Micro-structure based screen system for use in rear projection array display systems
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A screen system for rear projection systems comprising:
- a diffusion screen having a viewing side and a projection side;
two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, the two dimensional array of micro-lenses for focusing a light bundle representing a respective local part of an image projected thereon toward the projection side of the diffusion screen, and the two dimensional array of collimators collimating the light bundle to be perpendicular to the diffusion screen;
the two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators comprising first and second screen members disposed face to face adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, each screen member having a linear array of micro-lenticular lenses on a projection side thereof and a linear array of prisms on a viewing side thereof aligned in the same direction as the linear array of micro-lenticular lenses, each micro-lenticular lens being configured to focus light bundles incident thereto into a line of light, each micro-prism being located relative to a respective micro-lenticular lens and having one surface thereof angled to collimate light from the micro-lenticular lens into a first plane, the first and second screen members being disposed so that the linear arrays on one screen member are orthogonal to the linear arrays on the other screen member, thereby together forming two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators;
the two collimation screens each having multiple sub-image areas;
the interior region of each sub-image area of the first collimation screen being configured to collimate into first planes perpendicular to the diffusion screen, the sub-image projected from an on-axis projector while an outer region collimates into the first planes, the sub-image projected by that projector as well as the overlapping portions of the sub-images projected by at least one adjacent projector in the same row or column of projectors; and
,the interior region of each sub-image area of the second collimation screen being configured to collimate into second planes perpendicular to the first planes and the diffusion screen, the sub-image projected from an on-axis projector while an outer region collimates into the second planes, the sub-image projected by that projector as well as the overlapping portions of the sub-image projected by an adjacent projector in the same row or column of projectors;
wherein light refracting portions of the micro-prisms each comprise two exit surfaces through either of which a light ray bundle that entered the two collimation screens through their respective micro-lenticular lenses would be refracted and collimated as it exits the micro-prisms;
the portion of each of the micro-prisms located within the non-overlapping areas of the sub-images utilizing one exit surface of the micro-prism;
the portion of each of the micro-prisms located within the overlapping areas of the sub-images utilizing both exit surfaces of the micro-prism;
thus enabling the two screens screen members to collectively collimate the light projected by an array of projectors within the non-overlapping sub-image areas, as well as within the overlapping areas of two adjacent sub-images.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The viewing angle brightness sensitivity typically encountered in tiled rear projection display systems cannot be solely overcome by edge blending and calibration techniques. The rear projection array display-screen system of this invention, being comprised of a micro-structure array screen combined with a conventional diffusion screen, overcomes this viewing angle brightness sensitivity in both linear as well as matrix tiled rear projection display systems including those that use wide field-of-view projectors. The latter capability enables low form-factor and compact packaging of tiled rear projection display systems.
42 Citations
41 Claims
-
1. A screen system for rear projection systems comprising:
-
a diffusion screen having a viewing side and a projection side; two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, the two dimensional array of micro-lenses for focusing a light bundle representing a respective local part of an image projected thereon toward the projection side of the diffusion screen, and the two dimensional array of collimators collimating the light bundle to be perpendicular to the diffusion screen; the two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators comprising first and second screen members disposed face to face adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, each screen member having a linear array of micro-lenticular lenses on a projection side thereof and a linear array of prisms on a viewing side thereof aligned in the same direction as the linear array of micro-lenticular lenses, each micro-lenticular lens being configured to focus light bundles incident thereto into a line of light, each micro-prism being located relative to a respective micro-lenticular lens and having one surface thereof angled to collimate light from the micro-lenticular lens into a first plane, the first and second screen members being disposed so that the linear arrays on one screen member are orthogonal to the linear arrays on the other screen member, thereby together forming two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators; the two collimation screens each having multiple sub-image areas; the interior region of each sub-image area of the first collimation screen being configured to collimate into first planes perpendicular to the diffusion screen, the sub-image projected from an on-axis projector while an outer region collimates into the first planes, the sub-image projected by that projector as well as the overlapping portions of the sub-images projected by at least one adjacent projector in the same row or column of projectors; and
,the interior region of each sub-image area of the second collimation screen being configured to collimate into second planes perpendicular to the first planes and the diffusion screen, the sub-image projected from an on-axis projector while an outer region collimates into the second planes, the sub-image projected by that projector as well as the overlapping portions of the sub-image projected by an adjacent projector in the same row or column of projectors; wherein light refracting portions of the micro-prisms each comprise two exit surfaces through either of which a light ray bundle that entered the two collimation screens through their respective micro-lenticular lenses would be refracted and collimated as it exits the micro-prisms; the portion of each of the micro-prisms located within the non-overlapping areas of the sub-images utilizing one exit surface of the micro-prism; the portion of each of the micro-prisms located within the overlapping areas of the sub-images utilizing both exit surfaces of the micro-prism; thus enabling the two screens screen members to collectively collimate the light projected by an array of projectors within the non-overlapping sub-image areas, as well as within the overlapping areas of two adjacent sub-images. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A screen system for rear projection systems comprising:
-
a diffusion screen having a viewing side and a projection side; two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, the two dimensional array of micro-lenses for focusing a light bundle representing a respective local part of an image projected thereon toward the projection side of the diffusion screen and the two dimensional array of collimators collimating the light bundle to be perpendicular to the diffusion screen; the two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators comprising first and second screen members disposed face to face adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, each screen member having a linear array of micro-lenticular lenses on a projection side thereof and a linear array of prisms on a viewing side thereof aligned in the same direction as the linear array of micro-lenticular lenses, each micro-lenticular lens being configured to focus light bundles incident thereto into a line of light, each micro-prism being located relative to a respective micro-lenticular lens and having one surface thereof angled to collimate light from the micro-lenticular lens into a first plane, the first and second screen members being disposed so that the linear arrays on one screen member are orthogonal to the linear arrays on the other screen member, thereby together forming two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators; the two collimation screens each having multiple sub-image areas; the interior region of each sub-image area of the first collimation screen being configured to collimate into first planes perpendicular to the diffusion screen, the sub-image projected from an on-axis projector while an outer region collimates into the first planes, the sub-image projected by that projector as well as the overlapping portions of the sub-image projected by at least one adjacent projector in the same column or row of projectors; and
,the interior region of each sub-image area of the second collimation screen being configured to collimate into second planes perpendicular to the first planes and the diffusion screen, the sub-image projected from an on-axis projector while an outer region collimates into the second planes, the sub-image projected by that projector as well as the overlapping portions of a sub-image projected by one or more adjacent projectors in the same row or column of projectors; wherein light refracting portions of the micro-prisms in the area of overlap of sub-images each comprise two exit surfaces through either of which a light ray bundle that entered the two collimation screens through their respective micro-lenticular lenses would be refracted and collimated as it exits the micro-prisms; for micro-prisms in the area of overlap of sub-images; the inclination angles of the first exit surfaces of each of the micro-prisms providing the angle of incidence to collimate light from a first sub-image on-axis projector; the inclination angles of the second exit surfaces of each of the micro-prisms being the angle of incidence to collimate light from a second sub-image on-axis projector. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A screen system for rear projection systems comprising:
-
a diffusion screen having a viewing side and a projection side; two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, the two dimensional array of micro-lenses for focusing a light bundle representing a respective local part of an image projected thereon toward the projection side of the diffusion screen and the two dimensional array of collimators collimating the light bundle to be perpendicular to the diffusion screen; the two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators comprise a transparent screen member having an array of micro-lenses molded into a first side of the transparent screen member, and an array of collimators in the form of micro-depressions molded into a second side of the screen opposite the first side and facing the projection side of the diffusion screen; wherein each image comprises a plurality of projected sub-images wherein the screen system is for blending of adjacent edges of sub-images to create the image, the micro-depressions within areas of each sub-image without blending having one end surface for collimating light incident thereto from a micro-lens within that sub-image area, the micro-depressions within areas of blending of two adjacent sub-image areas having two end surfaces for collimating light incident thereto from micro-lenses within each of the two sub-image areas. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. A screen system for rear projection systems comprising:
-
a diffusion screen having a side and a projection side for viewing images; two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, the two dimensional array of micro-lenses for focusing a light bundle representing a respective local part of an image projected thereon toward the projection side of the diffusion screen and the two dimensional array of collimators collimating the light bundle to be perpendicular to the diffusion screen; wherein each image comprises a plurality of projected sub-images wherein the screen system is for blending of adjacent edges of sub-images to create the image, wherein the two dimensional arrays of micro-lenses and collimators comprise; first and second screen members disposed face to face adjacent the projection side of the diffusion screen, each screen member having a linear array of micro-lenticular lenses on a projection side thereof and a linear array of prisms on a viewing side thereof aligned in the same direction as the linear array of micro-lenticular lenses, each micro-lenticular lens being configured to focus light bundles of a first projected sub-image incident thereto into a line of light, each micro-prism being located relative to a respective micro-lenticular lens and having a first surface thereof angled to collimate the line of light from the micro-lenticular lens in a first plane perpendicular to the diffusion screen, the first and second screen members being disposed so that the linear arrays on one screen member are orthogonal to the linear arrays on the other screen member whereby the two screen members collimate and focus the light into a spot; the first screen member having the linear arrays substantially parallel to the edges of the first sub-image and an adjacent second sub-image to be blended together having a second surface of the respective prisms angled to also collimate light from a micro-lenticular lens for the second projected sub-image. - View Dependent Claims (41)
-
Specification