Two-panel liquid-crystal-on-silicon color management system

• US 7,347,562 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Greenberg, Michael R., McGettigan, Anthony D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad; Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fenwick; Warren K
• Application Number:
  US11/131,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20050259225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 353/82, 353/84, 353/94
• US Class Current: 353/31
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/008 in the form of devices for effecting sequential colour changes, e.g. colour wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1026 for use with reflective spatial light modulators
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/141 using dichroic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2026 Gas discharge type light sources, e.g. arcs
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2073 Polarisers in the lamp house peculiar to electronic spatial light modulators H04N9/3197
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3111 for displaying the colours sequentially, e.g. by using sequentially activated light sources sequential projection in colour photography G03B33/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3117 by using a sequential colour filter producing two or more colours simultaneously, e.g. by creating scrolling colour bands

Abstract

A two-panel projection display system includes a color wheel having color filter segments that transmit light having a secondary color, namely cyan, magenta, and yellow, made up of two primary colors. A primary color separator, such as a second color wheel, a transflective dichroic beamsplitter, or a color-sensitive polarizing switch separates the secondary color beam into a first polarized primary color beam and a second polarized primary color beam, which are directed to first and second imager panels. A beam combiner combines the first polarized primary color beam from the first imager and the second polarized primary color beam from the second imager to form a projection beam. Accordingly, any two primary colors can be imaged at the same time enabling the system to be white point balanced.

Claims

1. A color management system comprising:

a light source for generating a source beam of polarized or unpolarized light;

a secondary color selector for selectively separating a first or a second secondary color beam from the polarized or unpolarized source beam of light, the first secondary color beam comprising first and second primary colored beams, and the second secondary colored beam comprising first and third primary colored beams;

a primary color separator for separating the first secondary colored beam into the first and second primary colored beams, and the second secondary colored beam into the first and third primary colored beams;

a first imager panel for imaging the first or the second primary colored beam;

a second imager panel for imaging the second or the third primary colored beam; and

a beam combiner for combining the first primary colored beam from the first imager panel with the second or the third primary colored beam from the second imager panel, or for combining the second colored beam from the first imager panel with the third colored beam from the second imager panel to form a projection beam.

2. The color management system according to claim 1, wherein the secondary color selector is also for selectively separating a third secondary colored beam from the source beam of light, the third secondary colored beam comprising second and third primary colored beams;

and wherein the primary color selector is also for separating the third secondary colored beam into second and third primary colored beams.

3. The color management system according to claim 1, wherein the secondary color selector comprises a first color wheel having a first color filter segment for transmitting the first secondary colored beam from the light source, and a second color filter segment for transmitting the second secondary colored beam from the light source.

4. The color management system of claim 3, wherein the first color wheel includes a third color filter segment for transmitting a third secondary colored beam, the third secondary colored beam comprising second and third primary colored beams;

and wherein the primary color selector is also for separating the third secondary colored beam into second and third primary colored beams.

5. The color management system of claim 2, wherein the primary color separator comprises a second color wheel disposed at an acute angle to the secondary colored beam from the secondary color selector, the second color wheel including a plurality of filter segments, each filter segment for separating one of primary colored beams from another of the primary colored beams, and for directing one of the primary colored beams towards the first imager panel and the other primary colored beams towards the second imager panel.

6. The color management system of claim 5, wherein the second color wheel comprises:

a first filter segment for separating the first primary colored beam from the second or the third primary colored beam, and for directing the first primary colored beam at the first imager panel and the second or the third primary colored beam at the second imager panel; and

a second filter segment for separating the second primary colored beam from the third primary colored beam, and for directing the second primary colored beam at the first imager panel and the third primary colored at the second imager panel.

7. The color management system of claim 2, further comprising a polarizing element for converting the polarization of the source beam to a selected polarization.

8. A color management system comprising:

a light source for generating a source beam of unpolarized light;

a first color wheel having a first secondary color filter segment transmitting a first secondary color beam, a second secondary color filter segment transmitting a second secondary color beam, and a third secondary color filter segment transmitting a third secondary color beam, the first color wheel rotatable for sequentially coupling one of the first color filter segment, the second color filter segment and the third color filter segment to the source beam;

a light integrator for homogenizing the first, second and third secondary color beams;

a polarization conversion element for polarizing the first, second and third secondary color light beams;

a primary color separator for separating the first secondary color beam into first and second primary color beams and directing the first and second primary color beams along first and second paths, respectively, for separating the second secondary color beam into first and third primary color beams and directing the first and third primary color beams along the first and second paths, respectively, and for separating the third secondary color beam into second and third color beams and directing the second and third color beams along the first and second paths, respectively;

a first imager panel for receiving the first or second primary color beams along the first path, and imaging the first or second primary color beams;

a second imager panel for receiving the second or third primary color beams along the second path, and imaging the second or third primary color beams; and

a beam combiner for combining the first color beam from the first imager panel with the second or the third primary color beam from the second imager panel, or for combining the second color beam from the first imager panel with the third color beam from the second imager panel to form a projection beam.

9. The color management system of claim 8, wherein the primary color separator comprises a second color wheel having a high-pass filter segment for separating the first primary colored beam from the second or the third primary colored beam, and for directing the first primary colored beam at the first imager panel and the second or the third primary colored beam at the second imager panel, and a low-pass filter segment for separating the second primary colored beam from the third primary color beam, and for directing the second primary colored beam at the first imager panel and the third primary colored at the second imager panel.

10. The color management system of claim 8, wherein each of the first, second and third secondary color filter segments are dichroic filter segments.

11. The color management system of claim 8, wherein an angular extent of at least one of the first secondary color filter segment, the second secondary color filter segment, the third secondary color filter segment, the high-pass dichrioc filter segment, and the low-pass dichrioc filter segment is chosen so as to provide a selected white-point balance.

12. The color management system of claim 11, wherein the selected white-point balance is a color temperature of a black-body radiator between about 6,000°

K and about 12,000 °

K.