Compact display system

• US 6,282,029 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2000
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Sasser, Gary Dean, Ma, Guolin, Jusuf, Gani
• Primary Examiner(s): MACK, RICKY LEVERN
• Application Number:
  US09/563,134
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 359/629, 359/630, 359/631, 359/633, 359/857, 359/858, 359/859
• US Class Current: 359/629
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7491 of head mounted projectors

Abstract

A display system has light source, display panel, conic mirror, and polarized reflector. The light from the light source is filtered by a diffuse reflective polarizer to contain light in a first linear polarization (for example, s-polarized light). That light is directed by the conic mirror toward the polarized reflector, and is reflected toward the display panel displaying images. The conic mirror and the polarized reflector is shaped such that the light telecentrically and uniformly illuminates the display panel. The light is reflected from the display panel being patterned by the image and rotated into a second linear polarization (for example, p-polarized light). The rotated light passes through the polarized reflector for viewing.

Claims

1. A display system comprising:

light source for producing light;

display panel substantially coplanar with the light source;

conic mirror for directing the light from the light source; and

polarized reflector for reflecting the directed light from the conic mirror toward the display panel.

2. The display system of claim 1 further comprising a diffuse reflective polarizer (DRP) proximal to the light source.

3. The display system of claim 2 wherein the DRP comprises multiple layers of birefringent and isotropic films with matching indexes.

4. The display system of claim 1 wherein the light source and the display panel are attached to a single circuit board.

5. The display system of claim 1 wherein the light source is light-emitting diode (LED) placed axis coincident with a preferred linear polarization.

6. The display system of claim 1 wherein interior surface of the conic mirror is finely grated for diffusion of the light.

7. The display system of claim 1 further comprising linear polarizer placed between the conic mirror and the polarized reflector to filter the directed light.

8. The display system of claim 1 further comprising eye piece lens to focus patterned light reflecting off of the display panel.

9. A light reflector system for miniature display comprising:

conic mirror shaped to capture light from a light source and to direct the light; and

polarized reflector shaped to reflect the directed light from the conic mirror to telecentrically impinge on a display panel.

10. The light reflector system recited in claim 9 further comprising diffuse reflective polarizer (DRP) proximal to the light source for producing light polarized in a first direction.

11. The display system of claim 10 wherein the DRP comprises multiple layers of birefringent and isotropic films with matching indexes.

12. The display system of claim 9 wherein the polarized reflector is parabolic in shape.

13. The display system of claim 9 wherein interior surface of the conic mirror is finely grated for diffusion of the light.

14. The display system of claim 9 further comprising linear polarizer placed between the conic mirror and the polarized reflector to filter the directed light.

15. A display system comprising:

light source for producing light;

display panel for producing images,

conic mirror for capturing and directing the light from the light source;

linear polarizer filtering the directed light; and

polarized reflector for reflecting filtered light toward the display panel such that the filtered light uniformly and telecentrically impinges the display panel.

16. The display system of claim 15 further comprising a diffuse reflective polarizer (DRP) proximal to the light source.

17. The display system of claim 16 wherein the DRP comprises multiple layers of birefringent and isotropic films with matching indexes.

18. The display system of claim 15 wherein the light source and the display panel are coplanar.

19. The display system of claim 15 wherein the light source is light-emitting diode (LED) placed axis coincident with a preferred linear polarization.

20. The display system of claim 15 wherein interior surface of the conic mirror is finely grated for diffusion of the light.