Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for providing color separation in an exit pupil expander system that uses a plurality of diffractive elements for expanding the exit pupil of a display in an electronic device for viewing by introducing a selectively absorbing area or areas in the exit pupil expanders.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided. The apparatus including: a light expander configured to expand light, input into the light expander, in a first dimension, and configured to provide diverging light that diverges in the first dimension; and an optical device configured to redirect diverging light, received from the light expander, to produce converging light that converges in the first dimension.

Abstract: A diffractive beam expander (50) comprises an input grating (10), a crossed grating (20), and an output grating (30) implemented on a planar transparent substrate (7). The crossed grating (20) comprises a plurality of diffractive features (23) arranged along the lines of a first set of parallel lines (25) and along the lines of a second set of parallel lines (26) such that the lines (25) of the first set are parallel to the lines (26) of the second set. The lines of the first set have a first grating period and the lines of the second set have a second grating period. A light beam (B1) coupled into the substrate (7) by the input grating (10) impinges on the crossed grating (20) at a first location (EC1) and further locations (EC2). Interaction at the first location (EC1) provides several sub-beams (S00, S01, S10) which propagate in different directions.

Abstract: A light guide has a first surface and a second surface with diffractive structures. A slanted facet is provided at one corner of the light guide. The diffractive structures have concentric fringes centered near the slanted facet. Fringes are arranged such that a light beam directed from the first surface at a location P toward the second surface is diffracted by the fringes only if the beam encounters the diffractive structures at a certain direction. The diffracted beam is guided and exits through the slanted surface at an exiting angle, which is correlated to the location P. If the light guide is illuminated in such a way that when an object is present at the first surface, it changes the light intensity of the exiting light beam. By detecting the exiting angle and the change of light intensity, the location of the object can be determined.

Abstract: An optical diffraction grating (10) is produced by providing a mold (50) having a plurality of inclined grooves (58), which have a small clearance angle (?). The mold (50) is covered by a curable material (M1). Said material is subsequently cured, i.e. hardened, and separated from the mold (50) to provide the diffraction grating (10). The inclined orientation of the grooves (58) allows expansion or contraction of the grating during the curing and separation steps such that the probability of mold breakage may be reduced. The inclined orientation of the grooves may also facilitate the separation of the grating (10) from the mold (50).

Abstract: A near-eye display related apparatus and device is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing configured to receive an optical engine, and a light guiding plate attached to the housing and configured to receive light representing an image from the optical engine, the light guiding plate includes a first diffractive grating adapted to incouple the light into the light guiding plate, and a second diffractive grating adapted to outcouple the light from the light guiding plate such that the light is received by an eye of a user wearing the apparatus. The light guiding plate has a contact surface portion configured to optically couple the light guiding plate to a transparent plate, The contact surface portion being adapted to be in physical contact with the transparent plate.

Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for using a split exit pupil expander to provide general diffractive optics method that uses a plurality of diffractive elements for expanding the exit pupil of a display of an electronic device for viewing.

Abstract: A display device comprises a light source to provide an input light beam, a substrate having an input surface to form an in-coupled light beam by receiving light of the input light beam, wherein the in-coupled light beam is confined to the substrate by total internal reflections, the substrate further comprising a plurality of out-coupling features to form an illuminating light beam by diffracting light of the in-coupled light beam out of the substrate, a display element having a plurality of reflective polarization-rotating pixels arranged to form reflected light beams by reflecting light of the illuminating light beam, and imaging optics to form an image by focusing or collimating light of the reflected light beams transmitted through the out-coupling features.

Abstract: An eye tracker device (200) comprises a diffractive beam expander (207) to provide two substantially collimated illuminating light beams (B11, B12). The collimated light beams (B11, B12) provide two reflection spots (G1, G2) appearing in the image of the eye. The gaze direction (GZD) is calculated from the positions of the reflection spots (G1, G2) with respect to the pupil (P) of the eye (E1). The two illuminating beams (B11, B12) are provided by splitting an infrared laser beam (B4) into two in-coupled beams (B5, B6), which propagate in different directions in the substrate (7) of the beams expander. The in-coupled beams (B5, B6) are expanded and their light is subsequently coupled out of the substrate (7) by an out-coupling grating (230) to illuminate the eye (E1). The same substrate (7) may also be used to implement a virtual display device (100) for displaying virtual images to said eye (E1).

Abstract: Illuminating light (B2, B3) for a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) micro-display (210) is provided by an illuminating unit (100). The illuminating unit (100) has a waveguiding substrate (7) and a plurality of light out-coupling features (F30). The substrate (7) has two substantially parallel surfaces (41,42). Light coupled into said substrate (7) is reflected several times on the surfaces (41,42) of the substrate (7) by total internal reflection (TIR) before being coupled out of the substrate (7). Thus a portion (102) of said substrate (7) may act as an optical integrator for smoothing out variations in spatial intensity distribution of light propagating within said substrate (7). The out-coupling efficiencies of the out-coupling features (F30) may be selected to minimize vignetting and/or to minimize stray light effects.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided. The apparatus including: a light expander configured to expand light, input into the light expander, in a first dimension, and configured to provide diverging light that diverges in the first dimension; and an optical device configured to redirect diverging light, received from the light expander, to produce converging light that converges in the first dimension.

