Google Inc.

North Corporation

Ian Andrews

Daniel Robert Adema

Timothy Paul Bodiya

Joshua Moore

Shreyas Potnis

Lloyd Frederick Holland

Stuart James Myron Nicholson

Syed Moez Haque

Brian Watson Cranton

Ali Karbasi

Systems, devices, and assemblies for implementing multi-focal lens portions in wearable heads-up displays are described. Multi-focal lens portions may include at least two regions having different optical power, and at least one transition region between regions having different optical power. If display light is directed through a transition region, aberrations or distortion may be visible in the display presented to the user. The present systems, devices, and assemblies address this issue through shaping, positioning, and orienting of regions of a multi-focal lens portion, through positioning, orientation, and aiming of display optics, and/or through arrangements of lens assemblies which prevent display light from travelling through a multi-focal lens portion.

Multi-focal optics for wearable heads-up displays

There is provided an optical element including a light guide, an incoupler, and a beam splitter disposed in an optical path of a display beam between the incoupler and a light engine to generate the display beam. The display beam may comprise first and second beams. The beam splitter may split the display beam to form a first offspring beam including the first beam and a first portion of the second beam, and to form a second offspring beam including a second portion of the second beam. The first and second offspring beams may be incident upon the incoupler at first and second incidence positions respectively. The first incidence position may be different than the second incidence position. The incoupler may direct at least a portion of each of the first and second offspring beams into the light guide to form incoupled first and second offspring beams respectively.

Optical elements for displays

Systems and methods of separating the input light path from the output light path of a scanning mirror in a laser projector system while keeping the overall footprint of the laser projector system to a minimum. The system includes a scanning mirror, an optical engine, and an input/output (I/O) separator disposed between the optical engine and the scanning mirror to direct light from the optical engine towards the scanning mirror along an input path and to direct light reflected from the scanning mirror along an output path. The I/O separator, disposed to intersect both the input and output paths, can be implemented as a prism or a combination of a polarizing beam splitter and a quarter wave plate.

Systems and methods to separate scanning mirror input and output light

A head-mounted display (HMD) system includes a lens element supported by a support structure. The lens element includes a waveguide that includes an incoupler, an outcoupler, and an exit pupil expander. The incoupler is disposed within a first area of the waveguide. The outcoupler is disposed within a second area of the waveguide. The exit pupil expander is disposed within a third area of the waveguide. An anti-reflection coating is formed via fabrication used to form the incoupler, the outcoupler, and the exit pupil expander. The anti-reflection coating is disposed within a fourth area of the waveguide different than the first, second, and third areas of the waveguide.

Waveguide with anti-reflection properties

Display systems, such as near eye display systems or wearable heads up displays, may include a laser projection system having an optical engine and an optical scanner. Light output by the optical engine may be directed into the optical scanner as two angularly separated laser light beams. The angularly separated laser light beams typically have different angles of incidence on a second scan mirror of the optical scanner. Respectively different levels of magnification are applied to the beam diameter of each of the angularly separated laser light beams in a first dimension, such that the angularly separated laser light beams have respectively different beam diameters upon incidence at the second scan mirror. In some embodiments, the different beam diameters of the angularly separated laser light beams result in regions of incidence of each of the angularly separated laser light beams on the second scan mirror being equal or substantially similar.

Display system with variable beam expansion for multiple lasers

A laser projection system utilizes a waveguide having a narrow incoupler for double-bounce mitigation and form factor reduction. An optical scanner includes an optical relay positioned in between two scan mirrors. The first scan mirror scans laser light into the optical relay in a first dimension, and the optical relay and converges the scanned laser light towards a second scan mirror. The second scan mirror scans laser light along a second dimension substantially perpendicular to a path over which the laser light is scanned across the second scan mirror, and the convergence introduced by the optical relay causes the laser light to be scanned as a line or arc path of an exit pupil plane that is coincident with the incoupler. The optical relay may include one or more lenses or may be a monolithic molded structure, which may be an Offner-style relay or a molded reflective relay.

Systems, devices, and methods for inputting light from a scanning laser projector into a waveguide

Display systems, such as near eye display systems or wearable heads up displays, may include a laser projection system having an optical engine and an optical scanner. Light output by the optical engine may be directed into the optical scanner as two angularly separated laser light beams. The angularly separated laser light beams may overlap at an entrance pupil plane along a first dimension at a first scan mirror of the optical scanner, or at a location between the first scan mirror and an optical relay of the optical scanner. The angularly separated laser light beams may overlap at an exit pupil plane along the first dimension at a second scan mirror of the optical scanner or at an incoupler of the laser projection system.

Display system with angularly separated lasers

An optical element for implementation in a heads-up display or other near-eye display system includes a lightguide and an incoupler optically coupled to the lightguide. The incoupler receives a display beam incident upon the lightguide at a first incidence position. The incoupler directs a first portion of the display beam into the lightguide to form an incoupled beam and causes a second portion to remain non-incoupled relative to the lightguide to form a non-incoupled beam. The optical element further includes a reflector to receive the non-incoupled beam and to reflect the non-incoupled beam towards the incoupler to form a reflected beam incident upon the incoupler at a second incidence position. The incoupler direct a corresponding portion of the reflected beam into the lightguide to form a further incoupled beam.

Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion in wearable heads-up displays (WHUD) are described. A WHUD includes a support structure, a scanning laser projector (SLP), a split mirror, an optical splitter, and a holographic combiner. When the WHUD is worn on the head of a user the holographic combiner is positioned in a field of view of the user. The SLP scans light signals onto the split mirror which reflects the light signals onto the optical splitter. The optical splitter redirects the light signals towards the holographic combiner such that subsets of the light signals originate from spatially-separated virtual positions. The holographic combiner redirects the light to the eye resulting in spatially-separated exit pupils. The spatial separation of the exit pupils results in an expanded eyebox. The indirect path of light from SLP to optical splitter enables a smaller and therefore more aesthetically desirable design for the WHUD.

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Kitchener, Canada

Ian Andrews