Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N9/00—Details of colour television systems
  • H04N9/12—Picture reproducers
  • H04N9/31—Projection devices for colour picture display, e.g. using electronic spatial light modulators [ESLM]
  • H04N9/3141—Constructional details thereof
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
  • H04N5/74—Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Definitions

• the invention relates to projection televisions and projection displays, and more particularly to compact rear-projection displays.
• Microdisplay based systems such as Liquid Crystal Display (LCD),
• DMD Digital Micromirror Device
• LCD Liquid Crystal on Silicon
• DMD Digital Micromirror Device
• LCD Liquid Crystal on Silicon
• Recent product announcements include for example a 55-inch diagonal wide screen set with a system depth of 18 inches, and a 50-inch diagonal wide screen set with a depth of 35 cm. These sets make use of a single large mirror, known in the art as a fold mirror.
• Narrow depth is obtained with a wide-angle projection lens.
• light from the projection lens must be directed to the fold mirror which is placed upwards and to the rear of the unit.
• One way to achieve this desired pointing direction by incorporating a fold mirror into the projection lens, making the projection lens into a so-called folded projection lens.
• Examples of compact rear projection systems that have been constructed with the use of a folded projection lens include the Sony GRAND WEGA and the Sharp LC-R60HDU. Both these systems use three transmissive LCD panels.
• a folded projection lens must be used in order to align the engine parallel to the bottom of the cabinet.
• addition of a fold mirror to the projection lens incurs increased cost, reduced performance, or both.
• a rear-projection display system comprises a light engine, a beam-splitter that receives light from the light engine, a projection lens that receives an image from the beam-splitter, a rear- projection screen, and a mirror that receives the image from the projection lens and reflects it onto the screen.
• the beam-splitter has a reflecting element, receives an image, and reflects the image off the reflecting element at an angle of incidence that is substantially unequal to 45 degrees.
• a rear-projection display system comprises a light engine; beam splitting means that receives light from the light engine, receives an image, and reflects the image with an angle of incidence substantially unequal to 45 degrees; a projection lens positioned to receive the image from the beam splitting means; a mirror positioned to receive the image from the projection lens; and a rear-projection screen positioned to receive the image from the mirror.
• a rear-projection display method comprises using light from a light engine to form an image; reflecting the image off a reflecting element to a projection lens; projecting the image to a mirror; and reflecting the image from the mirror to a rear-projection screen.
• the image is reflected from the reflecting element at an angle of incidence that is substantially unequal to 45 degrees.
• FIG. 2 illustrates geometry of a rear-projection display system employing a polarizing beam-splitter according to one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 1 gives an example of system geometry using a folded projection lens as it may be applied to LCoS rear-projection systems.
• the rear-projection system 1 in this embodiment includes a light engine 3 that introduces light into a folded projection lens 5.
• the folded projection lens 5 projects the light onto a fold mirror 7 whence it is reflected onto a screen 9.
• FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of a rear-projection system 11 that utilizes the invention.
• This particular embodiment is for a single panel LCoS system.
• a light engine 13 introduces light through a polarizing beam-splitter (PBS) 15 placed between an LCoS imager 16 and a projection lens 18 that projects the light onto a fold mirror 21 whence it is reflected onto a screen 23.
• PBS polarizing beam-splitter
• the exact projection path may vary.
• the projection path may be in transmission through the PBS.
• the projection path may be in reflection from the interface of the PBS.
• the PBS is designed with the hypotenuse at a 45-degree angle in order to fold the path by 90 degrees.
• the center ray of the image reflects off the interface of the PBS with a 45-degree angle of incidence.
• This arrangement keeps the light path square and allows minimum dimensions for the PBS. But when the light comes out square, the entire light engine must be tilted to aim the light towards the fold mirror. Tilting of the light engine requires additional space at the bottom, which increases system height and volume.
• FIG. 2 illustrated embodiment could have a system geometry with a PBS hypotenuse at 56 degrees.
• the center ray of an image from the LCoS panel 16 will reflect off the PBS interface 17 with an angle of incidence of about 56 degrees. This angle causes the light of the image to aim backwards in the cabinet (not shown) towards the fold mirror 21.
• a straight projection lens 18 can be used and the light engine 13 lies square to the bottom of the unit.
• the PBS 15 can be for example the type that utilizes a glass prism of a
• MacNielle type has described in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,403,731 and 5,453,859 for instance. With a MacNielle PBS the coating materials are chosen along with the prism substrate such that light strikes the coating at or near Brewster's polarizing angle. The relationship between the low index, nL, high index, nH, prism glass index, nG, and polarizing angle ⁇ is given by
• a polarizing angle is greater than 45 degrees, as mentioned earlier, and more preferably greater than about 50 degrees.
• the hypotenuse of the prism may be set at an angle greater than the polarizing angle and good performance is still achieved.
• a glass based MacNielle PBS that offer greater flexibility in choosing the polarizing angle.
• Examples include a wire grid PBS or a polymeric film wide-angle PBS. These types may be comprised in a polarizing beam-splitter with the hypotenuse at an angle greater than about 50 degrees in order to direct the light.
• LCoS architectures other than the single panel embodiments discussed above may utilize the invention. More than one PBS may be used as well. Further, the geometry of the light path may be adapted in a number of ways to direct the light towards the projection lens, other than that shown in the illustrated embodiment. Further, other microdisplay-based architectures may make use of this concept. For example a (Texas Instruments) DLP-based projection display often makes use of a beam splitting prism near the image. The geometry of this beam-splitter may be arranged to provide beam direction in accordance with the invention.
• optical elements might possibly be placed in the various portions of the light and/or image path.
• an element is "disposed to receive light from" another element, this includes a case where a third element (a mirror or refracting lens for example) is interposed between the two aforementioned recited elements.
• the light engine is situated on the other side of the PBS, so that the angle of incidence of reflection will be less, instead of greater, than 45 degrees.
• a different type of beam-splitter may be used, instead of a PBS, and/or the image may be generated in other ways than by using an LCoS imager.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Optical Elements Other Than Lenses (AREA)
• Projection Apparatus (AREA)
• Lenses (AREA)
• Transforming Electric Information Into Light Information (AREA)
• Liquid Crystal (AREA)
• Polarising Elements (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=28791593

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (7)

Family Cites Families (20)

• 2002
  • 2002-06-27 US US10/183,800 patent/US6634756B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-06-10 JP JP2004517083A patent/JP4749712B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-06-10 CN CN038151367A patent/CN1666509A/zh active Pending
  • 2003-06-10 KR KR10-2004-7020897A patent/KR20050014874A/ko not_active Withdrawn
  • 2003-06-10 AU AU2003239724A patent/AU2003239724A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-06-10 WO PCT/IB2003/002611 patent/WO2004004326A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2003-06-10 EP EP03732913A patent/EP1520405A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2003-06-24 TW TW092117148A patent/TWI274188B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (7)

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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