Apparatus for uniformly illuminating a light valve
US5625738A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 28, 1994 |
| Grant date | Apr 29, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 28, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/133605
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention relates to an optical system for providing uniform illumination of a light valve. The light source is an extended source generally emitting a non-uniform spatial distribution of light power. Source light is focused into the entrance end of a light transmitting tunnel having reflecting interior wall surfaces and having cross sectional and length dimensions chosen to deliver, at the exit end of the tunnel, light which is substantially uniform in power distribution over the surface area of the exit end. This is caused by multiple reflections from the tunnel walls. The exiting light is advantageously used to illuminate uniformly a light valve. The tunnel may be tapered to alter the exit angular aperture. The tunnel may be hollow or filled with a transparent material. In addition, the tunnel may be segmented and folded to provide a joint which conforms tunnel geometry to given spatial limitations between source and valve. The joint also provides a convenient way of directing heat out of the tunnel structure. One embodiment of the present invention includes a compound light transmitting tunnel with a plurality of segments and exit ends. A joint between adjacent segm…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.