Leia Inc.

Google Inc.

Leia Spv LLC

Thomas Hoekman

David A Fattal

Ming Ma

Zhen Peng

Xuejian Li

Francesco Aieta

Joseph Daniel Lowney

Joseph D Lowney

Colton Bukowsky

Alexander Y Zhu

A multiview display and method employ an array of lenses to provide effective light sources from semi-collimated light. The multiview display includes a semi-collimated backlight configured to provide the semi-collimated light, an array of light valves arranged as multiview pixels, and an array of lenses disposed between the semi-collimated backlight and the array of lenses. Each lens of the array of lenses is configured to provide an effective light source at a focal plane of the lens to illuminate a corresponding multiview pixel.

Multiview display and method using effective light sources

Diffractive backlight fabrication employs a diffraction grating to scatter light from a light guide and define a reflective island that is aligned with the diffraction grating. A method of fabricating a diffractive backlight includes providing the light guide having the diffraction grating, diffractively scattering guided light out of the light guide using the diffraction grating to selectively expose photoresist and provide an opening in the photoresist, and depositing a reflective material into the opening to form a reflective island that is aligned with the diffraction grating. A reflective diffraction grating element of the diffractive backlight includes the diffraction grating and reflective island.

Diffractive backlight fabrication method

A static-image augmented privacy display, mode-switchable privacy display system, and method provide a private image to a first view zone and a static image to a second view zone. The static-image augmented privacy display includes a privacy backlight configured to provide directional emitted light to the first view zone and an array of light valves configured to modulate the directional emitted light to provide a private image within the first view zone. The static-image augmented privacy display also includes a static display layer configured to provide a static image in a second view zone. The mode-switchable privacy display includes a broad-angle backlight configured to provide broad-angle emitted light to both a first view zone and a second view zone during a shared mode, a shared image being provided by modulation of the broad-angle emitted light using the light valve array.

Static-image augmented privacy display, mode-switchable privacy display system, and method

A multiview backlight, multiview display, and method of multiview backlight operation include reflective multibeam elements configured to provide emitted light having directional light beams with directions corresponding to view directions of a multiview image. The multiview backlight includes a light guide configured to guide light and an array of the reflective multibeam elements. Each reflective multibeam element includes a plurality of reflective sub-elements and is configured to reflectively scatter out a portion of the guided light as the emitted light. The multiview display includes the multiview backlight and an array of light valves to modulate the directional light beams to provide the multiview image. Each reflective sub-element protrudes from a guiding surface of the light guide by a respective protrusion distance. At least some of the protrusion distances can vary as a function of distance along a length of the light guide.

Multiview backlight, display, and method with reflective sub-elements having varying protrusion distances

A multi-zone backlight and multi-zone multiview display with multiple zones selectively provide broad-angle emitted light corresponding to a two-dimensional (2D) image and directional emitted light corresponding to a multiview image to each zone of the multiple zones. The multi-zone backlight includes broad-angle backlight to provide the broad-angle emitted light and a multiview backlight to provide the directional emitted light. Each of the broad-angle backlight and the multiview backlight is divided into a first zone and a second zone that may be independently activated to provide the broad-angle emitted light and multiview emitted light, respectively. The multi-zone multiview display includes the broad-angle backlight and the multiview backlight and further includes an array of light valves configured to modulate the broad-angle emitted light as a two-dimensional image and the directional emitted light as a multiview image on a zone-by-zone basis.

Multi-zone backlight, multiview display, and method

Fabricating a diffractive backlight employs a universal grating and selects a portion of the universal grating using a reflective island to define a grating element, a reflective diffraction grating element of the diffractive backlight including the grating element and the reflective island. A method of fabricating a diffractive backlight includes forming the universal grating, forming the reflective island, and selecting a portion of the universal grating using the reflective island to define the grating element. The method of fabricating a diffractive backlight may include forming the reflective island on a light guide surface and forming the universal grating over the reflective island. Alternatively, the method of fabricating a diffractive backlight may include forming the universal grating on the light guide surface and forming the reflective island over the universal grating.

Method of fabricating diffractive backlight

A multiview backlight, multiview display, and method employ arrays of active emitters and a diffuser to provide an effective active emitter from emitted light from each active emitter. The multiview backlight includes an array of active emitters and a diffuser configured to provide effective active emitters having a predetermined size that is between one quarter and two times a size of a light valve of the multiview display. The multiview display includes an array of effective active emitters including active emitters and a diffuser configured to provide output emitted light. The multiview display further includes an array of light valves configured to modulate output emitted light to provide a displayed image. A spacing between effective active emitters is an integer multiple of a spacing between light valves of the multiview display.

