Magic Leap, Inc.

North Carolina State University

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC

Intel Corporation

Boulder Nonlinear Systems, Inc.

Chulwoo Oh

Ravi Kumar Komanduri

Michael Anthony Klug

Clinton Carlisle

Hui-Chuan Cheng

Vaibhav Mathur

Vikramjit Singh

Barak Freedman

Nizan Meitav

Kevin R Curtis

Lionel Ernest Edwin

Adam Charles Carlson

Michael James Escuti

Asif Sinay

Frank Y Xu

Jahja I Trisnadi

Michael Nevin Miller

Roy Matthew Patterson

Charles Scott Carden

Hyunsun Chung

David Manly

Shuqiang Yang

Timothy Mark Dalrymple

Xiaoyang Zhang

Evyatar Bluzer

William J Molteni, Jr

Philip Premysler

Brian T Schowengerdt

Gary Dean Sharp

John Graham Macnamara

Kevin Messer

Mauro Melli

Chunyu Gao

Suchit Shah

Jihwan Kim

Haiwei Chen

Seokchan Hong

Kibyung Seong

Vikraman Parthiban

Jonathan Alexander Rolon

Bo Qu

Nicole Elizabeth Samec

Christophe Peroz

Ivan Li Chuen Yeoh

Nastasja U Robaina

Sharad D Bhagat

Chieh Chang

Jason A Schaefer

Asaf Pellman

Ori Weinstein

Joshua Naaman Haddock

Ted Diehl

David Kleinman

Ioannis Papadopoulos

Frédéric Montfort

Ivan Li-Chuen Yeoh

Brandon L Conover

Yu-Jen Wang

Victor Kai Liu

Samarth Bhargava

Junren Wang

Yun-Han Lee

Vivek K Singh

Matthieu Charles Raoul Leibovici

Bradley Jay Sissom

Linghui Rao

Bin Hu

Hsien-Hui Cheng

Steven A Serati

Xinyu Zhu

Wei Chen Lin

Hyunmin Song

Sungwon Kim

Mehmet E Yavuz

Xiaoze Ou

Sawyer Miller

Examples of eye-imaging apparatus using diffractive optical elements are provided. For example, an optical device comprises a substrate having a proximal surface and a distal surface, a first coupling optical element disposed on one of the proximal and distal surfaces of the substrate, and a second coupling optical element disposed on one of the proximal and distal surfaces of the substrate and offset from the first coupling optical element. The first coupling optical element can be configured to deflect light at an angle to totally internally reflect (TIR) the light between the proximal and distal surfaces and toward the second coupling optical element, and the second coupling optical element can be configured to deflect at an angle out of the substrate. The eye-imaging apparatus can be used in a head-mounted display such as an augmented or virtual reality display.

Eye-imaging apparatus using diffractive optical elements

The present disclosure relates to display systems and, more particularly, to augmented reality display systems an related methods. In one aspect, an adaptive lens assembly includes a lens stack configured to exert polarization-dependent optical power to linearly polarized light. The lens stack includes a birefringent lens and an isotropic lens contacting each other to form a conformal interface therebetween. The adaptive lens assembly is configured to be selectively switched between a plurality of states having different optical powers.

Adaptive lens assemblies including polarization-selective lens stacks for augmented reality display

A display device comprises a waveguide configured to guide light in a lateral direction parallel to an output surface of the waveguide. The waveguide is further configured to outcouple the guided light through the output surface. The display device additionally comprises a broadband adaptive lens assembly configured to incouple and to diffract therethrough the outcoupled light from the waveguide. The broadband adaptive lens assembly comprises a first waveplate lens comprising a liquid crystal (LC) layer arranged such that the waveplate lens has birefringence (Δn) that varies in a radially outward direction from a central region of the first waveplate lens and configured to diffract the outcoupled light at a diffraction efficiency greater than 90% within a wavelength range including at least 450 nm to 630 nm. The broadband adaptive lens assembly is configured to be selectively switched between a plurality of states having different optical powers.

Broadband adaptive lens assembly for augmented reality display

A thin transparent layer can be integrated in a head mounted display device and disposed in front of the eye of a wearer. The thin transparent layer may be configured to output light such that light is directed onto the eye to create reflections therefrom that can be used, for example, for glint based tracking. The thin transparent layer can be configured to reduced obstructions in the field of the view of the user.

System for collecting light

An optical device includes a liquid crystal layer having a first plurality of liquid crystal molecules arranged in a first pattern and a second plurality of liquid crystal molecules arranged in a second pattern. The first and the second pattern are separated from each other by a distance of about 20 nm to about 100 nm along a longitudinal or a transverse axis of the liquid crystal layer. The first and the second plurality of liquid crystal molecules are configured as first and second grating structures that can redirect light of visible or infrared wavelengths.

Liquid crystal diffractive devices with nano-scale pattern and methods of manufacturing the same

A switchable optical assembly comprises a switchable waveplate configured to be electrically activated and deactivated to selectively alter the polarization state of light incident on the switchable waveplate. The switchable waveplate comprises first and second surfaces and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second surfaces. The liquid crystal layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. The first surface and/or the second surface may be planar. The first surface and/or the second surface may be curved. The plurality of liquid crystal molecules may vary in tilt with respect to the first and second surfaces with outward radial distance from an axis through the first and second surfaces and the liquid crystal layer in a plurality of radial directions. The switchable waveplate can include a plurality of electrodes to apply an electrical signal across the liquid crystal layer.

