US 11,852,839 B2
Optical path length extender
Allan Thomas Evans, San Francisco, CA (US); Andrew John Gross, Redwood City, CA (US); and D. Scott Dewald, Dallas, TX (US)
Assigned to Avegant Corp., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Avegant Corp., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed on May 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/303,226.
Application 17/303,226 is a continuation of application No. 16/559,121, filed on Sep. 3, 2019, granted, now 11,016,307.
Application 16/559,121 is a continuation of application No. 15/358,040, filed on Nov. 21, 2016, granted, now 10,401,639, issued on Sep. 3, 2019.
Application 15/358,040 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/236,101, filed on Aug. 12, 2016, granted, now 10,809,546, issued on Oct. 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0278685 A1, Sep. 9, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G02B 27/28 (2006.01); G02F 1/01 (2006.01); G02B 5/30 (2006.01); G02B 30/25 (2020.01); H04N 23/75 (2023.01)
CPC G02B 27/28 (2013.01) [G02B 5/3058 (2013.01); G02B 5/3083 (2013.01); G02B 27/286 (2013.01); G02B 30/25 (2020.01); G02F 1/0136 (2013.01); H04N 23/75 (2023.01); G02B 27/283 (2013.01); G02F 2201/17 (2013.01); H04N 2213/001 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system to create a plurality of light paths comprising:
a polarization modulator to receive polarized light and to modulate a polarization of some or all of the polarized light;
a digital control to select a polarization; and
a shaped optical path length extender (OPLE) having an entry surface and an exit surface, to direct light entering the OPLE with a first polarization through the entry surface and along a first light path through the OPLE to exit through the exit surface, and to direct the light entering the OPLE with a second polarization through the entry surface and along a second light path through the OPLE to exit through the exit surface;
wherein the system acts as a digitally selectable optical element, in which switching the polarization of the light provides different outputs.