Patent · US Expired

Color imaging systems and methods

US6183091A · kind A · utility

100Cited by
80References
59Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 14, 1999
Grant dateFeb 6, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 14, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N9/3167
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system for separating light into different spectrums and for recombining the light includes at least one polarizing beamsplitter and at least one retarder stack configured to condition the polarization of input light differently for different spectrums. A device embodying the invention could utilize multiple polarizing beamsplitters and multiple retarder stacks. Alternatively, a system could utilize a single polarizing beamsplitter and a single retarder stack in combination with one or more dichroic beamsplitters. In preferred embodiments, one or more reflective modulator panels are included to separately modulate each separated spectrum of light. Such an embodiment can be used for a color projection system. In each of the embodiments that utilize modulators, distances between the modulators and the focusing optics is essentially the same.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.