Abstract: An image projector includes a spatial light modulator (SLM) with a two dimensional array of pixel elements controllable to modulate a property of light transmitted or reflected by the pixel elements. An illumination arrangement delivers illumination to the SLM. A collimating arrangement collimates illumination from the SLM to generate a collimated image directed to an exit stop. The illumination arrangement is configured to sequentially illuminate regions of the SLM, each corresponding to a multiple pixel elements. A controller synchronously controls the pixel elements and the illumination arrangement so as to project a collimated image with pixel intensities corresponding to a digital image.

Abstract: Specific management of configuration of overlap of facets reduces non-uniformity in an image outcoupled toward a nominal point of observation. A waveguide including at least two parallel surfaces, first, middle, and last partially reflecting facets are configured such that in a geometrical projection of the facets onto one of the surfaces the facets overlap, preferably with adjacent facets overlapping and non-adjacent facets starts and ends coinciding along at least a portion of the waveguide.

Abstract: A transparent substrate has two parallel faces and guides collimated image light by internal reflection. A first set of internal surfaces is deployed within the substrate oblique to the parallel faces. A second set of internal surfaces is deployed within the substrate parallel to, interleaved and in overlapping relation with the first set of internal surfaces. Each of the internal surfaces of the first set includes a first coating having a first reflection characteristic to be at least partially reflective to at least a first subset of components of incident light. Each of the internal surfaces of the second set includes a second coating having a second reflection characteristic complementary to the first reflection characteristic to be at least partially reflective to at least a second subset of components of incident light. The sets of internal surfaces cooperate to reflect all components of light from the first and second subsets.

Abstract: A near-eye display for displaying an image to a viewer has enhanced laser efficiency and enhanced eye-safety features. The display includes a laser source which generates one or more laser spots and a scan driver which scans the laser spots across an image field. The electrical energy consumption is minimized by modulating the laser source at 3 power levels—a near-zero level, a near-threshold level, and a lasing level—and by synchronizing the modulation with the scan driver. In another embodiment, the laser module generates two or more laser spots which scan non-overlapping lines on the image field. The scanning is configured to prevent the light intensity at the eye of a viewer from exceeding eye-safety levels, even in the event of a scanning malfunction.

Abstract: A lightguide optical element (LOE) configured for polarization scrambling is provided. The LOE includes a transparent substrate having a first refractive index, the substrate having a pair of parallel external surfaces configured to propagate light within the LOE through total internal reflection (TIR), and a plurality of mutually parallel partially reflective internal surfaces, those being non-parallel to the pair of parallel external surfaces and configured to couple out said light to a viewer. The LOE further includes a first coating on at least one external surface of the substrate, the first coating being of a coating material having a second refractive index higher than the first refractive index; The LOE further includes an antireflective (AR) coating on at least one external surface of the substrate over the first coating.

Abstract: An optical aperture multiplier includes a first optical waveguide (10) having a rectangular cross-section and including partially reflecting surfaces (40) at an oblique angle to a direction of elongation of the waveguide. A second optical waveguide (20), also including partially reflecting surfaces (45) at an oblique angle, is optically coupled with the first optical waveguide (10). An image coupled into the first optical waveguide with an initial direction of propagation at an oblique coupling angle advances by four-fold internal reflection along the first optical waveguide, with a proportion of intensity of the image reflected at the partially reflecting surfaces so as to be coupled into the second optical waveguide, and then propagates through two-fold reflection within the second optical waveguide, with a proportion of intensity of the image reflected at the partially reflecting surfaces so as to be directed outwards from one of the parallel faces as a visible image.

Abstract: A system for uniform optical illumination of an image light provider in a smaller (compact) configuration than conventional implementations includes a lightguide having: a first external surface and a second external surface mutually parallel, and a first sequence of facets, at least a portion of which are: a plurality of parallel, partially reflecting, and polarization selective surfaces, at an oblique angle relative to the first and second external surfaces, and between the first and second external surfaces, and a front-lit reflective polarization rotating image modulator: deployed to spatially modulate light coupled-out from the first external surface, outputting reflected light corresponding to an image, and deployed such that the reflected light traverses the lightguide from the first external surface via the first sequence of facets to the second external surface.

