IMAGE PROJECTOR EMPLOYING A SPECKLE-REDUCING LASER SOURCE
First Claim
1. An optical device for projecting an image, comprising:
- a first laser comprising a laser cavity and adapted to generate a first light beam; and
a spatial light modulator (SLM) configured to be illuminated using the first light beam, wherein;
the SLM is adapted to modulate received illuminating light using a spatial pattern generated by a plurality of pixels to form the image;
the first light beam has a spectrum comprising a plurality of spectral lines corresponding to a plurality of different spatial modes of said laser cavity; and
the optical device projects the image using light having said spectrum.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An image projector having one or more broadband lasers designed to reduce the appearance of speckle in the projected image via wavelength diversification. In one embodiment, a broadband laser has an active optical element and a nonlinear optical element, both located inside a laser cavity. The broadband laser generates an output spectrum characterized by a spectral spread of about 10 nm and having a plurality of spectral lines corresponding to different spatial modes of the cavity. Different individual spectral lines effectively produce independent speckle configurations, which become intensity-superimposed in the projected image, thereby causing a corresponding speckle-contrast reduction.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An optical device for projecting an image, comprising:
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a first laser comprising a laser cavity and adapted to generate a first light beam; and a spatial light modulator (SLM) configured to be illuminated using the first light beam, wherein; the SLM is adapted to modulate received illuminating light using a spatial pattern generated by a plurality of pixels to form the image; the first light beam has a spectrum comprising a plurality of spectral lines corresponding to a plurality of different spatial modes of said laser cavity; and the optical device projects the image using light having said spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of projecting an image, the method comprising:
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generating with a first laser a first light beam; directing the first light beam to illuminate a spatial light modulator (SLM); modulating illuminating light received by the SLM with a spatial pattern generated by a plurality of pixels to form the image, wherein; the first laser comprises a laser cavity; and the first light beam has a spectrum comprising a plurality of spectral lines corresponding to a plurality of different spatial modes of said laser cavity; and projecting the image using light having said spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. An optical device for projecting an image, comprising:
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a first laser adapted to generate a first light beam characterized by a spectrum having a spectral spread greater than about 2 nm, but smaller than about 20 nm; and a spatial light modulator (SLM) configured to be illuminated using the first light beam, wherein; the SLM is adapted to modulate received illuminating light using a spatial pattern generated by a plurality of pixels to form the image; and the optical device projects the image using light having said spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A laser, comprising:
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a laser cavity; and an optical pump adapted to optically pump the laser cavity, wherein; the laser is adapted to generate a light beam characterized by a broadband spectrum; and the spectrum comprises a plurality of spectral lines corresponding to a plurality of different spatial modes of said laser cavity. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification