Diffractive optical waveguide device and AR device

Abstract

The application relates to the field of augmented reality technology and discloses a diffractive optical waveguide device and an AR device. The diffractive optical waveguide device comprises an optical waveguide substrate, a coupling-in grating area, a turning grating area and a coupling-out grating area arranged on the optical waveguide substrate. The turning grating area and the coupling-out grating area are arranged along a first direction, the coupling-in grating area is arranged on one side of the turning grating area in the first direction, the coupling-in grating area is provided with coupling-in grating lines extending along the first direction, the turning grating area is provided with turning grating lines arranged at uniform intervals, the coupling-out grating area is sequentially provided with a plurality of continuous coupling-out sub-areas along the first direction, each coupling-out sub-area is provided with coupling-out grating lines extending along a second direction, the included angle between the coupling-in grating lines and the coupling-out grating lines is 83-97 degrees, and the area of the coupling-out sub-area close to the turning grating area is larger than that of other coupling-out sub-areas. The application realizes the improvement of brightness and uniformity, reduces the processing difficulty and improves the yield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of augmented reality technology, specifically relating to a diffractive waveguide device and an AR device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of modern portable wearable electronic devices, augmented reality (AR) technology has shown broad application prospects in many fields such as industry, education, outdoor activities, entertainment, and travel, and has received widespread attention and is gradually being applied to real-world scenarios.

[0003] In current diffractive waveguide designs, numerous and structurally complex sub-segment designs are typically employed to improve display brightness and uniformity. However, this design not only significantly increases the precision requirements of the manufacturing process but also leads to problems such as low diffraction efficiency and increased stray light when the process is not up to standard, ultimately making it difficult to achieve the expected display brightness and uniformity. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a diffractive waveguide device and an AR device to solve the problems of existing diffractive waveguide schemes having numerous and structurally complex sub-partitions, resulting in high process requirements, low yield, and unsatisfactory improvement in brightness and uniformity.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of this application provides a diffractive optical waveguide device, including an optical waveguide substrate and a coupling-in grating region, a turning grating region and a coupling-out grating region disposed on the optical waveguide substrate. The transition grating region and the coupling-out grating region are arranged along a first direction. The coupling-in grating region is arranged on one side of the transition grating region located in the first direction. The coupling-in grating region is provided with coupling-in grating lines extending along the first direction. The transition grating region is provided with transition grating lines arranged at uniform intervals. The coupling-out grating region is provided with a plurality of consecutive coupling-out sub-sections arranged sequentially along the first direction. Each coupling-out sub-section is provided with coupling-out grating lines extending along a second direction. The included angle between the coupling-in grating lines and the coupling-out grating lines is 83° to 97°. The area of ​​the coupled sub-partition closest to the transition grating region is larger than the area of ​​the other coupled sub-partitions.

[0006] As a further improvement to the above technical solution: In some embodiments, the plurality of coupled sub-partitions are respectively the first coupled sub-partition, the middle coupled sub-partition, and the last grating sub-partition, from the side of the coupled grating region closest to the turning grating region to the side furthest from the turning grating region; The area ratio of the first coupled sub-partition to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition is 2.7 to 3.2, and / or the area ratio of the last grating sub-partition to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition is 0.75 to 1.1.

[0007] In some implementations, the area ratio of the first coupled sub-partition to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition is 3:1; And / or, the area ratio of the last grating sub-region to the adjacent middle coupling sub-region is 1:1. In some embodiments, along the first direction, the minimum gap between the turning grating region and the coupling grating region is 0 to 0.05 mm.

[0008] In some embodiments, the angle between the extension line of the side line of the folding grating region near the coupling grating region and the first direction is 90° to 95°.

[0009] In some embodiments, the side of the folding grating region closest to the coupling grating region is inclined away from the coupling grating region; Wherein, the angle between the side of the folding grating region near the coupled grating region and the first direction is 25°±5.

[0010] In some embodiments, the transition grating region is provided with multiple transition sub-partitions, and the boundary line of each two adjacent transition sub-partitions is parallel to the transition grating line.

