Illumination obscurement device

• US 6,601,974 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2000
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Light and Sound Design Limited
• Inventors: Hewlett, William, Evans, Nigel
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Curtis, Craig
• Application Number:
  US09/711,355
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 362/301, 362/303, 362/297, 362/294, 353/31, 353/34, 353/37, 353/97-99, 359/443
• US Class Current: 362/297
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 11/08 using diaphragms containing one or more apertures
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 11/10 of iris type
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/90 Methods

Abstract

An illumination obscurement device for controlling the obscurement of illumination from a light source which is optimized for use with a rectangular, arrayed, selective reflection device. In a preferred embodiment, a rotatable shutter with three positions is placed between a light source and a DMD. The first position of the shutter is a mask, preferably an out of focus circle. This out of focus circle creates a circular mask and changes any unwanted dim reflection to a circular shape. The second position of the shutter is completely open, allowing substantially all the light to pass. The third position of the shutter is completely closed, blocking substantially all the light from passing. By controlling the penumbra illumination surrounding the desired illumination, DMDs can be used in illumination devices without creating undesirable rectangular penumbras.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising:

a light source producing a light beam;

a digital mirror device, formed of a rectangular array of controllable reflectors which are adjustable in response to control signals to selectively change some aspect of reflection of said light beam, said array producing a shaped output light beam which is shaped based on said control signals; and

a controllable obscurement device which is controlled between

     1) masking in a shape of a circle of a predetermined size,

     2) completely open, or

     3) completely closed, said obscurement device positioned between the light source and the output light beam.

2. The illumination device of claim 1, where the obscurement device includes an iris shutter.

3. The illumination device of claim 1, where one of the positions of the shutter includes an iris diaphragm.

4. Shuttered gobo device, comprising:

a light source;

a control circuit, producing a control signal indicative of a desired gobo shape;

a rectangular controllable reflector, receiving said control signal, and reflecting a desired light part indicated by said control signal in a first direction and reflecting an outer undesired light part in another direction; and

a controllable light blocking element, selectively blocking at least a portion of a beam including said desired light part, said controllable light element controllable between an entirely open state in which a rectangular shape of said rectangular controllable reflector is transmitted, and a blocking state, in which only part of said rectangular shape of said rectangular controllable reflector is transmitted, said only part having a round truncated outer shape.

5. A device as in claim 4, wherein said controllable light blocking device is controllable to an additional position that completely blocks output light from passing.

6. An illumination device comprising:

a light source producing a light beam;

an array of controllable reflectors which are adjustable in response to control signals to selectively change some aspect of reflection of said light beam, said array having an overall controllable shape which is a non-circular, said array producing a shaped intermediate light beam which is shaped into a desired gobo shape with an outer shape defined by said control signal; and

an illumination output element producing an output light beam, said illumination output element positioned so that at least a portion of said shaped intermediate light beam strikes said illumination output element, where said illumination output element is an array of cells which reflect light only of a certain brightness or greater.

7. The illumination device of claim 6 wherein said illumination output element is a DMD.

8. The illumination device of claim 6, where said illumination output element is a digital micromirror device.

9. The illumination device of claim 6, where the array is a digital micromirror device.