# US 11,994,679 B2 · RGB illuminator system having curved surfaces

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- Number: US 11,994,679 B2
- Document ID: US11994679B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/125,958
- Filed: 2020-12-17
- Published: 2021-06-10
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-18
- Assignees: Magic Leap, Inc.
- Applicants: Magic Leap, Inc.
- Inventors: Bradley Jay Sissom; Clinton Carlisle
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11994679B2

## CPC

- G02B 27/0172: {characterised by optical features}
- G02B 27/0994: {Fibers, light pipes (optical fibers per se G02B6/02)}
- F21V 5/043: {the lens having cylindrical faces, e.g. rod lenses, toric lenses}
- F21V 7/06: with parabolic curvature
- F21V 9/08: for producing coloured light, e.g. monochromatic; for reducing intensity of light (with provision for controlling the colour F21V9/40)
- F21V 13/04: the elements being reflectors and refractors {(for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40)}
- G02B 19/0028: {refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems}
- G02B 27/0905: {Dividing and/or superposing multiple light beams}
- G02B 27/0966: {Cylindrical lenses (cylindrical lenses per se G02B3/06)}
- G02B 27/0983: {being curved}
- G02B 27/30: Collimators
- H01S 5/02253: using lenses
- H01S 5/4093: {Red, green and blue [RGB] generated directly by laser action or by a combination of laser action with nonlinear frequency conversion}
- F21Y 2115/30: Semiconductor lasers
- G02B 19/0057: {in the form of a laser diode array, e.g. laser diode bar (semiconductor laser arrays with beam combining arrangement H01S5/4012)}
- G02B 2027/011: {comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion}
- G02B 2027/0112: {comprising device for genereting colour display}
- H01S 5/0071: {for beam steering, e.g. using a mirror outside the cavity to change the beam direction}
- H01S 5/02216: Butterfly-type, i.e. with electrode pins extending horizontally from the housings
- H01S 5/02325: Mechanically integrated components on mount members or optical micro-benches
- H01S 5/02469: {Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC}
- H01S 5/06216: {Pulse modulation or generation}
- H01S 5/0683: by monitoring the optical output parameters
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED

## Abstract

An optical device includes two or more light sources configured for providing input light beams having different wavelengths. The optical device also has a curved reflective element configured to receive the input light beams to provide two or more reflected light beams. The optical device also has a cylindrical lens for each of the reflected light beams configured to transmit each of the reflected light beams to provide a corresponding collimated output light beam.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical device comprising:
a first light source for emitting a first input light beam;
a second light source for emitting a second input light beam;
a third light source for emitting a third input light beam;
a curved reflective element configured to:
receive the first input light beam and provide a first reflected light beam;
receive the second input light beam and provide a second reflected light beam; and
receive the third input light beam and provide a third reflected light beam;
a first cylindrical lens disposed in a first light path of the first reflected light beam and configured to receive the first reflected light beam and provide a first collimated output light beam;
a second cylindrical lens disposed in a second light path of the second reflected light beam and configured to receive the second reflected light beam and provide a second collimated output light beam;
a third cylindrical lens disposed in a third light path of the third reflected light beam and configured to receive the third reflected light beam and provide a third collimated output light beam; and
a planar waveguide positioned to receive the first collimated output light beam, the second collimated output light beam, and the third collimated output light beam.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The optical device of claim 1, wherein:
the first light source comprises a red laser light source;
the second light source comprises a green laser light source; and
the third light source comprises a blue laser light source.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The optical device of claim 1, wherein the first input light beam, the second input light beam, and the third input light beam are configured to impinge on the curved reflective element in different regions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The optical device of claim 1, wherein the curved reflective element has a single prescription in different regions.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The optical device of claim 1, wherein the curved reflective element is configured to have discrete prescriptions in incidence locations on the curved reflective element for the first input light beam, the second input light beam, and the third input light beam, respectively, wherein at least one of the discrete prescriptions differs from another one of the discrete prescriptions.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The optical device of claim 1, wherein the curved reflective element has a parabolic surface contour.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The optical device of claim 1, wherein the curved reflective element has a prescription described by:
z=cy2/1+√{square root over (1−(1+k)c2y2)}+α1y2+α2y4++α3y6+α4y8+α5y10+α6y12
wherein c is a curvature of a base radius, k is a conic constant (for parabola=−1), and coefficients α are polynomial aspheric coefficients.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The optical device of claim 1, wherein the curved reflective element has a discrete surface finish in each region of the curved reflective element.

### Claim 9

An optical device, comprising:
two or more light sources configured for providing input light beams having different wavelengths;
a curved reflective element configured to receive the input light beams to provide two or more reflected light beams;
a cylindrical lens for each of the reflected light beams configured to transmit a respective one of the reflected light beams to provide a corresponding collimated output light beam; and
a planar waveguide positioned to receive each collimated output light beam.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The optical device of claim 9, wherein:
a first light source comprises a red laser light source;
a second light source comprises a green laser light source; and
a third light source comprises a blue laser light source.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The optical device of claim 9, wherein each of the input light beams is configured to impinge on the curved reflective element in different regions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The optical device of claim 9, wherein the curved reflective element is configured to have discrete prescriptions in incidence locations on the curved reflective element for each of the input light beams, wherein at least one of the discrete prescriptions differs from another one of the discrete prescriptions.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The optical device of claim 9, wherein the curved reflective element has a prescription described by:
z=cy2/1+√{square root over (1−(1+k)c2y2)}+α1y2+α2y4++α3y6+α4y8+α5y10+α6y12
wherein c is a curvature of a base radius, k is a conic constant (for parabola=−1), and coefficients α are polynomial aspheric coefficients.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The optical device of claim 9, wherein the curved reflective element has a discrete surface finishing in each region of the curved reflective element.

### Claim 15

A method for generating illumination having a plurality of wavelengths, comprising:
providing a curved reflective element;
providing two or more cylindrical lenses;
receiving input light beams having different wavelengths from two or more light sources at the curved reflective element to provide two or more reflected light beams;
transmitting each of the two or more reflected light beams through a respective cylindrical lens to provide a corresponding collimated output light beam; and
directing each collimated output light beam into a planar waveguide.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
emitting a red light beam from a first light source;
emitting a green light beam from a second light source; and
emitting a blue light beam from a third light source.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising directing each of the input light beams to impinge on the curved reflective element in different regions.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring the curved reflective element to have discrete prescriptions in incidence locations on the curved reflective element for each of the input light beams, wherein at least one of the discrete prescriptions differs from another one of the discrete prescriptions.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the curved reflective element has a prescription described by:
z=cy2/1+√{square root over (1−(1+k)c2y2)}+α1y2+α2y4++α3y6+α4y8+α5y10+α6y12
wherein c is a curvature of a base radius, k is a conic constant (for parabola=−1), and coefficients α are polynomial aspheric coefficients.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising applying a discrete surface finishing in each region of the curved reflective element.