IP Library Granted Patent US 11,668,930
Granted Patent B1
US 11,668,930 · App. 17/373,329 · Granted Jun 6, 2023

Optical hyperfocal reflective systems and methods, and augmented reality and/or virtual reality displays incorporating same

Inventors: Brennon Pennell (Ashford, GB); James Leighton (Canvey, GB); Adrian Stannard (St Leonards-On-Sea, GB); Louahab Noui (Hartfield, GB); Iain Wright (Tunbridge Wells, GB); Lawrence Hoar (Maidstone, GB)
Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
G02B27/0075G02B6/005G02B6/0055G02B27/0172G02B27/141G02B2027/0127
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,668,930
App. No.
17/373,329
Granted
Jun 6, 2023
Kind
B1
Abstract

Optical hyperfocal reflective systems and methods are provided. One such optical hyperfocal reflective system has an optical substrate; an optical input coupling portion configured to input couple a collimated display image to the optical substrate; and an optical hyperfocal output coupling portion integrated with said optical substrate. The optical output coupling portion includes at least one hyperfocal reflective view port formed from a discrete optical hyperfocal reflector spot integrated with the optical substrate. The discrete optical hyperfocal reflector spot is sized to form a reflected discrete optical spot beam with a diameter at a target area such that a view of a discrete virtual display image portion, as seen by a lens-detector system locatable at the target area, is hyperfocused.

Claims (26)

1. An augmented reality system, comprising:

at least one processor that executes computer executable instructions stored in memory to control components of the augmented reality system; and

a hyperfocal reflective system that comprises a set of hyperfocal reflective viewports that facilitate delivering an image to a set of eyes extending a focal accommodation range beyond that of a source image.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of hyperfocal reflective viewports reduce optical effects of vergence.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hyperfocal reflective system is a see-through optical combiner.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hyperfocal reflective system is a non-see-through optical combiner.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hyperfocal reflective system is an optical waveguide-based system.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hyperfocal reflective system is a free-space optical reflector/combiner-based system.

7. The system of claim 1 , the hyperfocal reflective system further comprising: an optical input coupling portion configured to input couple a collimated display image to an optical substrate; and an optical hyperfocal output coupling portion integrated with the optical substrate; wherein at least one of the hyperfocal reflective viewports comprises at least one discrete optical hyperfocal reflector spot integrated with the optical substrate; wherein the discrete optical hyperfocal reflector spot is at least partially reflective and configured to reflectively project on to a target area located at predetermined working distance from the at least one hyperfocal reflective viewport a discrete portion of rays of the input coupled collimated display image as a discrete optical spot beam of rays that form a discrete virtual display image portion, wherein the discrete optical hyperfocal reflector spot is sized to form the discrete optical spot beam with a diameter at the target area such that a view of the discrete virtual display image portion, as seen by a lens-detector system locatable at the target area, is hyperfocused.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the set of hyperfocal reflective viewports comprises a discrete optical hyperfocal reflective spot integrated with an optical substrate.

9. The system of claim 8 , where the discrete optical hyperfocal reflective spot is configured to reflectively project on to a lens-detector system.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the lens-detector system is located, for viewing a discrete virtual display image portion, at a predetermined working distance from the at least one hyperfocal reflective viewport.

11. The system of claim 8 , where the discrete optical hyperfocal reflective spot is configured to reflectively project on to a target area of where a lens-detector system is to be placed.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the target area is located, for viewing a discrete virtual display portion, at a predetermined working distance from the at least one hyperfocal reflective viewport.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein an aperture of the discrete optical hyperfocal reflective spot is sized to form a virtual image hyperfocal spot with an aperture diameter (D) at the target area for the lens-detector system so that a discrete optical spot beam forms a view, as seen by the lens-detector system, of the discrete virtual display portion that is hyperfocused.

14. An augmented display system, comprising:

at least one processor that executes computer executable instructions stored in memory to control components of the augmented display system; and

a display image generation system that comprises a pair of optical hyperfocal reflective systems in a binocular configuration for a pair of eyes wherein each of the optical hyperfocal reflective systems comprises a set of hyperfocal reflective viewports that facilitate delivering an image to an eye extending a focal accommodation range beyond that of a source image.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the display image generation system collimates a display image to infinity.

16. The augmented display system of claim 14 , wherein the hyperfocal reflective viewports are integrated with an optical substrate comprising optical hyperfocal reflector spots distributed spaced apart from one another in a pattern extending along an optical hyperfocal coupling portion to form a plurality of virtual display image portion hyperfocused views which collectively correspond to at least a portion of a display image.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the set of hyperfocal reflective viewports reduce optical effects of vergence.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

using at least one processor to execute computer executable instructions stored in memory to control components of an augmented display system; and

using a pair of optical hyperfocal reflective systems in a binocular configuration for a pair of eyes wherein each of the optical hyperfocal reflective systems comprises a set of hyperfocal reflective viewports to facilitate delivering an image to an eye extending a focal accommodation range beyond that of a source image.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising using the set of hyperfocal reflective viewports to reduce optical effects of vergence.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising collimating a display image to infinity.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 3, 2022
From: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 060936/0494 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 16, 2021
From: RPX CORPORATION
To: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 056894/0525 →
Continuity (1)
Continuation 16214142 · Dec 10, 2018
Cited By (4)
US 12,282,182 US 12,326,971 US 12,393,036 US 12,487,378