Wide field-of-view polarization switches with liquid crystal optical elements with pretilt

A head mounted display system can include a camera, at least one waveguide, at least one coupling optical element that is configured such that light is coupled into the waveguide(s) and guided therein, and at least one out-coupling element. The at least one out-coupling element can be configured to couple light that is guided within the waveguide(s) out of the waveguide(s) and direct the light to the camera. The at least one coupling element may include a diffractive optical element having optical power. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one coupling optical element may have a coupling area, for coupling light into the waveguide(s), the coupling area having an average thickness in a range from 0.1 to 3 millimeters across and/or may have a pinhole sized and/or slit shaped coupling area.

Eyewear with pinhole and slit cameras

Techniques for operating an optical system are disclosed. World light may be linearly polarized along a first axis. When the optical system is operating in accordance with a first state, a polarization of the world light may be rotated by 90 degrees, the world light may be linearly polarized along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, and zero net optical power may be applied to the world light. When the optical system is operating in accordance with a second state, virtual image light may be projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system, the world light and the virtual image light may be linearly polarized along the second axis, a polarization of the virtual image light may be rotated by 90 degrees, and non-zero net optical power may be applied to the virtual image light.

Time-multiplexed display of virtual content at various depths

A head mounted display system can include a camera, at least one waveguide, at least one coupling optical element that is configured such that light is coupled into said waveguide and guided therein, and at least one out-coupling element. The at least one out-coupling element can be configured to couple light that is guided within said waveguide out of said waveguide and direct said light to said camera. The at least one coupling element may comprise a diffractive optical element having optical power.

Diffractive optical elements with optical power

Head mounted display systems configured to project light to an eye of a user to display augmented reality image content in a vision field of the user are disclosed. In embodiments, the system includes a frame configured to be supported on a head of the user, an image projector configured to project images into the user's eye, a camera coupled to the frame, a waveguide optically coupled to the camera, an optical coupling optical element me, an out-coupling element configured to direct light emitted from the waveguide to the camera, and a first light source configured to direct light to the user's eye through the waveguide. Electronics control the camera to capture images periodically and farther control the first light source to pulse in time with the camera such that light emitted by the light source has a reduced intensity when the camera is not capturing images.

Augmented reality display with waveguide configured to capture images of eye and/or environment

A head-mounted apparatus include an eyepiece that include a variable dimming assembly and a frame mounting the eyepiece so that a user side of the eyepiece faces a towards a user and a world side of the eyepiece opposite the first side faces away from the user. The dynamic dimming assembly selectively modulates an intensity of light transmitted parallel to an optical axis from the world side to the user side during operation. The dynamic dimming assembly includes a variable birefringence cell having multiple pixels each having an independently variable birefringence, a first linear polarizer arranged on the user side of the variable birefringence cell, the first linear polarizer being configured to transmit light propagating parallel to the optical axis linearly polarized along a pass axis of the first linear polarizer orthogonal to the optical axis, a quarter wave plate arranged between the variable birefringence cell and the first linear polarizer, a fast axis of the quarter wave plate being arranged relative to the pass axis of the first linear polarizer to transform linearly polarized light transmitted by the first linear polarizer into circularly polarized light, and a second linear polarizer on the world side of the variable birefringence cell.

Ghost image mitigation in see-through displays with pixel arrays

A method of fabricating an optical element includes providing a substrate, forming a castable material coupled to the substrate, and casting the castable material using a mold. The method also includes curing the castable material and removing the mold. The optical element comprises a planar region and a clear aperture adjacent the planar region and characterized by an optical power.

Method and system for integration of refractive optics with a diffractive eyepiece waveguide display

An optical device may include a light turning element. The optical device can include a first surface that is parallel to a horizontal axis and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The optical device may include a light module that includes a plurality of light emitters. The light module can be configured to combine light for the plurality of emitters. The optical device can further include a light input surface that is between the first and the second surfaces and is disposed with respect to the light module to receive light emitted from the plurality of emitters. The optical device may include an end reflector that is disposed on a side opposite the light input surface. The second surface may be inclined such that a height of the light input surface is less than a height of the side opposite the light input surface. The light coupled into the light turning element may be reflected by the end reflector and/or reflected from the second surface towards the first surface.

Methods, devices, and systems for illuminating spatial light modulators

Example display devices include a waveguide configured to propagate visible light under total internal reflection in a direction parallel to a major surface of the waveguide. The waveguide has formed thereon an outcoupling element configured to outcouple a portion of the visible light in a direction normal to the major surface of the waveguide. The example display devices additionally include a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) reflector disposed on a forward side of said waveguides, said CLC reflector configured to have an optical power or a depth of focus that is adjustable upon application of an electrical signal. The out-coupling element is disposed to extract light from the waveguide and direct at least a portion of said light propagating within said waveguide to the CLC reflector, said light being directed from said CLC reflector back through said waveguide and into said eye to present an image from the optical display into the eye of the wearer.

Variable-focus virtual image devices based on polarization conversion

Various embodiments set forth eye tracking systems. In some embodiments, an eye tracking system includes a polarization volume hologram (PVH) combiner having a rolling k-vector design that provides relatively wide coverage of users whose eyeglasses prescriptions can vary. The PVH combiner can further include (1) fiducial regions created by differential patterning that generate dark regions in images captured of an eye, and/or (2) multiple regions that diffract light at angles to produce different perspectives in the captured images. The dark regions and/or different perspectives can be used to calibrate eye tracking. In addition, the PVH combiner can include off-axis lens regions that generate glints for the eye tracking.

Polarization volume hologram combiner enabling wide population coverage, eye tracking accuracy, and glint generation

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Park, TX, United States of America

Chulwoo Oh