Patents Assigned to STMicroelectronics Ltd.
  • Patent number: 10288990
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a laser projection system including a laser projector emitting a laser beam, a movable mirror apparatus reflecting the laser beam toward a surface, and a graphics processing unit (GPU). The GPU is configured to receive video data, estimate a varying speed of movement of the movable mirror apparatus for different positions of the laser beam across the surface, and process the video data based upon the estimated varying speed of movement. An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) receives the processed video data, and to generate a beam position control signal based upon required or desired movement of the movable mirror apparatus. A laser driver controls the laser projector as a function of the processed video data, and a mirror controller controls the movable mirror apparatus as a function of the beam position control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Massimo Ratti, Eli Yaser, Naomi Petrushevsky, Massimiliano Barone
  • Patent number: 10261312
    Abstract: An electronic device disclosed herein includes a mirror controller configured to generate a drive control signal, with a drive circuit configured to generate a drive signal for a movable mirror based upon the drive control signal. A sensing circuit is configured to sense the drive signal. The mirror controller is further configured to adjust the drive control signal as a function of the sensed drive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventor: Elik Haran
  • Publication number: 20190101744
    Abstract: Described herein is a device including mirror control circuitry for controlling a movable mirror. The mirror control circuitry includes drive circuitry for providing a drive signal to the movable mirror, and a processor. The processor cause the drive circuitry to generate the drive signal so as to have pulses with leading edges occurring an offset period of time after a maximum opening angle of the movable mirror and trailing edges occurring an offset period of time before a zero crossing of the movable mirror. The processor may sample a mirror sense signal from the movable mirror at times at which a derivative of capacitance of the movable mirror with respect to time is zero, and then perform an action based upon the samples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Sivan Kinstlich, Offir Duvdevany
  • Patent number: 10237515
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic device including a first laser source configured to project a first laser beam, and a second laser source configured to project a second laser beam in alignment with the first laser beam in a first direction but at an angle with respect to the first laser beam in a second direction. A mirror apparatus is positioned so as to reflect the first and second laser beams. Control circuitry is configured to control the mirror apparatus to simultaneously reflect the first and second laser beams in a first scan pattern to form an first image, the first image formed from the first scan pattern having a number of scan lines greater than two times a horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by a desired frame rate of the first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Gilad Adler, Sason Sourani
  • Patent number: 10228555
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for controlling operation of a resonance MEMS mirror. The system and method includes activating either an in-plane or staggered MEMS mirror via sets of activation pulses applied to the MEMS mirror, detecting current at the MEMS mirror, generating a window for detecting a change in a direction of the current at the MEMS mirror, and terminating the window and the activation pulse if a change in the current direction is detected during the window. In some embodiments, two sets of activation pulses are applied to the MEMS mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventor: Sason Sourani
  • Publication number: 20190068933
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a control system for a laser scanning projector. The control system includes a mirror controller generating a mirror synchronization signal for an oscillating mirror apparatus based upon a mirror clock signal. The control system also includes laser modulation circuitry for generating a laser synchronization signal as a function of a laser clock signal, and generating control signals for a laser that emits a laser beam that impinges on the oscillating mirror apparatus. Synchronization circuitry is for generating the laser clock signal and sending the laser clock signal to the laser modulation circuitry, receiving the mirror synchronization signal from the mirror controller, receiving the laser synchronization signal from the laser modulation circuitry, and modifying frequency and phase of the laser clock signal for the laser as a function of the mirror synchronization signal and the laser synchronization signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventor: Elik Haran
  • Publication number: 20190011695
    Abstract: Mirror control circuitry described herein is for controlling a first micro-mirror of a micro-mirror apparatus that scans across a target area in a scan pattern. The mirror control circuitry includes a processor that determines a mechanical angle of the first micro-mirror for a given instant in time during scanning of the first micro-mirror between upper and lower rotational limits, the mechanical angle being such to maintain the scan pattern as being uniform while the micro-mirror apparatus scans across the target area between the upper and lower rotational limits. The processor also generates a driving signal for the first micro-mirror as a function of the determined mechanical angle for the first micro-mirror at the given instant in time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Guy Amor, Offir Duvdevany
  • Publication number: 20180356627
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a control circuit for a movable mirror. The control circuit includes driving circuitry configured to drive the movable mirror with a drive signal to effectuate oscillating of the movable mirror, opening angle determination circuitry configured to determine an opening angle of the movable mirror, and amplitude control circuitry. The amplitude control circuitry is configured to a) first cause the driving circuitry to generate the drive signal as having an upper threshold drive amplitude, and b) then later cause the driving circuitry to generate the drive signal as having a nominal drive amplitude, as a function of the opening angle of the movable mirror being equal to a desired opening angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventor: Elik Haran
  • Publication number: 20180348506
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a mirror controller for an oscillating mirror. The mirror controller includes a processor configured to receive a mirror sense signal from the oscillating mirror and to determine a phase error between the mirror sense signal and a mirror drive signal. The processor determines the phase error by sampling the mirror sense signal at a first time, sampling the mirror sense signal at a second time at which the mirror sense signal is expected to be equal to the mirror sense signal as sampled at the first time, and generating the phase error as a function of a difference between the sample of the mirror sense signal at the second time and the sample of the mirror sense signal at the first time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Offir Duvdevany, Naomi Petrushevsky
  • Publication number: 20180321483
    Abstract: An electronic device disclosed herein includes a mirror controller configured to generate a drive control signal, with a drive circuit configured to generate a drive signal for a movable mirror based upon the drive control signal. A sensing circuit is configured to sense the drive signal. The mirror controller is further configured to adjust the drive control signal as a function of the sensed drive signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventor: Elik Haran
  • Publication number: 20180288366
