Short-range illumination using a spatial light modulator with a single reflector

Abstract

A display device includes a light source, a spatial light modulator, and an optical element. The optical element includes a reflective surface. The optical assembly is positioned relative to the light source so that at least a portion of the illumination light received by the optical element is reflected back to the light source at the reflective surface. The spatial light modulator is positioned to receive at least a portion of the illumination light reflected by the reflective surface. A method performed by the display device is also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to display devices and, more particularly, to illuminators for use with head mounted display devices. Background Art

[0002] As a component for providing visual information to a user, a head-mounted display device (also referred to as a head-mounted display herein) is becoming more and more popular. For example, the head-mounted display device is used for virtual reality and augmented reality operations.

[0003] High-resolution displays are required in head-mounted display devices. Because the display of a head-mounted display device is located close to the user's eyes, if a low-resolution display is used, the spaces between the pixels of the display will be visible to the user (just like the view through a screen door). However, high-resolution displays are large and heavy, which limits their application in head-mounted display devices.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a compact and lightweight head mounted display device that will enhance the user experience using virtual reality and / or augmented reality operations.

[0005] The disclosed optical assemblies and display devices reduce or eliminate the above-mentioned deficiencies and other problems associated with conventional head-mounted displays. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device comprising: a light source configured to provide illumination light; a spatial light modulator positioned to receive the illumination light; and an optical element comprising a reflective surface, the optical element being positioned relative to the light source so that at least a portion of the illumination light received by the optical element is reflected back to the light source at the reflective surface.

[0007] The display device may further include a beam splitter. The beam splitter may be arranged relative to the optical element and the spatial light modulator so that the beam splitter receives at least a portion of the illumination light reflected on the reflective surface and provides at least a portion of the illumination light in a first direction. The spatial light modulator may modulate at least a portion of the illumination light and output modulated light. The beam splitter may receive the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator and provide the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

[0008] The reflective surface may be curved.

[0009] The optical element may include a second surface opposite to the reflective surface. The reflective surface may have a first curvature. The second surface may have a second curvature different from the first curvature.

[0010] The reflective surface may include a total reflector.

[0011] The light source may include a plurality of light emitting elements. Respective light emitting elements of the plurality of light emitting elements may be individually activatable.

[0012] The light source may include a first plurality of light emitting elements configured to emit first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range. The light source may include a plurality of waveguides. Respective waveguides in the plurality of waveguides may be coupled to respective light emitting elements in the first plurality of light emitting elements and configured to transmit the first light emitted from the respective light emitting elements in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light.

[0013] The light source may further include a second plurality of light emitting elements. The second plurality of light emitting elements may be configured to output a second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range. The corresponding waveguide may also be coupled to a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements and configured to transmit the second light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light.

[0014] A corresponding waveguide of the plurality of waveguides may be tapered.

[0015] The spatial light modulator may be a reflective spatial light modulator.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising: outputting illumination light from a light source; receiving at least a portion of the illumination light at a reflective surface of an optical element; reflecting at least a portion of the illumination light at the reflective surface; and receiving at least a portion of the illumination light at a spatial light modulator.

[0017] The method may also include: receiving at least a portion of the illumination light reflected at the reflective surface at a beam splitter; providing at least a portion of the illumination light in a first direction toward the spatial light modulator using the beam splitter; modulating at least a portion of the illumination light using the spatial light modulator; outputting modulated light from the spatial light modulator; receiving at the beam splitter the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator; and / or providing modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction using the beam splitter.

[0018] Modulating at least a portion of the illumination light with a spatial light modulator may include reflecting a subset of at least a portion of the illumination light, the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the illumination light in the at least a portion.The reflective surface may be a curved surface.

[0019] The optical element may include a second surface opposite to the reflective surface. The method may also include: transmitting at least a portion of the illumination light from the light source to the reflective surface through the second surface; and / or transmitting the at least a portion of the illumination light reflected from the reflective surface through the second surface.

[0020] The reflective surface may include a total reflector.

[0021] The light source may include a plurality of light emitting elements.The method may further include activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the light emitting elements in the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0022] The light source may include a first plurality of light emitting elements. The light source may include a plurality of waveguides. The method may further include: providing first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; and / or transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light by the corresponding waveguide.

[0023] The light source may further include a second plurality of light emitting elements. The method may further include: providing, from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements, second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range; guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; and / or transmitting, by the corresponding waveguide, the second light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light.

[0024] A corresponding waveguide of the plurality of waveguides may be tapered.

[0025] Thus, the disclosed embodiments provide luminaires and display devices including such luminaires, as well as methods for using and making such luminaires.In some embodiments, the display device is a head mounted display device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] For a better understanding of the various described embodiments, reference should be made to the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0027] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a display device according to some embodiments.

[0028] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a system including a display device according to some embodiments.

[0029] Figure 3A is an isometric view of a display device according to some embodiments.

[0030] Figure 3B-Figure 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating an example lighting configuration for use in a display device according to some embodiments.

[0031] Figure 4Ais a schematic diagram illustrating a display device according to some embodiments.

[0032] Figure 4B-Figure 4E A polarization selective element according to some embodiments is shown.

[0033] Figure 4F-4J is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device according to some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device having an optical assembly according to some embodiments.

[0035] Figure 5B It is shown Figure 5A Schematic diagram of the light path in the optical assembly is shown.

[0036] Figure 5C-5D is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device according to some embodiments.

[0037] Figure 6A-6E is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device according to some embodiments.

[0038] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device according to some embodiments.

[0039] Figure 8A-8C is a schematic diagram illustrating a light source according to some embodiments.

[0040] Figure 9A-9C is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing short-range lighting according to some embodiments.

[0041] Figure 10A-10C is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing short-range lighting according to some embodiments.

[0042] Figure 11A-11B is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing short-range lighting according to some embodiments.

[0043] Figure 12A-12B is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing short-range lighting according to some embodiments.

[0044] Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are not drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] There is a need for a head mounted display device that is lightweight, compact, and can provide uniform illumination.

[0046] The present disclosure provides a display device that produces uniform illumination in a compact footprint. The display device includes an optical assembly configured to direct illumination light emitted from a light source to a spatial light modulator (eg, a reflective spatial light modulator).

[0047] Reference will now be made to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the various described embodiments. However, it is apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various described embodiments may be implemented without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, processes, components, circuits, and networks are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments.

[0048] It should also be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. are used in some cases to describe various elements herein, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish different elements. For example, a first reflector can be referred to as a second reflector, and similarly, a second reflector can be referred to as a first reflector without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. Both the first reflector and the second reflector are light reflectors, but they are not the same reflector.

[0049] The terms used in the description of the various embodiments described herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to be restrictive. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used here refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more associated list items. It should also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include", "comprise", "contain" and / or "have" specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their groups. The term "exemplary" used here means "as an example, instance or illustration", and does not mean "representing the best of the same kind".

[0050] Figure 1 1 shows a display device 100 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the display device 100 is configured to be worn on the user's head (e.g., in the form of glasses or eyepieces, such as Figure 1 When the display device 100 is configured to be worn on the user's head or included as part of a helmet, the display device 100 is referred to as a head-mounted display. Alternatively, the display device 100 is configured in a fixed position, placed near one or both eyes of the user, rather than being head-mounted (e.g., the display device 100 is installed in a vehicle such as a car or airplane for placement in front of one or both eyes of the user). Figure 1As shown, the display device 100 includes a display 110. The display 110 is configured to present visual content (eg, augmented reality content, virtual reality content, mixed reality content, or any combination thereof) to a user.

[0051] In some embodiments, the display device 100 includes a text reference Figure 2 In some embodiments, the display device 100 includes Figure 2 Additional components not shown.

[0052] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a system 200 according to some embodiments. Figure 2 The system 200 shown includes a display device 205 (which corresponds to Figure 1 The display device 100 shown in the figure), the imaging device 235 and the input interface 240, each of which is coupled to the console 210. Figure 2 The example that system 200 includes display device 205, imaging device 235 and input interface 240 is shown, but in other embodiments, any number of these components may be included in system 200. For example, there may be multiple display devices 205, each display device 205 having an associated input interface 240 and monitored by one or more imaging devices 235, wherein each display device 205, input interface 240 and imaging device 235 communicate with console 210. In alternative configurations, different and / or additional components may be included in system 200. For example, in some embodiments, console 210 is connected to system 200 via a network (e.g., the Internet), or is self-contained as part of display device 205 (e.g., physically located inside display device 205). In some embodiments, display device 205 is used to create mixed reality by adding a view of the surrounding environment of reality. Therefore, display device 205 and system 200 described herein can provide augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality.

[0053] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, display device 205 corresponds to display device 100, and is a head-mounted display that presents media to the user. The example of the media presented by display device 205 includes one or more images, videos, audio or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, audio is presented via an external device (e.g., speaker and / or earphone), which receives audio information from display device 205, console 210 or both, and presents audio data based on audio information. In some embodiments, display device 205 immerses the user in an enhanced environment.

[0054] In some embodiments, the display device 205 also acts as an augmented reality (AR) headset. In these embodiments, the display device 205 uses computer-generated elements (e.g., images, videos, sounds, etc.) to enhance the view of the physical, real-world environment. In addition, in some embodiments, the display device 205 can cycle between different types of operations. Therefore, based on instructions from the application engine 255, the display device 205 operates as a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, as glasses, or some combination thereof (e.g., glasses without optical correction, glasses with optical correction for the user, sunglasses, or some combination thereof).

[0055] The display device 205 includes an electronic display 215, one or more processors 216, an eye tracking module 217, an adjustment module 218, one or more locators 220, one or more positioning sensors 225, one or more positioning cameras 222, a memory 228, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 230, one or more optical components 260, or a subset or superset thereof (e.g., a display device 205 with an electronic display 215, an optical component 260, without any other listed components). Some embodiments of the display device 205 have modules different from those described herein. Similarly, functionality may be allocated between modules in a different manner than described herein.

[0056] One or more processors 216 (e.g., processing units or cores) execute instructions stored in memory 228. Memory 228 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 228, or alternatively (multiple) non-volatile memory devices within memory 228, includes non-transitory computer-readable storage media. In some embodiments, memory 228 or a computer-readable storage medium of memory 228 stores programs, modules and data structures, and / or instructions for displaying one or more images on electronic display 215.

[0057] The electronic display 215 displays images to the user based on data received from the console 210 and / or the processor(s) 216. In various embodiments, the electronic display 215 may include a single adjustable display element or multiple adjustable display elements (e.g., a display for each eye of the user). In some embodiments, the electronic display 215 is configured to project images to the user through one or more optical components 260.

[0058] In some embodiments, the display element includes one or more light emitting devices and a corresponding array of spatial light modulators. A spatial light modulator is an array of electro-optical pixels, photoelectric pixels, an array of some other devices that dynamically adjust the amount of light transmitted by each device, or some combination thereof. These pixels are placed behind one or more lenses. In some embodiments, the spatial light modulator is an array of pixels based on liquid crystal in an LCD (liquid crystal display). Examples of light emitting devices include organic light emitting diodes, active matrix organic light emitting diodes, light emitting diodes, some type of device that can be placed in a flexible display, or some combination thereof. Light emitting devices include devices for image generation that can generate visible light (e.g., red, green, blue, etc.). The spatial light modulator is configured to selectively attenuate a single light emitting device, a group of light emitting devices, or some combination thereof. Alternatively, when the light emitting device is configured to selectively attenuate a single light emitting device and / or a group of light emitting devices, the display element includes such an array of light emitting devices without a separate emission intensity array.

[0059] One or more of the one or more optical components 260 direct light from the array of light emitting devices (optionally via an array of emission intensities) to a location within each eye box and ultimately to the back of the user's retina (s). The eye box is the area occupied by the eyes of a user of the display device 205 (e.g., a user wearing the display device 205) who is viewing an image from the display device 205. In some cases, the eye box is represented as a 10 mm x 10 mm square. In some embodiments, the one or more optical components include one or more coatings, such as an anti-reflective coating, and one or more polarization volume holograms (PVH).

[0060] In some embodiments, the display element includes an infrared (IR) detector array that detects IR light retroreflected from the viewing user's retina, from the corneal surface, the lens of the eye, or some combination thereof. The IR detector array includes one or more IR sensors, each IR sensor corresponding to a different location of the viewing user's eye pupil. In alternative embodiments, other eye tracking systems may also be employed.

[0061] Eye tracking module 217 determines the location of each pupil of the user's eyes. In some embodiments, eye tracking module 217 instructs electronic display 215 to illuminate the eye box with IR light (eg, via an IR emitting device in the display element).

[0062] A portion of the emitted IR light will pass through the pupil of the viewing user and be retroreflected from the retina to the IR detector array for determining the position of the pupil. Additionally or alternatively, reflections from the surface of the eye are also used to determine the position of the pupil. In some cases, the IR detector array scans the retroreflections and identifies which IR emitting devices are active when the retroreflections are detected. The eye tracking module 217 can use a tracking lookup table and the identified IR emitting devices to determine the pupil position of each eye. The tracking lookup table maps the received signals on the IR detector array to positions in each eye box (corresponding to the pupil positions). In some embodiments, the tracking lookup table is generated via a calibration process (e.g., the user views various known reference points in the image, and the eye tracking module 217 maps the user's pupil position to corresponding signals received on the IR tracking array while viewing the reference points). As described above, in some embodiments, the system 200 can use eye tracking systems other than the embedded IR eye tracking system described herein.

[0063] The adjustment module 218 generates an image frame based on the determined pupil position. In some embodiments, this sends a discrete image to the display that tiles the sub-images together so that a coherently stitched image will appear on the back of the retina. The adjustment module 218 adjusts the output of the electronic display 215 (i.e., the generated image frame) based on the detected pupil position. The adjustment module 218 instructs the various parts of the electronic display 215 to pass the image light to the determined pupil position. In some embodiments, the adjustment module 218 also instructs the electronic display not to provide image light to locations other than the determined pupil position. The adjustment module 218 can, for example, block and / or stop light emitting devices whose image light falls outside the determined pupil position, allow other light emitting devices to emit image light that falls within the determined pupil position, translate and / or rotate one or more display elements, dynamically adjust the curvature and / or refractive index of one or more active lenses in a lens (e.g., microlens) array, or some combination thereof.

