Scanned light display system using array of collimating elements in conjunction with large numerical aperture light emitter array

Abstract

A scanned light display system includes a light emitter array having a plurality of light sources operable to emit diverging light and an array of collimating elements positioned so that each of the collimating elements receive at least a portion of the light emitted from a corresponding one of the light sources. Each of collimating elements is configured to substantially collimate the received light from at least one corresponding light source into respective beams. The scanned beam display is operable to scan the respective beams to provide an image to a viewer. The displayed image appears substantially fixed to a viewer as the viewer's eye moves relative to the array of collimating elements. In one embodiment, each of the collimating elements is a curved mirror. In other embodiments, each of the collimating elements includes at least one lens or a curved mirror/lens pair.

1 . A scanned light display system, comprising: 
 a light emitter array having a plurality of light sources operable to emit diverging light;    an array of collimating elements, each of the collimating elements corresponding to at least one of the light sources and positioned to receive at least a portion of the diverging light emitted from the corresponding at least one of the light sources, each of the collimating elements configured to substantially collimate the received diverging light into respective beams; and    an actuator system coupled to at least one of the light emitter array and the array of collimating elements, the actuator system being operable to move at least one of the light emitter array and the array of collimating elements to scan the respective beams to provide an image, wherein the image appears substantially fixed to a viewer as the viewer's eye moves relative to the array of collimating elements.    
   
   
       2 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a curved mirror.  
   
   
       3 . The scanned light display system of  claim 2  wherein the actuator system comprises a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators coupled to a corresponding one of the curved mirrors.  
   
   
       4 . The scanned light display system of  claim 3  wherein each of the actuators is operable to rotate the corresponding one of the curved mirrors about at least one axis.  
   
   
       5 . The scanned light display system of  claim 3  wherein each of the actuators is operable to move the corresponding one of the curved mirrors in at least one direction.  
   
   
       6 . The scanned light display system of  claim 2  wherein the actuator system comprises a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators coupled to a corresponding at least one of the light sources.  
   
   
       7 . The scanned light display system of  claim 6  wherein each of the actuators is operable to move the corresponding at least one of the light sources in at least one direction.  
   
   
       8 . The scanned light display system of  claim 6  wherein each of the actuators is operable to move the corresponding at least one of the light sources in a manner that maintains the corresponding at least one of the light sources substantially on a focal surface of the corresponding curved mirror.  
   
   
       9 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the actuator system is operable to rotate the array of collimating elements and the light emitter array as a unit about at least one axis.  
   
   
       10 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a lens.  
   
   
       11 . The scanned light display system of  claim 10  wherein the actuator system comprises a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators coupled to a corresponding one of the lenses.  
   
   
       12 . The scanned light display system of claims  11  wherein each of the actuators is operable to rotate the corresponding one of the lenses about at least one axis.  
   
   
       13 . The scanned light display system of claims  11  wherein each of the actuators is operable to move the corresponding one of the lenses in at least one direction.  
   
   
       14 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a curved mirror and lens pair, the curved mirror positioned to reflect the emitted diverging light to the lens which is configured to substantially collimate the light reflected from the curved mirror.  
   
   
       15 . The scanned light display system of  claim 14  wherein the actuator system comprises a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators coupled to a corresponding one of the curved mirrors.  
   
   
       16 . The scanned light display system of claims  15  wherein each of the actuators is operable to rotate the corresponding one of the curved mirrors about at least one axis.  
   
   
       17 . The scanned light display system of claims  15  wherein each of the actuators is operable to move the corresponding one of the curved mirrors in at least one direction.  
   
   
       18 . The scanned light display system of  claim 14  wherein the actuator system comprises a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators coupled to a corresponding one of the lenses.  
   
   
       19 . The scanned light display system of claims  18  wherein each of the actuators is operable to rotate the corresponding one of the lenses about at least one axis.  
   
   
       20 . The scanned light display system of claims  18  wherein each of the actuators is operable to move the corresponding one of the lenses in at least one direction.  
   
   
       21 . The scanned light display system of  claim 14  wherein the actuator system comprises a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators coupled to a corresponding at least one of the light sources.  
   
   
       22 . The scanned light display system of claims  21  wherein each of the actuators is operable to move the corresponding at least one of the light sources in a manner that maintains the corresponding at least one of the light sources substantially on a focal surface defined by the corresponding curved mirror and lens pair.  
   
   
       23 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the actuator system comprises a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators coupled to a corresponding one of the collimating elements.  
   
   
       24 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein each of the respective beams is laterally spaced apart from an adjacent beam.  
   
   
       25 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein each of the beams abuts an adjacent beam.  
   
   
       26 . The scanned light display system of  claim 2  wherein each of the curved mirrors has a focal surface, and the at least one corresponding light sources are positioned substantially at the corresponding focal surface.  
   
   
       27 . The scanned light display system of  claim 26  wherein each of the curved mirrors is a spherical mirror and the focal surface is a focal sphere.  
   
