Abstract: A waveguide includes an outcoupler that is implemented in the waveguide as a set of reflective facets that is arranged along a first direction. Each reflective facet is made by applying a reflective coating to a planar face of one or more substrates. Adjacent reflective facets in the set of reflective facets overlap one another along the first direction. For example, a leading portion of one reflective facet in the set of reflective facets overlaps with a tailing portion of the reflective facet adjacent to it.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling an amount of torque transmitted from the temple arm portions to a front frame portion of a frame of a head mounted wearable device are provided. Hinge mechanisms that rotatably couple the temple arm portions to the front frame portion may include torque control devices that provide for torque control in response to rotation and/or deflection of the temple arm portions, to control an amount of torque that is transmitted to the front frame portion. A magnetic torque control device may include first and second arrays of magnets arranged within the hinge mechanism, and that are selectively engaged and disengaged to provide compliance in multiple axes. An elastomer torque control device may include an engagement pin that selectively engages and disengages recesses in an elastomer layer provided within the hinge mechanism to provide compliance in multiple axes.

Abstract: Improved augmented reality smartglasses ensure alignment of displays in a head-mounted wearable device such as AR smartglasses by specifying a relationship between material properties of the frame at the shoulder and nose bridge. For example, such a material relationship may be a rigidity and/or stiffness characteristic. In some implementations, the specified relationship is that a difference between the first bending stiffness and the second bending stiffness is less than a tolerance (e.g., 5%, 1%, or less than 1%).

Abstract: Systems and methods for incoupling light into a waveguide. A system includes a transfer optic and an optical scanner being configured to receive light from an optical engine. The optical scanner includes a first scan mirror positioned close to the transfer optic. The system further includes a waveguide with an incoupler positioned close to the transfer optic, which is configured to direct the light from the optical engine to the first scan mirror and to transmit light reflected from the first scan mirror to one of a second scan mirror or the incoupler of the waveguide.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to adhesive arrangements for waveguide devices, and related apparatus and methods. In one or more embodiments, the adhesive arrangements facilitate adhering strength, reduction and/or distribution of stress, withstanding of thermal cycles, and impact resistance. In one or more embodiments, a device includes a substrate and a lens coupled to the substrate using an adhesive. The substrates has a first face, a second face, and an outer edge. The first face of the substrate includes a waveguide, and the waveguide includes an input coupling grating, a pupil expansion grating, and an output coupling grating. The waveguide is disposed radially inwardly of the adhesive, and the device has an edge offset between an outer edge of the lens and the outer edge of the substrate.

Abstract: An ophthalmic lens is provided. The ophthalmic lens includes a lens stack having an eye-side (ES) lens, a world-side (WS) lens, a waveguide disposed between the ES lens and the WS lens, and one or more adhesive layers securing at least the ES lens to the waveguide and at least the WS lens to the waveguide. Further, the ophthalmic lens includes a retainer engaging the ES lens and the WS lens and being arranged to mechanically hold the lens stack together and resist delamination forces of the lens stack.

Abstract: Systems and methods for adjusting a level of force exerted by the temple arm portions of a frame of a head mounted wearable device are provided. Hinge mechanisms that provide for the rotatable coupling of a temple arm portion to a rim portion of a frame of the head mounted wearable device, or glasses, may include a rotation mechanism that facilitates rotation of the temple arm portion relative to the rim portion, and a biasing mechanism that can be adjusted to apply a desired level of lateral force to a head of a user wearing the glasses. The hinge mechanisms may allow for adjustments to biasing rates and/or pre-load levels and/or amounts of temple arm portion rotation prior to engagement to adjust the applied force to desired levels and maintain user comfort.

Abstract: A penta prism collimator having four freeform surfaces that fold the optical path of light received from a microdisplay collimates light for coupling to a waveguide. In some embodiments, the freeform surfaces are toroidal surfaces made from a single injection-molded element, such as a single piece of plastic. The freeform surfaces collimate the light at a variety of distances from an input pupil of a waveguide, allowing for more freedom of placement within a frame of a WHUD.

Abstract: An eyewear display includes an optical engine to emit display light having one or more wavelengths in the visible light range. The eyewear display includes a waveguide to incouple a first portion of the display light, the first portion of the display light including light having the one or more wavelengths in the visible light range. The eyewear display also includes light conversion components positioned between the optical engine and the waveguide, the light conversion components to convert a second portion of the display light to generate converted light having higher wavelengths than the display light. In addition, the eyewear display includes a sensor to detect the converted light and a controller to modify the emission of display light from the optical engine based on the detected converted light.

Abstract: A self-monitoring system for a micro-LED display panel can track a health status of the micro-LED emitters over the life cycle of the display. The self-monitoring system can include, for example, light sensors and a coverglass treated with an anti-reflective coating that directs light emitted by the micro-LED array toward the light sensors. Light captured by the light sensors can then be analyzed to determine the current value of light attributes such as color, polarization, and intensity, and to compare the current values of the light attributes with their previous values to monitor changes over time.

