Additive color mixing system with variable hue and saturation light sources
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An additive color mixing system for a light projector, comprising:
- at least two light source assemblies, each including;
a light for generating light rays defining a beam of light,an intensity control for varying the intensity of said beam of light,color changing apparatus for varying a hue and saturation of said beam of light, including at least one dichroic filter movably positioned in said beam of light and operable to move from a first position to a second position and thereby change a centerline wavelength of light transmitted therethrough to produce a desired colored light; and
a combiner for receiving colored light generated by said light source assemblies and for combining the beams of colored light into a composite beam.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A high performance color mixing system combines colored light beams from three primary color sources into a composite light beam. Each light source assembly can be individually dimmed to control the color of the composite beam. Each primary color beam can be varied in hue and saturation by the use of pivoting dichroic filters, thereby providing improved performance and increased capability. This system is capable of producing deeply saturated colors in all hues, and does not comprise performance in white, provides good color balance and sufficient intensity when the dichroic filters are pivoted to a position parallel to the light rays of the beam.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. An additive color mixing system for a light projector, comprising:
-
at least two light source assemblies, each including; a light for generating light rays defining a beam of light, an intensity control for varying the intensity of said beam of light, color changing apparatus for varying a hue and saturation of said beam of light, including at least one dichroic filter movably positioned in said beam of light and operable to move from a first position to a second position and thereby change a centerline wavelength of light transmitted therethrough to produce a desired colored light; and a combiner for receiving colored light generated by said light source assemblies and for combining the beams of colored light into a composite beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. An additive color mixing system for a light projector, comprising:
-
a light source assembly comprising; a light for generating rays defining a beam of light, means for dividing said beam into at least two beams of light; at least two color filters mechanisms, each adapted to accept one said light beam, each color filter mechanism including means for varying the hue and saturation of one said beam of light, including at least one dichroic filter rotatably movable in a path of the divided beam of light and operable to rotate from a first position substantially parallel to the light rays to a second position substantially perpendicular to the light rays to produce colored light; means for carrying said colored beams of light along respective paths; an intensity control for varying the intensity of said divided beams of light; and a combiner for combining the two colored beams of light from the respective paths into a composite beam. - View Dependent Claims (13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
14. The additive color mixing system 12, further including a bundle of optical fibers for coupling the colored light from said color filter mechanisms to said combiner.
-
21. An additive color mixing system for a light projector, comprising:
-
a plurality of light sources each for generating a beam of light, a color changer associated with each said light source for coloring the respective light beam with desired hues, at least one said color changer being adapted for selecting a centerline wavelength hue of an associated light beam from a continuum of centerline wavelength hues so that the selected centerline wavelength and centerline wavelength hues with respect to other colored light beams can be brought together to provide a desired enhanced saturated hue from a range of saturated hues, an intensity control for varying the intensity of the light beams produced by said light sources; and a light mixer for mixing the colored light produced by each said color changer to provide a composite colored light beam. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A method for generating and mixing colored light, comprising the steps of:
-
producing a plurality of light beams; changing the intensity of at least one of the light beams to produce a change in the saturation of a respective resultant colored light beam; changing the hue of the light beams to alter respective centerline wavelengths thereof by pivoting dichroic filters to alter the incidence angle by which light beams strike the respective filters; and mixing the colored light beams together to provide a composite light beam having the combined color characteristics of the individual colored light beams. - View Dependent Claims (26)
-
Specification