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: A near eye display including: a first optical waveguide having a direction of elongation, at least one pair of parallel faces, and a first coupling-out mechanism; a second optical waveguide having an input aperture, a pair of parallel faces, and a second coupling out-mechanism; an optical coupling between the first optical waveguide and the second waveguide, the optical coupling including at least an air gap configured to enable total internal reflection within the first waveguide, and an interface window, the interface window comprising a transparent optical element with a refractive index substantially the same as a refractive index of the second optical waveguide; and wherein at least a portion of the interface window projects beyond the input aperture of the second optical waveguide such that undesired light exiting the first waveguide is prevented from entering the second waveguide.

Abstract: A near-eye display comprised of a projector having an exit aperture through which is transmitted a plurality of rays including a first and second extreme ray defining opposite ends of an image angular field of view and the physical exit aperture, and a chief ray defining a midpoint of the image angular field view. The near-eye display further includes a light-guide optical element (LOE) having first and second parallel surfaces along a length thereof, and a reflector angled obliquely relative to the pair of parallel surfaces. The near eye display is arranged such that each of the plurality of rays follows a light path comprised of entering the LOE through the first parallel surface at a predetermined entry point, reflecting off the LOE's first parallel surface at a predetermined reflection point, and subsequently undergoing total internal reflection within the LOE, wherein the reflection point of the first extreme ray is located beyond the entry point of the second extreme ray.

Abstract: A laser package is described, the laser package comprising at least a first laser diode set having at least two laser diodes emitting light beams of a first color, at least a second laser diode set having at least two laser diodes emitting light beams of a second color, and a beam combiner.

Abstract: A collimated image projector that receives light from an illuminating source and propagates the light along a light path towards an exit pupil, the projector comprising: a first homogeneous dielectric polarizing beam splitter (PBS) deployed along the light path and defining a first transition from a first light path segment to a second light path segment; a second homogeneous dielectric PBS deployed parallel to the first PBS along the second light path segment and defining a second transition from the second light path segment to a third light path segment; and collimating optics deployed along the light path after the second PBS so as to direct a collimated image towards the exit pupil; wherein the first and second PBSs are deployed such that either the first and second transitions are both performed via transmission, or the first and second transitions are both performed via reflection.

Abstract: An optical assembly for optical aperture expansion combines facet reflective technology with diffractive technology. At least two diffractive components having opposite optical power (matching) are used, so that chromatic dispersion introduced by the first diffractive component will then be cancelled by the second diffractive component. The two diffractive components are used in combination with a reflective optical component to achieve more efficient aperture expansion (for near eye display), reducing distortions and noise, while also reducing design constraints on the system and individual components, as compared to conventional techniques. The assembly eliminates and/or reduces the need for polarization management, while enabling wider field of view. In addition, embodiments can have reduced nonuniformity, as compared to conventional single technology implementations, since the distortion patterns of the two technologies do not correlate.

Abstract: An optical system includes a light-guide optical element (LOE) with a pair of parallel major external surfaces for guiding image light by internal reflection and a lateral coupling-in surface. An image projector includes a prism with a first surface associated with an illumination arrangement, a second surface associated with a reflective spatial light modulator (SLM), a third surface having a quarter-wave plate and a reflective collimating lens, and a fourth surface optically coupled to the coupling-in surface of the LOE. A polarizing beam splitter (PBS) is arranged within the prism to define a light path from the illumination arrangement via the SLM and the collimating lens to the coupling-in surface of the LOE. A fifth surface of the prism forms a continuation of one of the major external surfaces of the LOE.

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 an illumination arrangement with a number of illumination sources and a tilt-mirror assembly, all operating under control of a controller. An optical arrangement directs illumination from the illumination sources towards the mirror and on to an image plane. A collimating arrangement collimates the illumination from the image plane to generate a collimated image directed to an exit stop. The controller (830) modulates an intensity of each of the illumination sources (808) synchronously with tilt motion of the mirror (814) according to the content of the digital image. In certain implementations, the illumination sources (808) are spaced apart. Although the tilt motion brings each illumination source to scans across only part of a dimension of the field of view, all of the illumination sources together scans across the entirety of the one dimension.

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: At various positions in an eye motion box (EMB) an output image from an optical device can be captured and analyzed for detection and evaluation of image propagation via the optical device. Optical testing along a specific axis can evaluate optical engine transfer function uniformity across facet's active area, detect the existence and degree of “smearing” of a projected image from an optical device, and detect the existence and degree of a “white stripes” (WS) phenomenon related to scattering and diffraction in the wedge-to-LOE interface. A variety of metrics can be derived for quality control and feedback into the production system, and for disposition of the optical devices.

Abstract: Binocular augmented reality display devices and corresponding methods allow alignment calibration to be performed by an end user. According to one approach, a camera is positioned to have a field of view which includes simultaneously part of a projected image from the left-eye display and part of a projected image from the right-eye display. By projecting via each display at least part of a calibration image and identifying within the camera-sampled image right-field and left-field alignment features, an alignment correction can be derived. Alternative approaches employ correlation of images sampled by forward-looking cameras rigidly associated with the respective right-eye and left-eye display units, or require a user to input a manual adjustment for aligning transversely-swapped camera images with the real world view.

Abstract: A display includes a light-guide optical element (LOE) (20) and a projector arrangement (10a) for injecting an image into the LOE so as to propagate within the LOE by internal reflection at a pair of major faces. The image is coupled out from the LOE by a coupling-out arrangement, exemplified here as internal partially-reflecting surfaces (22b). The image is coupled out from the LOE in a direction away from the eye of the observer (24b), and a reflector (30) reflects the coupled-out image back through the LOE (32), towards the eye of the observer (26). Reflector (30) is preferably a selective partial reflector, and may be convex to provide a desired apparent image distance.

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 assembly for optical aperture expansion combines facet reflective technology with diffractive technology. At least two diffractive components having opposite optical power (matching) are used, so that chromatic dispersion introduced by the first diffractive component will then be cancelled by the second diffractive component. The two diffractive components are used in combination with a reflective optical component to achieve more efficient aperture expansion (for near eye display), reducing distortions and noise, while also reducing design constraints on the system and individual components, as compared to conventional techniques. The assembly eliminates and/or reduces the need for polarization management, while enabling wider field of view. In addition, embodiments can have reduced nonuniformity, as compared to conventional single technology implementations, since the distortion patterns of the two technologies do not correlate.

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 near-eye display includes a light-guide optical element (LOE) (10) having first and second major external surfaces (11A, 11B) that are planar and mutually parallel. An image projector (2) introduces into the LOE illumination corresponding to an image so that the illumination propagates within said LOE by internal reflection at the major external surfaces. A coupling-out arrangement couples the illumination out of the LOE towards the eye of the observer. The coupling-out arrangement may be a set of mutually-parallel, partially-reflective surfaces (12A) deployed at an oblique angle within the LOE. Various arrangements for suppressing reflections of ambient light sources include obstructing baffles oriented so as to avoid reduction of peripheral field of view, various non-reflective coatings and various deployments of polarization filters.

Abstract: An optical aperture expansion arrangement particularly useful for near-eye displays employs a waveguide (30, 140, 145) with wedge configurations (25, 26) to generate two modes of propagation of image illumination along the waveguide, and to couple out both modes from the waveguide. Various embodiments employ rectangular waveguides within which the image illumination propagates by four-fold internal reflection. In some cases, the wedge configurations are combined with an array of partially-reflective internal surfaces (45, 150) to achieve two-dimensional aperture expansion.

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.