Microvision, Inc.

Roeland Collet

Matthieu Saracco

Wyatt Owen Davis

Dean R Brown

Alga Lloyd Nothern, Iii

Nenad Nestorovic

Matthew L Carmean

George Thomas Valliath

P Selvan Viswanathan

Mark P Helsel

Jari Honkanen

Richard Allen James

Jason B Tauscher

Jack H Schmidt

Thomas Byeman

David Roy Bowman

Quinn William Haynie

Gabriel Castro

Alga Lloyd Northern, Iii

A beam combining device combines laser beams and performs speckle reduction of the laser light. Two laser beams are incident on a non-polarizing beam splitter and combined beams are split into two light paths with different optical path lengths. The two light paths may have different geometric path lengths and/or different indices of refraction in the paths to produce the different optical path lengths. One of the light paths is passed through a polarization rotation device and then the two light paths are recombined with a polarizing beam splitter to produce a combined reduced speckle laser beam.

Method and apparatus for laser beam combining and speckle reduction

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an information handling system comprises a scanning system to scan one or more component wavelength beams into a combined multi-component beam in a first field of view, and a redirecting system to redirect one or more of the component wavelength beams into a second field of view. A first subset of the one or more component wavelength beams is projected in the first field of view and a second subset of the one or more component wavelength beams is projected in the second field of view. The first subset may project a visible image in the first field of view, and user is capable of providing an input to control the information handling system via interaction with the second subset in the second field of view.

Optical steering of component wavelengths of a multi-wavelength beam to enable interactivity

The embodiments described herein provide scanning laser devices that include a relay optic between scanning surfaces. In general, the relay optic is configured to reimage the laser beam reflecting from a first scanner onto the second scanner. Specifically, the relay optic is configured to reimage a laser beam reflected from over an angular range from a first scanning surface of a first scanner onto the scanning surface of the second scanner. This can effectively make the exit pupil of the scanners substantially coincident, and thus can reduce the exit pupil disparity between the scanners that would otherwise exist.

Scanning laser devices with reduced exit pupil disparity

Devices and methods are described herein that use a first solid figure element, a polarizing beam splitter, and a second solid figure element or array of mirrors to reduce speckle in projected images. Specifically, laser light is generated and split into two portions having orthogonal polarizations. The first portion of laser light is reflected in the second solid figure element or the array of mirrors and is then spatially recombined with the second portion of laser light in the first solid figure element. The difference in path length followed by the two portions generates a temporal incoherence in the recombined laser light beam, and that temporal incoherence reduces speckle in the projected image.

Devices and methods for speckle reduction in scanning projectors

The embodiments described herein provide scanning laser devices that include an output optic configured to reduce image distortion. Specifically, the output optic is configured to reduce the distortions that could otherwise occur at relatively short projection distances, while also providing good image quality at relatively long projection distances. In general, the output optic includes a prism having a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface. The prism is configured such that the laser light interacts with each of these three surfaces while being transmitted through the prism and outputted to the display surface. The first, second, and third surfaces are each formed to have a freeform rotationally asymmetric shape, and these freeform rotationally asymmetric shapes are configured to work together to correct distortion in projected images.

Scanning laser projectors with improved short projection distance image quality

Devices and methods are described herein that use a first solid figure element, a polarizing beam splitter, and a second solid figure element to reduce speckle in projected images. Specifically, laser light is generated and split into two portions having orthogonal polarizations. The first portion of laser light is internally reflected off at least three internal faces of the second solid figure element and is then spatially recombined with the second portion of laser light in the first solid figure element. The difference in path length followed by the two portions generates a temporal incoherence in the recombined laser light beam, and that temporal incoherence reduces speckle in the projected image.

Scanning platforms for use in scanning laser devices are described herein. These scanning platforms are particularly applicable to scanning laser devices that use microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structures to facilitate mirror motion. The scanning platforms include a centrally located stationary mount portion and a movable portion that surrounds the stationary portion. The movable portion is configured to be coupled to a mirror and to facilitate motion of that mirror. Such a scanning platform can facilitate reduced size in scanning mirror assembly, and thus can facilitate a more compact scanning laser device.

Scanning platforms for scanning laser devices

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a scanning module for a scanner system comprises a frame having a first section and a second section. The first section of the frame is capable of receiving a laser to secure the laser in the first section, and the second section of the frame is capable of receiving a MEMS device having a mirror, to secure the MEMS device in the first section. The laser is aligned with the mirror by the frame to cause light emitted from the laser to impinge upon the mirror during operation of the laser. Such an arrangement may facilitate the physical and/or electrical assembly of the components of the scanner system.

Growing community of inventors

Olympia, WA, United States of America

Roeland Collet