Adjustable Waveguide Combiner Mounting for AR Display Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for aligning waveguide combiners in augmented reality displays are intricate, requiring optical jigs, glue, and skilled operators, making them time-consuming, costly, and irreversible.
Innovation Solution
A waveguide combiner assembly with actively adjustable mounting structures, allowing spatial adjustment of the combiner relative to a chassis without glue, using mechanisms for rotational freedom and automation possibilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If optical jigs and glue are used to align waveguide combiners, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure incorporates adjustable mounting members with translation and rotation capabilities, allowing dynamic positioning of the waveguide combiner during alignment. This eliminates the need for complex optical jigs while maintaining precision through controlled mechanical adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment system is divided into independent adjustable mounting members that can be individually positioned and locked. Each mounting member handles a specific degree of freedom (translation in x/y directions and rotation), simplifying the overall alignment process compared to monolithic optical jigs.
2Stability of the object's composition
If irreversible glue is used to fix waveguide combiners, then alignment stability is improved, but adaptability and ease of repair deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure uses adjustable mounting members that can be positioned, locked, and unlocked. This dynamic system provides stable alignment when locked but allows easy adjustment and repair when unlocked, eliminating the irreversible nature of glue.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable mounting members can be unlocked and removed without damaging the waveguide combiner or chassis, allowing for easy repair and reconfiguration. The mounting structure is designed to be recovered and reused, unlike glue which is consumed and cannot be recovered.
3Manufacturing precision
If skilled operators are required for alignment, then alignment precision is improved, but productivity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable mounting members are designed to be self-aligning through their mechanical structure. Operators can make rough positioning adjustments, and the mounting members automatically guide the waveguide combiner into the correct alignment through their translation and rotation mechanisms, reducing the need for highly skilled operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex manual alignment process is replaced with a mechanical adjustment system that uses threaded adjustments, cam mechanisms, or spring-loaded positioning members. These mechanical systems provide precise alignment through their inherent geometry rather than requiring operator skill.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple adjustment steps are used, then alignment precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure combines multiple adjustment functions (translation in x direction, translation in y direction, and rotation) into a single integrated adjustable mounting member. This allows all alignment adjustments to be made in one operation rather than requiring multiple separate adjustment steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable mounting members are pre-configured with ranges of motion and locking mechanisms that allow for quick adjustment. The mounting structure is designed so that the waveguide combiner can be rapidly positioned and locked into alignment without requiring multiple iterative adjustment cycles.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
A waveguide combiner assembly for an augmented reality or virtual reality display is disclosed, comprising: a waveguide combiner, having front and rear surfaces which are each substantially parallel to a waveguide plane, the direction normal to the waveguide plane being the waveguide axis, and the distance between the front and rear surfaces along the waveguide axis being the thickness of the waveguide combiner; a chassis including a support arm for supporting the waveguide combiner, the support arm defining a cavity between front and rear walls of the support arm which are spaced along a first direction by a distance greater than the thickness of the waveguide combiner, the waveguide axis and the first direction defining an offset angle between them which may be zero or non- zero, an edge portion of the waveguide combiner extending into the cavity; and at least one actively adjustable mounting structure configured to hold a respective point of the edge portion of the waveguide combiner at a selected position relative to the support arm, thereby enabling adjustment of the offset angle.