   
       28 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the light sources comprises one of a single monochrome source, a plural monochrome source, an RGB triad, and an RGBG quadrad.  
   
   
       29 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the light sources comprises one of an organic light emitting diode, a surface emitting light emitting diode, an edge emitting light emitting diode, a laser diode, a dpss laser, photoluminescent spot, a reflector, and a fiber-optic source.  
   
   
       30 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the light sources are operable to be modulated responsive to a video image.  
   
   
       31 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the array of collimating elements comprises an at least partially transparent array of collimating elements.  
   
   
       32 . The scanned light display system of  claim 2  wherein each of the curved mirrors comprises a spherical mirror.  
   
   
       33 . The scanned light display system of  claim 2  wherein each of the curved mirrors comprises a Fresnel mirror.  
   
   
       34 . The scanned light display system of  claim 2  wherein each of the curved mirrors comprises a diffractive mirror.  
   
   
       35 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the actuator system and the light emitter array are operable to synchronously scan each of the respective beams.  
   
   
       36 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the actuator system and the light emitter array are operable to asynchronously scan each of the respective beams.  
   
   
       37 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the actuator system is operable to scan each of the respective beams so that each of the collimating elements provides an identical image.  
   
   
       38 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1 , further comprising a control system coupled to the light sources and the actuator system, the control system being operable to couple signals to the light sources and the actuator system.  
   
   
       39 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1 , further comprising an image capture system.  
   
   
       40 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1 , further comprising an image generation system and wherein the actuator system is operable to scan the respective beams to provide the image responsive to a signal from the image generation system.  
   
   
       41 . The scanned light display system of  claim 1  wherein the image generation system comprises one of a video gaming system, a digital camera, a recorded media player, and a television receiver.  
   
   
       42 . A method of providing an image to a viewer, comprising: 
 emitting light from a plurality of light sources;    substantially collimating the light emitted from each of the light sources using corresponding collimating elements to form respective beams; and    scanning the respective beams to provide the image to the viewer, wherein the image appears substantially fixed to the viewer as the viewer's eye moves relative to the collimating elements.    
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 42  wherein each of the collimating elements comprise curved reflecting surfaces and wherein the act of substantially collimating the light emitted from each of the light sources from corresponding collimating elements to form respective beams comprises reflecting the light emitted from each of the light sources from a corresponding one of the curved reflecting surfaces.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 42  wherein each of the collimating elements comprise a curved reflecting surface and lens pair and wherein the act of substantially collimating the light emitted from each of the light sources from corresponding collimating elements to form respective beams comprises reflecting the light emitted from each of the light sources from a corresponding one of the curved reflecting surfaces and passing the reflected light through a corresponding one of the lenses.  
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 42  wherein each of the collimating elements comprise at least one lens and wherein the act of substantially collimating the light emitted from each of the light sources from corresponding collimating elements to form respective beams comprises passing the light emitted from each of the light sources through a corresponding one of the lenses.  
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 42  wherein the act of scanning the respective beams to provide an image to the viewer comprises moving each of the light sources and the corresponding collimating elements relative to each other.  
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 46  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a curved reflecting surface and wherein the act of moving each of the light sources and corresponding collimating elements relative to each other comprises moving each of the light sources along a path substantially on a focal surface of the corresponding curved reflecting surface.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 46  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a curved reflecting surface and wherein the act of moving the each of the light sources and corresponding collimating elements relative to each other comprises rotating each of the curved reflecting surfaces about at least one axis.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 46  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a curved reflecting surface and wherein the act of moving the each of the light sources and corresponding collimating elements relative to each other comprises moving each of the curved reflecting surfaces in at least one direction.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 42  wherein the act of scanning the respective beams to provide an image to the viewer comprises rotating the plurality of light sources and the corresponding collimating elements as a unit about at least one axis.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 46  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a lens and wherein the act of moving each of the light sources and corresponding collimating elements relative to each other comprises moving each of the light sources while each of the lenses is maintained substantially stationary.  
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 46  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a lens and wherein the act of moving the each of the light sources and corresponding collimating elements relative to each other comprises rotating each of the lenses about at least one axis.  
   
   
       53 . The method of  claim 46  wherein each of the collimating elements comprises a lens and wherein the act of moving the each of the light sources and corresponding collimating elements relative to each other comprises moving each of the lenses in at least one direction.  
   
   
       54 . The method of  claim 46  wherein each of the collimating elements comprise a curved reflecting surface and lens pair and wherein the act of moving each of the light sources and corresponding collimating elements relative to each other comprises moving each of the light sources along a path substantially on a focal surface defined by the corresponding curved reflecting surface and lens pair.  
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 42  wherein the act of scanning the respective beams to provide an image to the viewer comprises rotating the plurality of light sources and the corresponding collimating elements as a unit about at least one axis.  
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising scanning each of the beams synchronously.  
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising scanning each of the beams asynchronously.  
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising modulating the plurality of light sources.