MVIS Test Post
#HoloLens 3 MEMS Microvision Timeline Patent Thread
First and foremost, this thread wouldn't of been possible without the tireless curating of geo_rule, and the hound dogs of the r/MVIS community (unpaid).
This thread is a continuation of the original, and the third version to track patents published by MSFT and MVIS regarding the Hololens 3. These patents focus on new features that might appear in the Hololens 3 (HLv3) which refer to mems mirrors, LBS (laser beam scanners), and other features like foveated scanning, and whatever else we can find.
-
Original Thread MVIS/MSFT HoloLens Timeline (archived)
-
Second Thread MicroVision MEMS Mirror Laser Scanner & Microsoft HoloLens 2 (Includes material event dates also).
Whether it means anything is up to you the reader to decide. (Last Updated: 6-Sep-2019). THIS THREAD IS SPECULATIVE. But as best we know the dates are right. Feel free to suggest additions and cites for the dating in the thread below and if I think they are worthy and relevant we'll add them to the master timeline up here in post 1.
#HoloLens 2/3 Patent Timeline - Continued
Date Filed|Pub. No./EVENT|Patent Name|Description w/ thread link|Assignee|Status
:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--
9.February.2018|20190250703|EFFICIENT MEMS-BASED EYE TRACKING SYSTEM WITH A SILICON PHOTOMULTIPLIER SENSOR|Base Patent for the application seen below to do eye tracking with mems mirrors|Microsoft|Application Pending
9.February.2018|20190250704|EYE TRACKING SYSTEM FOR USE IN A VISIBLE LIGHT DISPLAY DEVICE|eye tracking via LBS, includes foveated scanning h/t VFA|Microsoft|Application Pending
7.March,2018|20190278076|Systems and methods of increasing pupil size in a display system|Anamorphic optical relay situated between fast and slow scan apparently does the trick. Figure 1 depicts what appears to be the HL2 form factor. h/t flyingmirrors|Microsoft|Application Pending
9.March.2018|20190278096|Method and Apparatus for Collimating Light from a Laser Diode|Patent collimating laser light h/t theoz_97|Microvision|Application Pending
24.March.2018|20190306428|Weaving Plural Sparse Scan Passes to Mitigate the Effects of Motion|Proposed fix uses varying scan patterns in forward view scanning projector to resolve small visual artifacts h/t PPR|Microsoft|Application Pending
9.April.2018|20190310489|Method and Apparatus for Laser Beam Combining and Speckle Reduction|the apparent HL2 fast and slow scan mirrors (Figs. 15 and 16) are linked to the speckle reduction methods described herein. h/t FM|Microvision|Application Pending
17.April.2018|20190317270|Near-eye display system with air-gap interference fringe mitigation|The waveguide plates are tilted so that they are not parallel to one another...the output image because of constructive and destructive interference between transmitted and reflected light beams are reduced in intensity (seen in HL2) h/t s2upid|Microsoft|Application Pending
18.April.2018|20190324262|Techniques for removing particulate from an optical surface|Now this is getting into the weeds on long term functionality with our friends Wyatt and Josh and Utku at play. I wonder if IVAS made a small request? Also note the SHAPE of the MEMs mirror the patent drawings! h/t adchop|Microsoft|Granted
26.April.2018|EVENT|1440p samples shipped|MVIS announces sampling of a new generation two-mirror LBS MEMS scanner at 1440p and 120Hz. Old scanner in HMD prototype of January 2017 was likely current gen at 720p/60Hz. (See also March 3rd, 2017 and March 28th, 2017 above)|Microvision|Completed
07.June.2018|EVENT|Sumit Sharma|MVIS announces Sumit Sharma promoted to COO, a position that had not existed at the company since the elevation of Alexander Tokman from COO to CEO in 2006.|Microvision|Completed
