公开(公告)号：US11740536B2

公开(公告)日：2023-08-29

申请号：US16672472

申请日：2019-11-03

Applicant: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Inventor： Gary D. Sharp ,  Anthony D. McGettigan

IPC: G02F1/31 ,  G02B5/30 ,  G02B17/00 ,  G02B27/28

CPC classification number: G02F1/31 ,  G02B5/30 ,  G02B17/004 ,  G02B27/28 ,  G02B27/286

Abstract: Optical systems that can produce digitally switchable optical power, optical pathlength, or both. It can apply to reconfigurable wide-angle optical systems that are compact, light-weight, and light-efficient. Architectures that increase pathlength can utilize polarization splitters to produce an additional round-trip of one or more optical cavities. Changing the focus distance of synthetic imagery in augmented/virtual reality systems is an example of an application where the techniques taught herein are particularly well suited. Passive double-cavity systems can be used to increase the throughput and decrease the stray-light/ghosts in polarization-based compact wide-angle lenses.

公开(公告)号：US11573360B2

公开(公告)日：2023-02-07

申请号：US16846843

申请日：2020-04-13

Applicant: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Inventor： Gary D. Sharp

IPC: G02B5/30 ,  G02F1/00 ,  G02F1/13363 ,  G02F1/1337

Abstract: In polarization-based optical systems, preserving a state-of-polarization (SOP) over a prescribed range of incidence angles and wavelengths may be necessary. Optical materials with local normal tilted with respect to an incident ray can introduce an undesirable polarization nonuniformity that can be substantially corrected using a compensator as disclosed herein. The compensator may include a uniaxial retarder and a z-partial polarizer (ZPP). The ZPP may include a uniaxial material with an absorption axis normal to the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US11740489B2

公开(公告)日：2023-08-29

申请号：US16601522

申请日：2019-10-14

Applicant: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Inventor： Gary D. Sharp

IPC: G02C7/12 ,  G02B27/28 ,  G02B5/30 ,  G02C7/10

CPC classification number: G02C7/12 ,  G02B5/3083 ,  G02B27/288 ,  G02C7/104 ,  G02C2202/16

Abstract: An eyewear lens is described that provides polarization filtering and spectral filtering using polarization interference. The lens produces enhanced saturation and colorfulness, increasing enjoyment when observing commonly encountered imagery. The lens can be configured to optimize accuracy/efficiency when performing a task involving colored imagery, and can improve performance in sports. The lens can further be helpful for color discrimination by those with certain types of color vision deficiency.

公开(公告)号：US11703623B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-18

申请号：US17693342

申请日：2022-03-12

Applicant: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Inventor： Gary D. Sharp

IPC: G02B5/30 ,  G02F1/13363

CPC classification number: G02B5/3083 ,  G02F1/13363 ,  G02F2413/03 ,  G02F2413/08 ,  G02F2413/14

Abstract: A compound retarder that creates independent control of Re and Rth. This can be done by forming a three-layer compound retarder, including a pair of matched −A-plates, combined with single +A-plate. The +A-plate is typically an MD-stretched film, with retardation that is specific to the in-plane requirements (Re) of the application. The pair of −A-plates have their optic axes crossed, such that Re=0, with an optic axis aligned parallel to the +A-plate. A single retardation value for the −A-plate can produce improved field-of-view performance over a broad range of Re values, making it a very practical means of universal compensation. While Rth is typically associated with a single retarder, retarder stacks with a diverse range of optic-axis orientations can be considered to have a compound (or composite) Rth value (Rthc). The three-layer compound retarder has the practical benefit of enabling field-of-view compensation across a broad range of normal-incidence polarization transformations.

公开(公告)号：US12248204B1

公开(公告)日：2025-03-11

申请号：US18141972

申请日：2023-05-01

Applicant: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC

Inventor： Gary D. Sharp ,  David Coleman

IPC: G02F1/13363 ,  G02F1/01 ,  G02F1/1335 ,  G02F1/139 ,  G06F1/16 ,  G02B27/01

Abstract: A reflective polarization rotator based on a twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal (LC) configuration may be optimized for achromatic performance in both bright and dark states by compensating wavelength dependence of polarization transformation by the TN LC layer. At linear achromatic input polarization, the compensation aims to provide a circular achromatic polarization at the reflector, which guarantees the achromaticity of the 90 degrees polarization rotation on double pass. The compensation takes care to preserve linear polarization at the reflector when the LC device is driven to a vertical LC director configuration. Such an approach ensures that the performance of the polarization rotator is achromatic in both driven and undriven states of the LC device.

