Patents by Inventor Andrew Walls

Andrew Walls 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).

  • Publication number: 20190204595
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed that relate to a display device. One example provides a display device comprising a projector and a pre-expander optic configured to replicate an exit pupil of the projector in at least a first direction, the pre-expander optic comprising a plurality of spectrally-selective pupil-replicating elements to form at least two exit pupils at different spatial locations, each exit pupil being for a different spectral band. The display device further comprises a waveguide comprising at least two incoupling pupils, each incoupling pupil configured to receive light from a corresponding exit pupil of the pre-expander optic, and the waveguide configured to replicate each corresponding exit pupil in at least a second direction and output the light received toward an eyebox.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Tuomas Heikki Sakari Vallius, Richard Andrew Wall, Dmitry Reshidko, Heikki Juhana Hyvarinen
  • Patent number: 10310268
    Abstract: An apparatus, for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil, comprises an optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, an input-coupler and an output-coupler. The bulk-substrate includes first and second major sides and peripheral sides. The input-coupler couples, into the waveguide, light corresponding to the image associated with the input-pupil. The output-coupler couples, out of the waveguide, light corresponding to the image that has traveled through the waveguide from the input-coupler to the output-coupler at least in part by way of TIR. At least one of the peripheral sides includes first and second surfaces that define first and second planes angled 45 degrees relative to one another. Such a peripheral side provides for effective recycling of light that would otherwise leak out of the waveguide through the peripheral side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: R. Andrew Wall, Dmitry Reshidko
  • Publication number: 20190155046
    Abstract: An eye-tracking system is provided. An at least partially transparent visible light waveguide has a visible light display region configured to emit visible light to an eye of a user. A light source is configured to emit at least infrared (IR) light that travels along an IR light path to the eye of the user. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) projector positioned in the IR light path directs the IR light. At least one diffractive input coupler on an input end of the IR light path downstream of the MEMS projector diffracts at least a portion of the IR light. At least one diffractive output coupler positioned in the IR light path downstream of the diffractive input coupler receives the IR light and directs the IR light toward the eye. At least one sensor is configured to receive the IR light after being reflected by the eye.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Andrew WALL, Joseph Daniel LOWNEY, Dmitry RESHIDKO, Ian Anh NGUYEN
  • Patent number: 10261320
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, R. Andrew Wall
  • Patent number: 10222615
    Abstract: A waveguide increases the optical path of a portion of light received from a coherent light source. The waveguide includes a first element that allows light from an exit pupil of a coherent light source to enter the waveguide, and a second element that directs some of the entered light to exit the waveguide through a first set of pupils. The waveguide includes additional elements that cause the remaining light to make an additional path through the waveguide and the second element before exiting through a second set of pupils to increase the path of the exiting light. The pupils of the first set and the second set are staggered so that light exiting a pupil does not interfere with the light exiting via the neighboring pupils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Daniel Lowney, Richard Andrew Wall
  • Publication number: 20190056599
    Abstract: An eye-tracking system is provided that includes a light source configured to emit at least infrared (IR) light and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) scanning mirror configured to direct the IR light. The system further includes a relay including at least one prism, and the relay is configured to receive the IR light directed by the MEMS scanning mirror and redirect the IR light. The system further includes a waveguide through which the IR light redirected by the relay passes to reach an eye, and at least one sensor configured to receive the IR light after being reflected by the eye.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2017
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Dmitry RESHIDKO, Ian Anh NGUYEN, Richard Andrew WALL
  • Publication number: 20190050051
    Abstract: An eye-tracking system is provided. The system includes an at least partially transparent visible light waveguide having a visible light display region configured to emit visible light to impinge upon an eye of a user. A light source is configured to emit at least infrared (IR) light that travels along an IR light path to impinge on the eye. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) scanning mirror positioned in the IR light path is configured to direct the IR light along the IR light path. A relay positioned in the IR light path downstream of the MEMS scanning mirror includes at least one mirror configured to reflect the IR light along the IR light path. At least one sensor is configured to receive the IR light after being reflected by the eye.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Mark CIRUCCI, Joseph Daniel LOWNEY, Richard Andrew WALL, Dmitry RESHIDKO, Ian Anh NGUYEN
  • Publication number: 20180341045
