Rod integrators for light recycling
First Claim
1. An integrating rod comprised of:
- an elongated body, said elongated body operable to reflect light traveling through said elongated body;
an entrance face on a first end of said elongated body; and
a mirrored entrance aperture at said entrance face, said mirrored entrance aperture having a transmissive entrance aperture portion and a mirrored portion, said mirrored entrance aperture allowing light to pass through the aperture thereof to enter the elongated body of said integrating rod, said mirrored entrance aperture operable to reflect light traveling through said elongated body to said entrance face that strikes said mirrored entrance aperture outside said transmissive entrance aperture.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An integrating rod (200) for use with a multiple segment dynamic filter, such as a spiral dichroic color wheel having three or more narrow filters adjacent to the exit face (206) to enable the integrating rod to recapture light rejected by a given segment of the dynamic filter. The rejected light travels back through the integrating rod where a majority of the light strikes the mirrored entrance face (202). Light reflected by the mirrored entrance face, or light exiting through the entrance aperture (204) and returning to the integrating rod after being reflected by the lamp reflector, once again travels to the exit face (206) of the integrating rod (200). After exiting through the exit face (206) of the integrating rod (200) a second time, the recycled light has a good chance of striking a different filter segment of the dynamic filter and being used by the display system.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An integrating rod comprised of:
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an elongated body, said elongated body operable to reflect light traveling through said elongated body;
an entrance face on a first end of said elongated body; and
a mirrored entrance aperture at said entrance face, said mirrored entrance aperture having a transmissive entrance aperture portion and a mirrored portion, said mirrored entrance aperture allowing light to pass through the aperture thereof to enter the elongated body of said integrating rod, said mirrored entrance aperture operable to reflect light traveling through said elongated body to said entrance face that strikes said mirrored entrance aperture outside said transmissive entrance aperture. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A polarizing integrating rod comprised of:
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an elongated body, said elongated body operable to reflect light traveling through said elongated body;
an entrance face on a first end of said elongated body;
a mirrored entrance aperture at said entrance face, said mirrored entrance aperture having a transmissive entrance aperture portion and a mirrored portion, said mirrored entrance aperture allowing light to pass through the aperture thereof to enter the elongated body of said integrating rod, said mirrored entrance aperture operable to reflect light traveling through said elongated body to said entrance face that strikes said mirrored entrance aperture outside said transmissive entrance aperture;
a polarizing coating, said polarizing coating transmitting light of a first polarization and reflection light of a second polarization;
a quarter wave plate for receiving light of said second polarization reflected by said polarizing coating and converting said light of a second polarization to said first polarization.
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Specification