MEMS scanning display device

• US 10,365,709 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tardif, John Allen, Miller, Joshua Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cerullo, Liliana
• Application Number:
  US15/624,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20180255278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/101 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 Class Codes: G02B 26/123 Multibeam scanners, e.g. using multiple light sources or beam splitters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 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 Class Codes: H04N 9/3164 using multiple light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3188 Scale or resolution adjustment scaling in general G06T3/40; resolution modifying circuits for displays in general G09G5/391

Abstract

Examples are disclosed that related to scanning image display systems. In one example, a scanning display system comprises a laser light source comprising two or more offset lasers, a scanning mirror system configured to scan light from the laser light source in a first direction at a higher frequency, and in a second direction at a lower frequency to form an image, and a controller configured to control the scanning mirror system to scan the laser light an interlaced pattern to form the image, and to adjust one or more of a scan rate in the second direction and a phase offset between a first frame and a second frame of the interlaced image.

Claims

1. A scanning display system, comprising:

a laser light source comprising two or more offset lasers;

a scanning mirror system configured to scan light from the laser light source in a first direction at a higher frequency, and in a second direction at a lower frequency to form an image;

an eye tracking sensor configured to detect a gaze direction of a user; and

a controller configured to map the gaze direction to a region in the image, control the scanning mirror system to scan the laser light an interlaced pattern to form the image, and adjust one or more of a scan rate in the second direction and a phase offset between a first frame and a second frame of the image based at least on the region in the image.

2. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the scanning mirror system comprises a first mirror configured to scan the laser light in the first direction, and a second mirror configured to scan the laser light in the second direction.

3. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the phase offset between the first frame and the second frame by adjusting a time at which the scanning mirror system initiates the scanning of the laser light in the second direction relative to the scanning of the laser light in the first direction.

4. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the phase offset between the first frame and the second frame based on a desired line spacing at the region in the image.

5. The scanning display system of claim 4, wherein the region is one of a plurality of regions in the image, and wherein the controller is configured to associate a respective phase offset with each of the plurality of regions.

6. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the phase offset in a first manner based on mapping the gaze direction to a first region in the image, and to adjust the phase offset in a second manner based on mapping the gaze direction to a second region in the image.

7. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the region is a foveal region of the image, the image comprising a non-foveal region, and wherein the controller is further configured to increase the scan rate in the second direction in the non-foveal region and to decrease the scan rate in the second direction in the foveal region.

8. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the two or more offset lasers are vertically offset in a center-aligned orientation relative to the second direction.

9. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the laser light source is configured to output light of multiple colors.

10. The scanning display system of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to compensate for a line spacing error in the vertically offset orientation by adjusting the scan rate in the second direction.

11. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the scanning mirror system is configured to scan a horizontal line of the image in a half period of a microelectromechanical actuator that drives the scanning mirror system.

12. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the scanning display system is configured to scan in the first direction at a frequency of 27 kHz to 35 kHz.

13. The scanning display system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the mirror system to form the image at a resolution between 1440 p and 2160 p.

14. A method of displaying an image, comprising:

directing light from two or more offset lasers toward a scanning mirror system;

scanning light from the two or more offset lasers in a first direction at a higher frequency and in a second direction at a lower frequency to thereby scan the laser light in an interlaced pattern and form the image;

mapping a gaze direction determined via an eye tracking sensor to a region in the image; and

adjusting one or more of a scan rate in the second direction and a phase offset based on the region in the image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein scanning the light from the two or more offset lasers in the first direction comprises scanning the light in the first direction at a frequency of 27 kHz to 35 kHz.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein scanning the light from the two or more offset lasers comprises scanning the light to form the image at a resolution between 1440 p and 2160 p.

17. A scanning display system, comprising:

a laser light source comprising two or more offset lasers;

a scanning mirror system configured to scan light from the laser light source in a first direction at a higher frequency, and in a second direction at a lower frequency to form an image;

an eye tracking sensor; and

a controller configured to determine a gaze direction via data from the eye tracking sensor, to control the scanning mirror system to scan the laser light an interlaced pattern to form the image, and to adjust one or more of a scan rate in the second direction and a phase offset between a first frame and a second frame of the interlaced image based at least on the gaze direction.

18. The scanning display system of claim 17, wherein the display system comprises a head-mounted display system.