Raytheon Company

John William Bowron

Blaise Rene Robitaille

Conrad Stenton

Daniel Bruce Mitchell

Alexandre Lifchits

Paul LoRegio

Edward Benneyworth

Reginald Peter Jonas

Peter Duffield

An optical system includes a primary lens group having a central beam path therethrough and including a front lens group and a rear lens group. An anamorphic lens group lies on the central beam path and is positioned between the front lens group and the rear lens group. The anamorphic lens group includes at least one optically powered anamorphic lens that has different enlargements of a light beam along different axes perpendicular to the central beam path. The anamorphic lens group may be mounted on structure that allows it to be removed from the central beam path. An image transceiver is either an image source that directs a light beam through the primary lens group and the anamorphic lens group, or is an image receiver that receives a light beam through the primary lens group and the anamorphic lens group.

Optical system including an anamorphic lens

A digital projection display system includes one or more digital projection displays. Each digital projection display has an external light source producing as an output a light beam, an internal optics system, and a housing in which the internal optics system is received, but wherein the external light source is located external to the housing. A display screen forms one face of the housing. Preferably, an optical fiber extends from the output of the external light source to an input of the internal optics system. Multiple digital projection displays may be illuminated by a single external light source using multiple optical fibers.

Digital projection display system with external light source

A digital projection display includes a light source producing a light beam, and an integrator, an illumination lens, an illumination fold mirror, a light director, and a digital light modulator which sequentially process the light beam. The digital projection display further has a projection lens that receives the spatially modulated light beam from the light director and includes two projection lens elements. A projection lens fold mirror is disposed between the two projection lens elements. A projection fold mirror receives the light beam from the projection lens and redirects the light beam to a display.

Digital projection display

A projection display includes a light source, a spatial light modulator that receives a light from the light source, and an angle-selective coating disposed to receive the light beam from the spatial light modulator. The angle-selective coating is oriented at a non-zero inclination angle to the light beam. The angle-selective coating has a higher transmission for light that is incident upon the angle-selective coating at an incidence angle within an acceptance-angle deviation from a design incidence angle, than for light that is incident upon the angle-selective coating at an incidence angle greater than the acceptance-angle deviation from the design incidence angle. The projection display preferably includes a TIR (total internal reflection) prism disposed to reflect a light beam from the light source to the spatial light modulator, and to receive the light beam from the spatial light modulator. The angle-selective coating is preferably buried within the TIR prism.

Projection display having an angle-selective coating for enhanced image contrast, and method for enhancing image contrast

An air-gap optical structure is fabricated by depositing a metallic spacer structure on a first transmissive optical element, and then contacting a second transmissive optical element to the spacer structure so that the spacer structure lies between the first transmissive optical element and the second transmissive optical element and defines an air gap therebetween. A first layer of the spacer structure contacts the first transmissive optical element, and a second layer of the spacer structure contacts the first layer. The first layer is preferably deposited by vapor deposition and is relatively thin, and the second layer is preferably electroless deposited and is relatively thick. The total thickness of the spacer structure is typically from about 5 to about 15 micrometers.

Air-gap optical structure having the air gap defined by a layered spacer structure

A 4-prism color management device ( ) comprised of first, second, third, and fourth prisms ( ). The first prism ( ) is adjacent to the second prism ( ) with an air gap ( ) interposed therebetween, the second prism ( ) is adjacent to the third prism ( ) with an air gap ( ) interposed therebetween, and the third ( ) prism is adjacent to the fourth prism ( ) with an air gap ( ) interposed therebetween. The first prism ( ) includes a first surface ( ) for inputting and outputting a beam of light. The second prism ( ) includes a first dichroic surface ( ) mounted at a first angle (&bgr;) with respect to the first surface ( ) for reflecting light of a first color and for transmitting light of a second color and light of a third color. The third prism ( ) includes a second dichroic surface ( ) mounted at a second angle (&khgr;) with respect to the first surface ( ) for reflecting light of the second color and for transmitting light of the third color.

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Penetanguishene, Canada

John William Bowron