Newsight Reality, Inc.

Rick Morrison

Igor Landau

Ronald David Blum

Ami Gupta

Svetlana Samoilova

John Miles Dorfman

A multiplexed, synchronized Active (micro) Lens(let) Array and display providing a user or manufacturer with the ability to choose different modes of functionality of a transparent optical module, such as three-dimensional virtual image generation, two-dimensional image generation, static MLA functionality, augmented, mixed, or enhanced reality, variations in brightness, and other modes.

Optical module with active microlens array capable of synchronizing with see-through display to provide multiple modes of functionality

A see-through transparent (or semi-transparent) near eye optical module includes a transparent sparsely populated near eye display comprising a plurality of pixels or pixel patches and a sparsely populated micro-lens array comprising a plurality of micro-lenses positioned in optical alignment with the plurality of pixels or pixel patches of the sparsely populated transparent near eye display. The sparsely populated transparent near eye display has a pixel fill factor capable of rendering the near eye display at least partially transparent. Light rays originating from outside the transparent sparsely populated near eye module pass through the transparent sparsely populated near eye display and sparsely populated micro-lens array of the transparent near eye module to an eye of a user to form a real image perceived by the user. The transparent sparsely populated near eye display further produces light rays generated by way of active pixels which pass through aligned micro-lenses to form a virtual image perceived by the eye of the user. The combination of the real image with the virtual images as perceived by the eye of a user causes the perception of Augmented Reality or Mixed Reality for the user. Light rays being projected away from the eye of the user are reduced or blocked by the transparent near eye display.

See-through near eye optical module

A multiplexed, synchronized active beam splitter or mirror and display providing a user or manufacturer with the ability to choose different modes of functionality of a transparent optical module.

Optical module having active array of elements capable of synchronizing with see-through display

Systems and apparatus for managing stray light in augmented reality, mixed reality, enhanced reality, and similar applications.

Systems and methods for reducing stray light in augmented reality and related applications

A transparent optical module system or device comprising an optical architecture hierarchy based on a patch unit. In aspects, the transparent optical module comprises a display sparsely populated with pixels. The patch unit comprises one or more regions of display pixels, or a pixel pattern(s), and an associated lenslet, for example on a microlens array. The lenslet is capable of transmitting display-emitted light to an eye of the wearer of the transparent optical module, which then focuses the light to form a retinal image, which is seen or perceived by the wearer. The patch units can be combined further into patch groups, wherein members of a group serve a similar role in retinal image production as a patch unit and/or lenslet. This hierarchy allows the system to be scaled to larger and more complex systems.

Transparent optical module using pixel patches and associated lenslets

According to embodiments of the invention, the invention is an augmented reality system that utilizes a near eye see-through optical module that comprises a transparent or semi-transparent see-through near eye display that is in optical alignment with a micro-lens array. According to certain embodiments of the invention, the augmented reality system comprises generating a virtual image as perceived by an eye of a wearer of the augmented reality system when looking at an object in space having a location in the real world that forms a real image. When utilizing a certain embodiment of the invention the virtual image changes, by way of example only, one or more of its shape, form, depth, 3D effect, location due to the eye or eyes shifting its (their) fixation position due to changing the location of different lighted pixels of the see-through near eye display(s). The invention further discloses various mechanisms to improve the quality of the virtual image and that of the augmented reality image while utilizing a near eye see-through optical module that comprises a see-through near eye display and distance separated and aligned micro-lens array.

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Longmont, CO, United States of America

Rick Morrison