized lights with opposite handednesses (e.g., a left-handed circularly polarized light and a right-handed circularly polarized light).
The present disclosure provides a device (e.g., an optical device) or a light guide display assembly or system configured to provide an increased pupil replication density. The light guide display assembly may include a light guide (or a light guide stack) and one or more polarization selective elements coupled to the light guide (or the light guide stack). The polarization selective elements may function as in-coupling elements and/or out-coupling elements coupled with the light guide (or the light guide stack). In some embodiments, an in-coupling element and an out-coupling element may both be polarization selective. In some embodiments, the in-coupling element may be polarization nonselective, and the out-coupling element may be polarization selective. The light guide coupled with the one or more polarization selective elements may guide an image light representing a virtual-environment image generated by a light source assembly to an eye-box of the optical device in a polarization multiplexing manner and/or in a time multiplexing manner. The output light delivered to a spatial region within the eyebox may form a pupil (e.g., an exit pupil), within which the eye can receive the output light. The eye-box may include a plurality of pupils (e.g., exit pupils). The optical device of the present disclosure may provide an increased pupil replication density at the eye-box. In addition, a gap between neighboring pupils may be reduced as compared to a conventional light guide display assembly. Moreover, the gap between neighboring pupils may be adjusted. With the disclosed light guide display assembly, the image uniformity perceived at the eye-box may be improved, and undesirable artifacts may be suppressed or reduced.
In some embodiments, a polarization selective element may include any suitable polarization selective element, such as one or more polarization selective gratings or holographic elements fabricated based on isotropic or anisotropic materials. The polarization selective gratings or holographic elements may include suitable sub-wavelength structures, a birefringent material (e.g., a liquid crystal material), a photo-refractive holographic material, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the polarization selective element may be a linear-polarization selective element. In some embodiments, the polarization selective element may be a circular-polarization selective element.
In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly may include a light guide. In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly may include a first in-coupling element (e.g., a first in-coupling grating) configured to couple (e.g., via diffraction) a first input light (e.g., a first image light) into a TIR path inside the light guide, as a first TIR propagating light. In some embodiments, the first in-coupling element may be polarization selective. The light guide display assembly may also include a second in-coupling element (e.g., a second in-coupling grating) configured to couple a second input light (e.g., a second image light) into a TIR path inside the light guide, as a second TIR propagating light. In some embodiments, the second in-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, the first input light and the second input light may have different (e.g., orthogonal) polarizations. In some embodiments, the first TIR propagating light and the second TIR propagating light may have different (e.g., orthogonal or non-orthogonal) polarizations. In some embodiments, at least one first TIR propagating ray included in the first TIR propagating light and at least one second TIR propagating ray included in the second TIR propagating light may have a substantially same propagation angle when propagating within the light guide through TIR.
In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly may include an in-coupling element that is polarization nonselective. The in-coupling element may be configured to couple an input light (e.g., an image light) into a TIR path inside the light guide, as a TIR propagating light. In some embodiments, the TIR propagating light may include two components (which may also be referred to as two lights) with orthogonal polarizations, e.g., a first component (or a first light) and a second component (or a second light) with orthogonal polarizations.
The light guide display assembly may include a first polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., a first polarization selective out-coupling grating) and a second polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., a second polarization selective out-coupling grating) having different (e.g., orthogonal) polarization selectivities. For example, the first polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., the first polarization selective out-coupling grating) may be configured to couple a first TIR propagating light (or the first component of a TIR propagating light) having a first polarization out of the light guide at different positions (e.g., a plurality of first positions) along the light guide as a plurality of first output lights. The second polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., the second polarization selective out-coupling grating) may be configured to couple a second TIR propagating light (or a second component of the TIR propagating light) having a second polarization out of the light guide at different positions (e.g., a plurality of second positions) along the light guide as a plurality of second output lights. The propagation direction of the second TIR propagating light (or the second component of the TIR propagating light) may be parallel with the propagation direction of the first TIR propagating light (or the first component of the TIR propagating light). In some embodiments, the second TIR propagating light and the first TIR propagating light may have the same propagation angle. The second polarization may be different from the first polarization. For example, in some embodiments, the second polarization may be orthogonal to the first polarization. At each pair of first position and second position, a pair of first output light and second output light may be substantially non-overlapping, forming two separate pupils. In some embodiments, the first output lights and the second output lights may have orthogonal polarizations. In some embodiments, the first output lights and the second output lights may have the same polarization. The first output lights and the second output lights may be distributed at an output side of the light guide to form spatially alternating pupils (e.g., exit pupils). In some embodiments, the propagation directions of the first output lights may be parallel with one another, and the propagation directions of the second output lights may be parallel with one another. In some embodiments, the propagation directions of the first output lights may be parallel with the propagation directions of the second output lights.
In some embodiments, the first polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., the first polarization selective out-coupling grating) and the second polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., the second polarization selective out-coupling grating) may be stacked and spaced apart from each other by a distance in a thickness direction of the light guide. In some embodiments, the first polarization selective out-coupling element and the second polarization selective out-coupling element may substantially overlap, or may be substantially aligned in the thickness direction of the light guide. In some embodiments, the first polarization selective out-coupling element and the second polarization selective out-coupling element may have a substantially same light exiting area (e.g., a substantially same area from which the respective TIR propagating light is coupled out from the light guide by the respective polarization selective out-coupling element).
In some embodiments, the first polarization selective out-coupling element and the second polarization selective out-coupling element may be stacked at the same surface of the light guide, and spaced apart from each other by a distance in the thickness direction of the light guide. In some embodiments, a space between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements in a thickness direction of the stack may be at least partially filled with an index-matching material for suppressing the light reflections within the space. In some embodiments, a space around the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements may also be at least partially filled with an index-matching material for suppressing the light reflections within the space. In some embodiments, the distance between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements may be defined by the thickness of the index-matching material filled in the space between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements. In some embodiments, the thickness of the index-matching material filled in the space between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements may be adjustable. The adjustment of the thickness of the index-matching material may be achieved through various mechanisms depending on the type of the index-matching material. For example, when the index-matching material is a liquid or a flowable type, the index-matching material that fills the space between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements may be fluidly coupled with a storage tank. When more index-matching material is supplied from the storage tank to the space, the thickness of the index-matching material may be increased. When the index-matching material within the space is withdrawn to the storage tank, the thickness of the index-matching material within the space may be reduced. When the index-matching material is an elastic type (e.g., an elastomer), the thickness of the index-matching material may be changed when the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements are moved closer to each other to compress the elastic index-matching material and reduce the thickness. The thickness of the index-matching material may be increased when the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements are moved away from each other to stretch or extend the index-matching material to increase the thickness. In some embodiments, the index-matching material may be self-expandable. When the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements are moved away to increase the space, the index-matching material may self-expand in the thickness direction, thereby increasing the thickness.
In some embodiments, the first polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., the first polarization selective out-coupling grating) and the second polarization selective out-coupling element (e.g., the second polarization selective out-coupling grating) may be disposed at different surfaces of the light guide, and spaced apart from each other by the distance in the thickness direction of the light guide. In some embodiments, the distance between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements may be defined by the thickness of the light guide. In some embodiments, one or more additional elements/layers/films (e.g., an index-matching material layer) may be disposed between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements, and the distance between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements may be defined by the sum of the thicknesses of the light guide and the thickness(es) of the one or more additional elements/layers/films. In some embodiments, the thickness of the index-matching material layer disposed between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements may be adjustable. The adjustment may be performed through any suitable mechanism, including, but not limited to, the mechanisms described above.
As described above, a first gap or distance may exist between two neighboring output lights (e.g., a first output light and a neighboring second output light) out-coupled by the two polarization selective out-coupling elements respectively within a same output region of the light guide. The first gap between the neighboring output lights in a same region may be variable when the distance between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements varies. The output region may be defined as a region of the light guide including a pair of a first position (at which the first output light is output) and a second position (at which the second output light is output). For example, when the distance between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements increases, the first gap between two neighboring output lights output within the same output region of the light guide may increase. Accordingly, the first gap between two neighboring pupils formed by or corresponding to two neighboring output lights, which are out-coupled by the two polarization selective out-coupling elements respectively within the same output region of the light guide, may increase. When the distance between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements decreases, the first gap between two neighboring output lights may decrease. Accordingly, the first gap between two neighboring pupils corresponding to two neighboring output lights, which are out-coupled by the two polarization selective out-coupling elements respectively within the same output region of the light guide, may decrease. A second gap or distance may exist between two neighboring output lights at two different output regions of the light guide. The second gap may change when the first gap changes. When the first gap increases, the second gap may decrease. When the first gap decreases, the second gap may increase.
By coupling the image light out of the light guide using two polarization selective out-coupling elements, the number of output lights (and hence the number of pupils) may be increased within the eyebox as compared to a conventional light guide display assembly, thereby increasing the pupil replication density. In addition, by adjusting the distance between the first and second polarization selective out-coupling elements, a gap (the first gap or the second gap) between neighboring pupils corresponding to two neighboring output lights may be reduced as compared to a conventional light guide display assembly, thereby reducing or suppressing the undesirable artifacts that may otherwise be caused by a large gap between neighboring pupils. In addition, the gaps (the first gap and the second gap) between neighboring pupils may be adjusted to achieve a more uniform distribution of the pupils as compared to the conventional light guide display assembly. Further, as compared to the conventional light guide display assembly, the disclosed light guide display assembly may provide a same or similar pupil replication density with a light guide fabricated based on a material having a lower refractive index.
As shown in
The light guide display assembly 115 may include a light guide and/or one or more gratings fabricated based on one or more materials (e.g., a plastic, a glass, etc.) with one or more refractive indices. The light guide display assembly 115 may effectively minimize the weight and increase the pupil replication density of the NED 100. In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 115 may be a component of the NED 100. In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 115 may be a component of some other NED, or other system that directs an image light to a particular location. As shown in
In some embodiments, the NED 100 may include one or more optical elements (not shown) disposed between the light guide display assembly 115 and the eye 160. The optical elements may be configured to, e.g., correct aberrations in an image light emitted from the light guide display assembly 115, magnify an image light emitted from the light guide display assembly 115, or perform another type of optical adjustment of an image light emitted from the light guide display assembly 115. Examples of the one or more optical elements may include an aperture, a Fresnel lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a filter, any other suitable optical element that affects an image light, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 115 may include a stack of light guide displays. In some embodiments, the stacked light guide displays may include a polychromatic display (e.g., a red-green-blue (“RGB”) display) formed by stacking light guide displays. Respective monochromatic light sources included in the light guide displays may be configured to emit lights of different colors. For example, the stacked light guide displays may include a polychromatic display configured to project image lights on multiple planes (e.g., multi-focus colored display). In some embodiments, the stacked light guide displays may include a monochromatic display configured to project an image light on multiple planes (e.g., multi-focus monochromatic display). Various embodiments of the light guide display assembly 115 are described below.
