HK40000925B - Energy propagation and transverse anderson localization with two-dimensional, light field and holographic relays - Google Patents

Description

Energy propagation and transverse Anderson localization using two-dimensional, light-field, and holographic repeaters

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to the implementation of ultra-high resolution holographic energy sources, and more specifically, to a universal energy wave repeater utilizing the principles of transverse Anderson localization.

Background Art

The dream of an interactive virtual world inside a "holodeck," popularized by Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, was first envisioned by author Alexander Moszkowski in the early 20th century and has been an inspiration for science fiction and technological innovation for nearly a century. However, beyond literature, media, and the collective imaginations of children and adults, the experience has lacked a convincing implementation.

Summary of the Invention

A high-resolution two-dimensional energy source system is disclosed that uses repeater elements for light field and holographic energy sources utilizing optical repeaters and lateral Anderson localization.

In one embodiment, an apparatus for an energy source system includes a repeater element formed from one or more structures, the repeater element having a first surface, a second surface, a transverse orientation, and a longitudinal orientation. In this embodiment, the first surface has a different surface area than the second surface, and the repeater element includes an inclined contour portion between the first and second surfaces.

In operation, energy waves propagating between the first surface and the second surface travel generally parallel to the longitudinal orientation since the transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation is much higher than that in the transverse orientation, and the energy waves passing through the repeater element cause spatial magnification or spatial reduction.

In one embodiment, the energy wave passing through the first surface has a first resolution and the energy wave passing through the second surface has a second resolution, and the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, if the energy wave has a uniform profile when presented to the first surface, the energy wave can pass through the second surface so as to radiate in each direction with an energy density in the forward direction that substantially fills a light cone having an opening angle of about +/- 10 degrees relative to a normal to the second surface, regardless of the position on the second surface.

In one embodiment, one or more structures of the repeater element comprise glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or mixtures thereof. In another embodiment, the repeater element of the device comprises a plurality of elements arranged in a stack in a longitudinal orientation, wherein a first element of the plurality of elements comprises a first surface, and a second element of the plurality of elements comprises a second surface.

In one embodiment, each of the first element and the second element causes a spatial amplification of energy. In another embodiment, each of the first element and the second element causes a spatial reduction of energy. In yet another embodiment, the first element causes a spatial amplification of energy and the second element causes a spatial reduction of energy. In yet another embodiment, the first element causes a spatial reduction of energy and the second element causes a spatial amplification of energy.

In some embodiments, the plurality of elements in the stacked configuration comprise a plurality of panels. In other embodiments, the plurality of panels have different lengths. In some other embodiments, the plurality of panels are loosely coherent optical repeaters.

In one embodiment, the sloped profile portion of the repeater element can be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the vertical axis of the repeater element. In some embodiments, the repeater element includes random variability in refractive index, resulting in energy localization in the transverse orientation. In other embodiments, the random variability in refractive index in the transverse orientation and minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation result in much higher transmission efficiency of energy waves along the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization along the transverse orientation.

In some embodiments, the first surface of the repeater element is configured to receive energy from an energy source unit having a mechanical housing having a width different from a width of at least one of the first surface and the second surface. In other embodiments, the mechanical housing includes a projection system having a lens, and a plurality of energy source panels positioned adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in various configurations, including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, perpendicular, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in a radially symmetric configuration. In other embodiments, the projection system includes focused energy delivery via a waveguide and further includes a telecentric lens relay element at a non-aligned angle.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a bending energy source between the repeater element and the projection system.In some embodiments, the first surface is planar and the second surface is planar, or the first surface is planar and the second surface is non-planar, or the first surface is non-planar and the second surface is planar, or the first surface is non-planar and the second surface is non-planar.

In other embodiments, the first surface is concave and the second surface is concave, or the first surface is concave and the second surface is convex, or the first surface is convex and the second surface is concave, or the first surface is convex and the second surface is concave, or the first surface is convex and the second surface is convex.

In one embodiment, at least one of the first surface and the second surface is concave. In another embodiment, at least one of the first surface and the second surface is convex.

In one embodiment, an energy source system includes a plurality of repeater elements arranged in first and second orientations, wherein each of the plurality of repeater elements has a random refractive index variability and extends along a longitudinal orientation between a first surface and a second surface of the respective repeater element. In this embodiment, the first and second surfaces of each of the plurality of repeater elements extend generally along a transverse orientation defined by the first and second orientations, while the longitudinal orientation is generally perpendicular to the transverse orientation. In some embodiments, the random refractive index variability in the transverse orientation and minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation result in significantly higher transmission efficiency of energy waves along the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization along the transverse orientation.

In one embodiment, a plurality of repeater systems can be arranged in a first direction or a second direction to form a single tiled surface along the first direction or the second direction, respectively. In some embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the plurality of repeater elements are arranged in a matrix having at least a 2x2 configuration, or in other matrices including, but not limited to, a 3x3 configuration, a 4x4 configuration, a 3x10 configuration, and other configurations. In other embodiments, the gaps between the single tiled surfaces may be imperceptible at a viewing distance that is twice the smallest dimension of the single tiled surface.

In one embodiment, each of the plurality of repeater elements is configured to transmit energy along a longitudinal orientation, wherein energy waves propagating through the plurality of repeater elements have a higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation than in the transverse orientation due to random variability in the refractive index, resulting in energy localization in the transverse orientation. In some embodiments, energy waves propagating between the repeater elements may travel substantially parallel to the longitudinal orientation due to the substantially higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation than in the transverse orientation. In some embodiments, the random variability in the refractive index in the transverse orientation and minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation result in energy waves having a much higher transmission efficiency along the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization along the transverse orientation.

In one embodiment, the first and second surfaces of each of the plurality of repeater elements of the system are generally bendable along a transverse orientation. In another embodiment, the plurality of repeater elements can be integrally formed in the first and second orientations. In yet another embodiment, the plurality of repeater elements can be assembled in the first and second orientations.

In one embodiment, a plurality of repeater systems can be arranged in a first direction or a second direction to form a single tiled surface along the first direction or the second direction, respectively. In some embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the plurality of repeater elements are arranged in a matrix having at least a 2x2 configuration, or in other matrices including, but not limited to, a 3x3 configuration, a 4x4 configuration, a 3x10 configuration, and other configurations. In other embodiments, the gaps between the single tiled surfaces may be imperceptible at a viewing distance that is twice the smallest dimension of the single tiled surface.

In some embodiments, the plurality of repeater elements comprise glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or a mixture thereof. In other embodiments, the plurality of repeater elements cause spatial amplification or spatial reduction of energy. In some embodiments, the plurality of repeater elements comprise a plurality of panels, wherein the panels may have different lengths, or wherein the panels may be loosely coherent optical repeaters.

In one embodiment, each of the plurality of repeater elements of the system includes an inclined profile portion between the first and second surfaces of the corresponding repeater element, wherein the inclined profile portion can be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a vertical axis of the plurality of repeater elements.

In some embodiments, the first surface of each of the plurality of repeater elements can be configured to receive energy from an energy source unit, the energy source unit comprising a mechanical housing having a width different from a width of at least one of the first surface and the second surface. In another embodiment, the mechanical housing comprises a projection system having a lens, and a plurality of energy source panels positioned adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the energy wave passing through the first surface has a first resolution and the energy wave passing through the second surface has a second resolution, and the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, if the energy wave has a uniform profile when presented to the first surface, the energy wave can pass through the second surface so as to radiate in each direction with an energy density in the forward direction that substantially fills a light cone having an opening angle of about +/- 10 degrees relative to a normal to the second surface, regardless of the position on the second surface.

In some embodiments, the plurality of energy source panels can be arranged in various configurations, including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, perpendicular, or any combination thereof. In other embodiments, the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in a radially symmetrical configuration.

In one embodiment, the projection system includes focused energy delivery via a waveguide and further includes a telecentric lens relay element at a non-aligned angle. In another embodiment, the system further includes a bending energy source between the plurality of relay elements and the projection system.

In one embodiment, an energy source system includes: a plurality of energy source units configured to provide an energy surface, the plurality of energy source units having a first spacing; a plurality of repeater elements arranged adjacent to the energy source, the plurality of repeater elements having a second spacing, the second spacing being smaller than the first spacing, wherein a first energy source unit among the plurality of energy source units is configured to have a first field of view, the first field of view being defined by an angular range of an energy propagation path through the first energy source unit, and wherein a subset of the plurality of repeater elements arranged in the energy propagation path is configured to redistribute the energy propagation path so that the angular range of the energy propagation path through the subset of the plurality of repeater elements has a second field of view that is wider than the first field of view.

In one embodiment, each of the plurality of energy source units is a pixel. In another embodiment, each of the plurality of energy source units is a tapered repeater element. In some embodiments, the energy propagation path is a light path. In other embodiments, the energy source is disposed on a surface of the plurality of energy source units.

In one embodiment, the surface on which the energy source is disposed is a virtual surface, wherein a virtual surface is a surface configured to receive energy relayed from a plurality of energy source units.

In some embodiments, the plurality of repeater elements comprises a panel, a repeater element, and an optical fiber. In other embodiments, each of the plurality of repeater elements can be used to redistribute energy through an energy propagation path, wherein the transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation is higher than in the transverse orientation due to the random variability of the refractive index of each of the plurality of repeater elements, resulting in energy localization in the transverse orientation. In other embodiments, the random variability of the refractive index in the transverse orientation and the minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation result in energy waves having much higher transmission efficiency along the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization along the transverse orientation.

In one embodiment, an energy source system includes a plurality of flexible repeater elements, each flexible repeater element configured to transfer energy between first and second ends of the corresponding repeater element, wherein the first ends of the plurality of flexible repeater elements are optically coupled to a plurality of energy source units, the plurality of energy source units are spaced apart from the second ends of the plurality of flexible repeater elements, and wherein the second ends of the plurality of flexible repeater elements are bound to form an aggregated energy surface.

In some embodiments, the plurality of flexible repeater elements comprises a plurality of loosely coherent optical repeaters. In other embodiments, the aggregated energy surface is an end portion of the system, and the energy at the end portion is spatially unamplified relative to the energy from the energy source unit. In another embodiment, the aggregated energy surface is an end portion of the system, and the energy at the end portion is spatially amplified relative to the energy from the energy source unit. In yet another embodiment, the aggregated energy surface is an end portion of the system, and the energy at the end portion is spatially reduced relative to the energy from the energy source unit.

In one embodiment, an energy source system includes a repeater element having first and second different materials, the first and second materials being arranged in a substantially repeating internal structure in at least one of a transverse orientation and a longitudinal orientation, such that the repeater element has a higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation than in the transverse orientation, wherein energy is available for delivery to a first end of the repeater element, the energy having a first resolution at the first end, wherein the first end of the repeater element is configured to have a pitch of the substantially repeating internal structure in at least one of the transverse orientation and the longitudinal orientation that is substantially equal to or less than the first resolution of the energy at the first end in the transverse orientation, and wherein energy exiting a second end of the repeater element has a second resolution, wherein the second resolution is no less than 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, an energy wave can pass through the second surface if presented with a uniform profile to the first surface, thereby radiating in each direction with an energy density in a forward direction that substantially fills a light cone having an opening angle of approximately +/- 10 degrees relative to a normal to the second surface, regardless of position on the second surface.

In one embodiment, the repeater element comprises a third material different from the first and second materials, wherein the third material is arranged in a substantially repeating internal structure in at least one of the transverse and longitudinal orientations. In another embodiment, the repeater element comprises a third material different from the first and second materials, wherein the third material is arranged in a substantially randomized internal structure in at least one of the transverse and longitudinal orientations. In some embodiments, the random variability of the refractive index in the transverse orientation and the minimal variability of the refractive index in the longitudinal orientation result in significantly higher transmission efficiency of energy waves along the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization along the transverse orientation.

In one embodiment, a central portion of the first end of the repeater element is configured to align an energy entry light cone substantially perpendicular to the first end surface of the repeater element. In another embodiment, a central portion of the second end of the repeater element is configured to align an energy exit light cone substantially perpendicular to the second end surface of the repeater element. In yet another embodiment, a central portion of the first end of the repeater element is configured to align an energy entry light cone non-perpendicular to the first end surface of the repeater element, wherein the first end of the repeater element includes a non-planar end surface.

In one embodiment, the central portion of the second end of the repeater element is configured to align the energy exit cone of light non-perpendicularly to the second end surface of the repeater element, wherein the second end of the repeater element comprises a non-planar end surface.

In one embodiment, the repeater element comprises a first region of the end surface, wherein the second end of the repeater element comprises a second region of the end surface. In another embodiment, each of the first and second ends of the repeater element comprises a plurality of discrete end portions.

In some embodiments, the repeater element comprises glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or a mixture thereof. In some embodiments, the repeater element causes spatial amplification or spatial reduction of energy.

In one embodiment, the repeater element comprises a stacked configuration having a plurality of panels. In some embodiments, the plurality of panels have different lengths, or the plurality of panels are loosely coherent optical repeaters.

In one embodiment, the repeater element comprises an inclined profile portion, wherein the inclined profile portion can be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a vertical axis of the repeater element. In another embodiment, the energy is received from an energy source unit having a mechanical housing having a width that is different from a width of at least one of the first and second ends of the repeater element. In yet another embodiment, the mechanical housing comprises a projection system having a lens, and a plurality of energy source panels positioned adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in various configurations including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, perpendicular, or any combination thereof. In another embodiment, the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in a radially symmetric configuration. In some embodiments, the projection system includes focused energy delivery via a waveguide and further includes a telecentric lens relay element at a non-aligned angle.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises a bending energy source between the repeater element and the projection system. In some embodiments, the first and second ends of the repeater element are both planar, or the first and second ends of the repeater element are both non-planar, or the first end of the repeater element is non-planar and the second end of the repeater element is planar, or the first end of the repeater element is non-planar and the second end of the repeater element is non-planar.

In some embodiments, the first and second ends of the repeater element are both concave, or the first end of the repeater element is concave and the second end of the repeater element is convex, or the first end of the repeater element is convex and the second end of the repeater element is concave, or the first end of the repeater element is convex and the second end of the repeater element is concave, or the first and second ends of the repeater element are both convex.

In one embodiment, at least one of the first and second ends of the repeater element is concave. In another embodiment, at least one of the first and second ends of the repeater element is convex.

