Stephen James Mcnally

US Patent:

20230024805, Jan 26, 2023

Filed:

Oct 4, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/959838

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Scott Charles McEldowney - Redmond WA, US
Stephen John Holmes - Glasgow, GB
Chadwick Brian Martin - Tucson AZ, US
Stephen James McNally - Sammamish WA, US
John Goward - Redmond WA, US

International Classification:

G02B 27/01
F21V 8/00
G02B 26/08
G02B 26/10
G02B 6/26

Abstract:

A light source or projector for a near-eye display includes a light source subassembly optically coupled to a waveguide concentrator. The light source subassembly may include several semiconductor chips each hosting an array of emitters such s superluminescent light-emitting diodes. The semiconductor chips may be disposed side-by-side, with their emitting sides or facets coupled to the waveguide concentrator, which provides a tight array of output light ports on a common output plane of the concentrator. The output diverging beams at the array of output light ports are coupled to a collimator, which collimates the beams and couples them to an angular scanner for scanning the collimated light beams together across the field of view of the display.

US Patent:

20210072542, Mar 11, 2021

Filed:

Sep 6, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/562878

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Weichuan Gao - Redmond WA, US
Stephen James McNally - Sammamish WA, US

International Classification:

G02B 27/01
G02B 26/10
G02B 27/28
G02B 17/02

Abstract:

A beam scanner of a projector-based near-eye display includes a prismatic element with a reflective polarizer and a quarter-wave waveplate (QWP). The beam-folding prismatic element receives a polarized light beam from a light source and couples the beam to a tiltable reflector, e.g. a 2D tiltable MEMS reflector, for angular scanning the beam. The light beam impinging onto the tiltable reflector is separated from the light beam reflected from the tiltable reflector by polarization. The polarization-based separation is achieved by causing the light beam to propagate through the QWP before and after impinging onto the tiltable reflector. Upon double propagation of the light beam through the QWP, the beam changes its polarization to an orthogonal polarization, which enables its separation from the impinging beam. The beam scanner may receive multiple light beams from multiple light sources. A projector and a near-eye display based on such beam scanners are also disclosed.

US Patent:

20200310120, Oct 1, 2020

Filed:

May 2, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/401533

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Scott Charles McEldowney - Redmond WA, US
Stephen John Holmes - Redmond WA, US
Chadwick Brian Martin - Kirkland WA, US
Stephen James McNally - Sammamish WA, US
John Goward - Redmond WA, US

International Classification:

G02B 27/01
F21V 8/00
G02B 26/10
G02B 26/08

Abstract:

A light source or projector for a near-eye display includes a light source subassembly optically coupled to a waveguide concentrator. The light source subassembly may include several semiconductor chips each hosting an array of emitters such s superluminescent light-emitting diodes. The semiconductor chips may be disposed side-by-side, with their emitting sides or facets coupled to the waveguide concentrator, which provides a tight array of output light ports on a common output plane of the concentrator. The output diverging beams at the array of output light ports are coupled to a collimator, which collimates the beams and couples them to an angular scanner for scanning the collimated light beams together across the field of view of the display.

US Patent:

20200310122, Oct 1, 2020

Filed:

Jul 9, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/506899

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Chadwick Brian MARTIN - Kirkland WA, US
Scott Charles MCELDOWNEY - Redmond WA, US
Maxwell PARSONS - Berkeley CA, US
Stephen James MCNALLY - Sammamish WA, US
Daniel Guenther GREIF - Redmond WA, US

International Classification:

G02B 27/01

Abstract:

A light source includes a first set of source elements and a second set of source elements. A respective set of source elements is disposed on a respective substrate and electrically coupled to a respective set of circuit pads formed on a respective top surface of the respective substrate by respective bond wires. At least a portion of the respective top surfaces face each other and are spaced apart from each other to accommodate at least some of the first set of source elements, at least some of the second set of source elements, and at least some of the bond wires. The display device that includes a light source configured to output image light, an optical assembly configured to collimate the image light, a scanning assembly configured to steer the image light, and an output device configured to output the image light for displaying images is also disclosed.

