Patents by Inventor Bernard C. Kress
Bernard C. Kress has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10365491Abstract: An apparatus comprising a diffractive combiner having a front side, a back side, and a combiner optical axis running substantially through the diffractive combiner and normal to the back side. A display unit having a display optical axis that directs the display light along the display optical axis toward the diffractive combiner. An eye-tracking sensor having a sensor optical axis that is positioned to receive eye-tracking radiation reflected by the diffractive combiner along the sensor optical axis. The combiner optical axis, the display optical axis, and the sensor optical axis intersect each other at the diffractive combiner.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2017Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Bernard C. Kress, Hayes S. Raffle
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Patent number: 10261320Abstract: Examples are disclosed that relate to mixed reality display devices. One example provides a head-mounted display device comprising, a display, a lens system, and a curved Fresnel combiner. The curved Fresnel combiner is configured to direct light received from the display via the lens system toward an eyebox, and is at least partially transmissive to background light.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2016Date of Patent: April 16, 2019Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Bernard C. Kress, R. Andrew Wall
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Patent number: 10247946Abstract: A Head Mounted Display (“HMD”) includes a display module to generate image light, an optical combiner, a stacked switchable lens, and control circuitry. The optical combiner combines the image light with external scene light. The optical combiner includes a reflective element coupled to receive the image light and direct the image light in an eye-ward direction. The stacked switchable lens is optically coupled to receive the image light. The stacked switchable lens includes at least a first switching optic and a second switching optic. The control circuitry is configured to selectively activate the first switching optic and the second switching optic. The first switching optic is configured to direct the image light toward a first eyeward region when activated by the control circuitry. The second switching optic is configured to direct the image light toward a second eyeward region when activated by the control circuitry.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2017Date of Patent: April 2, 2019Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Patent number: 10180769Abstract: A method of in-eye icon projection using an electronic device includes emitting light with a light source in response to detecting an image condition. The light is then projected onto a diffraction grating, and the diffraction grating, when illuminated with the light, produces image light of a fixed icon. An image of the fixed icon is formed in an eye of a user, and the image of the fixed icon occupies only part of the user's field of view. The image light has a limited divergence such that the image of the fixed icon is only viewable in a single user's field of view.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2016Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Alex Olwal, Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Publication number: 20180252857Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for an optical waveguide display configured for use with a near-eye display (NED) device. In an embodiment the waveguide display includes a light-transmissive substrate and an optical coupling element configured to input light rays to the substrate or output light rays from the substrate, the optical coupling element configured to deflect a plurality of wavelengths of an incident light ray collinearly for propagation within the light-transmissive substrate through total internal reflection (TIR). The optical coupling element can include a pattern of nano-structures that collectively form a metasurface on the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2017Publication date: September 6, 2018Inventors: Eliezer Glik, Hagar Edelstain, Bernard C. Kress
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Patent number: 10031339Abstract: An optical combiner includes an off-axis spatially multiplexed lens optically coupled to receive image light and direct the image light in an eye-ward direction. The off-axis spatially multiplexed lens includes a first sub-lens multiplexed with a second sub-lens. The first sub-lens and the sub-lens are configured to direct the image light to designated eyeward-regions.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2016Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: Google LLCInventors: Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Publication number: 20180203231Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include a display device including substantially transparent substrates, a lenslet array including substantially transparent lenslets disposed between the plurality of transparent substrates, and light sources disposed between the substantially transparent substrates. The light sources are operable to emit light towards respective lenslets of the lenslet array, and the lenslet array is configured to render a digital image by reflecting the emitted light towards the light sources.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2017Publication date: July 19, 2018Inventors: Eliezer GLIK, Cynthia BELL, Bernard C. KRESS
