AR Optical Waveguide Assembly with Resin and High-Index Gratings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical waveguides for augmented reality devices, particularly diffraction optical waveguides made of glass, suffer from high weight, fragility, poor mechanical reliability, and low optical efficiency due to limited refractive index, which affects user comfort and safety.
Innovation Solution
An optical waveguide assembly comprising a light guide layer made of resin material with a grating layer having a higher refractive index than the light guide layer, formed through injection molding or casting for the light guide layer and nanoimprinting for the grating layer, including a barrier layer to prevent material corrosion and improve optical efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If glass is used as the material for optical waveguide, then high optical efficiency is achieved, but weight increases and mechanical reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from glass to resin, fundamentally altering the density and mechanical properties. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by providing a material that is both lighter and more mechanically reliable while maintaining optical functionality through the integrated grating structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by integrating the grating layer directly into the resin light guide layer, forming a unified composite material system. This composite approach allows the resin base material to provide light weight and mechanical reliability, while the embedded grating structure provides optical functionality.
2Reliability
If glass is used as the material for optical waveguide, then high optical efficiency is achieved, but fragility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from glass to resin, fundamentally altering the mechanical properties including fracture toughness and impact resistance. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by providing a material that is both more mechanically reliable and significantly less fragile while maintaining optical functionality.
3Weight of moving object
If resin material is used for light guide layer, then weight is reduced and mechanical reliability is improved, but optical efficiency deteriorates due to lower refractive index
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite structure by integrating the grating layer directly into the resin light guide layer. This composite approach allows the resin base material to provide light weight and mechanical reliability, while the embedded grating structure with higher refractive index provides the necessary optical efficiency for light coupling and guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the optical waveguide into two functional layers: a resin light guide layer for mechanical support and light transmission, and a grating layer for optical coupling. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its specific function, with the grating layer compensating for the lower refractive index of the resin base material.
4Ease of manufacture
If diffraction optical waveguide is used, then design flexibility and mass producibility are improved, but weight and fragility issues persist with glass material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from glass to resin, enabling injection molding and casting processes that significantly improve mass producibility while simultaneously reducing weight. The integrated grating structure formed through nanoimprinting or co-molding further enhances manufacturability compared to traditional multi-step glass processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resin-based optical waveguide assembly reduces weight, enhances mechanical reliability, improves optical efficiency, and ensures safer operation by minimizing breakage, while maintaining high optical performance and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide layer, where the light guide layer is made of a resin material and configured to guide an optical signal entering the light guide layer
Implementation Method 2
a grating layer arranged on a side of the light guide layer, where the grating layer includes an in-coupling grating and an out-coupling grating spaced apart from each other, and a refractive index of the grating layer is greater than a refractive index of the light guide layer
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an optical waveguide assembly, an augmented reality device and a method for manufacturing the optical waveguide assembly. The optical waveguide assembly includes an optical waveguide. The optical waveguide includes a light guide layer and a grating layer. The light guide layer is made of a resin material, and configured to guide an optical signal entering the light guide layer. The grating layer is arranged on a side of the light guide layer, and includes an in-coupling grating and an out-coupling grating which are spaced apart from each other. The refractive index of the grating layer is greater than the refractive index of the light guide layer.