Deformable micromirror device

• US 8,125,407 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ignite USA (Ignite)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Inventors: Ishii, Fusao, Maeda, Yoshihiro, Aral, Kazuma
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US12/005,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 345/32, 345/204, 345/55, 345 87- 89, 345 98-100, 345/103, 345/690, 345/84
• US Class Current: 345/32
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0223 Compensation for problems related to R-C delay and attenuation in electrodes of matrix panels, e.g. in gate electrodes or on-substrate video signal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2022 using sub-frames
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/346 based on modulation of the reflection angle, e.g. micromirrors micromirrors devices per se G02B26/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3123 using pulse width modulation

Abstract

A micromirror device, which makes an image display with digital image data, comprises pixel elements which are arranged in the form of a matrix and each of which modulates incident light by using an ON state for deflecting incident light to projection optics, an OFF state for deflecting incident light to a direction different from the projection optics, and an oscillation state where a mirror oscillates between the ON and the OFF state, and a timing controller for performing a timing control for loading the image data into the pixel elements arranged in the form of the matrix. Each of the pixel elements has a mirror, and at least one memory cell. The pixel elements arranged in the form of the matrix are grouped into a plurality of subsets. The timing controller performs a timing control for loading the image data at independent timing for each of the plurality of subsets.

Claims

1. A micromirror device for applying a digital image data to display an image comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements arranged in a form of a matrix configured as a plurality of columns and rows wherein said pixel elements are grouped into a plurality of subsets and each of said pixel elements comprises a mirror and a memory cell to modulate an incident light by using an ON state for deflecting the mirror for reflecting an incident light to projection optics, an OFF state for deflecting the mirror for reflecting the incident light to a direction away from the projection optics, and an oscillation state for oscillating the mirror between the ON and the OFF states; and

a timing controller controls a timing of loading the image data into the memory cell of said pixel elements by selecting predefined columns and rows of said pixel elements according to each of the plurality of subsets of pixel elements.

2. The micromirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

said timing controller controls a timing for loading the image data into the memory cells of adjacent pixel elements disposed on a same row or a same column in each of subsets at different timings.

3. The micromirror device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data selector for distributing bits of the image data for loading into the memory cells in the pixel elements according to different loading orders among the plurality of subsets of pixel elements.

4. The micromirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

said matrix of said pixel elements comprising a matrix arranged in said plurality rows and columns of 1920 ×

1080 pixel elements or more.

5. The micromirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

a pitch of the mirror between two adjacent pixel elements is equal to or larger than 4 um and equal to or smaller than 10 um.

6. The micromirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the plurality of said subsets of the pixel elements with a synchronous timing.

7. The micromirror device according to claim 6, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the subsets of the pixel elements disposed on two different rows among the plurality of columns and rows with a synchronous timing.

8. The micromirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the plurality of subsets of the pixel elements with two different timings.

9. The micromirror device according to claim 8, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the subsets of the pixel elements disposed on a same row among the plurality of columns and rows with two different timings.

10. A micromirror device for applying a digital image data to display an image comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements arranged in a form of a matrix and grouped into a plurality of subsets and each of said pixel elements comprises a mirror and a memory cell to modulate an incident light by using an ON state for deflecting the mirror for reflecting an incident light to projection optics, an OFF state for deflecting the mirror for reflecting the incident light to a direction away from the projection optics, and an oscillation state for oscillating the mirror between the ON and the OFF states;

a timing controller for performing a timing control for independently loading the image data into the memory cell of said pixel elements for each of the plurality of subsets of pixel elements; and

a data selector for distributing bits of the image data to the plurality of subsets in different order by distributing said bits into a first data block having at least one of the mirrors operating in the oscillation state, and distributing said bits into a second data block having none of the mirrors operating in the oscillation state.

11. A micromirror device for applying a digital image data to display an image comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements arranged in a form of a matrix and grouped into a plurality of subsets and each of said pixel elements comprises a mirror and a memory cell to modulate an incident light by using an ON state for deflecting the mirror for reflecting an incident light to projection optics, an OFF state for deflecting the mirror for reflecting the incident light to a direction away from the projection optics, and an oscillation state for oscillating the mirror between the ON and the OFF states;

a timing controller for performing a timing control for independently loading the image data into the memory cell of said pixel elements for each of the plurality of subsets of pixel elements; and

a ROW line decoder for selecting a selected ROW line non-sequential among a plurality of ROW lines of each of the plurality of subsets, and a COLUMN line driver for loading the image data into memory cells in the selected ROW line via a COLUMN line for each of the plurality of subsets.

12. A micromirror device for applying a digital image data to display an image, comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements arranged in a form of a matrix configured as a plurality of columns and rows wherein said pixel elements are grouped into a plurality of subsets and each of said pixel elements comprises a mirror and a memory cell to pulse width modulate (PWM) an incident light depending on a deflection state according to the digital image data, and a timing controller controls a timing of loading the image data into the memory cell of said pixel elements by selecting predefined columns and rows of said pixel elements according to each of the plurality of subsets of pixel elements.

13. The micromirror device according to claim 12, wherein:

said timing controller controls the timing for loading the image data into the memory cells of adjacent pixel elements disposed on a same row or a same column in each of subsets at different timings.

14. The micromirror device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a data selector for distributing bits of the image data for loading into the memory cells in the pixel elements according to different loading orders among the plurality of subsets of pixel elements.

15. The micromirror device according to claim 12, wherein:

said matrix of said pixel elements comprising a matrix arranged in said plurality rows and columns of 1920 ×

1080 pixel elements or more.

16. The micromirror device according to claim 12, wherein:

a pitch of the mirror between two adjacent pixel elements is equal to or larger than 4 um and equal to or smaller than 10 um.

17. The micromirror device according to claim 12, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the plurality of said subsets of the pixel elements with a synchronous timing.

18. The micromirror device according to claim 17, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the subsets of the pixel elements disposed on a two different rows among the plurality of columns and rows with a synchronous timing.

19. The micromirror device according to claim 12, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the plurality of subsets of the pixel elements with two different timings.

20. The micromirror device according to claim 19, wherein:

said timing controller drives at least two of the subsets of the pixel elements disposed on a same row among the plurality of columns and rows with two different timings.

21. A micromirror device for applying a digital image data to display an image comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements arranged in a form of a matrix and grouped into a plurality of subsets and each of said pixel elements comprises a mirror and a memory cell to pulse width modulate (PWM) an incident light depending on a deflection state according to the digital image data,

a timing controller for performing a timing control for independently loading the image data into the memory cell of said pixel elements for each of the plurality of subsets of pixel elements; and

a ROW line decoder for selecting a selected ROW line non-sequential among a plurality of ROW lines of each of the plurality of subsets, and a COLUMN line driver for loading the image data into memory cells in the selected ROW line via a COLUMN line for each of the plurality of subsets.

22. A micromirror device for applying a digital image data to display an image comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements arranged in a form of a matrix configured as a plurality of columns and rows wherein said pixel elements are grouped into a plurality of subsets and each of said pixel elements comprises a mirror and a memory cell to pulse width modulate (PWM) an incident light depending on a deflection state according to the digital image data, and a timing controller controls a timing control for loading the image data into the memory cell of said pixel elements by selecting predefined columns and rows of said pixel elements according to at least two of the subsets disposed adjacent among the plurality of rows with two different timings.