[0064] Optional locators 220 are objects located on display device 205 at specific locations relative to each other and relative to specific reference points on display device 205. Locators 220 can be light emitting diodes (LEDs), corner reflectors, reflective markers, a type of light source that contrasts with the environment in which display device 205 operates, or some combination thereof. In embodiments where locators 220 are active (i.e., LEDs or other types of light emitting devices), locators 220 can emit light in the visible band (e.g., approximately 400 nm to 750 nm), the infrared band (e.g., approximately 750 nm to 1 mm), the ultraviolet band (approximately 100 nm to 400 nm), some other portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, or some combination thereof.

[0065] In some embodiments, the locator 220 is located below an outer surface of the display device 205 that is transparent to the wavelengths of light emitted or reflected by the locator 220, or thin enough to not substantially attenuate the wavelengths of light emitted or reflected by the locator 220. Additionally, in some embodiments, the outer surface or other portion of the display device 205 is opaque in the visible band of light wavelengths. Thus, the locator 220 may emit light in the IR band below an outer surface that is transparent in the IR band but opaque in the visible band.

[0066] IMU 230 is an electronic device that generates calibration data based on measurement signals received from one or more positioning sensors 225. Positioning sensor 225 generates one or more measurement signals in response to the movement of display device 205. Examples of position sensor 225 include: one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more magnetometers, another suitable type of sensor that detects movement, a sensor type used for error correction of IMU 230, or some combination thereof. Position sensor 225 can be located outside IMU 230, inside IMU 230, or some combination thereof.

[0067] Based on one or more measurement signals from one or more positioning sensors 225, the IMU 230 generates first calibration data indicating an estimated position of the display device 205 relative to an initial position of the display device 205. For example, the positioning sensor 225 includes a plurality of accelerometers for measuring translational motion (forward / backward, up / down, left / right) and a plurality of gyroscopes for measuring rotational motion (e.g., pitch, yaw, roll). In some embodiments, the IMU 230 samples the measurement signals quickly and calculates an estimated positioning of the display device 205 based on the sampled data. For example, the IMU 230 integrates the measurement signals received from the accelerometers over time to estimate a velocity vector, and integrates the velocity vector over time to determine an estimated positioning of a reference point on the display device 205. Alternatively, the IMU 230 provides the sampled measurement signals to the console 210, which determines the first calibration data. The reference point is a point that can be used to describe the positioning of the display device 205. While a reference point may generally be defined as a point in space; however, in practice, a reference point is defined as a point within the display device 205 (eg, the center of the IMU 230 ).

[0068] In some embodiments, the IMU 230 receives one or more calibration parameters from the console 210. As discussed further below, the one or more calibration parameters are used to maintain tracking of the display device 205. Based on the received calibration parameters, the IMU 230 can adjust one or more IMU parameters (e.g., sampling rate). In some embodiments, certain calibration parameters cause the IMU 230 to update the initial position of the reference point so that it corresponds to the next calibration position of the reference point. Updating the initial position of the reference point to the next calibration position of the reference point helps reduce the cumulative error associated with the determined estimated position. The cumulative error (also called drift error) causes the estimated position of the reference point to "drift" away from the actual position of the reference point over time.

[0069] The imaging device 235 generates calibration data based on the calibration parameters received from the console 210. The calibration data includes one or more images showing the observed position of the locator 220, which can be detected by the imaging device 235. In some embodiments, the imaging device 235 includes one or more still cameras, one or more video cameras, any other device capable of capturing an image including one or more locators 220, or some combination thereof. In addition, the imaging device 235 may include one or more filters (e.g., for improving the signal-to-noise ratio). The imaging device 235 is configured to optionally detect light emitted or reflected from the locator 220 in the field of view of the imaging device 235. In embodiments where the locator 220 includes a passive element (e.g., a retroreflector), the imaging device 235 may include a light source that illuminates some or all of the locator 220, which retroreflects light to the light source in the imaging device 235. The second calibration data is transmitted from the imaging device 235 to the console 210, and the imaging device 235 receives one or more calibration parameters from the console 210 to adjust one or more imaging parameters (e.g., focal length, focus, frame rate, ISO, sensor temperature, shutter speed, aperture, etc.).

[0070] In some embodiments, display device 205 includes one or more optical components 260. In some embodiments, display device 205 optionally includes a single optical component 260 or multiple optical components 260 (e.g., an optical component 260 for each eye of a user). In some embodiments, one or more optical components 260 receive image light for a computer-generated image from (multiple) electronic display devices 215 and direct the image light to one or both eyes of the user. The computer-generated image includes a still image, an animated image, and / or a combination thereof. The computer-generated image includes an object that appears to be a two-dimensional and / or three-dimensional object.

[0071] In some embodiments, the electronic display device 215 projects a computer-generated image onto one or more reflective elements (not shown), and one or more optical components receive image light from the one or more reflective elements and direct the image light to the user's (one or both) eyes. In some embodiments, one or more reflective elements are partially transparent (e.g., one or more reflective elements have a transmittance of at least 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, or 50%), which allows transmission of ambient light. In such embodiments, the computer-generated image projected by the electronic display 215 is superimposed with the transmitted ambient light (e.g., the transmitted ambient image) to provide an augmented reality image.

[0072] The input interface 240 is a device that allows a user to send an action request to the console 210. An action request is a request to perform a specific action. For example, an action request may be to start or end an application or to perform a specific action within the application. The input interface 240 may include one or more input devices. Example input devices include: a keyboard, a mouse, a game controller, data from brain signals, data from other parts of the human body, or any other appropriate device for receiving an action request and transmitting the received action request to the console 210. The action request received by the input interface 240 is transmitted to the console 210, and the console 210 performs an action corresponding to the action request. In some embodiments, the input interface 240 may provide tactile feedback to the user according to instructions received from the console 210. For example, tactile feedback is provided when an action request is received, or the console 210 transmits instructions to the input interface 240 so that the input interface 240 generates tactile feedback when the console 210 performs an action.

[0073] The console 210 provides media to the display device 205 for presentation to the user based on information received from one or more of: the imaging device 235, the display device 205, and the input interface 240. Figure 2 In the example shown, the console 210 includes an application storage device 245, a tracking module 250, and an application engine 255. Some embodiments of the console 210 have a Figure 2 Similarly, the functionality described further herein may be distributed among the components of console 210 in a manner different from that described herein.

[0074] When application storage 245 is included in console 210, application storage 245 stores one or more applications for execution by console 210. An application is a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, are used to generate content presented to a user. The content generated by the processor based on the application may be responsive to input received from the user via movement of display device 205 or input interface 240. Examples of applications include: gaming applications, conferencing applications, video playback applications, or other appropriate applications.

[0075] When the tracking module 250 is included in the console 210, the tracking module 250 uses one or more calibration parameters to calibrate the system 200, and can adjust the one or more calibration parameters to reduce errors in determining the location of the display device 205. For example, the tracking module 250 adjusts the focus of the imaging device 235 to obtain a more accurate location of the localizers observed on the display device 205. In addition, the calibration performed by the tracking module 250 also takes into account information received from the IMU 230. In addition, if tracking of the display device 205 is lost (e.g., the imaging device 235 loses sight of at least a threshold number of localizers 220), the tracking module 250 recalibrates some or all of the system 200.

[0076] In some embodiments, the tracking module 250 uses the second calibration data from the imaging device 235 to track the movement of the display device 205. For example, the tracking module 250 uses the observed locators from the second calibration data and the model of the display device 205 to determine the location of the reference point of the display device 205. In some embodiments, the tracking module 250 also uses the positioning information from the first calibration data to determine the location of the reference point of the display device 205. In addition, in some embodiments, the tracking module 250 can use the first calibration data, part of the second calibration data, or some combination thereof to predict the future position of the display device 205. The tracking module 250 provides the estimated or predicted future location of the display device 205 to the application engine 255.

[0077] The application engine 255 executes applications within the system 200 and receives position information, acceleration information, velocity information, predicted future position, or some combination thereof, of the display device 205 from the tracking module 250. Based on the received information, the application engine 255 determines content to be provided to the display device 205 for presentation to the user. For example, if the received information indicates that the user has looked to the left, the application engine 255 generates content for the display device 205 that reflects the user's movement in the augmented environment. In addition, the application engine 255 performs an action within an application executed on the console 210 in response to an action request received from the input interface 240, and provides feedback to the user that the action has been performed. The feedback provided may be visual or auditory feedback via the display device 205, or tactile feedback via the input interface 240.

[0078] Figure 3A 300 is an isometric view of a display device 300 according to some embodiments. In some other embodiments, the display device 300 is part of some other electronic display (e.g., a digital microscope, a head-mounted display device, etc.). In some embodiments, the display device 300 includes a light emitting device 310 and an optical assembly 330, which may include one or more lenses and / or other optical components. In some embodiments, the display device 300 also includes an IR detector array.

[0079] The light emitting device 310 emits image light and optional IR light to a viewing user. The light emitting device 310 includes one or more light emitting components that emit light in the visible light (and optionally includes a component that emits light in the IR). The light emitting device 310 may include, for example, an LED array, a micro-LED array, an OLED array, or some combination thereof.

[0080] In some embodiments, the light emitting device 310 includes an emission intensity array (e.g., a spatial light modulator) that is configured to selectively attenuate light emitted from the light emitting device 310. In some embodiments, the emission intensity array is composed of a plurality of liquid crystal cells or pixels, a group of light emitting devices, or some combination thereof. Each liquid crystal cell, or in some embodiments, a group of liquid crystal cells, is addressable to have a specific level of attenuation. For example, at a given time, some liquid crystal cells may be set to no attenuation, while other liquid crystal cells may be set to maximum attenuation. In this way, the emission intensity array is capable of providing image light and / or controlling which portion of the image light is passed to the optical assembly 330. In some embodiments, the display device 300 uses an emission intensity array to facilitate providing image light to the location of the pupil 350 of the user's eye 340, and to minimize the amount of image light provided to other areas in the eye box.

[0081] The optical assembly 330 includes one or more lenses. The one or more lenses in the optical assembly 330 receive the modified image light (e.g., attenuated light) from the light emitting device 310 and direct the modified image light to the location of the pupil 350. The optical assembly 330 may include additional optical components, such as color filters, reflectors, etc.

[0082] The optional IR detector array detects IR light retroreflected from the retina of eye 340, the cornea of ​​eye 340, the lens of eye 340, or some combination thereof. The IR detector array includes a single IR sensor or multiple IR sensitive detectors (e.g., photodiodes). In some embodiments, the IR detector array is separate from the light emitting device 310. In some embodiments, the IR detector array is integrated into the light emitting device 310.

[0083] In some embodiments, a light emitting device 310 including an emission intensity array constitutes a display element. Alternatively, a display element includes a light emitting device 310 without an emission intensity array (e.g., when the light emitting device 310 includes pixels that can be individually adjusted). In some embodiments, the display element additionally includes an IR array. In some embodiments, in response to a determined position of the pupil 350, the display element adjusts the emitted image light so that light output by the display element is refracted by one or more lenses toward the determined position of the pupil 350, rather than toward other positions in the eye box.

[0084] In some embodiments, display device 300 includes one or more broadband sources (eg, one or more white LEDs) coupled with a plurality of color filters in addition to or in place of light emitting device 310 .

[0085] In some embodiments, the display device 300 (or the light emitting device 310 of the display device 300) includes a spatial light modulator (e.g., a reflective spatial light modulator), such as a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) spatial light modulator. In some embodiments, the LCoS spatial light modulator includes liquid crystal. In some embodiments, the LCoS spatial light modulator includes ferroelectric liquid crystal. The spatial light modulator has an array of pixels (or sub-pixels), and each pixel (or corresponding sub-pixel) can be individually controlled to reflect light incident thereon (e.g., the pixel is activated to reflect light incident thereon, or is deactivated to stop reflecting light incident thereon) or modulate the reflected light (e.g., the pixel is activated to change the polarization of the reflected light, or is deactivated to stop changing the polarization of the reflected light, or vice versa). In some embodiments, the display device 300 includes a plurality of spatial light modulators (e.g., a first spatial light modulator for a first color such as red, a second spatial light modulator for a second color such as green, and a third spatial light modulator for a third color such as blue). Such a spatial light modulator requires an illuminator that provides light to the spatial light modulator.

[0086] LCoS spatial light modulators typically reflect a portion of the illumination light to provide image light, and non-uniformity in the illumination light will result in non-uniformity in the image light. Therefore, there is a need for a compact illuminator that can provide uniform illumination of an LCoS spatial light modulator.

[0087] Figure 3B-Figure 3C is a schematic diagram showing an example lighting configuration used in display device 300 according to some embodiments. Figure 3B and Figure 3C , illumination light 390 is transmitted through an optical component 360 (e.g., one or more optical components) toward a polarization beam splitter (PBS) 362-1 or 362-2. The PBS 362-1 or 362-2 provides illumination light 390 in a first direction toward a spatial light modulator 370 (e.g., a reflective spatial light modulator, such as an LCoS spatial light modulator), receives modulated light 392 output from the spatial light modulator 370, and provides modulated light 392 in a second direction that is different from the first direction (e.g., not parallel to the first direction). In some embodiments, the first direction and the second direction form an angle between 30 degrees and 150 degrees, between 45 degrees and 135 degrees, or between 60 degrees and 120 degrees. Figure 3B In FIG. 3 , illumination light 390 is transmitted (e.g., without changing direction) through PBS 362-1. Additionally, modulated light 392 output from spatial light modulator 370 is reflected by PBS 362-1 toward output component 372 (e.g., display optics or a waveguide with an optical input coupler). Figure 3C, illumination light 390 is reflected by PBS 362-2 toward spatial light modulator 370, and modulated light 392 output from spatial light modulator 370 is transmitted through PBS 362-2 toward output component 372 (eg, without changing direction).

