US 10,852,481 B2Granted

Color separation in planar waveguides using wavelength filters

AssigneeMagic Leap, Inc.

InventorsIvan Li Chuen Yeoh, Lionel Ernest Edwin, Hui-Chuan Cheng

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An eyepiece for projecting an image to an eye of a viewer includes a first planar waveguide positioned in a first lateral plane, a second planar waveguide positioned in a second lateral plane adjacent the first lateral plane, and a third planar waveguide positioned in a third lateral plane adjacent the second lateral plane. The first waveguide includes a first diffractive optical element (DOE) coupled thereto and disposed at a lateral position. The second waveguide includes a second DOE coupled thereto and disposed at the lateral position. The third waveguide includes a third DOE coupled thereto and disposed at the lateral position. The eyepiece further includes a first optical filter disposed between the first waveguide and the second waveguide at the lateral position, and a second optical filter positioned between the second waveguide and the third waveguide at the lateral position.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An eyepiece for projecting image light to an eye of a viewer, the image light including image light in a first wavelength range centered at a first wavelength and image light in a second wavelength range centered at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, the eyepiece comprising:

a first planar waveguide including a first diffractive optical element (DOE) optically coupled thereto, wherein the first DOE is positioned along an optical path of the image light and configured to couple a portion of the image light in the first wavelength range into the first planar waveguide to be propagated in the first planar waveguide;
a first optical filter positioned along the optical path downstream from the first DOE, wherein the first optical filter is configured to attenuate the image light in the first wavelength range incident thereon;
a second planar waveguide including a second DOE optically coupled thereto, wherein the second DOE is positioned along the optical path downstream from the first optical filter and configured to couple a portion of the image light in the second wavelength range transmitted through the first optical filter into the second planar waveguide to be propagated in the second planar waveguide;
and
a second optical filter coupled to the first planar waveguide, wherein the second optical filter is configured to absorb image light in the second wavelength range propagating in the first planar waveguide.

2 more elements

A method for projecting image light to an eye of a viewer, the image light including image light in a first wavelength range centered at a first wavelength and image light in a second wavelength range centered at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, the method comprising:

coupling, through a first diffractive optical element (DOE), a portion of the image light in the first wavelength range into a first planar waveguide, wherein the first DOE is positioned along an optical path of the image light in the first wavelength range and optically coupled to the first planar waveguide;
attenuating the image light in the first wavelength range through a first optical filter, wherein the first optical filter is positioned along the optical path downstream from the first DOE;
transmitting a portion of the image light in the second wavelength range through the first optical filter;
coupling, through a second DOE, the transmitted portion of the image light in the second wavelength range into a second planar waveguide, wherein the second DOE is positioned along the optical path of the image light in the second wavelength range downstream from the first optical filter and is optically coupled to the second planar waveguide;
and
absorbing at least a portion of the image light in the second wavelength range propagating in the first planar waveguide by a second optical filter coupled to the first planar waveguide.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/693,162Filed 22 Nov 2019 · division
Priority: 22 Dec 2016
Published: US 2020/0088945 A119 Mar 2020
Granted: 1 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G02B 6/29361
Operating by wave or beam interference: interference filters, e.g. multilayer coatings, thin film filters, dichroic splitters or mirrors based on…
G02B 6/0016
Provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it: grooves, prisms, gratings, scattering particles or rough surfaces
G02B 27/0081
Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00: with means for altering, e.g. enlarging, the…
G02B 27/1086
Beam splitting or combining systems: operating by diffraction only

Family

Application62/438,315Us provisional application · filed 22 Dec 2016
Application15/849,527Parent of this division · filed 20 Dec 2017
Application16/445,115Parent of this division · filed 18 Jun 2019
US 10,371,896 B2Parent of this division · filed 6 Aug 2019
US 2020/0088945 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Mar 2020
US 10,551,568 B2Parent of this division
US 2018/0180817 A1Published application
US 2019/0310421 A1Published application
US 10,852,481 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.