27.June.2018|20200004011|ADJUSTING A RESONANT FREQUENCY OF A SCANNING MIRROR|allows a display device to dynamically adapt operation to compensate for manufacturing variances in resonant frequency, variances in video data, and/or to adjust to changes in resonant frequency that may occur over time due to factors such as ageing, temperature, etc h/t PPR|Microsoft|Application Pending
June.2018|Event|Next Gen Hololens|MSFT next HoloLens code named "Sydney" rumored for 1Q 2019 release.|Microsoft|Completed
31.July.2018|Event|Perry Mulligan|MVIS CEO Perry Mulligan reports "We're about two-thirds of the way through that contract and we believe the difficult technical tasks are now behind us." Also says Large NRE customer confirms 2019 launch with MVIS components inside.|Microvision|Completed
10.August.2018|20200052464|LASER CONTROL|Display device 208 can also include a scanner 210 and a display 212 which can display an image 214 (e.g., raster image). h/t gaporter|Microsoft|Application Pending
22.August.2018|20200064631|FOVEATED COLOR CORRECTION TO IMPROVE COLOR UNIFORMITY OF HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAYS| the foveal portion of the display FOV is color-corrected, that is, color non-uniformities are reduced or eliminated. h/t s2upid|Microsoft|Application Pending
21.December.2018|20190372306|FRINGE MITIGATION USING SHORT PULSED LASER DIODES|By operating the lasers with a reduced spatial coherence, undesired visual artifacts can be reduced or eliminated within the target display area. h/t adchop|Microsoft|Application Pending
20.February.2019|20190373140|Synchronizing Scanning display with Video|the resonant frequency of the mirror for the faster scan direction may not be an exact multiple of the frame rate of video data being displayed. h/t ppr|Microsoft|Application Pending
24.February.2019|EVENT|Hololens 2| MSFT announces HL2 in Barcelona, Spain at MWC. Design includes MEMS scanner that appears to match descriptions provided by MVIS for their new scanner announced on April 26th, 2018|Microsoft|Completed
3.October.2019|EVENT|Alex Kipman speaks at ETH Zurich - First proof of MVIS and MSFT partnership|shows off a Hololens v2 Prototype photo that clearly shows Microvision printed on the circuitboard h/t Mutti_got_MVIS|Microsoft|Completed
#HoloLens 2 Patent Timeline - From Original Thread from previous threads
Date Filed|Patent Name/EVENT|Description w/ thread link|Assignee|Status
:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:--
16.Feb.2016|Multi-Stripes Lasers for Laser Based Projector Displays|two-mirror MEMS scanning system|Microvision|Granted
13.Apr.2016|Waveguide-based displays with exit pupil expander|ref. 7 MVIS patents (exp. 2026)|Microsoft|Granted
13.Apr.2016|Waveguides with extended field of view|Double FOV patent cites LBS/MVIS|Microsoft|Granted
16.Jun.2016|Wrapped Waveguide With Large Field of View|waveguide concept citing MVIS pico Projector|Microsoft|Granted
16.Sep.2016|Waveguide comprising a bragg polarization grating|Another doubling FOV citing LBS/MVIS|Microsoft|Granted
22.Sep.2016|Display engines for use with optical waveguides|LBS+Waveguides, describes size, weight and power superiority|Microsoft|Granted
2.Nov.2016|EVENT - $25.3M NRE Contract Signed|MVIS signed Phase I contract to deliver proof of concept prototype display for AR application with "world leading technology company".|Microvision|Complete
4.Nov.2016|Adjustable scanned beam projector|stacked holograms by color/wavelength utilizing MEMS mirrors|Microsoft|Granted
10.Nov.2016|Enhanced imaging system for linear micro-displays|examples are disclosed herein that relate to scanning systems that may provide for larger beam diameters than provided by MEMS or some other scanning systems.|Microsoft|Granted
10.Nov.2016|EVENT - MVIS/STM strategic partnership|its aim is to "develop" new LBS scanning technology for AR/VR. Announcement includes reference to "exploring" a future joint LBS technology roadmap.|Microvision|On-Going?
