Christie Digital Systems Usa, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Google Inc.

Adhawk Microsystems Inc.

Christie Digital Systems Canada, Inc,

John Domm

Daniel Robert Adema

Michael Perkins

Simon Guthrie

Peter J Janssen

Douglas Raymond Dykaar

Nino Zahirovic

Gregory A Magel

Jeffrey Arthur Shimizu

Niladri Sarkar

Graham Hill

Joseph Ma

Stefan Mohrdiek

Jörg Pierer

Rony Jose James

Khalid Shahzad

Darren Pastrik

John M Nieminen

Duncan Wesley Strathearn

Geoffrey Lee

Arash Rohani

Mang Li

Dong Yan

Koichi Ito

Jerome D Shields

Mark Bird

Zhenhao Li

Jerome Shields

The present disclosure is directed to compact packaging for optical MEMS devices, such as one- and two-dimensional light scanners. An embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure includes a housing having a chamber for holding a light source and a MEMS scanner. The MEMS scanner receives light from the light source via an optical element disposed on a cover of the housing and steers an output signal along a propagation direction through the cover while steering the output signal in at least one dimension.

Advanced packaging for compact object-scanning modules

Systems, devices, and methods for providing optical engines and laser projectors that are well-suited for use in wearable heads-up displays (WHUDs) are described. The optical engines of the present disclosure may integrate a plurality of laser diodes (e.g., 3 laser diodes, 4 laser diodes) within a single, hermetically or partially hermetically sealed, encapsulated package. Wavelength stabilization for the laser diodes is achieved by controlling the temperature of the lasers to always be in a particular range of operating specifications which provides wavelength stabilization that meets particular performance criteria. The lasers themselves may be used for temperature control by selectively switching them on to maintain their temperature within a specified range. Alternatively, compact resistive heaters may be positioned proximate the laser diodes to control the temperature of the laser diodes during operation. WHUDs that employ such optical engines and laser projectors are also described. Additionally, optical systems for collimating and shifting light beams are described.

Wavelength stabilization of laser diodes by temperature control

There is provided an apparatus for wavelength conversion, comprising a wavelength converter, a first reflector, a second reflector, a third reflector, and a first lens. The first reflector has a curvature and is configured to reflect a plurality of input light beams onto the second reflector. The second reflector is configured to reflect the input light onto the third reflector. The first lens is disposed between the wavelength converter and the third reflector. The third reflector is configured to reflect the input light through the first lens and onto the wavelength converter, which is then excited to emit an emitted light. The first lens is configured to receive at least a portion of the emitted light, reduce its divergence, and at least partially transmit it to form an output light propagating towards the third reflector, which is configured to at least partially transmit the output light.

Apparatus for wavelength conversion

A device for homogenizing laser light using a rotating lens is provided. The device comprises: a laser; an integrating rod having an input face; a lens located between the laser and the input face of the integrating rod, the lens having an optical axis, the lens positioned to receive light from the laser, off the optical axis, and focus the light through the input face of the integrating rod; and, an actuator device configured to rotate the lens about an axis of rotation different from the optical axis.

Device for homogenizing laser light using a rotating lens field

A system for order alignment of diffractively produced images is provided. The system comprises: a diffractive spatial light modulator (DSLM) configured to provide a computer generated hologram of an image; a substantially coherent light source configured to illuminate the DSLM which responsively produces the image along each of different diffractive order paths; and, at least one set of optical components located along respective diffractive order paths of the DSLM, the at least one set of optical components configured to align at least one respective image diffracted from the DSLM with at least another diffracted image at a common image plane.

System for order alignment of diffractively produced images

A system for uniform distribution of light is provided. The system comprises: an integrating rod comprising an output end opposite an input end, the integrator rod configured to emit, at the output end an integrated image of light received at the input end, the integrated image having an etendue Eand an area Aat a given distance from the output end; and, an apparatus comprising an input side located at the given distance, the apparatus configured to: receive, at the input side, the integrated image from the output end of the integrating rod; split the integrated image into a number N of sub-images, each of the sub-images having an area A, and an etendue E, such that Ais about N*A, and Eis about N*E; and, relay the sub-images.

