Optical waveguide components and electronic devices

Abstract

This application discloses an optical waveguide component and electronic device. The optical waveguide component includes a substrate, a transmission grating, and an output grating. The transmission grating is disposed within the substrate, and the output grating is isolated from the transmission grating and disposed on the surface of the substrate. The output grating is used to transmit light from the transmission grating to the outside of the substrate. By using the optical waveguide component of this solution, the transmission grating disposed within the substrate can reduce the occurrence of rainbow patterns, and the output grating disposed on the surface of the substrate can achieve a lighter and thinner lens, improving the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to an optical waveguide element and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] In display devices utilizing augmented reality and other extended reality technologies, optical waveguides are a key component. These waveguides can include grating structures that transmit images to the human eye. In related technologies, optical waveguides can couple, transmit, and decouple light. However, these waveguides are prone to generating rainbow patterns, which can affect the user's field of vision. Therefore, reducing these rainbow patterns has become a pressing technical challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application provides an optical waveguide element and an electronic device.

[0004] The optical waveguide element of the embodiment of the present application includes a substrate, a transmission grating and a coupling-out grating. The transmission grating is arranged in the substrate, and the coupling-out grating is isolated from the transmission grating. The coupling-out grating is arranged on the surface of the substrate. The coupling-out grating is used to transmit light from the transmission grating to the outside of the substrate.

[0005] Thus, in the optical waveguide element of the embodiment of the present application, the transmission grating is arranged in the substrate to reduce the generation of rainbow stripes, and the outcoupling grating is arranged on the surface of the substrate to achieve a lighter and thinner lens, thereby improving the user experience.

[0006] The electronic device according to the embodiment of the present application includes the optical waveguide element and a light source as described in any one of the above embodiments, wherein the light source is used to couple light into the optical waveguide element.

[0007] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become obvious from the description below, or will be learned through practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical waveguide component according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0010] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional view of an optical waveguide component according to an embodiment of the present application from one perspective;

[0011] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional view of the optical waveguide component according to an embodiment of the present application from another perspective;

[0012] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a light guide unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the outcoupling grating according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 6 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an in-coupling grating according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Explanation of the reference numerals: 100, optical waveguide element; 10, substrate; 11, visible area; 12, non-visible area; 20, transmission grating; 21, light-guiding unit; 22, light-guiding surface; 23, optical film; 30, out-coupling grating; 31, first protrusion; 40, in-coupling grating; 41, second protrusion; 50, light source; 1000, electronic device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and should not be understood as limiting the present application.

[0018] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. In the description of the present application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0019] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, or mutual communication; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they can refer to internal communication between two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on specific circumstances.

[0020] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0021] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples for realizing different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present application. In addition, the present application may repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and does not itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present application provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0022] In related technologies, both the transmission grating and the outcoupling grating of the optical waveguide use surface relief gratings, and both areas will produce rainbow patterns. When the user is in use, the outcoupling grating is directly in front of the pupil, and the rainbow patterns produced by the outcoupling grating can be directly observed. However, due to the relatively large FOV of the human eye, even if the turning grating is not in the direction of the exit pupil, the human eye can still observe the rainbow patterns produced by the turning grating. It can be seen that both the transmission grating and the outcoupling grating of the optical waveguide use surface relief gratings, and many rainbow patterns appear, which has a great impact on user use.

[0023] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2The optical waveguide element 100 of the embodiment of the present application includes a substrate 10, a transmission grating 20 and a coupling-out grating 30. The transmission grating 20 is arranged in the substrate 10, and the coupling-out grating 30 is isolated from the transmission grating 20. The coupling-out grating 30 is arranged on the surface of the substrate 10, and is used to transmit light from the transmission grating 20 to the outside of the substrate 10.

[0024] By adopting the optical waveguide element 100 of this solution, the conductive grating 20 is set in the substrate 10 to reduce the generation of rainbow patterns, prevent the rainbow patterns from blocking the line of sight and prevent eye fatigue caused by long-term use. The outcoupling grating 30 is set on the surface of the substrate 10 to achieve the lightness and thinness of the lens, thereby improving the user experience.

[0025] Specifically, in some embodiments, the substrate 10 can be a flat structure made of an optical material transparent to visible light, such as flat glass or resin, the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 10 are parallel, the thickness of the substrate 10 can be 0.3 to 2.5 mm, and the refractive index of the waveguide material can be 1.4 to 2.2.

[0026] The transmission grating 20 performs horizontal pupil expansion on the light and then transmits the light to the coupling-out grating 30. The coupling-out grating 30 performs vertical pupil expansion on the light and then outputs the light and projects it into the human eye.

[0027] In some embodiments, the transmission grating 20 may be a geometric grating, and the outcoupling grating 30 may be a surface relief grating.