    Abstract: A waveguide increases the optical path of a portion of light received from a coherent light source. The waveguide includes a first element that allows light from an exit pupil of a coherent light source to enter the waveguide, and a second element that directs some of the entered light to exit the waveguide through a first set of pupils. The waveguide includes additional elements that cause the remaining light to make an additional path through the waveguide and the second element before exiting through a second set of pupils to increase the path of the exiting light. The pupils of the first set and the second set are staggered so that light exiting a pupil does not interfere with the light exiting via the neighboring pupils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: Joseph Daniel LOWNEY, Richard Andrew WALL
  • Publication number: 20180324402
    Abstract: A resonating optical waveguide that increases image intensity and uniformity is provided. The waveguide includes a first diffractive optical element that allows light from an exit pupil of a projector to enter the waveguide and travel in a first direction, and a second diffractive optical element that directs some of the entered light to exit the waveguide to form an expanded pupil. Rather than allow the remaining, non-directed, light to exit at an edge of the waveguide, the optical waveguide further includes a third diffractive optical element that redirects some the remaining light back through the second diffractive optical element in a second direction where it may exit the waveguide as part of the expanded pupil. An additional fourth diffractive optical element may be included to further redirect the light through the second diffractive optical element again.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Joseph Daniel LOWNEY, Richard Andrew WALL
  • Patent number: 10108013
    Abstract: An augmented reality display system utilized in computing platforms such as wearable head-mounted display (HMD) devices includes a virtual reality display that is located in front of a user's eyes to provide a direct view of virtual world images. An optical periscope, comprising reflective or diffractive optical systems, is configured to provide an indirect view of the real world. By locating the virtual reality display (and its associated optical and electrical components) close to the user's eyes and within the user's direct line of sight, the field of view (FOV) of the virtual world is increased as compared with conventional indirect-view virtual reality displays. The optical periscope provides an FOV of the real world that would otherwise be obstructed by the positioning of the direct-view virtual reality display in front of the user's eyes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Andrew Wall, Bernard Charles Kress
  • Publication number: 20180292654
    Abstract: A light engine comprises a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panel that is operated in combination with illumination and imaging optics to project high-resolution virtual images into a waveguide-based exit pupil expander (EPE) that provides an expanded exit pupil in a near-eye display system. In an illustrative example, the illumination optics comprise a laser that produces illumination light that is reflected by a MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) scanner using raster scanning to post-scan optics including a microlens array (MLA) and one or more collimating or magnifying lenses before impinging on the LCOS panel. The LCOS panel operates in reflection in combination with imaging optics, including one or more of beam-steering mirror and beam splitter, to couple virtual image light from the LCOS panel into the EPE.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Richard Andrew Wall, Joshua Owen Miller, Tuomas Vallius, Andrew Maimone, Joel Steven Kollin
  • Patent number: 10088689
    Abstract: An optical light engine includes a pair of lenticular microlenslet arrays (MLAs) located on each side of a polarization converter. Non-polarized light from a source in the engine is focused by the first MLA onto cells of the polarization converter which converts the light to a common state of polarization to increase efficiency and improve contrast in the system. A half wave retarder is included on the polarization converter to change the polarization of any light that is reflected from downstream optical components to match that of the forward propagating light. The second MLA, which includes a relatively large number of microlenslet elements, collects the light from the polarization converter and homogenizes the light to be highly uniform when received at a downstream imaging panel in the light engine such as a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Yarn Chee Poon, Steve Robbins, Angus Wu, Jeb Wu, James Webster, Richard Andrew Wall, Richard James, Robin Hsiung, RuPing Huang, Freeway Lin
  • Publication number: 20180218420
    Abstract: A visual discovery tool for automotive manufacturing with network encryption, data conditioning, and prediction can include an extraction device configured to receive data records from application-specific file source databases. The tool can further include a vehicle alert database that receives the vehicle records from the plurality of extraction databases. The visual discovery tool can include at least one hardware processor in communication with the extraction device and the vehicle alert database. The tool can be configured to selectively restrict access to an interactive display based on whether a client device receives authorization credentials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Jeffrey Stuart Cotton, Boyd Hodson Warner, Tom Andrew Walls, Levko Zhuravchak, Dan Christian Milius, Jeff Keith Faulkner, Mike Phillip Dullea
  • Patent number: 10025093
