3387results about "Planar/plate-like light guides" patented technology

This invention concerns an ergonomic optical see-through head mounted display device with an eyeglass appearance. The see-through head-mounted display device consists of a transparent, freeform waveguide prism for viewing a displayed virtual image, a see-through compensation lens for enabling proper viewing of a real-world scene when combined together with the prism, and a miniature image display unit for supplying display content. The freeform waveguide prism, containing multiple freeform refractive and reflective surfaces, guides light originated from the miniature display unit toward a user's pupil and enables a user to view a magnified image of the displayed content. A see-through compensation lens, containing multiple freeform refractive surfaces, enables proper viewing of the surrounding environment, through the combined waveguide and lens. The waveguide prism and the see-through compensation lens are properly designed to ergonomically fit human heads enabling a wraparound design of a lightweight, compact, and see-through display system.

Disclosed is an optical valve or light valve for providing large area collimated illumination from localized light sources, and system and method thereof for 2D, 3D, and/or autosteroscopic displays. An optical valve may include a stepped structure, in which the steps include separated extraction features which may be optically hidden to light propagating in a first direction. Light propagating in a second direction may be refracted, diffracted, or reflected by the features to provide illumination beams exiting from the top surface of the optical valve. Such controlled illumination may provide for efficient, multi-user autostereoscopic displays as well as improved 2D display functionality.

Methods and apparatus for downloading one or more lighting programs including one or more lighting effects. The lighting program(s) may be downloaded from a web site to one or more LED-based lighting devices that are configured to execute the downloaded lighting program(s) so as to reproduce the lighting effect(s). In various examples, a variety of programming devices may be employed to facilitate wired or wireless downloading, including one or more computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, media players (e.g., MP3 players), and the like. Information may be uploaded to the web site to facilitate selection and/or creation of lighting effect(s) that are included in the downloaded lighting program(s).

An optical apparatus for transmitting light having a spectrum of wavelengths is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a plurality of optical devices design and constructed to decompose the light into a plurality of portions, respectively corresponding to different sub-spectra of the spectrum, such that each portion of the light is transmitted within a different optical device.

A luminous structure includes at least one light-emitting diode emitting radiation within the ultraviolet or the visible spectrum, a substantially planar glass element having main faces and an edge around a periphery of the main faces. The glass element includes a hole housing the diode, and a metallic element connected to the diode and coupled with said glass element for removing heat. The metallic element is chosen from an electrical connection element or a holding element for keeping the diode in said hole. The invention also relates to the manufacture of this luminous structure and to its applications.

There is provided an optical device including a light-transmitting substrate having at least two major surfaces and edges, optical means for coupling light into the substrate by total internal reflection and at least one partially reflecting surface located win the substrate.

A lighting device, comprising at least one solid state light emitter and one (or more) optical device(s) which (each) comprises at least first, second and third optical structures, first and second surfaces of the second structure being in contact with a surface of the first structure and a surface of the third structure, respectively. The third structure has at least one optical feature. The light emitter is positioned, the optical feature is positioned, and the regions of the structures have indices of refraction, such that if the light emitter is illuminated, at least a portion of the emitted light will enter into the second optical device structure and exit from the optical feature on the third structure. Also, a method of lighting comprising illuminating a light emitter in such a device.

The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for near-to-eye (e.g., retinal) displaying with exit-pupil expansion using a scanning component (e.g., a scanning mirror) and an exit-pupil expander (e.g., diffractive exit-pupil expander) for providing a retinal scanning display with a large exit pupil.

A directional backlight, a multiple view display and a multi-direction display A multiple view display (18) comprises a directional display device (19) for displaying a first image or sequence of images so as to be mainly visible from a first range of directions relative to the device and for simultaneously displaying a second image or sequence of images so as to be mainly visible from a second range of directions relative to the device different from the first range. The display (18) further comprises a directional backlight (20) for directing light through the display device (19) at least mainly in the first and second ranges. Since the directional backlight (20) directs light through the display device (19) at least mainly in the first and second ranges, the display provides users located in the first and second ranges with images of greater intensity than a conventional display. The backlight may be arranged to direct substantially no light in at least part of a third range of directions that lies between the first range of directions and the second range of directions. This provides a ‘black window’ between the first and second ranges in which the intensity of the display is lower than in other ranges. The intensity of the display in the black window is possibly zero, or close to zero, so that an observer located in this window will not perceive an image.

