Device for generating polarized electromagnetic radiation and projector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9341881-B2
Application number	US-201313926600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2013
Priority date	Jun 25, 2012
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

Device for generating polarized electromagnetic radiation has a diffuser and a polarizer. The diffuser is arranged in a beam path of the electromagnetic radiation. The polarizer is arranged in the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation, to be precise downstream of the diffuser in the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation. The polarizer has a reflective side facing the diffuser, said reflective side being at least partly reflective to the electromagnetic radiation. The polarizer transmits electromagnetic radiation having a predefined polarization and reflects electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization back to the diffuser. The diffuser scatters, in a non-polarization-maintaining manner, at least one portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for polarizing electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
a diffuser arranged in a beam path of the electromagnetic radiation; and
a polarizer arranged in the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation and downstream of the diffuser in the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation, the polarizer having a reflective side facing the diffuser, said reflective side being at least partly reflective to the electromagnetic radiation,
wherein the polarizer is configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation having a predefined polarization and to reflect electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization back to the diffuser, and
wherein the diffuser is configured to scatter, within the diffuser, at least one portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization so that the at least one portion of the electromagnetic radiation becomes electromagnetic radiation having the predefined polarization, the scattered electromagnetic radiation having the predefined polarization emerging from the diffuser in the direction of the polarizer.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polarizer is arranged at the diffuser.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an optical lens arranged in the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation between the diffuser and the polarizer.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the diffuser has a first side facing the polarizer and a second side facing away from the polarizer and wherein the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation completely penetrates through the diffuser from the second side to the first side.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the diffuser has a first side facing the polarizer, and wherein the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation enters into the diffuser on the first side and leaves the diffuser on the first side, wherein the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation does not completely penetrate through the diffuser.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a radiation source configured to generate the electromagnetic radiation.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the radiation source has a light-emitting diode or a laser.

8. A projector having the device as claimed in claim 1 for generating illumination radiation.

9. The projector as claimed in claim 8 , further having a liquid crystal device arranged in the beam path of the illumination radiation and which generates a projection representation depending on predefined image data.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the diffuser is further configured to convert at least one selected from the group consisting of one portion of the electromagnetic radiation and at the least one portion of the reflected-back radiation not having the predefined polarization into conversion radiation.

11. A device for polarizing electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
a diffuser arranged in a beam path of the electromagnetic radiation; and
a polarizer arranged in the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation and downstream of the diffuser in the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation, the polarizer having a reflective side facing the diffuser, said reflective side being at least partly reflective to the electromagnetic radiation,
wherein the polarizer is configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation having a predefined polarization and to reflect electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization back to the diffuser, the diffuser being configured to scatter, in a non-polarization-maintaining manner, at least one portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization,
wherein the diffuser has a conversion element configured to convert at least one selected from the group consisting of one portion of the electromagnetic radiation and the at least one portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the conversion element is configured to scatter, in the non-polarization-maintaining manner, the at least one portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization.

13. The device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein one or more reflective surfaces are arranged at least at one of the sides of the conversion element or of the diffuser.

14. The device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the reflective surfaces scatter, in the non-polarization-maintaining manner, the portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization.

15. The device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the diffuser has a housing, in which at least one selected from the group consisting of the conversion element and the diffuser are arranged, and wherein the reflective surfaces are inner walls of the housing.

16. A device for polarizing electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
a diffuser arranged in a beam path of the electromagnetic radiation; and
a polarizer arranged in the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation and downstream of the diffuser in the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation, the polarizer having a reflective side facing the diffuser, said reflective side being at least partly reflective to the electromagnetic radiation,
wherein the polarizer is configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation having a predefined polarization and to reflect electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization back to the diffuser, the diffuser being configured to scatter, in a non-polarization-maintaining manner, at least one portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization,
wherein the diffuser has a scattering element configured to scatter, in the non-polarization-maintaining manner, the at least one portion of the reflected-back electromagnetic radiation not having the predefined polarization.

Assignees

• Koelper Christopher
• Windisch Reiner
• Wiesmann Christopher
• Muschaweck Julius
• Osram Gmbh

Inventors

• Koelper Christopher
• Windisch Reiner
• Wiesmann Christopher
• Muschaweck Julius

Classifications

• H04N9/3167

  for polarizing the light beam (polarizing optical systems per se G02B27/28) · CPC title

• G02F1/13362

  providing polarized light, e.g. by converting a polarisation component into another one · CPC title

• G02B27/286

  for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another (G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34) · CPC title

• G02B27/283

  used for beam splitting or combining · CPC title

• G03B21/2073

  Polarisers in the lamp house (peculiar to electronic spatial light modulators H04N9/3197) · CPC title