US 9,959,818 B2Granted

Display engines for use with optical waveguides

AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC

InventorDavid D. Bohn

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A display engine includes light emitting elements, an optical subsystem to produce a single collimated beam of light from the light emitted by the light emitting elements, one or more image producing MEMS mirrors, one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors, and a controller. One of the image producing MEMS mirror(s) is positioned to reflect the single beam of light produced by the optical subsystem. The controller controls the image producing MEMS mirror(s) and the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s). The image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s) is/are controlled and is/are positioned relative to the image producing MEMS mirror(s) and relative to input-coupler(s) of optical waveguide(s) so that a pupil corresponding to a scanned image that the image producing MEMS mirror(s) project onto one of the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s), is reprojected by the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s) onto the input-coupler(s) of the optical waveguide(s) and thereby coupled into the optical waveguide(s).

Claims20

Dependent claims

A display engine for use with one or more optical waveguides each including an input-coupler and an output-coupler, each of the optical waveguide(s) configured to cause light that is coupled into the optical waveguide by the input-coupler thereof, to travel by way of total internal reflection (TI R) to the output-coupler thereof where the light is coupled out of the waveguide, the display engine comprising:

one or more light emitting elements each of which is configured to emit light in response to being driven;
an optical subsystem configured to produce a single collimated beam of light from the light emitted by the one or more light emitting elements;
one or more image producing MEMS mirrors at least one of which is positioned to reflect the single collimated beam of light produced by the optical subsystem;
one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors;
and
a controller configured to control the one or more image producing MEMS mirrors and the one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors;
wherein the one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors is/are controlled and is/are positioned relative to the one or more image producing MEMS mirrors and relative to the input-coupler(s) of the optical waveguide(s) so that a pupil corresponding to a scanned image that the one or more image producing MEMS mirrors project onto one of the one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors, is reprojected by the one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors onto the input-coupler(s) of the optical waveguide(s) and thereby coupled into the optical waveguide(s) by the input-coupler(s).

4 more elements

A method for use with one or more optical waveguides each including an input-coupler and an output-coupler, each of the optical waveguide(s) configured to cause light that is coupled into the optical waveguide by the input-coupler thereof to travel by way of total internal reflection (TIR) to the output-coupler thereof where the light is coupled out of the waveguide, the method comprising:

producing a single collimated beam of light from light emitted by one or more light emitting elements;
and
controlling one or more image producing MEMS mirrors to reflect the single collimated beam of light to produce a pupil corresponding to a scanned image that is projected onto one of one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors;
and
controlling the one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors so that the pupil corresponding to the scanned image, that is projected onto one of the one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors, is reprojected onto the input-coupler(s) of the optical waveguide(s) and thereby coupled into the optical waveguide(s) by the input-coupler(s).

2 more elements

A display system, comprising:

a plurality of optical waveguides each including an input-coupler and an output-coupler, each of the optical waveguides configured to cause light that is coupled into the optical waveguide by the input-coupler thereof, to travel by way of total internal reflection (TIR) to the output-coupler thereof where the light is coupled out of the waveguide;
a plurality of light emitting elements each of which is configured to emit light of a different color than the other light emitting elements in response to being driven;
an optical subsystem configured to produce a single collimated beam of light from the light emitted by the plurality of light emitting elements;
a biaxial image producing MEMS mirror positioned to reflect the single collimated beam of light produced by the optical subsystem;
and
a biaxial image reprojecting MEMS mirror positioned relative to the biaxial image producing MEMS mirror and the input-couplers of the optical waveguides so that a pupil corresponding to a scanned image that is reflected off of the biaxial image producing MEMS mirror can be reprojected by the biaxial image reprojecting MEMS mirror onto the input-couplers of the optical waveguides.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/273,249Filed 22 Sep 2016
Published: US 2018/0082644 A122 Mar 2018
Granted: 1 May 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

G09G 3/346
Using light modulating elements actuated by an electric field and being other than liquid crystal devices and electrochromic devices: based on…
G02B 6/003
Provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed between the light guide and the light source, or around the light source: lens or…
G02B 6/0076
Arrangements of multiple light guides: stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
G02B 26/0833
By means of one or more reflecting elements: the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD