Patent Publication Number: US-2023161160-A1

Title: Waveguide optical device and near-eye display apparatus including the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0164868, filed on Nov. 25, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The disclosure relates to a waveguide optical device with high uniformity of light, and a near-eye display apparatus including the same. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that enables a person to experience life in a computer-generated virtual world. Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that allows virtual images to be mixed with physical environments or spaces in the real world. VR displays and AR displays may be implemented by near-eye displays, which focus a virtual image on a space by using a combination of optical and stereoscopic images. In such near-eye displays, display resolution and processing are important. 
     An AR apparatus, which is an example of a near-eye display apparatus, enables a user to view augmented reality. An example of the AR apparatus ma include augmented reality (AR) glasses. An image optical system of an AR apparatus includes an image generation device for generating an image and a waveguide for guiding the generated image to an eye. Such an AR apparatus has a wide viewing angle and high image quality. However, it is necessary to reduce the weight and size of the apparatus itself. 
     Recently, waveguide-based optical systems have been studied and developed for AR apparatuses such as AR glasses. In the related art AR devices, light is input into a waveguide by using free-curved surface reflection or multi-mirror reflection, or by using an input-coupling diffractive element such as a diffractive optical element or a holographic optical element. When free-curved surface reflection or multi-mirror reflection is used, the structure may be simple and the optical transmission efficiency may be high, but there is a limitation in the viewing angle and difficulty in reducing the size of the waveguide. In addition, the uniformity of light propagating through the waveguide is low, and accordingly, the image quality may be deteriorated. 
     SUMMARY 
     An example embodiment provides a waveguide optical device with improved uniformity of light. 
     Another example embodiment provides an augmented reality apparatus including a waveguide optical device with improved uniformity of light. 
     Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure. 
     According to an aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a waveguide optical device including: a waveguide including a first surface, and a second surface opposite to the first surface; an input coupler configured to input light into the waveguide; and an output coupler configured to output the light propagating in the waveguide to an outside, wherein the output coupler includes a plurality of grating regions spaced apart from each other. 
     The input coupler is provided on the first surface, and the output coupler is provided on the second surface. 
     The plurality of grating regions may be spaced apart from each other in a first direction, in which, the light propagates in the waveguide. 
     Each of the plurality of grating regions may have a partially cut ring structure, and wherein the plurality of grating regions are spaced apart from each other to constitute a concentric semicircular arrangement structure. 
     Intervals between the plurality of grating regions may be equal to each other. 
     Intervals between the plurality of grating regions may decrease in a first direction, in which, the light propagates in the waveguide. 
     The input coupler may include a plurality of grating regions spaced apart from each other. 
     The plurality of grating regions of the output coupler may have a two-dimensional array structure. 
     Intervals between the plurality of grating regions of the output coupler may be about 1 mm to about 5 mm. 
     Areas of the plurality of grating regions may increase in a first direction, in which, the light propagates in the waveguide. 
     According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a near-eye display apparatus including: an image processor; a display element configured to emit light for forming an image processed by the image processor; a waveguide included a first surface, and a second surface opposite to the first surface; an input coupler configured to input light into the waveguide; and an output coupler configured to output the light propagating in the waveguide to an outside, wherein the output coupler includes a plurality of grating regions spaced apart from each other. 
     The input coupler is provided on the first surface, and the output coupler is provided on the second surface. 
     The plurality of grating regions may be spaced apart from each other in a first direction, in which, the light propagates in the waveguide. 
     Each of the plurality of grating regions may have a partially cut ring structure, and wherein the plurality of grating regions are spaced apart from each other to constitute a concentric semicircular arrangement structure. 
     Intervals between the plurality of grating regions may be equal to each other. 
     Intervals between the plurality of grating regions may decrease in a first direction, in which, the light propagates in the waveguide. 
     The input coupler may include a plurality of grating regions spaced apart from each other. 
     The plurality of grating regions of the output coupler may have a two-dimensional array structure. 
     Intervals between the plurality of grating regions of the output coupler may be about 1 mm to about 5 mm. 
     Areas of the plurality of grating regions may increase in a first direction, in which, the light propagates in the waveguide. 
     Efficiencies of the plurality of grating regions may increase in a first direction, in which, the light propagates in the waveguide. 
     According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a waveguide optical device including: a waveguide including a first surface, and a second surface opposite to the first surface; an input coupler configured to input light into the waveguide, which propagates the light in a first direction; and an output coupler configured to output the light propagating in the waveguide to an outside, wherein the output coupler including: a first region, which is a first grating regions; a second region adjacent to the first region in the first direction, the second region being a first non-grating region; a third region adjacent to the second region in the first direction, the third region being a second grating region; and a fourth region adjacent to the third region in the first direction, the fourth region being a second non-grating region. 
