RGB laser scanner with microlenses fits into any everyday glasses

Augmented Reality RGB laser scanner with microlenses fits into any everyday glasses

2023-02-16 A guest post by Dr. Peter Weigand 5 min Reading Time

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For everyday suitable AR glasses, compact and lightweight displays are necessary, which also produce a bright and high-quality image. This is made possible by a tiny RGB laser module in combination with clever software.

The microdisplay projector called Trixel 3. With it, lightweight and compact AR glasses can be implemented.(Image: TriLite) — The microdisplay projector called Trixel 3. With it, lightweight and compact AR glasses can be implemented.
(Image: TriLite)

Smart glasses with augmented reality features have been around for more than a decade. They have not really caught on yet. This is mainly because the projector and optics are too large to be easily integrated into an everyday wearable pair of glasses. Augmented reality involves inserting digital objects in front of the viewer's eyes into the real world. For this technology to gain widespread acceptance, the so-called head-mounted display (HMD) – the visual output device worn on the head – needs to be as light, comfortable, and inconspicuous as possible.

Current optical developments are likely to revolutionize the market for smart glasses in the future. Smaller and lighter display systems enable the development of wearable and stylish glasses that enrich the real environment with digital information and immerse the wearer in a virtual world that is as realistic as it is informative.

The requirements for an AR microdisplay

Compact and light – this is how the waveguide system for AR glasses can be integrated into commercially available glasses.
(Image:TriLite)

The engine of an AR microdisplay essentially consists of two components: a projector and an "optical combiner". This second component optically directs the image of the display onto the eye. The aim is to produce bright and high-resolution images that are clearly visible even in daylight.

For use in AR glasses, two types of combiners are suitable: the holographic combiner and the waveguide combiner. In general, a holographic combiner offers more efficiency in light transmission. The disadvantage: the significantly smaller eyebox. This term refers to an imaginary field of view in which the user's eye can move without distorting the image. AR glasses with a large eyebox can be practically worn by anyone: Even if the glasses don't fit the wearer exactly, they see a perfect image – an important condition for the broadest possible acceptance.

Optical system is based on scanner

The RGB laser module is the centerpiece of the Trixel 3 and, thanks to its weight and compact dimensions, is specially suited for AR applications.
(Image:TriLite)

Waveguide combiners, on the other hand, offer a larger field of view, but are less light-efficient. For AR applications, mainly two types of microdisplays are used: panel-based and scanner-based optical systems. In a panel-based system, the pixels are arranged two-dimensionally, similar to a computer screen. The disadvantage is that manufacturing and efficiency factors limit the minimum pixel size. This in turn limits the minimal panel size for a specific image resolution. Therefore, panel-based systems are generally comparatively bulky and heavy.

Scanner-based optical systems, such as Laser Beam Scanners (LBS), deflect laser beams using movable, silicon-based micro-mirrors (MEMS mirrors). This enables them to display the individual pixels of an image in sequential order, similar to the image generation of an electron beam in tube televisions. Compared to a panel-based system, this scanning approach offers advantages in terms of size and weight.

Additional advantages include higher brightness and greater contrast while simultaneously consuming less power and having shorter latency. Furthermore, by controlling sinusoidal scanning movements along the x and y axes corresponding to a Lissajous figure, the image can be constructed simultaneously across the entire display area instead of progressively line by line, and this also requires even less energy to drive the mirror.

LBS (Laser Beam Scanning) systems also exhibit lower optical distortions compared to panel-based displays and typically offer a larger field of view (FoV) – the factor that determines how much of the world around them the viewer perceives. The optimal field of view for next-generation AR devices is 30° across the diagonal.

The core is an integrated RGB laser module

The microdisplay projector Trixel 3 with a weight of less than 1.5 g and a size of less than 1 cm x 1 cm.
(Image:TriLite)

The Trixel-3 micro-display from TriLite is the world's smallest LBS projection display, tailored for integration into AR glasses with a weight of less than 1.5 g and dimensions of less than 1 cm x 1 cm. The heart of Trixel 3 consists of an integrated RGB laser module from TriLite and micro-lenses developed specifically for AR applications. With a software-controlled hardware architecture and proprietary, high-precision laser bonding techniques, TriLite was able to significantly reduce the cost of the module without compromising on image quality or performance.

Software plays a crucial role in the Trixel architecture, distinctly setting it apart from the usual purely hardware systems. Intelligent, software-based control of the LBS projection display results in high assembly yield and low manufacturing costs. TriLite's patented laser-timing algorithms ensure a perfect overlap of the RGB color channels, thereby avoiding distortions in high-quality images.

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The key concept involves shifting the complexity of a projector from the hardware to the software, making the optical system smaller, lighter, and simpler. Currently, TriLite is working on developing a platform for mass production services based on collaboration with partner companies in the fields of assembly and components – such as the MEMS mirror from Infineon. The platform is intended to help customers simplify and accelerate the product development process and market launch.

An additional relay optics is not necessary

Trixel 3 is designed to be compatible with both diffractive waveguides and holographic optical elements as optical combiners. The Finnish company Dispelix is a leader in the field of single-layer, diffractive waveguides and has introduced an ultra-compact display system for AR glasses in collaboration with TriLite. This system combines the Trixel 3 LBS from TriLite with the diffractive waveguides from Dispelix, where the waveguide is a mostly transparent, thin piece of glass or plastic that diffracts and focuses light.

Unlike other systems, TriLite does not require additional relay optics between the LBS projector and the waveguide. As a result, the system is about half the size of developments from other providers. The combined form factor with Dispelix's ultra-thin waveguide allows for particularly compact dimensions: thus, the system can be installed in any everyday glasses – regardless of size and style. And: It delivers bright, crisp images and text even in strong direct sunlight. The architecture designed for AR glasses can be easily and inexpensively transitioned into mass production.