US 11,934,002 B2
Optical systems including light-guide optical elements with two-dimensional expansion
Yochay Danziger, Kfar Vradim (IL); Ronen Chriki, Lod (IL); and Jonathan Gelberg, Modiin (IL)
Assigned to Lumus Ltd., Ness Ziona (IL)
Filed by Lumus Ltd., Ness Ziona (IL)
Filed on Jun. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/215,195.
Application 18/215,195 is a continuation of application No. 17/948,274, filed on Sep. 20, 2022, granted, now 11,714,224.
Application 17/948,274 is a continuation of application No. 17/234,885, filed on Apr. 20, 2021, granted, now 11,448,816, issued on Sep. 20, 2022.
Application 17/234,885 is a continuation of application No. 16/638,495, granted, now 10,983,264, issued on Apr. 20, 2021, previously published as PCT/IL2020/055598, filed on Jan. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/796,107, filed on Jan. 24, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0341612 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. F21V 8/00 (2006.01); G02B 27/01 (2006.01); G02B 27/14 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/0055 (2013.01) [G02B 6/0028 (2013.01); G02B 6/0051 (2013.01); G02B 27/0172 (2013.01); G02B 27/145 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0178 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical system for directing an image from an image projector towards a user for viewing, the optical system comprising:
(a) an image projector for projecting image light corresponding to a collimated image;
(b) a lightguide optical element (LOE) formed from transparent material, said LOE comprising:
(i) a first layer having two major surfaces separated by a first thickness, said first layer containing a first set of mutually-parallel partially-reflecting surfaces deployed non-parallel to said major surfaces;
(ii) a second layer having two major surfaces separated by a second thickness, said second layer containing a second set of mutually-parallel partially-reflecting surfaces deployed obliquely to said major surfaces and non-parallel to said first set of mutually-parallel partially-reflecting surfaces, said first layer and said second layer being superimposed with two of said major surfaces in facing relation to form a compound structure of a third thickness that is at least the sum of said first and second thicknesses; and
(iii) an additional lightguide component juxtaposed to said compound structure and having a thickness equal to said third thickness, said additional lightguide component containing a third set of mutually-parallel at-least-partially-reflecting surfaces deployed non-parallel to said second set of partially-reflecting surfaces,
such that said LOE is bounded by two mutually-parallel major external surfaces,
and wherein said image projector is coupled to said LOE so as to introduce the image light into said additional lightguide component, and such that at least part of the image light undergoes at least one reflection at at least one surface of said third set of at-least-partially-reflecting surfaces before entering said compound structure, the image light then being progressively reflected by both said first set of partially-reflecting surfaces and said second set of partially-reflecting surfaces so as to be expanded and coupled-out of said LOE towards the user.