Digital light protection apparatus with digital micromirror device and rotatable housing

• US 6,412,972 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Altman Stage Lighting Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Altman Stage Lighting Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Tyler, Thomas P., Pujol, Roger A.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negron, Ismael
• Application Number:
  US09/458,603
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 362/269-274, 362/277, 362/280-284, 362/287, 362/322-324, 359/244, 359/245, 359/240, 359/238, 359/290-292, 359/298, 359/299, 359/839, 359/846, 359/855, 352/40-42, 352/198, 352/202, 352/232, 353/81, 353/84
• US Class Current: 362/272
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/18 involving the use of optical projection means, e.g. projection of images on clouds projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/20 with colour-mixing effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7458 the modulator being an array of deformable mirrors, e.g. digital micromirror device [DMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3114 by using a sequential colour filter producing one colour at a time

Abstract

There is provided a digital light projection apparatus for projecting digitally selected light beams onto a stage display to create the effect of a continuously moving image. The apparatus has a fixed housing with a luminaire and a deformable micromirror device and a rotatable housing with a fixed mirror and a rotatable mirror. The deformable micromirror device directs selected light beams generated by the luminaire to the fixed and rotatable mirrors for projection to a stage display. Color may be achieved by use of color wheels, chromatic prisms, and/or lasers.

Claims

1. A light display system comprising:

a fixed first housing having a light source that generates a light beam and a first micromirror device that generates an digital light beam from said light beam and directs said digital light beam along a first optical path;

a projection lens that directs said digital light beam along a second optical path;

a rotatable second housing connected to and rotatable relative to said fixed first housing about a first axis, said rotatable second housing having a fixed reflector that directs said digital light beam along a third optical path, and a rotatable reflector that is rotatable about a second axis and adapted to direct said digital light beam along a fourth optical path onto a stage display;

a digital signal controller that controls said micromirror device to reflect said digital light beam along said first optical path;

means for rotating said rotatable second housing about said first axis;

means for rotating said rotatable reflector about said second axis; and

a substantially totally internally reflective prism between said first micromirror device and said projection lens.

2. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said light source includes a luminaire containing a lamp and a reflector.

3. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said projection lens is mounted in said fixed housing.

4. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said projection lens is mounted in said rotatable housing.

5. The light display system according to claim 1, further including a cold mirror and a heat sink mounted in said fixed first housing proximate to said light source.

6. The light display system according to claim 1, further including means for rotating said rotatable second housing with said rotatable reflector in a predetermined sequence of combined movements about said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation.

7. The light display system according to claim 6, wherein said predetermined sequence of combined movements are synchronized in predetermined timed and spatial sequences with said digitally selected light beam being reflected from said micromirror device and directed onto a stage display.

8. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are in perpendicular alignment.

9. The light display system according to claim 8, wherein said rotatable reflector directs said digital light beam wherein said fourth optical path is perpendicular to said second axis of rotation.

10. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said fixed reflector is positioned at approximately 45 degrees to said first axis of rotation and directs said digital light beam at approximately 90 degrees from said first axis of rotation along said second optical path in alignment with said second axis of rotation and said rotatable reflector is positioned at approximately 45 degrees to said second axis of rotation and directs said digital light beam at approximately 90 degrees from said second axis of rotation in generally parallel alignment with said first axis of rotation.

11. The light display system according to claim 10, wherein said rotatable reflector is rotatable over 360 degrees about said second axis of rotation, whereby said digital light beam is reflected in said fourth optical path over 360 degrees.

12. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said micromirror device comprises a plurality of deformable mirror cells, each of said deformable mirror cells being rotatable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position directs a light ray on said first optical path as a digital light ray, and wherein the second position directs a light ray away from said first optical path as a deflected light ray.

13. The light display system according to claim 12, further including an opaque light stop mounted in said fixed housing, said deflected light ray being directed to said opaque light stop.