     A first diffraction efficiency of the first grating region may be less than a second diffraction efficiency of the second grating region. 
     A first area of the first grating region is smaller than a second area of the second grating region. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a diagram schematically illustrating a near-eye display apparatus according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    is a diagram schematically illustrating a waveguide optical device according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG.  3    is a diagram schematically illustrating a waveguide optical device according to another embodiment; 
         FIG.  4    is a diagram schematically illustrating a waveguide optical device according to another embodiment; 
         FIG.  5    is a diagram schematically illustrating a waveguide optical device according to another embodiment; 
         FIG.  6    is a diagram schematically illustrating a waveguide optical device in which grating regions of an input coupler are arranged to be spaced apart from each other; 
         FIG.  7    is a diagram schematically illustrating a waveguide optical device in which grating regions of an input coupler are arranged to be spaced apart from each other; 
         FIG.  8    is a diagram schematically illustrating a waveguide optical device having a structure in which an input coupler and an output coupler are arranged on the same surface of a waveguide; 
         FIG.  9 A  shows an image displayed by a display apparatus according to a comparative example and  FIG.  9 B  shows an image displayed by a display apparatus according to an example embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  10    is a block diagram of an electronic device including a waveguide optical device, according to an example embodiment; and 
         FIG.  11    is a diagram illustrating an example in which a user wears a near-eye display apparatus according to an example embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. 
     Hereinafter, a waveguide optical device and a near-eye display apparatus including the same according to various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements, and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. Terms such as “first” or “second” may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. 
     The singular expression also includes the plural meaning as long as it is not inconsistent with the context. In addition, when an element is referred to as “including” a component, the element may additionally include other components rather than excluding other components as long as there is no particular opposing recitation. In the following drawings, the size or thickness of each element in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity of description. Also, when a material layer is referred to as being “on” another substrate or layer, the material layer may be directly on the another substrate or layer, or a third layer may also be present therebetween. In addition, materials constituting each layer in the embodiments below are exemplary, and other materials than the described ones may also be used. 
     Also, the terms described in the specification, such as “ . . . er (or)”, “ . . . unit”, “ . . . module”, etc., denote a unit that performs at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination thereof. 
     Particular implementations described in the embodiments are merely exemplary, and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. For the sake of conciseness, descriptions of related art electronic configurations, control systems, software, and other functional aspects of the systems may be omitted. In addition, the lines or connecting elements between elements shown in the drawings are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the various elements, and many alternative or additional functional relationships, physical connections or logical connections may be present in a practical device. 
     The term “the” and other demonstratives similar thereto should be understood to include a singular form and plural forms. 
     The operations of a method may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. In addition, all example terms (e.g., “such as” or “etc.”) are used for the purpose of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure unless defined by the claims. 
       FIG.  1    is a diagram illustrating a near-eye display apparatus  100  according to an example embodiment, and  FIG.  2    is a diagram illustrating a waveguide optical device of the near-eye display apparatus  100 . 
     The near-eye display apparatus  100  includes a display element  110  that emits light for forming an image, a waveguide  140  that guides the light from the display element  110 , an input coupler  130  that inputs the light into the waveguide  140 , and an output coupler  150  that outputs the light propagating in the waveguide  140  to the outside. 
     The display element  110  may include a liquid-crystal display (LCD), a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a projector, and the like. The display element  110  may process an image signal to generate a two-dimensional (2D) image or a three-dimensional (3D) image. The display element  110  may include a computer-generated holography (CGH) unit to generate a holographic image. According to an example embodiment, the display element  110  may include a memory and/or a processor configured to process an image signal to generate a two-dimensional (2D) image or a three-dimensional (3D) image generate a holographic image. The display element may be paired with a processor to display images. 
     The image of an image output from the display element  110  may be incident on the waveguide  140  and then delivered to an eye E of a user through the waveguide  140 . In the disclosure, the term ‘image’ includes a concept of image light for displaying a corresponding image. 