[0011] In some embodiments, the folding grating lines are arranged at an angle, wherein the coupled grating region has a coupled grating vector, the folding grating region has a folding grating vector, and the angle between the coupled grating vector and the folding grating vector is 130° to 140°.

[0012] To achieve the above objectives, a second aspect of this application provides an AR device including the diffractive waveguide device described in the first aspect above.

[0013] As a further improvement to the above technical solution: In some embodiments, the AR device is AR glasses, and the diffractive waveguide device is a monocular or binocular structure. When the diffractive waveguide device is a monocular structure, the diffractive waveguide device is provided in at least one frame of the AR glasses; When the diffractive waveguide device is a binocular structure, the diffractive waveguide device has a symmetrical left eye region and a right eye region, and both the left eye region and the right eye region are provided with the turning grating region and the coupling grating region; wherein, the left eye region and the right eye region are provided with a shared coupling grating region in the middle; or, the left eye region and the right eye region are each provided with the coupling grating region, and the coupling grating region is arranged close to the temple of the AR glasses.

[0014] Compared to existing technologies, this application provides a diffractive waveguide device and an AR device that include at least the following advantages: The diffractive waveguide device provided in this application improves brightness and uniformity by providing multiple continuous coupling sub-sections within the coupling grating region. Furthermore, the area of ​​the coupling sub-sections near the transition grating region is larger than that of other coupling sub-sections, resulting in a decreasing trend in the area of ​​the coupling sub-sections. This is beneficial for improving the distribution of incident light energy in the coupling sub-sections far from the transition grating region, avoiding insufficient light energy in some areas of the eye box, and thus further ensuring brightness and uniformity.

[0015] Furthermore, the angle between the input and output grating lines is 83°~97°, and the angle between the grating lines is close to perpendicular, reducing the processing difficulty and improving process efficiency and stability. Moreover, the transition grating region features uniformly spaced transition grating lines without complex partitioning design, further reducing processing difficulty and improving the overall yield of the diffractive waveguide device, ensuring its improved brightness and uniformity.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of this application and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the embodiments of this application, but do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a diffractive waveguide device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the light propagation path in the diffractive waveguide device shown. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the grating vectors, including the coupling-in grating vector, the turning grating vector, and the coupling-out grating vector, in the diffractive waveguide device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of a binocular diffractive waveguide device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 100. Optical waveguide substrate; 110. Left eye region; 120. Right eye region; 200, Coupled into the grating region; 210, Coupled into the grating line; 300, angular grating area; 310, angular grating line; 400. Decoupled raster area; 410. Decoupled raster line; 420. Decoupled sub-section; 421. First-position decoupled sub-section; 422. Middle-position decoupled sub-section; 423. Last-position raster sub-section; k01, Coupled-in grating vector; k02, Turning grating vector; k03, Coupled-out grating vector. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The specific embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0020] The present application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and exemplary embodiments.

[0021] Example Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 On the one hand, this embodiment provides a diffractive waveguide device that can be used in AR devices to cleverly integrate virtual information with the real world.

[0022] Specifically, AR devices use a variety of technologies such as multimedia, 3D modeling, real-time tracking and registration, intelligent interaction, and sensing to simulate and apply computer-generated virtual information such as text, images, 3D models, music, and videos to the real world, thereby achieving "enhancement" of the real world.

[0023] In this embodiment, for ease of description, the direction indicated by arrow X is used to indicate the first direction, and the direction indicated by arrow Y is used to indicate the second direction. Unless otherwise specified, the direction of arrow X and the direction of arrow Y may not be perpendicular.

[0024] The diffractive waveguide device provided in this embodiment includes an optical waveguide substrate 100 and a coupling grating region 200, a turning grating region 300 and a coupling out grating region 400 disposed on the optical waveguide substrate 100.

[0025] The transition grating region 300 and the output grating region 400 are arranged along a first direction, and the input grating region 200 is arranged on one side of the transition grating region 300 in the first direction. The input grating region 200 contains multiple input grating lines 210 extending along the first direction, arranged at uniform intervals, with adjacent input grating lines 210 parallel to each other. The transition grating region 300 contains evenly spaced transition grating lines 310, and the output grating region 400 contains multiple consecutive output sub-sections 420 arranged sequentially along the first direction. Each output sub-section 420 contains multiple output grating lines 410 extending along a second direction, arranged at uniform intervals, with adjacent output grating lines 410 parallel to each other.

