A system for imaging a scene includes a capturing unit to capture two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional information of the scene, the information including light waves from the scene; a first diffractive optical element to receive the light waves from the capturing unit; a waveguide to forward the light waves received by the first diffractive optical element , the first diffractive optical element additionally to couple the light waves into the optical waveguide; and a second diffractive optical element to couple the light waves forwarded by the optical waveguide out of the optical waveguide. The system additionally includes a first image sensor and at least one second image sensor to capture the light waves coupled out of the optical waveguide and to generate first image data and second image data therefrom. The first image sensor and the second image sensor are in a region paired with the second diffractive optical element.

A head mounted display is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a head mounted display includes a lens unit configured to be disposed in front of an eye of a wearer; an holographic optical element disposed on an eye side surface or a surface opposite the eye side surface of the lens unit; and an image display unit configured to be disposed on a lateral side of the eye of the wearer and configured to output image display light. The image display unit includes at least one of a liquid crystal display panel or an organic light emitting display panel to output the image display light toward the holographic optical element, and the holographic optical element diffracts the image display light and reflects the diffracted image display light toward the eye of the wearer.

An eyepiece waveguide for an augmented reality display system. The eyepiece waveguide can include an input coupling grating (ICG) region. The ICG region can couple an input beam into the substrate of the eyepiece waveguide as a guided beam. A first combined pupil expander-extractor (CPE) grating region can be formed on or in a surface of the substrate. The first CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a first plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a first plurality of output beams. The eyepiece waveguide can also include a second CPE grating region formed on or in the opposite surface of the substrate. The second CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a second plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a second plurality of output beams.

An optical apparatus into which light emitted from an image forming apparatus enters, in which the light is guided, and from which the light is emitted includes a light guide plate 30, first deflection means 41, second deflection means 42, and third deflection means 43. The first deflection means 41 deflects light incident on the light guide plate 30 in such a manner that the light is totally reflected in the light guide plate 30. The second deflection means 42 deflects the light that has propagated in the light guide plate 30 by total reflection in such a manner as to cause the light to be emitted from the light guide plate 30. The third deflection means 43 deflects the light that has been deflected by the first deflection means 41 and that has propagated in the light guide plate 30 by total reflection toward the second deflection means 42. An incident angle of the light emitted from a center point of an image forming region of the image forming apparatus on the light guide plate is an angle other than zero degrees, and a unit vector of light emitted from the center point of the image forming region of the image forming apparatus and a unit vector of this light at the time of emission from the light guide plate are opposite in direction.

A display system includes an optical device configured according to constructive interference for a plurality of wavelengths at a focal length. The display system includes a fiber. The display system includes a controller configured to scan the fiber using a Lissajous scanning method to generate a display. The display can be disposed within a focal plane of the optical device. The controller is configured to modulate light intensity from the fiber. The controller can be configured to form a display image that passes through the optical device. The display system can include an optical combiner configured to reflect the display image from the optical device and form a virtual image. The optical device can be configured to magnify a display image from the display and form a virtual image.

An augmented reality AR system and method for a retail experience include a waveguide apparatus that includes a planar waveguide and at least one optical diffraction element The AR retail system and method recognizes user location in a retail establishment, retrieves data corresponding to the retail establishment and generates virtual content relating to the retail establishment based on the retrieved data. The AR retail system and method creates a virtual user interface in a user's field of view. Virtual content is displayed on the virtual user interface while the user is engaged in retail activity and may be based on user input. The AR retail system and method may provide entertainment, facilitate the shopping experience, offer virtual coupons, render games based on locations throughout a store or based on a shopping list, provide information about food choices such as calorie counts, and identify metadata associated with items.

A method and intraoral scanner are provided for detecting topography of the surface by at least partly superimposing a first and a second sub-topography. Each sub-topography is detected by projecting a total measurement pattern onto a respective sub-region of the surface by a projection device. The total measurement pattern has at least two different measurement patterns, each of which has parallel measurement lines, and each of the measurement patterns is assigned to a diffractive optical element, by means of which measurement lines can be generated by light diffraction. The method then provides a first and a second image of each sub-region, a first measurement pattern being projected onto the sub-region of the surface in the first image and a second measurement pattern being projected onto the sub-region of the surface in the second image, and detects the sub-topographies by triangulation in each case.

Fiducial patterns that produce 2D Barker code-like diffraction patterns at a camera sensor are etched or otherwise provided on a cover glass in front of a camera. 2D Barker code kernels, when cross-correlated with the diffraction patterns captured in images by the camera, provide sharp cross-correlation peaks. Misalignment of the cover glass with respect to the camera can be derived by detecting shifts in the location of the detected peaks with respect to calibrated locations. Devices that include multiple cameras behind a cover glass with one or more fiducials on the cover glass in front of each camera are also described. The diffraction patterns caused by the fiducials at the various cameras may be analyzed to detect movement or distortion of the cover glass in multiple degrees of freedom.

An eyepiece waveguide for an augmented reality display system. The eyepiece waveguide can include an input coupling grating (ICG) region. The ICG region can couple an input beam into the substrate of the eyepiece waveguide as a guided beam. A first combined pupil expander-extractor (CPE) grating region can be formed on or in a surface of the substrate. The first CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a first plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a first plurality of output beams. The eyepiece waveguide can also include a second CPE grating region formed on or in the opposite surface of the substrate. The second CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a second plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a second plurality of output beams.

An apparatus for intraoral scanning includes an elongate handheld wand that has a probe. One or more light projectors and two or more cameras are disposed within the probe. The light projectors each has a pattern generating optical element, which may use diffraction or refraction to form a light pattern. Each camera may be configured to focus between 1 mm and 30 mm from a lens that is farthest from the camera sensor. Other applications are also described.