These and other advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram illustrating design parameters for an energy guiding system;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an energy system with a mechanical housing having an active device region;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an energy repeater system;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of energy repeater elements bonded together and secured to a base structure;

FIG5A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image relayed through a multi-core optical fiber;

FIG5B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image relayed by an optical repeater having characteristics of the lateral Anderson localization principle;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram illustrating light rays propagating from an energy surface to an observer;

FIG7 illustrates an orthogonal view of the basic principle of internal reflection;

FIG8 illustrates an orthogonal view of light rays entering an optical fiber and the resulting tapered light distribution at the exit of a repeater;

FIG9 illustrates orthogonal views of example images relayed through a conventional multicore fiber, which may exhibit pixelation and fiber noise due to the characteristics of the fiber;

FIG10 illustrates orthogonal views of an example image relayed by an optical repeater that exhibits characteristics of the Anderson localization principle;

FIG11 illustrates an orthogonal view of a mosaic arrangement of tapered energy repeaters according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG12 illustrates an orthogonal view of two composite tapered energy repeaters connected in series, each having a tapered end facing an energy source, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG13 illustrates an orthogonal view of a compound tapered energy repeater according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the second tapered shape is rotated so that the narrowed end mates with the narrowed end of the first tapered shape;

FIG14 illustrates an orthogonal view of a light cone repeater configuration with a 3:1 magnification factor and the last observed light angle of an attached energy source according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

15 illustrates an orthogonal view of the light cone repeater of FIG. 14 , but with a curved surface on the energy source side of the light cone repeater such that the overall viewing angle of the energy source is increased, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

16 illustrates an orthogonal view of the light cone repeater of FIG. 15 , wherein the surface on the energy source side is non-vertical, but planar, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG17 illustrates an orthogonal view of the optical relay and illumination light cone of FIG14 , wherein the surface on the side of the energy source is concave;

FIG18 illustrates an orthogonal view of the light cone repeater and illumination light cone of FIG17 with the same convex surface on the energy source side, but the output energy surface geometry is concave, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG19 illustrates an orthogonal view of a plurality of optical tapering modules coupled together, the plurality of optical tapering modules having curved Energy Source side surfaces and used to form an Energy Source viewable image from a perpendicular Energy Source surface, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG20A illustrates an orthogonal view of a plurality of light cone modules coupled together, the plurality of light cone modules having a vertical energy source side geometry and convex energy source surfaces radiating about a central axis, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG20B illustrates an orthogonal view of a plurality of light cone repeater modules coupled together, the plurality of light cone repeater modules having a vertical energy source side geometry and convex energy source side surfaces radiating about a central axis, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG21 illustrates an orthogonal view of a plurality of light cone repeater modules according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein each energy source is independently configured such that the visible output light is more uniform than observed at the energy source;

FIG22 illustrates orthogonal views of a plurality of light cone repeater modules according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein both the energy source side and the energy source are configured with various geometries to provide control over input and output light;

FIG23 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement of a plurality of light cone repeater modules whose individual output energy surfaces have been ground to form a seamless concave cylindrical energy source surrounding an observer, wherein the source ends of the repeaters are flat and each bonded to the energy source;

FIG24 illustrates an orthogonal view of image generation using a light cone repeater projection based technique according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG25 illustrates an orthogonal view of the arrangement of five offset projection sources of FIG24 that generate the respective images required for outputting visible light rays from a tapered optical relay, wherein the chief ray angles result from a specified configuration, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG26 illustrates an orthogonal view of a variation of FIG24 in which projection sources converge via a radially symmetric configuration to overlap images on an energy source module, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG27 illustrates an orthogonal view of an embodiment in which five light cone repeater modules are aligned, each light cone repeater module having an independently calculated concave energy source side surface and an independently calculated convex energy source configuration, with each of the five projection sources configured in a radially converging manner to provide control over input, output, and viewable viewing angle profiles;

FIG28 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement utilizing the module of FIG27 but wherein each projector illuminates each optical relay according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG29 illustrates an orthogonal view of a system including an additional optical panel that provides a mechanical offset between the energy source and the cone, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG30 illustrates an orthogonal view of a system including an additional optical panel that provides a mechanical offset between the energy source and the cone, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG31 illustrates an embodiment of an array having nine optical repeaters, but with panels of five different staggered lengths to provide adequate clearance for the mechanical housing of each energy source within the system;

FIG32 illustrates an orthogonal view of multiple energy sources coupled together without any magnification through the use of loose and/or bent optical repeaters, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG33 illustrates an orthogonal view of FIG32 in which additional tapered energy repeaters are added to the active display side to reduce the image and provide a smaller size for the entire display, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG34 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein a first tapered optical repeater is used to form a reduced energy source surface, and a second loosely coherent optical repeater or curved optical repeater is used to spread the image and match the additional optical panels or cones provided for the mechanical design;

FIG35 illustrates an orthogonal view of an embodiment capable of tilting the optical repeater panel at different angles depending on the position of the optical repeater elements in the overall array, thereby eliminating gaps with limited mechanical housing spacing, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG36 illustrates an orthogonal view of the general geometry of a resulting light cone relay design according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG37 illustrates the shadows that an off-axis observer would observe from light exiting the enlarged end of the cone if the reduced end is coupled to a display emitting a spatially uniform light distribution;

FIG38 illustrates the shadows that an off-axis observer would observe on the seamless output energy surface of an array of cones, where the narrowing end of each cone is coupled to a display emitting a spatially uniform light distribution;

FIG39 illustrates an orthogonal view of additional optical repeaters for field of view extension, wherein an optical faceplate with fine fiber spacing and higher NA exhibits increased uniformity across the energy source surface and increased viewing angle, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG40 illustrates an orthogonal view of the design of FIG39 applied to a conventional display to increase the effective viewing angle without any other optical elements besides the field-of-view extending optical panel, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG41 illustrates an orthogonal view of chief ray angles emitted from an enlarged end of a single cone having a polished non-planar surface and controlled magnification according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG42 illustrates an orthogonal view of a cone array that can control the full light presented in space through the surface and magnification design of the cones according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 43 illustrates an orthogonal view of a design of a single repeater element in a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the single repeater element has an energy source connected to one leg of the staggered repeater element, an energy sensor connected to the other leg of the staggered repeater element, wherein the repeater element includes each of the two legs and a staggered single energy surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the holodeck (collectively, the "holodeck design parameters") provide energy stimulation sufficient to fool human sensory receptors into believing that energy pulses received within a virtual, social, and interactive environment are real, thereby providing: 1) binocular parallax without external accessories, head-mounted glasses, or other peripherals; 2) accurate motion parallax, occlusion, and opacity throughout the viewing volume for any number of observers simultaneously; 3) visual focus through synchronized convergence, accommodation, and miosis of all perceived light rays by the eyes; and 4) converged energy wave propagation with sufficient density and resolution to exceed the human sensory "resolution" of sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, and/or balance.

Based on conventional technology to date, we are decades, if not centuries, away from being able to realize all receptive fields in a convincing manner as proposed in the holodeck design parameters (which encompass vision, hearing, somatosensory, taste, olfactory, and vestibular systems).

In this disclosure, the terms light field and holographic are used interchangeably to define energy propagation for stimulating a response in any sensory receptor. While the initial disclosure may refer to examples of electromagnetic and mechanical energy propagation through holographic images and stereotactile energy surfaces, all forms of sensory receptors are contemplated within this disclosure. Furthermore, the principles of energy propagation along propagation paths disclosed herein are applicable to both energy emission and energy capture.

Many technologies exist today that are unfortunately often confused with holograms, including lenticular printing, Pepper's Ghost, glasses-free stereoscopic displays, horizontal parallax displays, head-mounted VR and AR displays (HMDs), and other such illusions generally referred to as "fauxlography." These technologies may exhibit some of the desirable characteristics of true holographic displays, but they fail to stimulate human visual responses in any way sufficient to achieve at least two of the four identified holodeck design parameters.

Conventional technologies have not yet successfully addressed these challenges to produce seamless energy surfaces sufficient for holographic energy propagation. Various approaches exist for implementing stereoscopic and directionally multiplexed lightfield displays, including parallax barriers, hogels, voxels, diffractive optics, multi-view projection, holographic diffusers, rotating mirrors, multi-layer displays, time-sequential displays, head-mounted displays, etc. However, conventional approaches may involve compromises in image quality, resolution, angular sampling density, size, cost, security, frame rate, etc., which ultimately render the technology infeasible.

In order to achieve the design parameters for the holodeck's visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems, it is necessary to study and understand the human acuity of each of the corresponding systems to propagate energy waves in order to fully confuse human sensory receptors. The visual system can resolve to approximately 1 arc minute, the auditory system can distinguish positional differences as small as three degrees, and the somatosensory system in the hand can distinguish points separated by 2-12 mm. Although the methods for measuring these acuities vary and are conflicting, these values are sufficient to understand the systems and methods for stimulating the perception of energy propagation.

Of the sensory receptors mentioned, the human visual system is by far the most sensitive, as even a single photon can induce a sensation. For this reason, much of this introduction will focus on visual energy wave propagation, and much lower-resolution energy systems coupled within the disclosed energy waveguide surfaces can converge the appropriate signals to induce holographic sensory perception. Unless otherwise noted, all disclosures apply to all energy and sensory domains.

When calculating the effective design parameters for energy propagation for a visual system given a viewing volume and observation distance, the desired energy surface can be designed to contain an effective energy site density of several gigapixels. For wide viewing volumes or near-field observation, the design parameters for the desired energy surface can contain an effective energy site density of hundreds of gigapixels or more. In comparison, the desired energy source can be designed to have an energy site density of 1 to 250 effective megapixels for ultrasonic propagation of stereo haptics, or an array of 36 to 3,600 effective energy sites for acoustic propagation of holographic sound, depending on the input environmental variables. It is important to note that with the disclosed bidirectional energy surface architecture, all components can be configured to form a structure applicable to any energy domain to achieve holographic propagation.

However, the primary challenges in realizing holodecks currently relate to the limitations of available visual technology and electromagnetic devices. Acoustic and ultrasonic devices are less challenging, given the order-of-magnitude difference in the required density based on sensory acuity in the corresponding receptive fields, but the complexity should not be underestimated. While holographic emulsions with resolution exceeding the required density exist to encode interference patterns in static images, existing display devices are limited by resolution, data throughput, and manufacturing feasibility. To date, no single display device has been able to meaningfully generate light fields with near-holographic resolution at visual acuity.

The production of a single silicon-based device capable of meeting the required resolution for a convincing lightfield display may be impractical and would involve extremely complex manufacturing processes that are beyond current manufacturing capabilities. Limitations on tiling multiple existing display devices together involve gaps and spaces created by the physical size of the packaging, electronics, housing, optics, and several other challenges that inevitably render the technology infeasible from an imaging, cost, and/or size perspective.

The embodiments disclosed herein may provide a realistic path to building a holographic deck.

Example embodiments will now be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present invention and illustrate example embodiments that can be practiced. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the terms "embodiment," "example embodiment," and "exemplary embodiment" do not necessarily refer to a single embodiment, but they may refer to a single embodiment, and the various example embodiments can be easily combined and interchanged without departing from the scope or spirit of the example embodiments. In addition, the terms used herein are merely used to describe the various example embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. In this regard, as used herein, the term "in" may include "in" and "on," and the terms "a," "an," and "the" may include both singular and plural references. In addition, as used herein, the term "by" may also mean "from," depending on the context. In addition, as used herein, the term "if" may also mean "when" or "at," depending on the context. In addition, as used herein, the word "and/or" may refer to and encompass any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Holographic system considerations:

Overview of light field energy propagation resolution

Light fields and holographic displays are the result of multiple projections, where the energy surface positions provide angular, color, and brightness information propagating within the viewing volume. The disclosed energy surfaces provide an opportunity for additional information to coexist and propagate through the same surface to induce responses in other sensory systems. Unlike stereoscopic displays, the position of the observed convergent energy propagation path in space does not change as the observer moves around in the viewing volume, and any number of observers can see the propagated object in real space at the same time, just as if it were really there. In some embodiments, the propagation of energy can be located in the same energy propagation path, but in opposite directions. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, both energy emission and energy capture along the energy propagation path are possible.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram illustrating variables associated with the stimulation to which sensory receptors respond. These variables may include the surface diagonal 01, the surface width 02, the surface height 03, the determined target seat distance 18, the target seat field of view from the center of the display 04, the number of intermediate samples, shown herein as samples between eyes 05, the average adult interocular spacing 06, the average resolution of the human eye in minutes of arc 07, the horizontal field of view formed between the target observer position and the surface width 08, the vertical field of view formed between the target observer position and the surface height 09, the resulting horizontal waveguide element resolution or the total number of elements 10 on the surface 10, the resulting vertical waveguide element resolution or the total number of elements 11 on the surface 11, the sample distance 12 based on the number of intermediate samples of the interocular spacing between the eyes and the angular projection between the eyes, the angular sampling 13 which may be based on the sample distance and the target seat distance 18, the total resolution per waveguide element Horizontal 14 derived from the desired angular sampling, and the total resolution per waveguide element Vertical 15 derived from the desired angular sampling. 15, the means Horizontal is a count of the determined number of desired precision energy sources 16, and the means Vertical is a count of the determined number of desired precision energy sources 17.

One approach to understanding the minimum resolution required to ensure adequate stimulation of visual (or other) sensory receptor responses can be based on the following criteria: surface size (e.g., 84" diagonal), surface aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9), seating distance (e.g., 128" from the display), seating field of view (e.g., 120 degrees or +/- 60 degrees around the center of the display), a desired intermediate sample at a distance (e.g., one additional propagation path between the eyes), the average interocular separation for adults (approximately 65 mm), and the average resolution of the human eye (approximately 1 arc minute). These example values should be considered placeholders based on specific application design parameters.

Additionally, each of these values attributed to visual sensory receptors can be replaced by other systems to determine the desired propagation path parameters. For other energy propagation embodiments, the angular sensitivity of the auditory system as low as three degrees and the spatial resolution of the somatosensory system of the hand as small as 2-12 mm can be considered.

While methods for measuring these sensory acuities vary and conflict, these values are sufficient to understand systems and methods for stimulating the perception of virtual energy propagation. There are many ways to consider design resolution, and the method presented below combines practical product considerations with the biological resolution limits of sensory systems. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the following overview is a simplification of any such system design and should be considered for exemplary purposes only.

With an understanding of the resolution limit of the sensory system, the total energy waveguide element density, such that the receiving sensory system cannot distinguish a single energy waveguide element from its neighboring elements, can be calculated given the following equation:

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·

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The above calculations yield a field of view of approximately 32 x 18 degrees, resulting in the desired energy waveguide element of approximately 1920 x 1080 (rounded to the nearest format). Variables can also be constrained so that the field of view is uniform for (u, v), providing a more regular spatial sampling of energy positions (e.g., pixel aspect ratio). The angular sampling of the system employs a defined target view volume position and an additional propagation energy path between two points at an optimized distance, given by:

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In this case, the interocular distance is used to calculate the sample distance, but any metric can be used to consider an appropriate number of samples for a given distance. Taking into account the above variables, approximately one ray every 0.57° may be required, and the total system resolution per independent sensory system can be determined given the following equation:

·

Total resolution H = N * horizontal element resolution

Total resolution V = N * vertical element resolution

In the above scenario, given the size of the energy surface and the angular resolution achieved by the visual acuity system, the resulting energy surface may ideally contain energy resolution locations of approximately 400k x 225k pixels, or a holographic spread density of 90 gigapixels. These variables are provided for exemplary purposes only, and optimizing the holographic spread of energy should take into account many other sensory and energy metrological considerations. In another embodiment, based on the input variables, energy resolution locations of 1 gigapixel may be desired. In another embodiment, based on the input variables, energy resolution locations of 1,000 gigapixels may be desired.

Current technical limitations:

Active area, device electronics, packaging and mechanical housing

Figure 2 illustrates a device 20 having an active area 22 with specific mechanical dimensions. The device 20 may include a driver 24 and electronics 24 for powering and interfacing to the active area 22, with the active area having dimensions as shown by the x and y arrows. This device 20 does not take into account the wiring and mechanical structures used to drive, power, and cool the components, and the mechanical footprint can be further minimized by introducing wiring into the device 20. The minimum footprint of such a device 20 can also be referred to as a mechanical housing 21 having dimensions as shown by the M:x and M:y arrows. This device 20 is for illustrative purposes only, and custom electronics designs can further reduce mechanical housing overhead, but it may not be the exact size of the device's active area in almost all cases. In an embodiment, this device 20 illustrates the electronics as it relates to the active image area 22 of a micro OLED, DLP chip, or LCD panel, or any other technology intended for image illumination.

In some embodiments, other projection technologies that aggregate multiple images onto a larger overall display may also be considered. However, these technologies may come at the expense of greater complexity in terms of throw distance, minimum focus, optical quality, uniform field resolution, chromatic aberration, thermal characteristics, calibration, alignment, additional size, or apparent dimensions. For most practical applications, hosting dozens or hundreds of these projection sources 20 would result in a much larger and less reliable design.