Abstract: A diffractive beam expander (50) comprises an input grating (10), a crossed grating (20), and an output grating (30) implemented on a planar transparent substrate (7). The crossed grating (20) comprises a plurality of diffractive features (23) arranged along the lines of a first set of parallel lines (25) and along the lines of a second set of parallel lines (26) such that the lines (25) of the first set are parallel to the lines (26) of the second set. The lines of the first set have a first grating period and the lines of the second set have a second grating period. A light beam (B1) coupled into the substrate (7) by the input grating (10) impinges on the crossed grating (20) at a first location (EC1) and further locations (EC2). Interaction at the first location (EC1) provides several sub-beams (S00, S01, S10) which propagate in different directions.

Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for using exit pupil expanders (EPE) with spherical or aspheric non-flat substrates and a plurality of diffractive elements for expanding the exit pupil of a display for viewing in order to reduce image spreading. This can also enable improved image resolution and utilization of shorter focus distances.

Abstract: An apparatus including a first expander configured to provide a first image and including a first portion configured to provide a first calibration image; a second expander configured to provide a second image and including a second portion configured to provide a second calibration image; and a controller configured to control alignment of the first image and the second image, a combination of the first calibration image and the second calibration image being useable to control alignment of the first image and the second image.

Abstract: A display device (500) comprises a micro-display (22) and imaging optics (24) to transmit a light beam (BO), and a diffractive beam expander (10) having an output grating (16). The combination of said micro-display (22) and said imaging optics (24) is together adapted to form a virtual image (710) which is observable through the perimeter (15) of said output grating (16) when said diffractive beam expander (10) is positioned to at least partially intercept said light beam (BO). The combination of said micro-display (22) and said imaging optics (24) may also be adapted to project said light beam (BO) onto an external screen (600) in order to display a real image (610). The display device (500) may comprise a movable optical component (10, 380) to switch the device (500) from a virtual display mode to a projecting mode.

Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for providing a stereoscopic display in electronic devices with a diffractive exit pupil expander using sequentially switching between right and left images of one display (e.g., microdisplay). An optical delivery system can provide a sequential left and right image of the display and the illumination is then switched for left and right accordingly using exit pupil expander (EPE) with asymmetric, e.g., highly slanted, in-coupling gratings, sending light practically to only one direction (e.g., one area of the EPE substrate).

Abstract: A diffractive beam expander (50) comprises a substantially planar waveguiding substrate, an input grating (10) to provide an in-coupled beam (B1) propagating within said substrate, and an output grating (30) to provide an out-coupled beam. The expander (50) comprises also four or more further grating portions to expand the height of the in-coupled beam (B1). A part of the in-coupled light is diffracted by a first deflecting grating portion (21 a) to provide a first deflected beam. A part of the in-coupled light is diffracted by a second deflecting grating portion (22a) to provide a second deflected beam. The first deflected beam propagates downwards and the second deflected beam propagates upwards with respect to the in-coupled beam (B1). The first deflected beam impinges on a first direction-restoring grating portion (21 b) and the second deflected beam impinges on a second direction-restoring grating portion (22b).

Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for designing and using display devices with integrated backlight layer structure utilizing separate color diffractive out-coupling (e.g., diffraction out-coupling). A lower substrate of the display can be used to integrate the backlight component (or the backlight layer structure), thus enabling a thin module with the integrated backlighting.

Abstract: An exit pupil extender with one input optical element and two exit optical elements disposed on different sides of the input optical element. The exit pupil extender also comprises two intermediate diffractive optical couplers, each disposed between the input optical element and one exit optical element. The couplers serve as exit pupil extending components. The grating lines of the couplers are at substantially a 60-degree angle from that of the optical elements in order to optimize the exit pupil extending efficiency. This invention further describes a general diffractive optics method that uses a plurality of diffractive elements on an optical substrate for expanding the exit pupil of a display of an electronic device for viewing. The system can support a broad range of rotations angles (e.g., 0<?<70°) and corresponding conical angles and remains geometrically accurate.

Abstract: A near-eye display related apparatus and device is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing configured to receive an optical engine, and a light guiding plate attached to the housing and configured to receive light representing an image from the optical engine, the light guiding plate includes a first diffractive grating adapted to incouple the light into the light guiding plate, and a second diffractive grating adapted to outcouple the light from the light guiding plate such that the light is received by an eye of a user wearing the apparatus. The light guiding plate has a contact surface portion configured to optically couple the light guiding plate to a transparent plate, The contact surface portion being adapted to be in physical contact with the transparent plate.