US 11,899,211 B2
Pulse-modulated laser-based near-eye display
Raymond Kirk Price, Redmond, WA (US); Michael Bleyer, Seattle, WA (US); and Christopher Douglas Edmonds, Carnation, WA (US)
Assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed by Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed on Jun. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/357,855.
Prior Publication US 2022/0413291 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 27/01 (2006.01); F21V 8/00 (2006.01); G09G 3/02 (2006.01); G09G 3/34 (2006.01); H01S 5/042 (2006.01); G09G 3/20 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 27/0172 (2013.01) [G02B 6/005 (2013.01); G02B 6/0023 (2013.01); G09G 3/02 (2013.01); G09G 3/2081 (2013.01); G09G 3/3413 (2013.01); H01S 5/0425 (2013.01); H01S 5/0428 (2013.01); G02B 2027/014 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0118 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0123 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0178 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A near-eye display device comprising:
a pupil-expansion optic;
a laser having a gain structure and configured for emission in a primary-color band;
a drive circuit coupled operatively to the laser;
a spatial light modulator (SLM) having a matrix of electronically controllable pixel elements, the SLM being configured to receive the emission from the laser and direct the emission in spatially modulated form to the pupil-expansion optic; and
coupled operatively to the drive circuit and the SLM, a computer configured to:
parse a digital image,
control the matrix of pixel elements such that the spatially modulated form of the emission projects an optical image corresponding to the digital image,
cause the drive circuit to drive periodic current including a train of current pulses through the gain structure while the optical image is projected, the current pulses having a predetermined pulse width selected to broaden the emission relative to an unmodulated emission of the laser, and
increase or decrease a separation between the current pulses of the predetermined pulse width, so as to control an average duty cycle of the periodic current and thereby provide setpoint power in the primary-color band.