Light valve target comprising electrostatically-repelled micro-mirrors
First Claim
1. A projection system comprising, in combination:
- a) means for generating a beam of light and directing said beam at a target;
b) said target comprising a plurality of electrostatically-actuable micro-mirrors and being arranged to receive said beam;
c) means for distributing electrical charge in a predetermined pattern over said target so that predetermined amounts of charge are deposited upon selected micro-mirrors;
d) each of said micro-mirrors including a hinge for joining a micro-mirror element to a base electrode;
e) said micro-mirror element, said base electrode and said hinge each comprising electrically-conductive material whereby said micro-mirror element will be electrostatically repelled from said electrode to pivot about said hinge in response to the input of a quantity of electrical charge from said means for distributing; and
f) means for receiving light reflected from said target and generating a visible image therefrom.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A high intensity image projection system includes a micro-mirror light valve target with micro-mirror elements repulsively pivotally-actuable. Each micro-mirror of the target array comprises a fixed base electrode joined to an overlying micro-mirror element by means of a hinge with each element formed of conductive material. As such, in operation, charge deposited upon either the base electrode or the micro-mirror element is free to migrate, in response to repulsive forces between deposited charges, to the element spaced therefrom. The resulting presence of like charge distributions upon the base electrode and micro-mirror element of a micro-mirror produces a repulsive electrostatic force for pivotally deflecting the micro-mirror element by an amount proportional to the charge deposited thereon. Capacitive charge storage elements and resistive paths are provided for storing and draining the deposited charge between applications of video frame information. In one embodiment, an array of micro-mirror light valves is formed directly upon the face plate of a vidicon tube. In another, a foil is formed that is mounted within the tube by a surrounding clip. In a third embodiment, charge is delivered through a matrix of transistors.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A projection system comprising, in combination:
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a) means for generating a beam of light and directing said beam at a target; b) said target comprising a plurality of electrostatically-actuable micro-mirrors and being arranged to receive said beam; c) means for distributing electrical charge in a predetermined pattern over said target so that predetermined amounts of charge are deposited upon selected micro-mirrors; d) each of said micro-mirrors including a hinge for joining a micro-mirror element to a base electrode; e) said micro-mirror element, said base electrode and said hinge each comprising electrically-conductive material whereby said micro-mirror element will be electrostatically repelled from said electrode to pivot about said hinge in response to the input of a quantity of electrical charge from said means for distributing; and f) means for receiving light reflected from said target and generating a visible image therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electro-optical modulator for reflective image projection comprising, in combination:
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a) a plurality of electrostatically-actuable micro-mirrors; b) each of said micro-mirrors including an edge hinge for joining a micro-mirror element to a base electrode; and c) said micro-mirror element, said base electrode and said hinge each comprising electrically-conductive material whereby said micro-mirror element will be electrostatically repelled from said electrode to pivot about said hinge in response to a receipt of a quantity of charge. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electrostatically-actuable micro-mirror light valve comprising, in combination:
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a) a base electrode; b) a reflective micro-mirror element; c) a hinge for connecting said base electrode and said micro-mirror element whereby said electrode and said element are maintained in pivotal spaced-apart relation with respect to one another; and d) said micro-mirror element, said base electrode and said hinge each comprise electrically-conductive material whereby electrical charge received by said micro-mirror distributes over said element, said hinge and said base electrode. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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Specification