Field of view of limitations in see-through HMD using geometric waveguides

Geometric waveguides are being integrated into head-mounted display (HMD) systems, where having see-through capability in a compact, lightweight form factor is required. We developed methods for determining the field of view (FOV) of such waveguide HMD systems and have analytically derived the FOV for waveguides using planar and curved geometries. By using real ray-tracing methods, we are able to show how the geometry and index of refraction of the waveguide, as well as the properties of the coupling optics, impact the FOV. Use of this analysis allows one to determine the maximum theoretical FOV of a planar or curved waveguide-based system.