Abstract: An image projector includes a spatial light modulator (SLM) with a two dimensional array of pixel elements controllable to modulate a property of light transmitted or reflected by the pixel elements. An illumination arrangement delivers illumination to the SLM. A collimating arrangement collimates illumination from the SLM to generate a collimated image directed to an exit stop. The illumination arrangement is configured to sequentially illuminate regions of the SLM, each corresponding to a multiple pixel elements. A controller synchronously controls the pixel elements and the illumination arrangement so as to project a collimated image with pixel intensities corresponding to a digital image.

Abstract: A transparent substrate has two parallel faces and guides collimated image light by internal reflection. A first set of internal surfaces is deployed within the substrate oblique to the parallel faces. A second set of internal surfaces is deployed within the substrate parallel to, interleaved and in overlapping relation with the first set of internal surfaces. Each of the internal surfaces of the first set includes a first coating having a first reflection characteristic to be at least partially reflective to at least a first subset of components of incident light. Each of the internal surfaces of the second set includes a second coating having a second reflection characteristic complementary to the first reflection characteristic to be at least partially reflective to at least a second subset of components of incident light. The sets of internal surfaces cooperate to reflect all components of light from the first and second subsets.

Abstract: A near-eye display for displaying an image to a viewer has enhanced laser efficiency and enhanced eye-safety features. The display includes a laser source which generates one or more laser spots and a scan driver which scans the laser spots across an image field. The electrical energy consumption is minimized by modulating the laser source at 3 power levels —a near-zero level, a near-threshold level, and a lasing level—and by synchronizing the modulation with the scan driver. In another embodiment, the laser module generates two or more laser spots which scan non-overlapping lines on the image field. The scanning is configured to prevent the light intensity at the eye of a viewer from exceeding eye-safety levels, even in the event of a scanning malfunction.

Abstract: An image projector with a high optical efficiency projects an image at an arbitrary distance from an observer. The image projector includes an illumination module having at least one spatially coherent light source; a phase image generator with an array of optical phase shifting elements; an electronic image controller connected electrically to the phase image generator; and a waveguide which includes at least one embedded partial reflector. The waveguide may be positioned either between the illumination module and the waveguide, or between the waveguide and the observer. The phase image generator may include phase shifts for canceling speckle, correcting optical aberrations, and/or compensating interference caused by light rays having different optical path lengths.

Abstract: An optical system including a light-guide optical element (LOE) with first and second sets (204, 206) of mutually-parallel, partially-reflecting surfaces at different orientations. Both sets of partially-reflecting surfaces are located between parallel major external surfaces. A third set of at least partially-reflecting surfaces (202), deployed at the coupling-in region, receive image illumination injected from a projector (2) with an optical aperture having a first in-plane width and direct the image illumination via reflection of at least part of the image illumination at the third set of at least partially-reflective facets towards the first set of partially-reflective facets with an effective optical aperture having a second width larger than the first width.

Abstract: A display and method for providing an image to an eye of a viewer is provided. The display comprises at least two projector assemblies. Each projector assembly comprises a light-guide optical element (LOE), and an image projector arrangement for generating a partial image and being deployed to introduce the partial image into the LOE for coupling out towards the eye of the viewer. The at least two projector assemblies cooperate to display the image to the eye of the viewer with partial overlap. The display further comprises a controller associated with the image projector arrangements and configured to reduce a pixel intensity of selected pixels in a region of partial overlap between the first and second part of the image so as to enhance a perceived uniformity of the image.

