Patents by Inventor Wanli Chi

Wanli Chi 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).

  • Publication number: 20260093126
    Abstract: A display system includes a narrow band light source having a bandwidth (??), an illumination module optically coupled to the light source, a spatial light modulator arranged to be illuminated by the array of diffusing elements, and a projector system configured to substantially collimate light received from the spatial light modulator, where the illumination module includes a 2D array of diffusing elements and a coherent length (?2/??) of the light source is less than a difference between an optical path length from the light source to a first diffusing element and an optical path length from the light source to a second diffusing element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2025
    Publication date: April 2, 2026
    Inventors: Zhuoliang Ni, Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Wanli Chi, Jacques Gollier, Zhimin Shi, Ziyuan Zhou
  • Patent number: 12560806
    Abstract: A directional illuminator for a display apparatus includes a switchable diffuser for tuning a divergence of a light beam illuminating a display panel of the display apparatus. The tunable divergence of the illuminating light beam translates into a tunable exit pupil size at the eyebox of the display apparatus, which may be matched to a pupil size of a user's eye, thus providing a configurable illumination of the eye pupil. A tiltable reflector in an optical path of the illuminating light beam may be used to shift the location of the exit pupil at the eyebox of the display apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2026
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sihui He, Jacques Gollier, Maxwell Parsons, Babak Amirsolaimani, Wanli Chi, Daniel Guenther Greif, Renate Eva Klementine Landig, Xiayu Feng, Zhimin Shi, Nicholas John Diorio, Yang Yang, Giuseppe Calafiore, Fenglin Peng, Tanya Malhotra, Andrew John Ouderkirk
  • Publication number: 20260025490
    Abstract: According to examples, a system for detection, analysis and correction of disparities in display systems utilizing one or more disparity sensing port is described. The system may include a processor and a memory storing instructions. In addition, the system may include a first lens including a first waveguide for displaying a first image and a second lens including a second waveguide for displaying a second image. Furthermore, the system may include a first projector associated with the first lens to propagate first display light associated with the first image, a second projector associated with the second lens to propagate second display light associated with the second image and a disparity sensing port to receive the first display light and the second display light to determine a disparity associated with the first image and the second image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2025
    Publication date: January 22, 2026
    Inventors: Yang Yang, Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Dominic Meiser, Wanli Chi
  • Patent number: 12510704
    Abstract: An optical element includes a waveguide body that is configured to guide light by total internal reflection from an input end to an output end, an input coupling structure located at the input end for coupling light into the waveguide body, and an output coupling structure located at the output end for coupling light out of the waveguide body, where the waveguide body includes a layer of an organic solid crystal. Such an optical element may have low weight and exhibit good color uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2025
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tingling Rao, Wanli Chi, Xiayu Feng, Yun-Han Lee, Andrew John Ouderkirk, Poer Sung
  • Patent number: 12443032
    Abstract: A switchable grating may be used to redirect illuminating light for illuminating a user's eye in an eye tracking system, to facilitate the determination of eye position and/or orientation. The eye tracking system may be used in a near-eye display. An eye tracking camera obtains an eye image, and a controller performs an initial determination of the eye position. The controller may switch the switchable grating to direct the illuminating light beam onto the eye, for a better position and/or eye orientation determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2025
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sihui He, Jacques Gollier, Maxwell Parsons, Babak Amirsolaimani, Wanli Chi, Daniel Guenther Greif, Renate Eva Klementine Landig, Xiayu Feng, Zhimin Shi, Nicholas John Diorio, Yang Yang, Giuseppe Calafiore, Fenglin Peng, Tanya Malhotra, Andrew John Ouderkirk
  • Patent number: 12339454
    Abstract: According to examples, a display system may include a wearable eyewear arrangement that may include a lens assembly having a projector to propagate display light associated with an image. The lens assembly may also include a waveguide configuration for propagating the display light to an eyebox. The waveguide configuration may include a volume Bragg grating (VBG) component for propagating the display light from a projector to an eyebox. The VBG component may include at least one tilt adjusted grating facilitated by adjustment in an original grating vector (k) direction of a grating by a pre-determined value. The tilt adjusted grating may facilitate to mitigate a rainbow effect observable in a gazing direction of the eyebox. The rainbow effect may be mitigated by modification of a rainbow ghost path away from the gazing direction without affecting propagation of the image pertaining to the display light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2025
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Yang Yang, Dominic Meiser, Wanli Chi
  • Patent number: 12335453