[0088] although Figure 4A , Figure 4F-4J , Figure 5A-5D , Figure 6A-6E and Figure 7 shows a similar Figure 3B The configuration shown (optical axis of optical assembly 360 is parallel to the optical axis of spatial light modulator 370) is similar to that of the device, but Figure 4A , Figure 4F-4J , Figure 5A-5D , Figure 6A-6E and Figure 7 The optical components in can be arranged so that the configuration of the optical components is similar to Figure 3C The configuration shown (the optical axis of the optical component 360 is not parallel (eg, perpendicular) to the optical axis of the spatial light modulator 370). For the sake of brevity, a detailed description of this configuration is omitted herein.

[0089] Figure 4A , Figure 4F-4J , Figure 5A-5D , Figure 6A-6E and Figure 7 An example optical device implementing a compact illuminator according to some embodiments is shown. Such an optical device can be used to illuminate a spatial light modulator (e.g., a reflective spatial light modulator), such as an LCoS spatial light modulator. In some embodiments, such an optical device is separate from the spatial light modulator. In some embodiments, such an optical device includes a spatial light modulator (e.g., the spatial light modulator is integrated into the optical device).

[0090] Figure 4Ais a schematic diagram showing a display device 400 including an optical assembly 430 according to some embodiments. The display device 400 includes a light source 410 and a spatial light modulator 420 (e.g., a reflective spatial light modulator), such that the optical assembly 430 is disposed between the light source 410 and the spatial light modulator 420. The light source 410 is configured to provide (e.g., generate, emit, output, or direct) illumination light 490 to the optical assembly 430. The optical assembly 430 includes a first reflective surface 430-1 and a second reflective surface 430-2 separated from (e.g., opposite to) the first reflective surface 430-1. The first reflective surface 430-1 is configured to receive the illumination light 490 and transmit at least a first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490, such that at least the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 is: (i) transmitted through the first reflective surface 430-1 toward the second reflective surface 430-2, (ii) reflected from the second reflective surface 430-2 toward the first reflective surface 430-1, (iii) reflected from the first reflective surface 430-1 toward the second reflective surface 430-2, and (iv) transmitted through the second reflective surface 430-2.

[0091] In some embodiments, at least one of the first reflective surface 430-1 or the second reflective surface 430-2 is curved. Figure 4A , first reflective surface 430-1 is curved, while second reflective surface 430-2 is not curved (e.g., flat). Alternatively, first reflective surface 430-1 may be flat, while second reflective surface 430-2 may be curved. When illumination light 490 is directed from light source 410 to spatial light modulator 420 via optical assembly 430, the radius of curvature of first reflective surface 430-1 and / or second reflective surface 430-2 contributes to changing the optical power of divergence (e.g., focusing or defocusing) of first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490.

[0092] In some embodiments, the display device 400 further includes a PBS 440 configured to receive a first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 and provide the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 to the spatial light modulator 420. In some embodiments, as shown, the optical assembly 430 is disposed between the light source 410 and the PBS 440 such that the first reflective surface 430-1 faces the light source 410 and the second reflective surface 430-2 faces the PBS 440.

[0093] In some embodiments, spatial light modulator 420 is an LCoS spatial light modulator.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first reflective surface 430-1 is a partially reflective surface (e.g., a 50 / 50 mirror). In some configurations, the first reflective surface 430-1 is a reflective polarizer configured to selectively transmit or reflect light based on the polarization of the light. For example, the reflective polarizer can be configured to transmit light having a first polarization and reflect light having a second polarization, the second polarization being different from the first polarization (e.g., orthogonal to the first polarization).

[0095] In some embodiments, the second reflective surface 430-2 is a liquid crystal-based polarization selective element 450 (e.g., a polarization-sensitive hologram, a cholesteric liquid crystal, etc.). Examples of liquid crystal-based polarization selective elements 450 include polarization selective elements with a metasurface, polarization selective elements with a resonant structure surface, polarization selective elements including a continuous chiral layer, and polarization selective elements including a birefringent material. The liquid crystal-based polarization selective element 450 can be configured to reflect light having a first polarization and transmit light having a second polarization, the second polarization being different from the first polarization (e.g., orthogonal to the first polarization). In some embodiments, the first polarization is a first circular polarization, and the second polarization is a second circular polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

[0096] Figure 4B-Figure 4E A polarization selective element 450 is shown according to some embodiments.

[0097] In some embodiments, the polarization-selective element 450 includes a liquid crystal layer (e.g., a liquid crystal formed of cholesteric liquid crystal) arranged in a spiral structure. In some embodiments, the polarization-selective element 450 is polarization-selective with respect to the circular polarization of light. When the circularly polarized light has a handedness corresponding to the helical twist of the liquid crystal structure along its helical axis in the polarization-selective element 450 (e.g., along the same handedness or having the same handedness), the polarization-selective element 450 interacts with the circularly polarized light, causing the propagation direction of the light to change (e.g., reflecting, refracting, or diffracting the light). Conversely, the polarization-selective element 450 will transmit circularly polarized light having a handedness opposite to the helical twist of the liquid crystal structure in the polarization-selective element 450 without changing its direction or polarization. The polarization-selective element 450 can be configured to redirect light having certain properties without changing its polarization, while light not having certain properties is transmitted through the polarization-selective element 450 without changing its polarization.

[0098] For example, the polarization selective element 450 may have a right-handed liquid crystal helical structure, and may be configured to redirect (e.g., reflect, refract, diffract) RCP light incident thereon without changing the polarization of the RCP light, while transmitting LCP light incident thereon without changing its polarization or direction. In addition to polarization selectivity, the polarization selective element 450 may also have wavelength selectivity. For example, the right-handed polarization selective element 450 is configured to reflect RCP light within a specific spectral range and transmit all other light, including LCP light within a specific spectral range and RCP light with a wavelength outside the specific spectral range. In addition, the polarization selective element 450 may also be configured to have angle selectivity, so that the polarization selective element 450 interacts with light incident on the surface of the polarization selective element 450 within a specific angle range (e.g., substantially parallel to the optical axis of the polarization selective element 450, in some cases, the incident light and the optical axis of the polarization selective element 450 form an angle of less than 20 degrees), and satisfies the polarization and wavelength conditions as described above. Light that is incident on the surface of the polarization selective element 450 at angles outside of a certain angular range will be transmitted through the polarization selective element 450 without changing polarization or direction.

[0099] Figure 4B An xz cross-sectional view of a polarization selective element 450 is shown. In some embodiments, the polarization selective element 450 includes a photo-alignment layer 452 (e.g., a layer including an organic or inorganic compound, the compound including a photosensitive group) and a helical structure 454 formed by optically anisotropic molecules. The photo-alignment layer 452 is formed by adding a photo-alignment material (PAM). The PAM layer is then exposed to an alignment light (e.g., linearly polarized light) having a desired intensity and an incident angle. The alignment light is gradually scanned on the PAM layer while rotating the polarization of the alignment light. The alignment light generates a cycloid pattern on the PAM layer (e.g., the cycloid pattern is explained below with reference to FIG. 5E). After preparing the photo-alignment layer 452, an optically anisotropic molecular layer is applied to the photo-alignment layer 452 forming the helical structure 454. The cycloid pattern of the photo-alignment layer 452 defines the orientation of the helical structure 454. After forming the helical structure 454, the optically anisotropic molecular layer is cured (e.g., fixed, set, or hardened) to form a polymer. In some embodiments, curing includes thermal curing or UV curing. In some embodiments, the helical structure 454 is formed by liquid crystals (such as cholesteric liquid crystals). The helical structure 454 is aligned along a helical axis 456 that is substantially parallel to the z-axis (e.g., the helical axis 456 and the z-axis form an angle of no greater than 20 degrees). In some embodiments, the optically anisotropic molecules rotate in the same rotational direction (forming a helical twist) about the helical axis 456 throughout the optically transparent substrate. The helical structure 454 defines a helical pitch 466, which is used herein to refer to the distance between two adjacent optically anisotropic molecules of the same helical structure having the same orientation.

[0100] The polarization selective element 450 can change or affect the direction and / or polarization of light within a specific spectral range (e.g., the polarization selective element 450 is wavelength selective) and having a first circular polarization (e.g., the polarization selective element 450 is polarization selective), the first circular polarization having the same handedness as the helical structure in the polarization selective element 450. The polarization selective element 450 does not change or affect the direction and polarization of light outside the specific spectral range and / or having a second circular polarization opposite to the handedness of the helical structure in the polarization selective element 450. When first incident light having the first circular polarization and a wavelength within the specific spectral range is impinged on the polarization selective element 450, the polarization selective element 450 interacts with the first incident light and changes the direction of the first incident light (e.g., redirects, reflects, refracts, diffracts the first incident light). When interacting with the first incident light, the polarization selective element 450 does not change the polarization of the first incident light (e.g., RCP light is reflected as RCP light). On the other hand, the polarization selective element 450 is configured to transmit a second incident light having a wavelength outside the specific spectral range associated with the polarization selective element 450 and / or having a circular polarization having a chirality opposite to the helical structure in the polarization selective element 450 without changing its direction or polarization. For example, the polarization selective element 450 changes the direction of the first incident light (RCP) without changing its polarization, and transmits the second incident light (LCP) without changing its direction or polarization. In contrast, a conventional reflective lens or reflector changes the polarization of the polarized incident light when reflecting light. In some embodiments, in addition to selecting based on the circular polarization of the light, the polarization selective element 450 is also wavelength selective and / or selects based on the angle of incidence of the light. The optical properties of the polarization selective element 450 are based on the orientation of the helical axis of the liquid crystal and / or the helical pitch.

[0101] Figure 4C 4 is a cross-sectional view of the xy plane of the polarization selective element 450. The helical structure 454 in the polarization selective element 450 forms lateral stripes (e.g., lateral stripes 460-1 and 460-2) corresponding to adjacent optically anisotropic molecules having the same alignment in the xy plane. The lateral spacing 462 is defined by the distance between two adjacent lateral stripes (e.g., lateral stripes 460-1 and 460-2).

[0102] Figure 4D yes Figure 4C4. A cross-sectional view of the xz plane of the polarization selective element 450 on the reference plane AA' is shown in FIG. The helical structure 454 in the polarization selective element 450 forms helical stripes (e.g., helical stripes 464-1 and 464-2) corresponding to adjacent optically anisotropic molecules having the same arrangement in the xz plane. The helical pitch 466 is defined by the distance between two adjacent helical stripes (e.g., helical stripes 464-1 and 464-2). In some embodiments, as shown, the helical stripes are tilted at an angle α relative to the surface of the polarization selective element. Arrow 458 shows the direction of incident light on the polarization selective element 450.

[0103] Figure 4E Illustrative examples of the orientation of optically anisotropic molecules on a photo-alignment layer (eg, photo-alignment layer 452) are shown. Figure 4E Two adjacent optically anisotropic molecules (e.g., optically anisotropic molecules 459-1 and 459-2) having the same orientation are shown. The distance between the optically anisotropic molecules 459-1 and 459-2 defines a lateral spacing 462, also shown in FIG. Figure 4C shown.

[0104] Figure 4F-4J is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device including an optical assembly 430 according to some embodiments.

[0105] In some configurations, such as Figure 4F As shown, a reflective polarizer 431-1 and an optical retarder 431-2 (e.g., a quarter wave plate) are adjacent to the second reflective surface 430-2. The reflective polarizer 431-1 is configured to selectively transmit or reflect light based on the polarization of the light, and the optical retarder 431-2 (e.g., a quarter wave plate) is positioned to transmit the light while converting the polarization of the light. For example, the reflective polarizer 431-1 can be configured to reflect light having a third polarization and transmit light having a fourth polarization, which is different from the third polarization (e.g., orthogonal to the third polarization). In some embodiments, the third polarization is a first linear polarization (e.g., s polarization), and the fourth polarization is a second linear polarization orthogonal to the first polarization (e.g., p polarization). In some configurations, the optical retarder 431-2 is positioned to transmit light having a linear polarization and convert it to light having a circular polarization, and vice versa.

[0106] Figure 4F 4 shows the optical path of light transmitted through optical assembly 430 according to some embodiments. Figure 4F In the embodiment, the first reflective surface 430-1 receives the illumination light 490 output from the light source 410 and transmits at least a portion of the illumination light 490 to the second reflective surface 430-2. Figure 4FAs shown in FIG. A1, the second reflective surface 430-2 reflects at least a portion of the received illumination light having a first polarization (e.g., a first circular polarization) toward the first reflective surface 430-1. The first reflective surface 430-1 receives the reflected portion of the illumination light 490 and reflects at least a portion of the received light toward the second reflective surface 430-2, so that the reflected portion of the illumination light 490 has a second polarization different from the first polarization (e.g., orthogonal to the first polarization). The second reflective surface 430-2 transmits at least a portion 490-1 (or a portion thereof) of the illumination light 490 reflected from the first reflective surface 430-1.

[0107] Figure 4F Set A2 of Figures 431-2 shows additional details about the optical path and polarization of the illumination light 490 at the second reflective surface 430-2 when the reflective polarizer 431-1 and the optical blocker 431-2 (e.g., a quarter wave plate) are located adjacent to the second reflective surface 430-2. In some embodiments, the optical blocker 431-2 is a coating on the second reflective surface 430-2, alternatively, the optical blocker 431-2 can be an optical element separated from the second reflective surface 430-2. As shown in set A2, the optical blocker 431-2 receives at least a portion of the illumination light 490 transmitted through the first reflective surface 430-1. The optical blocker 431-2 transmits a portion of the illumination light 490 toward the reflective polarizer 431-1, while converting the polarization of the portion of the illumination light 490 from the first polarization to the third polarization (e.g., from the first circular polarization to the first linear polarization). The third polarization is different from each of the first polarization and the second polarization. The reflective polarizer 431-1 is configured to reflect at least a portion of the illumination light 490 having the third polarization back to the optical blocker 431-2. The optical blocker 431-2 transmits at least a portion of the reflected light toward the first reflective surface 430-1 while converting the polarization of at least a portion of the reflected light from the third polarization to the first polarization. The first reflective surface 430-1 reflects at least a portion of the reflected light having the first polarization toward the optical blocker 431-2, so that a portion of the light reflected by the first reflective surface 430-1 has the second polarization. The optical blocker 431-2 transmits at least a portion of the light 490-1 having the second polarization toward the reflective polarizer 431-1 while converting the polarization of at least a portion of the received light from the second polarization to a fourth polarization (e.g., a second linear polarization), which is different from each of the first polarization, the second polarization, and the third polarization. The reflective polarizer 431-1 transmits at least a portion of the received light 490-1 having the fourth polarization.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first polarization is a first circular polarization (e.g., right-handed circular polarization), the second polarization is a second circular polarization (e.g., left-handed circular polarization) orthogonal to the first polarization (or vice versa), the third polarization is a first linear polarization (e.g., s-polarization), and the fourth polarization is a second linear polarization (e.g., p-polarization) orthogonal to the third polarization (or vice versa).

