Magic Leap, Inc.

Zebra Imaging, Inc.

Molecular Imprints, Inc.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Google Inc.

Zabra Imaging, Inc.

Michael Anthony Klug

Brian T Schowengerdt

Mark Evan Holzbach

Chulwoo Oh

Clinton Carlisle

Robert Dale Tekolste

Vikramjit Singh

Christophe Peroz

Pierre St Hilaire

Jahja I Trisnadi

Lionel Ernest Edwin

William Hudson Welch

Michael Nevin Miller

Robert D TeKolste

Qiang Huang

Hui-Chuan Cheng

Paul M Greco

Frank Y Xu

Craig Newswanger

Adrian Kaehler

Ivan Li Chuen Yeoh

Sharad D Bhagat

Chieh Chang

David Tinch

David Manly

Jie Sun

Samarth Bhargava

Barak Freedman

Mauro Melli

Nizan Meitav

Asif Sinay

Michal Beau Dennison Vaughn

Kevin R Curtis

John Graham Macnamara

Mathew David Watson

Kang Luo

Kevin Messer

Jason A Schaefer

Roy Matthew Patterson

Charles Scott Carden

Evgeni Poliakov

Alejandro José Ferdman

Victor Kai Liu

Eric C Browy

Vaibhav Mathur

Adam Charles Carlson

Chunyu Gao

Dianmin Lin

Pankaj B Lad

Hyunsun Chung

Evyatar Bluzer

Robert L Sitton

Alejandro Jose Ferdman

William J Molteni, Jr

Scott C Cahall

Gordon Wetzstein

Gholamreza Amayeh

Robert Konrad

Shuqiang Yang

Timothy Mark Dalrymple

Paul Argus Parks

Roman Patscheider

Jason Donald Mareno

Matthew S Shafran

Christopher Laning

Bach Nguyen

Arno Leon Konings

Björn Nicolaas Servatius Vlaskamp

Charles Robert Schabacker

Christopher Peter Couste

Gang He

Andrew Ian Russell

John Stephen Underkoffler

Robert Blake Taylor

Jeffrey Dean Schmulen

Thomas Mercier

Neal Paul Ricks

James Richard Dodd, Jr

Xiaopei Deng

Henry N Holtzman

Howard Russell Cohen

Wendong Xing

Michael Lapinski

Anette Freiin Von Kapri

JaeWoo Chung

Mauro Meili

Xiao Li

Kwindla H Kramer

Deanna McMillen

Walter G Stierhoff, Jr

Michael Beau Dennison Vaughn

Alejandro Jos&eacute; Ferdman

Richard Schneider

Craig Peters

K Brent Binkley

Emory D Carroll

Kevin Richard Curtis

Optical systems and methods for operation thereof are disclosed. A delimited zone is defined as a function of distance from the optical system based on a VAC limit, the delimited zone having at least one distance threshold. A virtual distance of a virtual depth plane from the optical system at which a virtual object is to be displayed is determined. It is determined whether the virtual distance is outside the delimited zone by comparing the virtual distance to the at least one distance threshold. A collimated pixel beam associated with the virtual object is generated by a projector of the optical system. The collimated pixel beam is modified to generate a modified pixel beam if the virtual distance is outside the delimited zone. Modifying the collimated pixel beam includes converging the collimated pixel beam and/or reducing a diameter of the collimated pixel beam.

Increased depth of field for mixed-reality display

Metasurfaces provide compact optical elements in head-mounted display systems to, e.g., incouple light into or outcouple light out of a waveguide. The metasurfaces may be formed by a plurality of repeating unit cells, each unit cell comprising two sets or more of nanobeams elongated in crossing directions: one or more first nanobeams elongated in a first direction and a plurality of second nanobeams elongated in a second direction. As seen in a top-down view, the first direction may be along a y-axis, and the second direction may be along an x-axis. The unit cells may have a periodicity in the range of 10 nm to 1 μm, including 10 nm to 500 nm or 300 nm to 500 nm. Advantageously, the metasurfaces provide diffraction of light with high diffraction angles and high diffraction efficiencies over a broad range of incident angles and for incident light with circular polarization.

Diffraction gratings formed by metasurfaces having differently oriented nanobeams

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

An augmented reality display system can include a first eyepiece waveguide with a first input coupling grating (ICG) region. The first ICG region can receive a set of input beams of light corresponding to an input image having a corresponding field of view (FOV), and can in-couple a first subset of the input beams. The first subset of input beams can correspond to a first sub-portion of the FOV. The system can also include a second eyepiece waveguide with a second ICG region. The second ICG region can receive and in-couple at least a second subset of the input beams. The second subset of the input beams can correspond to a second sub-portion of the FOV. The first and second sub-portions of the FOV can be at least partially different but together include the complete FOV of the input image.