In some embodiments, the NED 100 may include an adaptive dimming element 130, which may dynamically adjust the transmittance of real-world lights from the real-world environment, thereby switching the NED 100 between a VR device and an AR device or between a VR device and an MR device. In some embodiments, along with switching between the AR/MR device and the VR device, the adaptive dimming element 130 may be used in the AR and/MR device to mitigate differences in brightness of real and virtual objects.
As shown in
When the TIR propagating light 231 is incident onto different portions of the out-coupling element 245 as the TIR propagating light 231 propagates along the light guide 210, the out-coupling element 245 may couple (e.g., diffract) the TIR propagating light 231 out of the light guide 210 as a plurality of out-coupled lights (or output lights) 232, at different portions of the out-coupling element 245 or from different positions along the light guide 210. In this way, the out-coupling element 245 replicates the image light 230 received from the light source assembly 205 to expand an effective pupil of the light guide display assembly 200. Each output light 232 may have the same field of view (“FOV”) as the image light 230 generated by the light source assembly 205. Each output light 232 may correspond to (or form) a pupil (or exit pupil) within an eyebox (not shown). The pupil is a spatial region or location in which an eye 260 can receive the output light 232. The eyebox may include a plurality of pupils arranged in an array. Different pupils (e.g., exit pupils) may present substantially the same image content to the eye 260. In some embodiments, output image lights 232 representing different pupils may have substantially the same FOV. Thus, when the eye 260 moves to different positions, the eye 260 may still receive the same image content if the eye 260 is positioned at a replicated pupil. The position of the pupil may change when the position of the output light 232 forming the pupil is changed. The number of output lights 232 within the eyebox may correspond to the number of pupils. Thus, the number of output lights within the eyebox may at least partially determine a pupil replication density. The pupil replication density is a quantitative measure of replication of the image light at the output side of the light guide. The pupil replication density may be defined as the number of pupils per unit distance in a pupil expansion/replication direction, or the number of pupils per unit area within the eyebox. For the simplicity of illustration and discussion, in the illustrated embodiments, the pupil replication density is calculated as the number of pupils per unit distance in the pupil expansion/replication direction, e.g., along the light guide in 1D pupil expansion/replication.
The critical angle may be determined by a refractive index of a material from which the light guide is fabricated (provided that an outside environment of the light guide is air with a refractive index of about 1.0). For example, the critical angle for a BK-7 glass is about 42°. The critical angle may be reduced by disposing a reflective coating at a surface of the light guide or by using a material having a higher refractive index to fabricate the light guide. When the critical angle is reduced, the pupil replication density provided by the light guide display assembly may be increased. However, adding a reflective coating or using a material having a higher reflective index may increase the cost and weight of the light guide. For light guides fabricated from conventional glass materials (e.g., BK-7 glass), a maximum value of the propagation angle α at which a light can propagate within the light guide through TIR is about 50°.
In a conventional light guide display system, the in-coupling element and/or the out-coupling element may not be polarization selective. In addition, the conventional light guide display system may only include a single out-coupling element. Thus, two polarized lights having different polarizations that propagate at the same TIR propagating angle may be out-coupled by the out-coupling element at the same position. That is, the two polarized lights may be out-coupled as an output light 232 to form a same pupil (or may be output as two substantially overlapping output lights, which may form a single pupil). For example, the two substantially overlapping pupils may have 50% or greater overlapping regions. Thus, the pupil replication density of a conventional light guide display assembly may be low. In addition, a gap or distance between the neighboring pupils formed by the output lights 232 may be fixed once the light guide display assembly is fabricated, and may not be adjustable. A large gap between neighboring pupils may cause artifacts due to the non-uniformity of the virtual-environment image reproduced at the output side of the light guide 210.
In the conventional light guide display assembly shown in
In some embodiments, the polarization selective element may include an optically anisotropic material (e.g., an LC material). An optic axis of the optically anisotropic material may be configured with a spatially varying orientation in both an in-plane direction and an out-of-plane direction to provide a polarization sensitive holographic response. In some embodiments, the optically anisotropic material including an optical axis configured with such a spatially varying orientation may form a polarization volume hologram (“PVH”) or a PVH element. The term “optic axis” may refer to a direction in a crystal. A light propagating in the optic axis direction may not experience birefringence (or double refraction). An optic axis may be a direction rather than a single line: lights that are parallel to that direction may experience no birefringence. In some embodiments, the PVH may be configured to substantially (or primarily) diffract a circularly polarized light (or an elliptically polarized light) having a predetermined handedness, and substantially (or primarily) transmit (e.g., with negligible diffraction) a circularly polarized light (or an elliptically polarized light) having a handedness that is opposite to the predetermined handedness. It is understood that the PVH may transmit the circularly polarized light (or the elliptically polarized light) having the predetermined handedness, with a much smaller light transmittance than the circularly polarized light (or the elliptically polarized light) having the handedness that is opposite to the predetermined handedness. The PVH may diffract the circularly polarized light (or the elliptically polarized light) having the handedness that is opposite to the predetermined handedness, with a much smaller diffraction efficiency than the circularly polarized light (or the elliptically polarized light) having the predetermined handedness. An unpolarized light or a linearly polarized light may be decomposed into two circularly polarized components (e.g., a first component and a second component) with opposite handednesses. Thus, the first component may be substantially diffracted by the PVH, and the second component may be substantially transmitted (e.g., with negligible diffraction) by the PVH. The PVH may be configured to substantially forwardly or backwardly diffract the circularly polarized light (or the elliptically polarized light) having the predetermined handedness. When the PVH is configured to substantially forwardly diffract the circularly polarized light (or the elliptically polarized light) having the predetermined handedness, the PVH may be referred to as a transmissive PVH. When the PVH is configured to substantially backwardly diffract the circularly polarized light (or the elliptically polarized light) having the predetermined handedness, the PVH may be referred to as a reflective PVH.
In some embodiments, the PVH may include optically anisotropic molecules (e.g., LC molecules) arranged in a plurality of helix structures in a volume of the PVH. The handedness of the helical structures may define the polarization selectivity of the PVH. In some embodiments, the PVH may be configured to substantially diffract a circularly polarized light (or an elliptically polarized light) having a handedness that is the same as the handedness of the helical structures, and substantially transmit (e.g., with negligible diffraction) a circularly polarized light (or an elliptically polarized light) having a handedness that is opposite to the handedness of the helical structures. In some embodiments, the optically anisotropic molecules in the PVH may not be arranged in a plurality of helix structures in a volume of the PVH. The handedness of the rotation of the directors of the optically anisotropic molecules at an optically anisotropic molecule director plane may define the polarization selectivity of the PVH. An optically anisotropic molecule director plane (or a molecule director plane) is a plane formed by or including directors of the optically anisotropic molecules. The optically anisotropic molecules may be arranged in a plurality of parallel molecule director planes within the volume of the PVH. In some embodiments, the PVH may be configured to substantially diffract a circularly polarized light (or an elliptically polarized light) having a handedness that is the same as the handedness of the rotation of the directors of the optically anisotropic molecules at the molecule director planes, and substantially transmit (e.g., with negligible diffraction) a circularly polarized light (or an elliptically polarized light) having a handedness that is opposite to the handedness of the rotation of the directors of the optically anisotropic molecules at the molecule director planes.
In some embodiments, depending on the handedness of the helical structures within the volume of the PVH, or the handedness of the rotation of the directors of the optically anisotropic molecules at the molecule director planes within the volume of the PVH, the PVH may be referred to as a left-handed PVH or a right-handed PVH. For example, a left-handed PVH may be configured to substantially forwardly diffract or backwardly diffract a left-handed circularly polarized (“LHCP”) light, and substantially transmit (e.g., with negligible diffraction) a right-handed circularly polarized (“RHCP”) light. A right-handed PVH may be configured to substantially forwardly diffract or backwardly diffract an RHCP light and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit (e.g., with negligible diffraction) an LHCP light.
In the following descriptions, for illustrative purposes, polarization selective gratings including PVH (also referred to as PVH gratings) may be used as examples of the polarization selective in-coupling element, the polarization selective out-coupling element, and/or the polarization selective redirecting/folding element. In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly may also include other suitable polarization selective elements (e.g., sub-wavelength structures, a photo-refractive holographic material, a birefringent material (e.g., a liquid crystal material), or combinations thereof) to provide an increased pupil replication density, following the same or similar design principles described herein with respect to the embodiments having light guide(s) coupled with one or more PVH gratings. Although polarization selective gratings may be used as examples of the polarization selective elements included in the polarization selective in-coupling element and out-coupling element, the polarization selective elements are not limited to polarization selective gratings.
In addition, for illustrative purposes, one-dimensional (“1D”) pupil expansion or replication (e.g., horizontal pupil expansion or replication) with an increased pupil replication density is used an example to explain the principle of increasing the pupil replication density. In some embodiments, two-dimensional (“2D”) pupil expansion or replication (e.g., horizontal and vertical pupil expansions) may also be achieved by introducing one or more additional polarization selective elements (e.g., a polarization selective folding element or redirecting element) configured to provide a pupil expansion or replication in a direction different from the pupil expansion or replication direction provided by the out-coupling elements already shown in the figures. In some embodiments, the one or more additional polarization selective elements (e.g., a polarization selective folding element or redirecting element) may be configured to redirect the image light by 90° toward the polarization selective out-coupling elements. In some embodiments, the redirecting element may include one or more polarization selective elements, and may be referred to as a polarization selective redirecting element. In some embodiments, multiple functions, e.g., redirecting, folding, and/or expanding the image light generated by the light source assembly may be combined into a single element, e.g. an out-coupling element. In such embodiments, the redirecting element may be omitted. For example, the out-coupling element may be configured to expand the pupil in two or more different pupil replication/expansion directions.