[0109] In an ideal case, the loss of each optical element and surface is zero or negligible. However, in practice, it is understood that a certain amount of light (such as illumination light 490) may be lost through interaction with an optical element or surface (such as through transmission through an optical surface or reflection at an optical surface).

[0110] Figure 4G-4J is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device 402 including an optical assembly 432 according to some embodiments. Display device 402 is similar to display device 400, except that optical assembly 430 is replaced by optical assembly 432. Optical assembly 432 is similar to optical assembly 430, except that a first reflective surface 432-1 of optical assembly 432 defines an aperture 434 (e.g., a physical through hole or window, such as a portion of a surface without a reflective coating, where the remainder of the surface includes a reflective coating).

[0111] In some embodiments, the first reflective surface 432-1 includes a first portion 432-1A including a reflective coating and a second portion 432-1B not including a reflective coating. The first portion 432-1A surrounds the second portion 432-1B, and the second portion 432-1B corresponds to the hole 434 (e.g., the hole 434 is a hole in the reflective coating of the first reflective surface 432-1). Figure 4G , the first portion 432 - 1A is represented by a solid line, and the second portion 432 - 1B is represented by a dotted line.

[0112] In some embodiments, Figure 4G As shown, the optical component 432 is disposed between the light source 410 and the spatial light modulator 420 (e.g., a reflective spatial light modulator). In this case, the light source 410 is aligned with (e.g., coupled to) the hole 434 in the first reflective surface 432-1 of the optical component 432, so that at least a portion (e.g., the first portion 490-1) of the illumination light 490 is transmitted through the hole 434 of the first reflective surface 432-1 toward the second reflective surface 432-2.

[0113] In some embodiments, the second reflective surface 430-2 may be a liquid crystal based polarization selective element 450 (e.g., a polarization sensitive hologram, a cholesteric liquid crystal, etc.). Alternatively, the second reflective surface 430-2 may include a reflective polarizer and an optical retarder (e.g., a quarter wave plate), as described above with respect to Figure 4F The set described in Figure A2.

[0114] Figure 4H 4 shows the optical path of light transmitted through optical component 432, such as when optical component 432 is disposed between light source 410 and spatial light modulator 420, according to some embodiments. Figure 4H As shown in FIG. B, the first reflective surface 432-1 receives the illumination light 490 output from the light source 410, and transmits at least a portion of the illumination light 490 to the second reflective surface 432-2 through the hole 434. The second reflective surface 432-2 reflects at least a portion of the received light back to the first reflective surface 432-1, so that the portion of the reflected light has a first polarization. The first reflective surface 432-1 reflects at least a portion of the light reflected by the second reflective surface 432-2 back to the second reflective surface 432-2, so that the portion of the light reflected by the first reflective surface 432-1 has a second polarization. The second reflective surface 432-2 transmits at least a portion 490-1 of the light reflected at the first reflective surface 432-1.

[0115] In some embodiments, the reflective polarizer and optical blocker are located adjacent to the second reflective surface 432-2, as described above for Figure 4F The set is described in Figure A2.

[0116] Compared to the optical path of the illumination light 490 transmitted through the optical component 430, the illumination light 490 transmitted through the optical component 432 is not transmitted through the first portion of the first reflective surface 432-1 including the reflective coating, but is transmitted through the hole 434 (eg, Figure 4H As shown) to the second reflecting surface (as Figure 4F In some cases, this eliminates any losses associated with transmission through third reflective surface 533-1 and allows optical component 432 to have higher transmission efficiency (eg, lower losses) than optical component 430.

[0117] In some embodiments, hole 434 is a physical hole in first reflective surface 432-1. In some cases, such as Fig. 4I As shown, at least a portion of the light source 410 may be disposed within the aperture 434 .

[0118] Figure 4J 4 shows the optical path of light transmitted through optical assembly 432, such as when at least a portion of light source 410 is disposed within aperture 434, according to some embodiments. Figure 4JAs shown in FIG. C of FIG. 4 , the light source 410 outputs illumination light 490 to the second reflective surface 432-2. The second reflective surface 432-2 reflects at least a portion of the illumination light 490 back to the first reflective surface 432-1, so that the reflected illumination light 490 has a first polarization. The first reflective surface 432-1 reflects at least a portion of the light reflected by the second reflective surface 432-2 back to the second reflective surface 432, so that the portion of the light reflected by the first reflective surface 432-1 has a second polarization. The second reflective surface 432-2 transmits at least a portion 490-1 of the light reflected at the first reflective surface 432-1.

[0119] When the second reflective surface 432-2 includes a reflective polarizer and an optical blocker, details about the optical path and polarization of light at the second reflective surface 432-2 are the same as those described above with reference to Figure 4F The set of Figure A2 is the same as described.

[0120] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram showing a display device 500 including an optical assembly 530 according to some embodiments. Display device 500 is similar to display device 400, except that optical assembly 430 is replaced by optical assembly 530. Optical assembly 530 includes a first reflective surface 530-1, a second reflective surface 530-2, and a third reflective surface 530-3. The first reflective surface 530-1 is disposed between the second reflective surface 530-2 and the third reflective surface 530-3.

[0121] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram showing the light path in the optical assembly 530. Figure 5B The arrows shown in represent the relative directions in which light propagates between the surfaces of the optical component 530 (e.g., from the third reflective surface 530-3 to the first reflective surface 530-1, etc.), and do not indicate the geometric direction of rays reflected or transmitted through the optical component 530 (e.g., Figure 5B(not a ray tracing diagram). The optical assembly 530 is configured to receive the illumination light 490 at the third reflective surface 530-3. The third reflective surface 530-3 is configured to transmit at least a first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490, and the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 is: (i) transmitted through the first reflective surface 530-1 toward the second reflective surface 530-2, (ii) reflected from the second reflective surface 530-2 toward the first reflective surface 530-1, (iii) reflected from the first reflective surface 530-1 toward the second reflective surface 530-2, and (iv) transmitted through the second reflective surface 530-2. The third reflective surface 530-3 is also configured to transmit at least a second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490, and the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 is: (i) reflected toward the third reflective surface 530-3 at the first reflective surface 530-1, (ii) reflected toward the first reflective surface 530-1 through the third reflective surface 530-3, and (iii) transmitted through the first reflective surface 530-1 and the second reflective surface 530-2.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first reflective surface 530-1 is a partial reflector (eg, a 50 / 50 mirror).

[0123] In some embodiments, the above reference Figure 4B-Figure 4E A liquid crystal based polarization selective element similar to the described liquid crystal based polarization selective element may be disposed adjacent to the second reflective surface 530 - 2 .

[0124] In some embodiments, the above reference Figure 4B-Figure 4E A liquid crystal based polarization selective element similar to the described liquid crystal based polarization selective element may be disposed adjacent to the third reflective surface 530 - 3 .

[0125] In some embodiments, each of second reflective surface 530-2 and third reflective surface 520-3 is curved, and first reflective surface 530-1 is not curved (e.g., flat). The radius of curvature of second reflective surface 530-2 contributes to the optical power of first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490, which is directed from light source 410 to spatial light modulator 420 via optical component 530, and the radius of curvature of third reflective surface 530-3 contributes to the optical power of second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490, which is directed from light source 410 to spatial light modulator 420 via optical component 530. Therefore, in some embodiments, each of second reflective surface 530-2 and third reflective surface 520-3 has the same radius of curvature. In some embodiments, first portion 490 - 1 and second portion 490 - 2 of illumination light 490 are directed from light source 410 to spatial light modulator 420 via optical component 530 at the same optical power.

[0126] Figure 5B FIG. 4 shows the optical paths of the first portion 490-1 and the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490. Figure 5B As shown in FIG. D of the embodiment of the present invention, the third reflective surface 530-3 receives the illumination light 490 having the first polarization output from the light source 410, and transmits the illumination light 490 toward the first reflective surface 530-1. The first reflective surface 530-1 transmits the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 toward the second reflective surface 530-2, and reflects the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 toward the third reflective surface 530-3, so that the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 transmitted through the first reflective surface 530-1 has the first polarization, and the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 reflected by the first reflective surface 530-1 has the second polarization.

[0127] Referring to the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490, the second reflective surface 530-2 is configured to reflect the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 back to the first reflective surface 530-1 without changing the polarization. The first reflective surface 530-1 receives the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 having the first polarization and reflects the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 toward the second reflective surface 530-2 such that the reflected first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 has the second polarization. The second reflective surface 530-2 transmits the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 having the second polarization.

[0128] Referring to the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490, the third reflective surface 530-3 is configured to reflect the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 having the second polarization back to the first reflective surface 530-1 so that the reflected second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 has the second polarization (e.g., without changing the polarization). The first reflective surface 530-1 transmits the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 having the second polarization toward the second reflective surface 530-2, and the second reflective surface 530-2 transmits the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 that has been transmitted through the first reflective surface 530-1.

[0129] In some embodiments, as described above Figure 4F As depicted in set A2, the reflective polarizer and optical blocker are positioned adjacent to the second reflective surface 530-2.

[0130] Compared to the optical path of illumination light 490 transmitted through optical component 430, illumination light 490 transmitted through optical component 530 allows a portion of illumination light 490 (e.g., second portion 490-2) that was not initially transmitted through first reflective surface 530-1 to be redirected to first reflective surface 530-1, thereby reducing loss. Therefore, optical component 530 can have higher transmission efficiency (e.g., lower loss) than optical component 430.

[0131] Figure 5C-5D is a schematic diagram illustrating display device 502 including optical assembly 532 according to some embodiments. Display device 502 is similar to display device 500, except that optical assembly 530 is replaced by optical assembly 532. Optical assembly 532 is similar to optical assembly 530, except that third reflective surface 532-3 of optical assembly 532 defines an aperture 534 (e.g., a physical through hole or window, such as a portion of a surface without a reflective coating, where the remainder of the surface includes a reflective coating).

[0132] In some embodiments, Figure 5C As shown, the optical component 532 is disposed between the light source 410 and the spatial light modulator 420 (e.g., a reflective spatial light modulator). In this case, the light source 410 is aligned with (e.g., coupled to) the hole 534 in the third reflective surface 532-3 of the optical component 532, so that at least a portion of the illumination light 490 (e.g., the first portion 490-1 and the second portion 490-2) is transmitted through the hole 534 of the third reflective surface 532-3 toward the first reflective surface 532-1. In this case, the optical path and polarization of the illumination light 490 in the optical component 532 are similar to the optical path of the illumination light 490 in the optical component 530, except that the illumination light 490 is transmitted through the hole 534 of the third reflective surface 532-3.

[0133] In some embodiments, the third reflective surface 532-3 includes a first portion including a reflective coating and a second portion not including a reflective coating. The first portion surrounds the second portion, and the second portion corresponds to the hole 534 (eg, the hole 534 is a hole in the reflective coating of the third reflective surface 532-3).

[0134] In some embodiments, hole 534 is a physical hole in third reflective surface 532-3. In some cases, such as Figure 5D As shown, at least a portion of the light source 410 may be disposed inside the hole 534. In this case, the optical path of the illumination light 490 in the optical assembly 532 is similar to the optical path of the illumination light 490 in the optical assembly 530, except that the illumination light 490 is output from the light source 410 toward the first reflective surface 532-1, and therefore, the illumination light 490 is not transmitted through the third reflective surface 532-3 before being incident on the first reflective surface 532-1.

[0135] Compared to the optical path of the illumination light 490 transmitted through the optical component 530, the illumination light 490 transmitted through the optical component 532 is not transmitted through the third reflective surface 533-1, but is transmitted through the hole 534 (eg, Figure 5C as shown) or directly to a second reflecting surface (as shown Figure 5D In some cases, this eliminates any losses associated with transmission through third reflective surface 533-1 and allows optical component 532 to have higher transmission efficiency (eg, lower losses) than optical component 530.

[0136] Figure 6A-6C 6 is a schematic diagram showing a display device 600 including an optical assembly 630 according to some embodiments. Display device 600 is similar to display device 400, except that optical assembly 430 is replaced by optical assembly 630. Optical assembly 630 includes an optical element 640 and a curved reflector 650. In some embodiments, curved reflector 650 includes a reflective polarizer and an optical retarder, as described above with reference to FIG. Figure 4A and Figure 4F Alternatively, the curved reflector 650 may include a liquid crystal based polarization selective element 450, the details of which are described above with reference to Figure 4B-Figure 4E supply.

[0137] like Fig. 6A As shown, the curved reflector 650 is configured to receive the illumination light 490 such that at least a portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 is: (i) reflected by the curved reflector 650 toward the optical element 640 , (ii) reflected by the optical element 640 toward the curved reflector 650 , and (iii) transmitted through the curved reflector 650 .

[0138] In some embodiments, optical assembly 630 (including both optical element 640 and curved reflector 650) is disposed between light source 410 and spatial light modulator 420. In this case, at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 is transmitted through optical element 640 toward curved reflector 650 before being reflected by curved reflector 650.

[0139] In some embodiments, Fig. 6A As shown, the curved reflector 650 is disposed on a substrate 652. In some embodiments, the curved reflector 650 includes one or more coatings disposed on a surface 652-1 of the substrate 652 that faces the optical element 640. For example, as described above with reference to Figure 4F As described in the set of FIG. A2, the curved reflector 650 may include a polarization-sensitive reflective coating and an optical retarder coating. In another example, the curved reflector 650 may include a coating including the above reference Figure 4B-Figure 4E A liquid crystal layer is depicted, such as polarization selective element 450 .

