Reflection unit having a mirror array, and projection display system employing the same

• US 7,331,679 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Kun-ho, Noh, Ji-whan, Sokolov, Kirill, Borodouline, Alexei
• Primary Examiner(s): KOVAL, MELISSA J
• Application Number:
  US11/119,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20050286025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 353/69, 353/70, 353/74, 353/77, 353/78, 353/99, 353/121, 359/457, 359/460
• US Class Current: 353/78
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/10 Projectors with built-in or built-on screen
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/625 Lenticular translucent screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

A projection display system includes a screen, an illumination projecting system to form an image using light radiated by a light source, to magnify the image, and to project the image along a rear side of the screen, and a reflection unit having an array of unit mirrors to reflect the image received from the illumination projecting system onto the screen, each of the unit mirrors having a first sloped reflection surface and a second reflection surface adjacent to the first reflection surface having a predetermined angle therebetween.

Claims

1. A projection display system, comprising:

a screen;

an illumination projecting system to form an image using light radiated by a light source, to magnify the image, and to project the image along a rear side of the screen; and

a reflection unit having an array of a plurality of unit mirrors disposed on a plane to reflect the image received from the illumination projecting system to the screen, each of the unit mirrors having a first sloped reflection surface having a first angle with respect to the plane and a second reflection surface disposed between the first reflection surface and another first reflection surface of an adjacent unit mirror to form a predetermined angle therebetween, and having a second angle with respect to the plane.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors are arranged in parallel.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the array of unit mirrors is arranged to have a predetermined curvature.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the array of unit mirrors has a curvature center positioned inside the reflection unit.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the array of unit mirrors has a curvature center positioned outside the reflection unit.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors have first reflection surfaces having slopes that vary with respect to a height direction of the screen.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the slopes of the first reflection surfaces gradually increase as a height thereof is increased along the height direction of the screen.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the reflection unit has a tooth-shaped section.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors have a pitch within a range of 50 um to 1000 um.

10. A projection display system, comprising:

a housing;

a screen disposed at a first surface of the housing;

an image creation unit disposed at a side of the housing to create an image and project the image; and

a reflection unit disposed at a second surface of the housing and having a plurality of first sloped reflection surfaces disposed on a pliane corresponding to the second surface of the housing to receive beams of the image at an angle with respect to the plane and to reflect the corresponding ones of the received beams of the image toward the screen at a second angle with respect to the plane.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sloped reflection surfaces are spaced apart from each other.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of first sloped reflection surfaces form different angles with respect to the second surface of the housing.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the reflection unit comprises a plurality of second sloped reflection surfaces disposed between adjacent first sloped reflection surfaces.

14. A reflection unit usable with a projection display system, comprising:

an array of unit mirrors to reflect an image received from an illumination projecting system onto a screen at an angle with respect to a plane,

wherein the unit mirrors each have a first sloped reflection surface having a first angle with respect to the plane and a second reflection surface adjacent to disposed between the first reflection surface and another first reflection surface of an adjacent unit mirror to form a predetermined angle therebetween, and having a second angle with respect to the plane.

15. The reflection unit of claim 14, wherein the unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors are arranged in parallel.

16. The reflection unit of claim 14, wherein the unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors are arranged to have a predetermined curvature.

17. The reflection unit of claim 16, wherein the array of unit mirrors has a curvature center positioned inside of the reflection unit.

18. The reflection unit of claim 16, wherein the array of unit mirrors has a curvature center positioned outside the reflection unit.

19. The reflection unit of claim 16, wherein unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors have first reflection surfaces having slopes that vary with respect to a height direction of the screen.

20. The reflection unit of claim 19, wherein the slopes of the first reflection surfaces gradually increase as a height thereof increases along the height direction of the screen.

21. The reflection unit of claim 15, wherein unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors have first reflection surfaces having slopes that vary with respect to a height direction of the screen.

22. The reflection unit of claim 15, wherein the reflection unit has a tooth-shaped section.

23. The reflection unit of claim 14, wherein the unit mirrors of the array of unit mirrors have a pitch within a range of 50 um to 1000 um.

24. The reflection unit of claim 14, wherein the reflection unit has a tooth-shaped section.

25. A method of an image projection system, the method comprising:

producing an image;

projecting the image along a rear side of a screen; and

individually reflecting beams of the projected image at different angles onto the screen using a reflection unit having a plurality of first sloped reflection surfaces disposed on a plane corresponding to the second surface of the housing to receive beams of the image at an angle with respect to the plane and to reflect the corresponding ones of the received beams of the image toward the screen at a second angle with respect to the plane.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the reflecting of the beams of the image comprises:

receiving the projected image onto a reflection unit;

reflecting beams received near a bottom of the reflection unit toward a bottom of the screen; and

reflecting beams received near a top of the reflection unit toward a top of the screen.

27. A projection display system, comprising:

a housing;

a screen disposed at a first surface of the housing;

an image creation unit disposed at a side of the housing to generate first, second, and third beams corresponding to first, second, and third images to form a full image; and

a reflection unit disposed at a second surface of the housing and having first, second, and third sloped reflection surfaces disposed on a plane corresponding to the second surface of the housing to have an angle with the plane to respectively receive the first, second, and third beams from the image creation unit at first, second, and third angles, respectively, with respect to the plane, and to reflect the corresponding ones of the received first, second, and third beams toward the screen at first sub, second sub, and third sub angles with respect to the plane, to form the full image on the screen.