Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for expanding the eyebox of a wearable heads-up display are described. A light guide with an expanded eyebox includes a light guide material, an in-coupler, an outcoupler, and a gradient refractive index (GRIN) material. The in-coupler and the out-coupler may comprise a GRIN material. An eyeglass lens with expanded eyebox includes a light guide with expanded eyebox. A wearable heads-up display includes an eyeglass lens including a light guide with an expanded eyebox.

Abstract: A wearable heads-up display includes a power source, laser sources, and a lightguide. A photodetector is positioned to detect an intensity of a test light emitted at a perimeter of the lightguide from an optical path within the lightguide. A laser safety circuit provides a control to reduce or shut off a supply of electrical power from the power source to the laser sources in response to an output signal from the photodetector indicating that the detected intensity is below a threshold.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) system includes a lens element supported by a support structure. The lens element includes a waveguide that includes an incoupler, an outcoupler, and an exit pupil expander. The incoupler is disposed within a first area of the waveguide. The outcoupler is disposed within a second area of the waveguide. The exit pupil expander is disposed within a third area of the waveguide. An anti-reflection coating is formed via fabrication used to form the incoupler, the outcoupler, and the exit pupil expander. The anti-reflection coating is disposed within a fourth area of the waveguide different than the first, second, and third areas of the waveguide.

Abstract: There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display, which display includes a light source, a light guide, and an incoupler carried by the light guide. The method includes emitting first and second beams having first and second wavelengths respectively, directing the first and second beams towards the incoupler, and directing, by the incoupler, at least a portion of the first and second beams into the light guide. Moreover the method includes internally reflecting, by the light guide, the portions of the first and second beams to form first and second reflected beams respectively. The first and second beams respectively may have first and second incoupling losses. Furthermore, the method includes adjusting a beam characteristic of at least one of the first and second beams to control a difference between their respective incoupling losses.

Abstract: There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display (WHUD). The WHUD may include a light source, a spatial modulator, and a display optic. The method may include generating, by the light source, an output light to form an image viewable by a user of the WHUD. The method may also include receiving a position of a pupil of the user relative to an eyebox of the WHUD, and obtaining an image correction map based on the position of the pupil. Moreover, the method may include adjusting the output light to form an adjusted output light. The adjusted output light may be adjusted based on the image correction map to reduce at least one of an intensity non-uniformity and a color balance non-uniformity of the image. The method may also include directing, by the display optic, the adjusted output light into a field of view of the user.

Abstract: Systems and methods to reduce light loss from a waveguide. The system includes a waveguide having an incoupler to direct light into the waveguide and a laser projector having laser diodes mounted to a substrate. The laser projector is configured to provide a plurality of laser light beams to the incoupler of the waveguide. The system further includes at least one alignment component configured to align the plurality of laser light beams tangent with an edge of the incoupler to minimize light lost from the waveguide through contact with the incoupler more than once.

Abstract: Improving the performance and efficiency of waveguide gratings while also improving the anti-reflection performance of the waveguide can be achieved by selective application of a dielectric anti-reflective coating (or coatings) to distinct regions of the waveguide. For example, a multi-layer dielectric anti-reflective coating is selectively applied to the region of the waveguide between an exit pupil expander grating and an outcoupler grating wherein light is transmitted within the waveguide via instances of total internal reflection (TIR) and where no gratings are typically present. By selectively excluding the regions of the waveguide containing gratings from receiving the anti-reflective coating, such as the incoupler and outcoupler regions, the performance of the gratings can be improved for their respective functions without compromising the anti-reflection performance of the waveguide overall.

Abstract: A waveguide including at least a first photopolymer layer and a second photopolymer layer having a barrier layer therebetween and a first transparent layer and second transparent layer overlaying the first and second photopolymer layers, respectively. The waveguide can further include at least one holographic incoupler and at least one holographic outcoupler, each configured to be responsive to light within a first waveband and unresponsive to light outside of the first waveband, and further configured to be transmissive or reflective.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) system includes a micro-display configured to project light beams, each of light beams encompassing a range of wavelengths different from each of the other light beams, and a waveguide having multiple incouplers configured to receive and direct light into the waveguide. Each of the incouplers is a diffraction grating with a fill factor different from each of the other incouplers. In some embodiments, each of the incouplers has a different period value from each of the other incouplers and the period value of each of the incouplers is based on the range of wavelengths of light each of the incouplers is configured to receive.