For exemplary purposes only, assuming an energy device with an energy location density of 3840 x 2160 sites, the number of individual energy devices (e.g., devices 100) required for an energy surface can be determined given the following equation:

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Given the resolution considerations discussed above, approximately 105x105 devices similar to those shown in FIG2 may be required. It should be noted that many devices are composed of various pixel structures that may or may not be mapped onto a regular grid. Where there are additional sub-pixels or positions within each full pixel, these can be used to generate additional resolution or angular density. Additional signal processing can be used to determine how to convert the light field into the correct (u, v) coordinates based on the specified position of the pixel structure, and the additional signal processing can be an explicit feature of each device that is known and calibrated. Additionally, other energy domains may involve different processing of these ratios and device structures, and those skilled in the art will understand the direct inherent relationship between each of the desired frequency domains. This will be shown and discussed in more detail in the subsequent disclosure.

The resulting calculations can be used to understand how many of these individual devices might be needed to produce a full resolution energy surface. In this case, approximately 105 x 105, or approximately 11,080 devices, might be needed to reach the visual acuity threshold. Creating a seamless energy surface from these available energy locations for adequate sensory holographic propagation presents both challenges and novelty.

Seamless Energy Surface Overview:

Configuration and design of energy relay arrays

In some embodiments, methods are disclosed to address the challenge of seamlessly generating high energy location density from an array of individual devices due to limitations in the device's mechanical structure. In some embodiments, an energy propagation repeater system can allow the effective size of the active device area to increase to meet or exceed mechanical dimensions, thereby configuring the repeater array and forming a single seamless energy surface.

3 illustrates an embodiment of such an energy repeater system 30. As shown, the repeater system 30 may include a device 31 mounted to a mechanical housing 32, with an energy repeater element 33 transmitting energy from the device 31. The repeater element 33 may be configured to reduce any gaps 34 that may be created when multiple mechanical housings 32 of the device are placed into an array of multiple devices 31.

For example, if the active area 31 of a device is 20 mm x 10 mm and the mechanical housing 32 is 40 mm x 20 mm, the energy repeater element 33 can be designed with a 2:1 magnification ratio to produce a tapered form that is approximately 20 mm x 10 mm on the reduced end (arrow A) and 40 mm x 20 mm on the magnified end (arrow B), thereby providing the ability to seamlessly align an array of these elements 33 together without altering or colliding with the mechanical housing 32 of each device 31. Mechanically, the repeater elements 33 can be bonded or fused together for alignment and polished to ensure minimal gap spacing 34 between devices 31. In one such embodiment, it is possible to achieve a gap spacing 34 that is less than the visual acuity limit of the eye.

FIG4 illustrates an example of a base structure 40 having energy repeater elements 41 that are formed together and securely fastened to an additional mechanical structure 43. The mechanical structure of the seamless energy surface 42 provides the ability to connect multiple energy repeater elements 41, 45 in series to the same base structure through bonding or other mechanical processes of mounting the repeater elements 41, 45. In some embodiments, each repeater element 41 can be fused, bonded, adhesively bonded, press-fitted, aligned, or otherwise attached together to form the resulting seamless energy surface 42. In some embodiments, a device 48 can be mounted to the rear of the repeater element 41 and passively or actively aligned to ensure proper energy position alignment is maintained within a determined tolerance.

In an embodiment, the seamless energy surface comprises one or more energy locations, and the one or more energy repeater element stacks comprise first and second sides, and each energy repeater element stack is arranged to form a single seamless display surface, thereby guiding energy along a propagation path extending between the one or more energy locations and the seamless display surface, wherein a separation between edges of any two adjacent second sides of terminal energy repeater elements is less than a minimum perceptible outline, the minimum perceptible outline as defined by the visual acuity of a human eye having better than 20/100 vision at a distance greater than the width of the single seamless display surface.

In an embodiment, each of the seamless energy surfaces includes one or more energy repeater elements, each energy repeater element having one or more structures forming first and second surfaces with transverse and longitudinal orientations. The first repeater surface has an area different from that of the second repeater surface, thereby producing positive or negative magnification, and is configured with a well-defined surface profile for energy transfer between the first and second surfaces through the second repeater surface, thereby substantially filling an angle of +/- 10 degrees relative to a normal to the surface profile across the second repeater surface.

In embodiments, multiple energy domains may be configured within a single energy repeater or between multiple energy repeaters to direct one or more sensory holographic energy propagation pathways encompassing visual, acoustic, tactile, or other energy domains.

In an embodiment, the seamless energy surface is configured with an energy repeater comprising two or more first sides for each second side to simultaneously receive and transmit one or more energy domains, thereby providing bidirectional energy propagation throughout the system.

In an embodiment, an energy repeater is provided as a loosely coherent element.

Introduction to component engineering structure:

Public progress on lateral Anderson localized energy repeaters

According to the principles disclosed herein for energy repeater elements that induce lateral Anderson localization, the properties of the energy repeater can be significantly optimized. Lateral Anderson localization is the propagation of light through a laterally disordered but longitudinally uniform material.

This means that the effects of materials producing the Anderson localization phenomenon may be less affected by total internal reflection than by randomization between multiple scattering paths where wave interference continues in the longitudinal orientation which may completely limit propagation in the transverse orientation.

The most significant additional benefit is the removal of the cladding material of traditional multi-core optical fibers. The cladding is intended to functionally eliminate scattering of energy between the fibers, but simultaneously acts as a barrier to the energy rays, thereby reducing transmission by at least the core-to-cover ratio (e.g., a core-to-cover ratio of 70:30 will transmit at most 70% of the received energy), and additionally creating a strong pixelated pattern in the propagating energy.

FIG5A illustrates an end view of an example of such a non-Anderson localized energy repeater 50, wherein an image is relayed through a multicore optical fiber, which can exhibit pixelation and fiber noise due to the inherent properties of the optical fiber. For conventional multimode and multicore optical fibers, the relayed image can be pixelated in nature due to the properties of total internal reflection of the dispersed array of cores, wherein any crosstalk between the cores will degrade the modulation transfer function and increase blur. The resulting image produced with conventional multicore optical fibers will often have residual fixed noise fiber patterns similar to those shown in FIG3.

FIG5B illustrates an example of the same image 55 being relayed through an energy relay comprising a material exhibiting transverse Anderson localization, wherein the relay pattern has a greater density of granular structures compared to the fixed fiber pattern of FIG5 A. In embodiments, the relay comprising an engineered structure of randomized microscopic components induces transverse Anderson localization and transmits light more efficiently, with a higher resolution of propagation than commercially available multimode glass optical fibers.

The lateral Anderson localized material properties uniformly provide significant advantages in both cost and weight, where the cost and weight of similar optical grade glass materials may be 10 to 100 times higher than the cost of the same material produced within the embodiments, wherein the disclosed systems and methods include randomized microcomponent engineered structures that have significant opportunities to improve cost and quality compared to other technologies known in the art.

In an embodiment, a repeater element exhibiting lateral Anderson localization may include a plurality of at least two different component engineered structures in each of three orthogonal planes arranged into a three-dimensional grid, and the plurality of structures form a randomized distribution of material wave propagation properties in the lateral planes within the three-dimensional grid and channels of similar values of material wave propagation properties in the longitudinal planes within the three-dimensional grid, wherein the localized energy waves propagating through the energy repeater have higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation compared to the lateral orientation.

In an embodiment, multiple energy domains may be configured within a single lateral Anderson localized energy repeater or between multiple lateral Anderson localized energy repeaters to direct one or more sensory holographic energy propagation paths encompassing visual, acoustic, tactile, or other energy domains.

In an embodiment, the seamless energy surface is configured with lateral Anderson localized energy repeaters that include two or more first sides for each second side to simultaneously receive and transmit one or more energy domains, thereby providing bidirectional energy propagation throughout the system.

In an embodiment, the lateral Anderson localized energy repeater is configured as a loosely coherent or flexible energy repeater element.

Considerations for 4D plenoptic functions:

Selective propagation of energy through holographic waveguide arrays

As discussed above and herein, a lightfield display system generally comprises an energy source (e.g., an illumination source) and a seamless energy surface configured with a sufficient energy location density, as described in the discussion above. A plurality of relay elements can be used to relay energy from the energy device to the seamless energy surface. Once the energy is transferred to the seamless energy surface with the necessary energy location density, the energy can propagate through the disclosed energy waveguide system according to a 4D plenoptic function. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, 4D plenoptic functions are well known in the art and will not be further described in detail herein.

An energy waveguide system selectively propagates energy through a plurality of energy locations along a seamless energy surface representing the spatial coordinates of a 4D plenoptic function, wherein the structure is configured to change the angular direction of the passing energy waves, the angular direction representing the angular components of the 4D plenoptic function, wherein the propagated energy waves can be converged in space according to the plurality of propagation paths guided by the 4D plenoptic function.

Reference is now made to FIG6 , which illustrates an example of a light field energy surface in a 4D image space according to a 4D plenoptic function. This figure shows ray trajectories from the energy surface 60 to an observer 62, describing how energy rays converge in space 63 from various locations within the view volume. As shown, each waveguide element 61 defines four information dimensions that describe the propagation 64 of energy through the energy surface 60. Two spatial dimensions (referred to herein as x and y) are the physical multiple energy locations that can be observed in image space, and the angular components θ and θ (referred to herein as u and v) can be observed in virtual space when projected through the energy waveguide array. Generally speaking, according to the 4D plenoptic function, when forming the holographic or light field system described herein, multiple waveguides (e.g., microlenses) are capable of guiding energy locations from the x and y dimensions to unique locations in virtual space along the directions defined by the u and v angular components.

However, those skilled in the art will understand that significant challenges with lightfield and holographic display technologies arise from uncontrolled energy propagation because the design does not precisely account for any of the following: diffraction, scattering, diffusion, angular orientation, calibration, focus, collimation, curvature, uniformity, element crosstalk, and a host of other parameters that contribute to reduced effective resolution and the inability to accurately focus energy with sufficient fidelity.

In embodiments, a method for selective energy propagation that addresses challenges associated with holographic displays may include an energy suppression element and a substantially filled waveguide aperture where nearly collimated energy enters an environment defined by a 4D plenoptic function.

In an embodiment, the energy waveguide array may define multiple energy propagation paths for each waveguide element, wherein the energy propagation paths are configured to extend through and substantially fill the effective aperture of the waveguide element in a unique direction defined by a 4D function specified for multiple energy locations along the seamless energy surface, wherein the multiple energy locations are suppressed by one or more elements positioned to limit the propagation of each energy location to only through a single waveguide element.

In embodiments, multiple energy domains may be configured within a single energy waveguide or between multiple energy waveguides to direct one or more sensory holographic energy propagations including visual, acoustic, tactile, or other energy domains.

In embodiments, the energy waveguide and seamless energy surface are configured to receive and transmit one or more energy domains to provide bidirectional energy propagation throughout the system.

In an embodiment, the energy waveguide is configured to be oriented to any seamless energy surface including a wall, table, floor, ceiling, room, or other geometrically based environment, propagating a non-linear or irregular distribution of energy using a waveguide configuration such as digital coding, diffraction, refraction, reflection, grin, holography, Fresnel, etc., including non-transmitting void regions. In another embodiment, the energy waveguide elements can be configured to generate various geometric structures that provide any surface contour and/or desktop browsing to enable users to observe holographic images from various positions on the energy surface in a 360-degree configuration.

In embodiments, the energy waveguide array elements may be reflective surfaces, and the arrangement of the elements may be hexagonal, square, irregular, semi-regular, curved, non-planar, spherical, cylindrical, tilted regularly, tilted irregularly, spatially varying, and/or multi-layered.

For any component within the seamless energy surface, the waveguide or repeater component may include, but is not limited to, optical fiber, silicon, glass, polymers, optical repeaters, diffractive, holographic, refractive or reflective elements, optical panels, energy combiners, beam splitters, prisms, polarization elements, spatial light modulators, active pixels, liquid crystal cells, transparent displays, or any similar material that exhibits Anderson localization or total internal reflection.

Implementing the Holodeck:

Aggregation of bidirectional seamless energy surface systems for stimulating human sensory receptors within holographic environments

It is possible to construct large environments of seamless energy surface systems, including entire rooms, by tiling, fusing, bonding, attaching, and/or stitching multiple seamless energy surfaces together to form any size, shape, contour, or apparent dimension. Each energy surface system may include an assembly having a base structure, an energy surface, a repeater, a waveguide, a device, and electronics that are collectively configured for bidirectional holographic energy propagation, emission, reflection, or sensing.

In an embodiment, the environment of a tiled seamless energy system aggregates to form a large seamless planar or curved wall that contains facilities up to all surfaces in a given environment and is configured as any combination of seamless, discontinuous planar, faceted, curved, cylindrical, spherical, geometric, or irregular geometric structures.

In an embodiment, for theatrical or location-based holographic entertainment, aggregated tiles of planar surfaces form a wall-sized system. In an embodiment, for cave-based holographic installations, aggregated tiles of planar surfaces cover a room with four to six walls, including a ceiling and floor. In an embodiment, for immersive holographic installations, aggregated tiles of curved surfaces create a cylindrical seamless environment. In an embodiment, for immersive experiences based on a holodeck, aggregated tiles of seamless spherical surfaces form a holographic dome.

In an embodiment, polymeric tiles of seamless curved energy waveguides provide mechanical edges in a precise pattern along the boundaries of energy suppression elements within the energy waveguide structure to join, align or fuse adjacent tiled mechanical edges of adjacent waveguide surfaces, thereby creating a modular seamless energy waveguide system.

In another embodiment of a polymeric tiling environment, energy is propagated bidirectionally for multiple simultaneous energy domains. In another embodiment, an energy surface provides the ability to display and capture simultaneously from the same energy surface, where the waveguide is designed so that light field data can be projected by an illumination source through the waveguide and simultaneously received by the same energy surface. In another embodiment, additional depth sensing and active scanning techniques can be utilized to enable interaction between energy propagation and an observer in the correct world coordinates. In another embodiment, the energy surface and waveguide can be used to emit, reflect, or focus frequencies to induce tactile sensations or somatotactile feedback. In some embodiments, any combination of bidirectional energy propagation and polymeric surfaces is possible.

In an embodiment, a system includes an energy waveguide capable of bidirectionally emitting and sensing energy through an energy surface, wherein one or more energy devices are independently paired with two or more path energy combiners to pair at least two energy devices to the same portion of a seamless energy surface, or one or more energy devices are affixed behind the energy surface and proximate to additional components affixed to a base structure, or proximate to a location in front of and outside the FOV of the waveguide for off-axis direct or reflected projection or sensing, and the resulting energy surface enables bidirectional transmission of energy, thereby enabling the waveguide to focus energy, the first device being able to emit energy and the second device being able to sense energy, and wherein information is processed to perform computer vision related tasks, including but not limited to 4D plenoptic eye and retinal tracking or sensing of interference within a propagating energy pattern, depth estimation, proximity, motion tracking, image, color or sound formation, or other energy frequency analysis. In another embodiment, the tracked position is actively calculated and the energy position is corrected based on the interference between the bidirectionally captured data and the projected information.

In some embodiments, multiple combinations of three energy devices including an ultrasonic sensor, a visible electromagnetic display, and an ultrasonic transmitting device are commonly configured for each of three first repeater surfaces that propagate energy combined into a single second energy repeater surface, wherein each of the three first surfaces includes engineered properties specific to an energy domain of each device, and two engineered waveguide elements are configured for ultrasonic and electromagnetic energy, respectively, to provide the ability to independently guide and focus the energy of each device, and are substantially unaffected by other waveguide elements configured for separate energy domains.

In some embodiments, a calibration procedure is disclosed that enables efficient manufacturing to remove systematic artifacts and produce a geometric map of the resulting energy surface for use with encoding/decoding techniques, as well as a dedicated integrated system for converting the data into calibration information suitable for energy propagation based on a calibration profile.