In some embodiments, a multi-color (e.g., full-color) 2D pupil expansion (or replication) may be achieved by stacking three light guides configured to deliver component color images (e.g., primary color images) by in-coupling and subsequently out-coupling, e.g., red, green, and blue lights, respectively, in any suitable order. In some embodiments, a multi-color (e.g., full-color) 2D pupil expansion (or replication) may be achieved by stacking two light guides configured to deliver component color images (e.g., primary color images) by in-coupling and subsequently out-coupling, e.g., a combination of red and green lights, and a combination of green and blue lights, respectively, in any suitable order.
As shown in
The light source assembly 305 may include a light source (e.g., an electronic display) 320, and a light conditioning system 325. The light source 320 may be any suitable light source configured to generate a light, such as an image light representing a virtual-environment image and having a predetermined FOV. In some embodiments, the light source 320 may be a light source configured to generate a coherent or partially coherent light. The light source 320 may include, e.g., a laser diode, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser, a light emitting diode, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the light source 320 may include a display panel, such as a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) panel, a liquid-crystal-on-silicon (“LCoS”) display panel, an organic light-emitting diode (“OLED”) display panel, a micro light-emitting diode (“micro-LED”) display panel, a digital light processing (“DLP”) display panel, a laser scanning display panel, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the light source 320 may include a self-emissive panel, such as an OLED display panel, a laser scanning display panel, or a micro-LED display panel. In some embodiments, the light source 320 may include a display panel that is illuminated by an external source, such as an LCD panel, an LCoS display panel, or a DLP display panel. Examples of an external source may include a laser, an LED, an OLED, or a combination thereof.
The light conditioning system 325 may include one or more optical components configured to condition the light emitted by the light source 320. In some embodiments, the light conditioning system 325 may be controlled by the controller 315 to perform various conditioning of the light emitted by the light source 320. Conditioning the light may include, e.g., transmitting, attenuating, expanding, collimating, and/or adjusting orientation of the light.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 322 in the light conditioning system 325 may be configured to convert the image light 350 into an image light with a predetermined polarization (e.g., a linear polarization), before the image light 350 is incident onto the collimator 321. In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 322 may be disposed between the light source 320 and the collimator 321. In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 322 may be disposed between the collimator 321 and the light guide 310. In some embodiments, the image light 350 may have a predetermined polarization (e.g., a linear polarization) or may be unpolarized, and the polarization conversion element 322 may be omitted.
In some embodiments, the collimator 321 (e.g., a collimating lens) may be configured to collimate the image light 350 generated by the light source 320. For example, in the embodiment shown in
The light guide display assembly 300 may include one or more in-coupling elements (e.g., 335-1 and 335-2) coupled to the light guide 310. In some embodiments, each of the in-coupling elements 335-1 and 335-2 may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each of the in-coupling elements 335-1 and 335-2 may include one or more gratings. For discussion purposes, each in-coupling element (335-1 or 335-2) may be referred to as an in-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the in-coupling element 335-1 or 335-2 may include a non-grating structure. Although two in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2 (which may be referred to as a first in-coupling grating 335-1 and a second in-coupling grating 335-2) are shown for illustrative purposes, the number of in-coupling element is not limited to one or two, and may be any other suitable number, such as three, four, etc. Each of the in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2 may be a transmissive type grating or a reflective type grating. In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 300 may include an in-coupling element that is polarization nonselective and configured to couple the image light 352 into the light guide 310.
A polarization selective element may include a polarization selective grating or holographic element fabricated based on isotropic or anisotropic materials. The polarization selective grating or holographic element may include suitable sub-wavelength structures, a birefringent material (e.g., a liquid crystal material), a photo-refractive holographic material, or any combination thereof. A period of the polarization selective grating included in the in-coupling element 335-1 or 335-2 may be configured to enable a light coupled by the in-coupling element into the light guide 310 to propagate within the light guide 310 through TIR.
In the embodiment shown in
The light guide display assembly 300 may also include one or more out-coupling elements 345-1 and 345-2 coupled to the light guide 310. The number of the out-coupling elements may not be limited to one or two, and may be any other suitable number, such as three, four, etc. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element 345-1 or 345-2 may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each of the out-coupling elements 345-1 and 345-2 may include one or more gratings. For discussion purposes, each out-coupling element 345-1 or 345-2 may be referred to as an out-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the out-coupling element 345-1 or 345-2 may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
The first output light 357-1 and the second output light 358-1 may be coupled out of the light guide 310 at a same output region 391 of the light guide 310. The region 391 may be defined by the first position P1, from which the first TIR propagating light 355 is coupled out of the light guide 310 by the first out-coupling grating 345-1, and the second position P2, from which the second TIR propagating light 356 is coupled out of the light guide 310 by the second out-coupling grating 345-2. The first output light 357-2 and the second output light 358-2 may be coupled out of the light guide 310 at a same output region 392 of the light guide 310. The output region 392 may be defined by the first position P1′, from which the first TIR propagating light 355 is coupled out of the light guide 310 by the out-coupling grating 345-1, and the second position P2′, from which the second TIR propagating light 356 is coupled out of the light guide 310 by the second out-coupling grating 345-2. In some embodiments, each of the output lights 357-1, 357-2, 358-1, and 358-2 may have a same FOV as the image light 350. In other words, each of the output lights 357-1, 357-2, 358-1, and 358-2 may represent the same image content as the image light 350.
In some embodiments, the polarizations of the TIR propagating light 355 and the TIR propagating light 356 may be maintained when propagating inside the light guide 310. In some embodiments, the polarizations of at least one of the TIR propagating light 355 or the TIR propagating light 356 may be changed when propagating inside the light guide 310, e.g., may change after being totally internally reflected at an inner surface of the light guide 310 and may become depolarized. In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 300 may include one or more polarization correction films 330 disposed adjacent or at one or more surfaces (e.g., one or two outer surfaces) of the light guide 310. In some embodiments, the polarization correction film 330 may be configured to preserve the polarization states of the TIR propagating light 355 and/or the TIR propagating light 356 while the TIR propagating light 355 and/or the TIR propagating light 356 propagate inside the light guide 310. For example, the polarization correction film 330 may be configured to compensate for the depolarization of at least one of the TIR propagating light 355 or 356 when the TIR propagating lights 355 and 356 propagate inside the light guide 310, thereby maintaining the polarization of the at least one of the TIR propagating light 355 or 356.
In some embodiments, each of the first in-coupling grating 335-1 and the second in-coupling grating 335-2 may be disposed at a first surface 310-1 or a second surface 310-2 of the light guide 310. For example, in some embodiments, the in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2 may be disposed at the first surface 310-1 or the second surface 310-2 of the light guide 310 side by side or in a stacked configuration. In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be disposed at the same surface (e.g., at the first surface 310-1 or the second surface 310-2) of the light guide 310, in a stack configuration. The first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be spaced apart from each other by a distance d, in the thickness direction of the stack of the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 (or in the thickness direction of the light guide 310). In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may substantially overlap in the thickness direction of the light guide 310. In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may have a substantially same light exiting area (e.g., a substantially same area from which the respective TIR propagating light is coupled out from the light guide 310 by the respective out-coupling grating).
In some embodiments, a space between the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be at least partially filled with an index-matching material 370 to suppress the light reflections within the space. The index-matching material 370 may have a refractive index profile with a first refractive index at a first interface with the first out-coupling grating 345-1 matches with a refractive index of the material of the first out-coupling grating 345-1, and a second refractive index at a second interface with the second out-coupling grating 345-2 matches with a refractive index of the material of the second out-coupling grating 345-2. The refractive index of the index-matching material 370 may gradually vary from the first refractive index at the first interface to the second refractive index at the second interface. In some embodiments, a space around the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may also be at least partially filled with the index-matching material 370, for suppressing the light reflections within the space. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may equal to the thickness of the index-matching material 370 filling the space between the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be fixed. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be adjustable by a suitable mechanism disclosed herein.
For illustrative purposes,
At least one (e.g., each) of the grating 335-1, 335-2, 345-1, or 345-2 may be a polarization selective grating configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) diffract a polarized light having a predetermined polarization and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, a polarized light having a polarization different from the predetermined polarization (e.g., an orthogonal polarization). The predetermined polarizations associated with the gratings 335-1, 335-2, 345-1, and 345-2 may or may not be the same. In some embodiments, the in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2 may be configured to diffract polarized lights having orthogonal polarizations. For example, the first in-coupling grating 335-1 may be configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) diffract a polarized light having a first polarization and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, a polarized light having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. The second in-coupling grating 335-2 may be configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) diffract a polarized light having the second polarization, and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, a polarized light having the first polarization orthogonal to the second polarization.
In some embodiments, the out-coupling gratings 345-1 and 345-2 may be configured to diffract polarized lights with orthogonal polarizations, e.g., orthogonally polarized lights. Each of the out-coupling gratings 345-1 and 345-2 may have the same polarization selectivity as a corresponding one of the in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2. For example, the first out-coupling grating 345-1 may have the same polarization selectivity as the first in-coupling grating 335-1, and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may have the same polarization selectivity as the second in-coupling grating 335-2. The first out-coupling grating 345-1 may be configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) diffract a polarized light having the first polarization, and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, a polarized light having the second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. The second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) diffract a polarized light having the second polarization, and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, a polarized light having the first polarization orthogonal to the second polarization. In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 345-1 may have the same polarization selectivity as the second in-coupling grating 335-2, and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may have the same polarization selectivity as the first in-coupling grating 335-1.
In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., each) of the grating 335-1, 335-2, 345-1, or 345-2 may be a circular polarization selective grating, which may be configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) diffract a circularly polarized light having a predetermined handedness, and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, a circularly polarized light having a handedness opposite to the predetermined handedness. The in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2 may be configured to diffract circularly polarized lights with opposite handednesses. For example, the first in-coupling grating 335-1 may be configured to diffract a circularly polarized light having a first predetermined handedness (e.g., left handedness or right handedness), and the second in-coupling grating 335-2 may be configured to diffract a circularly polarized light having a second predetermined handedness (e.g., right handedness or left handedness) opposite to the first predetermined handedness. The out-coupling gratings 345-1 and 345-2 may be also configured to diffract circularly polarized lights with opposite handednesses. For example, the first out-coupling grating 345-1 may be configured to diffract a light having the first predetermined handedness, and the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be configured to diffract a light having the second predetermined handedness opposite to the first predetermined handedness. In some embodiments, each of the in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2 may include a transmissive PVH or a reflective PVH. In some embodiments, each of the out-coupling gratings 345-1 and 345-2 may include a transmissive PVH or a reflective PVH. Various combinations of transmissive PVHs and/or reflective PVHs may be included in or implemented as the in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2, and the out-coupling gratings 345-1 and 345-2.
