Abstract:
An apparatus (10) for radiant energy transfer has at least one radiant energy transfer panel (20) having a light-energy transfer surface (21) and a back surface (23). The back surface has a panel electrode (42) for an electrical connection with the at least one radiant energy transfer panel. The panel electrode is conductively coupled to a first member of a separable flexible conductive fastener. A second member of the separable flexible conductive fastener has a power connection electrode. The power connection electrode is conductively coupled to a power device (12). Mechanically engaging the first and second members of the separable flexible conductive fastener connects the panel electrode on the at least one radiant energy transfer panel to the power connection electrode.
Abstract:
A beam combiner for combining a plurality of light beams onto an optical path, comprising: a first dichroic element having a dichroic coating that is disposed to transmit light of a first wavelength band along the optical path and to reflect light of a second wavelength band onto the optical path, and a second dichroic element having a dichroic coating that is disposed to transmit the light of the first and second wavelength bands along the optical path and to reflect light of a third wavelength band onto the optical path. The beam combiner further includes a phase difference compensation multilayer thin-film stack that provides at least one reflectance edge transition that lies outside any of the first, second, and third wavelength bands and which provides compensation for an accumulated phase difference for polarization states of the transiting in at least one of the first, second, and third wavelength bands.
Abstract:
An imaging system having reduced susceptibility to thermally induced stress birefringence, comprising; a relay lens, which images the object plane onto an intermediate image plane; a projection lens, which images the intermediate image plane onto the display surface. The lens elements that are immediately adjacent to a relay lens aperture stop and a projection lens aperture stop are fabricated using glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence, and the other lens elements are fabricated using glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence as characterized by the thermal stress birefringence metric.
Abstract:
A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.
Abstract:
In a light projection system, potentially hierarchical levels of light intensity control ensure proper laser-light output intensity, color channel intensity, white point, left/right image intensity balancing, or combinations thereof. The light projection system can include a light intensity sensor in an image path, in a light-source subsystem light-dump path, in a light-modulation subsystem light-dump path, in a position to measure light leaked from optical components, or combinations thereof.
Abstract:
Etendue maintaining polarization switching occurs, according to various embodiments, with a mirror that quickly transitions between two positions. Light having uniform polarization is transmitted to the mirror. Light reflected off of the mirror in one of the two positions has its polarization changed, whereas light reflected off of the mirror in the other of the two positions has its polarization maintained. Thereafter, the polarization-changed light and the polarization-maintained light easily may be recombined in an entendue-maintaining manner. Because the recombined light includes two different polarization states, stereoscopic images may be generated.
Abstract:
A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.
Abstract:
A method for designing an imaging lens having reduced susceptibility to thermally-induced stress birefringence, the imaging lens having first and second groups of lens elements located either side of an aperture stop, the method comprising: defining a set of lens design attributes; defining a set of lens performance criteria including a thermally-induced stress birefringence performance criterion; defining a first set of candidate glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence and a second set of candidate glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence; selecting glasses for lens elements that are located adjacent to the aperture stop from the first set of candidate glasses; selecting glasses for the remaining lens elements from the first or second sets of candidate glasses; and using a computer processor to determine a lens design for the imaging lens.
Abstract:
In a coherent light projection system including an image forming system, a relay system, a speckle reduction element, and a projection subsystem, the relay system can have a first f-number, and the projection subsystem can have a second f-number less than the first f-number. The relay system can have a first working distance, and the projection subsystem can have a second working distance less than the first working distance. The image forming system can project an initial image having a first size, and an intermediate image can have a second size greater than or equal to the first size. The speckle reduction element can have a curved surface through which the intermediate image is transferred. The speckle reduction element can include a lenslet arrangement formed on a surface thereof. The speckle reduction element can be moved in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the speckle reduction element.
Abstract:
A digital image projector includes a plurality of light modulation assemblies and a dichroic combiner. Each light modulation assembly includes at least one laser light source configured to provide an illumination beam, an optional a coated surface, and a spatial light modulator. If the coated surface is present, the respective laser light source is configured to direct the illumination beam to the coated surface, which directs the illumination beam toward the respective spatial light modulator. Otherwise, the respective laser light source is configured to direct the illumination beam directly toward the respective spatial light modulator. The spatial light modulator redirects output modulated light back to the coated surface, if present, and out of the corresponding light modulation assembly. The dichroic combiner directs the output modulated light from each of the plurality of light modulation assemblies toward a projection lens for projection onto a display surface.