Display device

• US 6,980,346 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Piehl, Arthur R., Greer, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tra, Tuyen
• Application Number:
  US10/941,267
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 359/276, 359/260, 359/619, 359/620, 359/621, 359/622, 359/623, 345/55, 345/205, 345/98, 345/87, 345/88, 345/89, 345/90, 345/91, 345/92, 345/93, 345/94, 345/101, 345/102, 345/103, 345/589
• US Class Current: 359/276
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3167 for polarizing the light beam polarizing optical systems per se G02B27/28

Abstract

A method and apparatus includes receiving light at an intensity modulator. Subsequently, the light is received at an intensity-color modulator that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property.

Claims

1. A method, including:

receiving light at an intensity modulator; and

subsequently receiving the light at an intensity-color modulator that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property.

2. The method of claim 1, including:

receiving light at a pixelated liquid crystal layer; and

subsequently receiving the light at a pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

3. The method of claim 2, further including:

transmitting the light from the intensity modulator to a projection lens.

4. The method of claim 3, further including:

receiving the light from the projection lens at a screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

transmitting the light from the illumination lens to the intensity modulator.

6. The method of claim 5, further including:

receiving the light at a polarizing beamsplitter subsequent to receiving the light from the illumination lens.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

transmitting the light from the intensity-color modulator through the intensity modulator.

8. A method, including:

receiving light at an intensity modulator;

subsequently receiving the light at a relay lens; and

transmitting the light from the relay lens to an intensity-color modulator that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property.

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

transmitting the light from the relay lens to the intensity-color modulator comprising a pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

10. The method of claim 8, further including:

receiving the light at a first polarizer prior to receiving the light at the intensity modulator.

11. The method of claim 10, further including:

receiving the light at a polarizing beamsplitter prior to receiving the light at the intensity modulator.

12. The method of claim 8, further including:

receiving the light at a polarizing beamsplitter subsequent to receiving the light at the relay lens.

13. The method of claim 8, further including:

receiving the light from a polarizing beamsplitter at the intensity-color modulator.

14. An article including a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

receiving light at an intensity modulator; and

subsequently receiving the light at an intensity-color modulator that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving the light from the intensity modulator at a screen via a projection lens.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the screen comprises a rear projection television screen.

17. The article of claim 15, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving an image signal from an image signal source at the intensity-color modulator.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the image signal source comprises one of a digital video disk player, a wireless television tuner, a cable television tuner, and a wireless computing device.

19. The article of claim 14, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving the light at the intensity modulator through at least one polarizer.

20. An apparatus, including:

a intensity modulator; and

an intensity-color modulator that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property optically coupled to the intensity modulator.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the intensity modulator comprises a pixelated liquid crystal layer;

and wherein the intensity-color modulator includes a pixelated, variable absorption backplane optically coupled to the pixilated liquid crystal layer.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the intensity-color modulator further comprises:

a pair of partially-reflecting surfaces spaced apart by a distance responsive to an amount of charge stored on the pair of partially-reflecting surfaces.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the intensity-color modulator further comprises:

a control module to vary an optical property of an optical cavity defined by a partially-reflecting surface and a highly reflective surface separated by a distance so as to reflect a wavelength band at an intensity associated with a pixel included in the intensity-color modulator.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the intensity modulator comprises a pixilated liquid crystal layer.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the intensity modulator comprises a pixelated, transmissive liquid crystal layer.

26. A system, including:

an intensity modulator;

an intensity-color modulator that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property optically coupled to the intensity modulator; and

a screen to receive light provided by a source and reflected from the intensity-color modulator.

27. The system of claim 26, further including:

means to polarize the light prior to reception by the screen.

28. The system of claim 26, further including:

means to project the light to the screen.

29. The system of claim 26, further including:

an image signal source to couple to the intensity-color modulator.

30. The system of claim 26, further including:

an illumination lens optically coupled to the intensity modulator.

31. An apparatus, including:

a pixelated liquid crystal layer;

a pixelated, variable absorption backplane that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property; and

a relay lens to couple light from the liquid crystal layer to the pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises a liquid crystal on silicon microdisplay.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, further including:

a polarizer to couple the light to the pixilated liquid crystal layer and the relay lens.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, further including:

a first polarizer disposed between an illumination source and the pixelated liquid crystal layer; and

a second polarizer disposed between the relay lens and the pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

35. The apparatus of claim 31, further including:

a polarizing beamsplitter disposed between the relay lens and the pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

36. A system, including:

a pixelated liquid crystal layer;

a pixelated, variable absorption backplane that includes at least one Fabry-Perot filter having a tunable optical property;

a relay lens to couple light from the liquid crystal layer to the pixelated, variable absorption backplane; and

a screen to receive light provided by a source and reflected from the pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

37. The system of claim 36, further including:

a polarizing beamsplitter to transmit the light to the pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

38. The system of claim 37, further including:

a projection lens to receive the light from the polarizing beamsplitter.

39. The system of claim 36, further including:

an image signal source to couple to the pixelated, variable absorption backplane.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the screen comprises a rear projection television screen.