A set of light guide blocks B L 1~B L 3 provide a tandem arrangement. The light guide block B L 1 is supplied with light from a primary light source L 1. The other primary light sources L 2, L 3 are arranged in recesses formed around distal portions of the light guide blocks B L 1, B L 2, supplying the light guide blocks B L 2, B L 3 with primary light, respectively. Overlap of mutually neighboring light guide blocks gives tang-shaped overlapping portions 17a, 17b, 27a, 27b as well as overlapping bands 17c, 27c, thereby avoiding electrodes at both ends of the primary light sources L 2, L 3 from causing short of brightness. The light guide blocks B L 1~B L 3 may be in the form of unified single guide plate. Primary light sources L 1~L 3 may have a shape such that electrode sections of both ends are curved. A compact surface light source device with a large emission area is provided.

Aspects of the present invention relate to providing see-through computer display optics.

Methods of manufacturing a liquid crystal device including depositing a layer of liquid crystal material on a substrate and imprinting a pattern on the layer of liquid crystal material using an imprint template are disclosed. The liquid crystal material can be jet deposited. The imprint template can include surface relief features, Pancharatnam-Berry Phase Effect (PBPE) structures or diffractive structures. The liquid crystal device manufactured by the methods described herein can be used to manipulate light, such as for beam steering, wavefront shaping, separating wavelengths and/or polarizations, and combining different wavelengths and/or polarizations.

An exit pupil extender wherein the relative amount of different color components in the exit beam is more consistent with that of the input beam. In order to compensate for the uneven amount in the diffracted color components in the exit beam, the exit pupil extender, comprises a plurality of layers having additional diffraction gratings so as to increase the amount of diffracted light for those color components with a lower amount. Additionally, color filters disposed between layers to reduce the diffracted light components with a higher amount.

An eyepiece for a HMD includes a waveguide, an ambient light polarizer, and a wire grid polarizer with a diffraction lens having a lens function patterned into the wire grid polarizer. Polarized image light is guided between eye-ward and ambient sides of the waveguide from a display source to a viewing region of the waveguide where the polarized image light is directed out of the waveguide through the eye-ward side. The viewing region passes ambient light incident on the ambient side through to the eye-ward side. The ambient light polarizer is disposed adjacent to the ambient side to polarize the ambient light into polarized ambient light having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. The wire grid polarizer is disposed adjacent to the eye-ward side along the viewing region. The wire grid polarizer is oriented to applying the lens function to the polarized image light via diffraction.

An elongated LED lighting arrangement comprises an elongated light pipe with homogeneous optical material between first and second ends. In an exemplary embodiment, an LED provides blue light to the light pipe via a first dichroic mirror tuned to pass blue light. Down-converting means on sidewall of the light pipe, tuned to receive blue light, absorbs blue light from the LED and to emit lower-energy light outside of the light pipe at respectively higher wavelengths. Light-extracting means on the sidewall extract from the light pipe some blue light without changing the wavelengths of the foregoing light. Light from the down-converting means and the light-extracting means are combined to provide a composite color. The first dichroic mirror receives some light emitted by the down-converting means and reflects back into the light pipe more than 80 percent of the light received by the mirror.

The invention realizes a phosphor film that has a fluorescent characteristic excellent in resistance to humidity and provides, using the phosphor film, a liquid crystal display device that is excellent in resistance to humidity and has satisfactory calorimetric property and color mixture property. Phosphor particles that are excited by incident light and emit light having a wavelength different from the incident light are mixed in a binder. The binder mixed with the phosphor particles is sandwiched between a translucent film and a non-permeable layer as a phosphor layer to form a phosphor film. This phosphor film is provided at least in one place among a place between a light source and a light guide of a lighting device, a place on a light irradiation surface of the light guide, and a place between the light guide and a reflection plate. Moreover, the phosphor particles have a characteristic that a wavelength absorbed by a color filter of a display element is set as an excitation wavelength and a luminescent wavelength is in a region transmitted by the color filter. With this phosphor film, it is possible to realize a display device that has extremely high luminance efficiency and color reproducibility.

