Abstract: Described is a high intensity discharge lamp including a lamp bulb envelope, first and second electrodes, a seal and a fill situated within the lamp bulb envelope. The lamp bulb envelope is composed of single crystal sapphire tubing. The lamp bulb envelope includes end portions and a central portion, the central portion having a greater diameter than the end portions. The end portions may be a cylindrical tube shape and the central portion is a smooth three-dimensional shape. The first and second electrodes extend through opposite ends of the lamp bulb envelope so that at least a portion of each of the electrodes is situated within the lamp bulb envelope. The seal seals each of the first and second electrodes to an inside wall of the corresponding end of the lamp bulb envelope. A voltage is applied to the first and second electrodes to generate an arc plasma therebetween.

Abstract: A high intensity discharge lamp, especially for optical projection systems, in one embodiment uses an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a cylindrical envelope of single crystal (SC) sapphire. The fill may contain hydrogen, chlorine, sodium, scandium, sulfur and selenium and is under pressure exceeding 20 atmospheres. The lamp produces a continuous non-flash arc and generates a correlated color temperature between 6500 and 7000 degrees Kelvin and an efficacy exceeding 60 lumens/watt.

Abstract: Described is a high intensity discharge lamp which may include a lamp bulb envelope, first and second electrodes, a seal and a fill situated within the lamp bulb envelope. The lamp bulb envelope is composed of single crystal sapphire tubing. The envelope has a tubular burst pressure of at least 4,500 psi at 1,400° C. and a maximum tensile strength of 56,000 psi at 1,400° C. The lamp bulb envelope includes end portions of a first diameter (e.g., between 2 mm and 25 mm) and a central portion having a second diameter (e.g., between 2.1 mm and 100 mm) being greater than the first diameter. The end portions may be substantially cylindrical tube shape and the central portion is substantially smooth three-dimensional shape (e.g., an ellipsoidal shape, a spherical shape, etc.). The first and second electrodes extend through opposite ends of the lamp bulb envelope so that at least a portion of each of the first and second electrodes is situated within the lamp bulb envelope.

Abstract: A high intensity discharge lamp, especially for optical projection systems, in one embodiment uses an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a cylindrical envelope of single crystal (SC) sapphire. The fill may contain hydrogen, chlorine, sodium, scandium, sulfur and selenium and is under pressure exceeding 20 atmospheres. The lamp produces a continuous non-flash arc and generates a correlated color temperature between 6500 and 7000 degrees Kelvin and an efficacy exceeding 60 lumens/watt.

Abstract: A high intensity discharge lamp constructed with a tubular envelope composed of single crystal sapphire in which a continuous non-flash arc is created across multiple electrodes to generate a radiation emitting plasma. The lamp may operate at higher temperatures and pressures than conventional high intensity discharge lamps to produce greater luminance at any given power input. The lamp fill may be chosen from a wide range of gases and additives to produce the desired light spectra in the range from ultraviolet through near infra-red. The effective life of the lamp may be significantly extended. The lamp may be utilized particular benefits in image projection where a small powerful light source is required to optically match increasingly smaller image generation devices. In particular, the lamp may maintain a pre-selected correlated color temperature from 4,000 to 9,000° K over the life of the lamp.

Abstract: A high intensity discharge lamp constructed with a tubular envelope composed of single crystal sapphire in which a continuous non-flash arc is created across multiple electrodes to generate a radiation emitting plasma. The lamp may operate at higher temperatures and pressures than conventional high intensity discharge lamps to produce greater luminance at any given power input. The lamp fill may be chosen from a wide range of gases and additives to produce the desired light spectra in the range from ultraviolet through near infra-red. The effective life of the lamp may be significantly extended. The lamp may be utilized particular benefits in image projection where a small powerful light source is required to optically match increasingly smaller image generation devices. In particular, the lamp may maintain a pre-selected correlated color temperature from 4,000 to 9,000° K over the life of the lamp.

Abstract: A high intensity discharge lamp, especially for optical projection systems, in one embodiment uses an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a cylindrical envelope of single crystal (SC) sapphire. The fill may contain hydrogen, chlorine, sodium, scandium, sulfur and selenium and is under pressure exceeding 20 atmospheres. The lamp produces a continuous non-flash arc and generates a correlated color temperature between 6500 and 7000 degrees Kelvin and an efficacy exceeding 60 lumens/watt.

Abstract: A high intensity discharge lamp constructed with a tubular envelope composed of single crystal sapphire in which a continuous non-flash arc is created across multiple electrodes to generate a radiation emitting plasma. The lamp may operate at higher temperatures and pressures than conventional high intensity discharge lamps to produce greater luminance at any given power input. The lamp fill may be chosen from a wide range of gases and additives to produce the desired light spectra in the range from ultraviolet through near infra-red. The effective life of the lamp may be significantly extended. The lamp may be utilized particular benefits in image projection where a small powerful light source is required to optically match increasingly smaller image generation devices. In particular, the lamp may maintain a pre-selected correlated color temperature from 4,000 to 9,000° K over the life of the lamp.

Abstract: A high intensity discharge lamp constructed with a tubular envelope composed of single crystal sapphire in which a continuous non-flash arc is created across multiple electrodes to generate a radiation emitting plasma. The lamp may operate at higher temperatures and pressures than conventional high intensity discharge lamps to produce greater luminance at any given power input. The lamp fill may be chosen from a wide range of gases and additives to produce the desired light spectra in the range from ultraviolet through near infra-red. The effective life of the lamp may be significantly extended. The lamp may be utilized particular benefits in image projection where a small powerful light source is required to optically match increasingly smaller image generation devices. In particular, the lamp may maintain a pre-selected correlated color temperature from 4,000 to 9,000° K over the life of the lamp.

Abstract: A projector system includes a light pipe integrator (LPI) between its lamp and its projection lens system. The LPI is hollow, formed from sheet metal, and has an internal cold mirror coating which reflects visible light and passes infra-red radiation. The reflector is a compound reflector having profiles of two ellipses with different eccentricities.

Abstract: A projector system includes a lamp, a reflector collector optic, a light pipe, a Polarizing Beam Splitter (PBS), and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel. The light pipe has a square or octagonal entrance pupil, reflecting internal walls coated with a cold mirror coating, is tapered in shape, and has a rectangular exit pupil. The PBS converts an unpolarized beam from the exit pupil of the light pipe into a uni-polarized beam which it directs to the LCD panel.

Abstract: A projector system includes a lamp, a reflector collector optic, relay optics to image the light from the light pipe exit pupil to the image gate, a light pipe and an image forming means such as a film gate or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel. The light pipe has a round or octagonal entrance pupil, reflecting internal walls, is tapered in shape, and has a rectangular exit pupil which is larger than a center section in cross-section. The light pipe mixes the light, by internal reflection, and produces light which is uniform in color and intensity across the exit pupil.

Abstract: A large screen video display system to display bright video images at high resolution comprises an array of video monitors arranged adjacent each other in a compact matrix, for example, an array of 2.times.2, 3.times.3 or 4.times.4 video monitors. A lenticular optical plate is placed in front of the face plate of each monitor to magnify the video images and project them as a mosaic of images on the back face of a rear projection screen. Circuit means electronically, using digital techniques, divide the original video image into segments, each segment being displayed on a separate monitor, and into sub-segments, for example, 48 rectangular sub-segments, which sub-segments are individually rotated 180.degree. about the image axis on each monitor. A viewer looking at the video image displayed on the front of the RP projection screen sees a continuous image covering the entire screen and is not aware that the image is made up from sub-segments and segments displayed on individual monitors.