Patents Examined by Andrew Sever
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Patent number: 7175285Abstract: A system for adjusting keystoning in a projector may include sensing using an imaging device at least two boundaries defining a projection screen and determining a transformation to adjust the keystoning of an image projected from the projector. The image may be modified from the projector in accordance with the transformation and projecting the modified image from the projector, wherein the imaging device and the projector are maintained in a fixed relationship with respect to each other.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2003Date of Patent: February 13, 2007Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.Inventors: Baoxin Li, Shigeru Kojima, Toshinori Furuhashi, Kazuya Arakawa, Ryohichi Yonezawa
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Patent number: 7175287Abstract: A projection display device is provided. The projection display device may include an image generation device configured to generate an image and a wide angle lens system having an optical axis configured to receive the image and project the image along an optical path for display above the display device. The projection display device further may include direction changing optics configured to fold the optical path such that the optical path changes direction from a first direction to a second direction. In some embodiments, the image generation device may be positioned below the optical axis of the wide angle lens system.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2004Date of Patent: February 13, 2007Assignee: InFocus CorporationInventor: Jeffrey A. Gohman
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Patent number: 7175281Abstract: A transmissive LCD is placed in optical series with pixels of an image. The transmissive LCD is set to full transmissivity when bright pixels of the image pass through the transmissive LCD. Transmissivity is decreased where pixels darker than a darkening threshold pass through the transmissive LCD. A darkening curve representative of an amount of darkening performed by the transmissive LCD provides an amount of darkening to be performed on each pixel. Preferably, the darkening curve gradually darkens pixels more as the pixels themselves are darker. The darkening curve may be implemented as a formula or a look-up table in software or drive electronics that energize the transmissive LCD. Both the darkening threshold and the darkening curve may be user selectable.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2004Date of Patent: February 13, 2007Assignee: LightMaster Systems, Inc.Inventor: Arthur Berman
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Patent number: 7175282Abstract: A projection apparatus includes a screen to display a picture thereon, an upper cabinet to support the screen, an optical engine provided in a lower portion of the upper cabinet to project an image beam toward the screen, a circuit unit to drive the optical engine, a lower cabinet to accommodate the optical engine and the circuit unit, and a partition plate provided in the lower cabinet to partition the lower cabinet into an upper accommodating portion and a lower accommodating portion to allow the lower cabinet to separately accommodate the optical engine and the circuit unit. In the projection apparatus, the optical engine and the driving circuit are separated from each other, thereby improving a cooling efficiency and a working efficiency, and providing a design having various appearances.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2004Date of Patent: February 13, 2007Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Young-jun Jung, Woo-young Kan, Sang-hak Kim
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Patent number: 7172292Abstract: An inexpensive projection lens unit in a rear projection type image display system, having a short focal distance (wide angle of viewing field), high focus and high contrast, and as well, including a power lens made of a glass material having a high refractive index in a range from 1.63 to 1.70 and an Abbe's number of not less than 50 with an optimized incident and emergent configuration in order to satisfactorily correct aberration with a enhanced focusing performance even with a shortened focal distance. Further, the power lens having a high refractive index can exhibit a high power, and accordingly, can carry out satisfactory aberration correction by optimizing the aspheric degree of a plastic lens even though the length of back focus is increased for enhancing the contrast.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2004Date of Patent: February 6, 2007Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hidehiro Ikeda, Shuji Kato, Koji Hirata, Naoyuki Ogura
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Patent number: 7168811Abstract: To provide a display device and a projector capable of enhancing the quality of dynamic images, of reducing limitations on light sources, enhancing the utilization efficiency of light, and of displaying images in full color, illumination light emitted from a light source lamp is irradiated onto some pixels of a liquid crystal light valve capable of displaying images in colors. A rotating prism scans the illumination light. At this time, fly eye lenses and an superposing lens condense illumination light emitted from the light source lamp to form an image. The image formed by the fly eye lenses and the superposing lens is formed again on the liquid crystal light valve by the image re-forming lenses. The image of the liquid crystal light valve is enlarged and projected by the projection lens to a screen.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2004Date of Patent: January 30, 2007Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Hideki Kojima
