Enhanced resolution DLP projector apparatus and method of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10114211-B2
Application number	US-201815951545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2018
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A DLP projector apparatus is provided for projecting a monochromatic display from plurality of monochromatic light sources. The DLP projector is adapted to radiate from each micromirror of its DMD chip an image comprising a plurality of radiated locations which are shifted with respect to each other. The DLP projector apparatus comprise a controller unit that is adapted to control the radiation from the plurality of light sources to the image according to a radiation scheme in an object production file. A DLP projector apparatus is also provided comprising an imaging table that is adapted to be moved in a plane perpendicular to an imaging beam of the projector. The movements of the table are coordinated and synchronized with the imaging scheme of the projector. The imaging scheme and the movements of the table are controlled according to a radiation scheme in an object production file.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for building three dimensional (3D) objects comprising:
a system control unit;
a production table; and
a DLP projector having a first resolution configured to selectively irradiate a layer of radiation-curable material positioned at a defocused image plane with respect to the DLP projector at the production table so as to provide an image of a second resolution, which is higher than the first resolution of the DPL projector, the DLP projector comprising:
at least three light sources to radiate monochromatic light beams capable of curing the radiation curable material, the light beams having a variance that does not exceed 50 nm wavelength;
at least one light sink for capturing at least some of said monochromatic light beams;
at least one projection lens for refracting and projecting at least some of said monochromatic light beams;
at least one DMD chip for selectively reflecting at least some of said radiated monochromatic light beams from said at least three light sources towards said defocused plane; and
a synchronization control unit to control the activation of each of said at least three light sources in synchronization with said DMD chip.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein images of said at least three light sources on the defocused image plane are shifted from each other along a first and a second reference axis by distance that is shorter than a diameter of said images.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least three light sources and said at least one DMD chip are adapted to operate synchronously to apply separate and independent amount of radiation at said defocused image plane.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein said separate and independent amount of radiation on said defocused image plane is controlled by said synchronization control unit executing production according to a production file.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the production table is capable of moving in two perpendicular Cartesian axes, said axes substantially perpendicular to said light beams and wherein movement of the production table along any one of said Cartesian axes is controllable to provide movements of less than or equal to half of the size of the image of one of said light beams reflected from a single micrometer of said DMD chip on said production table.

Assignees

• Stratasys Ltd

Inventors

• Miller Gershon

Classifications

• B29C64/268

  using laser beams; using electron beams [EB] · CPC title

• B29C64/277

  using multiple radiation means, e.g. micromirrors or multiple light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• G03B21/008

  using micromirror devices · CPC title

• B29C64/129

  characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask · CPC title

• H04N9/3188

  Scale or resolution adjustment (scaling in general G06T3/40; resolution modifying circuits for displays in general G09G5/391) · CPC title