In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The first in-coupling grating 335-1 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the first input light 353 (e.g., an RHCP light) into the light guide 310 as a first TIR propagating light 355 (e.g., an RHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
The first out-coupling grating 345-1 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the first TIR propagating light 355 (e.g., an RHCP light) out of the light guide 310 at different first positions (e.g., P1 and P1′) of the first out-coupling grating 345-1 as a plurality of first output lights 357-1 and 357-2 (e.g., RHCP lights), when the first TIR propagating light 355 (e.g., an RHCP light) is incident onto different portions of the first out-coupling grating 345-1. Thus, the first out-coupling grating 345-1 may replicate the image light 353 received from the light source assembly 305 to expand an effective pupil of the light guide display assembly 300. For illustrative purposes,
As the first out-coupling grating 345-1 is configured to substantially backwardly diffract an RHCP light and substantially transmit an LHCP light with negligible diffraction, the second TIR propagating light 356 (e.g., an LHCP light) may be transmitted, without diffraction, through the first out-coupling grating 345-1 toward the second out-coupling grating 345-2 without changing the polarization. The second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the second TIR propagating light 356 (e.g., an LHCP light) out of the light guide 310 at different second positions (e.g., P2 and P2′) of the second out-coupling grating 345-2 as a plurality of second output lights 358-1 and 358-2 (e.g., LHCP lights), when the second TIR propagating light 356 (e.g., an LHCP light) is incident onto different portions of the second out-coupling grating 345-2. As the first out-coupling grating 345-1 is configured to substantially backwardly diffract an RHCP light and transmit an LHCP light with negligible diffraction, the second output lights 358-1 and 358-2 (e.g., LHCP lights) may be transmitted, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, through the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the light guide 310 toward the eye 260. Thus, the second out-coupling grating 345-2 may replicate the image light 354 received from the light source assembly 305 to expand an effective pupil of the light guide display assembly 300. For illustrative purposes,
Referring to
In the disclosed embodiments, a first gap or distance g1 may exist between two neighboring pupils corresponding to two neighboring output lights 357-1 and 358-1 out-coupled, respectively, by the two out-coupling gratings 345-1 and 345-2 within the same output region 391 of the light guide 310. Similarly, the first gap g1 may exist between the two neighboring output lights 357-2 and 358-2 out-coupled, respectively, by the two out-coupling gratings 345-1 and 345-2 within the same output region 392 of the light guide 310. In other words, within the same output region 391, the gap g1 may exist between two neighboring pupils within a pair of a first pupil and a second pupil (e.g., 358-1). A second gap g2 may exist between the output light 358-1 out-coupled by the out-coupling grating 345-1 in the output region 391 of the light guide 310, and the output light 357-2 out-coupled by the out-coupling grating 345-2 within the output region 392 of the light guide 310. In other words, the second gap g2 may exist between two neighboring pupils (a first pupil and a second pupil) from two neighboring output regions 391 and 392 along the light guide 310.
In a conventional light guide display assembly (e.g., 200 shown in
In the light guide display assembly 300, the gaps g1 and g2 may be adjusted by adjusting the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the second out-coupling grating 345-2. For example, the first gap g1 may increase as the distance d increases (correspondingly the second gap g2 may decrease as the distance d increases). The first gap g1 may decrease as the distance d decreases (correspondingly the second gap g2 may increase as the distance d decreases). The first gap g1 may be adjusted to be sufficiently large to separate the neighboring pupils out-coupled at the same output region (e.g., 391 or 392) of the light guide 310. In addition, when the first gap g1 is adjusted, the second gap g2 may be adjusted accordingly. By adjusting the gaps g1 and g2, the distance between any two neighboring pupils may be adjusted to increase the uniformity of pupil distribution (e.g., g1 may be adjusted to be substantially equal to g2).
As shown in
The first out-coupling grating 345-1 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the first circularly polarized component 359-1 (e.g., an RHCP component) out of the light guide 310 at different first positions (e.g., P1 and P1′) of the first out-coupling grating 345-1 as a plurality of first output lights 361-1 and 361-2 (e.g., RHCP lights), when the TIR propagating light 359 is incident onto different portions of the first out-coupling grating 345-1. For illustrative purposes,
As the first out-coupling grating 345-1 is configured to substantially backwardly diffract an RHCP light and substantially transmit an LHCP light with negligible diffraction, the second circularly polarized component 359-2 (e.g., an LHCP light) may be transmitted, with negligible diffraction, through the first out-coupling grating 345-1 toward the second out-coupling grating 345-2 without changing the polarization. The second out-coupling grating 345-2 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the second circularly polarized component 359-2 (e.g., an LHCP light) out of the light guide 310 at different second positions (e.g., P2 and P2′) of the second out-coupling grating 345-2 as a plurality of second output lights 362-1 and 362-2 (e.g., LHCP lights), when the second circularly polarized component 359-2 (e.g., an LHCP light) is incident onto different portions of the second out-coupling grating 345-2. As the first out-coupling grating 345-1 is configured to substantially backwardly diffract an RHCP light and transmit an LHCP light with negligible diffraction, the second output lights 362-1 and 362-2 (e.g., LHCP lights) may be transmitted, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, through the first out-coupling grating 345-1 and the light guide 310 toward the eye 260. For illustrative purposes,
In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 300 may include one or more polarization correction films 330 disposed adjacent or at one or more surfaces (e.g., one or two outer surfaces) of the light guide 310. In some embodiments, the polarization correction film 330 may be configured to preserve the polarization states of the TIR propagating light 359 while the TIR propagating light 359 propagates inside the light guide 310. For example, the polarization correction film 330 may be configured to compensate for the depolarization of the TIR propagating light 359 while the TIR propagating light 359 propagates inside the light guide 310, thereby maintaining the polarization of the TIR propagating light 359.
As shown in
The light source assembly 405 may include a light source 420, which may be similar to the light source 320 shown in
The light source 420 may be configured to emit an image light 450 representing a virtual-environment image during a display frame. The image light 450 may be configured with a predetermined FOV. The light conditioning system 425 may be configured to process the image light 450 emitted during the display frame, such that the light source assembly 405 may be configured to output a first image light 453 and a second image light 454 with orthogonal polarizations in a time-sequential manner. The light source assembly 405 may be configured to output the first image light 453 and the second image light 454 alternately in the time-sequential manner by controlling, e.g., by the controller 415, the first polarization switch 423 coupled to the light source 420. By switching the first polarization switch 423 on and off, the polarization of the image light incident onto the collimator 421 may be switched between a first polarization (e.g., the first image light 453) and a second polarization (e.g., the second image light 454). In some embodiments, the light source assembly 405 may be configured to output the first image light 453 and the second image light 454 with orthogonal polarizations during two consecutive sub-frames of the display frame, respectively. In some embodiments, the display frame may not be divided into sub-frames, and the light source assembly 405 may be configured to alternately output the first image light 453 and the second image light 454 with orthogonal polarizations during the display frame. During the display frame, the first polarization switch 423 may be consecutively switched between a switching state and a non-switching state, such that the light source assembly 405 may be configured to alternately output the first image light 453 and the second image light 454 with orthogonal polarizations during the display frame. In some embodiments, each of the first image light 453 and the second image light 454 may be associated with the full predetermined FOV of the image light 450. The light guide 410 may be configured to receive the first image light 453 as a first input light and the second image light 454 as a second input light during the two consecutive time periods (e.g., sub-frames of the display frame), respectively.
In some embodiments, the light source 420 may be configured to emit the image light 450 that is unpolarized or polarized. In some embodiments, the image light 450 may be a diverging light. The light conditioning system 425 may be configured to receive the image light 450 from the light source 420, and process the image light 450 to output the first image light 453 and the second image light 454 configured with predetermined properties. The light conditioning system 425 may include suitable optical elements configured to process the image light 450. The optical paths of the image light 450 propagating in the light conditioning system 425 are not shown in
In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 422 in the light conditioning system 425 may be configured to convert the image light 450 into an image light with a predetermined polarization (e.g., a circular polarization) during the display frame, before the image light 450 is incident onto the first polarization switch 423. In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 422 may be disposed between the light source 420 and the first polarization switch 423. For example, in some embodiments, the light source 420 may be configured to emit the image light 450 that is a linearly polarized light, and the polarization conversion element 422 may include a quarter-wave plate (“QWP”) configured to convert the linearly polarized image light to a circularly polarized image light with the first handedness. The QWP may output the circularly polarized image light with the first handedness to the first polarization switch 423. In some embodiments, the light source 420 may be configured to emit the image light 450 that is an unpolarized image light, and the polarization conversion element 422 may include a linear polarizer and the QWP. The linear polarizer may be configured to convert the unpolarized image light to a linearly polarized image light. The QWP may be configured to convert the linearly polarized image light to a circularly polarized image light with the first handedness. The QWP may output the circularly polarized image light with the first handedness to the first polarization switch 423. In some embodiments, when the light source 420 emits the image light 450 that is an unpolarized image light, the combination of the linear polarizer and the QWP may be replaced by a circular polarizer. In some embodiments, the light source 420 may be configured to emit the image light 450 with a predetermined polarization, and the polarization conversion element 422 may be omitted.
In some embodiments, the collimator 421 (e.g., a collimating lens) may be configured to collimate the image light 450 generated by the light source 420. For example, in the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the first polarization switch 423 may be an active element configured to maintain a polarization of an incident light or switch a polarization of an incident light to an orthogonal polarization, depending on an operation state (e.g., switching or non-switching state) of the first polarization switch 423. In some embodiment, the controller 415 may be configured to control the operation state of the first polarization switch 423. In some embodiment, the first polarization switch 423 may be configured to maintain a handedness of a circularly polarized incident light or switch a handedness of a circularly polarized incident light to an opposite handedness, depending on the operation state (e.g., switching or non-switching state) of the first polarization switch 423. In the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the first polarization switch 423 may include an SHWP. For example, in some embodiments, the light source 420 may be configured to emit the image light 450 that is a circularly polarized image light with a first handedness toward the first polarization switch 423 (e.g., SHWP). In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 422 may be omitted. The first polarization switch 423 (e.g., SHWP) may be controlled by the controller 415 to operate in the non-switching state to maintain the handedness of the circularly polarized image light. The first polarization switch 423 (e.g., SHWP) may be controlled by the controller 415 to operate in the switching state to switch the handedness of the circularly polarized image light from the first handedness to a second handedness opposite to the first handedness.
