Apparatus, system, and method for efficiently driving visual displays via light-emitting devices

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one light-emitting device;

a buck driver circuit electrically coupled to the light-emitting device, wherein the buck driver circuit includes an inductor; and

a boost circuit electrically coupled between the buck driver circuit and a power source, wherein the boost circuit includes an additional inductor and excludes a bypass capacitor that runs parallel with the light-emitting device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a node that electrically couples the buck driver circuit and the boost circuit to one another; and

an energy-storage capacitor that is electrically coupled between the node and a ground node.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the buck driver circuit is directly coupled to the light-emitting device via the inductor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting device comprises at least one of:

at least one laser diode;

a laser projector; or

at least one pixel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the boost circuit comprises a digital boost circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the digital boost circuit includes a transistor electrically coupled to:

the inductor;

a step-up controller; and

a ground node.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a node that electrically couples the buck driver circuit and the boost circuit to one another; and

wherein the boost circuit comprises an analog-to-digital converter coupled between the node and the step-up controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the buck driver circuit includes a transistor electrically coupled to:

the boost circuit;

a step-down controller; and

the additional inductor.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the buck driver circuit comprises:

a first comparator that includes:

a plurality of inputs coupled to:

an anode of the light-emitting device; and

a first signal that represents a maximum reference voltage; and

an output coupled to the step-down controller; and

a second comparator that includes:

a plurality of additional inputs coupled to:

the anode of the light-emitting device; and

a second signal that represents a minimum reference voltage; and

an additional output coupled to the step-down controller.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a memory device that stores at least one of:

aging data that identifies an age of the light-emitting device; or

temperature data that identifies an operating temperature of the light-emitting device; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory device and the buck driver circuit, wherein the processor:

accesses the aging data or the temperature data from the memory device; and

programs the buck driver circuit such that the buck driver circuit dynamically adjusts an output provided to the light-emitting device based at least in part on the aging data or the temperature data.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting device is incorporated into a head-mounted display dimensioned to be worn by a user of an artificial reality system; and

further comprising at least one diffractive optical element that manipulates light projected by the light-emitting device to form a dot pattern for visual presentation to the user of the artificial reality system via the head-mounted display.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the dot pattern formed by the diffractive optical element comprises at least one of:

line patterns;

hatching patterns; or

crosshatching patterns.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one processor communicatively coupled to the boost circuit, wherein the processor:

receives an input signal representative of a voltage level of a node within the boost circuit;

generates a digital waveform commensurate with the voltage level represented by the input signal; and

providing the digital waveform to a step-up converter that drives a switching regulator of the boost circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the processor modifies a feature of the digital waveform to increase or decrease an amount of electric current that passes through the switching regulator of the boost circuit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the feature of the digital waveform comprises at least one of:

a duty cycle of the digital waveform; or

a frequency of the digital waveform.

16. A system comprising:

a visual display that includes at least one light-emitting device;

a buck driver circuit electrically coupled to the light-emitting device included in the visual display, wherein the buck driver circuit includes an inductor; and

a boost circuit electrically coupled between the buck driver circuit and a power source, wherein the boost circuit includes an additional inductor and excludes a bypass capacitor that runs parallel with the light-emitting device.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising:

a node that electrically couples the buck driver circuit and the boost circuit to one another; and

an energy-storage capacitor that is electrically coupled between the node and a ground node.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the buck driver circuit is directly coupled to the light-emitting device via the inductor.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the light-emitting device comprises at least one of:

at least one laser diode;

a laser projector; or

at least one pixel.

20. A method comprising:

assembling a buck driver circuit that includes an inductor and excludes a bypass capacitor that runs parallel with at least one light-emitting device included in a head-mounted display dimensioned to be worn by a user of an artificial reality system;

assembling a boost circuit that includes an additional inductor;

electrically coupling the buck driver circuit to the at least one light-emitting device included in the head-mounted display dimensioned to be worn by the user of the artificial reality system; and

electrically coupling the boost circuit between the buck driver circuit and a power source.