US 11,073,697 B1Granted

Switchable electroactive devices for head-mounted displays

AssigneeFacebook Technologies, LLC

InventorsRobin Sharma, Andrew John Ouderkirk, Tanya Malhotra, Kenneth Diest, Gregory Olegovic Andreev, Erik Shipton, Christopher Yuan Ting Liao, Barry David Silverstein

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Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure are generally directed to systems and methods for switchable electroactive devices for head-mounted displays (HMDs). In particular, a method may include (1) applying an electric field to an electroactive element of an electroactive device via electrodes of the electroactive device that are electrically coupled to the electroactive element to compress the electroactive element, which comprises a polymer material defining nanovoids, such that an average size of the nanovoids is decreased and a density of the nanovoids is increased in the electroactive element, wherein the electroactive device is positioned at a distance from a user's eye, and (2) emitting image light from an emissive device positioned such that at least a portion of the image light is incident on a surface of the electroactive device facing the user's eye.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A display device, comprising:

an electroactive device positioned to be located at a distance from a user's eye when the display device is worn by the user, the electroactive device comprising:
an electroactive element comprising a polymer material defining nanovoids;
and
electrodes electrically coupled to the electroactive element and configured to apply an electric field to the electroactive element, wherein the electroactive element is compressible from an uncompressed state to a compressed state by the application of the electric field so as to decrease an average size of the nanovoids and increase a density of the nanovoids in the compressed state, a magnitude of the electric field associated with a desired size and a desired density of the nanovoids between the compressed and uncompressed states;
and
an emissive device positioned to radiate image light onto an external surface of the electroactive device facing the user's eye such that the external surface of the electroactive device reflects image light toward the user's eye when the electroactive element is in the uncompressed state.

3 more elements

A display device, comprising:

an electroactive device positioned to be located at a distance from a user's eye when the display device is worn by the user, the electroactive device comprising:
an electroactive element comprising a polymer material defining nanovoids;
and
electrodes electrically coupled to the electroactive element and configured to apply an electric field to the electroactive element, wherein the electroactive element is compressible from an uncompressed state to a compressed state by the application of the electric field so as to decrease an average size of the nanovoids and increase a density of the nanovoids in the compressed state, a magnitude of the electric field associated with a desired size and a desired density of the nanovoids between the compressed and uncompressed states;
and
a waveguide display positioned to be located between the user's eye and the electroactive device when the display device is worn by the user, the waveguide display configured to transmit image light to the user's eye, the electroactive device positioned to at least partially obscure a view of the user of an external environment when in the uncompressed state.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.