To improve brightness of image information visually recognized by a user while using plastic for a light guide plate. An image display element includes: a substrate made of resin; an incident diffraction grating that diffracts incident light; and an exit diffraction grating that emits the light, the incident diffraction grating being formed on a first surface of the substrate, the exit diffraction grating being formed on a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface of the substrate, and the exit diffraction grating being formed on one surface.

An optical device includes a first waveguide, having parallel first and second faces and parallel third and fourth faces forming a rectangular cross-section, that guides light by four-fold internal reflection and is associated with a coupling-out configuration that couples light out of the first waveguide into a second waveguide. The first or second face is subdivided into first and second regions having different optical characteristics. The optical device also includes a coupling-in configuration having a surface that transmits light into the first waveguide. The surface is deployed in association with a portion of the third or fourth face adjoining the second region such that an edge associated with the surface trims an input collimated image in a first dimension, and a boundary between the first and second regions trims the input collimated image in a second dimension to produce a trimmed collimated image that advances by four-fold internal reflection.

An optical waveguide comprises at least two TIR surface and contains a grating. Input TIR light with a first angular range along a first propagation direction undergoes at least two diffractions at the grating. Each diffraction directs light into a unique TIR angular range along a second propagation direction.

In one embodiment, a computing system may determine a target grayscale value associated with a target image to be represented by a plurality of subframes. The system may determine grayscale ranges based on the target grayscale value. Each grayscale range may correspond to a combination of zero or more subframes of the plurality of subframes. The system may select dot subsets from a dithering mask based on the grayscale ranges. Each of the dot subsets may correspond to a grayscale range. The system may generate the subframes based on (1) the selected dot subsets and (2) respective combinations of zero or more subframes. The subframes may have a smaller number of bits per color than the target frame. The system may display the subframes sequentially in time domain on a display to represent the target image.

An optical device includes a light source configured to provide a light beam. The optical device includes a light source configured to generate a light beam, and a spatial light modulator (“SLM”) configured to modulate the light beam to provide a hologram for generating a display image. The optical device includes a polarization-selective steering assembly configured to provide a plurality of steering states for the modulated light beam. The optical device includes an image combiner configured to focus the modulated light beam steered by the polarization-selective steering assembly to generate an array of spots at an eye-box of the optical device.

Provided is a device configured to enlarge an exit pupil area of a visual optical apparatus, the device including a diffraction grating configured to output a plurality of diffracted light beams of a plurality of diffraction orders by diffracting an incident light beam, and a waveguide provided on the diffraction grating and configured to form an exit pupil based on a first diffracted light beam among the plurality of diffracted light beams output from the diffraction grating and to form exit pupil orders based on a second diffracted light beam among the plurality of diffracted light beams output from the diffraction grating.

Systems and methods for providing holographic waveguide display using integrated gratings in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes a waveguide display including a source of light, and a first waveguide including a grating structure including first and second gratings, and an input coupler configured to couple a first field-of-view portion of light, and couple a second field-of-view portion of light, wherein the first grating is configured to provide beam expansion in a first direction for the first field-of-view portion of light, and provide beam expansion in the first direction and beam extraction towards a viewer for the second field-of-view portion of light, the second grating is configured to provide beam expansion in a second direction for the second field-of-view portion of light, and provide beam expansion in the second direction and beam extraction towards a viewer for the first field-of-view portion of light.

A waveguide head-up display (HUD) includes a waveguide that includes a lower surface and an upper surface and is configured to receive an input and project, based on the input, at least one image from the upper surface and into an eyebox, and a prism arranged at least one of on and above the waveguide. The prism includes a lower surface facing the waveguide and configured to receive the at least one image and an upper surface opposite the lower surface configured to project the at least one image received via the lower surface of the prism. The upper surface of the prism is angled relative to the upper surface of the waveguide such that a first normal of the upper surface of the prism is different from a second normal of the upper surface of the waveguide.

A multilayered optical prism assembly with a sub-array of micro-mirror strips between each layer such that light passing through the assembly has an increased path length to facilitate focusing and a curved reflector increases the field of view with the light being presented through an array of pinhole micro-mirrors consisting of a combination of the sub-arrays.

An optical device, having at least first and second light-transmitting substrates, each having at least two external surfaces and an input aperture and an output aperture. The external surface of the first light-transmitting substrate is optically cemented to an external surface of the second light-transmitting substrate by an optical adhesive defining an interface plane. The refractive index of the optical adhesive is substantially lower than the refractive index of the first substrate. Part of the light waves entering the device through the input aperture and exiting the device through the output aperture impinge on the interface plane of the first substrate having incidence angles smaller than the critical angle. Another part of the light waves impinging on the interface plane have incidence angles higher than the critical angle. The interface plane is substantially transparent for the light waves impinging on interface plane having incidence angles smaller than the critical angle.