Abstract: A near-eye optical display system utilizes a compact display engine that couples image light from an imager to a waveguide-based display having diffractive optical elements (DOEs) that provide exit pupil expansion in two directions. The display engine comprises a pair of single axis MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) scanners that are configured to reflect the image light through horizontal and vertical scan axes of the display system's field of view (FOV) using raster scanning. The MEMS scanners are arranged with their axes of rotation at substantially right angles to each other and operate with respective quarter wave retarder plates and a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) to couple the image light into an in-coupling DOE in the waveguide display without the need for additional optical elements such as lenses or relay systems.

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.

Abstract: A head-mounted display device comprises a rendering engine configured to generate a hologram representative of a three-dimensional object. The hologram includes depth information that causes the three-dimensional object to be rendered with a focus that is determined by the depth information. The device also includes a spatial light modulator that modulates light from a light source as indicated by the hologram. A switchable hologram comprises multiple stacked switchable gratings. Each of the stacked switchable gratings is associated with one or more resulting exit pupil locations on a viewing surface. The system also comprises an eye tracker configured to map a viewing direction of a user's eye to a viewing location on the viewing surface. A processor is configured to activate a particular switchable grating within the switchable transmission hologram that is associated with an exit pupil location that aligns with the viewing location.

Abstract: A display system includes a display alignment tracker configured track the position of a first signal and the position of a second signal. The display alignment tracker optically multiplexes a portion of a first signal and a portion of the second signal into a combined optical signal and measures a differential between the first signal and the second signal.

Abstract: A display system includes a display alignment tracker configured track the position of a first signal in a first waveguide and the position of a second signal in a second waveguide. The display alignment tracker optically multiplexes a portion of a first signal and a portion of the second signal into a combined optical signal and measures a differential between the first signal and the second signal. The differential is used to adjust the position, dimensions, or a color attribute of the first signal relative to the second signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil includes a planar optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, and also including an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler. The input-coupler couples light corresponding to the image into the bulk-substrate and towards the intermediate-component. The intermediate-component performs horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and directs the light corresponding to the image towards the output-coupler. The output-coupler performs the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and couples light corresponding to the image, which travels from the input-coupler to the output-coupler, out of the waveguide. The apparatus further includes a volume layer, embedded between first and second major planar surfaces of the bulk-substrate, configured to cause light that is output by the output-coupler to have a more uniform intensity distribution compared to if the volume layer were absent.

Abstract: Augmented reality and physical game techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an indication is received by a computing device of a location of a physical gaming piece of a game. An augmentation is computed based on the indication by the computing device to be displayed as part of the game. The augmentation is displayed by the computing device on a display device that is at least partially transparent such that a physical portion of the game is viewable through the display device concurrently with the augmentation.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil includes a planar optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, and also including an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler. The input-coupler couples light corresponding to the image into the bulk-substrate and towards the intermediate-component. The intermediate-component performs horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and directs the light corresponding to the image towards the output-coupler. The output-coupler performs the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and couples light corresponding to the image, which travels from the input-coupler to the output-coupler, out of the waveguide.

Abstract: A display engine assembly comprises a first imager and a second imager to generate a left image and a right image, respectively, in a head-mounted display device. The left and right images are left and right components, respectively, of a single stereoscopic image. The display engine further comprises an optical waveguide optically coupled to the first imager and the second imager. The optical waveguide is part of a first optical path to convey the left image to a left eye of a user of the head-mounted display device and is also part of a second optical path to convey the right image to a right eye of the user of the head-mounted display device.

Abstract: Augmented reality and physical game techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an indication is received by a computing device of a location of a physical gaming piece of a game. An augmentation is computed based on the indication by the computing device to be displayed as part of the game. The augmentation is displayed by the computing device on a display device that is at least partially transparent such that a physical portion of the game is viewable through the display device concurrently with the augmentation.

Abstract: Introduced here is a display device that comprises a light emitter and a diffractive optical element (DOE) that is optically coupled to receive light from the light emitter and to convey the light along an optical path. The DOE may have an input surface and an output surface parallel to the input surface, where the input surface and the output surface each have a central region and a peripheral region. The DOE further may have optical characteristics such that light exiting the DOE in the peripheral region of the output surface has greater brightness than light exiting the DOE in the central region of the output surface.