The light guide 410 may be coupled with one or more in-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may include one or more gratings. For discussion purposes, the in-coupling element may be referred to as an in-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the in-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
The light guide 410 may also be coupled with one or more out-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may include one or more polarization selective gratings. For discussion purposes, each out-coupling element may be referred to as an out-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the out-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
The first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may be spaced apart from each other by a distance d, in the stacking direction of the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 (or in the thickness direction of the light guide 410). In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may substantially overlap or be aligned in the thickness direction of the light guide 410. In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may have a substantially same light exiting area (e.g., a substantially same area from which the respective TIR propagating light is coupled out from the light guide 410 by the respective out-coupling grating).
In some embodiments, a space between the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may be at least partially filled with an index-matching material 470, which may be configured to suppress the light reflections within the space. The index-matching material 470 may have a refractive index matching with the refractive indices of the materials of the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2. In some embodiments, a space around the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may also be at least partially filled with the index-matching material 470 for suppressing the light reflections within the space. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may be defined by the thickness of the index-matching material 470 that fills the space between the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may be fixed. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may be adjustable by a suitable mechanism.
For illustrative purposes,
The in-coupling gratings 435-1 and 435-2 may be embodiments of (or may be similar to) the in-coupling gratings 335-1 and 335-2 shown in
As shown in
The first in-coupling grating 435-1 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the first input light 453 (e.g., an RHCP light) into the light guide 410 as a first TIR propagating light 455 (e.g., an RHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
Referring to
As the first in-coupling grating 435-1 is configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) backwardly diffract an RHCP light and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit an LHCP light with negligible diffraction, the second input light 454 (e.g., an LHCP light) may be transmitted, without diffraction, through the light guide 410 and the first in-coupling grating 435-1 toward the second in-coupling grating 435-2 without changing the polarization. The second in-coupling grating 435-2 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the second input light 454 (e.g., an LHCP light) into the light guide 410 as a second TIR propagating light 456 (e.g., an LHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
The second out-coupling grating 445-2 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the second TIR propagating light 456 (e.g., an LHCP light) out of the light guide 410 at different positions of the second out-coupling grating 445-2 as a plurality of second output lights 458-1 and 458-2 (e.g., LHCP lights), when the second TIR propagating light 456 (e.g., an LHCP light) is incident onto the different positions of the second out-coupling grating 445-2. As the first out-coupling grating 445-1 is configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) backwardly diffract an RHCP light and transmit an LHCP light with negligible diffraction, the second output lights 458-1 and 458-2 (e.g., LHCP lights) may be transmitted, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, through the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the light guide 410 toward the eye 260. Thus, the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may replicate the image light 454 received from the light source assembly 405 to expand an effective pupil of the light guide display assembly 400. For illustrative purposes,
Referring to
For discussion purposes, in the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The light source assembly 505 may include a light source 520 and a light conditioning system 525 including a polarization conversion element 522 and a collimator 521, which may be similar to the light source 320 and the light conditioning system 325 including the polarization conversion element 322 and the collimator 321 shown in
The light source 520 may be configured to emit an image light 550 representing a virtual-environment image during a display frame. The image light 550 may be configured with a predetermined FOV. The light conditioning system 525 may be configured to process the image light 550 emitted during the display frame, such that the light source assembly 505 may be configured to output an image light 552 with predetermined properties. For example, the image light 552 may be an unpolarized light or a polarized light with a predetermined polarization. The image light 552 may be decomposed into two orthogonally polarized components: a first polarized component 553 having a first polarization and a second polarized component 554 having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. The light guide 510 may be configured to receive the first polarized component 553 as a first input light 553 and the second polarized component 554 as a second input light 554. The optical paths of the image light 550 propagating in the light conditioning system 525 are not shown in
The light guide 510 may be coupled with one or more in-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may include one or more polarization selective gratings. For discussion purposes, each in-coupling element may be referred to as an in-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the in-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
The light guide 510 may be coupled with one or more out-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may include one or more gratings. For discussion purposes, each out-coupling element may be referred to as an out-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the out-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
Each of the in-coupling gratings 535-1 and 535-2 and out-coupling gratings 545-1 and 545-2 may be a transmissive or reflective grating. In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The first in-coupling grating 535-1 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the first input light 553 (e.g., an RHCP light) into the light guide 510 as a first TIR propagating light 555 (e.g., an RHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
The first out-coupling grating 545-1 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the first TIR propagating light 555 (e.g., an RHCP light) out of the light guide 510 at different positions of the first out-coupling grating 545-1 as a plurality of first output lights e.g., 557-1, 557-2, and 557-3 (e.g., RHCP lights), when the first TIR propagating light 555 (e.g., an RHCP light) is incident onto the different positions of the first out-coupling grating 545-1. Thus, the first out-coupling grating 545-1 may replicate the image light 553 received from the light source assembly 505 to expand an effective pupil of the light guide display assembly 500. For illustrative purposes,
The second out-coupling grating 545-2 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the second TIR propagating light 556 (e.g., an LHCP light) out of the light guide 510 at different positions of the second out-coupling grating 545-2 as a plurality of second output lights, e.g., 558-1, 558-2, and 558-3 (e.g., RHCP lights), when the second TIR propagating light 556 (e.g., an LHCP light) is incident onto the different positions of the second out-coupling grating 545-2. Thus, the second out-coupling grating 545-2 may replicate the image light 554 received from the light source assembly 505 to expand an effective pupil of the light guide display assembly 500.
Referring to
As shown in
The light source assembly 605 may include a light source 620, which may be similar to the light source 520 shown in
The light source 620 may be configured to emit an image light 650 representing a virtual-environment image during a display frame or sub-frame. The image light 650 may be configured with a predetermined FOV. The light conditioning system 625 may be configured to process the image light 650 emitted during the display frame, such that the light source assembly 605 may be configured to output a first image light 653 and a second image light 654 with orthogonal polarizations in a time-sequential manner. The output of the first image light 653 and the second image light 654 with orthogonal polarization in a time-sequential manner may be realized by the first polarization switch 623 coupled to the light source 620. For example, in some embodiments, the light source assembly 605 may be configured to output the first image light 653 and the second image light 654 with orthogonal polarizations during two consecutive sub-frames of the display frame, respectively. In some embodiments, the display frame may not be divided into sub-frames, and the light source assembly 605 may be configured to alternately output the first image light 653 and the second image light 654 with orthogonal polarizations during a same display frame. During the display frame, the first polarization switch 623 may be alternately switched between a switching state and a non-switching state, such that the light source assembly 605 may be configured to alternately output the first image light 653 and the second image light 654 with orthogonal polarizations during the display frame. In some embodiments, each of the first image light 653 and the second image light 654 may be associated with the full predetermined FOV of the image light 650. The light guide 610 may be configured to receive the first image light 653 as a first input light and the second image light 654 as a second input light during the two consecutive time periods (e.g., two consecutive sub-frames of the display frame), respectively.
In some embodiments, the light source 620 may be configured to emit the image light 650 that is unpolarized or polarized. In some embodiments, the image light 650 may be a diverging light. The light conditioning system 625 may be configured to receive the image light 650 from the light source 620, and process the image light 650 to output the first image light 653 and the second image light 654 configured with predetermined properties. The light conditioning system 625 may include suitable optical elements configured to process the image light 650. The optical paths of the image light 650 propagating in the light conditioning system 625 are not shown in
In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 622 in the light conditioning system 625 may be configured to convert the image light 650 into an image light with a predetermined polarization (e.g., a circular polarization) during the display frame, before the image light 650 is incident onto the first polarization switch 623. In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 622 may be disposed between the light source 620 and the first polarization switch 623. In some embodiments, the light source 620 may be configured to emit the image light 650 with a predetermined polarization, and the polarization conversion element 622 may be omitted.
In some embodiments, the collimator 621 (e.g., a collimating lens) may be configured to collimate the image light 650 generated by the light source 620. For example, in the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the first polarization switch 623 may be similar to the first polarization switch 423 shown in
The light guide 610 may be coupled with one or more in-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may include one or more polarization selective gratings. For discussion purposes, each in-coupling element may be referred to as an in-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the in-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
The light guide 610 may be coupled with one or more out-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may include one or more gratings. For discussion purposes, each out-coupling element may be referred to as an out-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the out-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
Each of the in-coupling gratings 635-1 and 635-2 and out-coupling gratings 645-1 and 645-2 may be a transmissive or reflective grating. In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The first in-coupling grating 635-1 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the first input light 653 (e.g., an RHCP light) into the light guide 610 as a first TIR propagating light 655 (e.g., an RHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
Referring to
As the first in-coupling grating 635-1 is configured to substantially (e.g., primarily) backwardly diffract an RHCP light and substantially (e.g., primarily) transmit an LHCP light with negligible diffraction, the second input light 654 (e.g., an LHCP light) may be transmitted, without diffraction, through the light guide 610 and the first in-coupling grating 635-1 toward the second in-coupling grating 635-2 without changing the polarization. The second in-coupling grating 635-2 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the second input light 654 (e.g., an LHCP light) into the light guide 610 as a second TIR propagating light 656 (e.g., an LHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
The second out-coupling grating 645-2 may be configured to consecutively couple, via diffraction, the second TIR propagating light 656 (e.g., an LHCP light) out of the light guide 610 at different second positions (e.g., P2, P2′, and P2″) of the second out-coupling grating 645-2 as a plurality of second output lights (e.g., RHCP lights), e.g., 658-1, 658-2, and 658-3, when the second TIR propagating light 656 (e.g., an LHCP light) is incident onto the different positions of the second out-coupling grating 645-2. Thus, the second out-coupling grating 645-2 may replicate the image light 654 received from the light source assembly 605 to expand an effective pupil of the light guide display assembly 600. For illustrative purposes,
As shown in
The light source assembly 705 may include a light source 720, which is similar to the light source 620 shown in
The light source 720 may be configured to emit an image light 750 representing a virtual-environment image during a display frame. The image light 750 may be configured with a predetermined FOV. The light conditioning system 725 may be configured to process the image light 750 emitted during the display frame, such that the light source assembly 705 may be configured to output a first image light 753 and a second image light 754 with orthogonal polarizations in a time-sequential manner. Outputting the first image light 753 and the second image light 754 with orthogonal polarizations in a time-sequential manner may be realized by the first polarization switch 723 coupled to the light source 720. For example, in some embodiments, the light source assembly 705 may be configured to output the first image light 753 and the second image light 754 with orthogonal polarizations during two consecutive sub-frames of the display frame, respectively. In some embodiments, the display frame may not be divided into sub-frames, and the light source assembly 705 may be configured to alternately output the first image light 753 and the second image light 754 with orthogonal polarizations during the display frame. During the display frame, the first polarization switch 723 may be consecutively switched between a switching state and a non-switching state, such that the light source assembly 705 may be configured to alternately output the first image light 753 and the second image light 754 with orthogonal polarizations during the display frame. In some embodiments, each of the first image light 753 and the second image light 754 may be associated with the full predetermined FOV of the image light 750. The light guide 710 may be configured to receive the first image light 753 as a first input light and the second image light 754 as a second input light during the two consecutive time periods (e.g., two consecutive sub-frames of the display frame), respectively.