System for uniform distribution of light using an array of lenslets

A system for variable distribution of light is provided. The system comprises: a plurality of reflective optical devices having a first variable reflective beam splitter configured to receive light along an input light path and direct a first portion of the light along a first light path and direct a second portion of the light to another one of the plurality of reflective optical devices, and a last reflective optical device configured to receive remaining light from a second last reflective optical device and to perform one of: direct the remaining light along a last light path; and, divide the remaining light into two portions, and direct the two portions along two different light paths. At least one optical property of one or more of the plurality reflective optical devices is adjustable to variably apportion received light.

System for variable distribution of light to a plurality of projectors

A relay lens system for a high dynamic range projector is provided. The relay lens system comprising: a light input; a light output; one or more lenses configured to relay light from the light input to the light output; and, an aperture stop configured to provide a given numerical aperture to the light being relayed through the one or more lenses, the combination of the given numerical aperture and the one or more lenses are configured to introduce a spherical aberration in the light between the light input and the light output, the spherical aberration changing a shape of a pixel in the light from an approximate square shape at the light input to a function having an upper boundary and a lower boundary based on a distance from a center of the pixel, and a pixel dimension of a dither pattern in the light entering the light input.

Relay lens system for a high dynamic range projector

A system and method for producing an image having high dynamic range is described. The system comprises: a light source for providing light along an optical path; a digital micromirror device for directing portions of the light to off-state and on-state light paths, thereby producing an image; and a deformable optical element disposed in the optical path between the light source and the digital micromirror device for steering at least some of the light from the off-state light path to the on-state light path to increase dynamic range of the image produced by the digital micromirror device. The deformable optical element can comprise at least one steerable segment and at least one static element.

System and method for producing an image having high dynamic range

A decohered laser light production system is provided. The decohered laser light system comprises a laser source. The system further comprises a multi-mode fiber having an input face, an output face and a body for propagating light from the input face to the output face, the input face arranged to accept laser light from the laser source, the body comprising a length such that laser light is generally decohered when exiting the output face.

Decohered laser light production system

A light combining system is provided comprising: prisms comprising respective entrance faces enabled to receive respective on-state light from respective digital-micro-mirror devices (DMD). At least one interface between prisms is enabled to receive respective on-state light from the prisms. A mirror at the at least one interface is enabled to transmit first on-state light from a first prism through a second prism and reflect second on-state light from the second prism in alignment with the first on-state light back through the second prism. Respective angles formed by a normal of the mirror and each of the first on-state light and the second on-state light is less than a total internal reflection angle. A combination of respective back working distances of the DMDs and shapes of each of the prisms is chosen such that respective illumination paths and respective reflection paths of each of DMDs do not interfere with each other.

Light combining system

A contrast enhancing system is provided comprising: a digital micromirror device (DMD); a light source; a first integrator that receives light from the light source, comprising lateral long and short dimensions, the lateral short dimension at a non-zero angle to the DMD tilt axis; a second integrator that receives and shapes light from the first integrator; a telecentric lens about midway between the integrators that generates fast and slow f-number directions of the light in angle space, respectively corresponding to the lateral long and short dimensions of the first integrator, the slow f-number direction correspondingly at the non-zero angle to the DMD tilt axis, thereby increasing dead-zones between adjacent ones of a DMD illumination path and DMD reflection paths for each of the on, flat and off-state positions; and, at least one optical component that focuses the light along the illumination path from the second integrator onto the DMD.

Contrast enhancing system

A zonal illumination system for use in a projector, comprising a source of illumination; a first modulation stage for dividing light from the source of illumination into a plurality of zones having respective light intensities based on zonal lighting intensity of an image to be projected; and a second modulation stage for modulating light from the first modulation stage to generate the image to be projected.

Zonal illumination for high dynamic range projection

An apparatus for combining coherent light from a plurality of coherent light sources is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of light guides, each including: a first mirror at an entrance face, including an aperture for admitting light therein from a respective one of the plurality of coherent light sources; and a second partially-reflective mirror at an exit face. The apparatus further includes a second stage light guide, for combining emitted light exiting the plurality of light guides, including: a second stage entrance face and a second stage exit face, the second stage entrance face for receiving the emitted light from each the exit face of the plurality of light guides; and a third mirror, at the second stage exit face, for reflecting the light back towards the second mirror, the third mirror including an exit aperture for the light to exit the second stage light guide.

Growing community of inventors

Kitchener, Canada

John Domm