Mems projector using multiple laser sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018288366-A1
Application number	US-201715471333-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 28, 2017
Priority date	Mar 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an electronic device including a first laser source configured to project a first laser beam, and a second laser source configured to project a second laser beam in alignment with the first laser beam in a first direction but at an angle with respect to the first laser beam in a second direction. A mirror apparatus is positioned so as to reflect the first and second laser beams. Control circuitry is configured to control the mirror apparatus to simultaneously reflect the first and second laser beams in a first scan pattern to form an first image, the first image formed from the first scan pattern having a number of scan lines greater than two times a horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by a desired frame rate of the first image.

First claim

1 . An electronic device, comprising:
a first laser source configured to project a first laser beam; a second laser source configured to project a second laser beam in alignment with the first laser beam in a first direction but at an angle with respect to the first laser beam in a second direction; a mirror apparatus positioned so as to reflect the first and second laser beams; and control circuitry configured to control the mirror apparatus to simultaneously reflect the first and second laser beams in a first scan pattern to form an first image, the first image formed from the first scan pattern having a number of scan lines greater than two times a horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by a desired frame rate of the first image.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that the number of scan lines of the first scan pattern are equal to four times the horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by the desired frame rate of the first image.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control the mirror apparatus to simultaneously reflect the first and second laser beams in a second scan pattern different than the first scan pattern to form a second image, the second image formed from the second scan pattern having a number of scan lines equal to greater than two times the horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by a frame rate of the second image.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the second image is formed from the second scan pattern having a number of scan lines equal to four times the horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by a frame rate of the second image; and wherein the first image is formed from the first scan pattern having a number of scan lines equal to four times the horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by a frame rate of the first image.

5 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that, in the second scan pattern, the first and second laser beams are vertically offset from their positions in the first scan pattern by at least one scan line.

6 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus so as to alternate between the first scan pattern and the second scan pattern.

7 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that, in the first scan pattern, the first laser beam begins scanning from a first edge of an outer perimeter scan line and the second laser beam begins scanning from a second edge of the outer perimeter scan line.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that, in the second scan pattern, the first laser beam begins scanning from a middle of the outer perimeter scan line and the second laser beam begins scanning from the middle of the outer perimeter scan line.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that, in the first scan pattern, the first laser beam and second laser beam remain horizontally synchronized during scanning of a plurality of scan lines.

10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction; and wherein the second direction is a vertical direction.

11 . An electronic device, comprising:
a first laser source configured to project a first unified RGB laser beam; a second laser source configured to project a second unified RGB laser beam in alignment with the first unified RGB laser beam in a first direction but at an angle with respect to the first unified RGB laser beam in a second direction; wherein the first laser source projects the first unified RGB laser beam at the same time as the second laser source projects the second unified RGB laser beam such that both the first and second unified RGB laser beams are simultaneously projected; a mirror apparatus positioned so as to simultaneously receive and reflect the first and second unified RGB laser beams; and control circuitry configured to
control the mirror apparatus to simultaneously reflect the first and second unified RGB laser beams in a first scan pattern at a first time to form a first frame in which both of the first and second unified RGB laser beams are simultaneously displayed; and
control the mirror apparatus to simultaneously reflect the first and second unified RGB laser beams in a second scan pattern different than the first scan pattern at a second time after the first time to form a second frame different than the first frame and in which both of the first and second unified RGB laser beams are simultaneously displayed.

12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein, in the second scan pattern, the first and second unified RGB laser beams are vertically offset from their positions in the first scan pattern by at least one scan line.

13 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus so as to alternate between the first scan pattern and the second scan pattern.

14 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that, in the first scan pattern, the first unified RGB laser beam begins scanning from a first edge of an outer perimeter scan line and the second unified RGB laser beam begins scanning from a second edge of the outer perimeter scan line.

15 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that, in the second scan pattern, the first unified RGB laser beam begins scanning from a middle of the outer perimeter scan line and the second unified RGB laser beam begins scanning from the middle of the outer perimeter scan line.

16 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry controls the mirror apparatus such that, in the first scan pattern, the first unified RGB laser beam and second unified RGB laser beam remain horizontally synchronized during scanning of a plurality of scan lines.

17 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction; and wherein the second direction is a vertical direction.

18 . A method, comprising:
projecting a first unified RGB laser beam from a first laser source and at a same time as projecting a second unified RGB laser beam from a second laser source; using a mirror to alternate between:
simultaneously receiving and reflecting the first and second unified RGB laser beams in a first scan pattern at a first time to form a first frame in which both the first and second unified RGB laser beams are simultaneously displayed, and
simultaneously receiving and reflecting the first and second unified RGB laser beams in a second scan pattern different than the first scan pattern and at a second time after the first time to form a second frame different than the first frame, in which both the first and second unified RGB laser beams are simultaneously displayed.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein, in the second scan pattern, the first and second unified RGB laser beams are vertically offset from their positions in the first scan pattern by at least one scan line.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wh

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Ltd

Inventors

• Adler Gilad
• Sourani Sason

Classifications

• H04N9/3129

  scanning a light beam on the display screen (scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161) · CPC title

• H04N7/0127 Primary

  by changing the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal, e.g. frame rate converter · CPC title

• H04N9/3161

  using laser light sources (using laser beams scanning the display screen H04N9/3129) · CPC title

• G09G3/02 Primary

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

• H04N9/3188

  Scale or resolution adjustment (scaling in general G06T3/40; resolution modifying circuits for displays in general G09G5/391) · CPC title