In some embodiments, additional energy waveguides and one or more energy devices in series may be integrated into the system to produce opaque holographic pixels.

In some embodiments, additional waveguide elements including energy suppression elements, beam splitters, prisms, active parallax barriers, or polarization technology may be integrated to provide spatial and/or angular resolution greater than the waveguide diameter or for other super-resolution purposes.

In some embodiments, the disclosed energy system may also be configured as a wearable, bidirectional device, such as virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). In other embodiments, the energy system may include an adjustment optical element that focuses the displayed or received energy near a certain plane in the observer's space. In some embodiments, the waveguide array may be incorporated into a holographic head-mounted display. In other embodiments, the system may include multiple optical paths to enable the observer to see both the energy system and the real-world environment (e.g., a transparent holographic display). In these cases, the system may appear as a near field, among other methods.

In some embodiments, the transmission of data includes an encoding process with a selectable or variable compression ratio, the encoding process receiving an arbitrary data set of information and metadata; analyzing the data set and receiving or assigning material properties, vectors, surface IDs, new pixel data to form a sparser data set, wherein the received data may include: 2D, stereo, multi-view, metadata, light field, holographic, geometry, vectors, or vectorized metadata, and the encoder/decoder provides the ability to convert the data in real time or offline, including image processing, for: 2D; 2D plus depth, metadata or other vectorized information; stereo, stereo plus depth, metadata or other vectorized information; multi-view; multi-view plus depth, metadata or other vectorized information; holographic; or light field content; with or without depth metadata via a depth estimation algorithm; and an inverse ray tracing method to appropriately map the resulting converted data generated by inverse ray tracing of various 2D, stereo, multi-view, stereo, light field, or holographic data into real-world coordinates via a characterized 4D plenoptic function. In these embodiments, the total data transmission required can be orders of magnitude less than the transmission information of the original light field data set.

Optical image relays and tapered elements

Extremely dense fiber optic bundles can be manufactured from a variety of materials, enabling light to be relayed with pixel-perfect consistency and high transmission rates. Fiber optics guide light along transparent fibers of glass, plastic, or similar media. This phenomenon is governed by a concept known as total internal reflection. Light is totally internally reflected between two transparent optical materials with different refractive indices when it is contained within the critical angle of the materials and is incident from the direction of the denser material.

7 illustrates an orthogonal view of the basic principles of internal reflection 70, detailing the maximum acceptance angle (or NA of the material), core material 74 and cladding material 76 having different refractive indices, and reflected and refracted light rays 78 and 79. Generally speaking, the transmission of light decreases by less than 0.001% with each reflection, and an optical fiber with a diameter of approximately 50 microns can have 3,000 reflections per foot, which helps to understand how efficient light transmission can be compared to other composite optical approaches.

The relationship between the angle of incidence (I) and the angle of refraction (R) can be calculated using Snell's law: where n ₁ is the refractive index of air, and n ₂ is the refractive index of the core material 74 .

Those skilled in the art of optical fiber will understand other optical principles associated with light focusing power, maximum acceptance angle, and other calculations required to understand how light travels through optical fiber materials. Understanding this concept is important because optical fiber materials should be considered as repeaters of light, rather than focusing methods, as will be described in the following examples.

Understanding the angular distribution of light exiting an optical fiber is important to this disclosure and may differ from what is expected based on the angle of incidence. The azimuthal angle of light exiting an optical fiber tends to vary rapidly with the maximum acceptance angle, the length and diameter of the fiber, and other material parameters. The exiting light rays tend to exhibit a cone shape, as defined by the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction.

FIG8 illustrates how light 84 entering an optical fiber 82 can exit in the form of a conical light distribution 86 with a specific azimuth angle. This effect can be observed by shining a laser pointer through the optical fiber and observing the output light at various distances and angles on a surface. The conical shape of the exit with light distribution over the entire conical area (e.g., not just the radius of the cone) will be an important concept for the proposed design moving forward.

The primary sources of transmission loss in optical fiber materials are the cladding, the length of the material, and the optical loss of light outside the acceptance angle. The cladding is the material surrounding each individual fiber within the larger bundle, isolating the core and helping to reduce the amount of light traveling between individual fibers. In addition to the cladding, additional opaque materials can be used to absorb light outside the acceptance angle, which is called external absorption (EMA). Both of these materials can help improve the observed image quality in terms of contrast, scattering, and a number of other factors, but may reduce the overall light transmission from inlet to outlet. For simplicity, the percentage of the core that is covered can be used to understand the approximate transmission potential of an optical fiber, as this can be one source of light loss. In most materials, the core coverage ratio can range from approximately about 50% to about 80%, but other types of materials can also be used and will be explored in the following discussion.

Each fiber may be able to resolve approximately 0.5 camera pairs per fiber diameter, so having more than a single fiber per pixel may be critical when relaying pixels. In some embodiments, around twelve fibers per pixel may be utilized, or three or more may be acceptable, as averaging the resolution between each fiber helps reduce the associated MTF loss when utilizing these materials.

In one embodiment, the optical fibers can be implemented in the form of a fiber optic panel. A panel is a series of single or multiple optical fibers, or multiple fibers, fused together to form a vacuum-sealed glass plate. When an image presented to one side of the panel can be efficiently transmitted to an external surface, the plate can be considered a window with theoretically zero thickness. Traditionally, these panels can be constructed with individual optical fibers spaced approximately 6 microns or more apart, but higher densities can be achieved, although the effectiveness of the cladding material may ultimately reduce contrast and image quality.

In some embodiments, the fiber bundle can be tapered to produce coherent mapping with pixels of varying sizes and proportional magnification of each surface. For example, the magnifying end can refer to the side of the fiber component with larger fiber spacing and higher magnification, while the reducing end can refer to the side of the fiber component with smaller fiber spacing and lower magnification. The process of creating various shapes can involve heating and manufacturing the desired magnification, which can physically change the initial spacing of the fibers from their original size to a smaller spacing, thereby changing the acceptance angle, depending on the position on the tapered shape and the NA. Another factor is that the manufacturing process can skew the perpendicularity of the fibers relative to the flat surface. One challenge with tapered designs, among others, is that the effective NA at each end can change roughly proportionally with the magnification percentage. For example, a tapered shape with a 2:1 ratio can have a reducing end with a diameter of 10 mm and an enlarging end with a diameter of 20 mm. If the starting material has an NA of 0.5 and a spacing of 10 microns, the reducing end will have an effective NA of approximately 1.0 and a spacing of 5 microns. The resulting acceptance angle and exit angle can also change proportionally. More complex analysis can be performed to understand the exact results of this process, and one of ordinary skill in the art is capable of performing these calculations.For the purposes of this discussion, these overviews are sufficient to understand the imaging implications and the overall system and method.

Lateral Anderson localization

Although the principle of Anderson localization was introduced in the 1950s, only recently have technological breakthroughs in materials and processes allowed its practical study in optical transmission. Transverse Anderson localization is the propagation of waves through a material that is laterally disordered but longitudinally constant, with no diffusion of the waves in the transverse plane.

Transverse Anderson localization has been observed experimentally in the prior art, where fiber panels are fabricated by drawing millions of individual fiber strands with different RIs that are randomly intermixed and fused together. When an input beam is scanned across one surface of the panel, the output beam on the opposite surface trails the input beam's lateral position. Because Anderson localization exhibits the absence of wave diffusion in a disordered medium, some of the underlying physics is different when compared to previous calculations for ordered fiber repeaters. This means that the effects of the fiber producing the Anderson localization phenomenon are less affected by total internal reflection than by randomization between multiple scattering paths, which might completely limit propagation in the transverse direction if wave interference continued in the longitudinal direction.

Figure 9 illustrates orthogonal views of an example image relayed through a conventional multicore fiber 90, which may exhibit pixelation and fiber noise due to the characteristics of the fiber. Figure 10 illustrates orthogonal views of the same image relayed through an optical fiber 100 that exhibits the characteristics of the Anderson localization principle, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In embodiments, transverse Anderson localization materials have the potential to transmit light as well as or better than the highest quality commercially available multimode glass image fibers with higher MTFs. For multimode and multicore fibers, the relayed image is pixelated in nature due to the nature of total internal reflection from the dispersed array of cores, where any crosstalk between cores will reduce the MTF and increase blur. The resulting image produced with multicore fibers tends to have a residual fixed noise fiber pattern, as illustrated in FIG10. In contrast, FIG11 illustrates the same image relayed through an example material sample that exhibits the characteristics of the transverse Anderson localization principle, where the noise pattern looks more like a granular structure than a fixed fiber pattern.

Another significant advantage of optical repeaters exhibiting Anderson localization is that they can be manufactured from polymeric materials, thereby reducing cost and weight. Comparable optical-grade materials typically made from glass or other similar materials can cost ten to a hundred (or more) times more than materials of the same size produced from polymers. Furthermore, if up to a majority of the material's density is air and other lightweight plastics, the weight of polymer repeater optics can be reduced by a factor of 10 to 100. For the avoidance of doubt, any material exhibiting Anderson localization properties is encompassed by this disclosure, even if the material does not meet the aforementioned cost and weight recommendations. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the aforementioned recommendations are for a single embodiment of commercial applications that are not encompassed by a large number of similar glass products. A significant additional benefit is that fiber cladding is not required for lateral Anderson localization to function. This fiber cladding, which is required for conventional multi-core optical fibers to prevent light from scattering between fibers, also blocks a portion of the light, thereby reducing transmission by at least the core-to-cover ratio (e.g., a core-to-cover ratio of 70:30 will transmit at most 70% of the received illumination).

Another significant benefit is the ability to create many smaller parts that can be joined or fused without gaps, since the material essentially has no edges in the traditional sense, and depending on the process of merging two or more pieces together, merging any two pieces is almost the same as creating the assembly as a single piece. For large applications, this has significant benefits for manufacturers without large-scale infrastructure or tooling costs, and provides the ability to create a single piece of material that would otherwise be impossible. Conventional plastic optical fiber has some of these benefits, but typically still contains gap lines with some distance due to the cladding.

It is proposed that an optical repeater exhibiting lateral Anderson localization can be constructed from one or more building block structures, each having a controlled refractive index RI, a size approximately the wavelength of visible light (approximately 1 μm), and an elongated shape that facilitates the transmission of electromagnetic energy along the long axis of the structure. The structures should be arranged so that a channel with minimal RI variation is formed longitudinally throughout the length of the optical repeater, but the RI varies randomly in the transverse plane. In one embodiment of a visible electromagnetic energy wave repeater, two building block structures are selected with a refractive index offset of approximately 0.1, comprising elongated particles of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, RI of 1.49) and polystyrene (PS, RI of 1.59). The first and second structures are arranged, intermixed with an optical binder, and then cured. In one embodiment, the material ratio may be 50:50.

Transverse Anderson localization is a universal wave phenomenon applicable to the transmission of electromagnetic waves, acoustic waves, quantum waves, and more. The one or more building block structures required to form an energy wave repeater exhibiting transverse Anderson localization each have a size approximately equal to the corresponding wavelength. Another key parameter of the building blocks is the speed of the energy waves in the materials used for those building blocks, which includes the refractive index for electromagnetic waves and the acoustic impedance for acoustic waves. For example, the building block size and refractive index can be varied to accommodate any frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum, from X-rays to radio waves.

For this reason, the discussion of optical repeaters in this disclosure can be generalized not only to the entire electromagnetic spectrum, but also to acoustic energy and many other types of energy. For this reason, the terms energy source, energy surface, and energy repeater will often be used, even if the discussion is focused on a specific form of energy, such as the visible electromagnetic spectrum.

For the avoidance of doubt, the material quantities, processes, types, RI, etc. are merely exemplary and encompass any optical material that exhibits Anderson localization properties. Additionally, any use of disordered materials and processes is encompassed herein.

It should be noted that the principles of optical design mentioned in this disclosure are generally applicable to all forms of energy repeaters, and the design implementation selected for a specific product, market, form factor, installation, etc. may or may not require the implementation of these geometries, but for the purpose of simplicity, any method disclosed is inclusive of all potential energy repeater materials.

Energy mosaic array

To further address the challenge of seamlessly generating high resolution from an array of individual energy wave sources due to the limitations of the mechanical requirements for the individual energy wave sources, tapered optical repeaters can be employed to increase the effective size of the active display area to meet or exceed the mechanical dimensions required to seamlessly stitch the tapered array together and form a single continuous electromagnetic energy surface.

For example, if the active area of the energy source is 20mm x 10mm and the mechanical housing is 40mm x 20mm, then the tapered energy repeater can be designed with a 2:1 magnification ratio to produce a cone that is 20mm x 10mm (when cut) on the reduced end and 40mm x 20mm (when cut) on the magnified end, thereby providing the ability to seamlessly align arrays of these cones together without changing or interfering with the mechanical housing of each energy source.

FIG11 illustrates such a tapered energy repeater mosaic arrangement 110 in an orthogonal view, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the repeater device 110 may include two or more repeater elements 112, each formed from one or more structures, each repeater element 112 having a first surface 114, a second surface 116, a transverse orientation (substantially parallel to surfaces 114, 116), and a longitudinal orientation (substantially perpendicular to surfaces 114, 116). In one embodiment, the surface area of the first surface 114 may be different from the surface area of the second surface 116. For example, the surface area of the first surface 114 may be greater than or less than the surface area of the second surface 116. In another embodiment, the surface area of the first surface 114 may be the same as the surface area of the second surface 116. Energy waves may be transmitted from the first surface 114 to the second surface 116, or from the second surface 116 to the first surface 114.

In one embodiment, the repeater element 112 of the repeater element arrangement 110 includes an inclined contour portion 118 between a first surface 114 and a second surface 116. In operation, energy wave propagation between the first surface 114 and the second surface 116 can have a higher transmission efficiency in a longitudinal orientation than in a transverse orientation, and energy waves passing through the repeater element 112 can cause spatial amplification or spatial reduction. In other words, energy waves passing through the repeater element 112 of the repeater element arrangement 110 can experience increased amplification or decreased amplification. In some embodiments, one or more structures used to form the repeater element arrangement 110 can include glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or a mixture thereof.

In one embodiment, the energy waves passing through the first surface 114 have a first resolution and the energy waves passing through the second surface 116 have a second resolution, and the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, if the energy waves have a uniform profile when presented to the first surface, they can pass through the second surface so as to radiate in each direction with an energy density in the forward direction that substantially fills a light cone having an opening angle of about +/- 10 degrees relative to the normal of the second surface, regardless of the position on the second surface.

In some embodiments, the first surface 114 may be configured to receive energy from an energy wave source comprising a mechanical housing having a width that is different than a width of at least one of the first surface 114 and the second surface 116 .

These conical energy repeaters are mechanically bonded or fused together to allow for alignment, polishing, and to ensure the smallest possible gap spacing between the wave energy sources is possible. In one such embodiment, a maximum gap spacing of 50 μm may be achieved by using an epoxy that is thermally matched to the conical material. In another embodiment, a manufacturing process that subjects the conical array to compression and/or heat provides the ability to fuse the elements together. In another embodiment, the use of plastic cones allows for easier chemical fusing or heat treatment to form the bond without the need for additional bonding. For the avoidance of doubt, any method may be used to bond the array together, specifically including only gravity and/or force bonding.