Eyepieces for augmented reality display system

Disclosed is an improved diffraction structure for 3D display systems. The improved diffraction structure includes an intermediate layer that resides between a waveguide substrate and a top grating surface. The top grating surface comprises a first material that corresponds to a first refractive index value, the underlayer comprises a second material that corresponds to a second refractive index value, and the substrate comprises a third material that corresponds to a third refractive index value. According to additional embodiments, improved approaches are provided to implement deposition of imprint materials onto a substrate, which allow for very precise distribution and deposition of different imprint patterns onto any number of substrate surfaces.

Manufacturing for virtual and augmented reality systems and components

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 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

An example head-mounted display device includes a light projector, an optical assembly arranged to direct light from a light projector to a user, and an actuator module. The optical assembly includes a variable focus lens assembly including a rigid refractive component, a shaper ring defining an aperture, and a flexible lens membrane between the shaper ring and the rigid refractive component and covering the aperture. The refractive component, the shaper ring, and the lens membrane are arranged along an axis. The refractive component and the lens membrane define a chamber containing a volume of fluid. The actuator module is configured to adjust an optical power of the variable focus lens by moving the shaper ring relative to the refractive component along the axis, such that a curvature of the lens membrane in the aperture is modified.

Variable focus assemblies

Architectures are provided for selectively incoupling one or more streams of light from a multiplexed light stream into a waveguide. The multiplexed light stream can have light with different characteristics (e.g., different wavelengths and/or different polarizations). The waveguide can comprise in-coupling elements that can selectively couple one or more streams of light from the multiplexed light stream into the waveguide while transmitting one or more other streams of light from the multiplexed light stream.

Display system with optical elements for in-coupling multiplexed light streams

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 virtual image generation system comprises a planar optical waveguide having opposing first and second faces, an in-coupling (IC) element configured for optically coupling a collimated light beam from an image projection assembly into the planar optical waveguide as an in-coupled light beam, a first orthogonal pupil expansion (OPE) element associated with the first face of the planar optical waveguide for splitting the in-coupled light beam into a first set of orthogonal light beamlets, a second orthogonal pupil expansion (OPE) element associated with the second face of the planar optical waveguide for splitting the in-coupled light beam into a second set of orthogonal light beamlets, and an exit pupil expansion (EPE) element associated with the planar optical waveguide for splitting the first and second sets of orthogonal light beamlets into an array of out-coupled light beamlets that exit the planar optical waveguide.

Systems and methods for mixed reality

A display device based on micro light emitting diodes (microLEDs) includes a plurality of chiplets. Each chiplet includes one or more raxels, each raxel including a plurality of microLEDs supported on a substrate. The chiplet also includes a micro integrated circuit (microIC) electronically connected with the one or more raxels. MicroIC includes a plurality of interconnects supported on a backplane such that, when connected with the raxel, microIC may be used to electrically drive each one of the MicroLED of the raxel. In an embodiment, a plurality of chiplets are disposed on a display substrate to for an auto-view horizontal parallax only 3D display.

High density pixel arrays for auto-viewed 3D displays

A method of operating an AR system to display an image viewable by a user's eyes includes tracking, by an eye-tracking subsystem, a position of the user's eyes and determining, based on the position, a focus depth of the user's eyes. The method also includes selecting, from a plurality of light-guiding optical elements, a subset of light-guiding optical elements configured to focus light at a depth plane corresponding to the focus depth of the user's eyes, producing a plurality of light beams using a subset of sub-light sources of a plurality of sub-light sources, the subset of sub-light sources being configured to illuminate the subset of light-guiding optical elements, and imaging the plurality of light beams through an imaging system and onto the subset of light-guiding optical elements such that the image is generated at the depth plane corresponding to the focus depth of the user's eyes.

Separated pupil optical systems for virtual and augmented reality and methods for displaying images using same

In some embodiments, an augmented reality system includes at least one waveguide that is configured to receive and redirect light toward a user, and is further configured to allow ambient light from an environment of the user to pass therethrough toward the user. The augmented reality system also includes a first adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the environment, a second adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the user, and at least one processor operatively coupled to the first and second adaptive lens assemblies. Each lens assembly of the augmented reality system is selectively switchable between at least two different states in which the respective lens assembly is configured to impart at least two different optical powers to light passing therethrough, respectively. The at least one processor is configured to cause the first and second adaptive lens assemblies to synchronously switch between different states in a manner such that the first and second adaptive lens assemblies impart a substantially constant net optical power to ambient light from the environment passing therethrough.

Augmented reality display having multi-element adaptive lens for changing depth planes

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Michael Anthony Klug