US 11,815,627 B2
Mirror assembly for light steering with reduced finger thickness
Youmin Wang, Mountain View, CA (US); Yufeng Wang, Mountain View, CA (US); Qin Zhou, Livermore, CA (US); and Gary Li, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Beijing Voyager Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing (CN)
Filed by Beijing Voyager Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing (CN)
Filed on Jun. 18, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/905,254.
Prior Publication US 2021/0396850 A1, Dec. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 7/481 (2006.01); B81B 3/00 (2006.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); B81C 1/00 (2006.01); G02B 1/11 (2015.01)
CPC G01S 7/4812 (2013.01) [B81B 3/004 (2013.01); B81B 3/0021 (2013.01); B81C 1/00134 (2013.01); B81C 1/00523 (2013.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G02B 1/11 (2013.01); B81B 2201/042 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, the apparatus being part of a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) module of a vehicle and comprising:
a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) and a substrate, the MEMS comprising an array of micro-mirror assemblies, each micro-mirror assembly comprising:
a micro-mirror having a first thickness; and
an actuator comprising first fingers and second fingers, the first fingers being directly connected with the substrate, the second fingers being mechanically connected to the micro-mirror having a second thickness smaller than the first thickness, the actuator being configured to generate an electrostatic force between the first fingers and the second fingers to rotate the micro-mirror to reflect light emitted by a light source out of the LiDAR module or light received by the LiDAR module to a receiver,
wherein the second fingers are mechanically connected to the micro-mirror via a plurality of frames that surround the micro-mirror including a first frame and a second frame,
wherein the second fingers are formed along two opposite edges of the first frame and interleave with the first fingers,
wherein the first frame is connected to the substrate via a first pair of connection structures aligned with a rotation axis, the first frame being rotatable around the rotation axis relative to the substrate, the first pair of connection structures being connected to the substrate and the first frame at first pivot points aligned with the rotation axis and being elastic, the first pair of connection structures being deformable to accommodate the rotation of the first frame with respect to the substrate,
wherein the first frame is connected to the micro-mirror via a second pair of connection structures aligned along the rotation axis, the micro-mirror rotatable around the rotation axis relative to the first frame and relative to the substrate, the second pair of connection structures being connected to the first frame and the micro-mirror at second pivot points aligned with the rotation axis and being elastic and deformable to accommodate the rotation of the micro-mirror with respect to the first frame,
wherein the first frame surrounds the second frame and the second frame surrounds the micro-mirror,
wherein the first frame is connected to the second frame via the second pair of connection structures,
wherein the second frame and the micro-mirror is connected via third connection structures, and
wherein the second frame and the micro-mirror rotate together relative to the first frame.