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: An optical element for implementation in a heads-up display or other near-eye display system includes a lightguide and an incoupler optically coupled to the lightguide. The incoupler receives a display beam incident upon the lightguide at a first incidence position. The incoupler directs a first portion of the display beam into the lightguide to form an incoupled beam and causes a second portion to remain non-incoupled relative to the lightguide to form a non-incoupled beam. The optical element further includes a reflector to receive the non-incoupled beam and to reflect the non-incoupled beam towards the incoupler to form a reflected beam incident upon the incoupler at a second incidence position. The incoupler direct a corresponding portion of the reflected beam into the lightguide to form a further incoupled beam.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) system including a lens element supported by a support structure, the lens element having a waveguide with an incoupler configured to receive light from an optical scanner of the HMD. The incoupler is configured with multiple features varying in at least one of height, spacing, angle, or density. The features may be separated into discrete zones along the incoupler such that at least one of height, spacing, angle, or density of the plurality of features is varied over the incoupler and constant within a given zone or the features may be varied continuously across the incoupler.

Abstract: There is provided a method of operating a wearable heads-up display (WHUD). The WHUD may include a light source, a spatial modulator, and a display optic. The method may include generating, by the light source, an output light to form an image viewable by a user of the WHUD. The method may also include receiving a position of a pupil of the user relative to an eyebox of the WHUD, and obtaining an image correction map based on the position of the pupil. Moreover, the method may include adjusting the output light to form an adjusted output light. The adjusted output light may be adjusted based on the image correction map to reduce at least one of an intensity non-uniformity and a color balance non-uniformity of the image. The method may also include directing, by the display optic, the adjusted output light into a field of view of the user.

Abstract: A lightguide includes an incoupler configured to receive light emitted from a microdisplay and to direct the received light into the lightguide, a first non-planar major surface and a second non-planar major surface configured to reflect the light directed into the lightguide by the incoupler, and an outcoupler comprising a non-planar, angle selective hologram configured to receive light reflected from at least one of the first major surface and the second major surface and to selectively direct the light out of the lightguide based on the angle of incidence at the hologram.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for light guide based wearable heads-up displays (“WHUD”) are described. Display uniformity may be improved via incoupler double bounce uniformity or eyebox mapping. Grating cosmetic effects may be reduced. FOV may be enhanced by multiple EPEs. Bandwidth may be increased by laser wavelength offsets. The couplers may be a single contiguous photopolymer.

Abstract: An optical combiner includes an optical substrate. An in-coupler grating is positioned to receive an incident light with a FOV and couple a first portion of the incident light into a first propagation path within the optical substrate and a second portion of the incident light into a second propagation path within the optical substrate. The first light portion includes light of a first color, while the second light portion excludes light of the first color. The optical combiner includes fold gratings to expand the first light portion and second light portion and direct the expanded light towards an out-coupler grating, which couples the expanded light out of the optical substrate at multiple exit pupils.

Abstract: There are provided holographic optical elements (HOEs) and methods of making the same. An example of such methods includes recording a first hologram in a contiguous holographic recording medium of the HOE. The first hologram may receive a beam of light and direct at least a portion of the beam into a light guide to form an incoupled beam. The method also includes recording a second hologram in the contiguous holographic recording medium. The second hologram may receive at least a portion of the incoupled beam and direct the portion of the incoupled beam out of the light guide to form an outcoupled beam. In addition, the method includes affixing the holographic recording medium to the light guide.

Abstract: An optical combiner lens includes a lens and a lightguide with a gap defined between the lens and the lightguide. Spacers are disposed in the gap to maintain the gap at a set height. A method of making the optical combiner lens and a wearable heads-up display including the optical combiner lens are disclosed.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion in wearable heads-up displays (“WHUDs”) are described. The WHUDs described herein each include a projector and an optical waveguide positioned in an optical path between the projector and an eye of the user. For any given light signal from the projector, the optical waveguide receives the light signal at an input coupler and outputs multiple instances or copies of the light signal from multiple discrete, spatially-separated output couplers. The multiple instances or copies of the light signal may be converged by the optical waveguide directly to respective exit pupils at the user's eye or may be routed by the optical waveguide to a holographic combiner in the user's field of view from which the light signals may be converged to respective exit pupils at the user's eye. The optical waveguide employs exit pupil replication to expand the eyebox of the WHUD.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion in wearable heads-up displays (“WHUDs”) are described. The WHUDs described herein each include a projector and an optical waveguide positioned in an optical path between the projector and an eye of the user. For any given light signal from the projector, the optical waveguide receives the light signal at an input coupler and outputs multiple instances or copies of the light signal from multiple discrete, spatially-separated output couplers. The multiple instances or copies of the light signal may be converged by the optical waveguide directly to respective exit pupils at the user's eye or may be routed by the optical waveguide to a holographic combiner in the user's field of view from which the light signals may be converged to respective exit pupils at the user's eye. The optical waveguide employs exit pupil replication to expand the eyebox of the WHUD.