In some embodiments, the light source 720 may be configured to emit the image light 750 that is unpolarized or polarized. In some embodiments, the image light 750 may be a diverging light. The light conditioning system 725 may be configured to receive the image light 750 from the light source 720, and process the image light 750 to output the first image light 753 and the second image light 754 configured with predetermined properties. The light conditioning system 725 may include suitable optical elements configured to process the image light 750. The optical paths of the image light 750 propagating in the light conditioning system 725 are not shown in
In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 722 in the light conditioning system 725 may be configured to convert the image light 750 into an image light with a predetermined polarization (e.g., a circular polarization) during the display frame, before the image light 750 is incident onto the first polarization switch 723. In some embodiments, the polarization conversion element 722 may be disposed between the light source 720 and the first polarization switch 723. In some embodiments, the light source 720 may be configured to emit the image light 750 with a predetermined polarization, and the polarization conversion element 722 may be omitted.
In some embodiments, the collimator 721 (e.g., a collimating lens) may be configured to collimate the image light 750 generated by the light source 720. For example, in the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the first polarization switch 723 may be similar to the first polarization switch 423 shown in
The light guide 710 may be coupled with one or more in-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each in-coupling element may include one or more polarization selective gratings. For discussion purposes, each in-coupling element may be referred to as an in-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the in-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
The light guide 710 may be coupled with one or more out-coupling elements. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may be polarization selective. In some embodiments, each out-coupling element may include one or more gratings. For discussion purposes, each out-coupling element may be referred to as an out-coupling grating. It is understood that in other embodiments, the out-coupling element may include a non-grating structure. In the embodiment shown in
The first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may be spaced apart from each other by a distance d, in the thickness direction of the stack of the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 (or in the thickness direction of the light guide 710). In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may substantially overlap and may align with each other in the thickness direction of the light guide 710. In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may have a substantially same light exiting area (e.g., a substantially same area from which the respective TIR propagating light is coupled out from the light guide 710 by the respective out-coupling grating).
In some embodiments, a space between the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may be at least partially filled with an index-matching material 770 configured to suppress the light reflections within the space. The index-matching material 770 may have a refractive index matching with the refractive indices of the materials of the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2. In some embodiments, a space around the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may also be at least partially filled with the index-matching material 770 for suppressing the light reflections within the space. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may be defined by the thickness of the index-matching material 770 filling the space between the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may be fixed. In some embodiments, the distance d between the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the second out-coupling grating 745-2 may be adjustable by a suitable mechanism.
For illustrative purposes,
In some embodiments, each of the in-coupling gratings 735-1, 735-2 and each of the out-coupling gratings 745-1 and 745-2 may be a transmissive type grating (e.g., a transmissive PVH grating) or a reflective type grating (e.g., a reflective PVH grating). In the embodiment shown in
The first input light 753 having the first polarization and the second input light 754 having the second polarization may propagate inside the light guide 710 from the in-coupling gratings 735-1 and 735-2 toward the out-coupling gratings 745-1 and 745-2 as a first TIR propagating light and a second TIR propagating light during the two consecutive sub-frames, respectively. In some embodiments, the first TIR propagating light may have the first polarization as an initial polarization, and the second TIR propagating light may have the second polarization as an initial polarization. In some embodiments, the polarizations of the first and second TIR propagating lights may not be maintained (i.e., may change from the respective initial polarizations) when propagating inside the light guide 710 through TIR. When the first TIR propagating light arrives at the stack of the first out-coupling element 745-1 and the second out-coupling element 745-2, the first TIR propagating light may include a first polarized component and a second polarized component. The first polarized component may have the first polarization and the second polarized component may have the second polarization. Hence, the first polarized component and the second polarized component may be referred to as orthogonally polarized components. When the second TIR propagating light arrives at the stack of the first out-coupling element 745-1 and the second out-coupling element 745-2, the second TIR propagating light may include a first polarized component and a second polarized component, similar to the first TIR propagating light. Thus, during each of the two consecutive sub-frames, the two out-coupling gratings 745-1 and 745-2 may couple, via diffraction, two orthogonally polarized components of a corresponding TIR propagating light out of the light guide 710 as a plurality of primary output lights and a plurality of secondary output lights. The primary output lights and the secondary output lights may be orthogonally polarized output lights. In each sub-frame, the primary output light and the secondary output light may form two images, one of which may be a primary image and the other may be a ghost image. The ghost image may be suppressed or eliminated via the second polarization switch 740 and an absorptive polarizer 742 disposed between the out-coupling gratings 745-1 and 745-2 (or light guide 710) and the eye 260.
The second polarization switch 740 may be disposed between the absorptive polarizer 742 and the light guide 710, and the absorptive polarizer 742 may be disposed between the second polarization switch 740 and the eye 260. The second polarization switch 740 may be similar to the first polarization switch 723, and may be synchronized with the first polarization switch 723. For example, both of the second polarization switch 740 and the first polarization switch 723 may be controlled by the controller 715 to operate in the switching state during one of the first and second sub-frames, and to operate in the non-switching state during the other of the first and second sub-frames. In some embodiments, the second polarization switch 740 may not be synchronized with the first polarization switch 723. For example, the second polarization switch 740 and the first polarization switch 723 may be configured to operate in the switching state during different sub-frames, and to operate in the non-switching state during different sub-frames. In other words, in a sub-frame, one of the first polarization switch 723 and the second polarization switch 740 may operate in the switching state, and the other one of the first polarization switch 723 and the second polarization switch 740 may operate in the non-switching state. The absorptive polarizer 742 may be configured to block a light forming the ghost image via absorption, and transmit a light forming the primary image. In some embodiments, the absorptive polarizer 742 may be a circular polarizer. In some embodiments, the absorptive polarizer 742 may be a linear polarizer, and a QWP may be disposed between the absorptive polarizer 742 and the second polarization switch 740. The QWP may be configured to convert a circularly polarized light into a linearly polarized light or vice versa.
As shown in
The first in-coupling grating 735-1 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the first input light 753 (e.g., an RHCP light) into the light guide 710 as a first TIR propagating light 755 (e.g., an RHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
The first out-coupling grating 745-1 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the first polarized component (e.g., the RHCP component) of the first TIR propagating light 755 out of the light guide 710 at different positions of the first out-coupling grating 745-1 as a plurality of primary output lights (e.g., RHCP lights), e.g., 761-1 and 761-2, when the first TIR propagating light 755 is incident onto the different first positions (e.g., P1 and P1′) of the first out-coupling grating 745-1. The first out-coupling grating 745-1 may be configured to transmit, without diffraction, the second polarized component (e.g., the LHCP component) of the first TIR propagating light 755 toward the second out-coupling grating 745-2. For illustrative purposes,
The second out-coupling grating 745-2 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the second polarized component (e.g., the LHCP component) of the first TIR propagating light 755 out of the light guide 710 at different second positions (e.g., P2 and P2′) of the second out-coupling grating 745-2 as a plurality of secondary output lights (e.g., LHCP lights), e.g., 762-1 and 762-2, when the second polarized component (e.g., the LHCP component) of the first TIR propagating light 755 is incident onto the different second positions of the second out-coupling grating 745-2. For illustrative purposes,
A pair of the primary output light 761-1 (or 761-2) and the secondary output light 762-1 (or 762-2) with orthogonal polarizations may form two images, one being a primary image formed by the primary output light 761-1 (or 761-2) diffracted by the first out-coupling grating 745-1 and the other being a ghost image that is a mirror image formed by the secondary output light 762-1 (or 762-2) diffracted by the second out-coupling grating 745-2. In some embodiments, the controller 715 may control the second polarization switch 740 and the first polarization switch 723 to synchronize the operation states. For example, the second polarization switch 740 (e.g., SHWP) may be synchronized with the first polarization switch 723 (e.g., SHWP) to operate in the non-switching state, thereby transmitting the primary output lights 761-1 and 761-2 (e.g., RHCP lights) and the secondary output lights 762-1 and 762-2 (e.g., LHCP lights) without affecting the respective polarizations. In some embodiments, the second polarization switch 740 (e.g., SHWP) may be configured to transmit the primary output lights 761-1 and 761-2 (e.g., RHCP lights) as lights 763-1 and 763-2 (e.g., RHCP lights), respectively, and transmit the secondary output lights 762-1 and 762-2 (e.g., LHCP lights) as lights 764-1 and 764-2 (e.g., LHCP lights). For illustrative purposes,
The polarizer 742 may be configured to transmit a light forming the primary image, and block a light forming the ghost image via absorption. In some embodiments, as shown in
Referring to
As the first in-coupling grating 735-1 is configured to backwardly diffract an RHCP light and transmit an LHCP light with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, the second input light 754 (e.g., an LHCP light) may be transmitted through the first in-coupling grating 735-1 toward the second in-coupling grating 735-2. The second in-coupling grating 735-2 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the second input light 754 (e.g., an LHCP light) into the light guide 710 as a second TIR propagating light 756 (e.g., an LHCP light). For illustrative purposes,
The first out-coupling grating 745-1 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the first polarized component (e.g., the RHCP component) of the second TIR propagating light 756 out of the light guide 710 at different positions of the first out-coupling grating 745-1 as a plurality of secondary output lights (e.g., RHCP lights), e.g., 765-1 and 765-2, when the first TIR propagating light 755 is incident onto the different positions of the first out-coupling grating 745-1. The first out-coupling grating 745-1 may be configured to transmit, with substantially zero or negligible diffraction, the second polarized component (e.g., the LHCP component) of the second TIR propagating light 756 toward the second out-coupling grating 745-2. For illustrative purposes,
The second out-coupling grating 745-2 may be configured to couple, via diffraction, the second polarized component (e.g., the LHCP component) of the second TIR propagating light 756 out of the light guide 710 at different positions of the second out-coupling grating 745-2 as a plurality of primary output lights (e.g., LHCP lights), e.g., 766-1 and 766-2, when the second polarized component (e.g., the LHCP component) of the second TIR propagating light 756 is incident onto the different positions of the second out-coupling grating 745-2. For illustrative purposes,
A pair of the primary output light 766-1 (or 766-2) and the secondary output light 765-1 (or 765-2) with orthogonal polarizations may form two images, one being a primary image formed by the primary output light 766-1 (or 766-2) diffracted by the second out-coupling grating 745-2 and the other being a ghost image that is a mirror image formed by the secondary output light 765-1 (or 765-2) diffracted by the first out-coupling grating 745-1. In some embodiments, the controller 715 may control the second polarization switch 740 and the first polarization switch 723 to synchronize the operation states. For example, the second polarization switch 740 (e.g., SHWP) may be synchronized with the first polarization switch 723 (e.g., SHWP) to operate in the switching state. In the switching state, the second polarization switch 740 (e.g., SHWP) may be configured to switch or change a polarization of a light to an orthogonal polarization. For example, the second polarization switch 740 may switch the handedness of the secondary output lights 765-1 and 765-2 (e.g., RHCP lights) and output lights 767-1 and 767-2 with an orthogonal polarization (e.g., LHCP lights), respectively. In some embodiments, the second polarization switch 740 (e.g., SHWP) may be configured to switch the handedness of the primary output light 766-1 and 766-2 (e.g., LHCP lights) and output lights 768-1 and 768-2 with an orthogonal polarization (e.g., RHCP lights). For illustrative purposes,
As the polarizer 742 may be an absorptive type circular polarizer configured to transmit an RHCP light and block an LHCP light via absorption, the lights 768-1 and 768-2 (e.g., RHCP lights) may be transmitted through the polarizer 742 as second output lights 758-1 and 758-2 (e.g., RHCP lights) propagating toward the eye 260, and the lights 767-1 and 767-2 (e.g., LHCP lights) may be blocked by the polarizer 742 via absorption. For illustrative purposes,
All of the embodiments shown in the figures illustrate light guide display assemblies configured to provide 1D pupil replication, as examples for describing the principles of the pupil replication. To achieve 2D pupil replications, the light guide display assemblies may include additional gratings. The additional gratings may perform functions similar to the illustrated gratings, except that the pupil replication/expansion direction of the additional gratings may be in a direction different from the pupil replication/expansion direction of the shown out-coupling gratings, e.g., in the x-axis direction (perpendicular to the illustrated expansion direction, the y-axis direction).
