System and method for controlling a digital micromirror device (DMD) system to generate an image

• US 7,898,716 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2008
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: King, Philip Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben; Loha
• Application Number:
  US12/176,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20090034053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 359290-295, 359/298, 359/224, 359/225, 345/85, 345/204, 345/208, 345/690, 348/164, 348/198, 348/203, 348/E5.133
• US Class Current: 359/238
• 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

Abstract

According to particular embodiments, a system comprises one or mores light sources, a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) system, and a controller. A light source is configured to generate light, and the DMD system comprises DMD regions configured to modulate the light. The controller is configured to repeat the following for a number of iterations: instruct each light source to scroll the light across the DMD system at a current amplitude level; instruct one or more DMD regions to operate as one or more active regions that modulate a first portion of the light to generate an image; and instruct the remaining DMD regions to operate as an amplitude modulation region that receives a second portion of the light, the second portion of the light transitioning from a previous amplitude level to the current amplitude level.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more light sources, each light source configured to generate light;

a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) system comprising a plurality of DMD regions, each DMD region configured to modulate the light; and

a controller coupled to the one or more light sources and the DMD system, the controller configured to repeat the following for a plurality of iterations;

instruct each light source to scroll the light across the DMD system at a current amplitude level;

instruct one or more DMD regions to operate as one or more active regions that modulate a first portion of the light to generate an image; and

instruct a remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as an amplitude modulation region that receives a second portion of the light, the second portion of the light transitioning from a previous amplitude level to the current amplitude level.

2. The system of claim 1, the controller configured to instruct the remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region by:

selecting one or more DMD regions of a current iteration that are substantially adjacent to the DMD regions that operated as the amplitude modulation region of a previous iteration; and

instructing the selected one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region.

3. The system of claim 1, the controller configured to instruct the remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region by:

instructing the remaining one or more DMD regions to assume an off state.

4. The system of claim 1, the controller configured to instruct the remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region by:

instructing the remaining one or more DMD regions to direct the second portion of the light to mitigate amplitude modulation artifacts.

5. The system of claim 1, each DMD region comprising one or more reset groups of the DMD system.

6. The system of claim 1, the current amplitude level resulting from a weight given with respect to a reference amplitude.

7. The system of claim 1, the controller configured to instruct each light source to scroll the light across the DMD system at a different amplitude level at each iteration, the different amplitude levels resulting from a sequence of different weights given with respect to a reference amplitude.

8. The system of claim 1, the one or more light sources comprising a red light source, a green light source, and a blue light source.

9. The system of claim 1, the DMD system configured to combine the light modulated during two or more iterations to generate a bit of the image.

10. The system of claim 1, a scrolling direction of the light substantially perpendicular to a reset direction of a plurality of reset groups of the DMD system.

11. A method comprising:

performing, by a control system, the following for a plurality of iterations;

directing each light source of one or more light sources to scroll the light across a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) apparatus at a current amplitude level, each light source configured to generate light, the DMD apparatus comprising a plurality of DMD regions, each DMD region configured to modulate the light, the control system coupled to the one or more light sources and the DMD apparatus;

directing one or more DMD regions to operate as one or more active regions that modulate a first portion of the light to generate an image; and

directing a remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as an amplitude modulation region that receives a second portion of the light, the second portion of the light transitioning from a previous amplitude level to the current amplitude level.

12. The method of claim 11, the directing the remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region further comprising:

selecting one or more DMD regions of a current iteration that are substantially adjacent to the DMD regions that operated as the amplitude modulation region of a previous iteration; and

directing the selected one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region.

13. The method of claim 11, the directing the remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region further comprising:

directing the remaining one or more DMD regions to assume an off state.

14. The method of claim 11, the directing the remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region further comprising:

directing the remaining one or more DMD regions to direct the second portion of the light to mitigate amplitude modulation artifacts.

15. The method of claim 11, each DMD region comprising one or more reset blocks of the DMD apparatus.

16. The method of claim 11, the current amplitude level resulting from a weight given with respect to a reference amplitude.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

directing each light source to scroll the light across the DMD apparatus at a different amplitude level at each iteration, the different amplitude levels resulting from a sequence of different weights given with respect to a reference amplitude.

18. The method of claim 11, the one or more light sources comprising a red light source, a green light source, and a blue light source.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

combining the light modulated during two or more iterations to generate a bit of the image.

20. The method of claim 11, a scrolling direction of the light substantially perpendicular to a reset direction of a plurality of reset blocks of the DMD apparatus.

21. A system comprising:

one or more light sources, each light source configured to generate light, the one or more light sources comprising a red light source, a green light source, and a blue light source;

a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) system comprising a plurality of DMD regions, each DMD region configured to modulate the light, each DMD region comprising one or more reset groups of the DMD system; and

a controller coupled to the one or more light sources and the DMD system, the controller configured to repeat the following for a plurality of iterations;

instruct each light source to scroll the light across the DMD system at a current amplitude level, a scrolling direction of the light substantially perpendicular to a reset direction of a plurality of reset groups of the DMD system;

instruct one or more DMD regions to operate as one or more active regions that modulate a first portion of the light to generate an image;

instruct a remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as an amplitude modulation region that receives a second portion of the light, the second portion of the light transitioning from a previous amplitude level to the current amplitude level, the current amplitude level resulting from a weight given with respect to a reference amplitude, the controller configured to instruct the remaining one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region by;

selecting one or more DMD regions of a current iteration that are substantially adjacent to the DMD regions that operated as the amplitude modulation region of a previous iteration;

instructing the selected one or more DMD regions to operate as the amplitude modulation region;

instructing the remaining one or more DMD regions to assume an off state;

instructing the remaining one or more DMD regions to direct the second portion of the light to mitigate amplitude modulation artifacts; and

instruct each light source to scroll the light across the DMD system at a different amplitude level at each iteration, the different amplitude levels resulting from a sequence of different weights given with respect to a reference amplitude; and

the DMD system configured to combine the light modulated during two or more iterations to generate a bit of the image.