Fiber optic inlay design

Holding multiple components in a manner that meets specific tolerance specifications may require mechanical structures. In some embodiments, the surfaces 114, 116 of the tapered repeater elements can have any polygonal shape, including but not limited to circles, ellipses, ovals, triangles, squares, rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, rhombuses, pentagons, hexagons, and the like. In some instances, for non-square tapers, such as rectangular tapers, the repeater elements 110 can be rotated to have a minimum taper dimension that is parallel to the maximum dimension of the overall energy source. This approach optimizes the energy source to exhibit minimal suppression of light when viewed from the center of the energy source by magnifying the acceptance cone of the repeater elements. For example, if the desired energy source size is 100mm x 60mm and each tapered energy repeater is 20mm x 10mm, the repeater elements can be aligned and rotated so that an array of 3 x 10 tapered energy repeater elements can be assembled to produce the desired energy source size. There is nothing in this document to suggest that alternative array configurations of arrays in 6x5 matrices and other combinations could not be utilized. Arrays consisting of a 3x10 layout generally perform better than the alternative 6x5 layout.

While the simplest form of the energy source system consists of a single tapered energy repeater element, multiple elements can be coupled to form a single energy source module of increased mass or flexibility. Such an embodiment comprises a first tapered energy repeater with a narrowing end attached to the energy source and a second tapered energy repeater connected to the first repeater element, with the narrowing end of the second light cone contacting the magnifying end of the first repeater element, thereby generating a total magnification equal to the product of the two individual tapered magnifications.

Figure 12 illustrates an orthogonal view of two compound optical repeater cones in series 120, with cones 122, 124 each having a narrowed end facing the energy source surface 126, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the input NA is 1.0 for the input to cone 124, but the output for cone 122 is only about 0.16. Note that the output is divided by the total magnification of 6, which is the product of the magnification of cone 124, 2, and the magnification of cone 122, 3. One advantage of this approach is that the first energy wave repeater can be customized to take into account various sizes of energy sources without changing the second energy wave repeater. It also provides the flexibility to change the size of the output energy surface without changing the design of the first repeater element. The display 126 and mechanical housing 128 are also shown.

FIG13 illustrates an orthogonal view of a composite tapered energy repeater 130, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the second tapered portion 134 is rotated to mate the tapered end with the tapered end of the first tapered portion 132. This provides similar advantages to those shown in FIG12 . For energy waves, it has the additional advantage of partially restoring the original angle of the light when the two tapered ends mate. While suppressed light cannot be restored, the exit angle can be more controllable. Again, an input NA of 0.5 can be reduced by a factor equal to the system's total magnification of 1.5, resulting in an output value of 0.3.

In some embodiments, the repeater element may include multiple repeater elements in a stacked configuration in a longitudinal orientation, such as those shown in Figures 12 and 13. In these stacked configurations, a first element (e.g., 124) of the plurality of elements may include a first surface (e.g., a surface proximal to the energy source surface 126), and a second element (e.g., 122) of the plurality of elements may include a second surface (e.g., a surface furthest from the energy source surface 126). Each of the first and second elements may individually or collectively cause spatial amplification or spatial reduction of energy, as discussed above.

In one embodiment, the energy wave passing through the first surface may have a first resolution and the energy wave passing through the second surface may have a second resolution, wherein the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, the energy wave may pass through the second surface if presented with a uniform profile to the first surface, thereby radiating in each direction with an energy density in the forward direction that substantially fills a light cone having an opening angle of about +/- 10 degrees relative to a normal to the second surface, regardless of the position on the second surface.

In one embodiment, the plurality of elements in a stacked configuration may comprise a plurality of panels (best shown in FIG. 29 ). In some embodiments, the plurality of panels may have different lengths or be loosely coherent optical repeaters (best shown in FIG. 31 through FIG. 35 ). In other embodiments, the plurality of elements may have tilted profile portions similar to those of FIG. 11 , wherein the tilted profile portions may be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the vertical axis of the repeater element. In yet another embodiment, the repeater element may comprise random variability in refractive index such that energy is localized in the transverse orientation. In other embodiments, the random variability in refractive index in the transverse orientation and minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation result in much higher transmission efficiency of energy waves along the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization along the transverse orientation. This will be described in greater detail in the subsequent figures and discussion.

Returning now to FIG12 , in operation, the first surface can be configured to receive an energy wave from an energy source unit (e.g., 126) comprising a mechanical housing 128 having a width different from a width of at least one of the first and second surfaces. In one embodiment, the energy wave passing through the first surface can have a first resolution, while the energy wave passing through the second surface can have a second resolution such that the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, if the energy wave has a uniform profile when presented to the first surface, the energy wave can pass through the second surface so as to radiate in each direction with an energy density in the forward direction that substantially fills a light cone region having an opening angle of about +/- 10 degrees relative to the normal of the second surface, regardless of the position on the second surface.

In one embodiment, the mechanical housing 128 may include a projection system 234 having a lens 236 (best shown in FIG. 24 ) and a plurality of energy source panels positioned adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof (best shown in FIG. 24 -28 and 30 -31 ). As shown in these subsequent figures, in some embodiments, the plurality of energy source panels (e.g., 242, 252, 262, 274) may be arranged in various configurations, including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, perpendicular, or any combination thereof. In other embodiments, the plurality of energy source panels may be arranged in a radially symmetric configuration (best shown in FIG. 27 , 28 , and 30 ). In one embodiment, the projection system may also include focused energy delivery via a waveguide and may also include telecentric lens relay elements at non-aligned angles. These and other embodiments will be described in greater detail in the subsequent figures and discussion.

Use of flexible energy sources and curved energy relay surfaces

It is possible to create certain energy source technologies or energy projection technologies with curved surfaces. For example, in one embodiment, a curved OLED display panel can be used as the energy source. In another embodiment, an afocus laser projection system can be utilized as the energy source. In yet another embodiment, a projection system with a depth of field wide enough to maintain focus on the projection surface can be used. For the avoidance of doubt, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes and in no way limit the scope of the technical embodiments described herein.

Given the ability of optical technology to produce a cone of steering light based on the chief ray angle (CRA) of the optical configuration, more ideal observed light angles can be provided by utilizing curved energy surfaces or curved surfaces that can maintain a perfectly focused projected image with a known light input angle and corresponding output correction angle.

In one such embodiment, the energy surface side of the optical relay element can be curved for each module into a cylindrical, spherical, planar, or non-planar polished configuration (referred to herein as a "geometry" or "geometry"), where the energy source originates from one or more source modules. Each effective luminous energy source has its own corresponding viewing angle, which is modified by the distortion process. Utilizing this curved energy source or similar panel technology allows for a less distortion-prone panel technology and a reconfiguration of the CRA or optimal viewing angle for each effective pixel.

FIG14 illustrates an orthogonal view of an optical relay tapered configuration 140 with a 3:1 magnification factor and the resulting observed light angle of an attached energy source, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The optical relay tapered configuration has an input NA of 1.0 and a magnification factor of 3:1, resulting in an effective NA of approximately 0.33 for the output light (many other factors are involved here, this is for simplification purposes only), with planar and vertical surfaces on either end of the tapered energy relay and the energy source attached to the reduced end. If this approach is the only one utilized, the viewing angle of the energy surface can be approximately 1/3 of the input angle. For the avoidance of doubt, a similar configuration with an effective magnification of 1:1 (using an optical panel or otherwise) or any other optical relay type or configuration may also be utilized.

FIG15 illustrates the same tapered energy repeater module 150 as FIG14, but now the surface on the energy source side has a curved geometry 152, while the surface opposite the energy source side 154 has a planar surface and is perpendicular to the optical axis of the module 150. Utilizing this approach, given the curved surface 152 as illustrated in FIG15, the input angle (e.g., see arrows near 152) can be biased based on this geometry, and the output angle (e.g., see arrows near 154) can be adjusted to be more independent of position on the surface, unlike in FIG14, but the visible exit light cone area of each active light source can be smaller than the energy source as a whole. This can be advantageous when considering a specific energy surface that optimizes the observed light angle for a wider or more compressed density of available light.

In another embodiment, the change in output angle can be achieved by making the shape of the energy surface of Figure 15 convex, as shown in Figures 17 and 18. If such a change is made, the output light cone area near the edge of the energy surface 152 will be turned toward the center.

In some embodiments, the repeater element arrangement may include a bending energy source (not shown) between the repeater element and the projection system. In one example, both surfaces of the repeater element arrangement may be planar. Alternatively, in other examples, one surface may be planar and the other surface may be non-planar, or vice versa. Finally, in another example, both surfaces of the repeater element arrangement may be non-planar. In other embodiments, the non-planar surfaces may be concave surfaces or convex surfaces, as well as other non-planar configurations. For example, both surfaces of the repeater element may be concave. In an alternative, both surfaces may be convex. In another example, one surface may be concave and the other surface may be convex. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that multiple configurations having planar, non-planar, convex, and concave surfaces are contemplated and disclosed herein.

FIG16 illustrates an orthogonal view of an optical repeater taper 160 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the surface 162 on the energy source side is non-vertical, but planar. To illustrate the significant customizable variations in the energy source side geometry, FIG16 illustrates the results of forming only the non-vertical, but planar geometry of the energy source side for comparison with FIG15 , and further demonstrates the ability to directly control the angles of the input acceptance cones and the output visible emission cones of Lights 1, 2, and 3, potentially with an unlimited number of potential surface features.

Depending on the application, it is also possible to design energy source configurations where the energy source is in a non-perpendicular geometry while the energy source side remains perpendicular, or where both the energy source and energy source side geometries exhibit various non-perpendicular geometries. Using this approach, it may be possible to further increase the control over the light angle observed by the input and output energy sources.

In some embodiments, the taper can also be non-perpendicular to optimize a particular viewing angle. In one such embodiment, a single taper can be cut into quadrants and then reassembled, with each taper rotated 180 degrees about its respective optical center axis so that the tapered end of the taper faces away from the center of the reassembled quadrant, thereby optimizing the field of view. In other embodiments, the non-perpendicular taper can also be directly manufactured to increase the gap between the energy sources on the tapered end without increasing the size or dimensions of the physically enlarged end. These and other taper configurations are disclosed herein.

FIG17 illustrates an orthogonal view of the optical relay and illumination light cone of FIG14 with a concave surface on the side of the energy source 170. In this case, compared to FIG14 , the output light cone diverges significantly more near the edge of the output energy surface plane than if the energy source side were flat.

FIG18 illustrates an orthogonal view of the light cone repeater and illumination light cone of FIG17 , with identical convex surfaces on the energy source side. In this example, the output energy surface 180 has a concave geometry. Compared to FIG17 , the light cone of output light on the concave output surface 180 is more collimated on the energy source surface due to the input receiving light cone and exit light cone of light generated by this geometric configuration. For the avoidance of doubt, the examples provided are merely illustrative and are not intended to prescribe specific surface features, wherein any geometric configuration of the input energy source side and the output energy surface may be employed depending on the viewing angle and light density required for the output energy surface and the angle of light generated by the energy source itself.

In some embodiments, multiple repeater elements can be configured in series. In one embodiment, any two repeater elements in series can be coupled together with intentionally distorted parameters such that the inverse distortion of one element relative to the other helps optically reduce any such artifacts. In another embodiment, a first cone of light can exhibit optical barrel distortion, and a second cone of light can be fabricated to exhibit the inverse of this artifact to produce optical pincushion distortion, such that when aggregated together, the resulting information partially or completely cancels any such optical distortion introduced by either element. This can also be applied to any two or more elements, allowing for the application of composite corrections in series.

In some embodiments, it is possible to manufacture individual Energy Source panels, electronic components, and the like to create Energy Source arrays and the like in a small and/or lightweight form factor. This arrangement, combined with the incorporation of optical repeater inserts, allows the ends of the optical repeaters to be aligned with the active area of the Energy Source, which has a very small form factor compared to the individual components and electronic components. This technology enables the use of devices with smaller form factors, such as monitors, smartphones, and the like.

FIG19 illustrates an orthogonal view of an assembly 190 of multiple light cone repeater modules 192 coupled together, wherein the light cone repeater modules 192 have curved energy source side surfaces 196 and are used to form an optimal viewable image 194 from multiple perpendicular output energy surfaces 192, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this case, the tapered repeater modules 192 are formed in parallel. Although only one row of tapered repeater modules 192 is shown, in some embodiments, tapered repeaters having stacked configurations similar to those shown in FIG12 and FIG13 may also be coupled together in rows in parallel to form a continuous, seamless viewable image 194.

Returning now to FIG. 19 , each tapered repeater module 192 can operate independently or be designed based on an array of optical repeaters. As shown in this figure, five modules with light cone repeaters 192a, 192b, 192c, 192d, and 192e are aligned together to create a larger light cone output energy surface 194. In this configuration, the output energy surface 194 can be vertical, and each of the five energy source sides 196a, 196b, 196c, 196d, and 196e can be distorted about a central axis, allowing the entire array to function as a single output energy surface rather than as individual modules. Furthermore, this assembly structure 190 can be further optimized by calculating the output observed light angle and determining the ideal surface characteristics required for the energy source side geometry. FIG. 19 illustrates an embodiment in which multiple modules are coupled together, with the energy source side curvature accounting for the larger output energy surface observed light angle. While five repeater modules 192 are shown, those skilled in the art will appreciate that more or fewer repeater modules can be coupled together, depending on the application.

In one embodiment, the system of FIG19 includes a plurality of repeater elements 192 arranged in first and second directions (e.g., across rows or in a stacked configuration), wherein each of the plurality of repeater elements has a random variability in refractive index and extends along a longitudinal orientation between first and second surfaces of the respective repeater element. In some embodiments, the first and second surfaces of each of the plurality of repeater elements extend substantially along a transverse orientation defined by the first and second directions, wherein the longitudinal orientation is substantially perpendicular to the transverse orientation. In other embodiments, the random variability in refractive index in the transverse orientation and minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation result in significantly higher transmission efficiency of energy waves along the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization along the transverse orientation.

In one embodiment, a plurality of repeater systems can be arranged in a first direction or a second direction to form a single tiled surface along the first direction or the second direction, respectively. In some embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the plurality of repeater elements are arranged in a matrix having at least a 2x2 configuration, or in other matrices including, but not limited to, a 3x3 configuration, a 4x4 configuration, a 3x10 configuration, and other configurations. In other embodiments, the gaps between the single tiled surfaces may be imperceptible at a viewing distance that is twice the smallest dimension of the single tiled surface.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of repeater elements 192 has a random variability in refractive index in the transverse orientation while having minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation, thereby enabling energy waves to be transmitted with much higher efficiency along the longitudinal orientation and to be spatially localized along the transverse orientation. In some embodiments where the repeater is constructed from multi-core optical fibers, energy waves propagating within each repeater element may travel in a longitudinal orientation determined by the alignment of the optical fibers in this orientation.

In other embodiments, each of the plurality of repeater elements 192 is configured to transmit energy along a longitudinal orientation, and wherein energy waves propagating through the plurality of repeater elements have a higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation than in the transverse orientation due to the random variability of the refractive index, such that the energy is localized in the transverse orientation. In some embodiments, energy waves propagating between the repeater elements may travel substantially parallel to the longitudinal orientation due to the much higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation than in the transverse orientation. In other embodiments, the random variability of the refractive index in the transverse orientation and the minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation result in energy waves having a much higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation and spatial localization in the transverse orientation.

Figure 20A illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 200 of multiple light cone repeater modules coupled together, having a vertical energy source side geometry 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d, 202e and convex energy source surfaces 204 radiating about a central axis, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 20A illustrates the configuration of Figure 19 with a vertical energy source side geometry and convex energy sources radiating about a central axis.

20B illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 206 of multiple optical repeater modules coupled together having a geometry of vertical energy source surfaces 208 and convex energy source side surfaces 209 radiating about a central axis, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, by configuring the source side of the energy repeater array in a cylindrically curved shape around a central radius and having a flat energy output surface, the input energy source acceptance angle and the output energy source emission angle can be decoupled, and it may be possible to better align each energy source module with the energy repeater acceptance light cone area, which itself may be limited due to constraints on parameters such as energy cone repeater magnification, NA, and other factors.