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Patent number: 9915823Abstract: An eyepiece for a head wearable display includes a lightguide component for guiding display light and emitting the display light along at a viewing region. The light guide component includes an input surface oriented to receive the display light into the lightguide component at the peripheral location, a first folding surface disposed to reflect the display light received through the input surface, a second folding surface disposed to reflect the display light received from the first folding surface, an eye-ward facing surface disposed opposite to the second folding surface to reflect the display light received from the second folding surface, and a curved reflective surface having reflective optical power disposed at the viewing region to receive the display light reflected from the eye-ward facing surface and to reflect the display light for emission out through the eye-ward facing surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2014Date of Patent: March 13, 2018Assignee: Google LLCInventors: Bernard C. Kress, Ehsan Saeedi, Adam E. Norton, Edouard Schmidtlin
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Publication number: 20180003972Abstract: Examples are disclosed that relate to mixed reality display devices. One example provides a head-mounted display device comprising, a display, a lens system, and a curved Fresnel combiner. The curved Fresnel combiner is configured to direct light received from the display via the lens system toward an eyebox, and is at least partially transmissive to background light.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2016Publication date: January 4, 2018Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, R. Andrew Wall
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Publication number: 20170235145Abstract: A Head Mounted Display (“HMD”) includes a display module to generate image light, an optical combiner, a stacked switchable lens, and control circuitry. The optical combiner combines the image light with external scene light. The optical combiner includes a reflective element coupled to receive the image light and direct the image light in an eye-ward direction. The stacked switchable lens is optically coupled to receive the image light. The stacked switchable lens includes at least a first switching optic and a second switching optic. The control circuitry is configured to selectively activate the first switching optic and the second switching optic. The first switching optic is configured to direct the image light toward a first eyeward region when activated by the control circuitry. The second switching optic is configured to direct the image light toward a second eyeward region when activated by the control circuitry.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2017Publication date: August 17, 2017Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Patent number: 9671612Abstract: A Head Mounted Display (“HMD”) includes a display module, an optical combiner, control circuitry, and a lens. The display module generates image light and the optical combiner is for combining the image light with external scene light. The lens is positioned to receive the image light. The lens is capable of dynamically changing at least one lens property of the lens. The control circuitry controls the lens to dynamically change at least one lens property of the lens.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2014Date of Patent: June 6, 2017Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Patent number: 9658453Abstract: An apparatus comprising a diffractive combiner having a front side, a rear surface, and an optical axis running substantially through the center of the diffractive combiner and normal to the back side. A display unit directs display light toward the back side of the diffractive combiner; the display unit positioned at a first angle relative to the optical axis, and the display light having a first range of wavelengths. An eye-tracking sensor receives eye-tracking radiation reflected by the back side of the diffractive combiner, the eye-tracking sensor positioned next to the display unit at a second angle relative to the optical axis, the second angle being different than the first angle and the eye-tracking radiation having a wavelength outside the first range of wavelengths. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2013Date of Patent: May 23, 2017Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Hayes S. Raffle
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Publication number: 20170123207Abstract: A prescriptive see-through eyepiece includes a meniscus lens body and an optical combiner. The meniscus lens body has an external scene side with a convex curvature and an eye-ward side with a concave curvature. The optical combiner is disposed within the meniscus lens body to combine image light incident through the eye-ward side with external scene light incident through the external scene side into a combined image. The optical combiner is partially reflective and imparts substantially no lensing power to the external scene light passing through. The optical combiner along with the concave curvature of the eye-ward side are configured to impart prescriptive lensing to the image light while the convex curvature of the external scene side and the concave curvature of the eye-ward side are configured to impart the prescriptive lensing to the external scene light.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2015Publication date: May 4, 2017Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Adam E. Norton