[0140] In some embodiments, the optical element 640 includes a reflective surface 640-1 that is a partial reflector (e.g., a 50 / 50 mirror). Alternatively, the reflective surface 640-1 can be a reflective polarizer configured to selectively transmit or reflect light based on the polarization of the light. The reflective surface 640-1 can be disposed on the first side 640-A or the second side 640-B of the optical element 640. In some embodiments, the reflective surface 640-1 is a reflective coating or a partially reflective coating.

[0141] Figure 6B 640-1 is a fully reflective reflector. In some cases, the light source 410 is aligned with (e.g., coupled to) the aperture 644 so that at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 is transmitted through the aperture 644 toward the curved reflector 650. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. Figure 6B As shown, at least a portion of the light source 410 is disposed within the aperture 644 of the optical element 640 .

[0142] In some embodiments, reflective surface 640-1 includes a first portion including a reflective coating and a second portion not including a reflective coating. The first portion surrounds the second portion, and the second portion corresponds to hole 644 (eg, hole 644 is a hole in the reflective coating of reflective surface 640-1).

[0143] In some embodiments, the reflective surface 640-1 of the optical element 640 is curved. The radius of curvature of each of the curved reflector 650 and the reflective surface 640-1 (when curved) contributes to the optical power of the portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 that is directed from the light source 410 to the spatial light modulator 420 via the optical component 630.

[0144] In some embodiments, Fig. 6A As shown, an optical assembly 630 including a curved reflector 650 and an optical element 640 is disposed between the light source 410 and the PBS 440 .

[0145] Figure 6C The optical path and polarization of light transmitted through optical component 630 are shown. Figure 6C As shown in FIG. E of FIG. 6A , the reflective surface 640-1 receives the illumination light 490 output from the light source 410 and transmits at least a portion of the illumination light 490 toward the curved reflector 650. The curved reflector 650 reflects at least a portion of the illumination light 490 having a first polarization toward the reflective surface 640-1. The reflective surface 640-1 receives at least a portion of the illumination light having a first polarization and reflects at least a portion of the received light toward the curved reflector 650, so that a portion 490-1 of the light reflected by the reflective surface 640-1 has a second polarization. The curved reflector 650 transmits at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 reflected by the reflective surface 640-1.

[0146] In some cases, such as when the curved reflector 650 is a coating on a surface 652 - 1 of the substrate 652 , at least a portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 is transmitted through the substrate 652 .

[0147] In some embodiments, wherein at least a portion of the light source 410 is disposed within the hole 644 of the optical element 640, the optical path of the illumination light 490 is similar to the optical path described above, except that the illumination light 490 is output from the light source 410 to the curved reflector 650, and therefore, the illumination light 490 is not transmitted through the reflective surface 640-1 of the optical element 640 before being incident on the curved reflector 650.

[0148] In some embodiments, the curved reflector 650 includes a reflective polarizer and an optical retarder. The details regarding the optical path and polarization of light at the curved reflector are similar to those described above with respect to Figure 4F For the sake of brevity, such details will not be repeated here.

[0149] Fig.6D6 shows a display device 602 according to some embodiments. Display device 602 is similar to display device 600, except that optical component 630 is replaced with optical component 632. Fig.6D In the embodiment, the light source 410 is disposed between the optical element 640 and the curved reflector 650 . Fig.6D The light source 410 shown in FIG. 4 is configured to provide (e.g., generate, emit, or output) illumination light 490 to a curved reflector 650. The curved reflector 650 is configured to receive the illumination light 490 and reflect at least a portion of the illumination light 490, such that at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 reflected at the curved reflector 650 is: (i) received by the optical element 640, (ii) reflected by the optical element 640 (e.g., a reflective surface 640-1 of the optical element 640) toward the curved reflector 650, and (iii) transmitted through the curved reflector 650.

[0150] In some embodiments, the light source 410 may not be completely (e.g., 100%) transparent (e.g., transparent to the illumination light 490). In this case, when the light source 410 is disposed between the curved reflector 650 and the optical element 640, the light source 410 may block some of the illumination light 490 as the illumination light 490 reflects between the curved reflector 650 and the optical element 640. Thus, a portion of the illumination light 490 reflected by the curved reflector 650 is not received at the optical element 640, and a portion of the illumination light 490 reflected by the optical element 640 toward the curved reflector 650 is not received by the curved reflector 650. In this case, at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light is a subset of the illumination light provided (e.g., generated, emitted, or output) by the light source 410, and the illumination light in the subset is less than the entire illumination light.

[0151] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the light source 410 is disposed within the aperture 644 of the optical element 640 (eg, Figure 6C ), or the light source 410 is disposed between the optical element 640 and the curved reflector 650, and the optical element 640 includes a total reflector (e.g., such as a reflector with a reflectivity greater than 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98% or 99%). In some embodiments, the reflective surface 640-1 is a total reflector.

[0152] The optical path of illumination light 490 in optical assembly 632 is similar to the optical path of illumination light 490 in optical assembly 630 , except that illumination light 490 is output from light source 410 to curved reflector 650 , and therefore, illumination light 490 is not transmitted through reflective surface 640 - 1 or optical element 640 before being incident on curved reflector 650 .

[0153] Fig. 6E6 shows a display device 604 according to some embodiments. Display device 604 is similar to display device 600, except that optical component 630 is replaced with optical component 634. Fig. 6E , the curved reflector 650 is disposed on a substrate 654 including the PBS 440 (e.g., the curved reflector 650 is integrated with the PBS 440, and the PBS 440 included as a part of the substrate 654 is indicated by the dashed box). In some embodiments, the curved reflector 650 is a polarization selective coating disposed on a surface 654-1 of the substrate 654 facing the optical element 640.

[0154] The optical path of illumination light 490 in optical assembly 634 is similar to the optical path of illumination light 490 in optical assembly 630, except that illumination light 490 is output from light source 410 to curved reflector 650, and therefore, illumination light 490 is not transmitted through reflective surface 640-1 or optical element 640 before being incident on curved reflector 650. In addition, at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 transmitted through the curved reflector is coupled into substrate 654 and PBS 440.

[0155] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a display device 700 including an optical element 730 according to some embodiments. The display device 700 is similar to the display device 400, except that the optical component 430 is replaced by the optical element 730. The optical element 730 includes a first reflective surface 730-1 and a second surface 730-2 opposite to the first reflective surface 730-1. The light source 410 is disposed between the optical element 730 and the spatial light modulator 420 (e.g., a reflective spatial light modulator), and is configured to provide (e.g., generate, emit, or output) illumination light 490 to the optical element 730. The first reflective surface 730-1 is configured to receive and reflect the illumination light 490 so that at least a portion of the illumination light 490 illuminates the spatial light modulator 420.

[0156] In some embodiments, as shown, the second surface 730-2 is configured to receive the illumination light 490 provided (e.g., generated, emitted, or output) by the light source 410, and transmit the received illumination light 490 toward the first reflective surface 730-1. The first reflective surface 730-1 is configured to reflect at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light transmitted through the second surface 730-2 back to the second reflective surface 730-2, so that at least a portion 490-1 of the light reflected by the first reflective surface 730-1 is transmitted through the second surface.

[0157] In some embodiments, the display device 700 includes the PBS 440. In this case, the light source 410 is disposed between the optical element 730 and the PBS 440, so that at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 is received at the PBS 440.

[0158] In some embodiments, light source 410 may not be completely (e.g., 100%) transparent (e.g., transparent to illumination light 490). In this case, at least portion 490-1 of illumination light is a subset of illumination light provided (e.g., generated, emitted, or output) by light source 410, the illumination light in the subset being less than the entire illumination light.

[0159] In some embodiments, Figure 7 As shown, the first reflective surface 730-1 is curved and has a first radius of curvature. The first radius of curvature of the first reflective surface 730-1 at least partially contributes to the optical power of at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 that is directed from the light source 410 to the spatial light modulator 420 via the optical element 730.

[0160] In some embodiments, second surface 730-2 is curved and has a second radius of curvature that is different from the first radius of curvature. Due to refraction (of illumination light 490 and / or at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490) at second surface 730-2, the second radius of curvature of second surface 730-2 can at least partially contribute to the optical power of at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490, which is directed from light source 410 to spatial light modulator 420 via optical element 730.

[0161] In some embodiments, the first reflective surface 730-1 is a full reflector (eg, a mirror). Alternatively, the first reflective surface 730-1 may be a partial reflector (eg, a 50 / 50 mirror) or a reflective polarizer configured to selectively transmit or reflect light based on the polarization of the light.

[0162] In some embodiments, the second surface 730-2 is a non-reflective surface (e.g., an optical surface that does not include any reflective or partially reflective coating). In some embodiments, the second surface 730-2 may include a non-reflective coating (e.g., an anti-reflective coating) configured to reduce losses due to reflections at the optical surface.

[0163] Figure 8A-8Cis a schematic diagram illustrating a light source 800, which in some embodiments corresponds to the light source 410. The light source 800 includes a first plurality of light emitting elements 810 (e.g., LEDs, micro-LEDs) configured to provide (e.g., generate, emit, or output) a first light (e.g., red light) having a wavelength in a first wavelength range. The light source also includes a plurality of waveguides 820. A corresponding waveguide 820 (e.g., waveguides 820-1, 820-2, 820-3, ..., 820-n) in the plurality of waveguides 820 includes an input end coupled to a corresponding light emitting element 810 (e.g., light emitting element 810-1, 810-2, 810-3, ..., 810-n) in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810 (e.g., the corresponding light emitting element 810 is disposed at or near the input end of the corresponding waveguide 820). The respective waveguides 820 are configured to transmit the first light output from the respective light emitting elements 810, so that the first light is output from the output end of the waveguide 820 opposite to the input end of the waveguide 820 as the illumination light 490. In some embodiments, the plurality of waveguides 820 are configured to transmit the first light so that the illumination light 490 provides uniform illumination. For example, the plurality of waveguides 820 have a specific length for providing uniform illumination. In some cases, the lengths of the plurality of waveguides 820 are selected based on the divergence of the light emitting elements 810. In some embodiments, the plurality of waveguides 820 are configured to transmit the first light so that the illumination light 490 output from the light source is collimated (for example, the respective waveguides in the plurality of waveguides 820 are tapered to provide collimated light).

[0164] In some embodiments, Fig. 8A As shown, the distance P1 between two consecutive (e.g., adjacent) light emitting elements is between 50 microns and 120 microns. For example, when the light emitting element 810 is a red LED or a red micro-LED, the distance P can be less than 60 microns, between 50 microns and 70 microns, between 60 microns and 60 microns, between 60 microns and 60 microns, between 70 microns and 90 microns, between 80 microns and 100 microns, between 90 microns and 110 microns, between 100 microns and 120 microns, or greater than 110 microns.

[0165] In some embodiments, Figure 8BAs shown, the light source also includes a second plurality of light emitting elements 830, which are configured to provide (e.g., generate, emit, or output) a second light (e.g., green light) having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range. The corresponding waveguide 820 is also coupled to the corresponding light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 830-1, 830-2, 830-3, 830-4) of the second plurality of light emitting elements 830. The corresponding waveguide 820 is configured to transmit the second light provided from the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830. In some embodiments, the plurality of waveguides 820 is configured to transmit each of the first light and the second light, so that the illumination light 490 provides uniform illumination. In some embodiments, the plurality of waveguides 820 acts as a homogenizer, allowing each of the first light and the second light to be output from the light source 800.

[0166] In some embodiments, the light source further includes a third plurality of light emitting elements 834 configured to provide (e.g., generate, emit, or output) a third light (e.g., blue light) having a wavelength in a third wavelength range different from each of the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range. The corresponding waveguide 820 is also coupled to a corresponding light emitting element (e.g., light emitting element 840-1, 840-2, 840-3, 840-4) in the third plurality of light emitting elements 840. The corresponding waveguide 820 is configured to transmit the third light provided from the corresponding light emitting element in the third plurality of light emitting elements 840. In some embodiments, the plurality of waveguides 820 is configured to transmit each of the first light, the second light, and the third light, so that the illumination light 490 provides uniform illumination. In some embodiments, the plurality of waveguides 820 acts as a homogenizer, allowing each of the first light, the second light, and the third light to provide uniform illumination when output from the light source 800. In some embodiments, the illumination light 490 output from the plurality of waveguides 820 includes each of the first light, the second light, and the third light illustrated by blocks 812, 832, and 842, respectively.

[0167] In some embodiments, the distance P2 between two consecutive (e.g., adjacent) light emitting elements configured to provide light having different wavelength ranges is between 30 microns and 70 microns. For example, when the light emitting element 840 is configured to provide red light and the light emitting element 830 is configured to provide green light, the distance P2 may be less than 30 microns, between 20 microns and 40 microns, between 30 microns and 50 microns, between 40 microns and 60 microns, between 50 microns and 70 microns, between 60 microns and 80 microns, or greater than 70 microns.

[0168] Although four waveguides and four light emitting elements are shown for each of first plurality of light emitting elements 810 , second plurality of light emitting elements 830 , and third plurality of light emitting elements 840 , it should be understood that light source 800 may include any number of waveguides and light emitting elements.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range include non-overlapping wavelengths (e.g., the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range are mutually exclusive). For example, the first light may correspond to light having a red color, and the second light may correspond to light having a green color. Thus, the first wavelength range may include wavelengths from 635 nanometers (nm) to 700 nm, and the second wavelength range may include wavelengths from 520 nm to 560 nm.

[0170] In some embodiments, the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range include a common wavelength (e.g., the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range partially overlap each other). For example, the first light may correspond to light having a (primarily or dominant) blue color, and the second light may correspond to light having a (primarily or dominant) green color. Thus, the first wavelength range may include wavelengths from 450 nanometers (nm) to 500 nm, and the second wavelength range may include wavelengths from 490 nm to 570 nm.