[0026] Furthermore, the area of ​​the coupled sub-partition 420 near the turning grating region 300 is larger than the area of ​​the other coupled sub-partitions 420.

[0027] The angle between the input grating line 210 and the output grating line 410 is 83° to 97°. That is to say, the angle formed by the intersection of the input grating line 210 and the output grating line 410 after they extend along the first direction and the second direction, respectively, is 83° to 97°.

[0028] Please refer to the following: Figure 3 In other words, the coupled-in grating region 200 has a coupled-in grating vector k01, and the coupled-out grating region 400 has a coupled-out grating vector k03. The angle θ between the coupled-in grating vector k01 and the coupled-out grating vector k03 is 83°~97°.

[0029] Thus, the diffractive waveguide device provided in this embodiment improves brightness and uniformity by providing multiple consecutive coupling sub-sections 420 within the coupling grating region 400. Furthermore, the area of ​​the coupling sub-section 420 near the transition grating region 300 is larger than the area of ​​other coupling sub-sections 420, resulting in a decreasing trend in the area of ​​the coupling sub-sections 420. This is beneficial for improving the distribution of incident light energy in the coupling sub-sections 420 far from the transition grating region 300, avoiding insufficient light energy in some areas of the eye box, thereby further ensuring brightness and uniformity.

[0030] Furthermore, the angle between the coupled-in grating line 210 and the coupled-out grating line 410 is 83°~97°, and the angle between the grating lines is close to perpendicular, reducing the processing difficulty and improving process efficiency and stability. Moreover, the transition grating region 300 has uniformly spaced transition grating lines 310, without complex partitioning design, further reducing the processing difficulty and thus improving the overall processing yield of the diffractive waveguide device, ensuring its improved brightness and uniformity.

[0031] In some embodiments, the angle between the input grating line 210 and the output grating line 410 can be designed to be 85°~96°.

[0032] In some embodiments, the angle between the input grating line 210 and the output grating line 410 can be designed to be 87°~94°.

[0033] Optionally, the included angle between the input grating line 210 and the output grating line 410 can be designed to be 87.2°, 87.8°, 88°, 88.5°, 88.9°, 89.1°, 89.6°, 89.8°, 90°, 90.5°, 90.9°, 91°, 91.8°, 92°, 92.7°, 93.4°, or 93.8°, etc. It should be understood that the above are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0034] Furthermore, the boundary line between two adjacent coupled sub-regions 420 is parallel to the coupled grating line 410 to facilitate the fabrication of molecular regions within the coupled grating region 400.

[0035] In this embodiment, 2-4 coupling sub-partitions 420 are set within the coupling grating area 400. Compared with using infinite continuous partitions, this application uses smaller and limited partitions to achieve this, which reduces the processing difficulty.

[0036] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, three coupled sub-partitions 420 are used as an example. The appropriate number of partitions can better balance uniformity and processing.

[0037] For ease of description, in this embodiment, three coupled sub-partitions 420 are defined as the first coupled sub-partition 421, the middle coupled sub-partition 422, and the last coupled sub-partition 423, located from the side of the coupled grating area 400 closest to the turning grating area 300 to the side furthest from the turning grating area 300. It should be noted that the number of middle coupled sub-partitions 422 can also be 0, 1, or 2; in this embodiment, one middle coupled sub-partition 422 is illustrated.

[0038] In this embodiment, the area of ​​the first coupling sub-partition 421 is larger than that of the middle coupling sub-partition 422 and the last grating sub-partition 423. This is to set the area of ​​the sub-partition (the first coupling sub-partition 421) which is closer to the turning grating region 300 to be relatively large and the area of ​​the sub-partition (the middle coupling sub-partition 422 and the last grating sub-partition 423) which is farther away from the turning grating region 300 to be relatively small, so that the energy ratio of the light rays in the coupling grating region 400 diffracts along the longitudinal direction and is distributed in a controlled manner, thereby improving the uniformity.