For example, in the light guide display assembly shown in
In the disclosed light guide display assemblies shown in
In the disclosed light guide display assemblies shown in
In a conventional light guide display assembly having a single, polarization nonselective out-coupling element, the out-coupling element may couple a TIR propagating light out of a light guide as an unpolarized output light, and an absorptive polarizer may be disposed between the out-coupling element and the polarization selective lens to convert the unpolarized output light into a polarized output light with a predetermined polarization. Thus, at least half of the light intensity of the unpolarized output light may be lost after the unpolarized output light propagates through the absorptive polarizer due to the absorption by the absorptive polarizer, resulting in a loss of the power efficiency of the light guide display assembly. In addition, the polarization selective lens may be a refractive lens that is relatively thick and heavy.
In the disclosed light guide display assemblies of the present disclosure, through coupling the out-coupling element (e.g., PVH grating) with the polarization selective lens (e.g., PBP lens) having the same type of polarization selectivity, an absorptive polarizer (or additional polarization conversion elements) may be omitted. The polarized output lights output from the out-coupling element (e.g., PVH grating) may be fully utilized by the polarization selective lens with negligible efficiency loss. Thus, the power efficiency of the NED may be improved, while the weight and cost of the NED may be reduced. In addition, the PBP lens may be a diffractive lens having a substantially small thickness, e.g., within a range of 1-10 microns. Thus, the disclosed light guide display assemblies may have a compactness that significantly reduces the form factor of an optical system including the disclosed light guide display assemblies.
In some embodiments, the out-coupling element (e.g., PVH grating) and the polarization selective lenses may have different types of polarization selectivity, and one or more polarization conversion elements (e.g., a waveplate) may be disposed between the out-coupling element (e.g., PVH grating) and the polarization selective lens. For example, the out-coupling element (e.g., PVH grating) may have a circular polarization selectivity, and the polarization selective lens may have a linear polarization selectivity. In some embodiments, a quarter waveplate (“QWP”) may be disposed between the out-coupling element (e.g., PVH grating) and the polarization selective lens to convert a circularly polarized output light output from the light guide to a linearly polarized light. The QWP may have a negligible efficiency loss during the polarization conversion. Thus, the polarization selective lens may utilize the circularly polarized output light output from the light guide with negligible efficiency loss.
For discussion purposes,
The optical lens assembly 810 may be configured to receive image lights out-coupled from the light guide 410 by an out-coupling grating, and generate, based on the out-coupled lights, a virtual image having an image distance (e.g., a distance between the virtual image and the eye 260). The eyes 260 may focus on the virtual image. In some embodiments, the optical lens assembly 810 may be configured to provide an adjustable optical power to the out-coupled lights, thereby adjusting the image distance of the virtual image at which the eyes 260 are focused. Thus, a determined discrepancy between a vergence and an accommodation may be reduced. For example, the optical lens assembly 810 may be configured to receive the first output lights 457-1 and 457-2 out-coupled from the light guide 410 by the first out-coupling grating 445-1, and/or the second output lights 458-1 and 458-2 out-coupled from the light guide 410 by the second out-coupling grating 445-2, and generate a virtual image that is presented to the eye 260 at an image distance (e.g., a distance between the virtual image and the eye 260). In some embodiments, the optical lens assembly 810 may be configured to provide an adjustable optical power to the first output lights 457-1 and 457-2 and/or the second output lights 458-1 and 458-2, thereby adjusting the image distance of the virtual image presented to the eye 260.
The optical lens assembly 810 may include at least one polarization selective lens 802 configured to provide a plurality of optical powers (continuous and/or discrete optical powers), i.e., an optical power adjustable within a predetermined range. In some embodiments, the polarization selective lens 802 may be an active lens, which may be directly switchable by an external field (e.g., an electric field) or indirectly switchable by an external polarization switch coupled with the polarization selective lens 802. In some embodiments, the active lens may be switchable between a lens switched-on state with a non-zero optical power and a lens switched-off state with a substantially zero optical power. In some embodiments, the polarization selective lens 802 may be a passive lens that may be indirectly switchable by an external polarization switch coupled with the polarization selective lens 802. In some embodiments, the passive lens may be switchable between two different optical powers. In some embodiments, the polarization selective lens 802 may be a liquid crystal (“LC”) lens.
In some embodiments, the optical lens assembly 810 may also include a polarization independent (or non-selective) lens, such as a glass lens, a plastic lens, and/or an LC lens, etc. In some embodiments, the optical lens assembly 810 may include a plurality of polarization selective lenses (e.g., a lens stack), each of which may be an active lens or a passive lens. The plurality of polarization selective lenses may provide a plurality of combinations of optical powers, i.e., an optical power adjustable within a predetermined range, for the optical lens assembly 810. In some embodiments, the optical lens assembly 810 may also include other optical elements, such as one or more polarization switches. With the adjustable optical power provided by the optical lens assembly 810, different eyesight and/or accommodation corrections may be provided to different users operating the optical device that includes the optical lens assembly 810. In some embodiments, a suitable optical power adjustment mechanism, such as a software adjustment or a hardware adjustment, may be provided in the optical device for manually adjusting the optical power by different users. In some embodiments, the optical power may be automatically adjusted by the optical device (e.g., based on information obtained by an eye-tracking system) to provide a suitable optical power for the eyesight correction and/or accommodation correction for a specific user.
In some embodiments, the out-coupling gratings (e.g., the first out-coupling grating 445-1, the second out-coupling grating 445-2) and the polarization selective lens 802 may have the same type of polarization selectivity, e.g., a linear polarization selectivity, a circular polarization selectivity, or an elliptical polarization selectivity, etc. The out-coupling gratings (e.g., the first out-coupling grating 445-1, the second out-coupling grating 445-2) may provide output lights (e.g., the first output lights 457-1 and 457-2, the second output lights 458-1 and 458-2) with a predetermined polarization to the polarization selective lens 802. The polarization selective lens 802 may generate a virtual image based on the output lights (e.g., the first output lights 457-1 and 457-2, the second output lights 458-1 and 458-2) with negligible efficiency loss.
In some embodiments, the first out-coupling grating 445-1 and the second out-coupling grating 445-2 may be PVH gratings that are circular polarization selective, and the polarization selective lens 802 may be a PBP lens 802 that is circular polarization selective. For example, the PBP lens 802 may be configured to defocus (or diverge) a circularly polarized light having a first handedness and focus (or converge) a circularly polarized light having a second handedness that is opposite to the first handedness. For example, during the first sub-sub frame of the display frame, as shown in
During the second sub-sub frame of the display frame, as shown in
In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 800 may not include the second polarization switch 440 disposed between the light guide 410 and the optical lens assembly 810. Instead, the optical lens assembly 810 may include a polarization switch 804 disposed between the light guide 410 and the polarization selective lens 802. In some embodiments, the polarization switch 804 may be similar to the second polarization switch 440, for example, the polarization switch 804 may include an SHWP. The SHWP operating at the switching state may reverse the handedness of a circularly polarized light, and the SHWP operating at the non-switching state may transmit a circularly polarized output light without reversing the handedness. Thus, the polarization switch (e.g., the SHWP) 804 may be configured to control a handedness of a circularly polarized light (e.g., the first output lights 457-1 and 457-2, the second output lights 458-1 and 458-2) before the circularly polarized output light is incident onto the PBP 802, thereby controlling the optical state of the PBP lens 802. In some embodiments, the controller 415 may be communicatively coupled with the optical lens assembly 810, and may control the operations of the elements (e.g., the polarization switch 804 and/or the polarization selective lens 802) included in the optical lens assembly 810.
In some embodiments, the light guide display assembly 800 may also include an eye-tracking system 850 configured to determine eye-tracking information relating to the eye 260. In some embodiments, based on the eye-tracking information (e.g., vergence distance), the controller 415 may control the polarization selective lens (e.g., PBP lens) 802 to provide an optical power. Accordingly, the optical lens assembly 810 may provide the optical power to the first output lights 457-1 and 457-2 (or the second output lights 458-1 and 458-2) to generate a virtual image with a desirable image distance to reduce a discrepancy between the vergence and the accommodation. In some embodiments, the eye-tracking system 850 may include suitable elements to obtain eye-tracking information. For example, the eye-tracking system 850 may include one or more light sources configured to illuminate one or both eyes 260 of the user. In some embodiments, the eye-tracking system 850 may include one or more sensors (e.g., optical sensors such as cameras, or other sensors) configured to capture data (e.g., images, other sensor information) of one or both eyes of the user for determining the eye-tracking information. In some embodiments, the eye-tracking system 850 may include a processor configured to control the sensors (e.g., camera or other suitable sensors), the light sources, and/or to analyze the sensor data (e.g., captured images) to obtain the eye-tracking information. The eye-tracking information may include information of an orientation of the eye 260 in the eye-box, i.e., information about an angle of an eye gaze. In some embodiments, the eye 260 may be illuminated by a structured light, and the eye-tracking system 850 may determine the position and eye gaze of the eye 260 based on locations of the structured light reflected by the eye 260 in a captured image. In some embodiments, the eye-tracking system 850 may determine the position and eye gaze of the eye 260 based on numbers of the images captured over a plurality of time instants or time durations. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine a vergence distance of the gaze of the user based on the gaze point or an estimated intersection of the gaze lines. Vergence is the simultaneous movement or rotation of both eyes in opposite directions to maintain a single binocular vision, which is naturally and automatically performed by the human eyes. Thus, a location where the eyes 260 are verged is where the user is currently looking at and is also typically the location where the eyes are currently focused. For example, the processor may triangulate the gaze lines to estimate a distance or depth from the user associated with intersection of the gaze lines. Then the depth associated with intersection of the gaze lines may be used as an approximation for the accommodation distance, which identifies a distance from the user where the eyes 260 are looking at. Thus, the vergence distance may allow for the determination of a location where the eyes are to be focused. In some embodiments, the controller 415 and the eye-tracking system 850 may use the same processor, e.g., the processor included in the controller 415.
In some embodiments, the optical lens assembly 810 may be a first optical lens assembly 810, and the light guide display assembly 800 may also include a second optical lens assembly 830, as shown in
In some embodiments, the PBP lens 900 may be an active lens having three optical states. The PBP lens 900 may include electrodes electrically coupled with a power source. The power source may be controlled by a controller. The controller may control the power source to supply a predetermined voltage to the electrodes to control the state of the PBP lens 900. The three optical states are a focusing (or converging) state, a neutral state, and a defocusing (or diverging) state. The PBP lens 900 operating at the focusing state may have a positive focus off and the PBP lens 900 operating at the defocusing state may have a negative focus of −f. The PBP lens 900 operating at the focusing state or defocusing state may reverse the handedness of a circularly polarized incident light propagating through the PBP lens 900, in addition to being focused or defocused. The PBP lens 900 may operate at the neutral state when a voltage applied to the PBP lens 900 is sufficiently high to re-orientate the LC molecules along a direction of a generated electric field. The PBP lens 900 operating at the neutral state may have a substantially zero optical power, and may maintain or reverse the handedness of circularly polarized light propagating through the PBP lens 900.
In some embodiments, the PBP lens 900 may be a passive lens having two optical states (or operating state): a focusing state and a defocusing state. The optical state of the PBP lens 900 may be determined by the handedness of the circularly polarized light incident onto the PBP lens 900. The PBP lens 900 may operate in the focusing state for a circularly polarized light having a predetermined handedness (e.g., left handedness or right handedness), and operate in a defocusing state for a circularly polarized light having a handedness that is opposite to the predetermined handedness. For example, as shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the PBP lens stack 950 may include one or more active PBP lenses 955, which may provide an optical power (zero or non-zero optical power) depending on the handedness of a circularly polarized light incident on the PBP lens 955, the handedness of LC director rotation in the PBP lens 955, and an applied voltage. In some embodiments, each PBP lens 955 included in the PBP lens stack 950 may be an active PBP lens, and the PBP lens stack 950 may be switchable between a focusing state (or a defocusing state) and a neutral state by the applied voltage. In some embodiments, the PBP lens stack 950 may include one or more passive PBP lenses 955, which may provide an optical power (zero or non-zero optical power) depending on the handedness of a circularly polarized light incident on the PBP lens 955 and the handedness of LC director rotation in the PBP lens 955. Thus, through controlling the operating state (switching or non-switching state) of the at least one SHWP 960 coupled with a corresponding PBP lens 955, the PBP lens stack 950 may provide a plurality of optical states. In some embodiments, the PBP lens stack 950 may include at least one active PBP lens and at least one passive PBP lens. Through controlling the operating state (switching or non-switching state) of the at least one SHWP 960 coupled with a corresponding passive PBP lens, and controlling the operating state (switching or non-switching state) of the at least one SHWP 960 coupled with a corresponding active PBP lens and an applied voltage applied to the active PBP lens, the PBP lens stack 950 may provide a plurality of optical states. The plurality of optical states may correspond to a plurality of optical powers. That is, the PBP lens stack 950 may provide a variable optical power that may be adjusted within a range defined by a minimum optical power and a maximum optical power.
It is noted that the number of pupils shown in the figures is for illustrative purposes. The number of pupils provided in each assembly may be any suitable number. In the light guide display assemblies shown in the figures, the TIR propagating light may be an unpolarized light or a polarized light. As the TIR propagating light propagates inside the light guide, the polarization of the TIR propagating light may or may not be maintained. When the TIR propagating light arrives at the first and second out-coupling elements, the TIR propagating light may be polarized (e.g., circularly, linearly, or elliptically polarized) or unpolarized.
The method 1000 may include coupling, by a first out-coupling element, a first light included in the image light out of the light guide as a plurality of first output lights (step 1020). The method 1000 may also include coupling, by a second out-coupling element spaced apart from the first out-coupling element by a distance, a second light included in the image light out of the light guide as a plurality of second output lights, the second output lights being substantially non-overlapping with the first output lights (step 1030). In some embodiments, the first out-coupling element and second out-coupling element may be polarization selective with different polarization selectivities (e.g., gratings configured to diffract lights of orthogonal polarizations). In some embodiments, the first light and the second light may be two separate lights. The first light may be output from the light guide as the plurality of first output lights at a plurality of first positions along the light guide. Each of the first positions may be within a respective output region of the light guide. The first output lights may form a plurality of first pupils. The second light may be output from the light guide as the plurality of second output lights at a plurality of second positions along the light guide. Each of the second positions may be within a respective output region of the light guide. The second output lights may form a plurality of second pupils. A gap between a pair of neighboring first and second pupils within a same output region of the light guide may be configured such that the neighboring first and second pupils are separated from one another, i.e., substantially non-overlapping. In some embodiments, the method 1000 may also include adjusting the gap between the pair of neighboring first and second pupils through adjusting a distance between the first and second out-coupling elements. In some embodiments, the first light and the second light may be lights having different polarizations emitted by a light source assembly simultaneously (e.g., within a same time period), or sequentially (e.g., within two consecutive time periods). In some embodiments, the first light and the second light may be the first polarized component and the second polarized component of an unpolarized light or a linearly polarized light. The first polarized component may have a first polarization, and the second polarized component may have a second polarization that is orthogonal to the first polarization. In some embodiments, the first light and the second light may have the same TIR propagation angle. In some embodiments, each of the first output lights and the second output lights may have a same FOV as the image light emitted by the light source assembly and coupled into the light guide.
Some portions of this description may describe the embodiments of the present disclosure in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. These operations, while described functionally, computationally, or logically, may be implemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, without loss of generality. The described operations and their associated modules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.
Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may be performed or implemented with one or more hardware and/or software modules, alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product including a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps, operations, or processes described. In some embodiments, a hardware module may include hardware components such as a device, a system, an optical element, a controller, an electrical circuit, a logic gate, etc.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the specific purposes, and/or it may include a general-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be any medium that can store program codes, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (“ROM”), or a random access memory (“RAM”), an Electrically Programmable read only memory (“EPROM”), an Electrically Erasable Programmable read only memory (“EEPROM”), a register, a hard disk, a solid-state disk drive, a smart media card (“SMC”), a secure digital card (“SD”), a flash card, etc. Furthermore, any computing systems described in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processors for increased computing capability. The processor may be a central processing unit (“CPU”), a graphics processing unit (“GPU”), or any processing device configured to process data and/or performing computation based on data. The processor may include both software and hardware components. For example, the processor may include a hardware component, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a programmable logic device (“PLD”), or any combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (“CPLD”), a field-programmable gate array (“FPGA”), etc.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may also relate to a product that is produced by a computing process described herein. Such a product may include information resulting from a computing process, where the information is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer program product or other data combination described herein.
Further, when an embodiment illustrated in a drawing shows a single element, it is understood that the embodiment or another embodiment not shown in the figures but within the scope of the present disclosure may include a plurality of such elements. Likewise, when an embodiment illustrated in a drawing shows a plurality of such elements, it is understood that the embodiment or another embodiment not shown in the figures but within the scope of the present disclosure may include only one such element. The number of elements illustrated in the drawing is for illustration purposes only, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment. Moreover, unless otherwise noted, the embodiments shown in the drawings are not mutually exclusive, and they may be combined in any suitable manner. For example, elements shown in one figure/embodiment but not shown in another figure/embodiment may nevertheless be included in the other figure/embodiment. In any optical device disclosed herein including one or more optical layers, films, plates, or elements, the numbers of the layers, films, plates, or elements shown in the figures are for illustrative purposes only. In other embodiments not shown in the figures, which are still within the scope of the present disclosure, the same or different layers, films, plates, or elements shown in the same or different figures/embodiments may be combined or repeated in various manners to form a stack.
Various embodiments have been described to illustrate the exemplary implementations. Based on the disclosed embodiments, a person having ordinary skills in the art may make various other changes, modifications, rearrangements, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, while the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above described embodiments. The present disclosure may be embodied in other equivalent forms without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined in the appended claims.
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| 20170363871 | Vallius | Dec 2017 | A1 |
| 20190056593 | Bablumyan | Feb 2019 | A1 |
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| 20220299768 | Bodiya | Sep 2022 | A1 |