     The waveguide  140  may include a first surface  141  on which light is incident, and a second surface  142  opposite to the first surface  141 . The input coupler  130  may be provided on at least one of the first surface  141  and the second surface  142 .  FIG.  1    illustrates an example in which the input coupler  130  is provided on the first surface  141 . A lens  120  may be further provided between the display element  110  and the input coupler  130 . The lens  120  may collimate image light emitted from the display element  110  to be incident on the input coupler  130 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , the output coupler  150  may include a plurality of grating regions  151 . The plurality of grating regions  151  may be spaced apart from each other, and non-grating regions  152  may be provided between the grating regions  151 . When the grating regions  151  of the output coupler  130  are discontinuously arranged, brightness uniformity of light propagating through the waveguide  140  may be improved. When the waveguide  140  is applied to a glasses-type near-eye display apparatus, the waveguide  140  may be formed to be significantly thin in a lens portion of the glasses, and accordingly, the wearing convenience of a user may increase. 
     Meanwhile, the intervals between the grating regions  151  may be equal to each other. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the intervals between the grating regions  151  may not be equal each other. According to an example embodiment, the intervals between the grating regions  151  may decrease in any one of the directions. For example, the intervals between the grating regions  151  may decrease in a direction of propagation of light (e.g., the Y direction). According to an example embodiment, the intervals between the grating regions  151  may gradually decrease in the direction of propagation of light (e.g., the Y direction). For example, an interval between two adjacent grating regions  151  closer to the input coupler  130  may be smaller than an interval between two adjacent grating regions  151  farther away from the input coupler  130  than the two adjacent grating regions  151  that are closer to the input coupler  130 . The intervals between the grating regions  151  may be about 1 mm to about 5 mm. Alternatively, the intervals between the grating regions  151  may be about 2 mm to about 4 mm. 
     Light propagating through the waveguide  140  is diffracted several times, e.g., when it reaches the grating regions  151 , before being emitted from the waveguide  140 . The diffraction efficiency of the grating regions  151  may be adjusted according to the position of the waveguide  140  in order to adjust the uniformity of light being emitted from the waveguide  140 . In an example embodiment, the uniformity of light observed in a particular eye box region may be increased by alternately arranging the grating regions  151  and the non-grating regions  152 . 
     An image may be provided to the user by using diffraction of light in the grating regions  151  and total reflection of light in the waveguide  140 . The collimated light may be diffracted by the input coupler  130  at an angle greater than a critical angle, and then propagate through the waveguide  140 . Light may be expanded in the first direction (the X direction) by the input coupler  130 , and may be expanded in a second direction (the Y direction) by the output coupler  150 . 
       FIG.  3    is a diagram illustrating another example of an arrangement structure of the grating regions  151  of the output coupler  150 . The grating region  151  may be arranged in, for example, a structure of partially cut rings. In addition, the grating regions  151  may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a concentric semicircular arrangement structure. Also, the grating regions  151  may be configured to have different diffraction efficiencies. For example, the grating regions  151  may be configured such that the diffraction efficiencies of the grating region  151  gradually increase in a direction in which light is guided by the waveguide  140 . 
     In general, in a waveguide having gratings continuously provided in the entire region thereof, when light is totally reflected in the waveguide and then is diffracted in an output coupler, a region of the gratings in the output coupler that the light does not reach may exist according to an incident angle component of the light. Also, part of expanded light may propagate in another direction without reaching the eye box. For this reason, when gratings of an output coupler are continuously provided in a waveguide, the uniformity of light decreases. 
     In the near-eye display apparatus according to an example embodiment, multiple grating regions  151  of the output coupler  150  may be sparsely arranged to increase the uniformity of light. Specifically, the number of times of reflection may be reduced to increase light uniformity. 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , the output coupler  150  may include a first grating region  1511 , a second grating region  1512 , a third grating region  1513 , a fourth grating region  1514 , and a fifth grating region  1515 . The non-grating regions  152  may be provided between the grating regions. The areas of the grating regions may gradually increase in a direction of propagation of light (e.g., the Y direction). For example, the output coupler  150  may be configured to have a relationship of (the area of the first grating region  1511 )&lt;(the area of the second grating region  1512 )&lt;(the area of the third grating region  1513 )&lt;(the area of the fourth grating region  1514 )&lt;(the area of the fifth grating region  1515 ). The spacing of the gratings may also vary in a direction of light propagation. 
     Alternatively, when the diffraction efficiency of positive first-order diffracted light (or negative first-order diffracted light) of the first grating region  1511  is E1, the diffraction efficiency of the second grating region  1512  is E2, the diffraction efficiency of the third grating region  1513  is E3, the diffraction efficiency of the fourth grating region  1514  is E4, and the diffraction efficiency of the fifth grating region  1515  is E5, a relationship of E1&lt;E2&lt;E3&lt;E4&lt;E5 may be satisfied. 
     When the output coupler  150  includes six grating regions, the diffraction efficiencies (e.g., E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, and E6) of the six grating regions may be configured as Table 1 below. This is only an example, and the diffraction efficiency of a grating region may be variously configured according to the shape and size of the grating region. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Positive first- 
                 Negative first- 
                 Zero-order 
               
