Display device with cooperative color filters

• US 7,050,120 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Childers, Winthrop D., Lo, Clement C., Allen, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US10/062,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 348742-744, 348/752, 353/84, 353/31, 353/20
• US Class Current: 348/742
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/008 in the form of devices for effecting sequential colour changes, e.g. colour wheels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3114 by using a sequential colour filter producing one colour at a time

Abstract

The present invention relates to a display device that includes an illumination source configured to direct light along an optical path, a first color filter having a first number of color regions, and a second color filter having a second number of color regions, the first and second color filters being configured so as to cooperate in sequentially filtering the directed light to display an image.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

an illumination source configured to direct light along an optical path;

a first color filter having a first number of color regions; and

a second color filter having a second number of color regions;

wherein the first and second color filters are disposed on a carriage, the carriage being configured to selectively position either the first color filter or the second color filter in the optical path such that either the first color filter or the second color filter is alternatively selected to sequentially filter the directed light to display an image.

2. A display device comprising:

an illumination source configured to direct light along an optical path;

a first color filter having a first number of color regions;

a second color filter having a second number of color regions; and

an optical path director configured to selectively direct the optical path through either the first color filter or the second color filter path such that either the first color filter or the second color filter is alternatively selected to sequentially filter the directed light to display an image.

3. A display device comprising:

an illumination source configured to direct light along an optical path;

a first color filter having a first number of color regions; and

a second color filter having a second number of color regions;

wherein the first and second color filters are coaxically coupled first and second color wheels disposed along a single optical path, are relatively adjustable to be selectively fixed in one of plural specified angular alignments relative to each other, and are rotatable together to sequentially filter the directed light to display an image.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the color regions of the first color filter include a red region, a green region and a blue region.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the red region, the green region and the blue region are of approximately equivalent size.

6. The display device of claim 4, wherein the color regions of the second color filter include a red region, a blue region, a green region and a white region.

7. The display device of claim 6, wherein the red region, the green region, the blue region and the white region are of approximately equivalent size.

8. The display device of claim 3, wherein the color regions of the first color wheel include a red region, a green region and a blue region of approximately equivalent size, and wherein the color regions of the second color wheel include a red region, a green region and a blue region of approximately equivalent size and a white region of relatively smaller size.

9. The display device of claim 3, wherein the second color wheel is selectively fixed in a predetermined angular position while the first color wheel rotates to sequentially filter the directed light.

10. The display device of claim 3, wherein the color regions of the first and second color wheels each include a red region, a green region and a blue region, each separated by a white region.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein the first and second color wheels are selectively fixable in one of plural specified angular alignments relative to each other and are rotatable together to sequentially filter the directed light.

12. A display device comprising:

an illumination source configured to direct light along an optical path;

a first color filter wheel having a first number of color regions;

a second color filter wheel having a second number of color regions, the second color filter wheel being coaxically coupled with the first color filter wheel, disposed along a single optical path with the first color filter wheel, and relatively adjustable to the first color filter wheel; and

one or more sensors configured to sense respective first and second angular orientations to determine angular relationship between the first and second color filter wheels;

wherein the color filter wheels selectively cooperate in sequentially filtering the directed light to display an image.

13. A display device comprising:

an illumination source configured to direct light along an optical path;

a first color filter wheel having a first number of color regions; and

a second color filter wheel having a second number of color regions;

wherein the first and second color filter wheels are coaxically coupled, disposed along a single optical path and relatively adjustable so as to selectively cooperate in sequentially filtering the directed light to display an image; and

wherein the specified angular alignment is dependent on one or more of image content, environment and user input.

14. A sequential color filter system for filtering light directed along an optical path, the sequential color filter system comprising:

a first color wheel having a plurality of color regions; and

a second color wheel having a plurality of color regions including at least one white region, wherein the second color wheel is coaxially coupled with the first color wheel and is selectively rotationally fixed with the white region in the optical path while the first color wheel rotates to sequentially filter the directed light;

each of the first and second color wheels being individually selectable to sequentially filter the light directed along the optical path.