Projection display

• US 6,595,648 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1998
• 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: Woodgate, Graham John, Khazova, Marina, Anderson, Duncan James
• Primary Examiner(s): DOWLING, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US09/701,397
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 353/20, 353/38, 353/63, 353/65, 353/66, 353/122, 353/98, 349/5, 349/6, 349/7, 349/113, 359/10, 359/11, 359/15, 359/16, 359/19, 359/32, 359/33
• US Class Current: 353/122
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1336 Illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3108 by using a single electronic spatial light modulator

Abstract

A projection display comprising: a transmissive spatial light modulator (10); an illuminator (1, 20, 21, 30) for illuminating the modulator from the front thereof; and a hologram (32) disposed at the rear of the modulator for imaging and reflecting back through the modulator light from the illuminator received through the modulator.

Claims

1. A projection display comprising:

a transmissive spatial light modulator;

an illuminator for illuminating the modulator from the front thereof; and

a reflection hologram disposed at the rear of the modulator for imaging and reflecting back through the modulator light from the illuminator received through the modulator.

2. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflection hologram is arranged to form an image of part of the illuminator in front of the modulator.

3. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflection hologram is arranged to perform the functions of a reflector and an off-axis lens with aberration correction.

4. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflection hologram is arranged to perform the functions of a reflector which is pixellated to corresponding with the pixellation of the transmissive spatial light modulator.

5. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflection hologram is a volume reflection hologram.

6. A display as claimed in claim 5, wherein the reflection hologram comprises at least three regions for reflecting and imaging light of respective primary colours.

7. A display as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one of the three regions are continuous layers.

8. A display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising four sub-pixel (RGBY) sets corresponding to red (R), green (G), blue (b), and luminance (Y), respectively.

9. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illuminator comprises a light source and a first condensing optic for forming an image of the light source at a first location.

10. A display as claimed in claim 9, wherein the reflection hologram is arranged to form an image of the light source at a second location which is spaced from the first location.

11. A display as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second location is laterally spaced from the first location.

12. A display as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second locations are laterally offset with respect to the modulator.

13. A display as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a projection optic for forming an image of the modulator on a screen.

14. A display as claimed in claim 13, wherein the projection optic has an entrance pupil disposed substantially at the second location.

15. A display as claimed in claim 9, wherein the illuminator comprises a field stop associated with the first condensing optic and a second condensing optic for imaging the field stop on the modulator.

16. A display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a turning optic for turning light from the illuminator towards the modulator.

17. A display as claimed in claim 16, wherein the turning optic comprises a half mirror.

18. A display as claimed in claim 16, wherein the turning optic comprises a reflecting prism.

19. A display as claimed in claim 18, wherein the prism is arranged to turn light from the modulator.

20. A display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a turning optic for turning light from the illuminator towards the modulator,

wherein the illuminator comprises a light source and a first condensing optic for forming an image of the light source at a first location,

wherein the reflection hologram is arranged to form an image of the light source at a second location which is spaced from the first location,

wherein the turning optic comprises a reflecting prism which is arranged to turn light from the modulator, and

wherein the first and second locations are disposed substantially at respective adjacent surfaces of the reflecting prism.

21. A display as claimed in claim 9, wherein the illuminator comprises a homogeniser disposed between the light source and the first condensing optic.

22. A display as claimed in claim 21, wherein the illuminator comprises a polarisation converter optic disposed between the homogeniser and the first condensing optic.

23. A display as claimed in claim 9, wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitter and collecting optic.

24. A display as claimed in claim 23, wherein the collecting optic comprises a mirror.

25. A display as claimed in claim 23, wherein the light source comprises respective primary colour light emitters.

26. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulator comprises a liquid crystal device.

27. A display as claimed in claim 26, wherein the liquid crystal device comprises a rear substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a rear polariser disposed between the rear substrate and the liquid crystal layer, the reflection hologram being disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the rear substrate.

28. A display as claimed in claim 27, wherein a glass layer is disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the reflection hologram.

29. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulator comprises a rear polariser.

30. A display as claimed in claim 29, wherein the rear polariser comprises first and second polarisers and the reflection hologram is disposed between the first and second polarisers.

31. A display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first polariser for supplying incident light with a first polarisation from the illuminator to the modulator and a second polariser for passing light reflected from the modulator with a second polarisation substantially orthogonal to the first polarisation.

32. A display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a polarising beam splitter for reflecting incident light with a first polarisation from the illuminator to the modulator and for passing light reflected from the modulator with a second polarisation substantially orthogonal to the first polarisation.

33. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulator comprises a front polariser and waveplate.

34. A display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulator comprises a plurality of picture elements, each of which is switchable between a light transmissive mode and a light scattering mode.

35. A display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a backlight for illuminating the modulator through the reflection hologram to provide a direct viewing display mode.