Barco N.v.

Other

Peter Janssens

Koenraad Vermeirsch

Nico Coulier

Dirk L A Maes

Wouter D'Oosterlinck

A light beam projecting arrangement including a first cluster of light sources arranged to provide a first cluster of light beams having a first etendue and a second cluster of light sources arranged to provide a second cluster of light beams having a second etendue, and means for changing the direction of the first cluster and/or the second cluster of light beams. The light sources are arranged so that the total etendue of the first cluster of light beams is substantially equal to the etendue of the second cluster of light beams; and where the means for changing the direction are arranged so that the clusters of light beams are brought into a combined cluster light beam having substantially the same etendue as the larger one of the first etendue and the second etendue.

Laser projection illumination system

The present invention provides a light source for a projector system, and method of operating the light source as well as a projector system that provides: i. a substantially uniform brightness across the surface of an image modulator, and ii. at each point of the surface of the image modulator a more uniform filling of the available angular space. Embodiments of the present invention use a laser light source for use with an image modulator, the light source emitting light with multiple wavelengths for at least one primary color and a light integrator system that for each of the wavelengths is adapted to provide: i. a substantially uniform brightness across the surface of the image modulator, and ii. at each point of the surface of the image modulator a more uniform filling of the available angular space.

Laser projector with reduced speckle

A DLP optical structure and corresponding method of controlling it are described including an optical integrator system having an optical integrator, a relay lens system, a TIR prism assembly, a digital imager, and a projection lens, said optical structure being adapted to accept a polarized light beam, said DLP optical structure comprising: at least one retarder positioned after said optical integrator for controlling the polarization state throughout said DLP optical structure, and achieving the desired polarization state after said projection lens; wherein said desired polarization state is substantially linear or circular. A DLP optical structure is also described including an optical integrator, a relay lens system, a TIR prism assembly, a digital imager and a projection lens, wherein the integrator is a fly-eye integrator for maintaining an input polarization of a light beam, and wherein said input polarization is linear or circular. DLP optical structures for use with a digital imager and a projection lens are also described, substantially as above but not including the features of the digital imager and projection lens.

Polarization preserving DLP optical architecture

A patterned retarder is described that may be used with a laser source array to obtain a combined beam suitable for laser image projection (e.g., three-dimensional laser image projection using orthogonal polarization states and/or orthogonal color spaces). An effect of the retarder on a polarization state of an incident beam may be dependent on the location of the retarder upon which the beam is incident. In one example, a method of producing a laser beam from a plurality of component laser beams includes directing the plurality of component laser beams onto corresponding regions of such a patterned retarder having a plurality of pattern elements.

Patterned retarder and optical engine for laser projection apparatus

The present invention provides a light source apparatus () for use with a projector () and a method for combining laser beams of different polarization characterized in that an overall efficiency for the reflection and transmission exceeding 97% is achieved. A first white laser light beam () having a first polarization is combined with a second white laser light beam () having a second polarization that is orthogonal to the first polarization by utilizing a multi narrow-band polarizing beam splitter () positioned to receive the first and the second white laser light beams (). Embodiments of the present invention utilize two laser light sources () emitting two sets of laser light beams with multiple wavelengths (and).

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Ghent, Belgium

Peter Janssens