FIG21 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 210 of multiple energy repeater modules, wherein each energy output surface is independently configured to make the visible output light more uniform, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG21 illustrates a configuration similar to that of FIG20A , but with each energy repeater output surface independently configured to make the visible output light more uniform (or less uniform, depending on the exact geometry employed) in view of a larger combined energy output surface.

FIG22 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 220 of multiple optical repeater modules according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein both the emission energy source side and the energy repeater output surface are configured with various geometric structures, thereby producing explicit control over input and output light. To this end, FIG22 illustrates a configuration having five modules of FIG14 , wherein both the emission energy source side and the repeater output surface are configured with curved geometric structures, thereby achieving greater control over input and output light.

23 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 225 of multiple optical repeater modules whose individual output energy surfaces have been configured to form a seamless concave cylindrical energy source surface around an observer, wherein the source ends of the repeaters are flat and each bonded to an energy source.

In the embodiment shown in FIG23, and similarly in the embodiments shown in FIG19, 20A, 20B, 21 and 22, the system may include a plurality of energy repeaters arranged in first and second orientations, wherein in each repeater, energy is transmitted between first and second surfaces defining a longitudinal orientation, the first and second surfaces of each repeater extending generally along a transverse orientation defined by the first and second orientations, wherein the longitudinal orientation is generally perpendicular to the transverse orientation. Also in this embodiment, energy waves propagating through the plurality of repeaters have a higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation than in the transverse orientation due to the random variability of the refractive index in the transverse orientation and the minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation. In some embodiments where each repeater is constructed from a multi-core optical fiber, energy waves propagating within each repeater element may travel in a longitudinal orientation determined by the alignment of the optical fibers in this orientation.

In one embodiment, similar to the embodiments discussed above, generally speaking, the first and second surfaces of each of the plurality of repeater elements can be curved along a transverse orientation, and the plurality of repeater elements can be integrally formed in the first and second directions. The plurality of repeaters can be assembled in the first and second directions, can be arranged in a matrix having at least a 2x2 configuration, and can comprise glass, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or a mixture thereof. In some embodiments, a system of multiple repeaters can be arranged in a first direction or a second direction to form a single tiled surface along the first direction or the second direction, respectively. As described above, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the plurality of repeater elements can be arranged in other matrices, including but not limited to a 3x3 configuration, a 4x4 configuration, a 3x10 configuration, and other configurations. In other embodiments, the gaps between the individual tiled surfaces may be imperceptible at a viewing distance that is twice the smallest dimension of the individual tiled surfaces.

For energy repeater inserts, embodiments may include: both the first and second surfaces may be planar, one of the first and second surfaces may be planar and the other non-planar, or both the first and second surfaces may be non-planar. In some embodiments, both the first and second surfaces may be concave, one of the first and second surfaces may be concave and the other convex, or both the first and second surfaces may be convex. In other embodiments, at least one of the first and second surfaces may be planar, non-planar, concave, or convex.

In some embodiments, the plurality of repeaters may cause spatial amplification or spatial reduction of an energy source, including but not limited to electromagnetic waves, optical waves, acoustic waves, and other types of energy waves. In other embodiments, the plurality of repeaters may also include a plurality of energy repeaters (e.g., panels of energy sources), wherein the plurality of energy repeaters have different widths, lengths, and other dimensions. In some embodiments, the plurality of energy repeaters may also include loosely coherent optical repeaters or optical fibers.

Use of projection technology in beam steering

For various embodiments of flexible energy sources and projection technology for beam steering, it is also possible to utilize projection technology and further control the output viewing angle.

Figure 24 illustrates an orthogonal view of image generation using an optical relay projection-based technique rather than the previously described panel-based approach according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The projector mechanical housing 234 contains a display that is projected onto the reduced end of a tapered optical relay 236 using a lens 226.

In its simplest form, a known projector consists of an energy source panel (or light modulator, etc. as known in the art), a light source, and a focusing lens 226. Some prior art embodiments can reduce the use of focusing elements or energy source panels by utilizing collimated or controlled light, and are equally relevant to this embodiment. By way of illustration of a simplified pinhole depiction of the projection (for the avoidance of doubt, this is for illustration purposes only and not how the projection system or associated visible light rays are designed), each visible pixel from the projected image forms a well-defined visible light ray. Traditionally, these rays are projected onto a more Lambertian surface, which tends to scatter light and produce a more uniform image. However, if a screen is utilized, which is traditionally used to maintain certain reflective properties of light including polarization state, then the projected image tends to maintain more of the viewing angle dependence of the projection system and create non-uniformities in the observed image, including hot spots or vignetting of the projected image.

While these properties have traditionally been less than ideal and avoided for projection imaging applications, the ability to relay specific angles of light through optical fiber has a number of potential observed energy source properties.

As shown in Figure 24, in some cases, utilizing a single projection source 234 and a single optical relay 236 (similar to the optical relay shown in Figure 14) can produce significantly different observed output results. This approach is dependent on the entrance angle of each pixel contained within the pixel produced by the projection system based on the distance between the projection system and the energy source side of the light cone relay, as well as the field of view, aperture, illumination method, and other characteristics defined by the optics and light transmission system of the projection technology.

Assuming a pinhole projection system (for simplicity only), FIG24 illustrates the relative viewing angle dependence of light rays generated from the Energy Source surface when a single projector projects onto a single Energy Source side of an optical material as illustrated in FIG24. The resulting visible output illumination cone produced by the widest angle defined by pixels located at the edge of the projected image may be different from the same pixel processed by a panel-based Energy Source having the same resulting projected image size or pixel pitch. This may be because the angular distribution of light from a panel-based Energy Source is relatively uniform compared to the more angularly retaining approach described by the projection-based technique.

FIG25 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 240 of five offset projection sources 242a, 242b, 242c, 242d, and 242e of FIG25 that generates the desired individual images of the output visible light rays from the tapered optical relay 236, wherein the chief ray angle 243 results from a specified configuration, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Using this approach, it is possible to project multiple images from one or more projection sources 242a, 242b, 242c, 242d, and 242e in a parallel optical configuration, wherein the visible light rays can be angularly offset for each of the rays. Using off-axis projection optics, in which the energy source panel 244 is displaced from the optical axis of the energy source lens 226 by an amount proportional to the distance between the energy source panel and the center of the array, can allow each of these defined images to overlap while maintaining a parallel array structure. When the same image is presented and calibrated to the energy source side, this method provides the ability to expand the visible viewing angle of the energy source, or the ability to project different images and calibrate multiple 2D visible images defined by the viewing angle, or the ability to more evenly distribute controlled light angles for holographic and/or light field displays.

In other embodiments, each of the plurality of energy repeaters 236 may include an inclined profile portion between the first and second surfaces of the corresponding repeater element, wherein the inclined profile portion may be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a perpendicular axis of the plurality of repeater elements.

In operation, similar to that discussed above, the first surface of each of the plurality of energy repeaters can be configured to receive an energy wave from an emitting energy source unit comprising a mechanical housing having a width (e.g., the entire length and width of each individual unit 242) that is different from the width of at least one of the first surface and the second surface. In one embodiment, the energy wave passing through the first surface has a first resolution, while the energy wave passing through the second surface has a second resolution, and the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, if the energy wave has a uniform profile when presented to the first surface, the energy wave can pass through the second surface so as to radiate in each direction with an energy density in the forward direction that substantially fills a light cone having an opening angle of about +/- 10 degrees relative to the normal of the second surface, regardless of the position on the second surface.

The mechanical housing includes a projection system having a waveguide that deflects wave energy based on position and a plurality of transmission energy sources positioned adjacent to the repeater element, the plurality of transmission energy sources being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of transmission energy sources can be arranged in various configurations, including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, perpendicular, or any combination thereof (best shown in Figures 26-28). In another embodiment, the plurality of transmission energy sources can be arranged in a radially symmetric configuration (best shown in Figures 26-28). This will become more apparent in the subsequent figures and discussion.

The projection system may include focused energy delivery via a waveguide and further include a telecentric lens relay element at a non-aligned angle. The system may also include a curved energy source between the plurality of energy relays and the projection system.

It may also be advantageous to align the projection sources by converging the projection system to produce illumination overlap with no or minimal optical offset. This can be performed radially, symmetrically, asymmetrically, in-plane rotationally, or any combination thereof, where the exact distances and projection angles are known through manufacturing or calibration processes.

In a variation of FIG. 25 , the arrangement of projection sources utilizes rotational alignment in a planar orientation to create overlap at the energy source side of each module, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

26 illustrates an orthogonal view of a variation of FIG. 25 in which an arrangement 260 of projection sources 262a, 262b, 262c, 262d, 262e converges in a radially symmetric configuration to overlap images on the energy source module, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

When utilizing any rotational convergence, one must also consider the resulting basis of the projected image and the acceptable focus, which may not be an area wide enough to maintain focus on all pixels presented to the energy source side of the module.

To accommodate image construction, it may be possible to calibrate the system to project a distorted image taking into account the exact shift required produced by each individual projection system, and to overscan the image circle produced by each projector in order to remove any projected areas that align with the maximum width or height of the projected image, which would otherwise result in no illumination information.

To increase the acceptable focus range using any inadequate optical system, the aperture size can be reduced to produce a wider depth of field, the optics can be changed to accommodate a different desired focus plane, other projection techniques using a more collimated light source can be utilized, and/or any other projection variations known in the art can be utilized. In one such embodiment, a MEMs-type projection system redirects spatially modulated collimated light to produce an afocus image regardless of distance.

It is also possible to utilize the above-described projection method with non-perpendicular energy source side and energy source surface configurations and module arrays as previously defined in the panel-based energy source section above.

FIG27 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 270 in which five light cone repeater modules 272a, 272b, 272c, 272d, 274e are aligned, each light cone repeater module having an independently calculated concave energy source side surface and an independently calculated convex energy source configuration, and in which five projection sources 274a, 274b, 274c, 274d, 274e are configured in a radially converging manner, thereby producing extreme control over input, output, and viewable viewing angle profiles, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. For the avoidance of doubt, FIG27 is an exemplary illustration in which any surface geometry could have been utilized and any projection configuration could have been employed, or any combination of these approaches with any panel-based approach could have been utilized depending on the specific energy source requirements.

FIG28 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 280 utilizing the module of FIG27 , but in which each projector 242 a, 242 b, 242 c, 242 d, 242 e illuminates each optical relay. The image from each individual projection source 282 can be segmented by multiple optical relays 232. The dedicated multi-element microlenses of lens array 284 focus the overlapping light from all projectors onto the first surface of each relay. This creates near-telecentric rays as each partial image exits the projector. This architecture eliminates the need for multiple projection sources dedicated to each optical relay.

In some cases, it is possible to create a microlens array having an aperture with an image circle whose diameter is the same as (or similar to, or intentionally otherwise designed to be) the source-side diameter (taking into account any overscan required by the focusing camera). For dense projection arrays, each overlapping image can be slightly offset based on the CRA of each generated microlens image. More complex optics can be implemented to additionally generate telecentric or near-telecentric rays at the exit of the microlens array to help accommodate this potential alignment challenge or artifact.

Furthermore, it is possible to calculate the exact projection distance and/or CRA that will produce the image projected from the corresponding microlens, where off-axis projection sources may no longer align with the energy source-side module located directly below the microlens. In this way, it is possible to design a system that intentionally corrects the projected sub-images without adding more complex optical systems. Because this correction is primarily a shift to remove off-axis distortion, it is expressed as an offset. In reality, it is an offset and distortion that requires additional image calibration and characterization.

In one such embodiment, five projection sources with 10 microlenses and 10 optical relays are utilized, where projector N directly processes each energy source side image, each projector N-1 or N+1 is offset by 1 module (or some amount represented by X) depending on its orientation relative to projector N, and N-2 or N+2 is offset by 2 modules (or some number greater than X) depending on its orientation relative to projector N, so as not to increase the viewing angle of a single projection array. This description is for exemplary purposes only and can be combined with any density or other configurations previously described. Additionally, in addition to applying a predetermined calibration amount of correction offset to the projection cluster, it is possible to utilize more complex optical systems to form more telecentric light rays while obtaining the benefits of a more telecentric structure.

For the avoidance of doubt, any of the above-mentioned configurations may exhibit horizontal and/or array distributions, and nothing in these descriptions or illustrations should be construed as referring to a single horizontal or vertical configuration.

Addition of rigid and flexible energy repeaters or bend repeaters to fiber-inlaid designs

It is often advantageous to introduce additional energy repeaters between the emitting energy source and the output energy surface in order to have a more efficient mechanical alignment. To this end, one or more optical panels, optical fibers, optical elements, or additional repeater elements may be introduced to the energy source as required by the mechanical design, alignment, and/or calibration process. FIG29 illustrates an orthogonal view of a system 290 including an additional optical panel 292 that provides a mechanical offset between the energy source and the taper, which may be advantageous. A plurality of additional optical elements may be introduced, and the embodiment depicted in FIG29 is provided for exemplary purposes only.

In a system with many optical repeaters in parallel, it may be necessary to stagger the panels as shown in Figure 29 by offsetting the position of each energy source along the z-axis perpendicular to the energy source to provide clearance for the mechanical housing of the energy source without changing the position of the optical center of the first light cone. In this way, there can be panels or light cones of different lengths relative to adjacent energy source modules, and this staggering can be done across multiple columns or rows within the array to produce a higher overall mechanical density without otherwise offsetting the energy sources.

FIG30 illustrates an orthogonal view of a system 300 including an additional optical panel according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the system of FIG29 , the system 30 of FIG30 has a different repeater surface (e.g., a concave shape) and a shorter length of the optical panel and repeater elements. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of additional repeater elements can be incorporated into any optical configuration, with or without additional optical panel repeater elements.

Figure 31 illustrates such an embodiment having an array of nine tapered optical repeaters 236, but with panels 1 through 5 of five different staggered lengths to provide adequate clearance for the mechanical housing of each Energy Source within the overall Energy Source system.

Depending on the details of the energy source pixel pitch and the desired output pixel and angular density, it will generally be necessary to maintain the same or reduce the active image area size while mechanically providing sufficient clearance for the required mechanical enclosure.

FIG32 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 320 of multiple energy sources 326 coupled together, without any augmentation through the use of loose and/or curved optical repeaters, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In the simplest form, where alteration of the active image area is undesirable, it is possible to utilize loosely coherent optical repeaters 322, image tubes, or curved optical repeaters. The loosely coherent optical repeaters 322 can be designed with two dense ends to maintain consistency between the energy source side and the energy source area. In one embodiment, the curved optical repeaters or image tubes can be extruded panels designed with a specified curve required by the mechanical design. Once the loose or curved optical repeaters are designed, they can be continuously aggregated to form a single output display surface, and the other end can be joined to the active area of the energy source without mechanical housing interference. FIG32 illustrates such a design in which multiple energy sources are coupled together without any augmentation.

In one embodiment, the system 320 may include a plurality of flexible energy relays 322, each flexible energy relay configured to transfer energy between a first and a second end of the respective relay, wherein the first ends of the plurality of flexible energy relays are optically coupled to a plurality of transmitting energy source units 326, the plurality of transmitting energy source units 326 being spaced apart from the second ends of the plurality of flexible energy relays, and wherein the second ends of the plurality of flexible energy relays are bonded to form a collective output energy surface 324. Without additional tapered energy relays, the collective output energy surface may not be spatially magnified relative to energy from the transmitting energy source units. If a tapered energy relay is attached to the collective output energy surface, the collective output energy surface may be relayed to a second surface of the tapered shape, which may be spatially magnified or reduced relative to energy from the transmitting energy source units depending on whether the tapered shape magnifies or reduces. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above disclosure regarding the repeater elements may be incorporated herein.

