Monday, August 12, 2019

The Return of Consumer Smart Glasses

Very interesting article, and Microvision is noticed.


Thanks Mike & Karen & John


LASER TO HOLOGRAPHIC COMBINER:

Pico-laser-based near-eye displays were pioneered by Microvision. With this kind of display system, a laser is bounced off a micro-mirror, mounted on a dual-axis gimbal. Early versions of these Microvision displays simply used a beam-splitter, otherwise known as a two-way mirror to combine the view of the real world with the view of virtual content. Over time, a more sophisticated optical combiner was developed, similar to the holographic waveguide. A series of micro-mirror-like holographic elements could be embedded inside a lens and the laser targeted at them, to reflect into the user’s eye. These laser displays—in their current form—have one distinct shortcoming compared to waveguides: a very narrow field of view (that being the width of the user’s view that can be augmented with virtual content). But as a competitor to waveguides, they also have a tremendous lens-crafters like Interglass of Switzerland, or Canadian consumer smartglasses brand, North, have shown that these kind of laser-based displays can be embedded within a traditional prescription lens. 

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North also has a patent to embed a waveguide within a prescription lens. Interglass says they’re also working on a waveguide within a prescription lens, and DigiLens have IP around a curved waveguide applied to the surface of a prescription lens. A representative from Interglass has suggested that a holographic waveguide embedded within a prescription lens should be expected in time for the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2020.
The waveguide display also requires a “light engine,” or micro-display to project into its input grating—the image source. These are also miniaturizing, getting brighter and falling in power consumption. 

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In future generations, expect lenses to combine displays with tunable focus lenses.

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