Color filter and color image display apparatus employing the filter

• US 5,999,282 A
• Filed: 11/07/1996
• Issued: 12/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Tetsuji, Nakagaki, Shintaro
• Primary Examiner(s): HENRY, JON W
• Application Number:
  US08/744,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 359/20, 359/19, 359/16, 359/15, 359/565, 359/569, 349/5, 349/6, 349/7, 349/9, 349/61, 349/62, 349/63, 349/95, 349/96
• US Class Current: 359/20
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/203 having holographic or diffractive elements diffraction gratings per se G02B5/18; holographic elements per se G02B5/32; generating the spectrum using diffraction elements G01J3/18
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13362 providing polarized light, e.g. by converting a polarisation component into another one
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133621 providing coloured light G02F1/133617, G02F1/133533 take precedence

Abstract

An improved color filter and a color image display apparatus employs the filter, the color filter has a hologram device for spectrally diffracting an incident light into plural light beams of different wavelength regions and selectively converging the plural light beams on respective plural picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions. The hologram device has such characteristics that S-polarized components of the incident light are diffracted at a maximum diffraction efficiency at a predetermined incident angle of the incident light, and P-polarized components of the incident light are diffracted as such that a difference between the maximum diffraction efficiency of the S-polarized components and the diffraction efficiency of the P-polarized components is not less than 30%, and the diffracted S-polarized components are formed as the plural light beams to be converged on the plural picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions.

Claims

1. A color filter provided with hologram means for spectrally diffracting an incident light into a plurality of light beams of different wavelength regions, and selectively converging the plurality of light beams on respective plurality of picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions, wherein the hologram means has such characteristics that S-polarized components of the incident light are diffracted at approximately maximum diffraction efficiency at a predetermined incident angle of the incident light, and P-polarized components of the incident light are diffracted such that a difference between the maximum diffraction efficiency of the first polarized components and the diffraction efficiency of the second polarized components is not less than 30%, and diffracted S-polarized components are formed as the plurality of lights to be converged on the plurality of picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions wherein polarization directions of the S-polarized component and the P-polarized components are orthogonal to each other.

2. A color filter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is 60°

.

3. A color filter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hologram means has a laminated structure of wavelength dependent holographic lens array layers for respective color and the holographic lens array layers are individually provided.

4. A color filter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hologram means has a laminated structure of wavelength dependent holographic lens array layers for respective color and the holographic lens array layers are produced on a single hologram member.

5. A color image display apparatus for projecting a composite color light beams on a screen as a color image comprising:

a light source for generating a read light;

a spatial light modulation section including a color filter having at least hologram means, a light modulation layer and a light reflecting layer having a layer of a plurality of picture element electrodes, wherein the hologram means having such characteristics that S-polarized components of the incident light are diffracted at approximately maximum diffraction efficiency at a predetermined incident angle of the incident light, and P-polarized components of the incident light are diffracted such that a difference between the maximum diffraction efficiency of the S-polarized components and the diffraction efficiency of the P-polarized components is not less than 30%, and diffracted S-polarized components are formed as the plurality of lights to be converged on the plurality of picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions wherein polarization directions of the S-polarized component and the P-polarized components are orthogonal to each other;

an incident optical system for allowing the read light to impinge on the spatial light modulation section; and

a projection optical system for projecting the read light modulated by the spatial light modulation section on a screen,

wherein the color filter spectrally diffracts the S-polarized components of the read light impinging thereon into a plurality of light beams of different wavelength regions, and selectively converges the plurality of light beams on the plurality of picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions through the light modulation section, and diffracted S-polarized components of the read light reflected by the light reflecting layer impinge again on the color filter by being modulated in a polarization mode by the light modulation layer of the spatial light modulation section, and polarizingly modulated S-polarized components pass through the color filter and are projected by the projection optical system on the screen.

6. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a coupling prism closely provided on the color filter, the coupling prism having an incident surface at one side thereof and an output surface at a bottom surface thereof for leading the read light to the color filter.

7. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a light spectrum restriction means provided in the incident optical system for restricting a bandwidth of respective colors of a white light generated by the light source as the read light.

8. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising additional hologram means provided in the incident optical system for causing the read light to impinge on the color filter at a predetermined angle so as to make an optical distance from the light source and the color filter to be equal regardless of positions of the color filter.

9. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a deflection prism provided in the incident optical system for spectrally deflecting the read light from the light source and for causing the read light to impinge on the color filter at a predetermined angle.

