The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Oct. 20, 2020

Filed:

Jun. 15, 2017
Applicant:

Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc, Redmond, WA (US);

Inventors:

Steven John Robbins, Redmond, WA (US);

Joel Steven Kollin, Seattle, WA (US);

Andreas Georgiou, Cambridge, GB;

Adrian Robert Leigh Travis, Paris, FR;

Assignee:
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G02B 27/01 (2006.01); G02F 1/139 (2006.01); G02F 1/1335 (2006.01); G02F 1/1343 (2006.01); G03H 1/02 (2006.01); G03H 1/22 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G02B 27/0172 (2013.01); G02F 1/1393 (2013.01); G02F 1/133528 (2013.01); G02F 1/134309 (2013.01); G03H 1/02 (2013.01); G03H 1/2294 (2013.01); G02F 2001/134345 (2013.01); G02F 2001/134381 (2013.01); G02F 2201/121 (2013.01); G02F 2201/124 (2013.01); G02F 2203/01 (2013.01); G02F 2203/02 (2013.01); G02F 2203/12 (2013.01); G03H 2001/0224 (2013.01); G03H 2225/33 (2013.01); G03H 2225/34 (2013.01); G03H 2225/36 (2013.01); G03H 2225/52 (2013.01);
Abstract

An optical device comprises a pixel array including one or more pixels. Two or more independently controllable electrodes are electrically coupled to each pixel. A common ground reference electrode is electrically coupled to all pixels of the pixel array. Each pixel includes a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules may be oriented in a first direction based on a first function of voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel, and oriented in a second direction based on a second function of the voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel. In this way, both phase modulation and polarization modulation may be introduced to light illuminating the pixel array.


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