US 7,320,521 B2 | ||
Optical engine architectures | ||
George M. Mihalakis, San Jose, Calif. (US) | ||
Assigned to Next Wave Optics, Inc., San Jose, Calif. (US) | ||
Filed on Jul. 05, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/174,714. | ||
Claims priority of provisional application 60/587160, filed on Jul. 12, 2004. | ||
Prior Publication US 2006/0007539 A1, Jan. 12, 2006 | ||
Int. Cl. G03B 21/14 (2006.01); G03B 21/28 (2006.01); G02F 1/00 (2006.01); G02B 5/30 (2006.01); G02B 27/28 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 353—20 [353/33; 353/34; 353/37; 353/81; 353/98; 359/495; 348/750; 348/758] | 34 Claims |
1. An optical engine for projecting images comprising:
a first PBS cube having a first beamsplitting hypotenuse that reflects first polarization state light beams and transmits
second polarization state light beams, said first PBS cube having a first face for receiving first polarization state, first
color spectrum light beams transmitted along a first optical axis;
a first imaging device placed at a second face of said first PBS cube, for receiving first color spectrum, first polarization
state light beams reflected by said first beamsplitting hypotenuse and reflecting first color spectrum, second polarization
state light beams having pixel information provided by said first imaging device along a second optical axis towards a fourth
face of said first PBS cube, said fourth face of said first PBS cube opposite said second face of said first PBS cube, said
first optical axis and said second optical axis being perpendicular to each other;
a first quarter-wave plate residing in a plane perpendicular to said second optical axis, said first quarter-wave plate providing
half of the phase retardance required for a complete switch of polarization state for polarized light beams passing therethrough
along said second optical axis, said first quarter wave plate also providing another half phase retardance resulting in a
complete switch of polarization state for polarized beams returning therethrough upon reflection from a dichroic mirror;
said dichroic mirror residing in a plane perpendicular to said second optical axis and having a first face and a second face,
said first face of said dichroic mirror facing said first quarter-wave plate, said dichroic mirror reflecting light having
said first color spectrum and transmits light having a second color spectrum;
a second quarter-wave plate residing in a plane perpendicular to said second optical axis that removes half the phase retardance
required for a complete switch of polarization state for polarized light beams passing therethrough along said second optical
axis, said dichroic mirror residing in between said second quarter-wave plate and said first quarter-wave plate; and
a film polarizer disposed at a third face of said first PBS cube and perpendicular to said first optical axis, said film polarizer
transmitting light beams having said first polarization state and absorbing light beams having said second polarization state.
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