Methods and systems to use multicore fibers for augmented or virtual reality

Abstract

Configurations are disclosed for presenting virtual reality and augmented reality experiences to users. The system may comprise an image-generating source to provide one or more frames of image data in a time-sequential manner, a light modulator configured to transmit light associated with the one or more frames of image data, a substrate to direct image information to a user's eye, wherein the substrate houses a plurality of reflectors, a first reflector of the plurality of reflectors to reflect transmitted light associated with a first frame of image data at a first angle to the user's eye, and a second reflector to reflect transmitted light associated with a second frame of the image data at a second angle to the user's eye.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system to provide at least one of a virtual or an augmented reality experience to a user, the system comprising:
 a frame;   an array of micro-projectors carried by the frame and positionable in front of at least one eye of the user when the frame is worn by the user; and   a local controller communicatively coupled to the array of micro-projectors to provide image information to the micro-projectors, the local controller comprising at least one processor, and at least one nontransitory processor readable media communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one nontransitory processor readable media which stores at last one of processor-executable instructions or data, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to at least one of process, cache, and store data and provide the image information to the micro-projectors to produce at least one of a virtual or an augmented reality visual experience to the user.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least one reflector supported by the frame and positioned and oriented to direct light from the micro-projectors toward at least one eye of the user when the frame is worn by the user.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the micro-projectors comprise respective ones of a plurality of scanning fiber displays. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each of the scanning fiber displays has a respective collimating lens at a distal tip thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the respective collimating lens is a gradient refractive index (GRIN) lens. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the respective collimating lens is a curved lens. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the respective collimating lens is fused to the distal tip of the respective scanning fiber display. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the scanning fiber displays has a respective diffractive lens at a distal tip thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each of the scanning fiber displays has a respective diffuser at a distal tip thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the diffuser is etched into the respective distal tip. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each of the scanning fiber displays has a respective lens at a distal tip thereof, the lens which extends from the distal tip by a sufficient distance as to freely vibrate in response to a stimulus. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each of the scanning fiber displays has a respective reflector at a distal tip thereof, the reflector which extends from the distal tip by a sufficient distance as to freely vibrate in response to a stimulus. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein scanning fiber displays each includes a respective single mode optical fiber. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12  wherein scanning fiber displays each include a respective mechanical transducer coupled to move at least a distal tip of the single mode optical fiber. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the respective mechanical transducers are each piezoelectric actuators. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13  wherein each the single mode optical fiber cores has a distal tip, the distal tips having a hemispherical lens shape. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13  wherein each the single mode optical fiber cores has a distal tip, the distal tips having a refractive lens affixed thereto. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a transparent holder substrate which retains the plurality of single mode optical fiber cores together.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the transparent holder substrate has a refractive index that at least approximately matches a refractive index of a cladding of the single mode optical fiber cores. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the transparent holder substrate retains the plurality of single mode optical fiber cores each angled toward a common spot. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 at least one mechanical transducer coupled to move the plurality of single mode optical fiber cores in unison.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one mechanical transducer vibrates the plurality of single mode optical fiber cores at a mechanical resonant frequency of the single mode optical fiber cores a portion of which are cantilevered out from the transparent holder substrate. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the micro-projectors comprise respective ones of a plurality of planar waveguides, a portion of each of the planar waveguides which extends cantilevered from a holder substrate. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 at least one mechanical transducer coupled to move the plurality of planar waveguides in unison.   
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24  wherein the at least one mechanical transducer vibrates the holder substrate at a mechanical resonant frequency of the planar waveguides. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 24  wherein the micro-projectors comprise respective ones of a plurality of piezoelectric actuators coupled to move respective ones of the planar waveguides with respect to the holder substrate. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 24  wherein the planar waveguides each define an totally internally reflective path along a respective length of the planar waveguide, and the planar waveguides comprise respective ones of a plurality of electronically switchable diffractive optical elements (DOEs) operable to propagate light outward of the respective totally internally reflective path. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the array of micro-projectors comprises an array of optical fiber cores, each having a distal tip and at least one bevel edge. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the at least one bevel edge is at the distal tip, and the distal tip is a polished distal tip. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29  wherein each of the optical fiber cores has a reflective surface at the respective distal tip thereof. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the distal tip has an output edge at the distal tip at a defined critical angle to a longitudinal axis of the respective optical fiber. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31  wherein the defined critical angle is an approximately forty-five (45) degree to the longitudinal axis of the respective optical fiber. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a focusing lens in an optical path of light exiting the distal ends of the optical fiber cores, to receive a plurality of beams of the light, the beams out of phase with one another.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least one transducer coupled to move at least one of the optical fiber cores in an X-Y Cartesian coordinate system, to move light emitted by the at least one optical fiber in an X-Z Cartesian coordinate system.   
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one transducer is a first piezoelectric actuator that resonates a cantilevered portion of the optical fiber cores in a direction perpendicular to a direction at which the cantilevered portions extend. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35  wherein the optical fiber cores comprise a thin ribbon of optical fiber cores. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 32  wherein the at least one transducer is a second piezoelectric actuator that moves at least the cantilevered portion of the optical fiber cores in a direction longitudinal to the direction at which the cantilevered portions extend. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37  wherein the microprojectors include at least one a single axis mirror operable to provide a slow scan along a longitudinal axis of at least one of the optical fiber cores. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the array of optical fiber cores comprises a multicore fiber. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39  wherein the multicore fiber includes a plurality of approximately seven sparsely positioned clusters within a single conduit, each cluster comprising three optical fiber cores, each optical fiber to carry a respective one of three different colors of light. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 39  wherein the multicore fiber includes a plurality of approximately nineteen sparsely positioned clusters within a single conduit, each cluster comprising three optical fiber cores, each optical fiber to carry a respective one of three different colors of light to produce a triad of overlapped spots of three different colors. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 39  wherein the multicore fiber includes at least one cluster within a single conduit, the cluster comprising at least three optical fiber cores, each, each of the optical fiber cores to carry at least two different colors of light. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 42  wherein the multicore fiber includes at least one cluster within a single conduit, the at least one cluster comprising four optical fiber cores, each optical fiber to carry a respective one of four different colors of light, where one of the four colors is infrared or near-infrared. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 42  wherein the multicore fiber includes a plurality of cores in a tight bundle, and further comprising:
 at least one transducer coupled to move the cores in a sparse spiral pattern. 
 
