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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Microvision (MVIS) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: george m galpin who wrote (1749)	12/8/1998 3:32:00 PM
From: dwight martin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7720

I found these current MVIS job postings in the local (Seattle) newspaper. Mebbe they can help a techie help us understand more about what MVIS is doing. seatimes.com In a related vein, altho I am no techie, I notice (from one of the Kollin-Furness patents, if I recall) that one of the MEMS claims to fame is that the mirror(s?) operate(s?) at their resonance frequency of about 24kHz, and that the operating frequency is tunable within some range (presumably to allow precise matching of the scanning operation to the mirror resonance frequency). That leads me to speculate that the mirrors will run at a constant (and very efficient) speed and that the timing task will be to synchronize the (non-mechanical) the lasers or LEDs to the scan. In other words, the scan will be continuous, with the presence or absence of light information determining the perceived output. It seems to me that it would be easier that way than to have continuous light sources and apply the timing to the motion of the mirrors, BWDIK. This would be good for four reasons that I can think of. (1) running at resonance frequency will save power needed to control the mirrors; (2) the mirror suspension can be made better and cheaper if it has only well-defined nodes of vibration to deal with; (3) if the scan is continuous, the device can work both ways at the same time without missing anything within its field of view (and at the rates we are talking about it might compare, almost, to a "staring" sensor); and (4) if the LED or laser can be switched fast enough and efficiently enough, it may minimize the power needed to provide the illumination. BTW, has anyone got any ideas on the integration of MVIS technology with the soon to be ubiquitous "Active Pixel Sensor?" Just some idle thoughts from Santa's workshop.

To: george m galpin who wrote (1749)	12/8/1998 7:12:00 PM
From: dwight martin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7720

I wonder if the device Stoll is talking about is the latest technology, or just what is about to be shipped interim. His description of two mirrors and at least one scanner dimension of almost a full inch reminded me of this: SEATTLE - July 28, 1998 - Microvision (NASDAQ:MVIS, MVISW) announced today that it has demonstrated a microminiature scanner that represents a breakthrough for a wide variety of next-generation display and imaging products. The development is significant because of the degree of system miniaturization it enables, and because it has the potential to afford significant production economies through the use of highly automated batch fabrication techniques. The patented device, in which optical surfaces and small hinges are formed on silicon wafers using semiconductor fabrication techniques, is an example of a technology known as microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS. The entire component is fabricated from a small sliver of silicon - roughly half the size of a dime. The tiny scanning mirror itself is less than one square millimeter in area - smaller than the head of a pin. The microscanner is designed to scan in both horizontal and vertical directions, so that a single beam of light can be precisely steered at very high speeds to project a complete video image. While the technology will initially be used in the company's Virtual Retinal Display™ (VRD™) system, the device can also be used as an optical sensor or camera by rapidly scanning light reflected from the surface of an object onto a photoreceptor. BTW, a guy on YAHOO! pointed out that zoom and night vision are part of the potential suite of capabilities, and I guess I have to think also that anything that can be done today by digital signal processing (image enhancement, pattern recognition, ultra-precise spectral differentiation, for example) can eventually be done within a VRD. I guess we'll be buying software updates for the VRD processor just as we now do for the PC. Truly, an entirely new mode of perception.