Transverse external light waveguide

Abstract

The invention discloses a transverse external light waveguide. The transverse external light waveguide is characterized by comprising a coupling prism and a transverse waveguide, the ray machine is connected with the coupling-in prism and is used for providing a projection image to the coupling-in prism; the coupling-in prism is arranged at the end side of the transverse waveguide and is used for transmitting a light beam into the transverse waveguide; a first turning array and a second turning array are arranged in the transverse waveguide; the light beam is transversely transmitted in the transverse waveguide; the first turning array and the second turning array transmit and reflect light beams, and the reflected light beams are used for emitting outwards. The turning waveguide is combined into the transverse waveguide, so that the size of the transverse waveguide can be reduced, the transverse waveguide can be put into a glasses frame for use, and the lighting effect is higher.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of AR display, and particularly to a lateral out-coupling optical waveguide. Background Art

[0002] The optical module of AR is mainly divided into two parts. The first part is a micro-display module, including a micro-display (LCD screen, LCOS / DLP display panel, uLED / uOLED, other micro-projectors), and the second part is the waveguide for the eyes, including a prism waveguide (in the form of a prism, the main companies are Epson and Naidejia), an array waveguide (a beam splitting device glued by multiple grating sheets, the main manufacturers include Shanghai Lipai, Longjing Optoelectronics, etc.), a diffraction waveguide (nano-scale micro-stripes are transferred onto a silicon-based glass by nanoimprinting, and light propagates through diffraction), and other waveguide solutions.

[0003] Although the waveguide plate model and AR glasses in the prior art can achieve the one-to-two binocular display from the middle by a single light engine, the biggest defect is that in actual use, since the light engine is in the middle, the glasses will be very thick at the bridge of the nose (the thickness of the light engine), seriously affecting the aesthetics of wearing; at the same time, since the light engine is on the side of the bridge of the nose and the weight of the light engine is at the bridge of the nose, the load on the nose will be relatively large, affecting the comfort of wearing.

[0004] Furthermore, how to reduce the size of the waveguide to make it more convenient to use has also become a problem to be solved.

[0005] In summary, there is a lack of a convenient-to-use optical waveguide in the prior art.

[0006] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background art section is only used for understanding the background of the present application, and thus may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a lateral out-coupling optical waveguide, which can solve at least one of the technical problems in the background art.

[0008] A lateral out-coupling optical waveguide includes an in-coupling prism and a lateral waveguide; a light engine is connected to the in-coupling prism for providing a projection image to the in-coupling prism; the in-coupling prism is disposed at the end side of the lateral waveguide for transmitting a light beam into the lateral waveguide; a first turning array and a second turning array are disposed inside the lateral waveguide; the light beam performs lateral transmission in the lateral waveguide; the first turning array and the second turning array perform transmission and reflection on the light beam, and the reflected light beam is used for out-coupling.

[0009] Preferably, the first turning array and the second turning array are a combination of prism arrays; the prism array combination has the same number of prisms, and the inclined surface angles of each prism are the same.

[0010] Preferably, the inclined surface angle of the coupling prism is as follows: Define the xyz coordinate axes, the z-axis is the thickness direction of the coupling prism, belonging to the longitudinal direction, and xy is the coordinate of the direction where the plane perpendicular to the z-axis is located; the included angle between the inclined surface of the coupling prism and the y-axis is θ1y; the range of θ1y: 30° to 70°; the included angle between the inclined surface of the coupling prism and the z-axis is θ1z; the range of θ1z: 30° to 70°.

[0011] Preferably, the included angle between the inclined surface of the prism of the first turning array and the second turning array and the y-axis is θ2y; wherein, the relationship between θ2y and θ1y is: θ2y = 1 / 2 * θ1y; or, θ2y = 1 / 2 * θ1y ± 15°; or, 90° - θ2y = 1 / 2 * θ1y ± 15°.

[0012] Preferably, the included angle between the inclined surface of the prism of the first turning array and the second turning array and the y-axis is θ3y; wherein, the relationship between θ3y and θ1y is:

[0013] 90° - θ3y = 1 / 2 * θ1y.

[0014] Preferably, the number of prisms of the first turning array and the second turning array is N, N is a positive integer and the value range is: 2 < N < 20; starting from the end side close to the coupling grating, the first turning array includes prisms S11 - S1N, and the corresponding transmittances are T 11 to T 1N , where, T 11 is 70% to 95%, and the transmittance T 1k of any prism is: T 1k = T 1k-1 -(1% to 10%); starting from the end side close to the coupling grating, the second turning array includes prisms S21 - S2N, and the corresponding transmittances are T 21 to T 2N , where, T 21 is 0 to 10%, and the transmittance T 2k of any prism is: T 2k-1 = T 2k +(1% to 10%); where, k is a positive integer, and 1 ≤ k ≤ N.