Abstract: Specific management of configuration of overlap of facets reduces non-uniformity in an image outcoupled toward a nominal point of observation. A waveguide including at least two parallel surfaces, first, middle, and last partially reflecting facets are configured such that in a geometrical projection of the facets onto one of the surfaces the facets overlap, preferably with adjacent facets overlapping and non-adjacent facets starts and ends coinciding along at least a portion of the waveguide.

Abstract: An optical waveguide combiner having an output coupler comprising an array of embedded partially reflective dielectric mirrors expanding and coupling a virtual, optionally color, image generated by a laser display engine into a user EMB, wherein the dielectric mirrors are configured having a wavelength band for each lasing band of the laser display engine that includes wavelengths of light in the lasing band and in a range of wavelengths over which the lasing band is expected to drift, a reflectivity angular range exhibiting a first reflectivity, a transmittance angular range exhibiting a second reflectivity less than the first reflectivity, and a see-thru angular transmittance range having high transmittance for natural light incident on the facets.

Abstract: An optical system includes an image redirecting arrangement with at least two reflectors to direct a collimated image from an image projector so as to propagate within a light-guide optical element (LOE) in first and second directions, to be subsequently reflected by corresponding first and second sets of partially-reflecting internal surfaces towards a coupling-out optical arrangement. A part of a field of view (FOV) adjacent to the right side of the collimated image propagating in the first direction crosses a plane of one of the sets of partially-reflecting internal surfaces or a plane parallel to the major external surfaces, thereby forming self-overlap of a part of the collimated image in a region of the field of view which does not reach the eye of a user.

Abstract: A method of polishing a target surface of a waveguide to achieve perpendicularity relative to a reference surface is disclosed. The method includes i) providing a polishing apparatus having a polishing plate with a flat surface defining a reference plane, and an adjustable mounting apparatus configured to hold the waveguide during polishing at a plurality of angular orientations; ii) positioning an optical alignment sensor and a light reflecting apparatus such that a first collimated light beam is reflected off of a surface parallel to the reference plane, and a second perpendicular collimated light beam is reflected off of the reference surface; iii) aligning the waveguide within the polishing apparatus such that the reflections received by the optical alignment sensor align within the optical alignment sensor, thereby being indicative of perpendicularity between the reference plane and the reference surface; and iv) polishing the target surface of the aligned waveguide.

Abstract: A display has an image projector projecting collimated image illumination along a projection direction, and an optical element having two major surfaces and containing partially reflective surfaces which are internal to the optical element, planar, mutually parallel and overlapping relative to the projection direction. Each ray of the collimated image illumination enters the optical element and is partially reflected by at least two of the partially reflective surfaces so as to be redirected to exit the first major surface along a viewing direction. An alternative implementation, a first reflection from one of the partially reflective surfaces redirects part of the image illumination rays so as to undergo total internal reflection at the major surfaces of the optical element. The rays are then redirected by further reflection from another of the partially reflective surfaces to exit the optical element along the viewing direction.

Abstract: A display for displaying an image to a viewer includes an image generator having an illumination subsystem generating illumination of at least a first color, the image generator employing the illumination to generate an image. Projection optics projects illumination from the image for display to the viewer. The illumination subsystem includes a first laser generating a first laser beam of the first color with a first polarization and a second laser generating a second laser beam of the first color with a second polarization. The first and second polarizations are orthogonal at at least one location within the projection optics, thereby projecting a quasi-unpolarized image.

Abstract: A light-guide optical element (LOE) includes a transparent substrate having two parallel major external surfaces for guiding light within the substrate by total internal reflection (TIR). Mutually parallel internal surfaces within the LOE are provided with a structural polarizer which is transparent to light polarized parallel to a primary polarization transmission axis, and is partially or fully reflective to light polarized perpendicular to the primary polarization transmission axis. By suitable orientation of the polarization axis of successive internal surfaces together with the polarization mixing properties of TIR and/or use of birefringent materials, it is possible to achieve the desired proportion of coupling-out of the image illumination from each successive facet.