Abstract: A radiant energy transfer panel is resized from an array of individually sealed segments by cutting the array along a cut line, thereby damaging some segments by breaking their seals. Other segments adjacent to the damaged segments are left intact. Each segment has two electrodes for power connection. Electrodes of the damaged segments remain electrically connected to electrodes of undamaged segments after cutting. An edge member may be positioned to overlap damaged segments and redirect light from undamaged segments to compensate for the damaged segments. In alternative embodiments, the edge member may be light-blocking. The radiant energy transfer panel may be an electroluminescent panel or a photovoltaic panel.

Abstract: A radiant energy transfer panel is resized from an array of individually sealed segments by cutting the array along a cut line, thereby damaging some segments by breaking their seals. Other segments adjacent to the damaged segments are left intact. Each segment has two electrodes for power connection. Electrodes of the damaged segments remain electrically connected to electrodes of undamaged segments after cutting. An edge member may be positioned to overlap damaged segments and redirect light from undamaged segments to compensate for the damaged segments. In alternative embodiments, the edge member may be light-blocking. The radiant energy transfer panel may be an electroluminescent panel or a photovoltaic panel.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for radiant energy transfer has at least one radiant energy transfer panel (20) having a light-energy transfer surface (21) and a back surface (23). The back surface has a panel electrode (42) for an electrical connection with the at least one radiant energy transfer panel. The panel electrode is conductively coupled to a first member of a separable flexible conductive fastener. A second member of the separable flexible conductive fastener has a power connection electrode. The power connection electrode is conductively coupled to a power device (12). Mechanically engaging the first and second members of the separable flexible conductive fastener connects the panel electrode on the at least one radiant energy transfer panel to the power connection electrode.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for radiant energy transfer has at least one radiant energy transfer panel (20) having a light-energy transfer surface (21) and a back surface (23). The back surface has a panel electrode (42) for an electrical connection with the at least one radiant energy transfer panel. The panel electrode is conductively coupled to a first member of a separable flexible conductive fastener. A second member of the separable flexible conductive fastener has a power connection electrode. The power connection electrode is conductively coupled to a power device (12). Mechanically engaging the first and second members of the separable flexible conductive fastener connects the panel electrode on the at least one radiant energy transfer panel to the power connection electrode.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for radiant energy transfer has at least one radiant energy transfer panel (20) having a light-energy transfer surface (21) and a back surface (23). The back surface has a panel electrode (42) for an electrical connection with the at least one radiant energy transfer panel. The panel electrode is conductively coupled to a first member of a separable flexible conductive fastener. A second member of the separable flexible conductive fastener has a power connection electrode. The power connection electrode is conductively coupled to a power device (12). Mechanically engaging the first and second members of the separable flexible conductive fastener connects the panel electrode on the at least one radiant energy transfer panel to the power connection electrode.

Abstract: An imaging lens having reduced susceptibility to thermally-induced stress birefringence for imaging an object plane to an image plane; comprising: an aperture stop positioned between the object plane and the image plane; a first group of lens elements located on the object plane side of the aperture stop; and a second group of lens elements located on the image plane side of the aperture stop; wherein the lens elements immediately adjacent to the aperture stop are fabricated using glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence as characterized by a thermal stress birefringence metric; and wherein the other lens elements in the first or second groups of lens elements are fabricated using glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence as characterized by the thermal stress birefringence metric.

Abstract: An anti-reflective thin film coating formed on an optical surface, comprising a multilayer thin-film stack arranged to suppress reflection of incident polarized light within an incident light wavelength range. The multilayer thin-film stack further provides a reflectance edge transition at a wavelength band that lies outside the incident light wavelength range. The reflectance edge transition is arranged to provide phase difference compensation to the polarized light within the incident polarized light wavelength range.

Abstract: A method for designing an imaging lens having reduced susceptibility to thermally-induced stress birefringence, the imaging lens having first and second groups of lens elements located either side of an aperture stop, the method comprising: defining a set of lens design attributes; defining a set of lens performance criteria including a thermally-induced stress birefringence performance criterion; defining a first set of candidate glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence and a second set of candidate glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence; selecting glasses for lens elements that are located adjacent to the aperture stop from the first set of candidate glasses; selecting glasses for the remaining lens elements from the first or second sets of candidate glasses; and using a computer processor to determine a lens design for the imaging lens.

Abstract: A projection apparatus for producing color images having reduced speckle artifacts comprising: at least three narrow band light sources having first, second and third visible wavelength bands; a digital image source providing color digital image data; at least one spatial light modulator for forming a color image using light responsive to the color digital image data; a projection display surface including a reflective layer that reflects incident illumination in the first, second, and third wavelength bands; and a fluorescent agent that absorbs a fraction of the incident light in the first visible wavelength bands and emits light in a corresponding first emissive visible wavelength band; and a projection lens that projects the color image onto the projection display surface; wherein return light from the projection display surface contains light in both the first incident visible wavelength band and the first emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.

