Microvision, Inc.

Margaret K Brown

Mark O Freeman

Randall Brian Sprague

Bin Xue

Christopher A Wiklof

Mark Alan Champion

Joshua Owen Miller

Maarten Niesten

John R Lewis

Robert James Jackson

Shawn Michael Swilley

Michael Lee Schaaf

Mathew David Watson

Hakan Urey

Dean R Brown

David Skurnik

Thomas W Montague

Randy Sprague

Kelly D Linden

Maciej Jakuc

Stephen R Willey

Steve Holmes

Aarti Raghavan

Joel D Hopkins

Jenchao J Lin

Lifford McLauchlan

Clarence T Tegreene

Joshua Mark Hudman

Bruce Rothaar

George Thomas Valliath

Eric Altendorf

Christian Dean DeJong

David R Nash

Gregory T Gibson

Heng Huang

Harpal Singh Sira

Mark A Holton

Martin A Kykta

Lifford McLauchlin

Clint Charles Rollins

Mehrube Mehrubeoglu

Gregory Schneider

Jim Bovee

Voytek Andron

Laser light pulses are reflected off a scanning mirror. A time-of-flight distance measurement device receives reflected light pulses and determines distances. The light pulses have abrupt changes in amplitude. Reflected pulses are differentiated to reduce sensitivity to amplitude variations. Differentiated pulses may be compressed to keep the receiver from saturating. Distance measurements are combined with location information to produce a 3D image of a surface.

Scanning laser time of flight 3D imaging

An apparatus determines a cursor position in an illumination field of a projector. An obstruction is detected in the illumination field. The cursor position is determined as the point on the obstruction furthest from where the obstruction crosses a border of the illumination field. A distance to the point on the obstruction is determined and compared to a distance to a point not on the obstruction. Gestures are recognized as a function of movement of the obstruction and the determined distances.

Interactive projection with gesture recognition

A scanned beam display device scans a beam to paint an image. The beam is scanned in two dimensions and includes at least one sinusoidal component. Phase offsets are introduced to provide different scan trajectories for successive traversals of the image field of view.

Projection system with multi-phased scanning trajectory

The radiance of a laser diode is a function of laser diode drive current. The radiance is also a function of other factors, such as age and temperature. A laser projection device includes laser diodes to generate light in response to a commanded radiance, and also includes photodetectors to provide a measured radiance. The commanded radiance and measured radiance are compared, and drive currents for the laser diodes are adjusted to provide luminance and color balance tracking.

Laser projection white balance tracking

A scanning projector includes a scanning mirror that sweep a beam in two dimensions. Source image data is interpolated vertically, and the results are stored in a frame buffer. Each row of the frame buffer holds vertically interpolated pixel data that lies on a trajectory corresponding to a horizontal sweep of the beam. Pixel data in each row is then interpolated to determine display pixel data. At least one light source is driven with the display pixel data to produce the beam that is reflected by the scanning mirror.

Scanning projector with vertical interpolation onto horizontal trajectory

An integrated photonics module may include a selective fold mirror configured to pass at least a portion of emitted light toward the MEMS scanner and reflect scanned light through to a field of view. The selective fold mirror may use beam polarization to select beam passing and reflection. The integrated photonics module may include a beam rotator such as a quarter-wave plate to convert the polarization of the emitted light to a different polarization adapted for passage through the fold mirror. The integrated photonics module may include one or more light detectors.

Integrated photonics module and devices using integrated photonics modules

An image generation apparatus provides interpolation and distortion correction. The interpolation and distortion correction may be provided in one or two dimensions. Nonlinear image scan trajectories, such as sinusoidal and bi-sinusoidal trajectories are accommodated. Horizontal and vertical scan positions are determined using a linear pixel clock, and displayed pixel intensities are determined using interpolation techniques.

Image generation with interpolation of pixels on a grid to pixels on a scan trajectory

A encoded image projection system () is configured to determine the proximity of the system to a projection surface (). The encoded image projection system () includes a light encoder () that scans a non-visible light beam () on the projection surface () selectively when scanning visible light to create an image. A detector () is then configured to receive reflections of the non-visible light beam () from the projection surface (). A control circuit () is configured to determine the distance () between the projection surface () and the system from, for example, intensity data or location data received from the detector (). Where the distances () are below a threshold, the control circuit () can either reduce the output power of the system or turn the system off.

Scanned proximity detection method and apparatus for a scanned image projection system

The radiance of a laser is a function of drive current. The radiance is also a function of other factors, such as age and temperature. A laser projection device adjusts laser drive parameters using a gradient descent operation. The device parameters may be adjusted iteratively and periodically. The period may be shorter or longer than a scan line in a video image.

Closed loop laser control

A scanning projector includes a mirror that scans in two dimensions. The scanning mirror oscillates at a resonant frequency on a fast-scan axis, and is phase locked to an incoming frame rate on a slow-scan axis. An interpolation component interpolates pixel intensity data from adjacent pixels based on the position of the mirror when a pixel clock arrives. Incoming video data is stored in a buffer. Less than a complete frame of video data may be stored in the buffer.

Phased locked resonant scanning display projection

An image generation apparatus provides correction for color offsets. Color offsets may be caused by misalignments in laser diodes or optics assemblies in a laser projector. The offsets may be measured during or after manufacture of the laser projector. An image buffer is responsive to the offset data to translate each color plane separately. The image buffer may include separately addressable portions for each color. Further, variable delay elements on the output of the image buffer may provide color offset correction. Interpolation provides further offset correction.

Electronic alignment of primary color pixels in a scanned display

Image generation with interpolation and distortion correction

An integrated photonics module includes at least one light source and a MEMS scanner coupled to and held in alignment by an optical frame configured for mounting to a host system. According to some embodiments, the integrated photonics module may include a plurality of light sources and a beam combiner coupled to the optical frame. According to some embodiments, the integrated photonics module includes a selective fold mirror configured to direct at least a portion of emitted light toward the MEMS scanner in a normal direction and pass scanned light through to a field of view. The selective fold mirror may use beam polarization to select beam passing and reflection. The integrated photonics module may include a beam rotator such as a quarter-wave plate to convert the polarization of the emitted light to a different polarization adapted for passage through the fold mirror. The integrated photonics module may include one or more light detectors.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Margaret K Brown