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US 11,153,512 B1Granted
Imaging and display with ellipsoidal lensing structure
AssigneeFacebook Technologies, LLC
InventorsRobin Sharma, Andrew John Ouderkirk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An eye is illuminated with light propagating substantially normal to a pupil plane of the eye. Illuminating the eye includes illuminating an ellipsoidal combiner that has a foci at a center of rotation of the eye. The light propagates through the pupil to become incident on the retina.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- activating an infrared light source that emits infrared illumination light;
- illuminating an eye with the infrared illumination light propagating substantially normal to a pupil plane of the eye, wherein illuminating the eye includes illuminating an ellipsoidal lensing structure, wherein the ellipsoidal lensing structure is configured to have a first foci that is positioned at a center of rotation of the eye, wherein the ellipsoidal lensing structure is an ellipsoidal combiner configured to pass visible light to the eye and to redirect the infrared illumination light to the eye;
- and
- generating a retinal image from reflected infrared light, wherein the reflected infrared light is the infrared illumination light reflected by a retina of the eye and exiting a pupil of the eye, and wherein the ellipsoidal lensing structure redirects the reflected infrared light to a light sensor that facilitates generating the retinal image.
1 more element
A near-eye optical system for imaging a retina, the near-eye optical system comprising:
- an infrared light source configured to emit infrared illumination light;
- an ellipsoidal combiner configured to redirect the infrared illumination light to an eyebox location and to pass visible light to the eyebox, the ellipsoidal combiner including an ellipsoidal lensing structure having a first foci and a second foci, wherein the ellipsoidal combiner is configured to be positioned relative to the eyebox location where the first foci of the ellipsoidal lensing structure is positioned approximately at a center of rotation of an eye placed in the eyebox location;
- a light sensor configured to receive reflected infrared light reflected by a retina and exiting a pupil of an eye placed in the eyebox location, wherein the ellipsoidal lensing structure is configured to redirect the reflected infrared light to the light sensor;
- and
- a beam-steering element configured to selectively redirect the infrared illumination light to the ellipsoidal combiner and configured to redirect the reflected infrared light to the light sensor.
2 more elements
A near-eye display comprising:
- a light source configured to emit display light;
- an ellipsoidal combiner configured to redirect the display light to an eyebox location and configured to reflect infrared light to the eyebox location, the ellipsoidal combiner including an ellipsoidal lensing structure having a first foci and a second foci, wherein the ellipsoidal combiner is configured to be positioned relative to an eyebox location where the first foci of the ellipsoidal lensing structure is positioned approximately at a center of rotation of an eye placed in the eyebox location;
- a scanner configured to raster scan the display light to two-dimensional coordinates on the ellipsoidal combiner to present an image to the eye placed in the eyebox location;
- and
- processing logic configured to receive eye-tracking data from an eye-tracking module and configured to drive the scanner to raster scan the display light to the two-dimensional coordinates corresponding with an eye-position included in the eye-tracking data, wherein the eye-tracking data is at least partially based on the infrared light.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.