Laser systems and methods

• US 9,229,156 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Inventors: Curtis, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Yuanda
• Application Number:
  US13/544,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20130010820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 372/50.12, 372/50.121, 372/50.122
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/48 Laser speckle optics
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02 Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/028 with core or cladding having graded refractive index G02B6/02033, G02B6/02295 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0281 Graded index region forming part of the central core segment, e.g. alpha profile, triangular, trapezoidal core G02B6/0288, G02B6/0286 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0283 Graded index region external to the central core segment, e.g. sloping layer or triangular or trapezoidal layer G02B6/0288, G02B6/0286 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0285 Graded index layer adjacent to the central core segment and ending at the outer cladding index
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0286 Combination of graded index in the central core segment and a graded index layer external to the central core segment G02B6/0288 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0288 Multimode fibre, e.g. graded index core for compensating modal dispersion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/421 the intermediate optical component consisting of a short length of fibre, e.g. fibre stub
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2013 Plural light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2033 LED or laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/06 by additive-colour projection apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02251 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4012 Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms

Abstract

An architecture comprising laser sub-modules may be used to reach the optical output powers desired for projection display for 2D and 3D viewing. Monitoring and control of the laser sub-modules within the architecture may be performed to achieve desired performance metrics.

Claims

1. A laser system operable to provide illuminating light, comprising:

laser modules having different wavelength bands, the laser modules each comprising sub-modules each comprising a plurality of laser emitters, and wherein the laser modules are operable to output light combinable to form illuminating light; and

a controller module in communication with the sub-modules in the laser modules;

wherein at least some sub-modules in at least one of the laser modules have a plurality of operating conditions that are adjustable; and

wherein the controller module is operable to make an adjustment to the plurality of operating conditions of the at least some sub-modules in the at least one of the laser modules; and

wherein the sub-modules within a laser module are emitting a substantially similar color wherein the substantially similar color is one of blue, green, and red, further wherein at least one individual laser within each of the sub-modules may be individually temperature tuned.

2. The laser system of claim 1, further comprising a projector operable to receive the illuminating light from the laser modules.

3. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the at least some sub-modules in the at least one of the laser modules each comprise an independent cooling mechanism and an independent electronic drive mechanism.

4. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of operating parameters comprise:

power, temperature, wavelength, air flow, and current.

5. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the sub-modules in one of the laser modules are combined by at least one of the following:

a mirror, a polarization beam splitter, or a fiber combiner.

6. The laser system of claim 1, wherein each laser module has a power rating of at least 20 watts.

7. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the at least some sub-modules in the at least one of the laser modules each comprise at least one sensing device operable to determine a measurement of at least one of the plurality of operating conditions of a respective sub-module.

8. The laser system of claim 7, wherein the adjustment is based on the measurement of at least one of the plurality of operating conditions of the respective sub-module.

9. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the wavelength bands of the laser modules comprise substantially red, green, and blue wavelength bands.

10. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the laser emitters of the sub-modules in one of the laser modules are categorized into bins according to a wavelength of each laser emitter.

11. The laser system of claim 10, wherein at least one bin of laser emitters has a wavelength distribution about 1 to 3 nm wide.

12. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the laser emitters of the sub-modules in one of the laser modules have a wavelength spread of 10 to 15 nm.

13. The laser system of claim 1, wherein two of the sub-modules in one of the laser modules comprise a different number of laser emitters.

14. The laser system of claim 1, wherein a sub-module in one of the laser modules comprises 2 to 1000 laser emitters.

15. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the laser emitters of the sub-modules in one of the laser modules have more bandwidth at a first color than a second color.

16. A method of providing illumination light, comprising:

providing laser modules having different wavelength bands, the laser modules each comprising sub-modules each comprising a plurality of laser emitters, wherein at least some sub-modules in at least one of the laser modules have a plurality of operating conditions that are adjustable;

outputting light from the laser modules;

combining light from the laser modules to form illuminating light; and

adjusting the plurality of operating conditions of the at least some sub-modules in the at least one of the laser modules, wherein the sub-modules within a laser module are emitting a substantially similar color, wherein the substantially similar color is one of blue, green, and red, further wherein at least one individual laser emitter within each of the sub-modules may be individually temperature tuned.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least some sub-modules in the at least one of the laser modules each comprise at least one sensing device operable to determine a measurement of at least one of the plurality of operating conditions of a respective sub-module, and wherein adjusting the plurality of operating conditions is based on the measurement of at least one of the plurality of operating conditions of the respective sub-module.

18. A laser system operable to provide illuminating light, comprising:

laser modules having different wavelength bands, the laser modules each comprising sub-modules each comprising a plurality of laser emitters, and wherein the laser modules are operable to output light combinable to form illuminating light; and

a controller module in communication with the sub-modules in the laser modules;

wherein the sub-modules of the laser modules each have a plurality of operating conditions that are adjustable;

wherein the controller module is operable to adjust the plurality of operating conditions of the sub-modules to optimize power spectrum uniformity; and

wherein the sub-modules within a laser module are emitting a substantially similar color, wherein the substantially similar color is one of blue, green, and red, further wherein at least one individual laser emitter within each of the sub-modules may be individually temperature tuned.

19. The laser system of claim 18, wherein the controller module is operable to drive two of the sub-modules in one of the laser modules to different temperatures.

20. The laser system of claim 18, wherein the controller module is operable to drive two of the sub-modules in one of the laser modules with different drive currents.