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Patent number: 9632312Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a first optical element having an eye-ward facing surface and an external world facing surface substantially opposite of the eye-ward facing surface. The optical apparatus also includes a diffractive optical element (“DOE”) disposed to substantially follow a curvature of the eye-ward facing surface of the first optical element. The DOE includes a partially reflective diffraction grating configured to direct a portion of image light in an eye-ward direction where the image light is incident through an eye facing side of the DOE. The curvature of the eye-ward facing surface of the first optical element has an optical power configured to collimate the image light within an eyebox sized area.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2013Date of Patent: April 25, 2017Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Ozan Cakmakci, Anurag Gupta, Bernard C. Kress
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Patent number: 9551872Abstract: An optical combiner includes an off-axis spatially multiplexed lens optically coupled to receive image light and direct the image light in an eye-ward direction. The off-axis spatially multiplexed lens includes a first sub-lens multiplexed with a second sub-lens. The first sub-lens and the sub-lens are configured to direct the image light to designated eyeward-regions.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2013Date of Patent: January 24, 2017Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Publication number: 20160377871Abstract: An optical combiner includes an off-axis spatially multiplexed lens optically coupled to receive image light and direct the image light in an eye-ward direction. The off-axis spatially multiplexed lens includes a first sub-lens multiplexed with a second sub-lens. The first sub-lens and the sub-lens are configured to direct the image light to designated eyeward-regions.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 22, 2016Publication date: December 29, 2016Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Patent number: 9442291Abstract: An optical combiner for a head-wearable display includes an eyepiece body and a plurality of diffractive optical element (“DOE”) segments. The eyepiece body has an eye-ward side and an external scene side. The DOE segments are disposed within the eyepiece body and are at least partially reflective to image light incident through the eye-ward side of the eyepiece body and at least partially transmissive to external scene light incident through the external scene side of the eyepiece body. The DOE segments are disjoint from each other and each is disposed along a different disjoint surface within the eyepiece body that is oriented at a different angle relative to the other DOE segments. The plurality of DOE segments operate to magnify and reflect the image light incident from an off-axis position to an eyebox sized area.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2013Date of Patent: September 13, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Marc Andrew Martinez, Ehsan Saeedi, Bernard C. Kress
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Patent number: 9341850Abstract: An optical apparatus for a see-through near-to-eye display includes a diffractive optical combiner, one or more refractive correction lenses, and a diffractive correction element. The diffractive optical combiner has an eye-ward side and an external scene side and includes a reflective diffraction grating that is at least partially reflective to image light incident through the eye-ward side and at least partially transmissive to external scene light incident through the external scene side. The one or more refractive correction lenses are disposed in an optical path of the image light to aid in pre-correcting aberrations induced in the image light after reflection off of the diffractive optical combiner. The diffractive correction element is disposed in the optical path of the image light to pre-compensate for lateral color aberrations induced in the image light after reflection off of the diffractive optical combiner.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2013Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Ozan Cakmakci, Anurag Gupta, Bernard C. Kress
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Publication number: 20150212326Abstract: A Head Mounted Display (“HMD”) includes a display module, an optical combiner, control circuitry, and a lens. The display module generates image light and the optical combiner is for combining the image light with external scene light. The lens is positioned to receive the image light. The lens is capable of dynamically changing at least one lens property of the lens. The control circuitry controls the lens to dynamically change at least one lens property of the lens.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2014Publication date: July 30, 2015Applicant: Google Inc.Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Greg E. Priest-Dorman
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Patent number: 9057826Abstract: An optical apparatus includes an optical combiner, an image lens, and an external scene lens. The optical combiner has an eye-ward side and an external scene side and includes a partially reflective diffraction grating that is at least partially reflective to image light incident through the eye-ward side and at least partially transmissive to external scene light incident through the external scene side. A first mount is positioned to hold the image lens in an optical path of the image light to apply a first corrective prescription to the image light. A second mount is positioned to hold an external scene lens over the external scene side of the optical combiner to apply a second corrective prescription to the external scene light. The optical combiner combines the image light with the scene light to form a combined image that is corrected according to the first and second corrective prescriptions.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2013Date of Patent: June 16, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Anurag Gupta, Greg E. Priest-Dorman, Bernard C. Kress