US 11,953,682 B2
Aperture multiplier with depolarizer
Yochay Danziger, Kfar Vradim (IL)
Assigned to Lumus Ltd., Ness Ziona (IL)
Filed by LUMUS LTD., Ness Ziona (IL)
Filed on May 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/195,959.
Application 18/195,959 is a continuation of application No. 17/857,081, filed on Jul. 4, 2022, granted, now 11,686,939.
Application 17/857,081 is a continuation of application No. 16/792,338, filed on Feb. 17, 2020, granted, now 11,567,316, issued on Jan. 31, 2023.
Application 16/792,338 is a continuation of application No. 16/172,897, filed on Oct. 29, 2018, granted, now 10,564,417, issued on Feb. 18, 2020.
Application 16/172,897 is a continuation of application No. 15/749,511, granted, now 10,133,070, issued on Nov. 20, 2018, previously published as PCT/IL2017/051028, filed on Sep. 12, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/509,369, filed on May 22, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/418,919, filed on Nov. 8, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/405,936, filed on Oct. 9, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2023/0280589 A1, Sep. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 27/01 (2006.01); F21V 8/00 (2006.01); G02B 5/30 (2006.01); G02B 6/10 (2006.01); G02B 6/26 (2006.01); G02F 1/295 (2006.01); H04N 5/74 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 27/0101 (2013.01) [G02B 5/30 (2013.01); G02B 6/0028 (2013.01); G02B 6/0036 (2013.01); G02B 6/10 (2013.01); G02B 6/26 (2013.01); G02B 27/0172 (2013.01); G02F 1/295 (2013.01); H04N 5/74 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0123 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0125 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical aperture multiplier comprising:
(a) a first waveguide formed as a block of transparent material, said first waveguide having first and second pairs of parallel faces forming a rectangular cross-section, said first waveguide including a first set of mutually-parallel, partially-reflecting internal surfaces at least partially traversing said first waveguide, said partially reflecting surfaces being at an oblique angle to at least said first pair of parallel faces;
(b) a second waveguide formed as a block of transparent material optically coupled with said first waveguide, said second waveguide having a third pair of parallel faces forming a slab-type waveguide, wherein a second set of partially-reflecting surfaces at least partially traverse said second waveguide, said second set of partially-reflecting surfaces being at an oblique angle to said third pair of parallel faces; and
(c) an image projector configured to project an image collimated to infinity, said image projector being optically coupled to said first waveguide so as to introduce the image into the first waveguide so as to propagate within said first waveguide by four-fold internal reflection at said first and second pairs of parallel faces, thereby generating a set of four internally-reflected images,
wherein said optical coupling and said first and second sets of partially reflecting surfaces of said first and second waveguides are configured such that a proportion of intensity of at least one of said set of four internally-reflected images is progressively deflected by reflection at said partially reflecting surfaces so as to be coupled into said second waveguide, and propagates by two-fold reflection within said second waveguide, with a proportion of intensity of the image being reflected at said partially reflecting surfaces so as to be directed outwards from one of said parallel faces as a visible image,
and wherein said image propagating within said first waveguide spans an angular field of view, no ray of any of said four internally-reflected images being parallel to any of said first and second pairs of parallel faces or to said first set of said partially-reflecting surfaces, and wherein no ray of said deflected image or its reflection propagating within said second waveguide is parallel to said third pair of parallel faces or to said second set of partially-reflecting surfaces.