Abstract: In a coherent light projection system including an image forming system, a relay system, a speckle reduction element, and a projection subsystem, the relay system can have a first f-number, and the projection subsystem can have a second f-number less than the first f-number. The relay system can have a first working distance, and the projection subsystem can have a second working distance less than the first working distance. The image forming system can project an initial image having a first size, and an intermediate image can have a second size greater than or equal to the first size. The speckle reduction element can have a curved surface through which the intermediate image is transferred. The speckle reduction element can include a lenslet arrangement formed on a surface thereof. The speckle reduction element can be moved in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the speckle reduction element.

Abstract: An anti-reflective thin film coating formed on an optical surface, comprising a multilayer thin-film stack arranged to suppress reflection of incident polarized light within an incident light wavelength range. The multilayer thin-film stack further provides a reflectance edge transition at a wavelength band that lies outside the incident light wavelength range. The reflectance edge transition is arranged to provide phase difference compensation to the polarized light within the incident polarized light wavelength range.

Abstract: A beam combiner for combining a plurality of light beams onto an optical path, comprising: a first dichroic element having a dichroic coating that is disposed to transmit light of a first wavelength band along the optical path and to reflect light of a second wavelength band onto the optical path, and a second dichroic element having a dichroic coating that is disposed to transmit the light of the first and second wavelength bands along the optical path and to reflect light of a third wavelength band onto the optical path. The beam combiner further includes a phase difference compensation multilayer thin-film stack that provides at least one reflectance edge transition that lies outside any of the first, second, and third wavelength bands and which provides compensation for an accumulated phase difference for polarization states of the transiting in at least one of the first, second, and third wavelength bands.

Abstract: An imaging system having reduced susceptibility to thermally induced stress birefringence, comprising; a relay lens, which images the object plane onto an intermediate image plane; a projection lens, which images the intermediate image plane onto the display surface. The lens elements that are immediately adjacent to a relay lens aperture stop and a projection lens aperture stop are fabricated using glasses having a negligible susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence, and the other lens elements are fabricated using glasses having at most a moderate susceptibility to thermal stress birefringence as characterized by the thermal stress birefringence metric.

Abstract: A laser projection system comprising a laser source system configured to emit coherent light, an optical integrating system configured to uniformize coherent light it receives, a randomizing optical element configured to spatially move over time in order to temporally randomize the phase, angle or spatial location of coherent light it receives, an image forming system configured to interact with laser light that has been both uniformized by the optical integrating system and randomized by the randomizing optical element, thereby forming a laser light image, and a projection system configured to project the laser light image onto a viewing screen.

Abstract: In a light projection system, potentially hierarchical levels of light intensity control ensure proper laser-light output intensity, color channel intensity, white point, left/right image intensity balancing, or combinations thereof. The light projection system can include a light intensity sensor in an image path, in a light-source subsystem light-dump path, in a light-modulation subsystem light-dump path, in a position to measure light leaked from optical components, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: In a light projection system, potentially hierarchical levels of light intensity control ensure proper laser-light output intensity, color channel intensity, white point, left/right image intensity balancing, or combinations thereof. The light projection system can include a light intensity sensor in an image path, in a light-source subsystem light-dump path, in a light-modulation subsystem light-dump path, in a position to measure light leaked from optical components, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A stereoscopic digital image projecting system has a light source system energizable to provide polarized illumination having a first polarization state and a beam splitting system alternately generating first and second light beams having different polarization states from the polarized illumination. A combining system has a polarization beam combiner that combines the first and second light beams into a combined light beam. A spatial light modulator is used to modulate the combined light beam in a manner consistent with stereoscopic image data to form a first modulated image from illumination in the combined light beam having the first polarization state and to form a second modulated image from illumination in the combined light beam having the second polarization state. Projection optics are configured to project the first and second modulated images onto a display surface.

Abstract: A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.

Abstract: In a coherent light projection system including an image forming system, a relay system, a speckle reduction element, and a projection subsystem, the relay system can have a first f-number, and the projection subsystem can have a second f-number less than the first f-number. The relay system can have a first working distance, and the projection subsystem can have a second working distance less than the first working distance. The image forming system can project an initial image having a first size, and an intermediate image can have a second size greater than or equal to the first size. The speckle reduction element can have a curved surface through which the intermediate image is transferred. The speckle reduction element can include a lenslet arrangement formed on a surface thereof. The speckle reduction element can be moved in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the speckle reduction element.

Abstract: In a coherent light projection system including an image forming system, a relay system, a speckle reduction element, and a projection subsystem, the relay system can have a first f-number, and the projection subsystem can have a second f-number less than the first f-number. The relay system can have a first working distance, and the projection subsystem can have a second working distance less than the first working distance. The image forming system can project an initial image having a first size, and an intermediate image can have a second size greater than or equal to the first size. The speckle reduction element can have a curved surface through which the intermediate image is transferred. The speckle reduction element can include a lenslet arrangement formed on a surface thereof. The speckle reduction element can be moved in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the speckle reduction element.