Projection device and fabrication method of a polarization grating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9743054-B2
Application number	US-201414205382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 12, 2014
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A projection device including a light source, a reflective spatial polarization modulator, a polarization grating, and a projection lens is provided. The light source is configured to provide a light beam. The reflective spatial polarization modulator is disposed on a path of the light beam and configured to reflect the light beam and modulate a polarization state of the light beam. The polarization grating is disposed on the path of the light beam between the light source and the reflective spatial polarization modulator, wherein the reflective spatial polarization modulator reflects the light beam from the reflective spatial polarization modulator back to the polarization grating. The projection lens is disposed on the path of the light beam from the reflective spatial polarization modulator, wherein the polarization grating is disposed on the path of the light beam between the reflective spatial polarization modulator and the projection lens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A projection device comprising:
a light source configured to provide a light beam;
a reflective spatial polarization modulator disposed on a path of the light beam and configured to reflect the light beam and modulate a polarization state of the light beam;
a polarization grating disposed on the path of the light beam between the light source and the reflective spatial polarization modulator, wherein the reflective spatial polarization modulator reflects the light beam from the reflective spatial polarization modulator back to the polarization grating;
a projection lens disposed on the path of the light beam from the reflective spatial polarization modulator, wherein the polarization grating is disposed on the path of the light beam between the reflective spatial polarization modulator and the projection lens, wherein the light beam is diffracted by the polarization grating into sub-beams of a plurality of diffracted orders, and the light beam emitted from the light source before traveling to the polarization grating is an unpolarized beam, and
a reflector, disposed on a central optical axis of the reflective spatial polarization modulator, wherein the reflector is configured to shield the light beam along the central optical axis.

2. The projection device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective spatial polarization modulator is a liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) panel.

3. The projection device according to claim 2 , wherein the LCOS panel is a color filter LCOS panel.

4. The projection device according to claim 3 , wherein the light beam is a white beam.

5. The projection device according to claim 3 , wherein the light beam comprises a plurality of sub-beams of different colors, and the different colors mix to form white.

6. The projection device according to claim 5 , wherein the sub-beams of different colors are simultaneously emitted from the light source.

7. The projection device according to claim 5 , wherein the sub-beams of different colors are emitted from the light source by turns.

8. The projection device according to claim 1 further comprising a light shield disposed on the path of the light beam reflected from the reflective spatial polarization modulator and diffracted by the polarization grating, and the light shield is configured to block the diffracted light beam with part of diffracted orders from traveling to the projection lens and allow the diffracted light beam with another part of diffracted orders to travel to the projection lens.

9. The projection device according to claim 1 further comprising a total internal reflection (TIR) prism disposed on the path of the light beam between the light source and the polarization grating and on the path of the light beam between the polarization grating and the projection lens.

10. The projection device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector disposed on the path of the light beam between the light source and the polarization grating, wherein the reflector blocks the diffracted light beam with part of diffracted orders from traveling to the projection lens and allows the diffracted light beam with another part of diffracted orders to travel to the projection lens.

11. The projection device according to claim 1 , wherein the polarization grating comprises a plurality of first phase retardation strips and a plurality of second phase retardation strips arranged alternately in a first direction, each of the first phase retardation strips extends along a second direction, each of the second phase retardation strips extends along the second direction, and a slow axis of the first phase retardation strips is perpendicular to that of the second phase retardation strips.

12. The projection device according to claim 1 , wherein the polarization grating has a slow axis rotationally varied along a first direction periodically and not varied along a second direction.

Assignees

• Univ Hong Kong Science & Tech
• Himax Display Inc

Inventors

• Kwok Hoi-Sing
• Tan Li
• Li Yuet-Wing

Classifications

• G02F1/133788

  by light irradiation, e.g. linearly polarised light photo-polymerisation · CPC title

• G02F1/13378

  by treatment of the surface, e.g. embossing, rubbing or light irradiation (G02F1/133711, G02F1/133734, G02F1/133753 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N9/3167 Primary

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

• H04N9/3164

  using multiple light sources · CPC title