[0015] Preferably, the first turning array and the second turning array emit light beams to the first one-dimensional array waveguide and the second one-dimensional array waveguide respectively; the light of the first one-dimensional array waveguide and the second one-dimensional array waveguide enters the two eyes of a person respectively.

[0016] Preferably, the first one-dimensional array waveguide and the second one-dimensional array waveguide have the same structure, including 5 to 20 arrays, and the included angle between the inclined plane and the z-axis is θ3z; the relationship between θ3z and θ1z: θ3z = θ1z, or θ3z = θ1z ± 15°

[0017] The present invention also provides a laterally emitting optical waveguide, including: an input prism and a lateral waveguide; an optical machine is connected to the input prism for providing a projection image to the input prism; the input prism is arranged at the end side of the lateral waveguide for transmitting a light beam into the lateral waveguide; a third turning array is arranged inside the lateral waveguide; the light beam performs lateral transmission in the lateral waveguide; the third turning array transmits and reflects the light beam, and the reflected light beam is used for external emission.

[0018] Preferably, starting from the end side close to the input grating, the third turning array includes prisms S31 - S3M, and the corresponding transmittances are T 31 to T 3M , where T 31 is 0 to 10%, and the transmittance T 3x of any prism is: T 3x-1 = T 3x +(1% - 20%); where x is a positive integer and 1 ≤ x ≤ M; M is a positive integer.

[0019] The present invention has beneficial effects:

[0020] For the optical waveguide provided by the present invention, the turning waveguide is combined into the lateral waveguide, so that the size of the lateral waveguide can be reduced, and the lateral waveguide can be placed inside the spectacle frame for use with higher light efficiency. Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a laterally emitting optical waveguide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 It is another schematic diagram of a laterally emitting optical waveguide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of an input grating according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 It is still another schematic diagram of a laterally emitting optical waveguide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of another laterally emitting optical waveguide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of a first one-dimensional array waveguide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of another laterally emitting optical waveguide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of yet another laterally emitting optical waveguide according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0029] The following provides a detailed description of the implementation manners of the present invention. It should be emphasized that the following description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention and its applications. Without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0030] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element. In addition, the connection can be for a fixing function or for a coupling or communication function.

[0031] It should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0032] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0033] Refer to Figure 1 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a laterally emitting optical waveguide, including an input prism 11 and a transverse waveguide 2;

[0034] An optical machine 2 is connected to the input prism 11 and is configured to provide a projection image to the input prism 11;

[0035] The coupling prism 11 is arranged at the end side of the transverse waveguide 1 for transmitting a light beam into the transverse waveguide 1; a first turning array 121 and a second turning array 122 are arranged inside the transverse waveguide 1; the light beam is transversely transmitted in the transverse waveguide 1;

[0036] The first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 transmit and reflect the light beam, and the reflected light beam is used for outgoing.

[0037] The optical machine of the present invention is arranged at the end side of the transverse prism, reducing the load on the bridge of the nose, and making the AR glasses thinner. The thickness at the front end is only the thickness of the waveguide, without increasing other thicknesses.

[0038] The optical waveguide of the present invention is applicable to spectacle frames, and different requirements can be met by replacing the lenses, with higher adaptability.

[0039] The optical waveguide provided by the present invention combines a turning waveguide into a transverse waveguide, which can further reduce the size of the transverse waveguide, and the transverse waveguide can be placed inside the spectacle frame for use with higher optical efficiency.

[0040] In a specific embodiment, the transverse waveguide 1 is a hexahedron; in a specific embodiment, the transverse waveguide 1 of the present invention is a cuboid structure. In an embodiment of the present invention, the right side of the transverse waveguide 1 is connected to the coupling prism 11, and this surface is not coated and is connected to the coupling prism 11, including but not limited to gluing and glass bonding. It can be understood that the left side of the transverse waveguide 1 is also feasible. The coupling prism 11 guides the light beam into the transverse waveguide 1 from the end side of the transverse waveguide 1 for transverse propagation.

[0041] As Figure 2 shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 are a prism array combination; the prism array combination has the same number of prisms, and the inclined surface angles of each prism are the same.

[0042] As Figure 3 shown, the inclined surface angle of the coupling prism 11 is as follows:

[0043] Define the xyz coordinate axes, the z-axis is the thickness direction of the coupling prism 11, which belongs to the longitudinal direction, and xy are the coordinates in the direction of the plane perpendicular to the z-axis;

[0044] The included angle between the inclined surface S11R of the coupling prism 11 and the y-axis is θ1y; the range of θ1y: 30° to 70°;

[0045] The included angle between the inclined plane S11R of the coupling prism 11 and the z-axis is θ1z; the range of θ1z is: 30° to 70°.