10. A color image display apparatus for projecting a composite color light beams on a screen as a color image comprising:

a light source for generating a read light;

a spatial light modulation section including a color filter at least having a holographic lens array layer having a plurality of holographic lenses, a light modulation layer and a reflecting layer, each of the holographic lenses having such characteristics that a first polarized components of the incident light are diffracted at approximately maximum diffraction efficiency at a predetermined incident angle of the incident light, and second polarized components of the incident light are diffracted such that a difference between the maximum diffraction efficiency of the first polarized components and the diffraction efficiency of the second polarized components is not less than 30%, and diffracted first polarized components are formed as a plurality of lights to be converged on the plurality of picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions wherein polarization directions of the first polarized component and the second polarized components are orthogonal to each other, the plurality of holographic lens array layer having a predetermined color pattern in the holographic lens array layer, the plurality of picture element electrodes being disposed as an electrode layer and having a same predetermined color pattern as that of the plurality of holographic lenses, the holographic lens array layer and the electrode layer being disposed horizontally as such that the read light filtered to a specific color by a holographic lens for the specific color reaches a picture element electrode for the same specific color, wherein a center of the holographic lens for the specific color and a center of the picture element electrode for the same specific color are displaced horizontally at a predetermined distance to each other;

an incident optical system for allowing the read light to impinge on the spatial light modulation section; and

a projection optical system for projecting the read light modulated by the spatial light modulation section on a screen,

wherein the color filter spectrally diffracts the first polarized components of the read light impinging thereon into a plurality of light beams of different wavelength regions, and selectively converges the plurality of light beams on the plurality of picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions through the light modulation section, and diffracted first polarized components of the read light reflected by the light reflecting layer impinge again on the color filter by being modulated in a polarization mode by the light modulation layer of the spatial light modulation section, and polarizingly modulated first polarized components pass through the color filter and are projected by the projection optical system on the screen.

11. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the predetermined distance is 1/4 to 1/2 length of the holographic lens.

12. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a coupling prism closely provided on the color filter, the coupling prism having an incident surface at one side thereof and an output surface at a bottom surface thereof for leading the read light to the color filter.

13. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a light spectrum restriction means provided in the incident optical system for restricting a bandwidth of respective colors of a white light generated by the light source as the read light.

14. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising additional hologram means provided in the incident optical system for causing the read light to impinge on the color filter at a predetermined angle so as to make an optical distance from the light source and the color filter to be equal regardless of positions of the color filter.

15. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a deflection prism provided in the incident optical system for spectrally deflecting the read light from the light source and allowing to the read light to impinge on the color filter at a predetermined angle.

16. A color image display apparatus for projecting a composite color light beams on a screen as a color image comprising:

a light source for generating a read light;

a polarized light separation means for separating the read light into first polarized components and second polarized components;

a first light modulation section;

a second light modulation section;

a first incident optical system for allowing the first polarized components to impinge on the first light modulation section for undergoing a color modulation thereby;

a second incident optical system for causing the second polarized components to impinge on the second light modulation section for undergoing an intensity modulation thereby; and

a projection optical system for projecting on a screen, color modulated first polarized components by the first light modulation section, and intensity modulated second polarized components by the second light modulation section, the first light modulation section including a color filter comprising hologram means, a first light modulation layer and a first light reflecting layer having a layer of a plurality of first picture element electrodes, the hologram means having such characteristics that the first polarized components of the incident light are diffracted at an approximately a maximum diffraction efficiency at a predetermined incident angle of the incident light, and the second polarized components of the incident light are diffracted such that a difference between the maximum diffraction efficiency of the first polarized components and the diffraction efficiency of the second polarized components is not less than 30%, and diffracted first polarized components are formed as a plurality of lights to be converged on the plurality of picture element electrodes corresponding to the different wavelength regions wherein polarization directions of the first polarized component and the second polarized components are orthogonal to each other;

the second spatial light modulation section including a second light modulation layer operating in synchronization with the first spatial light modulation section and a second reflecting layer having a plurality of second picture element electrodes disposed corresponding to the plurality of first picture element electrodes, and means for synthesizing the color modulated first polarized components and the intensity modulated second polarized components together to be projected by the projection optical system,

wherein the synthesizing means directs the color modulated first polarized components to the projection optical system, and directs the second polarized components to the second light modulation section, and allows to pass straight the intensity modulated second polarized components from the second light modulated section to the projection optical system to form a single beam of composite light.

17. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the synthesizing means is a polarization beam splitter and the projection optical system comprises a projection lens for projecting the composite light on the screen.

18. A color image display apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a light spectrum restriction means provided in the incident optical system for restricting a bandwidth of respective colors of a white light generated by the light source as the read light.