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic device including a first laser source configured to project a first laser beam, and a second laser source configured to project a second laser beam in alignment with the first laser beam in a first direction but at an angle with respect to the first laser beam in a second direction. A mirror apparatus is positioned so as to reflect the first and second laser beams. Control circuitry is configured to control the mirror apparatus to simultaneously reflect the first and second laser beams in a first scan pattern to form an first image, the first image formed from the first scan pattern having a number of scan lines greater than two times a horizontal resonance frequency at which the mirror apparatus oscillates divided by a desired frame rate of the first image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Gilad Adler, Sason Sourani
  • Patent number: 10078032
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a circuit for determining failure of a movable MEMS mirror. The circuit includes an integrator receiving an opening angle signal representing an opening angle of the movable MEMS mirror, and a differentiator receiving the opening angle signal. A summing circuit is configured to sum the integrator output and the differentiator output. A comparison circuit is configured to determine whether the sum of the integrator output and differentiator output is not within a threshold window. An indicator circuit is configured to generate an indicator signal indicating that the movable MEMS mirror has failed based on the comparison circuit indicating that the sum of the integrator output and differentiator output is not within the threshold window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics LTD
    Inventor: Sason Sourani
  • Patent number: 10048488
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a circuit for determining failure of a movable MEMS mirror. The circuit includes a mirror position sensor associated with the movable MEMS mirror and that generates an analog output as a function of angular position of the movable MEMS mirror. An analog to digital converter converts the analog output from the mirror position sensor to a digital mirror sense signal. Failure detection circuitry calculates a difference between the digital mirror sense signal at a first instant in time and the digital mirror sense signal at a second instant in time, determines whether the difference exceeds a threshold, and indicates failure of the movable MEMS mirror as a function of the difference failing to exceed the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Elik Haran, Gilad Adler
  • Publication number: 20180164579
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic device that includes a peak detection circuit configured to receive a mirror sense signal from an oscillating mirror and to generate peak information for a mirror period as a function thereof. The electronic device includes a mirror control circuit that estimates an opening angle of the oscillating mirror as a function of the peak information, generates a control signal for the oscillating mirror as a function of the estimated opening angle, and resets the peak detection circuit at an end of the mirror period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Elik Haran, Offir Duvdevany, Naomi Petrushevsky
  • Publication number: 20180129036
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a circuit for determining failure of a movable MEMS mirror. The circuit includes a mirror position sensor associated with the movable MEMS mirror and that generates an analog output as a function of angular position of the movable MEMS mirror. An analog to digital converter converts the analog output from the mirror position sensor to a digital mirror sense signal. Failure detection circuitry calculates a difference between the digital mirror sense signal at a first instant in time and the digital mirror sense signal at a second instant in time, determines whether the difference exceeds a threshold, and indicates failure of the movable MEMS mirror as a function of the difference failing to exceed the threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventors: Elik Haran, Gilad Adler
  • Patent number: 9958919
    Abstract: An embodiment is a circuit for use with a display device, the circuit including: a first input node configured to be operatively coupled to a first port of a data source device that provides the display device with data, to receive a first direct voltage used for a real-time display of the data on the display device; and at least one output node, configured to operatively provide the display device with at least one output voltage generated based on the first direct voltage, wherein the first port is isolated from a data port used to transmit the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS (SHENZHEN) R&D CO., LTD., STMICROELECTRONICS LTD.
    Inventors: Danny Sheng, Andy Lin, Johnny Yoon
  • Patent number: 9942531
    Abstract: A color calibration device for a laser scanning apparatus includes a compensation unit configured to electronically compensate for positional errors of the three-color laser source. The compensation unit includes an emitted light detector configured to measure a power of an emitted light beam. A calibration unit coupled to the emitted light detector has a controller configured to generate a quantity correction value for the three-color laser source. A laser source control element is configured to generate a control quantity for the three-color laser source, based on the quantity correction value. A dominant color detector is configured to detect any dominant color in the light beam being projected and actuate the controller for the dominant color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics LTd
    Inventor: Sason Sourani
  • Publication number: 20180067303
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for controlling operation of a resonance MEMS mirror. The system and method includes activating either an in-plane or staggered MEMS mirror via sets of activation pulses applied to the MEMS mirror, detecting current at the MEMS mirror, generating a window for detecting a change in a direction of the current at the MEMS mirror, and terminating the window and the activation pulse if a change in the current direction is detected during the window. In some embodiments, two sets of activation pulses are applied to the MEMS mirror.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventor: Sason Sourani
  • Publication number: 20180024351
    Abstract: A device disclosed herein includes a feedback measuring circuit to measure a signal flowing through a movable MEMS mirror. Processing circuitry determines a time at which the signal indicates that a capacitance of the movable MEMS mirror is substantially at a maximum capacitance. The processing circuitry also determines, over a window of time extending from the time at which the signal indicates that the capacitance of the movable MEMS mirror is substantially at the maximum to a given time, a total change in capacitance of the movable MEMS mirror compared to the maximum capacitance. The processor further determines the capacitance at the given time as a function of the total change in capacitance, and determines an opening angle of the movable MEMS mirror as a function of the capacitance at the given time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2017
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics Ltd
    Inventor: Offir Duvdevany
  • Patent number: 9864261
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a movable mirror system to selectively reflect an incident image projection beam traveling along a first path toward a second path different than a first path. The image projection beam displays a corrected image at a first location but would otherwise display an uncorrected image at a second location when the movable mirror system reflects the image projection beam toward the second path. The electronic device also includes an optical correction system having at least one corrective optic element to correct the image projection beam to display a corrected image at the second location when the movable mirror system reflects the image projection beam toward the second path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics LTD
    Inventor: Tzvi Philipp