An optical apparatus for a head wearable display includes a lightguide, in-coupling holograms, and an out-coupling optical element. The lightguide includes an in-coupling region for receiving display light into the lightguide, an out-coupling region for emitting the display light out of the lightguide, and a relay region for guiding a path of the display light from the in-coupling region to the out-coupling region. A first of the in-coupling holograms is disposed at the in-coupling region to redirect the path of the display light by a first angle. A second of the in-coupling holograms is disposed across from the first in-coupling hologram at the in-coupling region to redirect the path of the display light by a second angle such that the path of the display light enters a total internal reflection condition in the relay region after redirection by the first and second in-coupling holograms.

A holographic waveguide display comprises: a source of light; at least one switchable grating layer comprising a multiplicity of grating regions each switchable between a diffracting state and a non diffracting state; means for spatio-temporally modulating light from the source to provide image light comprising at least one beam deflector for scanning the light in at least one of two orthogonal directions and at least one modulator for amplitude modulating the light. A first scanned angular range of light is diffracted through a first area into a first field of view by a first set of grating regions, and through a second area into to the first field of view by a second set of grating regions. Each grating region of the first and second sets has a first grating function. The first and second areas lie within an exit pupil of the display.

An Electrically Switchable Bragg Grating (ESBG) despeckler device comprising at least one ESBG element recorded in a hPDLC sandwiched between transparent substrates to which transparent conductive coatings have been applied. At least one of said coatings is patterned to provide a two-dimensional array of independently switchable ESBG pixels. Each ESBG pixel has a first unique speckle state under said first applied voltage and a second unique speckle state under said second applied voltage.

The present invention introduces a new class of thin doubly collimating light distributing engines for use in a variety of general lighting applications, especially those benefiting from thinness. Output illumination from these slim-profile illumination systems whether square, rectangular or circular in physical aperture shape is directional, square, rectangular or circular in beam cross-section, and spatially uniform and sharply cutoff outside the system's adjustable far-field angular cone. Field coverage extends from +/−5- to +/−60-degrees and more in each meridian, including all asymmetric combinations in between, both by internal design, by addition of angle spreading film sheets, and angular tilts. Engine brightness is held to safe levels by expanding the size of the engine's output-aperture without sacrifice in the directionality of illumination. One form of the present invention has a single input light emitter, a square output aperture and the capacity to supply hundreds of lumens per engine. A second multi-segment form of the invention deploys one light emitter in each engine segment, so that total output lumens is determined by the number of segments. Both types of thin light distributing engines provide input light collimated in one meridian and a light distributing element that maintains input collimation while collimating output light in the un-collimated orthogonal meridian, in such a manner that the system's far-field output light is collimated in both its orthogonal output meridians. The present invention also includes especially structured optical films that process the engine's doubly collimated output illumination so as to increase its angular extent one or both output meridians without changing beam shape or uniformity.

An outer light collecting portion 10 which sticks out of a light emission surface 14 to the light emission direction at the same time when a light guide plate is formed by resin forming with a mold. An area of a surface for collecting outer light is larger than that of a conventional light guide plate so as to collect outer light effectively. Light from a light source which is incidence through a light incident surface 12 reflects from a light reflection surface 13 and two side surface 11 of a light guide plate 1, and is emitted as synthesized light having the even directivity from a light emission surface 14.

Various embodiments described herein comprise mixers comprising a light pipe having input and output ends and a central region therebetween. An optical path extends in a longitudinal direction from the input end through the central region to the output end. The central region of the light pipe comprises one or more rippled reflective sidewalls having a plurality of elongate ridges and valleys and sloping surfaces therebetween. Light from the input end propagating along the optical path reflects from the sloping surfaces and is redirected at a different azimuthal direction toward the output end thereby mixing the light at the output end. Illuminance and/or color mixing can therefore be provided.

There is provided a binocular device, including a rigid mechanical body supporting two image sources (2, 4), one for each eye (6, 8) and two lensing devices (12, 14), one for each eye, the lensing devices having a first surface adjacent to the image sources and an opposite, second surface, each of the lensing devices projecting an image (16, 18) of one image source onto an infinite focal plane, and electronic means permitting modification of an image generated to an eye for adjusting the binocular alignment of the images. A method for aligning a binocular device is also provided.

A light therapy device (40) for delivering light energy to treat medical conditions in tissues (200) includes a light source (300) with one or more light emitters, which provides input light (305). A light coupling means comprised of one or more optical fibers (310) for coupling the input light into a bandage portion (100) comprising a flexible optical substrate (50). A light extraction means (30) directs a portion of the input light out of the bandage and towards one or more localized areas of the tissues. A semi-permeable transparent membrane (400), attached directly or indirectly to the substrate, controls a flow of moisture and moisture vapor to and from the tissues. A controller (16) means controls a light dosage emitted from the light therapy device.

A structural shape on the surface of an optical substrate is such that the brightness of diffuse light departing from the surface of the optical substrate at certain off axis angles is reduced, at the expense of a small reduction in peak brightness measured near the viewing axis. The net result is an overall increase in useful illumination. A cross section of a prism as the structural shape has a curved sidewall or facet. A material with a relatively high index of refraction combined with a prismatic structure having a modified prism geometry improves brightness.

A light source device 41A, 41B or 41C comprising a lens 44A, 44B or 44C which receives light from a light emitting device 43 such as LED. The lens 44A is a lens having the property that the directivity of exiting light in the Y direction is higher than the directivity in the X direction perpendicular to the Y direction. Namely, the light emitted from the light emitting device 43 is condensed in a narrow angular range in the Y direction, and is scattered in a wide angular range in the X direction. When the light source device 41A is used as a light source of an illumination device of a liquid crystal device, the height direction of a light guide in which the dimension is small coincides with the Y direction, and the width direction of the light guide in which the dimension is large coincides with the X direction.

Lightwave diffraction device formed of a dielectric layer (4), a mirror (12) arranged at the lower face (10) of said layer, a semi-reflective structure (13) arranged at the upper face (100) of said layer, and a diffractive structure (8) arranged in said layer or on its faces. The height (H) of the layer is chosen so as to substantially satisfy the resonance condition for at least one leaky mode propagating in said layer for at least one given incident wave having a determined wavelengthλ and a determined incidence angle θ_c. Next, the diffractive structure is arranged so that there is no propagating positive diffracted order, and so that all negative orders other than the −1^st propagating order have zero or a relatively small diffraction efficiency, the reflected −1^st order propagating in a direction non-parallel to the incident wave. This diffraction device allows a high diffraction efficiency of up to 100% for the −1^st order.

A backlight unit and a display device including the backlight unit are provided. The backlight unit includes at least one light source unit and a light guide plate. The light source unit provides collimated light and controls light such that it is emitted in a plurality of light exit directions.

An optical device, including a light waves-transmitting substrate has two major surfaces and edges, optical means for coupling light into the substrate by total internal reflection, and a plurality of partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) carried by the substrate. The partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) are parallel to each other and are not parallel to any of the edges of the substrate, one or more of the partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) being an anisotropic surface. The optical device has dual operational modes in see-through configuration. In a first mode, light waves are projected from a display source through the substrate to an eye of a viewer. In a second mode, the display source is shut off and only an external scene is viewable through the substrate.

An surface light emitting device that is capable of emitting light of high luminance with higher uniformity is disclosed.The surface light emitting device comprising; a light guide plate, a reflector on the under surface of the light guide plate and, an LED light source having at least one LED element and provided so that a light emitted by the LED element is incident on at least one end face of the light guide plate, wherein the light guide plate has a light diffusing portion on the one end face so that a light emitted from the LED light source enters the light guide plate while being diffused therein, and the light diffusing portion has the top end being space from the top surface.