Patent ID: 8797629

Claim:
A method of operating a micromirror device comprising: providing a micromirror device comprising at least one micromirror element being electrostatically deflectable around a rotation axis between at least two positions being a first position and a second position, the micromirror element being controlled by applying voltage signals to at least four electrodes, the four electrodes comprising a first and second electrode located on one side of the rotation axis and a third and fourth electrode on the other side; associating an intermediate value of intensity to the micromirror element during a time frame, the intensity being between a first value and a second value, the first value corresponding to the first position and the second value corresponding to the second position; switching the micromirror element between the first position and the second position and vice-versa so that the micromirror element is either in the first position or in the second position, the intermediate value of intensity corresponding to a ratio of periods of time in the time frame in which the micromirror element is either in the first position or in the second position, wherein the switching is obtained by applying fixed voltage signals to the second and third electrodes during the time frame while applying periodic voltage signals having a period equal to the length of the time frame to the first and fourth electrodes, the fixed voltage signals being kept constant during half of the time frame.