    Abstract: A near eye or heads up display system includes a scan beam projector engine, an optical waveguide, and an exit pupil expander (EPE) optically coupled between the scan beam projector engine and the optical waveguide. The EPE improves the optical performance of the display system. The EPE could include a diffusive optical element, diffractive optical element, micro-lens array (MLA), or relay of aspherical lenses. A dual MLA EPE may have cells that prevent cross-talk between adjacent pixels. A dual MLA EPE may have a non-periodic lens array. The optical power of one MLA may be different from the other MLA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Andrew Wall, Tuomas Vallius, Mikko Juhola
  • Publication number: 20180196129
    Abstract: An ultrasound pulse generator circuit includes a first gate driver electrically coupled to a first gallium nitride (GaN) transistor, a second gate driver electrically coupled to a second GaN transistor, a first snubber circuit, a second snubber circuit, and a transformer. The first snubber circuit and the second snubber circuit each include a respective capacitor and resistor and each snubber circuit is configured to clamp a voltage overshoot when present. Further, the transformer generates an output signal when operated and the third transformer is electrically connected downstream of the first GaN transistor, the second GaN transistor, the first snubber circuit, and the second snubber circuit. In addition, the transformer includes multiple windings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventors: Han Peng, Juan Antonio Sabate, Kieran Andrew Wall
  • Publication number: 20180164583
    Abstract: A display device system includes a display engine and optical waveguide. The display engine includes an image former, that produces light corresponding to an image, and one or more lens groups that collimate the light corresponding to the image and outputs the light from the display engine. Each lens group includes one or more lenses that share a mechanical axis. The light corresponding to the image produced by the image former has an optical axis ray coincident with a principal ray of the light that originates at a center of the image produced by the image former. At least one lens group has its mechanical axis tilted relative to the optical axis ray of the light corresponding to the image produced by the image former, to prevent a ghost image from being formed by light corresponding to the image that is reflected-back from the waveguide toward the display engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Inventors: R. Andrew Wall, Dmitry Reshidko
  • Publication number: 20180157042
    Abstract: An apparatus, for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil, comprises an optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, an input-coupler and an output-coupler. The bulk-substrate includes first and second major sides and peripheral sides. The input-coupler couples, into the waveguide, light corresponding to the image associated with the input-pupil. The output-coupler couples, out of the waveguide, light corresponding to the image that has traveled through the waveguide from the input-coupler to the output-coupler at least in part by way of TIR. At least one of the peripheral sides includes first and second surfaces that define first and second planes angled 45 degrees relative to one another. Such a peripheral side provides for effective recycling of light that would otherwise leak out of the waveguide through the peripheral side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventors: R. Andrew Wall, Dmitry Reshidko
  • Publication number: 20180113309
    Abstract: An input-coupler of an optical waveguide includes one or more Bragg polarization gratings for coupling light corresponding to the image in two different directions into the optical waveguide. The input-coupler splits the FOV of the image coupled into the optical waveguide into first and second portions by diffracting a portion of the light corresponding to the image in a first direction toward a first intermediate component, and diffracting a portion of the light corresponding to the image in a second direction toward a second intermediate component. An output-coupler of the waveguide combines the light corresponding to the first and second portions of the FOV, and couples the light corresponding to the combined first and second portions of the FOV out of the optical waveguide so that the light corresponding to the image and the combined first and second portions of the FOV is output from the optical waveguide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Steven John Robbins, Joshua Owen Miller, Richard Andrew Wall, Eliezer Glik, Jani Kari Tapio Tervo, Bernard Kress, Xinye Lou
  • Publication number: 20180108058
    Abstract: A visual discovery tool for automotive manufacturing with network encryption, data conditioning, and prediction can include an extraction device configured to receive data records from application-specific file source databases. The tool can further include a vehicle alert database that receives the vehicle records from the plurality of extraction databases. The visual discovery tool can include at least one hardware processor in communication with the extraction device and the vehicle alert database. The tool can be configured to selectively restrict access to an interactive display based on whether a client device receives authorization credentials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventors: Jeffrey Stuart Cotton, Boyd Hodson Warner, Tom Andrew Walls, Levko Zhuravchak, Dan Christian Milius, Jeff Keith Faulkner, Mike Phillip Dullea
  • Publication number: 20180084842
    Abstract: A highly supportive one-piece lady's swimsuit with a zippered component on the front side in the lower pelvic region that detaches the lower portion of the swimsuit from the upper torso section of the garment. The lower portion can then come unattached via a zipper containing a finger key ring pull, which allows the material to be swung down and out of the way for using the restroom and swung back and up where it is secured in place to present a fashionable and stylish swimsuit design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Linh Pham Johnson, Elenora Louisa Andrews Walls