Apple patents AR display using a mirror to bend light in a waveguide
Apple describes a display system that uses a waveguide to send light to a user's eye. A reflector on the waveguide bounces the light to a different part of the system, allowing the light source to be placed at the edge without blocking the view or making the device too thick.
In the filing’s own words
A display system may include a waveguide, an input coupler, a cross-coupler, and an output coupler for displaying images to a user. A reflector may be disposed on the waveguide. The input coupler may couple light into the waveguide and towards the reflector. The reflector may reflect the light towards the cross-coupler. The cross-coupler may expand and redirect the light. The output coupler may direct the light towards an eye box. The reflector may allow the input coupler to be mounted at a peripheral portion of the waveguide that overlaps a display projector without portions of the field of view of the image light being cut off but the geometry of the waveguide and without causing the display system to be unnecessarily bulky or uncomfortable to wear.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A display comprising: a waveguide, wherein the waveguide comprises: a first substrate having a first lateral surface and a second lateral surface opposite the first lateral surface; and a second substrate mounted to the first lateral surface of the first substrate, wherein the second substrate overlaps some but not all of the first lateral surface of the first substrate; a first optical coupler configured to couple light into the waveguide; a second optical coupler on the waveguide, wherein the second optical coupler is disposed on the first substrate; a third optical coupler on the waveguide; and a reflector on the waveguide, wherein the reflector is disposed on the second substrate and the reflector has a lateral surface tilted at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the first lateral surface, and wherein the reflector is configured to redirect, towards the second optical coupler, the light coupled into the waveguide by the first optical coupler, the second optical coupler is configured to redirect, towards the third optical coupler, the light reflected by the reflector, and the third optical coupler is configured to couple the light out of the waveguide.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Optical system with waveguide redirecting reflector
- Patent number
- US12742919B1
- Application number
- 18349818
- Filed
- Jul 10, 2023
- Granted
- Sep 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 11
Classified under
G02B 6/0018 Physics & computingG02B 5/32 Physics & computingG02B 6/0016 Physics & computingG02B 6/0026 Physics & computingG02B 6/0031 Physics & computingG02B 27/0081 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AR, VR & displays
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.