Scanning platforms for scanning laser devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759909-B1
Application number	US-201615370329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 6, 2016
Priority date	Dec 6, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

Scanning platforms for use in scanning laser devices are described herein. These scanning platforms are particularly applicable to scanning laser devices that use microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structures to facilitate mirror motion. The scanning platforms include a centrally located stationary mount portion and a movable portion that surrounds the stationary portion. The movable portion is configured to be coupled to a mirror and to facilitate motion of that mirror. Such a scanning platform can facilitate reduced size in scanning mirror assembly, and thus can facilitate a more compact scanning laser device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A scanning platform for moveably coupling a mirror to a die carrier in a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner assembly, the scanning platform comprising:
a stationary mount portion located in a central portion of the scanning platform, the stationary mount portion configured to couple to the die carrier of the MEMS scanner assembly;
a movable portion configured to couple to the mirror, the movable portion substantially surrounding the stationary mount portion and having a coil trace formed thereon; and
at least one flexure flexibly coupling the stationary mount portion to the movable portion to thereby permit movement of the movable portion with respect to the stationary mount portion in response to electromagnetic interactions between the coil trace of the movable portion and an applied electromagnetic field.

2. The scanning platform of claim 1 , wherein the scanning platform is formed without a stationary external frame surrounding the movable portion.

3. The scanning platform of claim 1 , wherein the mirror is fixedly coupled to the movable portion via at least one mirror attachment structure.

4. The scanning platform of claim 3 , wherein the stationary mount portion, the movable portion and the at least one flexure of the scanning platform are all formed on a common substrate using MEMS techniques, and wherein the mirror is formed separately from the scanning platform and attached to the scanning platform.

5. The scanning platform of claim 1 , wherein the coil trace of the movable portion circumscribes the stationary mount portion so that the stationary mount portion is located in a center of the coil trace.

6. The scanning platform of claim 1 , wherein the movable portion includes at least one opening proximate an intersection of the at least one flexure and the movable portion to relieve stress between the stationary portion and the movable portion.

7. The scanning platform of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flexure comprises two flexures, wherein the two flexures are located on opposing sides of the stationary mount portion and extend outwardly from the stationary mount portion to the movable portion.

8. The scanning platform of claim 1 , wherein the movable portion includes a first side and s second side opposite the first side, and wherein the coil trace is formed on the first side of the movable portion and where the second side of the movable portion is configured to couple to the mirror.

9. The scanning platform of claim 1 , wherein the scanning platform has a width and a length, and wherein the mirror has a width and a length, and wherein at least one of the scanning platform width and scanning platform length is equal to or less than a corresponding one of the mirror width and the mirror length.

10. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner assembly, comprising:
a mirror;
a die carrier, the die carrier including a first electrical connector; and
a scanning platform having a first side facing toward the die carrier and an opposing second side facing toward the mirror, the scanning platform comprising:
a stationary mount portion located in a central portion of the scanning platform, wherein the first side of the stationary mount is rigidly coupled to the die carrier of the MEMS scanner, the stationary mount portion including a second electrical connector coupled to the first electrical connector;
a movable portion surrounding the stationary mount portion, the movable portion having a coil trace and being rigidly coupled to the mirror, the coil trace electrically coupled to the second electrical connector; and
at least one flexure flexibly coupling the stationary mount portion to the movable portion to thereby permit movement of the of the movable portion and the mirror with respect to the stationary mount portion in response to electromagnetic interactions between the coil trace of the movable portion and an applied electromagnetic field.

11. The MEMS scanner assembly of claim 10 , wherein the mirror is rigidly coupled to the movable portion through a mirror attachment structure that offsets the mirror from the scanning platform.

12. The MEMS scanner assembly of claim 10 , wherein the coil trace of the movable portion circumscribes the stationary mount portion so that the stationary mount portion is located in a center of the coil trace.

13. The MEMS scanner assembly of claim 10 , wherein the die carrier is mounted in proximity to at least one magnet, the at least one magnet configured to generate the applied electromagnetic field.

14. The MEMS scanner assembly of claim 10 , wherein the stationary mount portion, the movable portion and the at least one flexure of the scanning platform are all formed on a common substrate using MEMS techniques, and wherein the mirror is formed separately from the scanning platform and attached to the scanning platform.

15. A scanning laser device, comprising:
at least one source of laser light, the at least one source of laser light configured to generate a laser beam;
a first scanning mirror configured to reflect the laser beam;
a scanning platform comprising;
a stationary mount portion located in a central portion of the scanning platform, the stationary mount rigidly coupled to a die carrier;
a movable portion rigidly coupled to the first scanning mirror, the movable portion surrounding the stationary mount portion and having a coil trace formed thereon; and
at least one flexure flexibly coupling the stationary mount portion to the movable portion to thereby permit movement of the movable portion and the first scanning mirror with respect to the stationary mount portion in response to electromagnetic interactions between the coil trace of the movable portion and an applied electromagnetic field; and

a drive circuit configured to provide a signal to the coil trace to excite motion of the first scanning mirror in the applied electromagnetic field in order to reflect the laser beam in a pattern of scan lines.

16. The scanning laser device of claim 15 , wherein the mirror is fixedly coupled to the movable portion via at least one mirror attachment structure.

17. The scanning laser device of claim 16 , wherein the stationary mount portion, the movable portion and the at least one flexure of the scanning platform are all formed on a common substrate using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques, and wherein the mirror is formed separately from the scanning platform and attached to the scanning platform.

18. The scanning laser device of claim 15 , wherein the coil trace of the movable portion circumscribes the stationary mount portion so that the stationary mount portion is located in a center of the coil trace.

19. The scanning laser device of claim 15 , wherein the movable portion includes at least one opening proximate an intersection the at least one flexure and the movable portion to relieve stress between the stationary portion and the movable portion.

20. The scanning laser device of claim 15 , wherein the at least one flexure comprises two flexures, wherein the two flexures are located on opposing sides of the stationary mount portion and extend outwardly from the stationary mount portion to the movable portion.

21. The scanning laser device of claim 15 , wherein the movable portion includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, and wherein the coil trace is formed on the first side of the movable portion and where the second side of the movable portion is configured to cou

Assignees

• Microvision Inc

Inventors

• Tauscher Jason B
• Davis Wyatt O
• Brown Dean R
• Bowman David Roy
• Collet Roeland
• Helsel Mark P
• Castro Gabriel
• Haynie Quinn William

Classifications

• G02B26/0841

  the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means · CPC title

• G02B26/085 Primary

  the reflecting means being moved or deformed by electromagnetic means · CPC title

• G02B26/10

  Scanning systems · CPC title

• G02B26/105 Primary

  with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors (G02B26/101 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/0071

  Beam steering, e.g. whereby a mirror outside the cavity is present to change the beam direction · CPC title