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: 20200142202
    Abstract: A waveguide display is used for presenting media to a user. The waveguide display includes light source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The light source assembly includes one or more projectors projecting an image light at least along one dimension. The output waveguide includes a waveguide body with two opposite surfaces. The output waveguide includes a first grating receiving an image light propagating along an input wave vector, a second grating, and a third grating positioned opposite to the second grating and outputting an expanded image light with wave vectors matching the input wave vector. The controller controls the scanning of the one or more source assemblies to form a two-dimensional image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10634907
    Abstract: An eye-tracker for determining a position of the pupil of an eye includes a detector and an optical element. The optical element has a first side facing the detector and an opposing second side. The optical element is configured to receive light reflected off the eye on the first side and redirect a portion of the reflected light that has a first wavelength in a spectral range and a first circular polarization toward the detector. The optical element is also configured to light that is outside the spectral range and light that has a second circular polarization opposite to the first circular polarization. A head-mounted display device that includes a display system and the eye-tracker is also disclosed. A method for determining the location of a pupil of an eye is also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ying Geng, Babak Amirsolaimani, Scott Charles McEldowney, Wanli Chi, Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai
  • Publication number: 20200117005
    Abstract: A waveguide is provided for conveying image light carrying an image having a field of view. The waveguide includes first and second input ports for receiving first and second beams of image light carrying first and second portions, respectively, of the field of view of the image. A diffraction grating of the waveguide is configured to expand the first and second beams along a first axis. The first and second beams are out-coupled from the waveguide for observation of the first and second portions of the field of view of the image by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Hee Yoon Lee, Pasi Saarikko
  • Publication number: 20200116995
    Abstract: A waveguide is provided for conveying image light. The waveguide includes an input port for receiving a first beam of image light carrying an image in a wavelength band. A first diffraction grating of the waveguide includes a plurality of volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) configured to expand the first beam along a first axis and to redirect the first beam towards a second diffraction grating of the waveguide. The second diffraction grating includes a plurality of VBGs configured to receive the first beam from the first diffraction grating and to out-couple different portions of the first wavelength band of the first beam along a second axis, thereby expanding the first beam along the second axis for observation of the image by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Hee Yoon Lee, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10613332
    Abstract: A near-eye display assembly presented herein includes an electronic display, an optical assembly, and scanning assembly. The electronic display has a first resolution. The optical assembly controls a field of view at an eye box and directs a plurality of light rays emitting from the electronic display toward the eye box. The scanning assembly shifts a direction of at least one of the light rays in accordance with emission instructions such that a virtual display is presented to the eye box, the virtual display having a second resolution greater than the first resolution. The display assembly can be implemented as a component of a head-mounted display of an artificial reality system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen John Holmes, Wanli Chi, Maxwell Parsons, Jasmine Soria Sears
  • Patent number: 10598941
    Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) presented herein comprises an electronic display, an optical assembly with a dynamic optical axis component (DOAC), an eye tracker and a controller. The electronic display is configured to emit image light. The eye tracker is configured to determine a gaze vector of a user wearing the HMD. The DOAC is positioned in front of the electronic display and refracts the image light received from the electronic display. The controller provides emission instructions to the DOAC to dynamically move an optical axis of the DOAC to align the optical axis with the determined gaze vector. The optical assembly directs the image light refracted by the DOAC to an eye box of the HMD corresponding to a location of an eye of the user. An optical error associated with the refracted image light directed to the eye box is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko, Lu Lu, Kevin James MacKenzie, Yijing Fu
  • Patent number: 10585287
    Abstract: A waveguide display is used for presenting media to a user. The waveguide display includes light source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The light source assembly includes one or more projectors projecting an image light at least along one dimension. The output waveguide includes a waveguide body with two opposite surfaces. The output waveguide includes a first grating receiving an image light propagating along an input wave vector, a second grating, and a third grating positioned opposite to the second grating and outputting an expanded image light with wave vectors matching the input wave vector. The controller controls the scanning of the one or more source assemblies to form a two-dimensional image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10571699
    Abstract: A waveguide includes an input area, a multi-layered substrate, and an output area. The multi-layered substrate includes a plurality of layers of at least a substrate and at least one partially reflective layers. The input area in-couples light in a first band into the waveguide. The one or more partially reflective layers are partially reflective to light in the first band. Each of the one or more partially reflective layers are located between respective layers of the plurality of layers of the substrate. The output area out-couples light from the waveguide. The pupil replication density of the out-coupled light is based in part on a number of the one or more partially reflective layers and respective locations of the one or more partially reflective layers in the waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Maxwell Parsons, Giuseppe Calafiore, Wanli Chi
  • Publication number: 20200058266
    Abstract: A wearable display device and a calibration method for the wearable display device are provided. The wearable display device or its component(s) may exhibit optical throughput dependent on beam angle or beam coordinate at the eyebox. The linear or angular dependencies of throughput may be accounted for when generating an image to be displayed, to lessen or offset these dependencies during operation of the wearable display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Yijing Fu, Pasi Saarikko, Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi
  • Publication number: 20200049979
    Abstract: A light assembly can have an array of light sources forming rows and columns, where the array comprises a plurality of chips, and each chip comprises a subarray of light sources forming the rows and columns. A boundary between chips in the array can be configured to extend diagonally across rows and columns of the array such that, for each column across which the boundary extends, the first row of the plurality rows may not have a light source disposed in the respective column, but a second row of the plurality of rows has a light source disposed in the respective column.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Vincent BRENNAN, James SMALL, William Anthony WALL, Stephen Warren GORTON, Wanli CHI, Nicholas Daniel TRAIL
  • Patent number: 10534176