    Abstract: According to examples, a system for detection, analysis and correction of disparities in display systems utilizing one or more disparity sensing port is described. The system may include a processor and a memory storing instructions. In addition, the system may include a first lens including a first waveguide for displaying a first image and a second lens including a second waveguide for displaying a second image. Furthermore, the system may include a first projector associated with the first lens to propagate first display light associated with the first image, a second projector associated with the second lens to propagate second display light associated with the second image and a disparity sensing port to receive the first display light and the second display light to determine a disparity associated with the first image and the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2025
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yang Yang, Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Dominic Meiser, Wanli Chi
  • Patent number: 12282182
    Abstract: A waveguide display system include a waveguide, an input coupler configured to couple display light into the waveguide, a first pupil expander, and a second pupil expander. The first pupil expander is configured to deflect, at a first plurality of locations along a first direction, the display light towards the second pupil expander. The second pupil expander is configured to deflect, at a second plurality of locations along a second direction different from the first direction, the display light from the first pupil expander towards an eyebox of the waveguide display system. At least one of the input coupler, the first pupil expander, or the second pupil expander includes transflective mirrors that are tilted within the waveguide such that the transflective mirrors are inconspicuous when viewed from an oblique angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Wanli Chi, Yang Yang, Dominic Meiser
  • Patent number: 12271078
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a high performance backlight device with photonic integrated circuits. The backlight device includes a light source assembly, a multi-mode slab waveguide, and an out-coupling assembly. The light source assembly includes one or more light sources that generate light in accordance with emission instructions, and a de-speckling mechanism that conditions the generated light to mitigate speckle. The multi-mode slab waveguide in-couples the conditioned light and expands the in-coupled conditioned light in two dimensions to form a homogenous area of conditioned light within a region of the multi-mode slab waveguide. The out-coupling assembly out-couples the conditioned light from the region in a direction normal to the two dimensions, wherein a light modulation layer forms an image from the out-coupled conditioned light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhimin Shi, James Ronald Bonar, Wanli Chi
  • Publication number: 20250085558
    Abstract: A headset for enhanced reality applications comprises a light source to provide a collimated beam and a beam expander. The beam expander includes a first optical element that receives the collimated beam and provides a first expanded beam in a first direction, a second optical element that receives the first expanded beam in the first direction and provides a second expanded beam in a second direction, and a display. The display includes a liquid crystal layer to receive the second expanded beam and a pixelated electrode layer to activate a selected portion of the liquid crystal layer and provide a pixelated image to a user of the headset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2024
    Publication date: March 13, 2025
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Jian Xu, Wanli Chi
  • Publication number: 20250046301
    Abstract: A display device includes a diffusion layer providing a single well, an optical element configured to receive light and output the received image light including a concentric series of lens segments made up of active facets, and a waveguide having an in-coupling grating and a waveguide body optically coupled to the image light, where a polarizing component is disposed over an output surface of the optical element. A method to improve a yield of silicon backplane displays includes connecting a diode having a resolution to a backplane and repairing a defect on a pixel display area by dividing the pixel display area into at least one subcircuit, while improving geometry stylization transfer for 3D models of real-world environments. A method for suppressing crosstalk for user conversations includes receiving multiple speech signals captured by multiple microphones and generating directional data for the multiple speech signals based on spatial filtering.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Inventors: Balasubramanian Sivakumar, Min Hyuk Choi, Gang Chen, Gyungmin Kim, Ahmet Tura, Hai Jung In, Weiwei Wang, Suhui Lee, Woong Hwang, Wanyue Song, Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Wanli Chi, Nikolaos Sarafianos, Rakesh Ranjan, Alexander Sorkine Hornung, Seonghyeon Nam, Hyunyoung Jung, Ruiming Xie, Ju Lin, Niko Moritz, Frank Torsten Bernd Seide
  • Publication number: 20250035928
    Abstract: A system comprising (1) an eyewear device dimensioned to be worn by a user and (2) a compact beam expander incorporated in the eyewear device, the compact beam expander comprising (A) a first light-spreading element configured to diffract light received from a light source, (B) a second light-spreading element configured to further diffract the light, and (C) a pixel element that is positioned proximate to the second light-spreading element and configured to direct the light toward a lens that focuses the light for an eye of the user. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Wanli Chi, Marvin Dion Alim, Alexander Sohn, Jacques Gollier
  • Patent number: 12189134
    Abstract: A beam expander for a display in an enhanced reality headset is provided. The beam expander includes a first optical element configured to receive a collimated beam input and to provide a first expanded beam in a first direction, and a second optical element configured to receive the first expanded beam in the first direction and to provide a second expanded beam in a second direction to a display for an enhanced reality headset. An enhanced reality headset and a method for making a beam expander therein with the above features are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Jian Xu, Wanli Chi