US Patent:

20180096458, Apr 5, 2018

Filed:

Aug 23, 2017

Appl. No.:

15/684769

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Douglas Robert Lanman - Bellevue WA, US
Nicholas Daniel Trail - Bothell WA, US
Scott Charles McEldowney - Redmond WA, US
Stephen James McNally - Woodinville WA, US

International Classification:

G06T 3/40
G06T 1/20
G06T 11/00
G06F 3/01
G06F 3/0346

Abstract:

A head-mounted display (HMD) divides an image into a high resolution (HR) inset portion at a first resolution, a peripheral portion, and a transitional portion. The peripheral portion is downsampled to a second resolution that is less than the first resolution. The transitional portion is blended such that there is a smooth change in resolution that corresponds to a change in resolution between a fovea region and a non-fovea region of a retina. An inset region is generated using the HR inset portion and the blended transitional portion, and a background region is generated using the downsampled peripheral portion. The inset region is provided to a HR inset display, and the background region is provided to a peripheral display. An optics block combines the displayed inset region with the displayed background region to generate composite content.

US Patent:

20180096471, Apr 5, 2018

Filed:

Oct 4, 2016

Appl. No.:

15/284894

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Douglas Robert Lanman - Bellevue WA, US
Nicholas Daniel Trail - Bothell WA, US
Scott Charles McEldowney - Redmond WA, US
Stephen James McNally - Woodinville WA, US

International Classification:

G06T 5/50
G06F 3/01
G02B 27/10

Abstract:

A head-mounted display (HMD) that includes a high resolution (HR) inset display and a peripheral display. The HR inset display is configured to display an inset region that includes a portion of an image at a first resolution that corresponds to a resolution of a fovea region of a human eye. The peripheral display displays a background region, the background region having a second resolution that is less than the first resolution, the second resolution corresponding to a resolution of a non-fovea region of the human eye. The HMD includes an optics block that combines the inset region and the background region to create composite content at retinal resolution, and direct the composite content to an exit pupil of the HMD corresponding to a location of an eye of a user of the HMD.

US Patent:

20170358136, Dec 14, 2017

Filed:

Jun 10, 2016

Appl. No.:

15/179883

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Stephen James McNally - Woodinville WA, US
Ying Geng - Redmond WA, US
Brian Wheelwright - Sammamish WA, US
Douglas Robert Lanman - Bellevue WA, US

International Classification:

G06T 19/00
G02B 27/01
G06F 3/01

Abstract:

A virtual scene presented on a display of a virtual reality headset can be adjusted using a varifocal element by changing the shape of one or more optical elements of a pancake lens block, by varying the distance between the two optical elements, or both, based on where in a virtual scene a user is looking. The headset tracks a user's eyes to determine a vergence depth from gaze lines in order to accommodate the user's eye for the determined vergence depth. Accordingly, the shape of one or more optical elements is adjusted, the distance between the two optical elements, or both, is changed to focus light from the display of the virtual reality headset at the vergence depth to keep the user's eye in a zone of comfort as vergence and accommodation change.

US Patent:

20170255015, Sep 7, 2017

Filed:

Feb 24, 2017

Appl. No.:

15/441738

Inventors:

- Menlo Park CA, US
Jacques Gollier - Redmond WA, US
Stephen James McNally - Woodinville WA, US
Brett Joseph Bryars - Santa Rosa CA, US
Scott Charles McEldowney - Redmond WA, US

International Classification:

G02B 27/01
G02B 5/30
G02B 27/28
G02B 27/00
F21V 8/00

Abstract:

A head mounted display (HMD) includes a field curvature corrected (FC) display to mitigate field curvature in an image that is output to a user's eyes. The FC display includes elements that generate the image light and elements to mitigate field curvature from the image light. The FC display may include a display panel with lenses, a display panel with a reflective polarizer and reflective surface, or other optical elements. The FC display may include a pancake lens configuration including a polarized display with a quarter wave plate, a reflective mirror, and a polarization reflective mirror.