Abstract: The invention is a die for dispensing flowable material. The die is comprised of a die block. An external face is disposed on the die block. At least one slot extends perpendicularly into the external face. The slot has a longitudinal dimension, a first longitudinal side and a second longitudinal side. At least one support member extends from the external surface into the slot. The support member extends continuously from the first longitudinal side to the second longitudinal side. At least a portion of the support member is disposed in a direction other than perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension. The support member is disposed to such that at least a portion of any plane extending from the first longitudinal side to the second longitudinal side, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the slot, passes through a void area.

Abstract: The invention is a die for dispensing flowable material. The die is comprised of a die block. An external face is disposed on the die block. At least one slot extends perpendicularly into the external face. The slot has a longitudinal dimension, a first longitudinal side and a second longitudinal side. At least one support member extends from the external surface into the slot. The support member extends continuously from the first longitudinal side to the second longitudinal side. At least a portion of the support member is disposed in a direction other than perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension. The support member is disposed to such that at least a portion of any plane extending from the first longitudinal side to the second longitudinal side, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the slot, passes through a void area.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a die having at least one application slot. The slot is in fluid communication with a die cavity. An expansible chamber device is disposed within the die cavity and changes volume in response to changes in pressure within the expansible chamber device. Another aspect of the invention is a method of translating a liquid through a die. A coating die is provided. The die comprises at least one applicator slot in fluid communication with a die cavity. An expansible chamber device is disposed within the cavity. The expansible chamber device is actuated by changes in the fluid pressure within the expansible chamber device. The liquid is translated through the die and delivered from the application slot at intervals corresponding to actuation of the expansible chamber device. Another aspect of the invention is a method for forming a die. An apparatus comprising a die having at least one applicator slot in fluid communication with the die cavity is provided.

Abstract: High pressure mercury arc lamps are commonly used as the illumination source in many projection systems. Such lamps may be deficient in either output power or spectrum, and so it is desirable to combine the light from the lamp with light from a second light generator. The second light generator may be another mercury lamp or a solid state source, such as one or more light emitting diodes. Different ways of combining light from two light generators are described. The second light source may be an arrangement of a number of red LEDs that supplements the red light produced by the mercury light. A tunnel integrator may be used to homogenize the combined light beam and to reduce the angular separation between the light beams from the two light generators.

Abstract: A projection engine uses a first polarizing beam splitter (PBS) that substantially reflects light incident along a first input direction in a first polarization state and substantially transmits light incident in the first input direction in a second polarization state orthogonal to the first polarization state. The first PBS demonstrates an angularly dependent reflectivity for light in the second polarization state that is asymmetric about the first input direction. At least two imager devices are positioned to receive light reflected and transmitted by the first PBS respectively. The imager devices modulate the incident light with an image. The image light from the imagers is combined and projected.

Abstract: A table-top rear projection television employs a single large-panel (e.g., 7 inch-15 inch, 17.5 cm-38 cm, diagonal), multi-color transmissive imaging device (e.g., an amorphous silicon liquid crystal display). The rear projection television has a cabinet with a pedestal having a height and a depth that are each less than or equal to about 0.65 the height of the display screen. The display screen may have any aspect ratio of a wide format (e.g., 16:9, 15:9, 16:10) or a conventional format (i.e. 4:3).

Abstract: An optical stack includes an intrinsic polarizer, such as a K-type or thin KE polarizer sheet. Optically functional coatings are disposed on one or both of the surfaces of the intrinsic polarizer. The optically functional coatings include a hardcoat, a transflector coating, a reflector coating, an antireflection film, a liquid crystal polymer retarder coating, a diffusion coating, an antiglare film, a wide view film, and an electrode. An optical stack including an intrinsic polarizer and an optically functional coating may have a thickness of less than 25 microns.

Abstract: Single imager projection systems suffer from low light throughput, compared to three imager systems, because only one color band is illuminated at any one time. As a result, there is a need to increase the operating efficiency of the single imager projection system. The invention is directed to the incorporation of a high extinction ratio pre-polarizer, such as a compensated, multi-layer polarizer, in a single or dual imager projection system. This permits illumination with low f-number illumination light, and thus increases the efficiency of the projection system. The pre-polarizer may be incorporated within a polarization recovery unit to further enhance system efficiency.

Abstract: A polarizing beam splitter (PBS) includes a multilayer reflective polarizing film, a pressure sensitive adhesive is disposed on the multilayer reflective polarizing film, a first rigid cover is disposed on the pressure sensitive adhesive. The PBS can be used in a variety of applications.