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Patent number: 7165841Abstract: A stereoscopic image display apparatus includes at least two linear image display devices which respectively display linear images in response to image signals. The two linear image display devices are periodically moved by a mechanical scan mechanism along a plurality of locus planes substantially parallel to each other. The mechanical scan mechanism may have a configuration which belt-drives the at least two linear image display devices fixed to a belt, or a configuration which rotationally drives the at least two linear image display devices provided on a disc. The stereoscopic image display apparatus can display a bright and extremely clear stereoscopic image without using a complicated optical system and a light transmissible display panel.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2004Date of Patent: January 23, 2007Assignee: Pioneer CorporationInventors: Hideo Satoh, Takashi Chuman, Yoshihiko Uchida, Atsushi Yoshizawa, Takuya Hata
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Patent number: 7163293Abstract: A projection system including light emitting units, a scrolling unit, and a light valve. The light emitting units emitting light beams of different wavelengths. The scrolling unit has spirally arranged cylinder lens cells which separate the light beams into color beams and scroll the color beams when the scrolling unit is rotated. The light valve receives, at different positions, the color beams transmitted by the scrolling unit and forms a color image by turning pixels on or off according to an input image signal.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2003Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Dae-sik Kim, Kun-ho Cho, Suna-ha Kim, Hee-Joong Lee
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Patent number: 7163295Abstract: A projector having an optical engine, the optical engine including: an optical synthesizer; a plurality of display devices corresponding to the optical synthesizer; a plurality of light sources emitting light; a light guide plate provided between each light source and each display device; and a heat pipe contacting the light sources to reduce a temperature deviation between the light sources.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2004Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventor: Won-nyun Kim
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Patent number: 7159989Abstract: The present invention is directed to an image display apparatus comprising an illumination optical system (2) for illuminating a light valve (1) including a reflection electrode, and a projection lens (3) for forming an image of the light valve (1), wherein reflection plane surface (4) is disposed between the illumination optical system (2) and the light value (1) to bent, by the reflection plane surface (4), an optical path of illumination light extending from the illumination optical system (2) to the light valve (1).Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2003Date of Patent: January 9, 2007Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Tomoya Yano
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Patent number: 7159986Abstract: A collimator is compact and uses power efficient light emitting diodes as the illumination source to generate a test image in collimated space. The collimator provides a test image across a wide field of view, which is useful for calibration of optical devices that have a wide field of regard. An optical projection system in the collimator utilizes an array of light emitting diodes, whose light is converged by a Fresnel lens, through a holographic diffuser plate, onto a target plate bearing the test pattern to be projected out into collimated space through a converging lens. An alignment structure provides translation of the target plate along the main axis of the collimator and provides rotational freedom about two axes (vertical and horizontal) via a gimbal structure mounted on the translation mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2003Date of Patent: January 9, 2007Assignee: Swales & Associates, Inc.Inventors: James C. Bremer, Bert A. Pasquale, Tmitri J. Zukowski, Barbara J. Zukowski, Shahriar Etemad, Robert E. Prince
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Patent number: 7159987Abstract: The object is to provide a display device that is capable of displaying an image with high luminance and a wide color reproduction range under simple control. The display device includes a light source device that emits first to fourth illumination lights, a spatial light modulator that modulates the illumination lights, and a controller. The controller allows the first and the second illumination lights to time-sequentially enter an identical illumination area of the spatial light modulator, and allows the third and the fourth illumination lights to individually enter the spatial light modulator so as to avoid them from being superimposed on the first and the second illumination lights.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2004Date of Patent: January 9, 2007Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Hidefumi Sakata
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Patent number: 7156526Abstract: A manipulation button of a first attitude adjusting mechanism is located at a corner on a front side of a lower case. The manipulation button is operated with fingers of one hand while both corners of the front side of the lower case are supported with both hands in controlling the attitude of a projector. With the projector being stably supported it is unlikely for an inclination to occur in right and left directions approximately orthogonal with front and back direction of the projector. Workability during attitude adjustment processes of the projector are thus improved.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2002Date of Patent: January 2, 2007Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Yoshitada Tanaka