[0039] In some embodiments, the area ratio of the first coupled sub-partition 421 to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition 422 is 2.7 to 3.2. It should be noted that if the area ratio of the first coupled sub-partition 421 to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition 422 is too small, the control capability of the coupled sub-partition 420 near the turning grating region 300 is weak, which is detrimental to improving uniformity. If the ratio is too large, the control of the coupled light energy of each sub-partition is easily unbalanced, resulting in poor light efficiency and uniformity. Therefore, the area ratio of 2.7 to 3.2 used in this embodiment can effectively solve the above problems.

[0040] Optionally, the area ratio of the first coupled sub-partition 421 to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition 422 is 3:1, which can better solve the above problem.

[0041] In some embodiments, the area ratio of the last grating sub-partition 423 to the adjacent middle coupling sub-partition 422 is 0.75 to 1.1, and this ratio range can better play the role of energy distribution.

[0042] Optionally, the area ratio of the last raster sub-partition 423 to the adjacent middle coupling sub-partition 422 is 1:1.

[0043] Furthermore, along the first direction, the minimum gap between the turning grating region 300 and the coupling grating region 400 is 0–0.05 mm. This allows for a more compact layout of the various grating regions within the diffractive waveguide device, thereby providing the diffractive waveguide device with greater design freedom.

[0044] Furthermore, the angle between the extension line of the side edge of the transition grating region 300 near the coupling grating region 400 and the first direction is 90° to 95° (e.g., Figure 1 The angle C1 shown makes the side line of the folding grating region 300 near the output grating region 400 parallel to or at a certain angle to the side line of the input side of the output grating region 400, so that the light diffracted by the folding grating region 300 can enter the output grating region 400 better, thus improving brightness and uniformity.

[0045] The side of the folding grating region 300 near the coupling grating region 200 is inclined away from the coupling grating region 200; wherein, the angle between the side of the folding grating region 300 near the coupling grating region 200 and the first direction is 25°±5 (e.g., Figure 1 (See angle C2). With this setting, compared to the straight-edge (perpendicular or parallel to the coupled grating line 210) scheme, the inclined setting of the side of the folding grating region 300 near the coupled grating region 200 in this embodiment can improve the uniformity of light entering the folding grating region 300.

[0046] Optionally, the angle between the side of the transition grating region 300 near the coupling grating region 200 and the first direction can be selected as 21°, 21.8°, 22.1°, 22.7°, 23°, 23.8°, 24°, 24.9°, 25.5°, 25.5°, 25.9°, 26.5°, 27.3°, 27.5°, 28.1°, 28.5°, 28.9°, 29°, 29.5°, or 29.8°. It should be understood that the above are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] In some embodiments, the transition grating region 300 is provided with multiple transition sub-partitions, and the boundary lines of each pair of adjacent transition sub-partitions are parallel to the transition grating lines 310. In this way, the transition grating region 300 has no complex partition structure, which facilitates subsequent imprinting and demolding, and the transition grating lines 310 are not easily deformed, which can effectively improve the yield rate.

[0048] In some embodiments, the folding grating lines 310 are arranged at an angle, wherein the coupled grating region 200 has a coupled grating vector k01, the folding grating region 300 has a folding grating vector k02, and the angle between the coupled grating vector k01 and the folding grating vector k02 is 130° to 140°.

[0049] Please see Figures 1 to 4 On the other hand, this embodiment also provides an AR device, which includes the diffractive waveguide device provided above.

[0050] Furthermore, the AR device can be AR glasses, in which case the diffractive waveguide device can be a monocular or binocular structure.

[0051] In some embodiments, when the diffractive waveguide device is a monocular structure, at least one frame of the AR glasses is provided with a diffractive waveguide device, and typically, two frames of the AR glasses are respectively provided with diffractive waveguide devices.

[0052] In other embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, when the diffractive waveguide device is a binocular structure, the diffractive waveguide device has a symmetrical left eye region 110 and a right eye region 120. Both the left eye region 110 and the right eye region 120 are provided with a turning grating region 300 and a coupling grating region 400; wherein, a common coupling grating region 200 is provided in the middle of the left eye region 110 and the right eye region 120.