[0028] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the substrate 10 includes a visible area 11 and a non-visible area 12 , the conductive grating 20 is disposed in the non-visible area 12 , and the outcoupling grating 30 is disposed in the visible area 11 .

[0029] In this way, the conductive grating 20 is arranged in the non-visible area 12 to avoid the adverse effects of the “venetian blinds effect” generated by the conductive grating 20 on the user.

[0030] Specifically, the visible area 11 is an area exposed outside the electronic device 1000 and visible to the user, and the non-visible area 12 is an area not visible to the user and hidden inside the housing of the electronic device 1000.

[0031] When the transmission grating 20 is a geometric grating, the "venetian blinds effect" of the geometric grating will not have adverse effects on users; when the outcoupling grating 30 is a surface relief grating, no "venetian blinds effect" will occur.

[0032] The "Venetian blinds effect" is caused by the conductive grating 20 being similar to a Venetian blind structure. After the electronic device 1000 is powered off, if the conductive grating 20 is in the visible area 11, because the substrate 10 is a light-transmitting element, the user's eyes can see the structure of the conductive grating 20, which is the phenomenon of the "Venetian blinds effect".

[0033] In some embodiments, the conductive grating 20 is located at the edge of the substrate 10. In this way, when the conductive grating 20 is a geometric grating, the geometric grating is far away from the visual area 11, so that the "blind effect" of the geometric grating will not cause adverse effects on the user. Figure 1 The conductive grating 20 may be located at the lower left corner of the substrate 10 . In some embodiments, the conductive grating 20 may also be located at the lower right corner, the upper left corner, or the upper right corner of the substrate 10 .

[0034] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, the transmission grating 20 includes a plurality of light-guiding units 21 arranged in sequence, the light-guiding unit 21 includes a light-guiding surface 22 and an optical film 23 disposed on the light-guiding surface 22, and the optical film 23 is used to transmit part of the light to the next light-guiding unit 21 and reflect part of the light to the outcoupling grating 30.

[0035] In this way, multiple light guide units 21 enable the electronic device 1000 to output multiple identical images, allowing the eyes to see the images even when moving horizontally, achieving image output and expanding the eye box. Specifically, each light guide surface 22 is coated with a multilayer film with different reflectivity and transmittance ratios to achieve uniform light output for each exit pupil.

[0036] In order to achieve uniform light emission from each exit pupil, the reflection and transmittance ratios of the light guide units 21 gradually increase along the propagation direction of the light. That is, along the propagation direction of the light, the reflectivity of the plurality of light guide units 21 increases sequentially, and the transmittance decreases sequentially.

[0037] For example, if there are five light guide units 21 and the initial amount of light transmitted through the grating 20 is 100, the reflection-transmittance ratio of the first light guide unit 21 is 20 / 80, the reflection-transmittance ratio of the second light guide unit 21 is 20 / 60, the reflection-transmittance ratio of the third light guide unit 21 is 20 / 40, the reflection-transmittance ratio of the fourth light guide unit 21 is 20 / 20, and the reflection-transmittance ratio of the fifth light guide unit 21 is infinite. Therefore, the first light guide unit 21 can reflect 20 light and transmit 80 light to the second light guide unit 21, and repeat this process. This allows the outcoupling grating 30 to couple out five light beams, each with a light amount of 20.

[0038] In some embodiments, a plurality of light guide units 21 may be arranged in parallel and spaced apart.

[0039] See also Figure 3 In some embodiments, the light guiding surface 22 is tilted relative to the surface of the substrate 10 in the thickness direction.

[0040] In this way, the optical film 23 can reflect part of the light to the outcoupling grating 30 and transmit the remaining light to the next light guide unit 21 .

[0041] Specifically, the imaging quality is affected by the angle formed by the light guide surface 22 and the surface of the substrate 10 . Therefore, the angle formed by the light guide surface 22 and the surface of the substrate 10 is a specific angle.

[0042] See also Figure 5 In some embodiments, the outcoupling grating 30 includes a plurality of first protrusions 31 , and the plurality of first protrusions 31 are arranged at intervals.

[0043] In this way, a portion of the light can be transmitted to the next first protrusion 31 , and the other portion of the light can be reflected to the human eye.

[0044] Specifically, the outcoupling grating 30 can be a surface relief grating, and the cross-section of the first protrusion 31 can be a trapezoid, a rectangle, etc. By reasonably setting the shape, size and angle between the first protrusion 31 and the surface of the substrate 10, it is ensured that the outgoing light obtains a larger exit angle, thereby obtaining a larger field of view angle.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first protrusion 31 is in the shape of an elongated strip, so that the outcoupling grating 30 has a large transmission area and a larger field of view.

[0046] Specifically, the first protrusions 31 may be distributed equidistantly on the surface of the substrate 10 . The first protrusions 31 form peaks and valleys of the outcoupling grating 30 , causing periodic changes in the refractive index of the light.