    Abstract: A waveguide display is used for presenting media to a user. The waveguide display includes a light source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The light source assembly projects an image light at least along one dimension. The output waveguide includes a waveguide body with two opposite surfaces. The output waveguide includes an input area, an output area, a first diffractive element on the first side, and a second diffractive element on the second side of the output waveguide. The output area is located between the input area and the first and second diffractive elements. The first and second diffractive elements reflect a second portion of the expanded image light back toward the output area for outcoupling to the eyebox. The controller controls the scanning of the light source assembly to form a two-dimensional image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Hee Yoon Lee
  • Patent number: 10534177
    Abstract: A near-eye-display is used for presenting media to a user. The near-eye-display includes a light source assembly, a scanning assembly, one or more output waveguides, and a controller. The light source assembly emits light that is at least partially coherent. The scanning assembly includes grating elements associated with a wave vector that diffract the emitted light into several beams, and scan the beams in accordance with display instructions. The output waveguide includes several input areas, and an output area. Each input area includes one or more coupling elements associated with respective wave vectors that receive a respective beam. The output waveguide expands the beam at least along two dimensions to form expanded light for each respective beam toward a different portion of an eyebox with an overlap in at least some portions of the eyebox. The controller controls the scanning of the scanning assembly to form a two-dimensional image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Hee Yoon Lee
  • Patent number: 10515574
    Abstract: A waveguide display includes a source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The source assembly includes a light source and an optics system. The light source includes source elements arranged in a 1D or 2D array that emit image light. The optics system includes a scanning mirror assembly that scans the image light to particular locations based on scanning instructions. The output waveguide receives the scanned image light from the scanning mirror assembly and outputs an expanded image light. In some embodiments, the waveguide display includes a source waveguide and the 1D array of source elements. The source waveguide receives a conditioned image light from the source assembly. The controller generates the scanning instructions and provides the scanning instructions to the scanning mirror assembly. In some embodiments, the controller provides the scanning instructions to an actuator assembly of the source waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko, Hee Yoon Lee
  • Patent number: 10509231
    Abstract: A waveguide display includes a light source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The light source assembly emits an image light that propagates along an input wave vector. The output waveguide includes a waveguide body with two opposite surfaces. The output waveguide includes a first grating receiving an image light propagating along the input wave vector, a second grating, and a third grating positioned opposite to the second grating and outputting an expanded image light with wave vectors matching the input wave vector. The controller controls the illumination of the light source assembly to form a two-dimensional image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10509158
    Abstract: A holographic Bragg grating is used as an output element for a waveguide in a lens used for artificial reality. By using a Bragg grating, a number of waveguides can be reduced. The output element has a first super grating and a second super grating written in a single grating layer of the waveguide. The first super grating has a grating vector that is skew to a grating vector of the second super grating to provide both deflection and out coupling for two-dimensional output coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10473939
    Abstract: A near-eye display includes a light source assembly, a first waveguide, an output waveguide, and a controller. The light source assembly emits image light including light within a first band and a second band. The first waveguide receives the image light, expands the received image light in at least one dimension, and outputs an image light. The output waveguide includes an output area and a plurality of input areas. Each input area receives the image light from the first waveguide. The output waveguide includes a holographic Bragg grating and the output waveguide expands the image light at least along two dimensions to form an expanded image light, and outputs the expanded image light toward an eyebox. The controller controls the scanning of the light source assembly and the first waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko
  • Publication number: 20190339436
    Abstract: A holographic Bragg grating is used as an output element for a waveguide in a lens used for artificial reality. By using a Bragg grating, a number of waveguides can be reduced. The output element has a first super grating and a second super grating written in a single grating layer of the waveguide. The first super grating has a grating vector that is skew to a grating vector of the second super grating to provide both deflection and out coupling for two-dimensional output coupling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10444510
    Abstract: A waveguide display includes a light source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The light source assembly emits an image light that propagates along an input wave vector. The output waveguide includes a waveguide body with two opposite surfaces. The output waveguide includes a first grating receiving an image light propagating along the input wave vector, a second grating, and a third grating positioned opposite to the second grating and outputting an expanded image light with wave vectors matching the input wave vector. The controller controls the illumination of the light source assembly to form a two-dimensional image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10395575
    Abstract: A waveguide display includes a source assembly, an output waveguide, and a controller. The source assembly includes a light source and an optics system. The light source includes source elements arranged in a 1D or 2D array that emit image light. The optics system includes a scanning mirror assembly that scans the image light to particular locations based on scanning instructions. The output waveguide receives the scanned image light from the scanning mirror assembly and outputs an expanded image light. In some embodiments, the waveguide display includes a source waveguide and the 1D array of source elements. The source waveguide receives a conditioned image light from the source assembly. The controller generates the scanning instructions and provides the scanning instructions to the scanning mirror assembly. In some embodiments, the controller provides the scanning instructions to an actuator assembly of the source waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanli Chi, Pasi Saarikko, Hee Yoon Lee
  • Patent number: 10373936
    Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) presents viewable media to a user. The HMD includes a light source and an optical block. The light source includes a first sub-pixel mounted on a first set of microbumps at a first height from a substrate and emits light within a first optical band, and a second sub-pixel mounted on a second set of microbumps at a second height from the substrate that is different from the first height, and emits light over a second optical band that is different than the first optical band. The optical block receives the image light from the light source, and directs the image light to an eyebox, wherein the first height and the second height mitigates longitudinal chromatic aberration and field curvature in the optical block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yijing Fu, Wanli Chi, Patrick Joseph Hughes