Light valve projector architecture

• US 6,747,710 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Hall, Estill Thone Jr., OʼDonnell, Eugene Murphy
• Primary Examiner(s): Parker, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, TAI V
• Application Number:
  US10/006,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20030103171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 349/5, 349/8, 349/9, 349/61, 349/113, 349/117, 349/96, 349/60, 349/69, 349/70, 313/461, 313/506, 313/509, 353/31, 353/34, 353/37, 353/122, 353/33, 348/776
• US Class Current: 349/9
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/005 Projectors using an electronic spatial light modulator but not peculiar thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/006 using LCD's
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3105 for displaying all colours simultaneously, e.g. by using two or more electronic spatial light modulators simultaneous projection in colour photography G03B33/10; beam splitting or combining systems per se G02B27/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3164 using multiple light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3167 for polarizing the light beam polarizing optical systems per se G02B27/28

Abstract

A light valve projection system (30) includes a plurality of resonant microcavity anodes (RMAs) (32, 42, and 52), each for emitting a respective wavelength of light and an imager device (38, 48, and 58) for each of the plurality of resonant microcavity anodes, where each of the imager devices emits an image. The light valve projection system further includes a plurality of polarizing beam splitters (34, 44, and 54) for reflecting and redirecting the light and images from the RMAs and the imager devices. The light valve projection system may further include a combiner (40) for combining the image from each of the imager devices and a projection lens (50) for receiving a combined image from the combiner.

Claims

1. A light valve projection system, comprising:

a plurality of resonant microcavity anodes (RMAs) for emitting respective wavelengths of light;

a reflector light valve device for each of the plurality of resonant microcavity anodes, and for reflecting said wavelengths of light from said RMAs; and

a plurality of polarizing beam splitters for selectively passing through and redirecting said wavelengths of light from said reflector light valve devices and said RMAs.

2. The light valve projection system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises a combiner for combining said wavelengths of lights selectively passed through and redirected by said polarizing beam splitters.

3. The light valve projection system of claim 1, wherein the light reflector valve device comprises a LCOS microdisplay.

4. The light valve projection system of claim 2, wherein the system further comprises a projection lens for receiving said wavelengths of light out of the combiner.

5. The light valve projection system of claim 2, wherein the combiner is a crossed dichroic combiner.

6. The light valve projection system of claim 2 wherein the combiner comprises a light pathlength compensator cube and a polarizing filter system that selectively rotates polarization of one color relative to its compliment.

7. The light valve projection system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a light pathlength compensator cube.

8. The light valve projection system of claim 7, wherein the system further comprises a polarizing filter system that selectively rotates polarization of one color relative to its compliment.

9. The light valve projection system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of resonant microcavity anodes are selected from the group of either “

P”

mode RMA devices or “

S”

mode RMA devices.

10. A LCOS projection system, comprising:

a plurality of resonant microcavity anodes (RMAs) for emitting respective wavelengths of light;

a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device for each of the plurality of resonant microcavity anodes and for reflecting said respective wavelengths of light;

a plurality of polarizing beam splitters for selectively passing through and redirecting said wavelengths of light from the RMAs and the LCOS devices; and

a means for combining said wavelengths of light selectively passed through and redirected by said polarizing beam splitters.

11. The LCOS projection system of claim 10 wherein the projection system further comprises a projection lens for projecting the respective wavelengths of light from said means for combining.

12. The LCOS projection system of claim 10, wherein the means for combining comprises a crossed dichroic combiner.

13. The LCOS projection system of claim 10, wherein the means for combining comprises a color wavelength selector and a light path length compensator.

14. The LCOS projection system of claim 10 wherein each LCOS device comprises a combined LCOS microdisplay and quarter wave length plate.

15. The LCOS projection system of claim 10 wherein the plurality of resonant microcavity anodes are selected from the group of either “

P”

mode RMA devices or “

S”

mode RMA devices.