Scanning display systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11875714-B2
Application number	US-201916554312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2019
Priority date	Sep 14, 2018
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

A display system may display image frames. The system may include a scanning mirror and an array of staggered light emitting elements. The light emitting elements may emit image light and collimating optics may direct the light at the scanning mirror, which reflects the image light while rotating about an axis. Control circuitry may selectively activate the light emitting elements across tangential and sagittal axes of the image frame while controlling the scanning mirror to scan across the sagittal axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device configured to display an image having pixels, comprising:
a scanning mirror;
a first array of light sources configured to emit first light and having a first pitch; and
a second array of light sources configured to emit second light and having a second pitch different from the first pitch, wherein the scanning mirror is configured to display a first column of pixels in the image using the first light while rotating about an axis at a scanning frequency, and wherein the scanning mirror is configured to display a second column of pixels in the image using the second light while rotating about the axis at the scanning frequency.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the first array comprises a 1.5D array, the light sources in the first array being arranged in diagonal rows and aligned vertical columns.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 , wherein the 1.5D array has a first number of diagonal rows and a second number of aligned vertical columns, the first number being at least 10 times the second number.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 2 , wherein the second array of light sources comprises an additional array of light sources arranged in diagonal rows and aligned vertical columns, the first array of light sources is configured to emit the first image light at a first wavelength, and the second array of light sources is configured to emit the second image light at a second wavelength that is different from the first wavelength.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 , further comprising:
a first diffraction grating configured to diffract the first light in a first direction after reflection off of the scanning mirror; and
a second diffraction grating configured to diffract the second light in a second direction after reflection off of the scanning mirror.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising an array of microlenses aligned with each of the light sources in the first array and an array of contact pads that are coupled to the light sources and that are misaligned with respect to at least some of the light sources in the first array.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional array of light sources configured to emit infrared light reflected by the scanning mirror.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 , further comprising:
an array of infrared light sensors configured to receive a reflected version of the infrared light from the scanning mirror.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the first pitch is between 10 and 50 microns.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 , wherein the pixels in the displayed first column of pixels in the image have a pixel pitch less than 10 microns.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the scanning frequency is less than or equal to 240 Hz.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the light sources comprise light sources selected from the group consisting of: vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), resonant cavity light emitting diodes (RCLEDs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), and micro light emitting diodes (μLEDs).

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising a housing that encloses the scanning mirror and the first and second arrays, wherein the housing has a window and the scanning mirror is configured to reflect the image light through the window.

14. Apparatus comprising:
a display system configured to display an image and comprising an array of light sources configured to produce light reflected by a scanning mirror; and
one or more processors configured to selectively activate the light sources in the array across a first axis while the scanning mirror scans across a second axis at a scanning frequency, the scanning mirror being configured to rotate at different speeds in different regions of the image.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 , one or more processors being configured to dynamically adjust a brightness of each light source in the array of light sources.

16. An electronic device comprising:
an array of light sources arranged in rows and columns and configured to emit light; and
a scanning mirror configured to reflect the light while scanning across an axis, the scanning mirror being configured to rotate at a first speed over a first set of angles and at a second speed that is different than the first speed over a second set of angles that is different from the first set of angles.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the first set of angles correspond to a central region of an image and the second set of angles correspond to a peripheral region of the image.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the scanning mirror is configured to rotate at a first speed in a first region of the image and a second speed in a second region of the image, the second region surrounds the first region, the first region comprises a central region of the image, and the second region comprises a peripheral region of the image.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hajati Arman
• Upton Robert S
• Gerson Yuval

Classifications

• G09G3/02 Primary

  by tracing or scanning a light beam on a screen · CPC title

• G02B6/4204

  the coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms (encapsulated active devices H01S5/02208) · CPC title

• G02B17/06

  using mirrors only {, i.e. having only one curved mirror (used in non-imaging applications G02B19/00)} · CPC title

• G02B26/0816

  by means of one or more reflecting elements · CPC title

• G02B26/101 Primary

  with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners (colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129) · CPC title