Image projection system

• US 5,164,821 A
• Filed: 09/16/1991
• Issued: 11/17/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Takaaki, Miyatake, Yoshito
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US07/760,355
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 358/60, 358/61, 358/232, 358/236
• US Class Current: 348/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3105 for displaying all colours simultaneously, e.g. by using two or more electronic spatial light modulators simultaneous projection in colour photography G03B33/10; beam splitting or combining systems per se G02B27/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3158 for controlling the spectrum

Abstract

A projection system comprises a light source, a dichroic mirror for separating white light into blue, green and red color light beams, a halfwave plate for converting the direction of polarization, three light valves for forming optical images depending on a picture signal, and three projection lenses for projecting the optical images on the light valves onto a screen. By using the halfwave plate, the color light of p-polarized light component or s-polarized light component emitted from the dichroic mirror is entered into the liquid crystal panel. The gradient width of the spectral distribution of the color light entering the liquid crystal panel is smaller, and the color nonuniformity of projected image by changes of spectral transmittance characteristic of the dichroic mirror with respect to the incident angle is reduced.

Claims

1. A projection system comprising:

a light source;

color separation optical means for separating a light from the light source into blue, green and red color light beams;

three halfwave plates receiving the blue, green and red color light beams from the color separation optical means for converting polarization directions of the color light beams;

three light valves receiving light beams from the halfwave plates for forming optical images corresponding to a video signal; and

three projection lenses for projecting on a screen light beams from the light valves to form an optical image on the screen.

2. A projection system of claim 1, which further comprises means for rotating the halfwave plates.

3. A projection system of claim 1, wherein each of the halfwave plates comprises a drawn resin film.

4. A projection system of claim 1, wherein each of the halfwave plates comprises a dielectric thin film formed on a glass substrate.

5. A projection system of claim 1, wherein each of the halfwave plates is provided with a polarizing plate.

6. A projection system comprising:

a light source;

color separation optical means for separating a light from the light source into blue, green and red color light beams;

three light valves receiving the blue, green and red color light beams from the color separation optical means for forming optical images corresponding to a video signal;

color combination optical means for combining blue, green and red color light beams emitted from the light valves;

a projection lens for projecting on a screen an exit light from the color combination optical means to form an optical image on the screen; and

halfwave plates disposed between the color separation optical means and color combination optical means for converting polarization directions of the blue, green and red color light beams.

7. A projection system of claim 6, which further comprises means for rotating the halfwave plates.

8. A projection system of claim 6, wherein each of the halfwave plates comprises a drawn resin film.

9. A projection system of claim 6, wherein each of the halfwave plates comprises a dielectric thin film formed on a glass substrate.

10. A projection system of claim 6, wherein each of the halfwave plates is provided with a polarizing plate.

11. A projection system comprising:

a light source;

color separation optical means for separating a light from the light source into blue, green and red color light beams;

three field lenses each having a halfwave plate formed thereon for receiving the blue, green and red color light beams from the color separation optical means;

three light valves receiving exit color light beams from the field lenses to form optical images corresponding to a video signal;

a projection lens for projecting on a screen the optical images; and

means for rotating the field lenses so as to adjust brightness and chromaticity of the projected image.

12. A projection system of claim 11, wherein the halfwave plate comprises a drawn resin film.

13. A projection system of claim 11, wherein the halfwave plate comprises a dielectric thin film formed on a glass substrate.

14. A projection system of claim 11, wherein the halfwave plate is provided with a polarizing plate.

15. A projection system of claim 11, wherein each of the field lenses is a plano-convex lens, and the halfwave plate is adhered by an adhesive to a plane surface of the plano-convex lens.