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).

  • Patent number: 11966044
    Abstract: This document relates to an optical device that uses adaptive optics as part of an optical system. The adaptive optics can be used to correct light rays that correspond to a portion of an eye box based on information received from an eye-tracking unit, and can also correct for aberrations in the optics in the optical device. The adaptive optics include corrective elements that can be modified using modifying elements to correct the angle of light rays, such that rays associated with a specific pupil position and gaze direction of a user's eye can be made parallel and ensure a high quality image is viewed by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Georgiou, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Joel Steven Kollin, Bernard C. Kress, Ishan Chatterjee, Mario Possiwan
  • Patent number: 11726235
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Eliezer Glik, Hagar Edelstain, Bernard C. Kress
  • Publication number: 20230031857
    Abstract: This document relates to an optical device that uses adaptive optics as part of an optical system. The adaptive optics can be used to correct light rays that correspond to a portion of an eye box based on information received from an eye-tracking unit, and can also correct for aberrations in the optics in the optical device. The adaptive optics include corrective elements that can be modified using modifying elements to correct the angle of light rays, such that rays associated with a specific pupil position and gaze direction of a user's eye can be made parallel and ensure a high quality image is viewed by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Georgiou, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Joel Steven Kollin, Bernard C. Kress, Ishan Chatterjee, Mario Possiwan
  • Patent number: 11500200
    Abstract: This document relates to an optical device that uses adaptive optics as part of an optical system. The adaptive optics can be used to correct light rays that correspond to a portion of an eye box based on information received from an eye-tracking unit, and can also correct for aberrations in the optics in the optical device. The adaptive optics include corrective elements that can be modified using modifying elements to correct the angle of light rays, such that rays associated with a specific pupil position and gaze direction of a user's eye can be made parallel and ensure a high quality image is viewed by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Georgiou, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Joel Steven Kollin, Bernard C. Kress, Ishan Chatterjee, Mario Possiwan
  • Patent number: 11435503
    Abstract: This document relates to head mounted display devices. In one example the head mounted display device includes a light engine including an array of individually controllable pixels that can be energized to emit light. The example also includes an optical assembly physically aligned with the light engine and including a set of focusing elements facing toward the light engine and a different set of focusing elements facing away from the light engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Georgiou, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Joel Steven Kollin, Bernard C. Kress, Ishan Chatterjee, Mario Possiwan, Charles Thomas Hewitt, Brian K. Guenter, Maria Pace, Jacob Hadnett-Hunter
  • Patent number: 11243399
    Abstract: This document relates to head mounted display devices. In one example the head mounted display device includes a light engine including an array of individually controllable pixels that can be energized to emit light. The example also includes an optical assembly physically aligned with the light engine and including a set of focusing elements facing toward the light engine and a different set of focusing elements facing away from the light engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Georgiou, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Joel Steven Kollin, Bernard C. Kress, Ishan Chatterjee, Mario Possiwan
  • Publication number: 20210239883
    Abstract: This document relates to head mounted display devices. In one example the head mounted display device includes a light engine including an array of individually controllable pixels that can be energized to emit light. The example also includes an optical assembly physically aligned with the light engine and including a set of focusing elements facing toward the light engine and a different set of focusing elements facing away from the light engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas GEORGIOU, Alfonsus D. LUNARDHI, Joel Steven KOLLIN, Bernard C. KRESS, Ishan CHATTERJEE, Mario POSSIWAN, Charles Thomas HEWITT, Brian K. GUENTER, Maria PACE, Jacob HADNETT-HUNTER
  • Publication number: 20210239971
    Abstract: This document relates to an optical device that uses adaptive optics as part of an optical system. The adaptive optics can be used to correct light rays that correspond to a portion of an eye box based on information received from an eye-tracking unit, and can also correct for aberrations in the optics in the optical device. The adaptive optics include corrective elements that can be modified using modifying elements to correct the angle of light rays, such that rays associated with a specific pupil position and gaze direction of a user's eye can be made parallel and ensure a high quality image is viewed by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Georgiou, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Joel Steven Kollin, Bernard C. Kress, Ishan Chatterjee, Mario Possiwan
  • Publication number: 20210239979
    Abstract: This document relates to head mounted display devices. In one example the head mounted display device includes a light engine including an array of individually controllable pixels that can be energized to emit light. The example also includes an optical assembly physically aligned with the light engine and including a set of focusing elements facing toward the light engine and a different set of focusing elements facing away from the light engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Georgiou, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Joel Steven Kollin, Bernard C. Kress, Ishan Chatterjee, Mario Possiwan
  • Patent number: 11036051
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a lightguide and an optical combiner. The lightguide receives display light having an initial cross-section size and guides the display light down the lightguide. The lightguide includes internal optical elements that redirect the display light out of the lightguide with an expanded cross-section size that is larger than the initial cross-section size. The optical combiner combines the display light having the expanded cross-section with ambient scene light. The optical combiner includes an ambient scene side, an eye-ward side, and one or more reflective optical elements that pass at least a portion of the ambient scene light incident along an eye-ward direction on the ambient scene side through to the eye-ward side and redirect the display light having the expanded cross-section and incident on the eye-ward side to the eye-ward direction. The one or more reflective optical elements are substantially without lensing power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Ehsan Saeedi
  • Publication number: 20210063606
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC.
