# US 2025/0164801 A1 · Augmented reality display having multi-element adaptive lens for changing depth planes

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- Number: US 2025/0164801 A1
- Document ID: US20250164801A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/027,972
- Filed: 2025-01-17
- Published: 2025-05-22
- Earliest claimed: 2017-06-12
- Assignees: Magic Leap, Inc.
- Applicants: Magic Leap, Inc.
- Inventors: Jason Schaefer; Hui-Chuan Cheng; David Manly; Jahja I. Trisnadi; Clinton Carlisle; Michael Anthony Klug
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250164801A1

## CPC

- G02B 27/017: {Head mounted}
- G02B 27/0172: {characterised by optical features}
- G02F 1/0136: {for the control of polarisation, e.g. state of polarisation [SOP] control, polarisation scrambling, TE-TM mode conversion or separation (G02F1/0353 takes precedence)}
- G02F 1/1326: {Liquid crystal optical waveguides or liquid crystal cells specially adapted for gating or modulating between optical waveguides}
- G02F 1/29: for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
- G02B 2027/0127: {comprising devices increasing the depth of field}
- G02B 2027/014: {comprising information/image processing systems}
- G02F 1/133757: {with different alignment orientations}
- G02F 1/294: {Variable focal length devices}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS

## Abstract

In some embodiments, an augmented reality system includes at least one waveguide that is configured to receive and redirect light toward a user, and is further configured to allow ambient light from an environment of the user to pass therethrough toward the user. The augmented reality system also includes a first adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the environment, a second adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the user, and at least one processor operatively coupled to the first and second adaptive lens assemblies. Each lens assembly of the augmented reality system is selectively switchable between at least two different states in which the respective lens assembly is configured to impart at least two different optical powers to light passing therethrough, respectively. The at least one processor is configured to cause the first and second adaptive lens assemblies to synchronously switch between different states in a manner such that the first and second adaptive lens assemblies impart a substantially constant net optical power to ambient light from the environment passing therethrough.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-20. (canceled)

### Claim 21

A display device comprising:
a waveguide assembly comprising a waveguide configured to output outcoupled light along an output surface of the waveguide;
an adaptive lens assembly having a major surface facing the output surface, the adaptive lens assembly comprising:
a first waveplate lens,
a second waveplate lens, and
a switchable waveplate interposed between the first waveplate lens and the second waveplate lens, wherein the switchable waveplate is selectively switchable between:
a first state configured to pass the outcoupled light without altering a polarization state of the outcoupled light, and
a second state configured to alter the polarization state of the outcoupled light passing therethrough.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein each of the first and second waveplate lenses is configured to alter a polarization state of the outcoupled light passing therethrough, and wherein the adaptive lens assembly is configured to converge or diverge the outcoupled light based upon the polarization state of the outcoupled light as altered by the first and second waveplate lens.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein the first and second waveplate lenses have optical powers having about the same magnitude, such that when the switchable waveplate is electrically deactivated, the net optical power is about zero.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein the outcoupled light is circularly polarized light having a polarization handedness,
wherein each of the first and second waveplate lenses, and the switchable waveplate in the second state, are half waveplates configured to invert the handedness of the outcoupled light passing therethrough.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein each of the first and second waveplate lenses is configured to provide a first optical power for light having a first handedness, and to provide a second optical power for light having a second handedness opposite the first handedness.

### Claim 26 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein,
when the switchable waveplate is in the second state, the outcoupled light incident on the first waveplate lens has the same handedness as the outcoupled light incident on the second waveplate,
while when the switchable waveplate is in the first state, the outcoupled light incident on the first waveplate lens has the opposite handedness as the outcoupled light incident on the second waveplate.

### Claim 27 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein:
when the switchable waveplate is in the second state, the first and second waveplate lenses both diverge the outcoupled light passing therethrough,
while when the switchable waveplate is in the first state, one of the first and second waveplate lenses converges the outcoupled light passing therethrough while the other of the first and second waveplate lenses diverges the outcoupled light passing therethrough.

### Claim 28 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein:
when the switchable waveplate is in the second state, the adaptive lens assembly has a net optical power having a magnitude that is about a sum of magnitudes of optical powers of the first and second waveplate lenses,
while when the switchable waveplate is in the first state, the adaptive lens assembly has a net optical power having a magnitude that is about a difference between magnitudes of optical powers of the first and second waveplate lenses.

### Claim 29 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein each of the first and second waveplate lenses and the switchable waveplate comprises elongated liquid crystal molecules elongated in different elongation directions and having different angles of rotation.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The display device of claim 29, wherein the switchable waveplates comprises liquid crystals.

### Claim 31 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein each of the first and second waveplate lenses comprises liquid crystal molecules having angles of rotation that are proportional to a radial distance from an optical axis of the adaptive lens assembly to the liquid crystal molecules.

### Claim 32 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein, in the second state, the switchable waveplate comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) layer comprising a plurality of chiral structures,
wherein each chiral structure comprises a plurality of liquid crystal molecules that extend in a layer depth direction by at least a helical pitch and are successively rotated in a first rotation direction.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The display device of claim 32, wherein the helical pitch is a length in the layer depth direction corresponding to a net rotation angle of the liquid crystal molecules of the chiral structures by one full rotation in the first rotation direction.

### Claim 34 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein the adaptive lens assembly comprises a plurality of waveplate lenses and a plurality switchable waveplates.

### Claim 35 (depends on 34)

The display device of claim 34, wherein the waveplate lenses and the switchable waveplates are alternatingly stacked.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The display device of claim 35, wherein different ones of the switchable waveplates and waveplate lenses have different optical powers.

### Claim 37 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, when activated, the switchable waveplate comprises a Pancharatnani-Berry (PB) optical element (PBOE).

### Claim 38 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein the waveguide assembly comprises a stack of waveguides, wherein each waveguide is configured to output light, and wherein the adaptive lens assembly is disposed facing output surfaces of each of the waveguides.

### Claim 39 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, further comprising a micro-display, wherein the one or more waveguides are configured to receive and redirect light from the micro-display toward an eye of user upon wearing of the display device by the user.

### Claim 40 (depends on 21)

The display device of claim 21, wherein the waveguide is configured to incouple light representing virtual content and to outcouple the incoupled light toward an eye of user upon wearing of the display device by the user,
wherein the display device is configured to cause the adaptive lens assembly to switch between different states from among a quantity of different states to adjust a depth plane of the virtual content perceived by the user.