公开(公告)号：US11747525B1

公开(公告)日：2023-09-05

申请号：US16191206

申请日：2018-11-14

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman

IPC: G02B3/08 ,  G02B13/08

CPC classification number: G02B13/08

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an optical lens for a head mounted display (HMD) or other application that is cost-effective and has high performance. A lens assembly may include a first, relatively thin lens and a second, relatively thick lens. The first lens may include microfeatures on at least one optical transmission surface thereof. The second lens may include at least one curved surface, such that the second lens is plano-convex, bi-convex, etc. Each of the first lens and the second lens may include mounting areas disposed about a periphery of the respective optical transmission areas of the lenses that include complementary mounting microfeatures thereon that enable the first and second lens to be coupled together and, when so coupled, to be self-aligned with each other within a very low tolerance. The mounting microfeatures may be provided on the lenses using a high precision process (e.g., diamond turning) also used to generate the microfeatures on at least one optical transmission surface of the first, relatively thin, lens of the lens assembly.

公开(公告)号：US20230221587A1

公开(公告)日：2023-07-13

申请号：US18064795

申请日：2022-12-12

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman

IPC: G02C7/12 ,  G02F1/01

CPC classification number: G02C7/12 ,  G02F1/0136

Abstract: An optical system is provided that includes a correction portion including one or more spatially varying polarizers. A first spatially varying polarizer of the one or more spatially varying polarizers has a first control input configured to receive a first control signal indicating whether the first spatially varying polarizer is to be active or inactive. When active, the first spatially varying polarizer is operative to provide a first optical correction on light passing through the correction portion. The optical system includes a controller configured to determine whether to implement the first optical correction on the light passing through the correction portion and in response to determining to implement the first optical correction on the light passing through the correction portion, output the first control signal indicating the first spatially varying polarizer is to be active. Additional spatially varying polarizers may be controlled to provide additional or alternative optical corrections.

公开(公告)号：US20230110716A1

公开(公告)日：2023-04-13

申请号：US17954076

申请日：2022-09-27

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Evan Fletcher ,  Jeffrey Walter Mucha ,  Joshua Mark Hudman ,  Alan Yates ,  Gordon Wayne Stoll ,  Jeffrey George Leinbaugh ,  Charles Lohr

IPC: G02B27/00 ,  G02B27/01

Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking the position of one or more head-mounted display (HMD) system components of an HMD system. The HMD components may carry a plurality of angle sensitive detectors or other types of detectors. The HMD system may be operative to detect corrupted position tracking samples, allowing such samples to be ignored, thereby improving the position tracking process. Control circuitry causes light sources to emit light according a specified pattern, and receives sensor data from the plurality of detectors. Control circuitry may process the sensor data, for example using machine learning or other techniques, to track a position of one or more HMD components.

公开(公告)号：US20230026078A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-26

申请号：US17961938

申请日：2022-10-07

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman ,  Kameron Wade Rausch

IPC: G06F3/01 ,  G02F1/139 ,  G02F1/01 ,  G06F3/03 ,  G06F3/0346

Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking the position of a head-mounted display (HMD) system component. The HMD component may carry a plurality of angle sensitive detectors that are able to detect the angle of light emitted from a light source. The HMD component may include one or more scatter detectors that detect whether light has been scattered or reflected, so such light can be ignored. Control circuitry causes light sources to emit light according a specified pattern, and receives sensor data from the plurality of angle sensitive detectors. The processor may process the sensor data and scatter detector data, for example using machine learning or other techniques, to track a position of the HMD component. An angle sensitive detector may include a spatially-varying polarizer having a position-varying polarizing pattern and one or more polarizer layers that together are operative to detect the angle of impinging light.

公开(公告)号：US11487120B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-01

申请号：US17165570

申请日：2021-02-02

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman

IPC: G02B27/01 ,  G02F1/1335 ,  G02F1/1337 ,  G02F1/13363

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to techniques for improving the performance and efficiency of optical systems, such as optical systems for using head-mounted display system. The optical systems of the present disclosure may include polarized catadioptric optics, or “pancake optics,” which utilize a wire grid polarizer as a reflective polarizer. Wire grid polarizers may not perform uniformly over wavelength or over varying angles of incidence. To improve performance, a spatially varying polarizer is provided in the optical system that operates to provide polarization compensation for the wire grid polarizer so that the wire grid polarizer performs more uniformly over wavelength and/or over incidence angles (e.g., on-axis and off-axis). The spatially varying polarizer may be formed of a liquid crystal material, such as a multi-twist retarder.

