Wide angle laser display system

• US 4,297,723 A
• Filed: 01/28/1980
• Issued: 10/27/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Singer PLC (Hayleys Plc)
• Inventors: Whitby, Clyde M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Richard
• Application Number:
  US06/107,686
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 358/60, 358/61, 358/62, 358/63, 358/87, 358/104, 358/231, 358/232, 358/233, 358/236
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/10 Scanning systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 scanning a light beam on the display screen scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161

Abstract

A projected light beam video image display system. The displayed scene is presented in contiguous scene parts which form a single scene. Modulated beams for each scene part are generated and simultaneously scanned in the pattern of a TV raster for each. The beams are projected onto a viewing surface through a beam separator which separates the beams such that each beam scans a separate scene part in appropriate location on the viewing surface to form the single scene.

Claims

1. A scanned light beam video display apparatus for use with a viewing surface, comprising:

(a) light means for providing three groups of light beams, each group comprising a plurality of beams of substantially monochromatic light such that the light of each group corresponds to a different one of the three primary colors;

(b) video means for providing three groups of video signals, each group comprising a plurality of primary color video channel signals, such that each group of signals corresponds to a different one of the three color video channels for a plurality of contiguous scene parts to be viewed;

(c) light modulation means associated with said light means and said video means and responsive to said three groups of video signals for intensity modulating said three groups of light beams in accordance with the video information contained in said signals to produce three groups of intensity modulated light beams, each group of modulated beams comprising a plurality of beams of substantially monochromatic light corresponding to a different one of the three primary colors, each of said plurality of beams within each said group being intensity modulated in accordance with the video information of one of the three color video channels for a different one of said plurality of contiguous scene parts to be viewed;

(d) light combining and parallelizing means for combining said three groups of modulated light beams such that each of said modulated beams corresponding to the channels of each one of said contiguous scene parts is combined so as to form composite beams of video intensity modulated light for raster scanning to form each of said contiguous scene parts, thereby producing a plurality of said composite beams in parallel relationship;

(e) single scanning means for scanning simultaneously said plurality of parallel composite beams in the pattern of a TV raster for each;

(f) projection means for projecting said plurality of raster scanned composite beams onto the viewing surface; and

(g) beam separation means for spatially separating said projected plurality of raster scanned composite beams such that said separated beams raster scan said scene parts contiguously onto the viewing surface to form a single continuous scene.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the number of scene parts is three, said projection means projects said beams such that said beams each pivot about a different pivot location in space between said projection means and said screen, and said separation means comprises redirect means located at each of said different locations for directing each of said beams in a different direction in space, such that said beams scan separate but contiguous rasters onto the viewing surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said scene parts are contiguous and arranged linearly, and said redirect means comprises:

(a) a first pair of mirrors spatially separated such that a gap exists between them, disposed such that the two mirrors intercept two of said scanned beams at their said pivot location, while the pivot location of the third of said beams is located in said gap; and

(b) a second pair of mirrors disposed in the paths of the two beams refelected from said first pair of mirrors for rereflecting said beams onto the viewing surface.

4. A scanned light beam video display apparatus for use with a viewing surface, comprising:

(a) light means for providing a plurality of light beams;

(b) video means for providing a plurality of contiguous scene parts to be viewed;

(c) light modulation means associated with said light means and said video means and responsive to said video signals for intensity modulating said plurality of light beams in accordance with the video information contained in said signals such that each of said plurality of beams is intensity modulated in accordance with the video information of a different one of said plurality of contiguous scene parts;

(d) light parallelizing means to arrange said plurality of intensity modulated light beams in a parallel space relationship;

(e) single scanning means for scanning simultaneously said plurality of parallel beams in the pattern of a TV raster for each;

(f) projection means for projecting said plurality of raster-scanned composite beams onto the viewing surface; and

(g) beam separation means for spatially separating said projected plurality of raster-scanned beams such that said separated beams raster scan said scenes to be viewed contiguously onto the viewing surface to form a single continuous scene.