[0171] For example, any one of the first light and the second light can correspond to light having any color, such as red, blue, green, white, yellow, orange, etc. Some examples of wavelength ranges include 420-440nm (blue), 490nm-570nm (green), 570-585nm (yellow), 585-620 (orange), and 620-780nm (red). The light source 800 may include a light emitting element configured to provide light having any wavelength range, and is not limited to the examples provided herein.

[0172] In some embodiments, the third wavelength range is mutually exclusive with the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range. In some embodiments, the third wavelength range partially overlaps with the first wavelength range or the second wavelength range.

[0173] In some embodiments, a corresponding waveguide 820 in the plurality of waveguides 820 is tapered. Figure 8C As shown, the input end of the corresponding waveguide 820 has a first width D1, and the output end of the corresponding waveguide 820 has a second width D2 that is different from (eg, greater than) the first width D1. Figure 8CThe corresponding waveguide 820 is shown coupled to three light emitting elements, but it is understood that the corresponding waveguide 820 can be coupled to any number of light emitting elements. In addition, the corresponding waveguide 820 can have a first width D1 that is equal to or greater than the width of the (multiple) light emitting elements to which the corresponding waveguide 820 is coupled. For example, if the light emitting element is a micro-LED with a width of 10 microns and the corresponding waveguide 820 is coupled to the light emitting element, the corresponding waveguide 820 can have a width D1 of 10 microns or greater. Similarly, if the corresponding waveguide 820 is coupled to two light emitting elements each having a width of 10 microns, the corresponding waveguide 820 can have a width D1 of 20 microns or greater (for example, if the two light emitting elements are spaced 30 microns apart, the width D1 is 50 microns or greater). In some embodiments, the corresponding waveguide 820 has a cylindrical shape (or a conical shape), and the first width D1 and the second width D2 correspond to the diameter D1 and the diameter D2 of the corresponding waveguide 820 at both ends.

[0174] In some embodiments, a tapered waveguide is used to collimate the light. This in turn improves efficiency because light emitted from a light emitting element can provide uniform intensity over a wider area than light emitted from the same light emitting element via a non-tapered waveguide.

[0175] In some embodiments, the tapered waveguide 820 has a linear tapered profile (eg, the corresponding waveguide 820 has straight sidewalls). Alternatively, the corresponding waveguide 820 may have a nonlinear tapered profile, such as a parabolic, curvilinear, or exponential tapered profile (eg, as in a compound parabolic concentrator).

[0176] In some embodiments, the waveguide is a planar or slab waveguide, and the widths D1 and D2 correspond to the distances between the waveguide sidewalls at the respective ends. In some embodiments, the waveguide is an optical fiber, and the distances D1 and D2 correspond to the diameters of the cores of the optical fiber at the respective ends. For example, a planar waveguide can have sidewalls that are spaced as small as a few microns (e.g., ~1-3 microns) or as large as a few millimeters (1-2 mm). For example, the core diameter of an optical fiber can range from a few microns (e.g., ~1-3 microns) to 800 microns or more. Some common core diameters are 9 microns, 50 microns, and 62.5 microns.

[0177] In some embodiments, the respective waveguide 820 may include an outer wall absorptive element (eg, an outer wall layer) for absorbing stray light that may escape from the respective waveguide 820 .

[0178] Figure 9A-9Cis a flow chart showing a method 900 for providing short-distance lighting according to some embodiments. The method 900 includes (operation 902) outputting illumination light 490 from a light source 410, and (operation 920) receiving the illumination light 490 at a first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1 of an optical assembly 430 or 530. The optical assembly 430 or 530 includes a second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2, which is located opposite to the first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1. The method 900 also includes (operation 922) transmitting a first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 through the first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1 toward the second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2; (operation 924) reflecting the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 that has been transmitted through the first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1 at the second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2; and (operation 926) reflecting the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 reflected by the second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2 toward the first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1 at the first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1. The method also includes (operation 928) transmitting a first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 reflected by the first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1 through the second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2; and (operation 930) receiving the first portion of illumination light at a spatial light modulator (eg, spatial light modulator 420).

[0179] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements 810 (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1, 810-2, 810-3, ..., 820-n) and a plurality of waveguides 820 (e.g., waveguides 820-1, 820-2, 820-3, ..., 820-n). In some embodiments, the method 900 includes (operation 904) providing a first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range (e.g., the first light may correspond to light having a red color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0180] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements 830. The method 900 further includes (operation 910) providing second light having a wavelength in the first wavelength range (e.g., the second light may correspond to light having a green color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0181] In some embodiments, Figure 8C As shown, corresponding waveguides in the plurality of waveguides 820 are tapered.

[0182] In some embodiments, the light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n, light emitting element 830 and / or light emitting element 840), and method 900 also includes (operation 916) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0183] In some embodiments, method 900 further includes (operation 940) transmitting first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 and second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 through third reflective surface 530-3 of optical component 530, second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 being different from first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490, such as Figure 5B In some embodiments, method 900 further includes reflecting a second portion of illumination light 490 at the first reflective surface toward a third surface; reflecting a second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 reflected at the first reflective surface 530-1 toward the third reflective surface 530-3 at the third reflective surface 530-3; transmitting the second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 reflected by the third reflective surface through the first reflective surface 530-1 and the second reflective surface 530-2; and receiving the second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 output from optical component 530 at spatial light modulator 420.

[0184] In some embodiments, method 900 also includes (operation 950) receiving a first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 transmitted through optical component 430 or 530 at a beam splitter 440 (e.g., PBS 440); providing the first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 in a first direction toward spatial light modulator 420 using beam splitter 440; and (operation 952) receiving the first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 in a first direction toward spatial light modulator 420 at beam splitter 440.

[0185] In some embodiments, modulating the first portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 includes (operation 952 ) reflecting a subset of the first portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 , the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the illumination light.

[0186] In some embodiments, the method 900 further includes (operation 960) modulating the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 using the spatial light modulator 420, outputting at least the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 from the spatial light modulator 420 as the modulated light, and outputting at least the second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490 from the spatial light modulator 420 as the modulated light. In this case, the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator 420 includes the modulated first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 and the modulated second portion 490-2 of the illumination light 490. The method 900 further includes providing the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction by the beam splitter 440.

[0187] Figure 10A-10C1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1000 for providing short-distance lighting according to some embodiments. The method 1000 includes (operation 1002) outputting illumination light 490 from a light source 410. The light source 410 is located adjacent to a first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 432-1 or third reflective surface 532-3) of an optical component 432 or 532. The first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 432-1 or third reflective surface 532-3) defines an aperture 434 or 534, and the optical component 432 or 532 has a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 432 or first reflective surface 532-1) located opposite to the first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 432-1 or third reflective surface 532-3). The method 1000 also includes (operation 1030) reflecting the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 at the second reflection surface (e.g., the second reflection surface 432-2 or the first reflection surface 532-1) toward the first reflection surface (e.g., the first reflection surface 432-1 or the third reflection surface 532-3); (operation 1032) reflecting the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 at the first reflection surface (e.g., the first reflection surface 432-1 or the third reflection surface 532-3) from the second reflection surface (e.g., the second reflection surface 432-2 or the first reflection surface 532-1) toward the first reflection surface (e.g., the first reflection surface 432-1 or the third reflection surface 532-3); (operation 1034) transmitting the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 reflected by the first reflection surface (e.g., the first reflection surface 432-1 or the third reflection surface 532-3) through the second reflection surface (e.g., the second reflection surface 432-2 or the first reflection surface 532-1); and (operation 1036) receiving the first portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 at the spatial light modulator 420.

[0188] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the light source 410 is disposed in the hole 434 or 534 of the first reflective surface (eg, the first reflective surface 432 - 1 or the third reflective surface 532 - 3 ).

[0189] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements 810 (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1, 810-2, 810-3, ..., 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides 820 (e.g., waveguides 820-1, 820-2, 820-3, ..., 820-n). In some embodiments, the method 1000 includes (operation 1006) providing a first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range (e.g., the first light may correspond to light having a red color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810 via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0190] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements 830. The method 1000 further includes (operation 1010) providing second light having a wavelength in the first wavelength range (e.g., the second light may correspond to light having a green color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830 via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0191] In some embodiments, Figure 8C As shown, corresponding waveguides in the plurality of waveguides 820 are tapered.

[0192] In some embodiments, light source 800 includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n, light emitting element 830, and / or light emitting element 840). Method 1000 also includes (operation 1014) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0193] In some embodiments, the method further includes (operation 1020 ) transmitting the illumination light 490 , including the first portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 , through the aperture 434 or 534 in the first reflective surface 432 - 1 or 532 - 3 toward the second reflective surface 432 - 2 or 532 - 1 .

[0194] In some embodiments, method 1000 also includes transmitting a second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 at a second reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 532-1) toward a third reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532-2). Second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 is different from first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490. Method 1000 also includes reflecting, at a third reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532-2), a second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 transmitted through a second reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 532-1) toward a third reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532); reflecting, at the second reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 532-1), a second portion of illumination light reflected at the third reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532-2) toward the third reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532-2); and transmitting, through the third reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532-2), a second portion 490-2 of illumination light 490 reflected by the second reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 532-1).

[0195] In some embodiments, method 1000 further includes (operation 1050) receiving, at beam splitter 440 (e.g., PBS 440), a first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 transmitted through a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 432-2 or first reflective surface 532-1). Method 1000 further includes: directing, using beam splitter 440, the first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 in a first direction toward spatial light modulator 420; modulating, using spatial light modulator 420, the first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490; outputting, from spatial light modulator 420, at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 as modulated light; receiving, at beam splitter 440, the first portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 in the first direction toward spatial light modulator 420; and directing, using beam splitter 440, the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

[0196] In some embodiments, modulating the first portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 with the spatial light modulator 420 includes (operation 1052 ) reflecting a subset of the first portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 , the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the illumination light.

[0197] Figure 11A-11B1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1100 for providing short-distance illumination according to some embodiments. The method 1100 includes (operation 1102) outputting illumination light 490 from a light source 410, (operation 1130) receiving illumination light 490 at a curved reflector 650, and (operation 1132) reflecting at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 at the curved reflector 650. The method also includes (operation 1134) reflecting at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 reflected at the curved reflector 650 at an optical element 640; (operation 1136) transmitting at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 reflected by the optical element 640 through the curved reflector 650; and (operation 1138) receiving at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 at a spatial light modulator 420.

[0198] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements 810 (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1, 810-2, 810-3, ..., 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides 820 (e.g., waveguides 820-1, 820-2, 820-3, ..., 820-n). In some embodiments, the method 1100 includes (operation 1104) providing a first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range (e.g., the first light may correspond to light having a red color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810 via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0199] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements 830. The method 1100 further includes (operation 1112) providing second light having a wavelength in the first wavelength range (e.g., the second light may correspond to light having a green color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830 via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0200] In some embodiments, Figure 8C As shown, corresponding waveguides in the plurality of waveguides 820 are tapered.

[0201] In some embodiments, light source 800 includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n, light emitting element 830, and / or light emitting element 840). Method 1100 also includes (operation 1122) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0202] In some embodiments, the optical element 640 is disposed relative to the light source 410 , and the method 1100 further includes (operation 1124 ) transmitting at least a portion 490 - 1 of the illumination light 490 through the optical element 640 toward the curved reflector 650 .

[0203] In some embodiments, the optical element 640 defines an aperture 644. The method 1100 also includes transmitting at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 through the aperture 644 of the optical element 640 toward the curved reflector 650 (operation 1126). The optical element 640 defines an aperture 644.

[0204] In some embodiments, method 1100 also includes (operation 1140) receiving at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 transmitted through curved reflector 650 at beam splitter 440 (e.g., PBS 440); providing at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 in a first direction toward spatial light modulator 420 using beam splitter 440; modulating at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 using spatial light modulator 420; outputting at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 from spatial light modulator 420 as modulated light; receiving modulated light output from spatial light modulator 420; and providing modulated light by beam splitter 440 in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

[0205] In some embodiments, modulating at least a portion 490 - 1 of illumination light 490 with spatial light modulator 420 includes (operation 1146 ) reflecting a subset of at least a portion 490 - 1 of illumination light 490 , the subset comprising less than all of the illumination light.

[0206] Figure 12A-12B 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1200 for providing short-distance illumination according to some embodiments. The method 1200 includes (operation 1202) outputting illumination light 490 from light source 410, (operation 1220) receiving at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 at a reflective surface 730-1 of optical element 730, (operation 1230) reflecting at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 at reflective surface 730-1, and (operation 1240) receiving at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 at spatial light modulator 420.

[0207] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements 810 (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1, 810-2, 810-3, ..., 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides 820 (e.g., waveguides 820-1, 820-2, 820-3, ..., 820-n). In some embodiments, the method 1200 includes (operation 1210) providing a first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range (e.g., the first light may correspond to light having a red color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810, and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements 810 via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0208] In some embodiments, the light source 800 (corresponding to the light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements 830. The method 1200 further includes (operation 1212) providing second light having a wavelength in the first wavelength range (e.g., the second light may correspond to light having a green color) from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides 820 coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830, and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements 830 via (e.g., through) the corresponding waveguide 820 as at least a portion of the illumination light 490.

[0209] In some embodiments, Figure 8C As shown, corresponding waveguides in the plurality of waveguides 820 are tapered.

[0210] In some embodiments, light source 800 includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n, light emitting element 830, and / or light emitting element 840). Method 1200 also includes (operation 1216) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0211] In some embodiments, reflective surface 730-1 is curved.

[0212] In some embodiments, the reflective surface 730-1 includes a total reflector (eg, a mirror).

[0213] In some embodiments, the optical element 730 includes a second surface 730-2 opposite the reflective surface 730-1. The method 1200 also includes (operation 1232) transmitting at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 from the light source 410 to the reflective surface 730-1 through the second surface 730-2, and transmitting at least a portion 490-1 of the illumination light 490 reflected from the reflective surface 730-1 through the second surface 730-2.