  • Publication number: 20240345389
    Abstract: A system is provided. The system includes a light source configured to emit a infrared (“IR”) light for illuminating an object. The system also includes a waveguide imaging assembly including a waveguide, an in-coupling element disposed at a first portion of the waveguide, an out-coupling element disposed at a second portion of the waveguide, and an optical sensor disposed facing the out-coupling element. The in-coupling element is configured to couple the IR light reflected by the object into the waveguide, the waveguide is configured to guide the IR light to propagate toward the out-coupling element through total internal reflection, and the out-coupling element is configured to couple the IR light out of the waveguide toward the optical sensor. The optical sensor is configured to generate a tracking signal of the object based on the IR light output from the waveguide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2024
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Inventors: Jian XU, Xiang LI, Miaomiao XU, Xingzhou TU, Shaobai LI, Xiayu FENG, Wanli CHI, Wai Sze Tiffany LAM
  • Patent number: 12085717
    Abstract: According to examples, a display system may include a wearable eyewear arrangement that may include a lens assembly having a projector to propagate display light associated with an image. The lens assembly may also include a waveguide for propagating the display light to an eyebox. The waveguide may include a combination of a volume Bragg grating (VBG) component and a partial reflective component that are oriented in a pre-determined configuration to reflect or propagate the display light to maximize a coverage in field of view (FOV) at the eyebox, while minimizing at least one of a ghost image or an intercepting optical lines pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Yang Yang, Dominic Meiser, Wanli Chi
  • Publication number: 20240288684
    Abstract: An apparatus of the subject technology includes a light source to generate a light beam, a first grating illuminated by the light beam, and a second grating optically coupled to the first grating. The first grating performs a first diffraction to expand the light beam in a first dimension to form a first beam. The second grating performs a second diffraction to expand the first beam in a second dimension to provide a backlight for a display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2024
    Publication date: August 29, 2024
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Wanli Chi, Jian Xu
  • Publication number: 20240192427
    Abstract: A waveguide display system include a waveguide, an input coupler configured to couple display light into the waveguide, a first pupil expander, and a second pupil expander. The first pupil expander is configured to deflect, at a first plurality of locations along a first direction, the display light towards the second pupil expander. The second pupil expander is configured to deflect, at a second plurality of locations along a second direction different from the first direction, the display light from the first pupil expander towards an eyebox of the waveguide display system. At least one of the input coupler, the first pupil expander, or the second pupil expander includes transflective mirrors that are tilted within the waveguide such that the transflective mirrors are inconspicuous when viewed from an oblique angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Publication date: June 13, 2024
    Inventors: Wai Sze Tiffany LAM, Wanli CHI, Yang YANG, Dominic MEISER
  • Publication number: 20240168299
    Abstract: A waveguide display includes a first waveguide assembly and a second waveguide assembly. The first waveguide assembly includes a first waveguide extending in a first direction, a first input coupler configured to couple display light into the first waveguide such that the display light is reflected through total internal reflection by three or more surfaces of the first waveguide that are parallel to the first direction to propagate within the first waveguide in the first direction, and a first output coupler configured to couple the display light out of the first waveguide at a first plurality of locations along the first direction. The second waveguide assembly is configured to deflect, at a second plurality of locations along a second direction different from the first direction, the display light from the first waveguide towards an eyebox of the waveguide display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2023
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Inventors: Xingzhou TU, Wai Sze Tiffany LAM, Wanli CHI, Miaomiao XU
  • Patent number: 11947117
    Abstract: A waveguide display includes a waveguide transparent to visible light, a first volume Bragg grating (VBG) on the waveguide and characterized by a first refractive index modulation, and a second reflection VBG on the waveguide and including a plurality of regions characterized by different respective refractive index modulations. The first reflection VBG is configured to diffract display light in a first wavelength range and a first field of view (FOV) range such that the display light in the first wavelength range and the first FOV range propagates in the waveguide through total internal reflection to the plurality of regions of the second reflection VBG. The plurality of regions of the second reflection VBG are configured to diffract the display light in different respective wavelength ranges within the first wavelength range and the first FOV range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Dominic Meiser, Yang Yang, Wai Sze Tiffany Lam, Pasi Saarikko, Ningfeng Huang
  • Publication number: 20240094552
    Abstract: A waveguide may include a substrate and an array of beam splitters embedded within the substrate, where each beam splitter within the array of beam splitters does not fully transect the substrate. Various other devices, systems, and methods of manufacture are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Miaomiao Xu, Wanli Chi, Alexander Sohn