MEMS Scanner Optical System for Compact AR Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Near-Eye-Display (NED) systems are hindered by the bulk and weight of dedicated tracking devices, such as cameras and LiDAR systems, which prevent them from being compact and lightweight enough for daily use.
Innovation Solution
An optical system utilizing micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) scanners that generate computer-generated images and map terrain features using a common optical path with separate spectral bandwidths for image generation and terrain mapping, eliminating the need for dedicated systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated tracking devices (cameras and LiDAR systems) are added to NED systems, then terrain mapping and object tracking capabilities are improved, but device weight and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines image generation and terrain mapping functions into a single integrated optical system. The MEMS scanner serves dual purposes: directing visible light for display generation and directing infrared light for terrain mapping and object tracking. This merging eliminates the need for separate dedicated tracking devices, thereby reducing device weight and bulk while maintaining both functionalities.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system is designed with multi-functionality, where the same optical components (illumination engine, MEMS scanner, optical assembly) perform multiple functions. The system can operate in different modes (image generation mode, terrain mapping mode, object tracking mode) by switching between different spectral bandwidths, making the device universal and eliminating the need for multiple specialized devices.
2Reliability
If dedicated tracking devices (cameras and LiDAR systems) are added to NED systems, then object tracking capability is improved, but device bulk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges object tracking functionality into the existing image generation optical path. The MEMS scanner and optical assembly used for displaying images are also used for emitting and receiving infrared light for object tracking. This integration reduces device bulk by eliminating separate tracking hardware while maintaining tracking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system achieves multi-functionality by using the same physical components for both image generation and object tracking. By switching between visible and infrared spectral bandwidths, the system performs different functions with the same hardware, reducing the overall device volume.
3Reliability
If separate optical paths are used for image generation and terrain mapping, then functional performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the optical spectrum into different spectral bandwidths (visible light for image generation, infrared for terrain mapping) and directs them through the same physical optical path using wavelength-selective components. This segmentation in the spectral domain allows functional separation while maintaining physical integration, reducing device complexity compared to using completely separate optical paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wavelength-selective components (such as dichroic mirrors or beam splitters) as intermediaries that separate and direct different spectral bandwidths within a single optical path. These intermediary components enable the system to maintain separate functional paths for image generation and terrain mapping while using a shared optical infrastructure, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a more compact and lightweight NED device capable of both image generation and terrain mapping, reducing weight and cost while enhancing user experience.
Implementation Method 1
the optical assembly causes the first spectral bandwidth and the second spectral bandwidth to propagate along a common optical path and then separate the first spectral bandwidth from the second spectral bandwidth
Implementation Method 2
an optical system that deploys micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) scanner(s) for both generating CG images within a user's perspective of a real-world environment and also for mapping a terrain of the real-world environment
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An optical system that deploys micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) scanners to contemporaneously generate CG images and to scan a terrain of a real-world environment (112). An illumination engine (502) emits a first spectral bandwidth and a second spectral bandwidth into an optical assembly (500) along a common optical path (1). The optical assembly then separates the spectral bandwidth by directing the first spectral bandwidth onto an image-generation optical path (2) and the second spectral bandwidth onto a terrain-mapping optical path (7). The optical system deploys the MEMS scanners (214, 218) to generate CG images by directing the first spectral bandwidth within the image-generation optical path and also to irradiate a terrain by directing the second spectral bandwidth within the terrain-mapping optical path. Accordingly, the disclosed system provides substantial reductions in both weight and cost for systems such as, for example, augmented reality and virtual reality systems.