Optical apparatus

• US 5,666,226 A
• Filed: 05/24/1994
• Issued: 09/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: May, Paul, Robinson, Michael G., Harrold, Jonathan, Ezra, David, Woodgate, Graham J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US08/248,151
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 359/457, 359/456, 359/621, 359/622, 359/623, 359/624, 359/277, 349/61, 349/95
• US Class Current: 359/621
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133526 Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/12 spatial light modulator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1257 on more than one main scanning line
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/024 Scrolling of light from the illumination source over the display in combination with the scanning of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2007 Display of intermediate tones
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/127 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/66 Transforming electric information into light information scanning details H04N3/00

Abstract

An optical apparatus of this invention comprises a first spatial light modulator, an array of imaging elements, and a plurality of light sources, and an image surface. Each of the imaging elements of the array is arranged to form an image of the plurality of light sources via the spatial light modulator at a respective position on the image surface.

Claims

1. An optical apparatus comprising a first spatial light modulator having a plurality of individually controllable pixels, an array of imaging elements, a plurality of light sources, and an image surface, wherein each of the imaging elements of the array is arranged to form an image of each of the plurality of light sources through a corresponding pixel of the spatial light modulator at a respective position on the image surface, and optical paths of each of the images of the plurality of light sources are overlapping through the respective pixels.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising collimating means for collimating light from the light sources onto the array of imaging elements.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the collimating means comprises a converging lens with the plurality of light sources disposed substantially in the focal plane thereof.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the light sources are monochromatic and the converging lens is a diffractive element.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first spatial light modulator comprises a plurality of picture elements, each of which corresponds to and is substantially aligned with a respective imaging element of the array.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources are arranged as an array of light sources extending substantially perpendicularly to an optical axis of the apparatus.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the array of light sources is a one dimensional array.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the array of light sources is a two dimensional array.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the light sources is contiguous with the adjacent light source.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the array of light sources comprises a further spatial light modulator having a plurality of elements and continuous illumination means disposed behind the further spatial light modulator.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the further spatial light modulator is a liquid crystal device.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the light sources include at least one light source of a first color and at least one light source of a second color.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image surface is a plane surface.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the array of imaging elements comprises a one dimensional array.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the array of imaging elements comprises a two dimensional array.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the array of imaging elements is an array of lenses.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the lenses of the array are converging lenses.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the array of lenses comprises a microlens array.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the lenses of the microlens array are spherically converging.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the array of lenses comprises a lenticular screen.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the lenticules of the lenticular screen are cylindrically converging.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the light sources are monochromatic and the array of lenses comprises an array of diffractive elements.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the array of imaging elements is a parallax barrier defining an array of apertures.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first spatial light modulator comprises a liquid crystal device.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image surface comprises a diffuser.

26. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for supporting a light-sensitive film at the image surface.

27. An optical apparatus comprising a first spatial light modulator, an array of imaging elements, a light source for illuminating the first spatial light modulator, imaging means, a second spatial light modulator, and an image surface, wherein the imaging means is arranged to form an image of the first spatial light modulator on the array of imaging elements via the second spatial light modulator and each of the imaging elements of the array is arranged to form an image of the second spatial light modulator at a respective position on the image surface.

28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first spatial light modulator comprises a plurality of picture elements and the imaging means is arranged to form an image of each of the picture elements on a respective imaging element of the array.

29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the second spatial light modulator comprises a liquid crystal device.

30. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the image surface is a plane surface.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the array of imaging elements comprises a one dimensional array.

32. An apparatus as claimed in claims 27, wherein the array of imaging elements comprises a two dimensional array.

33. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the array of imaging elements is an array of lenses.

34. An apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein the lenses of the array are converging lenses.

35. An apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein the array of lenses comprises a microlens array.

36. An apparatus as claimed in claim 35, wherein the lenses of the microlens array are spherically converging.

37. An apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein the array of lenses comprises a lenticular screen.

38. An apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the lenticules of the lenticular screen are cylindrically converging.

39. An apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein the light sources are monochromatic and the array of lenses comprises an array of diffractive elements.

40. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the array of imaging elements is a parallax barrier defining an array of apertures.

41. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first spatial light modulator comprises a liquid crystal device.

42. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the image surface comprises a diffuser.

43. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, further comprising means for supporting a light-sensitive film at the image surface.