Projector using guest-host liquid crystal cells for improved color purity

• US 4,838,655 A
• Filed: 01/06/1988
• Issued: 06/13/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsuchihashi, Yoshiaki, Hasimoto, Tadahiko, Saito, Youhei, Hoshino, Minoru, Mori, Yuji, Nagae, Yoshiharu, Fukuda, Kyohei, Kozima, Yasuyuki, Kozai, Hayao, Takasaka, Masahiro, Hunahata, Katuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gallivan, Richard
• Application Number:
  US07/141,144
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 350/335, 350/339 F, 350/337, 350/349, 353/20, 353/25, 353/23, 353/31, 353/33, 353/34, 353/97, 353/122
• US Class Current: 349/5
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133533 Colour selective polarisers G02F1/1347 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13473 for wavelength filtering or for colour display without the use of colour mosaic filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13475 in which at least one liquid crystal cell or layer is doped with a pleochroic dye, e.g. GH-LC cell G02F1/13476 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a projector having an arrangement of polarizers and liquid crystal cells aligned on the axis of light in the order a first color polarizer colored in red, a first twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second color polarizer colored in a green, a third twisted nematic liquid, a neutral polarizer and Guest-Host type colored in blue. Since, according to this, a polarizer having inferior color characteristics can be replaced by a Guest-Host type liquid crystal cell, the excitation purity and the scope of color reproduction are improved. Further, since the mixture of color is additive, the brightness of the reproduced color is also much improved.

Claims

1. A projector having:

a light source for generating white light for projection;

means for collimating the white light generated by said light source;

polarizer means, arranged on the axis of light, for linearly polarizing the collimated light passing therethrough;

liquid crystal cell means arranged with the predetermined positional relationship with said polarizer means on the same axis of light and selectively excited or de-excited in accordance with video signals of an image to be reproduced to control the polarization plane of light passing therethrough; and

means for projecting light having passed said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means to reproduce the image on a screen in a full color,

characterized in

that at least one of said liquid crystal cell means is a Guest-Host type cell which is colored in a color selected from among three primary colors of an additive mixture and the remaining liquid crystal cell means are non-colored twisted nematic liquid crystal cells;

that at least one of said polarizer means is a color polarizer colored in a color selected from the remaining colors and the remaining polarizers are neutral polarizers; and

that a total number of the Guest-Host cell and the color polarizer is three, each being colored in a different one of the three primary colors in the additive mixture.

2. A projector according to claim 1, wherein said polarizer means includes two color polarizers and said liquid crystal cell means includes a single Guest-Host type cell.

3. A projector according to claim 2, wherein one of the two color polarizers is colored in red, the other color polarizer is colored in either green or blue, and the Guest-Host cell is colored in the remaining color.

4. A projector according to claim 3, wherein the Guest-Host cell is colored in blue.

5. A projector according to claim 2, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are arranged in the order of a first polarizer colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a first twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer colored in a second one of the three primary colors, a third twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a third polarizer which is neutral, and a fourth liquid crystal cell which is a Guest-Host type and colored in a third one of the three primary colors.

6. A projector according to claim 2, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are constructed by an arrangement of polarizers and liquid crystal cells arranged in the order of a first polarizer colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a first twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer colored in a second one of the three primary colors, a second twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a third polarizer which is neutral, and a third liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a third one of the three primary colors.

7. A projector according to claim 2, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are constructed by an arrangement of polarizers and liquid crystal cells arranged in the order of a first polarizer which is neutral, a first liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a second twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer colored in a second one of the three primary color, a third twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, and a third polarizer colored in a third one of the three primary colors.

8. A projector according to claim 1, wherein said polarizer means includes a single color polarizer and said liquid crystal cell includes two Guest-Host type cells.

9. A projector according to claim 1, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are constructed by an arrangement of polarizers and liquid crystal cells arranged in the order of a first polarizer colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a first twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer which is neutral, a second liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a second one of the three primary colors, a third liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a third one of the three primary colors, a fourth twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, and a third polarizer which is neutral.

10. A projector having:

a light source for generating white light for projection;

means for collimating the white light generated by said light source;

three polarizer means for linearly polarizing the collimated light passing therethrough, two of said three polarizer means being color polarizers colored in two colors selected from among three primary colors of the additive color mixture, respectively, and the other of said three polarizer means being a neutral polarizer;

at least three liquid crystal cell means, selectively and repeatedly excited or de-excited in accordance with video signals of an image to be reproduced to control the polarization plane of light passing therethrough, one of said at least three liquid crystal cell means being a Guest-Host type cell colored in the remaining color of the three primary colors and the remaining liquid crystal cell means being noncolored twisted nematic liquid crystal cells;

said polarizer means and said liquid cell means being arranged on the same axis of light in such a positional relationship that, in response to the video signals, said liquid crystal cell means control the polarization plane of light incident on the color polarizers and Guest-Host type cell to color the light passing therethrough in a corresponding color; and

means for projecting the light having passed through said polarizer means and liquid crystal cell means to reproduce the image on a screen in full color.

11. A projector according to claim 10, wherein one of the two color polarizers is colored in red, the other color polarizer is colored in either green or blue, and the Guest-Host cell is colored in the remaining color.

12. A projector according to claim 11, wherein the Guest-Host cell is colored in blue.

13. A projector according to claim 10, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are arranged in the order of a first polarizer colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a first twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer colored in a second one of the three primary colors, a third twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a third polarizer which is neutral, and a fourth liquid crystal cell which is a Guest-Host type and colored in a third one of the three primary colors.

14. A projector according to claim 10, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are constructed by an arrangement of polarizers and liquid crystal cells arranged in the order of a first polarizer colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a first twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer colored in a second one of the three primary colors, a second twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a third polarizer which is neutral, and a third liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a third one of the three primary colors.

15. A projector according to claim 10, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are constructed by an arrangement of polarizers and liquid crystal cells arranged in the order of a first polarizer which is neutral, a first liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a second twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer colored in a second one of the three primary colors, a third twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, and a third polarizer colored in a third one of the three primary colors.

16. A projector having:

a light source for generating white light for projection;

means for collimating the white light generated by said light source;

three polarizer means for linearly polarizing the collimated light passing therethrough, one of said three polarizer means being color polarizer colored in a color selected from among three primary colors of the additive color mixture and the other two polarizer means being neutral polarizers;

four liquid crystal cell means, selectively and repeatedly excited or de-excited in accordance with video signals of an image to be reproduced to control the polarization plane of light passing therethrough, two of said four liquid crystal cell means being Guest-Host type cells colored in the remaining two colors of the three primary colors, respectively, and the remaining two of said four liquid crystal cell means being noncolored twisted nematic liquid crystal cells;

said polarizer means and liquid crystal cell means being arranged on the same axis of light in such a positional relationship that, in response to the video signals, said liquid crystal cell means control the polarization plane of light incident on the color polarizer and Guest-Host type cells to color the light passing therethrough in a corresponding color; and

means for projecting the light having passed through said polarizer means and liquid crystal cell means to reproduce the image on a screen.

17. A projector according to claim 16, wherein said polarizer means and said liquid crystal cell means are constructed by an arrangement of polarizers and liquid crystal cells arranged in the order of a first polarizer colored in a first one of the three primary colors, a first twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, a second polarizer which is neutral, a second liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a second one of the three primary colors, a third liquid crystal cell which is of a Guest-Host type and colored in a third one of the three primary colors, a fourth twisted nematic liquid crystal cell, and a third polarizer which is neutral.