US 10,481,687 B1 · Waveguide integrated eye tracking

Abstract

An eye tracker for determining a position of an eye, which may be integrated into a head-mounted display. The eye tracker includes a waveguide, switchable Bragg gratings (SBGs) that selectively out couple light from the waveguide, light sources coupled to the waveguide, a detector coupled to a return path of the waveguide, and a controller. The controller instructs at least one light source to emit at least one light beam propagating through the waveguide, and activates at least one SBG to out-couple the at least one light beam from the waveguide toward the eye. The waveguide in-couples at least one reflected light signal reflected from the eye that originates from the at least one light beam out-coupled from the waveguide. The detector detects the at least one reflected light signal. The controller determines a position of the eye using the detected at least one reflected light signal.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An eye tracker comprising:

a waveguide;
a plurality of switchable gratings configured to selectively out-couple light from the waveguide, each switchable grating being designed for a specific out-coupling angle;
an array of light sources coupled to the waveguide;
and
a controller configured to:
instruct multiple light sources in the array to emit light beams for propagation through the waveguide,
activate two or more of the switchable gratings to out-couple the light beams from a subset of different emission portions of the waveguide toward an eye, each light beam out-coupled at a corresponding out-coupling angle of a corresponding emission portion from the subset of different emission portions, wherein activation of a unique pair of a light source in the array and a switchable grating of the two or more switchable gratings maps to a unique emission portion of the waveguide for out-coupling, and
determine a position of the eye using light reflected from at least one surface of the eye that originate from the light beams out-coupled from the different emission portions of the waveguide.

5 more elements

A method comprising:

instructing multiple light sources in an array of light sources to emit light beams for propagation through a waveguide coupled to the array of light sources and to a plurality of gratings, each switchable grating being designed for a specific out-coupling angle;
activating two or more switchable gratings of the plurality of switchable gratings to out-couple the light beams from a subset of different emission portions of the waveguide toward an eye, each light beam out-coupled at a corresponding out-coupling angle of a corresponding emission portion from the subset of different emission portions, wherein activation of a unique pair of a light source in the array and a switchable grating of the two or more switchable gratings maps to a unique emission portion of the waveguide for out-coupling;
and
determining a position of the eye using light reflected from at least one surface of the eye that originate from the light beams out-coupled from the different emission portions of the waveguide.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Waveguide integrated eye tracking

Life of this patent

Waveguide integrated eye tracking

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20