[0047] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the optical waveguide element 100 further includes a coupling-in grating 40 , the transmission grating 20 is located between the coupling-in grating 40 and the coupling-out grating 30 , and the coupling-in grating 40 is used to transmit light to the transmission grating 20 .

[0048] In this way, the light is coupled into the optical waveguide through the coupling grating 40 and then incident on the transmission grating 20 through total reflection.

[0049] In some embodiments, the coupling-in grating 40 is disposed on the surface of the substrate 10. This allows for a thinner and lighter lens. Specifically, the coupling-in grating 40 can be a surface relief grating. The surface relief grating can be fabricated on the wafer surface using a nanoimprint process to create a grating microstructure, thereby functioning as an optical waveguide.

[0050] In some embodiments, the incoupling grating 40 and the outcoupling grating 30 may be disposed on the same surface of the substrate 10 but at different positions.

[0051] In some embodiments, the incoupling grating 40 is disposed in the non-visible region 12 .

[0052] See also Figure 6 In some embodiments, the coupling-in grating 40 includes a plurality of second protrusions 41 , and the plurality of second protrusions 41 are arranged at intervals.

[0053] In this way, a portion of the light can be transmitted to the next second protrusion 41 , and another portion of the light can be reflected to the transmission grating 20 .

[0054] Specifically, the cross section of the second protrusion 41 can be trapezoidal, rectangular, etc. By reasonably setting the shape, size and angle between the second protrusion 41 and the surface of the substrate 10, the incident light can obtain a larger deflection angle.

[0055] In some embodiments, the second protrusion 41 is in the shape of an elongated strip.

[0056] In this way, the transmission area of ​​the outcoupling grating 30 is increased, and more light is transmitted to the transmitting grating 20 .

[0057] Specifically, the second protrusions 41 are evenly distributed on the surface of the substrate 10 , forming peaks and valleys that couple into the grating 40 , causing periodic changes in the refractive index of the light.

[0058] See also Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 7 The electronic device 1000 according to the embodiment of the present application includes an optical waveguide element 100 and a light source 50 , where the light source 50 is used to couple light into the optical waveguide element 100 .

[0059] In this way, the impact of rainbow patterns on the user's vision can be reduced, preventing the rainbow patterns from blocking the vision and eye fatigue caused by long-term use, which significantly improves the user experience. Moreover, the "blind effect" of the geometric grating will not have an adverse effect on user use.

[0060] Specifically, the light source 50 includes but is not limited to a display screen, and the electronic device 1000 includes but is not limited to a head-mounted display device.

[0061] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "certain embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0062] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and intent of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An optical waveguide component, characterized in that: include: substrate; a conductive grating, wherein the conductive grating is disposed in the substrate; an outcoupling grating, the outcoupling grating being isolated from the transmitting grating, the outcoupling grating being disposed on a surface of the substrate, and being used for transmitting light from the transmitting grating to outside the substrate; The transmission grating includes a plurality of light-guiding units arranged in sequence, each light-guiding unit includes a light-guiding surface and an optical film arranged on the light-guiding surface, and the optical film is used to transmit part of the light to the next light-guiding unit and reflect part of the light to the outcoupling grating.

2. The optical waveguide element according to claim 1, wherein The substrate includes a visible area and a non-visible area, the transmission grating is arranged in the non-visible area, and the outcoupling grating is arranged in the visible area.

3. The optical waveguide element according to claim 2, wherein The conductive grating is located at an edge of the substrate.

4. The optical waveguide element according to claim 1, wherein The substrate is made of an optical material that is transparent to visible light, the thickness of the substrate is 0.3 mm to 2.5 mm, and the refractive index of the waveguide material is 1.4 to 2.

2.

5. The optical waveguide element according to claim 1, wherein The light guiding surface is inclined relative to the surface of the substrate in the thickness direction.

6. The optical waveguide element according to claim 1, wherein The outcoupling grating includes a plurality of first protrusions, and the plurality of first protrusions are arranged at intervals.

7. The optical waveguide element according to claim 6, wherein The first protrusion is in the shape of an elongated strip.

8. The optical waveguide element according to claim 1, wherein The optical waveguide element further includes an incoupling grating. The transmitting grating is located between the incoupling grating and the outcoupling grating. The incoupling grating is used to transmit light to the transmitting grating.

9. The optical waveguide element according to claim 8, wherein The coupling-in grating is arranged on the surface of the substrate.

10. The optical waveguide element according to claim 9, wherein The coupling-in grating includes a plurality of second protrusions, and the plurality of second protrusions are arranged at intervals.

11. The optical waveguide element according to claim 10, wherein The second protrusion is in the shape of an elongated strip.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: The optical waveguide element according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and A light source is used to couple light into the optical waveguide element.

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