[0053] In some other embodiments, when the diffractive waveguide device is a binocular structure, the diffractive waveguide device has a symmetrical left eye region 110 and a right eye region 120, and both the left eye region 110 and the right eye region 120 are provided with a turning grating region 300 and a coupling grating region 400; wherein, the left eye region 110 and the right eye region 120 are respectively provided with a coupling grating region 200, and the coupling grating region 200 is arranged close to the temple of the AR glasses.

[0054] It should be noted that, in this application, unless otherwise stated, the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" used to indicate orientation or positional relationships are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0055] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0056] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between components; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0057] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions 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 one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0058] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A diffractive optical waveguide device, characterized in that, It includes an optical waveguide substrate (100) and a coupling grating region (200), a turning grating region (300) and a coupling out grating region (400) disposed on the optical waveguide substrate (100). The transition grating region (300) and the coupling out grating region (400) are arranged along a first direction. The coupling in grating region (200) is arranged on the side of the transition grating region (300) located in the first direction. The coupling in grating region (200) is provided with coupling in grating lines (210) extending along the first direction. The transition grating region (300) is provided with transition grating lines (310) arranged at uniform intervals. The coupling out grating region (400) is provided with a plurality of consecutive coupling out sub-partitions (420) arranged sequentially along the first direction. Each coupling out sub-partition (420) is provided with a coupling out grating line (410) extending along a second direction. The angle between the coupling in grating line (210) and the coupling out grating line (410) is 83°~97°. The area of ​​the coupling sub-partition (420) that is close to the turning grating region (300) is larger than the area of ​​the other coupling sub-partitions (420).

2. The diffractive waveguide device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of the coupled sub-partitions (420) are respectively the first coupled sub-partition (421), the middle coupled sub-partition (422) and the last grating sub-partition (423) from the side of the coupled grating area (400) close to the turning grating area (300) to the side away from the turning grating area (300). The area ratio of the first coupled sub-partition (421) to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition (422) is 2.7 to 3.2, and / or the area ratio of the last grating sub-partition (423) to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition (422) is 0.75 to 1.

1.

3. The diffractive waveguide device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The area ratio of the first coupled sub-partition (421) to the adjacent middle coupled sub-partition (422) is 3:1; And / or, the area ratio of the last grating sub-partition (423) to the adjacent middle coupling sub-partition (422) is 1:

1.

4. The diffractive waveguide device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the first direction, the minimum gap between the turning grating region (300) and the coupling grating region (400) is 0~0.05mm.

5. The diffractive waveguide device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The angle between the extension line of the side line of the transition grating region (300) near the coupling grating region (400) and the first direction is 90°~95°.

6. The diffractive waveguide device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side of the folding grating region (300) near the coupling grating region (200) is inclined away from the coupling grating region (200); The angle between the side of the folding grating region (300) near the coupled grating region (200) and the first direction is 25°±5.

7. The diffractive waveguide device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transition grating area (300) is provided with multiple transition sub-partitions, and the boundary line of each two adjacent transition sub-partitions is parallel to the transition grating line (310).

8. The diffractive waveguide device according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The folding grating line (310) is arranged at an angle, wherein the coupled grating region (200) has a coupled grating vector (k01), the folding grating region (300) has a folding grating vector (k02), and the angle between the coupled grating vector (k01) and the folding grating vector (k02) is 130°~140°.

9. An AR device, characterized in that, Includes the diffractive waveguide device according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The AR device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The AR device is AR glasses, and the diffractive waveguide device is a monocular or binocular structure. When the diffractive waveguide device is a monocular structure, the diffractive waveguide device is provided in at least one frame of the AR glasses; When the diffractive waveguide device is a binocular structure, the diffractive waveguide device has a symmetrical left eye region (110) and a right eye region (120), and both the left eye region (110) and the right eye region (120) are provided with the turning grating region (300) and the coupling grating region (400); wherein, the left eye region (110) and the right eye region (120) are provided with a common coupling grating region (200) in the middle; or, the left eye region (110) and the right eye region (120) are respectively provided with the coupling grating region (200), and the coupling grating region (200) is arranged close to the temple of the AR glasses.

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