6.Dec.2016|Waveguides with peripheral side geometries to recycle light|Reduced light loss from use of waveguides utilizing lasers|Microsoft|Granted
6.Dec.2016|Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanners for scanning laser devices|MEMS scanner patent showing a modular mirror assembly, similar to HLv2 mems mirror shots|Microvision|Granted
16.Dec.2016|Mems laser scanner having enlarged fov|MEMS Scanner providing Double FOV which references the PicoP|Microsoft|Granted
21.Dec.2016|Devices and Methods for Providing Foveated Scanning Laser Image Projection with Depth Mapping|Foveated Imaging Patent relying of LBS to double the FOV that tracks the eyes|Microvision|Granted
31.January.2017|EVENT - MVIS delivers AR proof of concept|"MicroVision delivered to a top technology company the augmented reality proof of concept demonstrator"|Microvision|Complete
20.February.2017|EVENT - Reports HLv2 Cancelled/Delayed|more ambitious v3 in 2019 instead|Microsoft|Complete
31.February.2017|EVENT - Sumit Sharma promoted to VP of Operations|more options that MVIS new CEO would receive later that year.|Microvision|Complete
3.March.2017|MEMS Scanning Display Device|method to design a 1440p-capable two-mirror LBS MEMS design.|Microsoft|Granted
5.March.2017|EVENT - MVIS signs Phase II AR contract of $900k|to deliver proof of concept by end of 2017|Microvision|Complete
9.March.2017|Compact modular scanners for scanning laser devices|improved MEMS scanning mirror resulting in less mirror distortion allowing for higher resolution, higher refresh rates, and increased mirror angles (increasing FoV capability). Patent notes HMD one application (amongst others).|Microvision|Granted
23.March.2017|Laser scan beam foveated display|MSFT files yet another foveated AR/MR patent using LBS MEMS and relying in part on two still-in-force MVIS patents.|Microsoft|Granted
27.March.2017|EVENT - Outgoing MicroVision Director: Richard Cowell Retirement PR|"It is also gratifying to see the company engage in augmented and virtual reality eyewear, an application with roots in the early days of MicroVision when I joined the board.” |Microvision|Complete
28.March.2017|Mems projector using multiple laser sources| multi-pixel-per-clock dual-mirror MEMS scanner to reach 1440p resolutions at high refresh rates|STMicroelectronics|Granted
30.March.2017|EVENT - Wyatt Davis leaves MVIS|after 14 years as Principal Engineer/MEMS Technical Lead at Microvision for Microsoft to become Principal Display Systems Engineer|Microvision|Complete
30.March.2017|EVENT - Sihui He leaves MSFT|reporting having "modeled and demonstrated" (and creating new metric measurement systems) next gen HoloLens unit built around her patents.|Microsoft|Complete
3.April.2017|Wide field of view scanning display|follow up to the March 3rd, 2017 patent on design of a two-mirror 1440p LBS MEMS above. Also seems to imply 114 degree theoretical FOV (60 degrees * 1.9).|Microsoft|Granted
7.April.2017|Scanner-illuminated lcos projector for head mounted display|MSFT files patent combining both LCoS and LBS to create a larger exit pupil and brighter waveguide image.|Microsoft|Application Pending
11.April.2017|Foveated mems scanning display|The patent describes multiple RGB laser modules, and more than 2 mirrors to created a stitched foveated wide resolution image|Microsoft|Granted
17.April.2017|Scanning Laser Devices with Reduced Exit Pupil Disparity|MVIS files patent for reducing exit pupil disparity in HMDs.|Microvision|Granted|
20.April.2017|EVENT - MVIS $24M "Large NRE" agreement signed | "major technology company". Agreement foresees development of a new generation of MVIS MEMS and ASICs and is expected to complete by late January 2019 ("21 months" from April 20th, 2017).|Microvision|Completed
28.April.2017|Eye tracking using scanned beam and multiple detectors|eye-tracking patent (useful for foveated rendering) relying on LBS --patent further describes using the same MEMS scanner that is used for AR/VR image production to do the IR laser-based eye tracking. Seems to be a further development of MVIS own patent from December 21st, 2016 above.|Microsoft|Granted
28.April.2017|Compact display engine with MEMS scanners|patent for AR/HMD with MEMS design suspiciously close to that which MVIS would reveal to be their new MEMS scanner in April of 2018 (two single-axis mirrors, one much larger than the other). Design facilitates polarization and beam-splitting that other MSFT patents on this thread use to double FOV.|Microsoft|Granted
22.May.2017|Optical system steering via bragg grating shear|MSFT files another waveguide patent aimed at optimizing for collimated light like the lasers of MVIS LBS.|Microsoft|Application Pending
24.May.2017|Optical waveguide with coherent light source|MSFT files waveguide patent for routing light by color/wavelength that appears to be a further refinement/implementation of November 4th, 2016 patent above.|Microsoft|Granted
26.May.2017|Optical waveguide with coherent light source|MSFT files patent for a waveguide optimized for use with coherent laser light (like, for example, that produced by an MVIS LBS MEMS) to reduce light wastage.|Microsoft|Granted
08.June.2017|EVENT - MVIS Annual Shareholders Meeting|CEO narrows identification of AR customer who received HMD prototype as a Fortune Global 100 company. See slide 13. AR customer description now "world leading technology company" + FG100 member.|Microvision|Completed