[0046] In the present invention, the inclined plane angle of the coupling prism 11 is for enabling the light beam to propagate in the same direction on one side, and total internal reflection needs to be achieved when reflecting inside the transverse prism 12.

[0047] It can be understood that the coupling prism 11 of the present invention needs to be designed into a structure matching the transverse prism 12.

[0048] Continue as Figure 2 shown, the included angle between the inclined plane of the prism of the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 and the y-axis is θ2y; in a specific embodiment, the relationship between θ2y and θ1y is:

[0049] θ2y = 1 / 2 * θ1y;

[0050] As Figure 4 shown, the included angle between the inclined plane of the prism of the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 and the y-axis is θ3y; wherein, the relationship between θ3y and θ1y is:

[0051] 90° - θ3y = 1 / 2 * θ1y.

[0052] As Figure 2 and Figure 4 shown, although the included angles between the inclined planes of the prisms in the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 and the y-axis are different, the light emitted from the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 is perpendicular.

[0053] In other embodiments of the present invention, the light beam can be incident vertically and then exit non-vertically. At this time, the relationship between θ2y and θ1y is:

[0054] θ2y = 1 / 2 * θ1y ± 15°;

[0055] or, 90° - θ2y = 1 / 2 * θ1y ± 15°.

[0056] As Figure 5 shown, the light beams of the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 are respectively emitted to the first one-dimensional array waveguide 131 and the second one-dimensional array waveguide 132;

[0057] The light of the first one-dimensional array waveguide 131 and the second one-dimensional array waveguide 132 respectively enters the human's two eyes.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first one-dimensional array waveguide 131 and the second one-dimensional array waveguide 132 have the same structure, and the number of arrays included is 5 to 20.

[0059] As Figure 6 shown, the included angles between the prism inclined surfaces of the first one-dimensional array waveguide 131 and the second one-dimensional array waveguide 132 and the z-axis are θ3z; when the light beams of the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 are vertically emitted outwards, the relationship between θ3z and θ1z is: θ3z = θ1z; when the light beams of the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 are not vertically emitted outwards, the relationship between θ3z and θ1z is: θ3z = θ1z ± 15°.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present invention, the coating conditions of the inclined surface are: S13, and the reflectivity range is R: 2% to 30%.

[0061] As Figure 7 shown, the number of prisms of the first turning array 121 and the second turning array 122 is N, N is a positive integer and the value range is: 2 < N < 20; in order to balance the uniformity of the light reflected by each reflection array, the coatings of each surface will be different. Taking the coupling grating 11 being arranged on the right end side as an example in the present invention, starting from the end side close to the coupling grating 11, the first turning array 121 includes prisms S11 - S1N, and the corresponding transmittances are T 11 to T 1N , where T 11 is 70% to 95%, and the transmittance T 1k of any prism is: T 1k = T 1k-1 -(1% to 10%); where k is a positive integer, and 1 ≤ k ≤ N. In one embodiment, from right to left, the transmittance gradually decreases as k increases.

[0062] Similarly, starting from the end side close to the coupling grating, the second turning array 122 includes prisms S21 - S2N, and the corresponding transmittances are T 21 to T 2N , where T 21 is 0 to 10%, and the transmittance T 2k of any prism is: T 2k-1 = T 2k +(1% to 10%); where k is a positive integer, and 1 ≤ k ≤ N. In one embodiment, from right to left, the transmittance gradually decreases as k increases.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present invention, the decreasing gradient is set to 1% to 10%, and it can decrease uniformly or non-uniformly.

[0064] As shown Figure 8 in the figure, the present invention also provides a case applicable to monocular vision. A lateral external emission optical waveguide includes: an input coupling prism 11 and a lateral waveguide 1;

[0065] An optical engine 2 is connected to the input coupling prism 11 for providing a projection image to the input coupling prism 11;

[0066] The input coupling prism 11 is disposed at an end side of the lateral waveguide 1 for transmitting a light beam into the lateral waveguide 1; a third turning array 123 is disposed inside the lateral waveguide 1; the light beam is laterally transmitted in the lateral waveguide 1;

[0067] The third turning array 123 transmits and reflects the light beam, and the reflected light beam is used for external emission.

[0068] In an embodiment of the present invention, the light beam of the third turning array 123 is emitted to a third one-dimensional array waveguide 133; the light of the third one-dimensional array waveguide 133 enters the two eyes of a person.

[0069] In another embodiment of the present invention, starting from the end side close to the input coupling grating 11, the third turning array 123 includes prisms S31 - S3M, and the corresponding transmittances are T 31 to T 3M , where T 31 is 0 to 10%, and the transmittance T 3x of any prism is:

[0070] T 3x-1 = T 3x +(1% - 20%)

[0071] where x is a positive integer and 1 ≤ x ≤ M; M is a positive integer.