公开(公告)号：US11314323B2

公开(公告)日：2022-04-26

申请号：US17156295

申请日：2021-01-22

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman

IPC: G06F3/01 ,  G06T7/246 ,  G09G5/00 ,  G02B27/01 ,  G06F3/0346

Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking the position of a head-mounted display (HMD). The HMD may include a support structure that carries a forward facing camera and a plurality of optical flow sensor integrated circuits (ICs). The forward camera captures image sensor data in a forward camera field of view (FOV) at a first frame rate, and each of the plurality of sensor ICs captures image sensor data in a respective plurality of sensor IC FOVs at a second frame rate. The sensor IC FOVs may collectively cover at least a substantial portion of the forward camera FOV. A processor may receive the image sensor data from the camera and the plurality of sensor ICs. The processor may process the received image sensor data and/or other sensor data (e.g., IMU data) to track a position of the head-mounted display based on the processing of the received sensor data.

公开(公告)号：US20210250476A1

公开(公告)日：2021-08-12

申请号：US17170489

申请日：2021-02-08

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman

IPC: H04N5/225 ,  G02B27/28 ,  G02B5/30

Abstract: Systems and methods of the present disclosure provide a compact camera device that utilizes one or more spatially varying polarizers, such as one or more multi-twist retarders, to provide compact designs with improved performance. The spatially varying polarizers may be used to multiplex light received by a camera, which allows optics to modify (e.g., focus) incident light in a polarization specific manner to provide better resolution, reduced form factor, or other advantages.

公开(公告)号：US20210247612A1

公开(公告)日：2021-08-12

申请号：US17165580

申请日：2021-02-02

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman

IPC: G02B27/01 ,  G02B27/28 ,  G02B5/18 ,  G02B5/30 ,  F21V8/00

Abstract: The present disclosure is related generally to techniques for improving the performance and efficiency of display systems, such as laser scan beam display systems or other types of display systems (e.g., micro-displays) of an HMD system or other device. Display systems of the present disclosure may utilize polarization multiplexing that allow for improved optimization of diffraction optics. In at least some implementations, a display system may selectively polarize light dependent on wavelength (e.g., color) or field of view. An optical combiner may include polarization sensitive diffractive optical elements that are each optimized for a subset of colors or portions of an overall field of view, thereby providing improved correction optics for a display system.

公开(公告)号：US20210247556A1

公开(公告)日：2021-08-12

申请号：US17170500

申请日：2021-02-08

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman ,  Kameron Wade Rausch

IPC: G02B5/30 ,  G02F1/13363 ,  G02B27/01

Abstract: Improved illumination optics for various applications. The illumination optics may include an optical beam spreading structure that provides a large spread angle for an incident collimated beam or provides finer detail or resolution compared to convention diffractive optical elements. The optical beam spreading structure may include first and second spatially varying polarizers that are optically aligned with each other. The first and second spatially varying polarizers may be formed of a liquid crystal material, such as a multi-twist retarder (MTR). The first and second spatially varying polarizers may diffract light of orthogonal polarization states, which allows for different diffraction patterns to be used in a single optical structure. The two patterns may provide a combined field of view that is larger than either of the first and second fields of view or may provide finer detail or resolution than the first or second fields of view can provide alone.

公开(公告)号：US20210132323A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-06

申请号：US16676205

申请日：2019-11-06

Applicant: Valve Corporation

Inventor： Joshua Mark Hudman

IPC: G02B7/02 ,  G06F1/16 ,  G02C7/02

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an optical system in a head-mounted display (HMD) that is operable to modify virtual image light to correct for one or more vision conditions of a user's eyes. The optical system includes a left optical subsystem for the left eye and a right optical system for the right eye. Each optical subsystem includes a first correction portion and a second correction portion each having a lens assembly. A first lens assembly includes a first set of lenses having a first lens selectively adjustable along a first axis transverse to an optical path of the virtual image light. A second lens assembly includes a second set of lenses having a second lens selectively rotatable around a second axis transverse to the first axis. Selective adjustment of the first lens and the second lens helps to correct for the vision conditions in the user's eyes.