Abstract: An eyewear display device expands a field of view by projecting display light at multiple ranges of input angles to a waveguide (600) employing multiple portions of an incoupler (514) or multiple incouplers (514, 414) corresponding to the different angular ranges of display light to guide light to an exit pupil expander (416) configured to receive the display light from the different angular ranges and an outcoupler (608) that are sized to fit within an eyeglasses lens. The display light that is input from the different angular ranges is guided by the incouplers to be overlapped at an exit pupil expander (or, in some embodiments, at multiple exit pupil expanders that are overlaid with each other) to reduce the total ray footprint at the exit pupil expander.

Abstract: Techniques for implementing image rotation control using reflective waveguide facets in an AR eyewear display system are disclosed. A facet (602) is disposed in a light propagation path located between a first surface (S1) and a second surface (S2) of a waveguide (600) and is arranged to guide propagation of light for a display through the facet from the first surface to the second surface. Using this configuration, light is transmitted through the facet as it guides propagation of the light from the first surface to the second surface, which reduces the amount of image rotations or inversions that would otherwise be induced in the waveguide using conventionally oriented facets and thus simplifies or optimizes the design of other aspects of an AR eyewear display system, such as display source placement or orientation or form-factor bulkiness.

Abstract: Lightguide integrity monitoring in a head mounted display is facilitated by monitoring an elongated conductor disposed proximal a lightguide in an optical combiner. When a sufficient change in one or more electrical characteristics of the elongated conductor is detected, a signal indicating that the lightguide has been damaged may be generated, which may alert the user to the damage or disable one or more light sources in the HMD to prevent eye discomfort. The monitored electrical characteristics of the elongated conductor may include connectivity, impedance, and gain, among others. A sufficient change in the one or more electrical characteristics may be detected based on a percentage change in an electrical characteristic, a change in more than one electrical characteristic, or a change in a ratio of two electrical characteristics, among others.

Abstract: There is provided an optical element including a light guide, an incoupler, and a beam splitter disposed in an optical path of a display beam between the incoupler and a light engine to generate the display beam. The display beam may comprise first and second beams. The beam splitter may split the display beam to form a first offspring beam including the first beam and a first portion of the second beam, and to form a second offspring beam including a second portion of the second beam. The first and second offspring beams may be incident upon the incoupler at first and second incidence positions respectively. The first incidence position may be different than the second incidence position. The incoupler may direct at least a portion of each of the first and second offspring beams into the light guide to form incoupled first and second offspring beams respectively.

Abstract: Improved techniques of detecting angular misalignment between a display and a waveguide of a smartglasses device includes providing a detection mechanism for the display such that the location of a misalignment can indicate how to compensate for the misalignment.

Abstract: A waveguide includes a first substrate including an exit pupil expander and a second, separate substrate including an outcoupler. The first substrate and the second substrate overlap one another and are separated by a partition element. One or more facets direct light from the first substrate after exit pupil expansion toward the second substrate so that the light can be outcoupled by the outcoupler.

Abstract: A waveguide for an eyewear display includes a set of reflective incoupler facets to incouple light and/or a set of reflective exit pupil expander (EPE) facets to expand the incoupled light in a first direction. The reflective incoupler facets are each designed to incouple light of a particular optical characteristic such as a particular wavelength range or polarization state and transmit light of other optical characteristics incoupled at other ones of the reflective incoupler facets. The reflective EPE facets receive light from multiple sources (e.g., multiple incouplers). In some configurations, each of the reflective EPE facets is designed to reflect or transmit light incident thereon to direct light to an outcoupler in a more uniform manner.

Abstract: Embodiments of techniques presented herein facilitate more optimal positioning of an incoupler and exit pupil expander within an eyeglass-type near-eye display system that includes an optical waveguide combiner. In certain embodiments, the optical waveguide combiner comprises an incoupler; an outcoupler; an exit pupil expander that comprises one or more reflective facets and is disposed in an optical path between the incoupler and the outcoupler; and an offset reflector facet disposed in the optical path between the incoupler and the exit pupil expander.

Abstract: Improved techniques of aligning real and virtual images in an augmented reality head-mounted wearable device include rigidly coupling a world-facing radiation detector for processing real images to a projection system in a frame of the head-mounted wearable device for processing virtual images. In some implementations, the augmented reality head-mounted wearable device includes an input light direction rerouter configured to adjust an initial angle of incidence of the internally generated radiation at a surface of the waveguide to produce radiation directed at an adjusted angle of incidence at the incoupler such that the output direction is substantially parallel to the initial angle of incidence. In some implementations, the input light direction rerouter takes the form of a retroreflector that alters the input of the incident light from the projection system such that its direction is substantially a reciprocal of the output light vector.

Abstract: A wearable heads-up display (WHUD) device includes one or more electronic components that generate thermal energy when in operation, a support frame coupled to at least one of the electronic components, and at least one substantially transparent lens coupled to the support frame and made of materials with high thermal conductivity. The substantially transparent lens effectively conducts the thermal energy to the ambient environment, preventing overheating of the device. The support frame may be made of various materials and coupled to the substantially transparent lens via thermal interface materials.