Projection device combining and modifing light beam cross sectional dimensions

• US 9,846,353 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kilcher, Lucio, Abele, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sultan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cruz, Magda
• Application Number:
  US14/403,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,027 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/104 for use with scanning systems scanning systems G02B26/10
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/147 Optical correction of image distortions, e.g. keystone
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A projection device comprising, a red light source, a green light source, and a blue light source which can emit red, green and blue light respectively, a beam combiner which is configured such that it can combine light beams; a means for collimating the light emitted from the red, green and blue light sources to provide red, green and blue collimated light beams, an optical modifier means, which is arranged such that the optical modifier means can receive the red, green and blue collimated light beams, and wherein the optical modifier means is configured to modify cross sectional dimensions of the red, green and blue collimated light beams to provide red, green and blue projection beams each of which has a circular cross section, and wherein the optical modifier means is configured, and the distances between the light sources and means for collimating are set, such that the dimensions of the circular cross sections of the red, green and blue projection beams are equal at a predetermined distance from the projection device such that the spot sizes of each of the red, green and blue projection beams are equal or have predefined sport sizes at the predetermined distance from the projection device; MEMS mirror which is configured such that it can oscillate about at least one oscillation axis to scan the red, green and blue projection beams across a projection screen which is positioned at the predetermined distance from the projection device.

Claims

1. An apparatus to project light, comprising:

a beam combiner to combine a red, a green and a blue light beam;

a collimator to collimate the red, the green and the blue light beams;

a micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) mirror arranged to oscillate about at least one oscillation axis to receive the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams and to scan the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams across a projection surface; and

an optical modifier disposed downstream from the MEMS mirror, the optical modifier comprising at least one pair of optical elements and a beam restrictor, the at least one pair of optical elements and the beam restrictor to modify a cross sectional dimension of the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the at least one pair of optical elements spaced apart a first distance such that the modified cross sectional dimensions of the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams are substantially equal at a second distance away from the MEMS mirror.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the projection surface is positioned a distance away from the MEMS mirror substantially equal to the second distance.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the beam combiner disposed between the optical modifier and the MEMS mirror.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, the optical modifier comprising:

a first pair of lenses arranged to modify the cross sectional dimension of the collimated red light beam;

a second pair of lenses arranged to modify the cross sectional dimension of the collimated green light beam; and

a third pair of lenses arranged to modify the cross sectional dimension of the collimated blue light beam.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the beam combiner disposed downstream from the optical modifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the at least one pair of optical elements comprising a first and a second lens.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the first lens to expand an incident light beam along a first axis and the second lens to collimate the incident light beam along the same axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an optical element disposed between the collimator and the optical modifier to direct the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams to the optical modifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the optical element comprising a prism.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, the collimator comprising at least one aspheric lens.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the pair of optical elements comprising cylindrical lenses, each of the cylindrical lenses having a spheric or an aspheric shape.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, the beam restrictor comprising:

a first beam restrictor comprising a first circular pin-hole to transmit a portion of the red collimated light beam;

a second beam restrictor comprising a first circular pin-hole to transmit a portion of the green collimated light beam; and

a third beam restrictor comprising a first circular pin-hole to transmit a portion of the blue collimated light beam.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a light source to emit the red, the green and the blue light beam.

15. An apparatus to project light comprising:

a first pair of lenses to receive a red light beam, a first lens of the first pair of lenses to collimate the red light beam along a first axis and a second lens of the first pair of lenses to collimate the red light beam along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis to modify a cross sectional dimension of the red light beam;

a second pair of lenses to receive a green light beam, a first lens of the second pair of lenses to collimate the green light beam along a first axis and a second lens of the second pair of lenses to collimate the green light beam along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis to modify a cross sectional dimension of the green light beam;

a third pair of lenses to receive a blue beam, a first lens of the third pair of lenses to collimate the blue light beam along a first axis and a second lens of the third pair of lenses to collimate the blue light beam along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis to modify a cross sectional dimension of the blue light beam;

a beam combiner to combine the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams; and

a micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) mirror arranged to oscillate about at least one oscillation axis to receive the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams and to scan the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams across a projection surface.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, each lens of the first, second and third pair of lenses spaced apart a first distance such that the modified cross sectional dimensions of the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams are substantially equal at a second distance away from the MEMS mirror, wherein the projection surface is positioned a distance away from the MEMS mirror substantially equal to the second distance.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, comprising a light source to emit the red, the green and the blue light beam.

18. A projector comprising:

a red light source to emit a red light beam;

a green light source to emit a green light beam;

a blue light source to emit a blue light beam;

a collimator to collimate the red, the green and the blue light beams;

a micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) mirror arranged to oscillate about at least one oscillation axis to receive the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams and to scan the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams across a projection surface; and

an optical modifier disposed downstream from the MEMS mirror, the optical modifier comprising at least one pair of optical elements and a beam restrictor, the at least one pair of optical elements and the beam restrictor to modify a cross sectional dimension of the collimated red, the collimated green and the collimated blue light beams.

19. The projector of claim 18, the optical modifier comprising:

a first pair of lenses arranged to modify the cross sectional dimension of the collimated red light beam;

a second pair of lenses arranged to modify the cross sectional dimension of the collimated green light beam; and

a third pair of lenses arranged to modify the cross sectional dimension of the collimated blue light beam.

20. The projector of claim 18, the optical modifier comprising:

a first beam restrictor comprising a first circular pin-hole to transmit a portion of the red collimated light beam;

a second beam restrictor comprising a first circular pin-hole to transmit a portion of the green collimated light beam; and

a third beam restrictor comprising a first circular pin-hole to transmit a portion of the blue collimated light beam.