Methods and systems for high dynamic range image projectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11614682-B2
Application number	US-202117498681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2021
Priority date	Dec 31, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2023
Grant date	Mar 28, 2023

Abstract

Projection systems and/or methods for efficient use of light by recycling a portion of the light energy for future use are disclosed. In one embodiment, a projection display system is disclosed comprising a light source; an integrating rod that receives light from said light source at a proximal end that comprise a reflective surface which may reflecting/recycle light down said integrating rod; of reflecting light down said integrating rod; a relay optical system, said relay optical system further comprising optical elements that are capable of moving the focal plane of the projector display system; and a modulator comprising at least one moveable mirror that reflects light received from the integrating rod in either a projection direction or a light recycling direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A projector display system comprising:
a light source;
a controller, said controller receiving input image data and sending control signals in response to said input image data;
a first modulator, said first modulator controllable by said control signals from said controller, and said first modulator configured to produce a blurred image based on said input image data;
a relay optical system, said relay optical system configured to receive blurred image from said first modulator and further configured to provide a desired amount of defocusing of the blurred image to provide a plurality of substantially Gaussian spots; and
a second modulator, said second modulator configured to receive and further modulate said plurality of Gaussian spots to produce an image for further projection,
wherein said relay optical system comprises a spherical aberration-inducing group of lenses.

2. The projector display system of claim 1 , wherein said spherical aberration inducing group of lenses further comprises a plurality of lenses to provide additional spherical aberration to provide a desired point spread function to the light sent to the second modulator.

3. The projector display system of claim 1 , wherein said light source is one of a group, said group comprising: lasers, partially coherent light, colored partially coherent light, LEDs, Xenon lamp.

4. The projector display system of claim 1 , wherein said relay optical system is configured to move a focal plane a suitable amount to produce said desired amount of defocusing.

5. The projector display system of claim 4 , wherein said relay optical system further comprises:
a focus group of lenses; and
a coma-correcting group of lenses.

6. The projector display system of claim 5 , wherein said relay optical system is substantially telecentric.

7. The projector display system of claim 6 , wherein said focus group of lenses further comprises a first plano-convex lens and a set of second lenses comprising one of a group, said group comprising: plano-convex lenses and lenses comprising a slight meniscus.

8. The projector display system of claim 7 , wherein a desired distance between said first plano-convex lens and said set of second lenses is set to produce said desired amount of defocusing.

9. The projector display system of claim 8 , wherein said coma-correcting group of lenses at least a first lens and a second lens and wherein said second lens is off-set from an optical axis of said first lens to produce a desired amount of coma correction.

10. The projector display system of claim 1 , wherein said projector display system further comprises a prism proximal to said relay optical system, said prism configured to correct for an angle of incidence for the light exiting said first modulator.

Assignees

• Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp

Inventors

• Richards Martin J
• Wainwright Nathan
• Gorny Douglas J
• Dewald Duane Scott

Classifications

• G03B21/005

  Projectors using an electronic spatial light modulator but not peculiar thereto · CPC title

• G03B21/204

  using secondary light emission, e.g. luminescence or fluorescence (using different colours G03B33/00; if related to video signals H04N9/3197) · CPC title

• G03B21/2066

  Reflectors in illumination beam (in projection beam G03B21/28) · CPC title

• G03B21/008

  using micromirror devices · CPC title

• G03B21/206

  Control of light source other than position or intensity · CPC title