Google Inc.

North Corporation

Shreyas Potnis

Timothy Paul Bodiya

Daniel Robert Adema

Stuart James Myron Nicholson

Jackie Lynn Mills

Stefan Alexander

Ian Andrews

Bergen Fletcher

Kevin Howard Orr

Eliezer Glik

Kai Xu

Syed Moez Haque

Dan Adema

Ali Karbasi

Improving the performance and efficiency of waveguide gratings while also improving the anti-reflection performance of the waveguide can be achieved by selective application of a dielectric anti-reflective coating (or coatings) to distinct regions of the waveguide. For example, a multi-layer dielectric anti-reflective coating is selectively applied to the region of the waveguide between an exit pupil expander grating and an outcoupler grating wherein light is transmitted within the waveguide via instances of total internal reflection (TIR) and where no gratings are typically present. By selectively excluding the regions of the waveguide containing gratings from receiving the anti-reflective coating, such as the incoupler and outcoupler regions, the performance of the gratings can be improved for their respective functions without compromising the anti-reflection performance of the waveguide overall.

Waveguide with regional anti-reflection coating

Improved techniques of detecting angular misalignment between a display and a waveguide of a smartglasses device includes providing a detection mechanism for the display such that the location of a misalignment can indicate how to compensate for the misalignment.

Alignment of waveguide and display in smartglasses

A system includes a feedback loop that includes a light engine to generate light, a light engine controller to control operation of the light engine, a scanning device to scan a light beam across a range of scan angles to an incoupler of a waveguide, a photo-sensor to measure an amount of light outcoupled through the incoupler of the waveguide at the range of incident angles. The light engine controller adjusts one or more of a pulse duration, a phase, or a pulse frequency of the scanned light, based on an incident angle of the scanned light and the measured amount of light.

Coupling narrowband projector source light into display waveguides

A waveguide including at least a first photopolymer layer and a second photopolymer layer having a barrier layer therebetween and a first transparent layer and second transparent layer overlaying the first and second photopolymer layers, respectively. The waveguide can further include at least one holographic incoupler and at least one holographic outcoupler, each configured to be responsive to light within a first waveband and unresponsive to light outside of the first waveband, and further configured to be transmissive or reflective.

Holographic waveguide

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

A head-mounted display (HMD) system including a lens element supported by a support structure, the lens element having a waveguide with an incoupler configured to receive light from an optical scanner of the HMD. The incoupler is configured with multiple features varying in at least one of height, spacing, angle, or density. The features may be separated into discrete zones along the incoupler such that at least one of height, spacing, angle, or density of the plurality of features is varied over the incoupler and constant within a given zone or the features may be varied continuously across the incoupler.

Spatial variance along waveguide incoupler

Illustrative systems and methods for performing extended reality projection using monochrome pixel panels in inverted arrangements are described herein. For example, an extended reality projection system may include a binocular head-mounted display having a left side and a right side, a first set of monochrome pixel panels distributed in a first arrangement and collectively configured to produce a color image for presentation on the left side, and a second set of monochrome pixel panels distributed in a second arrangement and collectively configured to produce the color image for presentation on the right side. In this extended reality projection system, the second arrangement may be inverted from the first arrangement such that a color non-uniformity associated with the presentation on the right side is inverted from a color non-uniformity associated with the presentation on the left side. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Extended reality projection using monochrome pixel panels in inverted arrangements

A display system varies a size of a field of view area of a display for augmented reality (AR) applications based on at least one of ambient light in the environment and content displayed at the display and varying a brightness level of the field of view area such that the brightness level within the field of view area is inversely proportional to the field of view area. Based on an amount of ambient light detected in the environment of the display system, the display system adjusts the size of the area of the field of view of the display in inverse proportion to the amount of detected ambient light. As the size of the field of view area decreases, the display system increases the brightness level of the display within the field of view such that the brightness level is approximately inversely proportional to the field of view area.

Variable brightness and field of view display

There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display (WHUD). The WHUD may include a light source, a spatial modulator, and a display optic. The method may include generating, by the light source, an output light to form an image viewable by a user of the WHUD. The method may also include receiving a position of a pupil of the user relative to an eyebox of the WHUD, and obtaining an image correction map based on the position of the pupil. Moreover, the method may include adjusting the output light to form an adjusted output light. The adjusted output light may be adjusted based on the image correction map to reduce at least one of an intensity non-uniformity and a color balance non-uniformity of the image. The method may also include directing, by the display optic, the adjusted output light into a field of view of the user.

Displays and methods of operating thereof

Systems and methods to reduce light loss from a waveguide. The system includes a waveguide having an incoupler to direct light into the waveguide and a laser projector having laser diodes mounted to a substrate. The laser projector is configured to provide a plurality of laser light beams to the incoupler of the waveguide. The system further includes at least one alignment component configured to align the plurality of laser light beams tangent with an edge of the incoupler to minimize light lost from the waveguide through contact with the incoupler more than once.

Systems and methods to reduce bounce spacing and double-bounce in waveguides

There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display (WHUD), which method includes generating first and second lights having respectively first and second wavelengths within about 50 nm of one another. The method also includes directing the first and second lights onto an incoupler of a display optic of the WHUD along first and second ranges of input angles respectively. The first and second ranges of input angles correspond to positions of pixels of first and second portions of an image to be displayed by the WHUD. The incoupler has first and second angular bandwidths corresponding to the first and second wavelengths respectively. A combination of the first and second ranges of input angles is larger than each of the first and second angular bandwidths. Moreover, the method includes directing the first and second lights into a field of view of a user to form the image.

A combiner lens system includes a lens and a lightguide in stack with the lens. The lightguide carries one or more electrically conductive traces. A detector circuit is electrically coupled to the one or more electrically conductive traces to form an electrical circuit. The detector circuit monitors the electrical circuit for an open circuit or a short circuit and generates an output signal that is indicative of a state of the electrical circuit.

Combiner lens fault detection system

There is provided an optical element which includes a medium including a diffractive optical element (DOE). The medium is to receive a beam of light via a light guide. If the beam is incident upon the medium at an incidence angle within a first range of angles, the DOE is to direct a first portion of the beam out of the light guide along a second direction to form an outcoupled beam, and cause a second portion of the beam to propagate towards a surface of the light guide. Furthermore, if the incidence angle is within a second range of angles, the DOE is to split from the beam a third portion and a fourth portion each propagating towards the surface of the light guide. The third and fourth portions are to propagate along a third and a fourth direction respectively, which third direction is different than the fourth direction.

Optical elements for displays

Systems, devices, and methods for expanding the eyebox of a wearable heads-up display are described. A light guide with an expanded eyebox includes a light guide material, an in-coupler, an outcoupler, and a gradient refractive index (GRIN) material. The in-coupler and the out-coupler may comprise a GRIN material. An eyeglass lens with expanded eyebox includes a light guide with expanded eyebox. A wearable heads-up display includes an eyeglass lens including a light guide with an expanded eyebox.

Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion in wearable heads-up displays

There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display, which display includes a light source, a light guide, and an incoupler carried by the light guide. The method includes emitting first and second beams having first and second wavelengths respectively, directing the first and second beams towards the incoupler, and directing, by the incoupler, at least a portion of the first and second beams into the light guide. Moreover the method includes internally reflecting, by the light guide, the portions of the first and second beams to form first and second reflected beams respectively. The first and second beams respectively may have first and second incoupling losses. Furthermore, the method includes adjusting a beam characteristic of at least one of the first and second beams to control a difference between their respective incoupling losses.

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Kitchener, Canada

Shreyas Potnis