Spatially Addressable Optical Modulator With Anisotropic Trenches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Adjustable optical components in electronic devices, particularly head-mounted devices, often suffer from bulkiness, heaviness, and diffraction effects that create visible artifacts, making them undesirable for user experience.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a spatially addressable adjustable optical component with electrically adjustable material between first and second electrodes, utilizing transparent conductive layers with electrical anisotropy and patterned trenches to control voltage distribution, reducing diffraction artifacts and enhancing user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable optical components are incorporated into head-mounted devices, then light transmission control capability is improved, but device weight and bulkiness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin-film transparent conductive layers deposited on transparent substrates to create the adjustable optical component. This thin-film approach enables light transmission control while maintaining minimal thickness and weight, directly resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical conductivity parameter of the transparent conductive material by introducing trenches with specific patterns and orientations. This allows control over voltage distribution and electric field orientation, enabling light transmission adjustment without increasing physical dimensions or weight.
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable optical components are incorporated into head-mounted devices, then light transmission control capability is improved, but diffraction effects and visible artifacts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces trenches with specific patterns, orientations, and spacing into the transparent conductive material to create local electrical anisotropy. This local modification of electrical properties allows precise control over electric field distribution, reducing diffraction effects and visible artifacts while maintaining light transmission control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by combining transparent conductive material with patterned trenches within a transparent substrate. This composite approach enables simultaneous achievement of electrical anisotropy for artifact reduction and optical transparency for light transmission control.
3Measurement precision
If transparent conductive material with electrical anisotropy is used, then spatial voltage control precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transparent conductive material by introducing trenches that divide the continuous material into regions with different electrical properties. This segmentation creates electrical anisotropy and enables spatial voltage control, while the regular patterns of trenches can be manufactured using standard photolithography and etching processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical voltage control mechanisms with electrical field control through patterned transparent conductive layers. This substitution uses electrical properties (conductivity, resistance, anisotropy) to achieve spatial voltage control, simplifying the overall system while improving precision.
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 lightweight and efficient adjustable optical component that minimizes diffraction effects, allowing dynamic adjustment of light transmission and phase to enhance visibility of computer-generated content over real-world objects.
Implementation Method 1
The trenches may be configured to provide the transparent conductive material with electrical anisotropy, so that the sheet resistance of the transparent conductive material is different in different directions
Implementation Method 2
an electrically adjustable material between the first and second electrodes
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device such as a head-mounted device may have a display that displays computer-generated content for a user. The head-mounted device may have an optical system that directs the computer-generated content towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. The optical system may include a spatially addressable adjustable optical component. The adjustable optical component may have first and second electrodes and an electrically adjustable material between the first and second electrodes. The electrically adjustable material may include a transparent, conductive material such as indium tin oxide that includes a pattern of segmented trenches configured to provide the transparent conductive material with electrical anisotropy. Contacts may be coupled to the transparent conductive material. Control circuitry can adjust the electrically adjustable material to form a spatially addressable light modulator or adjustable lens.