Abstract: Augmented reality light guide display techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an apparatus includes a housing configured in a hand-held form factor, one or more sensors configured to detect a position and orientation of the housing in three dimensions in a physical environment of the housing, a light guide that is at least partially transparent and supported by the housing, a light engine that is optically coupled to the light guide, and one or more modules disposed within the housing and implemented at least partially in hardware. The one or more modules are configured to calculate a position and orientation of an augmentation and cause the light engine to output the augmentation for display using the light guide such that the augmentation is viewable concurrently with at least a portion of the physical environment through the light guide.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil includes a planar optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, and also including an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler. The input-coupler couples light corresponding to the image into the bulk-substrate and towards the intermediate-component. The intermediate-component performs horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and directs the light corresponding to the image towards the output-coupler. The output-coupler performs the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and couples light corresponding to the image, which travels from the input-coupler to the output-coupler, out of the waveguide.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil includes a planar optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, and also including an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler. The input-coupler couples light corresponding to the image into the bulk-substrate and towards the intermediate-component. The intermediate-component performs horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and directs the light corresponding to the image towards the output-coupler. The output-coupler performs the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and couples light corresponding to the image, which travels from the input-coupler to the output-coupler, out of the waveguide. The apparatus further includes an adjacent planar optical component to provide a more uniform intensity distribution compared to if the adjacent planar optical component were absent.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil includes a planar optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, and also including an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler. The input-coupler couples light corresponding to the image into the bulk-substrate and towards the intermediate-component. The intermediate-component performs horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and directs the light corresponding to the image towards the output-coupler. The output-coupler performs the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and couples light corresponding to the image, which travels from the input-coupler to the output-coupler, out of the waveguide. The apparatus further includes a volume layer, embedded between first and second major planar surfaces of the bulk-substrate, configured to cause light that is output by the output-coupler to have a more uniform intensity distribution compared to if the volume layer were absent.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for detecting angular displacement of a display element relative to a reference position on a head mounted display device for presenting a mixed reality or virtual reality experience. Once the displacement is detected, it may be corrected for to maintain the proper binocular disparity of virtual images displayed to the left and right display elements of the head mounted display device. In one example, the detection system uses an optical assembly including collimated LEDs and a camera which together are insensitive to linear displacement. Such a system provides a true measure of angular displacement of one or both display elements on the head mounted display device.

Abstract: A display engine assembly comprises a first imager and a second imager to generate a left image and a right image, respectively, in a head-mounted display device. The left and right images are left and right components, respectively, of a single stereoscopic image. The display engine further comprises an optical waveguide optically coupled to the first imager and the second imager. The optical waveguide is part of a first optical path to convey the left image to a left eye of a user of the head-mounted display device and is also part of a second optical path to convey the right image to a right eye of the user of the head-mounted display device.

Abstract: In embodiments of a multiple waveguide imaging structure, a wearable display device includes left and right imaging units of respective display lens systems to generate an augmented reality image that includes a virtual image. Each of the left and right imaging units include a first waveguide for see-through viewing at a first field of view, where the first waveguide includes a first polarizing beam splitter to reflect light that enters at a first polarization orientation angle and pass through the light that enters at a second polarization orientation angle. Each of the left and right imaging units also include at least a second waveguide for see-through viewing at a second field of view, where the second waveguide includes a second polarizing beam splitter to reflect the light that enters at the first polarization orientation angle and pass through the light that enters at the second polarization orientation angle.

Abstract: Augmented reality light guide display techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an apparatus includes a housing configured in a hand-held form factor, one or more sensors configured to detect a position and orientation of the housing in three dimensions in a physical environment of the housing, a light guide that is at least partially transparent and supported by the housing, a light engine that is optically coupled to the light guide, and one or more modules disposed within the housing and implemented at least partially in hardware. The one or more modules are configured to calculate a position and orientation of an augmentation and cause the light engine to output the augmentation for display using the light guide such that the augmentation is viewable concurrently with at least a portion of the physical environment through the light guide.

Abstract: A wearable image display system comprises a headpiece, a light engine, and an optical component. The light engine is mounted on the headpiece and configured to generate beams, each of the beams being substantially collimated so that the beams form a virtual image. The optical component located to project an image onto an eye of a wearer and comprising an incoupling structure and an exit structure. The beams are directed from an exit aperture of the light engine to the in-coupling structure of the optical component. The exit structure is arranged to guide the beams onto the eye. The optical component is located between light engine and the eye. The optical component is angled relative to the light engine such that any outwardly reflected versions of the beams propagate clear of the exit aperture.