               
                   
                 order diffraction  
                 order diffraction 
                 diffraction 
               
               
                   
                 efficiency (%) 
                 efficiency (%) 
                 efficiency (%) 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 E1 
                 14 
                 14 
                 72 
               
               
                 E2 
                 15 
                 15 
                 70 
               
               
                 E3 
                 25 
                 25 
                 50 
               
               
                 E4 
                 35 
                 35 
                 30 
               
               
                 E5 
                 45 
                 45 
                 10 
               
               
                 E6 
                 50 
                 50 
                 0 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The direction and period of a grating may be designed to expand incident light in the appropriate direction and angle. The diffraction efficiency of each grating region may be determined by performing an optimization calculation for adjusting brightness uniformity. Referring to Table 1, in the case of the grating regions having the structure illustrated in  FIG.  3    are provided, positive first-order diffracted light and negative first-order diffracted light of the grating may be used. As a result of calculating the diffraction efficiency of each grating region, the diffraction efficiency of the first grating region for the positive first-order diffracted light and the negative first-order diffracted light is 14%, and the remaining 72% of the light is totally reflected and is then transferred to the second grating region. The diffraction efficiencies of the second grating region, the third grating region, the fourth grating region, the fifth grating region, and the sixth grating region for the positive first-order diffracted light and the negative first-order diffracted light may be of 15%, 25%, 35%, 45%, and 50%, respectively. In the sixth grating region, the sum of diffraction efficiencies for the positive first-order diffracted light and the negative first-order diffracted light may be 100% in order to diffract all remaining light diffracted by the other previous grating regions. 
     The area of each grating region may be adjusted by adjusting at least one of the X-direction length and the Y-direction length of the grating region. Here, for example, the X-direction lengths of the grating regions are equal to each other, and the areas of the grating regions may be differently adjusted by respectively adjusting their Y-direction lengths. 
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , the grating regions  151  of the output coupler  150  may be arranged to have a two-dimensional array structure. As described above, the uniformity of light in the X-direction and the Y-direction may be increased by arranging the grating regions  151  to be spaced apart from each other in a matrix structure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , the input coupler  130  may include a plurality of grating regions  131 . The grating regions  131  of the input coupler  130  may be spaced apart from each other in the X direction. The Y direction refers to the direction in which light is transferred through the waveguide  140 , and the X direction refers to a direction perpendicular to the Y direction on a plane of the waveguide  140 . As illustrated in  FIG.  6   , the input coupler  130  and the output coupler  150  may be arranged on the same surface.  FIG.  6    illustrates an example in which the input coupler  130  includes two grating regions  131 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , the input coupler  130  includes four grating regions  131 , which are spaced apart from each other in the X direction. In this case, the uniformity of light in the X direction may be increased. The spacing or pitch between gratings may vary. In addition, the grating regions  151  of the output coupler  150  may be spaced apart from each other in the Y direction to increase the uniformity of light in the Y direction. 
       FIG.  8    is a diagram illustrating an example in which the input coupler  130  and the output coupler  150  are provided together on the second surface  142  of the waveguide  140 . 
       FIG.  9 A  shows an image displayed by a near-eye display apparatus in which an output coupler includes one grating region according to a comparative example,  FIG.  9 B  shows an image displayed by a near-eye display apparatus in which an output coupler includes a plurality of grating regions according to an example embodiment. The uniformity of the image according to the example embodiment shown in  FIG.  9 B  is relatively greater than that of the image according to the comparative example shown in  FIG.  9 A . 
       FIG.  10    is a block diagram of an electronic device  200  including a waveguide optical device  220 , according to an example embodiment. The electronic device  200  may include the waveguide optical device  220  according to an example embodiment. The electronic device  200  may be provided in a network environment  270 . In the network environment  270 , the electronic device  200  may communicate with another electronic device  255  (e.g., a smart phone), or with a server  260 , through the network  250  (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network or a long-range wireless communication network). 
     The electronic device  200  may include a display element  210  for forming an image, the waveguide optical device  220  for propagating light transferred from the display element  210 , and an image processor  230  for processing the image. In addition, the electronic device  200  may include a communication module  240  capable of communicating with the electronic device  255  or the server  260  through the network  250 . The embodiments described with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  9    may be applied to the waveguide optical device  220 . 
     An image transmitted from the electronic device  255  may be received through the communication module  240  and displayed on a near-eye display apparatus through the waveguide optical device  220 . 
       FIG.  11    is a diagram illustrating an example in which a user wears a near-eye display apparatus according to an example embodiment. The near-eye display apparatus may include the display element  110  that provides an image, a waveguide  140  that guides the image provided by the display element  110  to an eye of the user, and the input coupler  130  and the output coupler  150  provided in the waveguide  140 . The waveguide  140 , the input coupler  130 , and the output coupler  150  may be provided in a lens portion  160 . 
     Meanwhile, the image processor  230  may compensate for optical aberrations considering aberrations in respective positions of a virtual image by using a hologram generation algorithm using optimization. 
     The near-eye display apparatus according to an example embodiment may be applied to a virtual reality (VR) apparatus, an augmented reality (AR) apparatus, a mixed reality (MR) apparatus, a head-up display apparatus, etc. Virtual reality is a technology that enables people to experience an environment that they could hardly ever experience, as if they are actually interacting with an actual surrounding situation, and augmented reality is a technology that enhances virtual information in a real space in real time to enable a user to interact with the enhanced virtual information, thereby improving work efficiency. Mixed reality (MR) is a concept including VR and AR, and is to merge a real space with a virtual space to create a new space in which a real object and a virtual object interact with each other in real time. The combination of immersion, which is an advantage of VR, and reality, which is an advantage of AR, may be applied to various fields in various forms including a head-mounted display (HMD) and a smart glass. 
     In the waveguide optical device according to an example embodiment, grating regions of an output coupler are arranged to be spaced apart from each other, and accordingly, the uniformity of light transferred through a waveguide may be improved. 
     The near-eye display apparatus according to an example embodiment may provide an image having uniform image quality by increasing the uniformity of light. 
     It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims and their equivalents.