13.June.2017|EVENT - Sharma Shares|MVIS belatedly decides Sumit Sharma is "reportable" for "insider ownership" purposes and files Form 3 on him with the SEC for the first time disclosing his 130k shares Feb 2017 options award and 200k shares total in options (subject to vesting --dates listed are earliest partial vest date which is one year after initial award).|Microvision|Completed
15.June.2017|Holographic display system|MSFT files yet another patent relying on a scanning mirror to facilitate foveated rendering, in this case through multiple output exit pupils of a waveguide. Scanning mirror is controlled through feedback from eye-tracking.|Microsoft|Application Pending
05.July.2017|Compact optical system with MEMS scanners for image generation and object tracking|MSFT files another LBS-based eye-tracking patent, explaining how to do LBS-based eye-tracking even with the presence of waveguides --filter the IR wavelength into its own path. Patent cites earlier MVIS patent as well.|Microsoft|Granted
02.August.2017|EVENT - 2017 April Contract|MVIS 2Q 10-Q seems to prove AR HMD customer and "Large NRE" customer are the same company in "Concentration of Customers" data.|Microvision|Completed
03.August.2017|EVENT - Himax|“Some customers are starting on scanning mirror more carefully right now...” - Jordan Wu, CEO of Himax, the company that provides LCOS for the current generation Hololens.|Himax|Completed
11.August.2017|Eye-tracking with mems scanning and reflected light|MSFT files THIRD patent relying on presence of LBS doing HMD image production to also do eye-tracking, EYE-TRACKING WITH MEMS SCANNING AND REFLECTED LIGHT.|Microsoft|Application Pending
15.August.2017|Eye-tracking with mems scanning and optical relay|MSFT files yet a FOURTH patent using LBS to do eye-tracking for HMD|Microsoft|Granted
22.August.2017|Mems line scanner and silicon photomultiplier based pixel camera for low light large dynamic range eye imaging|MSFT files a FIFTH patent relying on a MEMS scanner to do eye-tracking.|Microsoft|Application Pending
26.September.2017|Scanning mirror control and slow scan position offset|MVIS Patent by to ex-MVIS employees now working for microsoft, regarding a slow scan resonant mems mirror for LBS projection. Shows 2 mems mirrors in a slow and fast scan config.|Microvision|Granted
27.September.2017|Hololens light engine with linear array imagers and mems|MSFT files yet another LCoS/MEMS scanner hybrid for HoloLens HMD. In this one it is clear that a smaller LCoS panel is feeding a MEMS scanner that can redirect multiple sub-images to different areas of the waveguide, increasing FoV and total resolution.|Microsoft|Application Pending
02.November.2017|EVENT - MVIS PR|MVIS announces Phase II AR completed in 3Q 2017. (i.e. by September 30th, 2017)|Microvision|Compelted
12.January.2018|Geometrically multiplexed rgb lasers in a scanning mems display system for hmds|MSFT files extensive patent describing workings of an LBS projector and how to improve color alignment of the RGB lasers to improve image quality in a LBS-using HMD.|Microsoft|Application Pending
January.2018|EVENT - timeline end|End of patent list on original patent thread. - All Events below are seen in original patent thread|Reddit|Completed
15.Novemeber.2018|EVENT|MVIS CEO Perry Mulligan expands description of MVIS AR/VR offering to include "Integrated. . . Sensor" (Pg 13) for first time. Old language, "Optical Engine for Binocular Headset Large Field of View / High Resolution". New language, "Integrated Display and Sensor Module for Binocular Headset". See April 28th, 2017 above for relevance. h/t snowboardnirvana. IR later admits that "sensor" language addition is aimed at eye-tracking capability.|Microvision|Completed
15.Novemeber.2018|EVENT|Same conference, verbal comments from webcast, "If you believe AR/MR will replace VR as the majority use case, you have to believe that Laser Beam Scanning technology is in fact a solution that's required to make that happen." "We're very comfortable our core technology allows us to be a predominant player in that space." In discussing 2019 revenue from AR/MR, "We definitely have the quality of features and right price point for Augmented and Mixed Reality." Carefully allows "There's a chance we'll sell a small number of units" in 2019 with more volume in 2020-2021.|Microvision|Completed
February.2019|EVENT|MVIS ASIC designer Melany Richmond, brought on in summer of 2017 with announced group of new engineering hires to work on "Large NRE", finishes up ASIC designs at MVIS for Large NRE (project was only 21 months as announced initially in April 2017), and immediately moves to MSFT. Who better for the customer to hire to know how to get the most out of programming firmware and applications for her ASIC?|Microvision|Completed
06.Novemeber.2019|EVENT|In response to an analyst's question at the 3Q 2019 results conference call, MicroVision CEO Perry Mulligan allows as indeedy that does appear to be a MicroVision logo on the Kipman presentation slide of an early HL2 prototype.". . . he [Alex Kipman of Microsoft] referenced some of the pictures I think the HoloLens 2 model. And in that picture, it looks like you can see the MicroVision logo on some of those components. We can confirm that it appears to be our logo. And beyond that, I can't make any other comment."|Microvision|Completed
Timeline above is now complete from the original threads link to originals
Posted Sep 6, 2019, 3:48 PM UTC · edited