IMAGE PROJECTION APPARATUS

• US 20130265550A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jun Park
• Inventors: PARK, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 9,429,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/25 using polarisation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2073 Polarisers in the lamp house peculiar to electronic spatial light modulators H04N9/3197
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388

Abstract

The present disclosure may provide an image projection apparatus including a light source configured to generate a light bundle, a display element configured to form an image using the light bundle, and a illumination system disposed between the light source and the display element, wherein the illumination system includes a plurality of lenses disposed to illuminate the light bundle to the display element, and a polarization forming unit disposed between the plurality of lenses to convert the light bundle into polarized light in the illumination system so as to implement stereoscopic images.

Claims

1. An image projection apparatus comprising:

a light source configured to generate a light bundle;

a lens assembly; and

a display element configured to form an image using the light bundle, the lens assembly being provided in a path of the light bundle between the light source and the display element, wherein the lens assembly includes

a plurality of lenses provided to advance the light bundle toward the display element, and

a polarizing optical device provided between the plurality of lenses to convert the light bundle into polarized light for producing stereoscopic images.

2. The image projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lenses include a concave lens provided on a path of the light bundle prior to the polarizing optical device to reduce an incident angle of the light bundle at the polarizing optical device.

3. The image projection apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of lenses include at least one convex lens disposed between the concave lens and the polarizing optical device.

4. The image projection apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of lenses are disposed to form a stop, and the concave lens is provided on the path of the light bundle prior to the stop.

5. The image projection apparatus of claim 4, wherein the concave lens is configured to form an incident angle at the stop to be about 1°

to 5.3°

.

6. The image projection apparatus of claim 4, wherein the polarizing optical device is configured to be moved into a position corresponding to the stop.

7. The image projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarizing optical device is configured to be moved into a path of the light bundle.

8. The image projection apparatus of claim 7, wherein the polarizing optical device is configured to slidably move into a path of the light bundle.

9. The image projection apparatus of claim 7, wherein the polarizing optical device is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the path of the light bundle.

10. The image projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarizing optical device includes a circular polarized shutter with a film patterned retarder (FPR) scheme.

11. The image projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarizing optical device is formed to sequentially convert the light bundle into a circular polarized light in a first direction and a circular polarized light in a second direction that is different than the first direction.

12. The image projection apparatus of claim 1, further including a plurality of mirrors provided adjacent to one another, and provided along the path of the light bundle between the polarizing optical device and the display element.

13. The image projection apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of mirrors are configured to change the path of the light bundle by about 180°

.

14. The image projection apparatus of claim 13, further including a prism provided adjacent to the display element and configured to change the path of the light bundle by about 90°

.

15. The image projection apparatus of claim 14, wherein a direction of the path of the light bundle after the prism is about 90°

relative to a direction of the path of the light bundle at the lens assembly.

16. The image projection apparatus of claim 12, further including a projection system that magnifies and projects the image, wherein the projection system and the polarizing optical device are disposed at opposite sides of the plurality of mirrors.

17. The image projection apparatus of claim 16, wherein the projection system is configured to project the light bundle in a direction at a prescribed angle relative to a plane corresponding to the path of the light bundle through the lens assembly and the plurality of the mirrors.

18. An image projection apparatus comprising:

a light source that generates a light bundle in a first direction;

a first lens provided in a path of the light bundle in the first direction;

a polarizing lens provided after the first lens in the path of the light bundle in the first direction to convert the light bundle into polarized light for producing stereoscopic images;

a second lens provided after the polarizing lens in the path of the light bundle in the first direction;

a display device to generate an image for projection using the light bundle; and

a third lens provided to project the light bundle from the display device,

wherein the path of the light bundle at the display device is in a second direction different than the first direction.

19. The image projection apparatus of claim 18, further including

at least one mirror provided after the second lens to change a direction of the light bundle from the first direction to the second direction, and

a prism provided adjacent to the display device to change the direction of the light bundle from the second direction to a third direction which is different than the first and second directions,

wherein the polarizing lens is configured to be movable into the path of the light bundle.

20. An image projection apparatus comprising:

a light source that generates a light bundle in a first direction;

a plurality of lens provided in a path of the light bundle in the first direction;

a display device provided in the path of the light bundle after the plurality of lens to generate an image for projection using the light bundle;

a prism provided at the display device; and

a projection lens provided in the path of the light bundle after the prism to project the light bundle from the display device,

wherein the path of the light bundle at the display device is in a second direction different than the first direction.