Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC

Facebook Technologies, LLC

Chad Lichtenhan

Kurt Jenkins

Byron Taylor

Michael Patrick Schaub

Qi Zhang

Kuan Pei Yap

Mehmet Mutlu

Morteza Karami

An eye tracking system with in-optical-assembly plane illumination is described. Side-emitting light emitting diodes (LEDs) aligned with a plane of an optical assembly of a near-eye display device are used to illuminate the eye of a user and generate glints that can be detected by an eye tracking camera. A waveguide display of the near-eye display device projects computer-generated content to the eye. A mirror is positioned between the LEDs and the waveguide display to reflect light beams generated from the LEDs toward the waveguide display to mitigate any double glints that may cause ghost signals. A processor of the near-eye display device determines a position and gaze of the eye based on the captured image of the eye with the glints, and generates the computer-generated content for the waveguide display based on the position and gaze of the eye.

Eye tracking system with in-plane illumination

An eye tracking system with in-optical-assembly plane illumination is described. Side-emitting light emitting diodes (LEDs) aligned with a plane of an optical assembly of a near-eye display device are used to illuminate the eye of a user and generate glints that can be detected by an eye tracking camera. When a corrective optical lens or similar element is included in the optical assembly that may distort illumination beams from the light emitting diodes (LEDs), the distortion is mitigated by using in-package or externally modified LEDs that provide angled beams. In addition to in-package level mitigations such as reflectors or labels, edge portions of the distorting optical elements may be shaped or complemented with refractive elements to redirect the beams toward the eye.

A method of fabricating a lens includes dispensing a first liquid optically-transmissive material into a first mold cavity and then curing the first liquid optically-transmissive material to form a first region the lens having a first refractive index and an optical interface surface. A second liquid optically-transmissive material then dispensed into a second mold cavity over the optical interface surface while the first region of the lens is disposed within the second mold cavity. The second liquid optically-transmissive material in the second mold cavity is cured to form a second region of the lens having a second refractive index. An optical interface between the first region and the second region conforms to the optical interface surface.

Monolithic compound lens

A lens assembly includes a tube in which optical elements such as lenses or micro-lenses are individually fabricated by dispensing a volume of curable optical polymer into the tube, forming the desired shape for the optical element using one or more plungers having heads corresponding to a desired lensing curvature, applying radiant energy to the tube with the plungers in place to cure the optical polymer, and repeating as needed until the desired number of optical elements are fabricated within the lens assembly which may then be integrated as a single piece into a mobile or wearable device.

Fabricating a lens assembly

A housing for an optical assembly includes a base and at least one finger. The base includes a hole configured to pass light to or from an electronic component. The finger is bent at an angle with respect to the base for securing the optical assembly within the housing. The base and the finger comprise a single monolithic structure of a sheet material.

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Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Chad Lichtenhan