33 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 330 of FIG. 32 in which additional light cone repeaters 332 are added to the active energy source to reduce the image and provide a smaller size to the overall energy source, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, the system 330 may include a plurality of flexible repeater elements 334, each flexible repeater element configured to transmit energy between a first and a second end of the corresponding repeater element, wherein the first ends of the plurality of flexible repeater elements are optically coupled to a plurality of energy source units 336, the plurality of energy source units 336 being spaced apart from the second ends of the plurality of flexible repeater elements, and wherein the second ends of the plurality of flexible repeater elements are bound to form an aggregated energy surface 332.

In some embodiments, the plurality of flexible repeater elements 334 comprises a plurality of loosely coherent optical repeaters. In other embodiments, the energy-collecting surface 332 is an end portion of the system, and the energy at the end portion is spatially unamplified relative to the energy from the energy source unit 336. In another embodiment, the energy-collecting surface 332 is an end portion of the system, and the energy at the end portion is spatially amplified relative to the energy from the energy source unit 336. In yet another embodiment, the energy-collecting surface 332 is an end portion of the system, and the energy at the end portion is spatially reduced relative to the energy from the energy source unit 336.

For mechanical reasons, it may be advantageous to provide a tapered optical repeater that provides a degree of magnification to the energy source to offset any additional optical elements that need to be added. In this way, it is possible to design a system with two or three (or more) optical elements, where the first tapered optical repeater has a magnification size that, combined with the other tapers in the array (if present), equals the appropriate size to have the magnification required to couple loosely coherent optical repeaters or curved optical repeaters. This second element can be attached directly to the active energy source area or the third optical panel or tapered optical repeater, as optimized for the design.

34 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 340 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein a first tapered optical relay is connected to a display 343 with a mechanical housing 342, wherein the optically reduced end of the tapered optical relay is used to present a reduced image surface, and a second loosely coherent optical relay or curved optical relay 344 is used to propagate the reduced image and match an additional tapered optical relay 346, which is part of a tapered optical relay mosaic with a single energy surface 348.

FIG35 illustrates an orthogonal view of an arrangement 350 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure that can tilt an optical panel 356 at different angles depending on the position of the optical repeater elements in the overall array, thereby eliminating gaps with limited mechanical housing spacing and forming a single energy surface 358. In another embodiment, non-perpendicular panels can also be constructed to reduce smaller gaps between energy sources that do not require a full tapered design. In FIG35, an energy wave source 354 can be positioned within the mechanical housing 352 of the electronic driver.

For the avoidance of doubt, the examples provided are for illustrative purposes only, and any combination of optical repeater elements may be combined as desired or as may be suitable for practical, product, or mechanical purposes. For clarification, the tapered optical repeater has a certain magnification ratio, which may include 1:1, and thus all disclosures related to the optical repeater taper may be considered interchangeable between the optical repeater taper, the optical panel, the curved optical repeater, the loosely coherent optical repeater, or any other use of these properties and materials to aggregate multiple energy sources into a single continuous energy source.

View dependencies of fibers

FIG36 illustrates an orthogonal view of the general geometry resulting from a light cone repeater design 360, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The angle at which light enters the tapered end 362 of the cone becomes more collimated as the diameter increases, since the medium through which the light rays travel is no longer parallel, and the resulting exit angle decreases. However, these more collimated light rays may tend to be at angles that may not be perpendicular to the surface of the energy source. The reverse is also true; light rays entering the enlarged end of the cone become less collimated as the diameter decreases. FIG36 illustrates the concept of the general geometry resulting from such a tapered repeater element design.

In one embodiment, the system may include: a plurality of energy source units configured to provide an energy surface, the plurality of energy source units having a first spacing; a plurality of repeater elements positioned adjacent to the energy source, the plurality of repeater elements having a second spacing, the second spacing being smaller than the first spacing, wherein a first energy source unit among the plurality of energy source units is configured to have a first field of view, the first field of view being defined by an angular range of an energy propagation path through the first energy source unit, and wherein a subset of the plurality of repeater elements positioned in the energy propagation path is configured to redistribute the energy propagation path such that the angular range of the energy propagation path through the subset of the plurality of repeater elements has a second field of view that is wider than the first field of view.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of energy source units is a pixel, or each of the plurality of energy source units is a tapered repeater element, and the energy propagation path is a light path. In other embodiments, the energy source is disposed on a surface of the plurality of energy source units. In some embodiments, the surface on which the energy source is disposed is a virtual surface, wherein a virtual surface is a surface configured to receive energy relayed from the plurality of energy source units. In other embodiments, the plurality of repeater elements comprises a panel, an optical element, and an optical fiber.

In one embodiment, each of the plurality of repeater elements can be used to redistribute energy through an energy propagation path, wherein the transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation is higher than that in the transverse orientation due to the random variability of the refractive index of each of the plurality of repeater elements, such that the energy is localized in the transverse orientation. In another embodiment, the random variability of the refractive index in the transverse orientation of the repeater elements and the minimal refractive index variation in the longitudinal orientation of the repeater elements can cause energy waves propagating through the repeater elements to have a much higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation and to be spatially localized in the transverse orientation.

When the light source is below and the cone is viewed from above, if the tapered end (energy source side) is positioned downward, the ability to view the light source off-axis is reduced, and the imaging data at the light source will quickly lose contrast off-axis until it is no longer visible. This is because the acceptance angle of the tapered end relays the available light or image into a more collimated cone of light at an angle commensurate with the orientation of the relay, thereby reducing the ability to view the light based on the magnification ratio. For example, if the NA of the tapered tapered end is 1 and the taper is 3:1, then in a perfect situation and with a light source emitting +/- 60 degrees of light, the 3:1 magnification ratio will change the ability to view the light source to a cone of light of approximately +/- 20 degrees, resulting in an effective NA of approximately 0.33. This is an approximation for exemplary purposes only.

Figure 37 illustrates the shadows that an off-axis observer would see from light exiting the magnified end of the cone 370 if the demagnified end were coupled to an energy source emitting a spatially uniform light distribution. If the cone were reversed, the opposite would be possible, with the field of view from the demagnified end increasing based on the design and the physics of the materials.

FIG38 illustrates the shadows that an off-axis observer would see on the seamless output energy surface of a cone array 380, where the tapered end of each cone is coupled to an energy source emitting a spatially uniform light distribution. The shadows that appear are due to the positional dependence of the tilt of the chief ray angle of the light cone exiting each individual optical relay surface. This means that the light output of the energy source depends on the view.

Generally speaking, view dependence of the light output of energy sources composed of arrays of multiple tapered and/or other fiber optic elements is an undesirable feature of 2D energy sources and light field displays.

Optical relays for field of view extension

It may be possible to use additional repeater elements to increase the viewing angle of any light source without introducing additional magnification.

39 illustrates an orthogonal view of additional optical relays for field of view extension according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, where an optical panel with a fine pitch as small as a few microns and a higher NA than the magnified end of the tapered end exhibits increased uniformity across the display surface 390 and increased viewing angle.

In such an embodiment, the design can consist of a tapered optical repeater 396, with the optical repeater panel 395 placed a few microns from the enlarged end of the cone, forming a small gap 394. This distance can be adjusted depending on the desired effect, the spacing of the panel fibers, the bonding material, the panel material, or other requirements of the optical design. The panel's NA should be greater than the effective NA of the tapered exit. In Figure 39, the path of light from the tapered optical repeater's reduced end 392 generally follows the path shown by line 393 and the surface shown. When these conditions are met, light rays from the cone exit as a light cone with energy distributed over the cone radius, forming a set of light rays 397 that travel to several different small fibers contained within the panel with higher light acceptance angles, in such a way that each ray now begins off-axis for each of the multiple panel fibers it intersects, each of which generates its own exit light cone 398, with light rays exiting to the left of the optical center, which can now also be looking to the right, and vice versa. By design, this embodiment can achieve an exit angle close to the acceptance angle of the optical panel material, which significantly increases uniformity. However, the exit angle of the cone must maintain a relationship with the panel's acceptance angle, where the light exiting the cone must form a light cone within the panel material's acceptance angle in order for the light to sufficiently form a more uniform distribution of light exiting the cone through the optical panel. A good rule of thumb is that the panel's NA should be twice the cone's exit NA.

In one embodiment, a repeater element constructed with optical fiber can be formed to provide a taper having a 2:1 magnification ratio, a fiber spacing of 9 microns, and an NA of 0.5 at the magnifying end of the repeater element. When light exits the magnifying end of the taper, the light can only be observed within, for example, approximately +/- 26.5 degrees of field of view due to the effective reduction of the exit light cone 397. An additional fiber optic panel with an NA of 1 and a fiber spacing of 3 microns can be placed with a 4.5 micron gap 394 above the tapered surface, and the viewing angle can be increased to, for example, a +/- 45 degree field of view 398. Figure 39 illustrates this approach to additional fiber optic repeaters for field of view extension.

In another embodiment, a different polish is applied to the energy source or energy source surface or any other optical relay surface. A rough polish is provided to create a frosted glass-like effect, thereby diffusing the image to achieve increased viewing angle distribution. This comes at the expense of MTF, which depends on the degree of roughness applied.

The disclosed embodiments are not limited to optical relays, as this approach is applicable to any other light source as long as the panel pitch has a higher density than the light source and a NA with a sufficiently large acceptance angle.

In one embodiment, the optical repeater of FIG39 can be incorporated into a system having a repeater element 396 having first and second different materials arranged in a substantially repeating internal structure in at least one of a transverse orientation and a longitudinal orientation, such that the repeater element has a higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation than in the transverse orientation. In operation, energy can be provided to a first end 392 of the repeater element 396, the energy having a first resolution at the first end, wherein the first end 392 of the repeater element 396 is configured to have a substantially repeating internal structure with a spacing in at least one of the transverse orientation and the longitudinal orientation that is approximately equal to or less than the first resolution of the energy at the first end in the transverse orientation, wherein energy exiting a second end 394 of the repeater element 396 has a second resolution, wherein the second resolution is not less than 50% of the first resolution. In another embodiment, the energy wave, if presented to the first surface with a uniform profile, can pass through the second surface to radiate in each direction with an energy density in the forward direction that substantially fills a light cone region having an opening angle of approximately +/- 10 degrees relative to the normal to the second surface, regardless of the position on the second surface.

In another embodiment, the repeater element 396 may comprise a third material different from the first and second materials, wherein the third material is arranged in a substantially repeating internal structure in at least one of the transverse orientation and the longitudinal orientation. In yet another embodiment, the repeater element 396 may comprise a third material different from the first and second materials, wherein the third material is arranged in a substantially randomized internal structure in at least one of the transverse orientation and the longitudinal orientation.

In one embodiment, a central portion of the first end 392 of the repeater element 396 can be configured to align the energy entrance light cone substantially perpendicular to the first end surface of the repeater element 396. In another embodiment, a central portion of the second end 394 of the repeater element 396 can be configured to align the energy exit light cone substantially perpendicular to the second end surface of the repeater element 396. In yet another embodiment, a central portion of the first end 392 of the repeater element 396 can be configured to align the energy entrance light cone non-perpendicular to the first end surface of the repeater element 396, wherein the first end 392 of the repeater element 396 includes a non-planar end surface. In yet another embodiment, a central portion of the second end 394 of the repeater element 396 can be configured to align the energy exit light cone non-perpendicular to the second end surface of the repeater element 396, wherein the second end 394 of the repeater element 396 includes a non-planar end surface.

In one embodiment, the repeater element comprises a first region of the end surface, wherein the second end of the repeater element comprises a second region of the end surface. In another embodiment, each of the first and second ends of the repeater element comprises a plurality of discrete end portions.

In some embodiments, the repeater element comprises glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or a mixture thereof. In some embodiments, the repeater element causes spatial amplification or spatial reduction of energy.

In one embodiment, the repeater element comprises a stacked configuration having a plurality of panels. In some embodiments, the plurality of panels have different lengths, or the plurality of panels are loosely coherent optical repeaters.

In one embodiment, the repeater element comprises an inclined profile portion, wherein the inclined profile portion can be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a vertical axis of the repeater element. In another embodiment, the energy is received from an energy source unit having a mechanical housing having a width that is different from a width of at least one of the first and second ends of the repeater element. In yet another embodiment, the mechanical housing comprises a projection system having a lens, and a plurality of energy source panels positioned adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in various configurations including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, perpendicular, or any combination thereof. In another embodiment, the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in a radially symmetric configuration. In some embodiments, the projection system includes focused energy delivery via a waveguide and further includes a telecentric lens relay element at a non-aligned angle.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises a bending energy source between the repeater element and the projection system. In some embodiments, the first and second ends of the repeater element are both planar, or the first and second ends of the repeater element are both non-planar, or the first end of the repeater element is non-planar and the second end of the repeater element is planar, or the first end of the repeater element is non-planar and the second end of the repeater element is non-planar.

In some embodiments, the first and second ends of the repeater element are both concave, or the first end of the repeater element is concave and the second end of the repeater element is convex, or the first end of the repeater element is convex and the second end of the repeater element is concave, or the first end of the repeater element is convex and the second end of the repeater element is concave, or the first and second ends of the repeater element are both convex.

In one embodiment, at least one of the first and second ends of the repeater element is concave. In another embodiment, at least one of the first and second ends of the repeater element is convex.

FIG40 illustrates an orthogonal view 400 of the design of FIG39 applied to a conventional energy source to increase the effective viewing angle without any additional optical elements other than the field-of-view extending optical panel repeater 395, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG40 illustrates the applicability of this design to conventional backlit LCDs, but it can also be applied to projection, other energy source types, and a host of other uses. In FIG40, structure 402 represents the pixel pitch of a conventional display, while the individual optical fibers 406 of the optical panel repeater have a much smaller pitch. The emission angle of light F2 from the panel creates a wider field of view 408 than light F1 from the display alone.

In one embodiment, the energy source system 400 may include: a plurality of energy source units 402 configured to provide an energy surface, the plurality of energy source units having a first spacing; a plurality of repeater elements 406 arranged adjacent to the energy source, the plurality of repeater elements 406 having a second spacing, the second spacing being smaller than the first spacing, wherein a first energy source unit among the plurality of energy source units is configured to have a first field of view F1, the first field of view F1 being defined by the angular range of an energy propagation path through the first energy source unit 402, and wherein a subset of the plurality of repeater elements arranged in the energy propagation path is configured to redistribute the energy propagation path such that the angular range of the energy propagation path through a subset of the plurality of repeater elements 404 has a second field of view F2 that is wider than the first field of view.

In one embodiment, each of the plurality of energy source units 402 may be a pixel. In another embodiment, each of the plurality of energy source units 402 may be a tapered repeater element. In some embodiments, the energy propagation path is an optical path. In other embodiments, the energy source is disposed on a surface of the plurality of energy source units 402.

In one embodiment, the surface on which the energy source is disposed is a virtual surface, wherein a virtual surface is a surface configured to receive energy relayed from a plurality of energy source units.

In some embodiments, the plurality of repeater elements 404 include panels and optical fibers. In other embodiments, each of the plurality of repeater elements 404 can be used to redistribute energy through an energy propagation path, wherein the transmission efficiency in the longitudinal orientation is higher than that in the transverse orientation due to the random variability of the refractive index of each of the plurality of repeater elements, such that the energy is localized in the transverse orientation.

It should be noted that lateral Anderson localization techniques can be used to create optical panels to achieve the same effect. Although the principle is that the material does not have a well-defined fiber spacing, the NA value and random distribution of the material within the cone have a similar effect in plane coordinates: causing the light to have increased uniformity when it exits.

For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this disclosure should be construed as limiting the scope of designs of light sources and optical relay elements that provide increased uniformity across the acceptance cone of a material.