公开(公告)号：US11740481B2

公开(公告)日：2023-08-29

申请号：US16591044

申请日：2019-10-02

Applicant: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Inventor： Anthony D. McGettigan ,  Gary D. Sharp

IPC: G02B27/28 ,  G02B27/01 ,  G02B27/30 ,  G02B5/30

CPC classification number: G02B27/286 ,  G02B5/30 ,  G02B27/0172 ,  G02B27/30

Abstract: An imaging system that contains a display, a polarization folded path lens with an intended image signal path and an exit pupil wherein light entering the PFP lens from the display substantially follows the intended signal path. A variant of this system is disclosed where the light entering the PFP lens substantially follows the signal path and leaves via the Exit pupil (as opposed to being aperture). Compared to the prior art, the techniques described herein improve transmission efficiency and reduce corruption of the image by non-signal path light.

公开(公告)号：US20240111157A1

公开(公告)日：2024-04-04

申请号：US17936493

申请日：2022-09-29

Applicant: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC

Inventor： Brent Bollman ,  Gary D. Sharp ,  Keyuan Huang

IPC: G02B27/01 ,  G02B27/28

CPC classification number: G02B27/0172 ,  G02B27/286 ,  G02B2027/0178

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include coupling an array of reflective polarizers to a back surface of a back optical substrate; coupling an array of quarter-wave plates to a front surface of the back optical substrate such that the array of quarter-wave plates is aligned with the array of reflective polarizers; molding the back optical substrate with at least one initial mold, wherein the at least one initial mold defines an initial array of optical element surfaces that is aligned with the array of quarter-wave plates; and twin-sheet thermoforming, between a front twin-sheet mold and a back twin-sheet mold, the back optical substrate with a front optical substrate, wherein the front twin-sheet mold defines a front array of optical element surfaces and the back mold defines a back array of optical element surfaces. Various other methods, apparatuses, and systems are also disclosed.

公开(公告)号：US11703622B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-18

申请号：US16600471

申请日：2019-10-12

Applicant: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Inventor： Gary D. Sharp ,  Anthony D. McGettigan

IPC: G02F1/1335 ,  G02B5/30 ,  G02B27/28

CPC classification number: G02B5/3083 ,  G02B5/3066 ,  G02F1/133528 ,  G02B27/286 ,  G02F1/133541

Abstract: Polarization-based optical angle-filters disclosed herein can be engineered to transmit a prescribed amount of light as a function of incidence angle and azimuth. Such filters can transmit light without introducing artifacts, making them suitable for the image-path of an optical system. One example may include an angle-filter having an input circular polarizer, an analyzing circular polarizer, and a retarder positioned between the circular polarizers, the retarder having a thickness-direction retardation. The thickness-direction retardation of the retarder (Rth) is selected to produce a prescribed angle-of-incidence dependent transmission function, and the circular polarizers reduce the amount of azimuth-dependence in the transmission function.

公开(公告)号：US11543669B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-03

申请号：US15916115

申请日：2018-03-08

Applicant: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Inventor： Gary D. Sharp ,  Anthony D. McGettigan

IPC: G02B27/28 ,  G02B5/20 ,  G02B5/30 ,  H04N5/225

Abstract: A three (or more) polarizer arrangement is used to demonstrate a wide-angle variable-neutral-density (VND) filter that has both contrast uniformity and color uniformity. According to one embodiment, the outer polarizers effectively counter-rotate with respect to a fixed center polarizer as a means of compensating for transmission non-uniformity associated with geometrical polarization distortions experienced by off-normal rays. In particular, the achromatic compensation arrangement enables angle uniformity relative to normal-incidence transmission when the number of stops of attenuation grows large (e.g. 10-stops, or OD3). The filters are useful for cameras or instrumentation allowing mechanical or electromechanical tuning.