[0214] In some embodiments, method 1200 also includes (operation 1242) receiving at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 reflected at reflective surface 730-1 at beam splitter 440; providing at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 in a first direction toward spatial light modulator 420 using beam splitter 440; modulating at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 using spatial light modulator 420; outputting at least a portion 490-1 of illumination light 490 from spatial light modulator 420 as modulated light; receiving at beam splitter 440 the modulated light output from spatial light modulator 420; and providing modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction using beam splitter 440.

[0215] In some embodiments, modulating at least a portion 490 - 1 of illumination light 490 with spatial light modulator 420 includes (operation 1244 ) reflecting a subset of at least a portion 490 - 1 of illumination light 490 , the subset comprising less than all of the illumination light.

[0216] With these principles in mind, we now turn to certain embodiments of display devices.

[0217] According to some embodiments, a display device (e.g., Figure 4A The display device 400 shown in Figure 5A The display device 500 shown in ) includes a light source (e.g., light source 410), a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420), and an optical component (e.g., optical component 430 or 530). The light source is configured to provide illumination light, and the spatial light modulator is positioned to receive the illumination light. The optical component includes a first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1) and a second reflective surface opposite to the first reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2). The optical component is positioned relative to the light source so that at least a first portion of the illumination light received by the optical component (i) is transmitted through the first reflective surface to the second reflective surface, (ii) is reflected from the second reflective surface to the first reflective surface, (iii) is reflected from the first reflective surface to the second reflective surface, and (iv) is transmitted through the second reflective surface.

[0218] In some embodiments, the display device (e.g., display device 400 or 500) further includes a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440) disposed relative to the optical component (e.g., optical component 430 or 530) and the spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) such that the beam splitter receives at least a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) that is transmitted through the optical component and provides at least a first portion of the illumination light in a first direction. The spatial light modulator modulates at least the first portion of the illumination light and outputs the modulated light. The beam splitter receives the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator and provides the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction (e.g., the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction).

[0219] In some embodiments, the first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1) is a partial reflector (e.g., a 50 / 50 mirror or a mirror with a reflectivity less than 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, or 10%).

[0220] In some embodiments, at least one of the first reflective surface (eg, first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1) and the second reflective surface (eg, second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2) is curved. Figure 4A In , the first reflective surface 430-1 is a curved surface. Figure 5A , the second reflective surface 530 - 2 is curved.

[0221] In some embodiments, the optical assembly (e.g., optical assembly 530) further includes a third reflective surface (e.g., third reflective surface 530-3). The first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 530-1) is disposed between the second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 530-2) and the third reflective surface, so that the optical assembly transmits at least a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) to the first reflective surface through the third reflective surface, and receives a second portion (e.g., second portion 490-2) of the illumination light different from the at least first portion of the illumination light, so that the second portion of the illumination light: (i) is transmitted through the third reflective surface to the first reflective surface, (ii) is reflected from the first reflective surface to the third reflective surface, (iii) is reflected from the third reflective surface to the first reflective surface, and (iv) is transmitted through the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface.

[0222] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., Fig. 8A The light source 800 shown in FIG. 8 , which corresponds to the light source 410 , includes a plurality of light emitting elements (eg, the light emitting elements 810 ), and respective light emitting elements of the plurality of light emitting elements can be activated individually.

[0223] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., a light source corresponding to light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n). The first plurality of light emitting elements are configured to emit first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range. A corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides is coupled to a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the first light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0224] In some embodiments, the light source (eg, light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (eg, Figure 8B The second plurality of light emitting elements are configured to output second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range. The corresponding waveguide (e.g., waveguide 820) is also coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the second light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0225] In some embodiments, a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 through 820-n) is tapered (e.g., Figure 8C ).

[0226] In some embodiments, the spatial light modulator (eg, spatial light modulator 420) is a reflective spatial light modulator, such as a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display.

[0227] According to some embodiments, a method (e.g., method 900) includes (operation 902) outputting illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) from a light source (e.g., light source 410), and (operation 920) receiving the illumination light at a first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1) of an optical component (e.g., optical component 430 or 530). The optical component has a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2) located opposite to the first reflective surface. The method also includes (operation 922) transmitting a first portion of the illumination light (e.g., first portion 490-1) through the first reflective surface to the second reflective surface; (operation 924) reflecting the first portion of the illumination light transmitted through the first reflective surface to the first reflective surface at the second reflective surface; (operation 926) reflecting the first portion of the illumination light reflected by the second reflective surface to the second reflective surface at the first reflective surface; (operation 928) transmitting the first portion of the illumination light reflected by the first reflective surface through the second reflective surface; and (operation 930) receiving the first portion of the illumination light at a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420).

[0228] In some embodiments, the light source (e.g., a light source corresponding to light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n). The method (e.g., method 900) further includes: (operation 904) providing first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements through the corresponding waveguide as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0229] In some embodiments, the light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting element 830). The method (e.g., method 900) further includes: (operation 910) providing second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n) coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the corresponding waveguide.

[0230] In some embodiments, a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides (eg, waveguides 820-1 through 820-n) is tapered.

[0231] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n), and the method (e.g., method 900) includes (operation 916) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0232] In some embodiments, the optical assembly (e.g., optical assembly 530) further includes a third reflective surface (e.g., third reflective surface 530-3). The method (e.g., method 900) further includes (operation 940) transmitting a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) and a second portion (e.g., second portion 490-2) of the illumination light toward the first reflective surface through the third reflective surface. The second portion of the illumination light is different from the first portion of the illumination light. The method further includes: reflecting the second portion of the illumination light toward the third reflective surface at the first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 530-1); reflecting the second portion of the illumination light reflected at the first reflective surface toward the third reflective surface at the third reflective surface; transmitting the second portion of the illumination light reflected by the third reflective surface through the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface; and receiving the second portion of the illumination light at the spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420).

[0233] In some embodiments, the method (e.g., method 900) further includes: (operation 950) receiving, at a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440), a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) transmitted through a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2); and providing, using the beam splitter, the illumination light (e.g., first portion 490-1) in a first direction toward the spatial light modulator. Figure 3B The method comprises the steps of: providing a first portion of the illumination light 390 shown in the figure; modulating the first portion of the illumination light using a spatial light modulator; outputting the modulated light from the spatial light modulator; receiving the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator at a beam splitter; and providing modulated light (e.g., modulated light 392) in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction using the beam splitter.

[0234] In some embodiments, modulating the first portion of the illumination light with the spatial light modulator includes (operation 952) reflecting a subset of the first portion of the illumination light, the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the illumination light in the first portion of the illumination light.

[0235] In some embodiments, the first reflective surface (eg, first reflective surface 430 - 1 or 530 - 1 ) is a partial reflector.

[0236] In some embodiments, at least one of the first reflective surface (eg, first reflective surface 430 - 1 or 530 - 1 ) and the second reflective surface (eg, second reflective surface 430 - 2 or 530 - 2 ) is curved.

[0237] According to some embodiments, a display device (e.g., Figure 4G The display device 402 shown in Figure 5C The display device 502 shown in ) includes a light source (e.g., light source 410), a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420), or an optical component (e.g., optical component 432 or 532). The light source is configured to provide illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490), and the spatial light modulator is positioned to receive the illumination light. The optical component includes a first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 432-1 or 532-1) defining an aperture (e.g., aperture 434 or 534) and a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 432-2 or 532-2) opposite the first reflective surface. The optical component is positioned relative to the light source so that at least a first portion of the illumination light received by the optical component is: (i) reflected by the second reflective surface toward the first reflective surface, (ii) reflected by the first reflective surface toward the second reflective surface, and (iii) transmitted by the second reflective surface.

[0238] In some embodiments, a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440) is disposed relative to an optical assembly (e.g., optical assembly 432 or 532) and a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) such that the beam splitter receives at least a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) output from the optical assembly and directs at least the first portion of the illumination light in a first direction. The spatial light modulator modulates at least the first portion of the illumination light and outputs modulated light. The beam splitter receives modulated light output from the spatial light modulator and directs the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

[0239] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 410) is located outside of a space between a first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1) and a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 430-2 or 530-2). For example, the first reflective surface is located between the light source and the second reflective surface. The light source is aligned with a hole (e.g., hole 434 or 534) in the first reflective surface so that illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) including at least a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of the illumination light is transmitted through the hole of the first reflective surface toward the second reflective surface before being reflected by the second reflective surface.

[0240] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the light source (eg, light source 410) is disposed within a hole (eg, hole 434 or 534) defined by a first reflective surface (eg, first reflective surface 430-1 or 530-1). For example, a portion of the light source remains inserted into the hole.

[0241] In some embodiments, the optical component (e.g., optical component 532) further includes a third reflective surface (e.g., third reflective surface 532-3), and the second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532-2) is disposed between the first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 532-1) and the third reflective surface, such that a second portion (e.g., second portion 490-2) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) received by the optical component: (i) is transmitted through the second reflective surface toward the third reflective surface, (ii) is reflected through the third reflective surface toward the second reflective surface, (iii) is reflected through the second reflective surface toward the third reflective surface, and (iv) is transmitted through the third reflective surface.

[0242] In some embodiments, a light source (eg, light source 410) includes a plurality of light emitting elements (eg, Fig. 8A 8. The light emitting elements 810 are shown. Corresponding light emitting elements in the plurality of light emitting elements are individually activatable.

[0243] In some embodiments, a light source (eg, light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (eg, light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (eg, Fig. 8A 820-1 to 820-n are shown. A corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements is configured to emit a first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range. A corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides is coupled to a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the first light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0244] In some embodiments, the light source (eg, light source) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (eg, Figure 8B The corresponding waveguide (e.g., waveguide 820) is also coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the second light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0245] In some embodiments, multiple waveguides (e.g., Figure 8C The respective waveguides in the waveguides 820-1 to 820-n) shown in FIG are tapered.

[0246] In some embodiments, a spatial light modulator (eg, spatial light modulator 420) is a reflective spatial light modulator.

[0247] According to some embodiments, a method (e.g., method 1000) includes (operation 1002) outputting illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) from a light source (e.g., light source 410). The light source is located adjacent to a first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 432-1 or reflective surface 532-3) of an optical assembly (e.g., optical assembly 432 or 532). The first reflective surface defines an aperture (e.g., aperture 434 or 534). The optical assembly includes a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 432-2 or first reflective surface 532-1) located opposite the first reflective surface. The method includes (operation 1030) reflecting a first portion of the illumination light (e.g., first portion 490-1) at a second reflection surface toward a first reflection surface; (operation 1032) reflecting the first portion of the illumination light reflected by the second reflection surface toward the first reflection surface at the first reflection surface; (operation 1034) transmitting the first portion of the illumination light reflected by the first reflection surface through the second reflection surface; and (operation 1036) receiving the first portion of the illumination light at a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420).

[0248] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n). The method (e.g., method 1000) further includes: (operation 1006) providing first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the corresponding waveguide.

[0249] In some embodiments, the light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 830). The method (e.g., method 1000) further includes: (operation 1010) providing second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n) coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the corresponding waveguide.

[0250] In some embodiments, a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides (eg, waveguides 820-1 through 820-n) is tapered.

[0251] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n). The method (e.g., method 1000) includes (operation 1014) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0252] In some embodiments, the method (e.g., method 1000) also includes (operation 1020) transmitting illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490), including a first portion of the illumination light (e.g., first portion 490-1), to a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 432-2 or reflective surface 532-1) through a hole (e.g., hole 434 or 534) in a first reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 432-1 or reflective surface 532-3).

[0253] In some embodiments, at least a portion of a light source (eg, light source 410 ) is disposed in a hole (eg, hole 434 or 534 ) in a first reflective surface (eg, first reflective surface 432 - 1 or third reflective surface 532 - 3 ).

[0254] In some embodiments, the optical assembly (e.g., optical assembly 532) further includes a third reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 532-2), and the method (e.g., method 1000) further includes (operation 1040) transmitting a second portion (e.g., second portion 490-2) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) to the third reflective surface at the second reflective surface (e.g., first reflective surface 532-1). The second portion of the illumination light is different from the first portion of the illumination light (e.g., first portion 490-1). The method further includes: reflecting the second portion of the illumination light transmitted at the second reflective surface to the second reflective surface at the third reflective surface; reflecting the second portion of the illumination light reflected at the third reflective surface to the third reflective surface at the second reflective surface; and transmitting the second portion of the illumination light reflected by the second reflective surface through the third reflective surface.

[0255] In some embodiments, the method (e.g., method 1000) further includes: (operation 1050) receiving a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) transmitted through a second reflective surface (e.g., second reflective surface 4322 or first reflective surface 532-1) at a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440); directing the first portion of the illumination light in a first direction toward a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) using the beam splitter; modulating the first portion of the illumination light using the spatial light modulator; outputting modulated light from the spatial light modulator; receiving the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator at the beam splitter; and directing the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction using the beam splitter.

[0256] In some embodiments, modulating a first portion (e.g., first portion 490-1) of illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) using a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) includes (operation 1052) reflecting a subset of the first portion of the illumination light, the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the illumination light.

[0257] According to some embodiments, a display device (e.g., Fig. 6A The display device 600 shown in Fig.6D The display device 602 shown in or Fig. 6EThe display device 604 shown in ) includes a light source (e.g., light source 410), a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420), and an optical assembly (e.g., optical assemblies 630, 632, 634). The light source is configured to provide illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490), and the spatial light modulator is positioned to receive the illumination light. The optical assembly includes an optical element (e.g., optical element 640) and a curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650) that is distinct and separate from the optical element. The curved reflector is disposed relative to the light source so that at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., portion 490-1) is: (i) reflected by the curved reflector toward the optical element, (ii) reflected by the optical element toward the curved reflector, and (iii) transmitted through the curved reflector.

[0258] In some embodiments, a display device (e.g., display device 600, 602, or 604) includes a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440) disposed relative to an optical component (e.g., optical component 630, 632, 634) and a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) such that the beam splitter receives at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of an illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) output from a light source (e.g., light source 410) and provides at least a portion of the illumination light in a first direction. The spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) modulates the illumination light and outputs modulated light. The beam splitter receives the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator and provides the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

[0259] In some embodiments, the optical assembly is disposed relative to the light source and the spatial light modulator such that at least a portion of the illumination light received by the optical assembly is transmitted through the optical element toward the curved reflector before being reflected by the curved reflector.