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the at least one bevel edge is spaced inwardly from the distal tip. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the at least one bevel edge is polished. 
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 46 , further comprising:
 at least one transducer coupled to move at least one of the optical fiber cores in an X-Y Cartesian coordinate system, to move light emitted by the at least one optical fiber in an X-Z Cartesian coordinate system.   
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 45 , further comprising:
 a focusing lens in an optical path of light exiting the bevel edges of the optical fiber cores, to receive a plurality of beams of the light, the beams out of phase with one another.   
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 a laser;   at least one phase modulator that optically couples an output of the laser to a number of cores of the multicore fiber to achieve mutual coherence.   
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 49 , further comprising:
 a lenslet array optically coupled upstream of an input end of respective ones of a number of cores of the multicore fiber; and   a prism array optically coupled between the plurality of collimation lenses and the input end of the cores of the multicore fiber to deflect light from the lenslet array to the cores of the multicore fiber.   
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 50 , further comprising:
 a lenslet array optically coupled upstream of an input end of respective ones of a number of cores of the multicore fiber; and   a shared focusing lens optically coupled between the lenslet array and the input end of the cores of the multicore fiber to deflect light from the lenslet array to the cores of the multicore fiber.   
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 28  wherein the array of micro-projectors further comprises at least one reflector, the at least one reflector operable to produce scan pattern and optically coupled to the array of optical fiber cores. 
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 52  wherein the at least one reflector is operable to produce at least one of a raster scan pattern, a Lissajous scan pattern, or a spiral scan pattern of a multifocal beam. 
     
     
         54 . The system of  claim 28  wherein each core of the multicore fiber addresses a respective part of an image plane without overlap. 
     
     
         55 . The system of  claim 28  wherein each core of the multicore fiber addresses a respective part of an image plane with substantial overlap.