Repeater waveguide array design

Figure 41 illustrates an orthogonal view 410 of the main energy ray angle 412 emitted from the magnified end of a single tapered energy relay having a polished non-planar surface 414 and controlled magnification, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 42 illustrates an orthogonal view of how an entire array 420 of the tapered shapes shown in Figure 41 can control the energy distribution in space through detailed design of the tapered energy relay surfaces and magnification.

Based on the desired exit angle and material design, it is possible to polish the energy surface formed by one of the cones in the conical energy repeater insert into a rounded form. This makes it possible to directly control the direction of projected energy based on surface characteristics and material magnification, even without using a separate energy waveguide element. The manufacturing process for the cone formed in the polymer medium can include a molding process to create a suitable energy waveguide array surface, which can perform the entire function of the waveguide array or simply enhance the performance of a separate energy waveguide array.

It is also possible to form an entire array of tapered energy repeaters, where the tapers are the same size, or slightly larger or smaller than the individual elements in the energy waveguide array. However, this requires each taper to effectively represent N regions, or some set of N regions, resulting in many more individual energy source components, and alignment becomes extremely challenging given the number of fixtures that would be involved.

Optical strips, energy combiners, and simultaneous energy projection and sensing via a single bidirectional energy surface

While the previously discussed embodiments illustrate how to generate a continuous infinite-resolution display surface, it is also possible to separate each tapered optical repeater path into a second interleaved path using optical strips or energy combiners. An energy combiner is a method of creating a single energy surface with interleaved repeater elements that split into two or more independent paths. While this can be used to effectively increase resolution, it can also be used to sense energy waves while simultaneously acquiring them.

FIG43 illustrates an orthogonal view of the design of a single element 430 in this system, consisting of an energy source 432 connected to one leg 434 of an interlaced repeater element and an energy sensor 431 connected to the other leg 433 of the interlaced repeater element, where the repeater element is comprised of each of the two legs 433, 434 and the interlaced single energy surface formed by 435. FIG43 also shows an energy waveguide array 436, although not part of the repeater element. It serves to redirect outgoing energy waves to a convergence point 438 and simultaneously redirect incoming energy waves to the energy sensor. In one embodiment, an emissive display serves as the energy source, and an imaging sensor is used to detect light from the display. FIG43 illustrates the design of a single repeater element in this system, consisting of a bidirectional energy surface, one interlaced segment for transmitting energy, and a second interlaced segment for receiving energy at the energy surface. This can be repeated for each energy repeater module in the system to create a bidirectional energy surface.

By this method, using only a single repeater element and without an array of energy waveguides, it is possible to optically scan a fingerprint or any other object touching the surface of a display, such as paper, documents, etc., in real time with high accuracy. By means of an inverse calibration process, it is possible to correct all optical artifacts and produce a very high quality resolution.

In another embodiment, this method for image capture with an image combiner can generate an extremely accurate "whiteboard" or art surface that can respond to position with extreme precision and interactively draw or perform any number of other display-based functions.

Additional embodiments provide the ability to utilize this method by incorporating an array of energy waveguides, as shown in FIG43 . In the electromagnetic energy embodiment, by utilizing the triangulation provided by the arrayed waveguide elements, it is possible to determine the spatial position of an object in an environment with relatively high accuracy. This is even more accurate for objects in close proximity, and when determining the spatial position of multiple objects interacting with the environment without the use of other active scanning techniques, the success rate will be higher for mobile objects with relatively high transmission volume. In another acoustic energy embodiment, it is possible to transmit and absorb acoustic waves by projecting and detecting mechanical pressure differences.

For the avoidance of doubt, all optical technologies may be glass, plastic, disordered, coherent, exhibit lateral Anderson localization, or other optical or other relay technologies. Furthermore, nothing in the provided figures should imply, limit, specify, omit, require, or otherwise specify any single implementation or combination of technologies. Furthermore, the designs provided are conceptual and not to scale.

The various components within the framework may be mounted in a number of configurations, including but not limited to wall mounting, table mounting, head mounting, or other suitable implementations of the technology.

Although various embodiments according to the principles disclosed herein have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example only and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above, but should be defined solely in accordance with the claims issuing from this disclosure and their equivalents. Furthermore, the advantages and features described above are provided in the context of the described embodiments, and the application of such issued claims should not be limited to processes and structures that achieve any or all of the advantages described above.

It should be understood that the key features of this disclosure can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific methods described herein. Such equivalents are deemed to be within the scope of this disclosure and are encompassed by the claims.

In addition, the section headings herein are provided for the purpose of being consistent with the recommendations under 37 CFR 1.77, or to otherwise provide organizational cues. These headings should not limit or characterize the inventions set forth in any claims that may issue from this disclosure. Specifically, and by way of example, although a heading refers to a "Technical Field," such claims should not be limited by the language used to describe the so-called technical field under that heading. Furthermore, the description of the technology in the "Background" section should not be construed as an admission that the technology is prior art to any invention in this disclosure. Nor should the "Summary of the Invention" be considered a characterization of the invention set forth in the issued claims. Furthermore, any reference to "invention" in the singular should not be used to argue that there is only a single point of novelty in the present invention. Multiple inventions may be set forth according to the limitations of multiple claims issuing from this disclosure, and such claims accordingly define the inventions protected thereby and their equivalents. In all cases, the scope of such claims should be considered on their own merits in light of this disclosure and should not be construed as constrained by the headings set forth herein.

The word "a" when used in conjunction with the term "comprising" in the claims and/or specification may mean "one", and it also conforms to the meaning of "one or more", "at least one", and "one or more than one". Although the present disclosure supports reference to individual alternatives and the definition of "and/or", the term "or" used in the claims is used to mean "and/or" unless it is explicitly indicated that individual alternatives are being referred to or that the alternatives are mutually exclusive. Throughout this application, the term "about" is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error of the device, method used to determine the value, or the variation that exists between study subjects. In general but consistent with the foregoing discussion, the numerical values modified by approximate terms such as "about" herein may vary from the stated value by at least ±1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 or 15%.

As used in this specification and claims, the words "comprise" (and any form of comprising, such as "comprises" and "comprises"), "have" (and any form of having, such as "have" and "has"), "include" (and any form of including, such as "includes" and "include"), or "contain" (and any form of containing, such as "contains" and "contain") are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional unrecited elements or method steps.

Comparative, measurement, and timing terms such as "at," "equivalent to," "during," "completely," and the like should be understood to mean "substantially at," "substantially equivalent to," "substantially during," "substantially completely," and the like, where "substantially" means that such comparisons, measurements, and timings can be used to achieve the desired result, whether implicitly or explicitly stated. Terms such as "near," "close to," and "adjacent," relating to the relative position of elements, should mean sufficiently close to have a substantial effect on the interaction of the respective system elements. Other approximate terms similarly refer to certain conditions that, when so modified, are understood not to be necessarily absolute or perfect, but would be considered close enough to provide one skilled in the art with assurance that the specified conditions exist. The degree to which the description can be varied will depend on how much variation can be made and still allow one of ordinary skill in the art to recognize the modified feature as still having the desired properties and capabilities of the unmodified feature.

As used herein, the term "or combinations thereof" refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, A, B, C, or combinations thereof is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular situation, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, combinations containing repetitions of one or more items or clauses, such as BB, AAA, AB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, etc., are expressly included. One skilled in the art will appreciate that, unless otherwise apparent from the context, there is generally no limit to the number of items or clauses in any combination.

All compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and performed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. Although the compositions and methods of the present disclosure have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made to the compositions and/or methods, as well as in the steps or sequence of steps of the methods described herein, without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the present disclosure. All such similar substitutions and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (75)

1. A device for relaying energy waves, the device comprising: A repeater element formed by one or more structures, the repeater element having a first surface, a second surface, a lateral orientation, and a longitudinal orientation; The surface area of the first surface is different from that of the second surface; The repeater element includes an inclined profile portion between the first surface and the second surface; The energy waves propagating through the inclined profile portion travel generally parallel to the longitudinal direction because the transmission efficiency in the longitudinal direction is higher than the transmission efficiency in the lateral direction in the inclined profile portion. The energy wave transmitted through the repeater element causes spatial amplification or spatial shrinkage; and The energy that presents a uniform profile to the first surface passes through the second surface to substantially fill a light cone region having an opening angle of +/-10 degrees relative to the normal of the second surface, regardless of its position on the second surface. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy wave passing through the first surface has a first resolution, wherein the energy wave passing through the second surface has a second resolution, and wherein the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more structures comprise glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or mixtures thereof. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the repeater element comprises a plurality of elements stacked in the longitudinal orientation, wherein a first element of the plurality of elements comprises the first surface, and a second element of the plurality of elements comprises the second surface. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the first element and the second element causes spatial amplification of the energy wave. 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the first element and the second element causes spatial reduction of the energy wave. 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first element causes spatial amplification of the energy wave, and the second element causes spatial shrinkage of the energy wave. 8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first element causes spatial shrinkage of the energy wave, and the second element causes spatial amplification of the energy wave. 9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of elements arranged in the stack configuration comprise a plurality of panels. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of panels have different lengths. 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of panels are loosely coherent optical repeaters. 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inclined profile portion can be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the vertical axis of the repeater element. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the repeater element comprises a random variation in refractive index such that the energy wave is localized in the lateral orientation. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is configured to receive the energy wave from an energy source unit, the energy source unit comprising a mechanical housing having a width different from that of at least one of the first surface and the second surface. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the mechanical housing comprises a projection system having a lens, and a plurality of energy source panels disposed adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in various configurations, including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, vertical, or any combination thereof. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in a radially symmetrical configuration. 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the projection system includes focused energy transmission via a waveguide and further includes a telecentric lens repeater element at a non-aligned angle. 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is planar and the second surface is planar. 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is planar and the second surface is non-planar. 21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is non-planar and the second surface is planar. 22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is non-planar and the second surface is non-planar. 23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is concave and the second surface is concave. 24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is concave and the second surface is convex. 25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is convex and the second surface is concave. 26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first surface is convex and the second surface is convex. 27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein at least one of the first surface and the second surface is concave. 28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein at least one of the first surface and the second surface is convex. 29. A system for relaying energy waves, the system comprising: A plurality of repeater elements are arranged in a first direction and a second direction, wherein each of the plurality of repeater elements has a randomly varying refractive index and extends longitudinally between a first surface and a second surface of the respective repeater element, wherein the first surface and the second surface of each of the plurality of repeater elements extend substantially along a transverse orientation defined by the first direction and the second direction, wherein the longitudinal orientation is substantially perpendicular to the transverse orientation. Each of the plurality of repeater elements is configured to transmit energy along the longitudinal direction, and the energy wave propagating through the plurality of repeater elements has a higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal direction than in the lateral direction due to the random variability of the refractive index in the lateral direction and the minimum refractive index variation in the longitudinal direction, such that the energy is spatially localized in the lateral direction. 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the first and second surfaces of each of the plurality of repeater elements are substantially capable of bending along the lateral orientation. 31. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater elements are integrally formed in the first direction and the second direction. 32. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater elements are capable of being assembled in the first direction and the second direction. 33. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater elements are arranged in a matrix having a lateral orientation of at least 2x2. 34. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater elements comprises glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer or mixture thereof. 35. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater elements cause spatial amplification of the energy. 36. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater elements cause a spatial reduction of the energy. 37. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater elements comprises a plurality of panels. 38. The system of claim 37, wherein the plurality of panels have different lengths. 39. The system of claim 37, wherein the plurality of panels are loosely coherent optical repeaters. 40. The system of claim 29, wherein each of the plurality of repeater elements includes an inclined profile portion between the first surface and the second surface of the respective repeater element, and wherein the inclined profile portion can be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the vertical axis of the plurality of repeater elements. 41. The system of claim 29, wherein the first surface of each of the plurality of repeater elements is configured to receive energy from an energy source unit, the energy source unit comprising a mechanical housing having a width different from that of at least one of the first surface and the second surface. 42. The system of claim 41, wherein the mechanical housing comprises a projection system having a lens, and a plurality of energy source panels disposed adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof. 43. The system of claim 42, wherein the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in various configurations, including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, perpendicular, or any combination thereof. 44. The system of claim 42, wherein the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in a radially symmetrical configuration. 45. The system of claim 42, wherein the projection system includes focused energy transmission via a waveguide and further includes a telecentric lens repeater element at a non-aligned angle. 46. The system of claim 42, further comprising a bending energy source between the plurality of repeater elements and the projection system. 47. An apparatus for relaying energy waves, the apparatus comprising: A repeater element formed by one or more structures, the repeater element having a first surface, a second surface, a lateral orientation, and a longitudinal orientation; The surface area of the first surface is different from that of the second surface; The repeater element includes an inclined profile portion between the first surface and the second surface; The energy waves propagating through the inclined profile portion travel generally parallel to the longitudinal direction because the transmission efficiency in the longitudinal direction is higher than that in the transverse direction within the inclined profile portion. This causes the energy to be spatially localized in the transverse direction. The higher transmission efficiency in the longitudinal direction compared to the transverse direction is due to the random variability of the refractive index in the transverse direction and the minimum refractive index variation in the longitudinal direction. The energy wave transmitted through the repeater element causes spatial amplification or spatial shrinkage. 48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the energy wave passing through the first surface has a first resolution, wherein the energy wave passing through the second surface has a second resolution, and wherein the second resolution is not less than about 50% of the first resolution. 49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein one or more structures comprise glass, carbon, optical fiber, optical film, plastic, polymer, or mixtures thereof. 50. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the repeater element comprises a plurality of elements stacked in the longitudinal orientation, wherein a first element of the plurality of elements comprises the first surface, and a second element of the plurality of elements comprises the second surface. 51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein each of the first element and the second element causes spatial amplification of the energy wave. 52. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein each of the first element and the second element causes spatial reduction of the energy wave. 53. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the first element causes spatial amplification of the energy wave, and the second element causes spatial shrinkage of the energy wave. 54. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the first element causes spatial shrinkage of the energy wave, and the second element causes spatial amplification of the energy wave. 55. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the plurality of elements arranged in the stack configuration comprise a plurality of panels. 56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the plurality of panels have different lengths. 57. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the plurality of panels are loosely coherent optical repeaters. 58. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the inclined profile portion can be angled, linear, curved, tapered, faceted, or aligned at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the vertical axis of the repeater element. 59. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the repeater element comprises a random variation in refractive index such that the energy wave is localized in the lateral orientation. 60. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is configured to receive the energy wave from an energy source unit, the energy source unit comprising a mechanical housing having a width different from that of at least one of the first surface and the second surface. 61. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the mechanical housing comprises a projection system having a lens, and a plurality of energy source panels disposed adjacent to the lens, the plurality of energy source panels being planar, non-planar, or a combination thereof. 62. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in various configurations, including at least one of: tilted, aligned at an angle, staggered, on-axis, off-axis, rotated, parallel, vertical, or any combination thereof. 63. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein the plurality of energy source panels are arranged in a radially symmetrical configuration. 64. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein the projection system includes focused energy transmission via a waveguide and further includes a telecentric lens repeater element at a non-aligned angle. 65. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is planar and the second surface is planar. 66. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is planar and the second surface is non-planar. 67. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is non-planar and the second surface is planar. 68. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is non-planar and the second surface is non-planar. 69. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is concave and the second surface is concave. 70. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is concave and the second surface is convex. 71. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is convex and the second surface is concave. 72. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the first surface is convex and the second surface is convex. 73. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein at least one of the first surface and the second surface is concave. 74. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein at least one of the first surface and the second surface is convex. 75. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein energy presenting a uniform profile to the first surface passes through the second surface to substantially fill a light cone region having an opening angle of +/-10 degrees relative to the normal of the second surface, regardless of its position on the second surface.