# US 11,114,002 B1 · Scanning waveguide display

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- Number: US 11,114,002 B1
- Document ID: US11114002B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 16/936,315
- Filed: 2020-07-22
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2016-02-11
- Assignees: Facebook Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Facebook Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Wanli Chi; Pasi Saarikko; Hee Yoon Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11114002B1

## CPC

- G09G 3/025: {with scanning or deflecting the beams in two directions or dimensions}
- G02B 6/0001: {specially adapted for lighting devices or systems (lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00)}
- G02B 6/0016: {Grooves, prisms, gratings, scattering particles or rough surfaces}
- G02B 6/0035: {provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it}
- G02B 26/0833: {the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD (G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B)}
- G02B 26/101: {with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners (colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129)}
- G02B 26/105: {with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors (G02B26/101 takes precedence)}
- G02B 27/0172: {characterised by optical features}
- G02B 27/141: {using dichroic mirrors}
- G02B 27/145: {having sequential partially reflecting surfaces}
- G09G 3/2096: {Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a flat panel (suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/006; specific for a CRT G09G1/167)}
- G09G 3/3406: {Control of illumination source (illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336)}
- G09G 3/346: {based on modulation of the reflection angle, e.g. micromirrors (micromirrors devices per se G02B26/0833)}
- G02B 2027/0114: {comprising dichroic elements}
- G02B 2027/0125: {Field-of-view increase by wavefront division}
- G02B 2027/0178: {Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C)}
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

A waveguide display includes a source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The source assembly includes a light source and an optics system. The light source includes source elements arranged in a 1D or 2D array that emit image light. The optics system includes a scanning mirror assembly that scans the image light to particular locations based on scanning instructions. The output waveguide receives the scanned image light from the scanning mirror assembly and outputs an expanded image light. In some embodiments, the waveguide display includes a source waveguide and the 1D array of source elements. The source waveguide receives a conditioned image light from the source assembly. The controller generates the scanning instructions and provides the scanning instructions to the scanning mirror assembly. In some embodiments, the controller provides the scanning instructions to an actuator assembly of the source waveguide.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A waveguide display comprising:
a source waveguide configured to:
receive light at a coupling element of the source waveguide,
expand the light along at least one dimension, and
output the expanded light from a decoupling element of the source waveguide; and
an output waveguide configured to:
receive the expanded light at one or more coupling elements of the output waveguide, and
output a version of the expanded light from one or more decoupling elements of the output waveguide along at least two dimensions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The waveguide display of claim 1, wherein the source waveguide is configured to rotate along the at least one dimension.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The waveguide display of claim 1, wherein the source waveguide comprises one or more actuators causing the source waveguide to rotate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The waveguide display of claim 3, further comprising a controller configured to generate scanning instructions causing the one or more actuators to perform a rotational motion at a defined frequency.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The waveguide display of claim 1, further comprising:
a light source configured to emit the light that is at least partially coherent; and
one or more optical components configured to condition the emitted light.

### Claim 6

A waveguide display, comprising:
a scanning assembly configured to scan light along at least two dimensions to generate scanned light; and
a waveguide configured to:
receive the scanned light at one or more coupling elements of the waveguide, and
output a version of the scanned light from one or more decoupling elements of the waveguide along the at least two dimensions.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, wherein the scanning assembly is further configured to adjust an orientation of emitted light to generate the scanned light.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising a controller configured to generate scanning instructions causing the scanning assembly to scan the light along the at least two dimensions.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, wherein the scanning assembly comprises a first mirror configured to scan along a first dimension of the at least two dimensions and a second mirror configured to scan along a second dimension of the at least two dimensions, the first dimension and the second dimension orthogonal to each other.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, wherein the scanning assembly comprises at least one mirror configured to scan the light along the at least two dimensions.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising a light conditioning assembly configured to condition the scanned light.

### Claim 12 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of source elements configured to emit the light, the source elements positioned in a one-dimensional array, each of the source elements configured to emit a portion of the light representing a line of a two-dimensional image.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The waveguide display of claim 12, wherein the one-dimensional array is curved.

### Claim 14 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of source elements configured to emit the light, the source elements positioned in a two-dimensional array, each of the source elements configured to emit a portion of the light representing a portion of a two-dimensional image.

### Claim 15 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising:
a first source element configured to emit a first portion of the light having a first wavelength in a first wavelength range; and
a second source element configured to emit a second portion of the light having a second wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range.

### Claim 16 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of source elements configured to emit the light, each of the source elements emitting a portion of the light of a same wavelength.

### Claim 17 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, wherein the light is at least partially coherent.

### Claim 18 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of source elements, each of the source elements selected from a group consisting of: a light-emitting diode (LED), a MicroLED, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an organic MicroLED, and a superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED).

### Claim 19 (depends on 6)

The waveguide display of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of source elements, each of the source elements having a plurality of sides, at least two of the sides are in contact with an optical isolator configured to reduce optical interference with adjacent source elements of the plurality of source elements.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The waveguide display of claim 19, wherein the optical isolator is in contact with at least three sides of the plurality of sides.