[0072] The present invention also provides an AR glasses including any one of the above optical waveguides.

[0073] The above content is a further detailed description of the present invention in combination with specific / preferred embodiments, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is only limited to these descriptions. For those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, without departing from the concept of the present invention, they can make several substitutions or modifications to these described embodiments, and these substitution or modification methods should all be regarded as belonging to the protection scope of the present invention. In the description of this specification, the description with reference to terms such as "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "preferred embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples. Although the embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the scope of protection of the patent application.

Claims

1. A lateral outward-emitting optical waveguide, characterized in that: Including coupling prism and lateral waveguide; The optical machine is connected to the coupling-in prism and is used to provide a projection image to the coupling-in prism; The coupling-in prism is arranged at the end side of the transverse waveguide, and is used to transmit the light beam into the transverse waveguide; a first turning array and a second turning array are arranged inside the transverse waveguide; and the light beam is transmitted transversely in the transverse waveguide; The first turning array and the second turning array transmit and reflect the light beam, and the reflected light beam is used to emit outward.

2. The optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein: The first turning array and the second turning array are a prism array combination; the prism array combination has the same number of prisms, and the bevel angle of each prism is consistent.

3. The optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein: The bevel angle of the coupling-in prism is as follows: Define an xyz coordinate axis, wherein the z axis is the thickness direction of the coupling prism and belongs to the longitudinal direction, and xy is the coordinate of the direction of the plane perpendicular to the z axis; The angle between the inclined surface of the coupling prism and the y-axis is θ1y; the range of θ1y is: 30° to 70°; The included angle between the inclined surface of the coupling-in prism and the z-axis is θ1z; the range of θ1z is: 30° to 70°.

4. The optical waveguide according to claim 3, characterized in that: The angle between the inclined surface angle of the prisms of the first turning array and the second turning array and the y-axis is θ2y; wherein the relationship between θ2y and θ1y is: θ2y=1 / 2*θ1y; Or, θ2y=1 / 2*θ1y±15°; Or, 90°-θ2y=1 / 2*θ1y±15°.

5. The optical waveguide according to claim 3, wherein: The included angle between the inclined surface angle of the prisms of the first turning array and the second turning array and the y-axis is θ3y; wherein the relationship between θ3y and θ1y is: 90°-θ3y=1 / 2*θ1y.

6. The optical waveguide according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that: The number of the prisms in the first turning array and the second turning array is N, where N is a positive integer and has a value range of: 2 <N<20; Starting from the end side close to the coupling-in grating, the first turning array includes prisms S11-S1N, and the corresponding transmittances are T 11 to T 1N , where T 11 The transmittance of any prism is 70% to 95%. 1k =T 1k =T 1k-1 -(1%~10%); Starting from the end side close to the coupling-in grating, the second turning array includes prisms S21-S2N, and the corresponding transmittances are T 21 to T 2N , where T 21 The transmittance T of any prism is 0-10%. 2k =T 2k-1 =T 2k +(1%~10%); Wherein, k is a positive integer, and 1≤k≤N.

7. The optical waveguide according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first turning array light beams and the second turning array light beams are emitted to the first one-dimensional array waveguide and the second one-dimensional array waveguide respectively; Light from the first one-dimensional array waveguide and light from the second one-dimensional array waveguide enter both eyes of a person respectively.

8. The optical waveguide according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first one-dimensional array waveguide and the second one-dimensional array waveguide have the same structure, including 5 to 20 arrays, and the angle between the inclined surface and the z-axis is θ3z; the relationship between θ3z and θ1z is: θ3z=θ1z, or θ3z=θ1z±15°.

9. A lateral outward-emitting optical waveguide, characterized in that: include: Including coupling prism and lateral waveguide; The optical machine is connected to the coupling-in prism and is used to provide a projection image to the coupling-in prism; The coupling-in prism is arranged at the end side of the transverse waveguide, and is used to transmit the light beam into the transverse waveguide; a third turning array is arranged inside the transverse waveguide; and the light beam is transmitted transversely in the transverse waveguide; The third turning array transmits and reflects the light beam, and the reflected light beam is used to emit outward.

10. The optical waveguide according to claim 9, characterized in that: Starting from the end side close to the coupling-in grating, the third turning array includes prisms S31-S3M, and the corresponding transmittances are T 31 to T 3M , where T 31 The transmittance T of any prism is 0-10%. 3x for: T 3x-1 =T 3x +(1%~20%) Wherein, x is a positive integer, and 1≤x≤M; M is a positive integer.

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