14. The light display system according to claim 1, further comprising a second micromirror device and a third micromirror device, and wherein said dichroic prism assembly comprises a first prism, a second prism, and a third prism, said dichroic prism assembly combined with said first, second, and third micromirror devices to split said light beam into red, green, and blue digital light beams.

15. The light display system according to claim 14, wherein said digital signal means includes digital data relating to digital control signals for said first, second, and third micromirror devices for directing said red, green, and blue digital light beams into selected color combinations.

16. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said rotatable second housing includes a cylindrical mounting member positioned between said micromirror device and said fixed reflector, said cylindrical mounting member having a cylindrical passage axially aligned with said first axis, said micromirror device directing said digital light beam through said cylindrical passage along said first optical path to said fixed reflector.

17. The light display system according to claim 16, wherein said projection lens is mounted in said cylindrical mounting member in said rotatable housing.

18. The light display system according to claim 16, further including a slip-ring connector mounted with said cylindrical mounting member, said slip ring connector having inner and outer electrical contact surfaces in operative electrical connection, said light display system further including a source of electrical power and first and second electrical connectors electrically connecting said first and second drive means, respectively, to said source of electrical power, said second connector including a first electrical conductor having a first electrical contact connecting said second drive means with said with said inner electrical contact surface of said slip-ring connector and with said source of electrical power, whereby said rotatable second housing is adapted to rotate about said first axis of rotation while keeping in electrical contact with said source of electrical power.

19. The light display system according to claim 18, wherein said slip-ring connector is a cylindrical slip-ring connector integral with said cylindrical mounting member.

20. The light display system according to claim 1, wherein said light source is a single laser that generates a white light beam.

21. The light display system according to claim 20, wherein said single laser is a multimode laser tunable to different frequencies of the visible spectrum so as to produce selected colors for said light beam that impinges upon said micromirror device.

22. The light display system according to claim 21, wherein said digital signal controller includes digital data relating to coloring and luminance activating said multimode laser to tune said multimode laser to different frequencies and intensities in synchronization with digital control signals to said micromirror device.

23. The light display system according to claim 1, further including a dichroic prism assembly positioned between said total internal reflective prism and said first micromirror device.

24. The light display system according to claim 23, further including a color wheel assembly positioned in an operative position within a selected one of said optical paths.

25. The light display system according to claim 24, further comprising a second micromirror device, whereby said dichroic prism assembly is adapted to direct blue and green digital light beams to said first micromirror device and digital red light beams to said second micromirror device.

26. The light display system according to claim 25, wherein said digital signal means includes digital data relating to coloring and luminance in synchronization with first digital control signals for activating said color wheel to different frequencies and intensities and in synchronization with second digital control signals for said first and second micromirror devices to combine said blue and green digital light beams and said red digital light beams in combination with digital light beams from said color wheel into selected color combinations.

27. The light display system according to claim 1, further including optical means for adding color to said digital light beam.

28. The light display system according to claim 27, wherein said light source and said optical means for adding coloring includes a color system comprising three lasers producing each of the primary colors, red, green, and blue that combine into said light beam that impinges upon said surface of said DMD.

29. The light display system according to claim 27, wherein said optical means includes a first focus lens system positioned proximate to said light source and a second focus lens system spaced from said first focus lens system and further includes at least one rotatable color wheel positioned between said first and second focus lens systems, said second focus lens system projecting said light beam to said micromirror device.

30. The light display system according to claim 29, wherein said light source generates a white light beam and said at least one rotatable color wheel includes a plurality of color filters wherein said white light beam is filtered into said color wheel during rotation of said color wheel so as to produce a plurality of colors of the visible spectrum.

31. The light display system according to claim 29, wherein said digital signal controller includes digital data relating to coloring and luminance activating said color wheel in synchronization with digital control signals to said micromirror device.

32. The light display system according to claim 31, wherein said at least one color wheel includes a plurality of individual color filters and selected individual filters are positioned to intercept said white light beam.

33. The light display system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one color wheel is two color wheels.