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Patent number: 7150532Abstract: A projection system including a light source, a polarization conversion system, a reflection mirror, a color separator, a scrolling unit, a light valve, and a projection lens unit is provided. The polarization conversion system includes an incidence plane through which light emitted from the light source enters, and transmits a beam with a first polarization from the light entering through the incidence plane and reflects a beam with a second polarization toward the incidence plane and then changes the polarization of the reflected beam. The reflection mirror reflects the light emitted from the polarization conversion system through the incidence plane back toward the incidence plane. The color separator separates an incident beam according to color. The scrolling unit scrolls the color beams. The light valve processes an incident beam according to an image signal and forms a color picture. The projection lens unit magnifies and projects the color picture onto a screen.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2004Date of Patent: December 19, 2006Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Sung-ha Kim, Kun-ho Cho, Dae-sik Kim, Hee-joong Lee
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Patent number: 7150537Abstract: A front projection display device is provided including an image-generating source configured to generate an image, a wide angle lens system adapted to receive the image, and a screen. The wide angle lens system may be configured to increase distortion of the image in a first stage and decrease distortion of the image in a second stage. The screen may be configured to receive the image from the wide angle lens system on a first side and reflect the image back to a viewer on the first side. In another embodiment, a screen is provided for a front projection system, the screen may be configured to receive light from a steep angle and may include any number of surface topographies configured to reflect light back to the viewer along a desired viewing plane.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2004Date of Patent: December 19, 2006Assignee: InFocus CorporationInventors: Mark D. Peterson, T. Scott Engle
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Patent number: 7140737Abstract: A projection system that can adjust color balance of incident light is provided. The projection system includes a light source, a spatial filter, an optical separator, a scrolling unit, a light valve, and a projecting lens unit. The spatial filter has a slit to adjust a divergent angle or etendue of light emitted from the light source. The optical separator separates light passing through the spatial filter according to color of incident light. The scrolling unit has one or more spiral lens discs, which are formed by spirally arranging cylindrical lens cells, rotate, and scroll color beams separated by the optical separator. The light valve processes light passing through the scrolling unit according to an image signal and forms an image. The projecting lens unit magnifies the image formed on the light valve and projects the magnified image onto a screen.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2005Date of Patent: November 28, 2006Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Dae-sik Kim, Kun-ho Cho, Sung-ha Kim, Hee-joong Lee
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Patent number: 7140732Abstract: A projection type image display device superior in reliability and also superior in both repairability and maintainability is to be provided at a low cost. Support members disposed between liquid crystal panels and a prism are made of a thermoplastic polymer material, and the liquid crystal panels and the support members are fixed to each other by heat-fusion of the support members. When it is necessary to remove a liquid crystal panel which is at fault for example from the corresponding support member, the fused portion on the support member side which less expensive is cut off, thereby permitting the liquid crystal panel which is expensive to be taken out re-utilizably without any damage thereto.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2004Date of Patent: November 28, 2006Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Mikio Shiraishi, Fusamitsu Tsubata, Hiroshi Oshima, Michiyuki Yoshino, Yoshimasa Takeuchi, Tatsumi Hasebe
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Patent number: 7137707Abstract: A rigidly-coupled projector-camera system is augmented with laser pointers. The projector-camera system and lasers can be used to determine homography between the projector and a display surface, so that a projection of any desired geometry can be made on the display surface.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2004Date of Patent: November 21, 2006Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, IncInventors: Paul A. Beardsley, Jeroen van Baar, Ramesh Raskar
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Patent number: 7137704Abstract: A color splitting/combining optical system includes a first optical member for color splitting and a second optical member which has a polarization splitting surface for color splitting/combining, a third optical member for color combining a first color-selective wave plates and a second color-selective wave plate. The first and second color-selective wave plates convert the polarization direction of light in a first and second wavelength regions respectively by 90 degrees. The optical system satisfies ?1??2, where ?1 and ?2 represent wavelengths in which the ratio of the light component having the polarization direction converted by 90 degrees by the first and second color-selective wave plates respectively become substantially 50%.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2004Date of Patent: November 21, 2006Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Atsushi Okuyama, Masayuki Abe
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Patent number: 7131736Abstract: An illumination system is provided with at least a first reflecting device that has a first focal point at the arc of an arc lamp. The second focal point of the reflecting device is located at the input end of a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC). The CPC is optically coupled with an optical integrator. Light exiting the optical integrator may be used in low étendue projection systems.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2003Date of Patent: November 7, 2006Inventor: Serge J. A. Bierhuizen