Abstract: Projection lenses for use with pixelized panels (PP) are provided. The projection lenses have a first unit (U1) separated from a positive second unit (U2). The lenses are telecentric on the short conjugate side, have a large field of view in the direction of the long conjugate, have low aberration levels, and include a space between two of the lens elements making up the lens which is sufficient to accept a reflective surface (RS) for folding the lens' optical axis. The second or rear lens unit (U2) includes at least a first color-correcting lens subunit (SU2/CC1) which has a positive-followed-by-negative form and contributes to the correction of the chromatic aberrations of the projection lens, including the correction of lateral color.

Abstract: Methods for illuminating the display area of a liquid crystal panel (13) are provided. Illumination light (17) is compressed into a stripe which is scanned across the display area in synchronization with the display's refresh cycle. In particular, the scanning is performed so that for each row of the display, the majority of the illumination light which impinges on the row as a result of the scan is in the last half of the cycle fresh period for the row. In this way, the ability to display moving objects is improved.

Abstract: A projection display system includes a projection lens assembly that has multiple projection lens elements that are configured to receive light imparted with display information by a pixelated display device. The projection lens elements project the light toward a display screen. A pixel-shifting element is included within the projection lens assembly to cyclically shift between at least two positions within the projection lens assembly to form at a display screen at least two interlaced arrays of pixels. An electro-mechanical transducer is coupled to the pixel-shifting element to impart on it the cyclic shifting between positions.

Abstract: A projector illumination system includes a tunnel integrator incorporated with a field lens at its output end. One advantage of using the field lens is to form an image of the entrance end of the tunnel integrator at the secondary stop of the illumination system when combined with other relay and/or imager field lenses in the illumination system. This reduces vignetting, resulting in an increased uniformity of illumination, and increased light throughput.

Abstract: LCD projection systems that use reflective LCD imager units commonly use one or more polarization beamsplitters to separate the light incident on the imager from the light reflected by one or more respective imagers. The polarizing beamsplitters can be mounted onto a color combiner using an index matching layer and optical adhesive.

Abstract: Projection lenses for use with pixelized panels (PP) are provided. The projection lenses have a first unit (U1) separated from a positive second unit (U2) by a distance sufficient to accept a reflective surface (RS) for folding the lens' optical axis. The lenses are telecentric on the short conjugate side, have a large field of view in the direction of the long conjugate, and have low aberration levels. By using negative lens elements (LU1/N1 and LU1/N2) composed of plastic materials having large positive Q-values at the long conjugate side of the first lens unit (U1), the lenses can achieve low levels of lateral color, including low levels of secondary lateral color, with reduced cost compared to lenses which employ anomalous dispersion glasses in the first lens unit.

Abstract: Methods are provided for optimizing the spectrum of a light source used in a projection display system in order to reduce the light loss associated with color splitting/recombination in the system. Projection systems designed in accordance with such methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Projection lens systems for use with cathode ray tube (CRT) projection televisions are provided which have positive first lens units (U1) and negative second lens units (U2) where the negative second lens units are customized in terms of at least one optical property for at least two of the colors of light produced by the CRTs with which the units are used. The at least one optical property is not spectral transmission, although the second lens units can also be customized for spectral transmission. As illustrated in FIGS. 1B–1F and FIGS. 8B–8F, such customization of a non-transmissive property provides an effective and cost effective approach for improving the color performance of CRT projection lens systems. Constructions for the positive first lens unit which improve image contrast and reduce manufacturing costs are also provided.

Abstract: High pressure mercury arc lamps are commonly used as the illumination source in many projection systems. Such lamps may be deficient in either output power or spectrum, and so it is desirable to combine the light from the lamp with light from a second light generator. The second light generator may be another mercury lamp or a solid state source, such as one or more light emitting diodes. Different ways of combining light from two light generators are described. The second light source may be an arrangement of a number of red LEDs that supplements the red light produced by the mercury light. A tunnel integrator may be used to homogenize the combined light beam and to reduce the angular separation between the light beams from the two light generators.

Abstract: An LED illumination unit uses a first reflector comprising a reflecting surface formed as a surface of revolution about a first revolution axis. The LED emits light about a first LED axis towards the reflecting surface of the first reflector. The first LED axis is non-parallel to the first revolution axis and the light emitting area of the first LED unit is positioned substantially at a focus of the reflecting surface. The reflector may also have two or more reflecting surfaces for collecting and directing light from two or more respective LEDs.

Abstract: A projection lens for use with LCD panels is provided. The lens has a first lens unit which includes a strong negative lens element having an aspherical surface which provides distortion correction, and a second lens unit which includes a first lens subunit separated by an airspace from a second lens subunit, wherein the first lens subunit has a strong positive power and the second lens subunit has a weaker power. The second lens subunit can include a negative lens element, followed by a positive lens element, followed by a plastic lens element having an aspherical surface. The projection lens has a field of view of at least 35° so that the overall projection lens system has a compact size.