Scaleable tiled flat-panel projection color display

• US 6,128,131 A
• Filed: 11/13/1997
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Tang, Ching W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US08/970,131
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1-3, 345/74, 345/75, 345/47, 345/903, 345/419, 345/425, 345/179, 345/517, 345/501, 345/507, 345/509, 345/348, 345/519, 345/508, 345/521, 348/67, 348/383, 348/744, 348/756, 348/839, 348/217, 348/701, 348/750, 359/326-332, 359/285-7, 359/305, 359/315, 359/316, 359/193, 359/443, 353/30-31
• US Class Current: 359/443
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/31 Projection devices for colour picture display , e.g. using electronic spatial light modulators [ESLM]

Abstract

A flat-panel projection color display including a flat projection display screen having a width dimension and a height dimension defining a display screen area A, the display screen having a light transmissive support which has on one surface thereof a plurality of patterned fluorescent elements capable of emitting red, green, or blue color light and at least one laser scanner for producing a raster-scanned laser light beam and for projecting the beam onto the display screen as a display tile from a projection distance which is ≦0.5√A. The display screen causes the laser light beam to illuminate selected fluorescent elements within the display tile on the screen, the laser light beam having a wavelength selected to cause the selected fluorescent elements to emit red, green, or blue color light.

Claims

1. A flat-panel projection color display, comprising:

a) a projection display screen of area A having a light transmissive support, a plurality of patterned fluorescent elements on one surface of the support capable of separately emitting red, green or blue light;

b) the display screen area A being subdivided into a plurality of identical display tiles, each individual display tile having an area A_t and being seamlessly contiguous to at least one other display tile;

c) a plurality of identical laser scanners arranged to form a two-dimensional array, each laser scanner being capable of projecting a laser beam onto a designated display tile for illuminating the patterned fluorescent elements;

d) a projection distance D, being defined as the distance from the laser scanner to the display screen, is =0.5√

A_t ; and

e) the area of an individual display tile A_t being selected to be in the range of from 0.01 to 0.1 times the area A of the projection display screen.

2. The flat-panel projection color display according to claim 1 wherein each display tile is contiguous to at least one other display tile.

3. The flat-panel projection display of claim 2 wherein the light transmissive support for the display screen is either glass or plastic.

4. The flat-panel projection display of claim 2 wherein the plurality of patterned fluorescent elements are disposed on the one surface of the light transmissive support which is opposite a surface from which the display screen is being viewed.

5. The flat-panel projection display of claim 2 wherein the patterned fluorescent elements are adapted to separately emitting red, green, or blue light.

6. The flat-panel projection display of claim 5 wherein illuminating the selected patterned fluorescent elements with a laser light beam having a wavelength selected in a range of from about 400 nm to about 430 nm causes the fluorescent elements to produce a color display of red, green, and blue colors.

7. The flat-panel projection display of claim 6 wherein each of the patterned fluorescent elements further includes at least one fluorescent compound capable of absorbing a laser light beam having a wavelength selected in the range of from about 400 nm to about 430 nm, thereby causing the fluorescent elements to separately emit red, green, or blue light.