[0260] In some embodiments, an optical element (e.g., optical element 640) defines an aperture (e.g., aperture 644), and the optical component is positioned relative to a light source (e.g., light source 410) and a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) such that at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) received by the optical component (e.g., optical component 630, 632, or 634) is transmitted through the aperture of the optical element toward a curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650) before being reflected by the curved reflector.

[0261] In some embodiments, at least a portion of a light source (eg, light source 410 ) is disposed within an aperture (eg, aperture 644 ) of an optical element (eg, optical element 640 ).

[0262] In some embodiments, a light source (eg, light source 410 ) is disposed between a curved reflector (eg, curved reflector 650 ) and an optical element (eg, optical element 640 ).

[0263] In some embodiments, the optical element (eg, optical element 640) is a partial reflector (eg, a 50 / 50 mirror).

[0264] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., Fig. 8A The light source 800 shown in FIG. 8 (corresponding to the light source 410 ) includes a plurality of light emitting elements (eg, light emitting elements 810 - 1 to 810 - n ). Respective light emitting elements in the plurality of light emitting elements can be activated individually.

[0265] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n). A corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements is configured to emit a first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range. A corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides is coupled to a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the first light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0266] In some embodiments, the light source (eg, light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (eg, Figure 8B The second plurality of light emitting elements are configured to output second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range. The corresponding waveguide (e.g., waveguide 820) is also coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the second light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0267] In some embodiments, multiple waveguides (e.g., Figure 8C The respective waveguides 820-1 to 820-n) shown in FIG are tapered.

[0268] According to some embodiments, a method (e.g., method 1100) includes (operation 1102) outputting illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) from a light source (e.g., light source 410), (operation 1130) receiving the illumination light at a curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650), and (operation 1132) reflecting at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) at the curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650). The method also includes (operation 1134) reflecting at least a portion of the illumination light reflected by the curved reflector toward the curved reflector at an optical element (e.g., optical element 640); (operation 1136) transmitting at least a portion of the illumination light reflected by the optical element through the curved reflector; and (operation 1138) receiving at least a portion of the illumination light at a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420).

[0269] In some embodiments, a light source (eg, light source 410 ) is disposed between a curved reflector (eg, curved reflector 650 ) and an optical element (eg, optical element 640 ).

[0270] In some embodiments, the optical element (eg, optical element 640) is a partial reflector (eg, a 50 / 50 mirror).

[0271] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n). The method (e.g., method 1100) further includes: (operation 1104) providing first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements through the corresponding waveguide as at least a portion of illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0272] In some embodiments, the light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 830). The method (e.g., method 1100) further includes: (operation 1112) providing second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n) coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the corresponding waveguide.

[0273] In some embodiments, a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides (eg, waveguides 820-1 through 820-n) is tapered.

[0274] In some embodiments, the light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n). The method (e.g., method 1100) further includes (operation 1122) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0275] In some embodiments, an optical element (e.g., optical element 640) is disposed relative to a light source (e.g., light source 410) and a curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650). The method (e.g., method 1100) further includes (operation 1124) transmitting at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the optical element (e.g., optical element 640) toward the curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650).

[0276] In some embodiments, the optical element (e.g., optical element 640) defines an aperture (e.g., aperture 644). The method (e.g., method 1100) also includes (operation 1126) transmitting at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the aperture of the optical element toward the curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650).

[0277] In some embodiments, an optical element (eg, optical element 640 ) defines an aperture (eg, aperture 644 ), and at least a portion of a light source (eg, light source 410 ) is disposed within the aperture of the optical element.

[0278] In some embodiments, the method (e.g., method 1100) further includes: (operation 1140) receiving at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) transmitted through a curved reflector (e.g., curved reflector 650) at a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440); providing at least a portion of the illumination light in a first direction toward a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) using the beam splitter; modulating at least a portion of the illumination light using the spatial light modulator; outputting at least a portion of the illumination light from the spatial light modulator as modulated light; receiving the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator at the beam splitter; and providing the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction using the beam splitter.

[0279] In some embodiments, modulating at least a portion of the illumination light with a spatial light modulator includes (operation 1146) reflecting a subset of at least a portion of the illumination light (eg, illumination light 490), the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the at least a portion of the illumination light.

[0280] According to some embodiments, a display device (e.g., Figure 7 The display device 700 shown includes a light source (e.g., light source 410), a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420), and an optical element (e.g., optical element 730). The light source is configured to provide illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490), and the spatial light modulator is positioned to receive the illumination light. The optical element includes a reflective surface (e.g., reflective surface 730-1). The optical element is positioned relative to the light source so that at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) received by the optical element is reflected back to the light source at the reflective surface.

[0281] In some embodiments, a display device (e.g., display device 700) includes a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440) disposed relative to an optical element (e.g., optical element 730) and a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) such that the beam splitter receives at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) reflected at a reflective surface (e.g., reflective surface 730-1) and provides at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) in a first direction. The spatial light modulator modulates at least a portion of the illumination light and outputs the modulated light. The beam splitter receives the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator and provides the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

[0282] In some embodiments, the reflective surface (eg, reflective surface 730 - 1 ) is curved.

[0283] In some embodiments, the optical element (eg, optical element 730) includes a second surface (eg, second surface 730-2) opposite to the reflective surface (eg, reflective surface 730-1), the reflective surface having a first radius of curvature, and the second surface having a second radius of curvature different from the first curvature.

[0284] In some embodiments, the reflective surface (eg, reflective surface 730 - 1 ) includes a total reflector (eg, a mirror).

[0285] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., Fig. 8A The light source 800 shown in FIG. 8 (corresponding to the light source 410 ) includes a plurality of light emitting elements (eg, light emitting elements 810 - 1 to 810 - n ). Respective light emitting elements in the plurality of light emitting elements are individually activatable.

[0286] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n). A corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements is configured to emit a first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range. A corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides is coupled to a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the first light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0287] In some embodiments, the light source (eg, light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (eg, Figure 8B The second plurality of light emitting elements are configured to output second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range. The corresponding waveguide (e.g., waveguide 820) is also coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the second light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490).

[0288] In some embodiments, multiple waveguides (e.g., Figure 8C The respective waveguides 820-1 to 820-n) shown in FIG are tapered.

[0289] In some embodiments, a spatial light modulator (eg, spatial light modulator 420) is a reflective spatial light modulator.

[0290] According to some embodiments, a method (e.g., method 1200) includes (operation 1202) outputting illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) from a light source (e.g., light source 410), (operation 1220) receiving at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., portion 490-1) at a reflective surface (e.g., reflective surface 730-1) of an optical element (e.g., optical element 730), (operation 1230) reflecting at least a portion of the illumination light at the reflective surface, and (operation 1240) receiving at least a portion of the illumination light at a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420).

[0291] In some embodiments, the reflective surface (eg, reflective surface 730 - 1 ) is curved.

[0292] In some embodiments, the reflective surface (eg, reflective surface 730 - 1 ) includes a total reflector (eg, a mirror).

[0293] In some embodiments, a light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a first plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n) and a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n). The method (e.g., method 1200) further includes: (operation 1210) providing first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the first light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the first plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the corresponding waveguide.

[0294] In some embodiments, the light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 830). The method (e.g., method 1200) further includes: (operation 1212) providing second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the second light through a corresponding waveguide in a plurality of waveguides (e.g., waveguides 820-1 to 820-n) coupled to the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements; and transmitting the second light provided by the corresponding light emitting element in the second plurality of light emitting elements as at least a portion of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) through the corresponding waveguide.

[0295] In some embodiments, a corresponding waveguide in the plurality of waveguides (eg, waveguides 820-1 through 820-n) is tapered.

[0296] In some embodiments, the light source (e.g., light source 800 corresponding to light source 410) includes a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., light emitting elements 810-1 to 810-n). The method (e.g., method 1200) further includes (operation 1216) activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the light emitting elements in the subset being less than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

[0297] In some embodiments, the optical element (e.g., optical element 730) includes a second surface (e.g., second surface 730-2) opposite the reflective surface (e.g., reflective surface 730-1). The method (e.g., method 1200) also includes (operation 1232) transmitting at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) from the light source (e.g., light source 410) to the reflective surface through the second surface, and transmitting at least a portion of the illumination light reflected from the reflective surface through the second surface.

[0298] In some embodiments, the method (e.g., method 1200) further includes: (operation 1242) receiving at a beam splitter (e.g., PBS 440) at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of the illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) reflected at a reflective surface (e.g., reflective surface 730-1); providing at least a portion of the illumination light in a first direction toward a spatial light modulator (spatial light modulator 420) using the beam splitter; modulating at least a portion of the illumination light using the spatial light modulator; outputting at least a portion of the illumination light from the spatial light modulator as modulated light; receiving at the beam splitter the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator; and providing the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction using the beam splitter.

[0299] In some embodiments, modulating at least a portion (e.g., portion 490-1) of illumination light (e.g., illumination light 490) using a spatial light modulator (e.g., spatial light modulator 420) includes (operation 1244) reflecting a subset of at least a portion of the illumination light, the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the illumination light.

[0300] Although various figures show the operation of a particular component or a particular group of components with respect to one eye, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that similar operations may be performed for the other eye or both eyes. For the sake of brevity, such details will not be repeated here.

[0301] Although some of the various figures show multiple logical stages in a particular order, stages that are not dependent on order may be reordered, and other stages may be combined or split. Although some reordering or other groupings are specifically mentioned, other approaches will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and thus the ordering and groupings presented here are not an exhaustive list of alternatives. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the stages may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.

[0302] For purposes of explanation, the foregoing description has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the above illustrative discussion is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the claims to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the underlying principles of the claims and their practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to best use the embodiments with various modifications suitable for the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising: a light source configured to provide illumination light; Spatial light modulator; an optical element comprising a reflective surface and a second surface opposite to the reflective surface; Polarization beam splitter, where The light source is disposed between the optical element and the polarization beam splitter; the optical element being positioned relative to the light source such that at least a portion of the illumination light received by the optical element is transmitted through the second surface toward the reflective surface and reflected at the reflective surface through the second surface toward the light source and received at the polarizing beam splitter, wherein the spatial light modulator is positioned to receive the at least a portion of the illumination light from the polarizing beam splitter; The reflective surface and the second surface are curved, wherein the reflective surface has a first radius of curvature and the second surface has a second radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature.

2. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: The polarization beam splitter is arranged relative to the optical element and the spatial light modulator, so that the polarization beam splitter receives at least a portion of the illumination light reflected on the reflective surface and provides the at least a portion of the illumination light in a first direction, the spatial light modulator modulates the at least a portion of the illumination light and outputs modulated light, and the beam splitter receives the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator and provides the modulated light in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the reflective surface comprises a total reflector.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein: The light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements; and Respective light emitting elements of the plurality of light emitting elements are individually activatable.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises: a first plurality of light emitting elements configured to emit first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range; as well as A plurality of waveguides, respective ones of the plurality of waveguides being coupled to respective ones of the first plurality of light emitting elements and configured to transmit the first light emitted from the respective ones of the first plurality of light emitting elements as the at least a portion of the illumination light.

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein: The light source further includes a second plurality of light emitting elements; the second plurality of light emitting elements being configured to output second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range; as well as The respective waveguide is also coupled to a respective light emitting element of the second plurality of light emitting elements and is configured to transmit the second light emitted from the respective light emitting element of the second plurality of light emitting elements as the at least a portion of the illumination light; Wherein the corresponding waveguide of the plurality of waveguides is tapered.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator is a reflective spatial light modulator.

8. A method for operating a display device, comprising: outputting illumination light from a light source; receiving at least a portion of the illumination light at a reflective surface of an optical element; reflecting the at least a portion of the illumination light at the reflective surface; receiving the at least a portion of the illumination light at a spatial light modulator; Wherein the optical element comprises a second surface opposite to the reflective surface, the method further comprising: transmitting the at least a portion of the illumination light from the light source toward the reflective surface through the second surface; transmitting the at least a portion of the illumination light reflected from the reflective surface through the second surface; and reflecting the at least a portion of the illumination light transmitted through the second surface back to the light source; And wherein the reflective surface and the second surface are curved, wherein the reflective surface has a first radius of curvature and the second surface has a second radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: receiving, at a beam splitter, the at least a portion of the illumination light reflected at the reflective surface; providing the at least a portion of the illumination light in a first direction toward the spatial light modulator using the beam splitter; modulating the at least a portion of the illumination light using the spatial light modulator; outputting the modulated light from the spatial light modulator; receiving, at the beam splitter, the modulated light output from the spatial light modulator; as well as The modulated light is provided in a second direction non-parallel to the first direction using the beam splitter.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Modulating the at least a portion of the illumination light with the spatial light modulator includes reflecting a subset of the at least a portion of the illumination light, the illumination light in the subset being less than all of the illumination light in the at least a portion.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the reflective surface comprises a total reflector.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements; and The method also includes activating a subset of the plurality of light emitting elements, the subset of light emitting elements being fewer than all of the plurality of light emitting elements.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the light source comprises a first plurality of light emitting elements and a plurality of waveguides, the method further comprising: providing first light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range from a corresponding light emitting element of the first plurality of light emitting elements; guiding the first light by a corresponding waveguide of the plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding light emitting element of the first plurality of light emitting elements; as well as The first light provided by the corresponding light emitting element of the first plurality of light emitting elements is transmitted by the corresponding waveguide as at least a portion of the illumination light.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the light source further comprises a second plurality of light emitting elements, and the method further comprises: providing, from respective ones of the second plurality of light emitting elements, second light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range; guiding the second light by a corresponding one of the plurality of waveguides coupled to the corresponding one of the second plurality of light emitting elements; as well as The second light emitted from the corresponding light emitting element of the second plurality of light emitting elements is transmitted by the corresponding waveguide as at least a portion of the illumination light.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein a corresponding waveguide of the plurality of waveguides is tapered.

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