    Inventors: Eliezer Glik, Hagar Edelstain, Bernard C. Kress
  • Patent number: 10838110
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Eliezer Glik, Hagar Edelstain, Bernard C. Kress
  • Patent number: 10747309
    Abstract: A system including reconfigurable optics for switching between different near-to-eye display modes includes a waveguide combiner and multiple focus-tunable lenses including an eye-side focus-tunable lens and a world-side focus-tunable lens positioned on opposite sides of the waveguide combiner. The waveguide combiner is positioned to receive light from an optical projection source and to direct the light through the eye-side focus-tunable lens, and the system further includes a microdisplay positioned to transmit light along an optical path sequentially through the world-side focus-tunable lens and the eye-side focus-tunable lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Onur Can Akkaya, Bernard C. Kress
  • Patent number: 10718942
    Abstract: An eye tracking system for a NED device includes sensors that are directed toward and angularly offset from a user's eyes in a manner that causes circular features (e.g., irises and/or pupils) of the user's eyes to appear elliptical within sensor planes that correspond to the individual sensors. The eye tracking system determines parameters associated with detected ellipses and then uses these parameters to generate 3D propagations from the detected ellipses back to the user's eyes. By analyzing these 3D propagations with respect to ocular rotation models that represent how the pupils and iris rotate about the center of the eye, the eye tracking system determines pupil orientation parameters that define physical characteristics of the user's eyes. The pupil orientation parameters may then be used to determine interpupillary distance and/or vergence of the user's visual axis that extend from the user's fovea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Sergio Ortiz Egea, Venkata Satya Reghavendra Bulusu, Bernard C. Kress, Alfonsus D. Lunardhi, Onur Can Akkaya
  • Publication number: 20200124844
    Abstract: An eye tracking system for a NED device includes sensors that are directed toward and angularly offset from a user's eyes in a manner that causes circular features (e.g., irises and/or pupils) of the user's eyes to appear elliptical within sensor planes that correspond to the individual sensors. The eye tracking system determines parameters associated with detected ellipses and then uses these parameters to generate 3D propagations from the detected ellipses back to the user's eyes. By analyzing these 3D propagations with respect to ocular rotation models that represent how the pupils and iris rotate about the center of the eye, the eye tracking system determines pupil orientation parameters that define physical characteristics of the user's eyes. The pupil orientation parameters may then be used to determine interpupillary distance and/or vergence of the user's visual axis that extend from the user's fovea.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Sergio ORTIZ EGEA, Venkata Satya Raghavendra BULUSU, Bernard C. KRESS, Alfonsus D. LUNARDHI, Onur Can AKKAYA
  • Publication number: 20200041798
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a lightguide and an optical combiner. The lightguide receives display light having an initial cross-section size and guides the display light down the lightguide. The lightguide includes internal optical elements that redirect the display light out of the lightguide with an expanded cross-section size that is larger than the initial cross-section size. The optical combiner combines the display light having the expanded cross-section with ambient scene light. The optical combiner includes an ambient scene side, an eye-ward side, and one or more reflective optical elements that pass at least a portion of the ambient scene light incident along an eye-ward direction on the ambient scene side through to the eye-ward side and redirect the display light having the expanded cross-section and incident on the eye-ward side to the eye-ward direction. The one or more reflective optical elements are substantially without lensing power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Ehsan Saeedi
  • Publication number: 20190346918
    Abstract: A system including reconfigurable optics for switching between different near-to-eye display modes includes a waveguide combiner and multiple focus-tunable lenses including an eye-side focus-tunable lens and a world-side focus-tunable lens positioned on opposite sides of the waveguide combiner. The waveguide combiner is positioned to receive light from an optical projection source and to direct the light through the eye-side focus-tunable lens, and the system further includes a microdisplay positioned to transmit light along an optical path sequentially through the world-side focus-tunable lens and the eye-side focus-tunable lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Onur Can AKKAYA, Bernard C. KRESS
  • Patent number: 10459228
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a lightguide and an optical combiner. The lightguide receives display light having an initial cross-section size and guides the display light down the lightguide. The lightguide includes internal optical elements that redirect the display light out of the lightguide with an expanded cross-section size that is larger than the initial cross-section size. The optical combiner combines the display light having the expanded cross-section with ambient scene light. The optical combiner includes an ambient scene side, an eye-ward side, and one or more reflective optical elements that pass at least a portion of the ambient scene light incident along an eye-ward direction on the ambient scene side through to the eye-ward side and redirect the display light having the expanded cross-section and incident on the eye-ward side to the eye-ward direction. The one or more reflective optical elements are substantially without lensing power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Ehsan Saeedi
  • Patent number: 10429646
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Adam E. Norton
  • Publication number: 20190271844
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Publication date: September 5, 2019
    Inventors: Bernard C. Kress, Ehsan Saeedi, Adam E. Norton, Edouard Schmidtlin