Active emitter multiview backlight, display, and method employing a diffuser

A multiview backlight, multiview display, and method employ arrays of active emitters arranged in columns to provide directional light beams having directions corresponding to view directions of a multiview display. The multiview backlight includes a first array of active emitters arranged in columns and configured to provide a first plurality of directional light beams and a second array of active emitters arranged in columns and configured to provide a second plurality of directional light beams. Columns of the second active emitter array are disposed between and alternate with the columns of the first active emitter array. The multiview display further includes an array of light valves configured to modulate the directional light beams to display a multiview image. The view directions of the multiview display are in a plane that crosses the columns of first and second active emitter arrays.

Horizontal parallax multiview backlight, display, and method

Techniques are described in which a view control layer is optically coupled to a waveguide having one or more diffraction structures. The view control layer selectively prevents light rays from interfacing with at least one diffraction structure of the waveguide based on a respective angle of incidence at which the light rays encounter the view control layer. In various embodiments, the view control layer may include a light control film, a polarization stack, and/or a dielectric stack angular filter.

Control of diffraction artifacts in augmented reality display using view control layer

A multiview backlight and multiview display employ an optical mask element having a first portion and a laterally displaced second portion to mitigate Moiré associated with the optical mask element. The multiview backlight includes an array of multibeam unit cells distributed across a light guide. Each multibeam unit cell has a multibeam element configured to scatter out a portion of guided light as a plurality of directional light beams having different directions corresponding to different views of the multiview display. Each multibeam unit cell further includes an optical mask element having the first portion aligned and co-extensive with the multibeam element and the second portion laterally displaced within the multibeam unit cell from the first portion. One or both of the lateral displacement and an overall size of the optical mask element is configured to mitigate Moiréassociated with the optical mask element.

Multiview backlight, display, and method having optical mask elements

A multiview backlight and display employ diffusion of directional light beams to provide an image of color regions of a color-tailored multibeam element having a size comparable to a size of the color-tailored multibeam element. The multiview backlight includes an array of color-tailored multibeam elements configured to provide the directional light beams and an optical diffuser configured to spread out directional light beams to provide the color region image. The multiview display includes an array of the color-tailored multibeam elements and the optical diffuser. The multiview display further includes an array of light valves configured to modulate the directional light beams as a multiview image.

Multiview backlight, display, and method employing an optical diffuser

A multiview backlight, multiview display, and method of multiview backlight operation include reflective multibeam elements configured to provide emitted light having directional light beams with directions corresponding to view directions of a multiview image. The multiview backlight includes a light guide configured to guide light and an array of the reflective multibeam elements, each reflective multibeam element including a plurality of reflective sub-elements and being configured to reflectively scatter out a portion of the guided light as the emitted light. The multiview display includes the multiview backlight and an array of light valves to modulate the directional light beams to provide the multiview image.

Multiview backlight, multiview display, and method employing reflective multibeam elements

A multi-directional backlight and a multi-user multiview display provide emitted light and associated multiview images having different mutually exclusive angular ranges and different user-specific view zones. The multi-directional backlight includes first and second multiview backlights, each of which includes multibeam elements configured to provide emitted light having directional light beams with directions corresponding to view directions of a respective multiview images. The emitted light provided by the first multiview backlight has a first angular range that is mutually exclusive of a second angular range of emitted light provided by the second multiview backlight, at respective first and second convergence distances. The multi-user multiview display includes a first multiview display configured to provide a first multiview image to a first user in a first view zone and a second multiview display configured to provide a second multiview image to a second user in a second view zone.

Multi-directional backlight, multi-user multiview display, and method

A method of aligning a multiview backlight with a light valve array of a multiview display employs an alignment pattern that includes unit cells spaced apart from one another and having view blocks corresponding to different views of the multiview display. The method of aligning includes establishing the alignment pattern on the light valve array, illuminating the light valve array using the multiview backlight to display the alignment pattern, and adjusting a relative position of the multiview backlight and the light valve array to minimize an error measure of the unit cells within the displayed alignment pattern. A multiview display backlight alignment system includes the multiview display and a positioning stage configured to adjust the relative position to minimize the error measure. An automated multiview display backlight alignment system further includes a feedback controller, the positioning stage being motorized.

Multiview display alignment method and system

A polarization recycling backlight and a multiview display employ a polarization-selective scattering feature configured to preferentially scatter out a first polarization component of guided light and a polarization conversion structure configured to convert a portion of a second polarization component of the guided light into the first polarization component. The polarization conversion structure includes a subwavelength grating.

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Thomas Hoekman