Integral Optical Housing Waveguide Light Loss Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable display devices face challenges in ergonomic design and light loss, leading to discomfort and inaccurate visual images, particularly in providing augmented reality views without significant light loss and ensuring easy manipulation.
Innovation Solution
A wearable display device with an integrated optical housing made from materials like PMMA, PC, or glass, featuring a waveguide, inclined surfaces, and contact sensors for guiding light to the user's eyes while minimizing light loss and allowing for adjustable image output and intensity control, enhancing user comfort and visual accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the optical housing is made with multiple components, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity increases and light loss occurs at interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the waveguide, inclined surfaces, and contact sensor into a single integral optical housing component. This eliminates the need for multiple separate components and their associated interfaces, thereby reducing device complexity while preventing light loss at component boundaries. The integral structure allows light to propagate through the waveguide and reflect off inclined surfaces without encountering interface losses that would occur in multi-component designs.
2Ease of manufacture
If the optical housing is made with multiple components, then ease of manufacture is improved, but light loss occurs at interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the waveguide, inclined surfaces, and contact sensor into a single integral optical housing component. This eliminates the need for multiple separate components and their associated interfaces, thereby reducing device complexity while preventing light loss at component boundaries. The integral structure allows light to propagate through the waveguide and reflect off inclined surfaces without encountering interface losses that would occur in multi-component designs.
3Device complexity
If contact sensor is integrated into the waveguide, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact sensor is integrated directly into the waveguide structure as part of the integral optical housing. This merging reduces device complexity by eliminating separate sensor housings and alignment mechanisms. The single-component manufacturing process ensures precise positioning of the sensor relative to the waveguide core, as the entire structure is formed in one operation rather than requiring post-assembly alignment of multiple parts.
4Weight of moving object
If the optical housing is worn on the body, then portability is improved, but ergonomic comfort deteriorates due to weight and fit
Solution Approach 1:
The optical housing is designed as a thin, lightweight structure that can be comfortably worn on the user's body. The integrated design eliminates the need for heavy mechanical assemblies and multiple fastening components. The housing can be configured to fit ergonomically on the head or body, distributing weight evenly and providing a comfortable wearing experience while maintaining the optical functions.
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 solution provides a simplified manufacturing process, reduces light loss, and ensures accurate visual images by integrating a contact sensor and light intensity control, enhancing the ergonomic design and user experience for augmented reality applications.
Implementation Method 1
The output light travels through the waveguide through total reflection.
Implementation Method 2
an inclined surface for providing the light transmitted through the waveguide to the user's eyes
Implementation Method 3
The diffused reflection is generated by frustrated total internal reflectance (FTIR).
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable display device is disclosed. In one aspect, the wearable display device includes an image source configured to output an image and an optical housing at least a portion of which is configured to be placed in front of a user's eye. The optical housing includes a waveguide configured to receive the light from the image source and guide the output image, at least one inclined surface configured to reflect the guided image to the user's eye, and a first sensor formed on the waveguide and configured to sense contact between an object and the waveguide. The waveguide and the inclined surface are integrally formed.