The U.S and European Patent Offices recently published a granted patent from Meta regarding their future Orion smartglasses. Meta notes that a main challenge in compact optical systems, such as small form factor devices, is providing size-efficient, effective camera modules. The number and size of components and lenses in conventional modules may add a thickness above an image sensor, which may not be ideal for compact designs. Many optical systems and devices, including but not limited to wearable devices, glasses, gaming devices, artificial reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR)/mixed reality (MR) systems, may require compact cameras, and/or an internal camera placement (e.g., inside a glasses frame) to appropriately hide and/or protect the sensitive components from an external environment.

Meta's granted patent covers toptical lens systems, computer program products, and image forming methods utilizing liquid crystal metasurfaces. Exemplary embodiments may include a lens system comprising a first optical lens, a liquid crystal metasurface formed on the first optical lens, and a pair of electrodes for the first optical lens, and positioned on opposite sides of the first optical lens.

The pair of electrodes may comprise an optical trace, e.g., a metal trace, configured to individually regulate the characteristic and/or functionality of the liquid crystals through the individual electrodes (e.g., tune) sections of the liquid crystal metasurface and adjust an optical characteristic of the optical signal.

A waveguide may be configured to receive an optical signal passing through the first optical lens, and a liquid crystal reflector may further direct the optical signal to the waveguide.

An image sensor may be configured to receive the optical figure from the waveguide and form an image, e.g., on a display and/or in real-time.

In various exemplary embodiments, the tunable optical characteristics may include at least one of amplitude, phase, or polarization. In exemplary embodiments, the electrodes may tune a plurality of sections individually, and optionally simultaneously.

For example, the electrodes may tune five sections of the optical lens, and at least three concentric regions. In some other examples, the electrodes may tune any other suitable number of sections of the optical lens, and any other suitable number of concentric regions.

In some exemplary embodiments, the liquid crystal metasurface may be tuned to focus the optical signal within a wavelength range of an image sensor. For example, the wavelength range may correspond to a color range, such as red, green, or blue wavelength ranges. In some exemplary embodiments, lens systems may tune the optical signals based on feedback provided by the image sensor.

Optical lenses may be a Fresnel lens. Some exemplary lens system embodiments may have a thickness of 10-15 micrometers. The liquid crystal metasurface may be comprised of one or more of diamond, cubic zirconia (CZ), aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), zinc tellurium (ZnTe), amorphous silicon (a-Si), or silicon carbide (SiC). The pair of electrodes may be formed from at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), titanium oxide (TiO.sub.2), silver tellurium (AgTe), or silver selenium (AgSe).

Exemplary embodiments may comprise a second optical lens positioned between the first optical lens and the waveguide, the second optical lens comprising a second liquid crystal metasurface tunable by a second pair of electrodes positioned on opposite sides of the second optical lens. Optical lenses may have different transparencies. Systems, methods, and devices in accordance with exemplary embodiments herein may include a head-mounted optical device(s), such as gaming devices, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality devices, and other image forming devices.

Meta's patent FIG. 3 below illustrates layers of the optical lens. An optical lens may include a bottom electrode #310, a metasurface #320, liquid crystals #330, and a top electrode #340. Each element of the optical lens may be stacked, such that bottom electrode is beneath the metasurface, the liquid crystals are provided on the metasurface and the top electrode forms the top of the stack.

Meta's patent FIG. 9 below illustrates an optical system #900 utilizing the lens systems including a wearable device #930. In various exemplary embodiments, the incorporation of liquid crystal metasurfaces on individual optical elements may be placed on a lens, such as glasses or other eyewear lenses and head-mounted devices.

A plurality of optical lenses 910a, 910b, and 910c may be applied in the optical system, and may correspond to respective image sensors 920a, 920b, 920c. The optical lenses 910a, 910b, 910c may also be referred to herein as lens systems 910a, 910b, 910c.

Meta's patent FIG. 10 above illustrates a tuning method. A combination of two optical lenses (Lens 1, #1010 and Lens 2, #1020), each having liquid crystals #1070 deposited on a metasurface #1080, and waveguide grating #1030 form a lens system #1040 that may receive an optical input and focus a range of wavelengths of the optical input onto the waveguide grating #1030 for transfer of light toward an image sensor #1060. The image sensor #1060 may be positioned on a mount #1050, such as a frame of a head-worn device, e.g., glasses (e.g., AR glasses), or other eyewear piece.

In an exemplary embodiment, the optical lenses may be Fresnel lenses, and may provide the ability to zoom in and out to capture a region of interest. In some other exemplary embodiments, the optical lenses may be any other suitable lenses.

The liquid crystal metasurface of each lens may be adaptable, and may be changed, for example, based on the zoom factor of the region of interest. In various examples, the wavelength ranges may correspond to a color range, such as a red, green, or blue color. Multiple lens systems may be implemented, for example, such that each of the lens systems focuses a different wavelength range to one or more image sensors.

In other Meta news today, Ray-Ban Meta glasses are the top selling product in 60% of Ray-Ban stores in EMEA.

EMEA is a geographical region encompassing Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, typically used as a global division by companies.

The revelation comes from EssilorLuxottica's CFO Stefano Grassi on the company's Q3 2024 earnings call. EssilorLuxottica is Ray-Ban's parent company, which has a near monopoly on the eyewear market worldwide and also owns other iconic brands like Oakley. For more, read the full report by UploadVR.