Waveguide Display Gratings for Gaze-Triggered Projector Wake
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices with displays, such as virtual or augmented reality headsets, often suffer from bulkiness, suboptimal optical performance, and excessive power consumption due to the design of their display components.
Innovation Solution
The use of a waveguide with a diffractive grating structure that separates image light and supplemental light within a field of view (FOV), confining image light to a central region and supplemental light to a peripheral region, reducing the need for bulky components and minimizing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional display components are used in virtual or augmented reality headsets, then the display can provide images to the user, but the device becomes bulky and consumes excessive power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single waveguide component: image light propagation, supplemental light propagation, and diffractive grating structures for light separation are all integrated into one optical element. This merging eliminates the need for separate bulky components while maintaining display functionality and reducing power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide serves multiple purposes simultaneously: it guides image light to the user's eye, guides supplemental light for gaze tracking, and uses diffractive gratings to separate different light paths. This multi-functionality reduces the overall device complexity and component count.
2Reliability
If a waveguide with diffractive grating structure is used to separate image light and supplemental light, then optical performance is enhanced and power consumption is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses diffractive grating structures with specific pitch parameters to achieve wavelength-selective light separation. By carefully controlling the grating pitch and other parameters during fabrication, the system achieves superior optical performance for separating image light and supplemental light while managing manufacturing complexity through parameter optimization.
3Ease of operation
If supplemental light is confined to a peripheral region at least 10 degrees outside the central region, then gaze-based user inputs can be enabled, but the field of view utilization becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The field of view is segmented into distinct regions: a central region for image light and a peripheral region at least 10 degrees outside for supplemental light. This spatial segmentation enables gaze-based user inputs by providing a separate area for interaction cues without interfering with the main display content, while the diffractive grating structure manages the optical separation.
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
This configuration enhances optical performance and reduces power consumption by optimizing the display's field of view and enabling gaze-based user inputs, such as a gaze-to-wake indicator, thereby improving user interaction and battery life.
Implementation Method 1
a diffractive grating structure on the waveguide, the diffractive grating structure being configured to diffract the first light out of the waveguide within a first region of a field of view (FOV), and diffract the second light out of the waveguide within a second region of the FOV
Implementation Method 2
a waveguide configured to propagate the first and second light
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device may include a waveguide that directs light to an eye box. The waveguide may include a diffractive grating structure. A projector may generate image light coupled into the waveguide by a first input coupler. A light source may generate supplemental light coupled into the waveguide by a second input coupler. The diffractive grating structure may couple the image light out of the waveguide within a central region of the field of view (FOV) of an eye box and may couple the supplemental light out of the waveguide at a location within a peripheral region of the FOV. The location may be outside of the central region by at least 10 degrees. A gaze tracking sensor may estimate a user's gaze direction at the eye box. A processor may wake or power down the projector responsive to the gaze direction overlapping the location for a predetermined time period.