Abstract: An audio hub is disclosed including a plurality of daughterboards and a mainboard communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of daughterboards. Each of the plurality of daughterboards is associated with an audio channel and each audio channel is independent from the other of the audio channels associated with the other ones of the plurality of daughter boards. Further, each daughterboard includes at least one wireless transceiver operably configured to wirelessly transmit an audio signal associated with the corresponding audio channel from a musical instrument over a network to the audio playback device. The mainboard is configured so that, for each of the plurality of daughterboards, the mainboard is operable to independently modify at least one characteristic of the audio signal from the musical instrument before the audio signal is transmitted to the audio playback device.

Abstract: An audio hub is disclosed including a plurality of daughterboards and a mainboard communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of daughterboards. Each of the plurality of daughterboards is associated with an audio channel and each audio channel is independent from the other of the audio channels associated with the other ones of the plurality of daughter boards. Further, each daughterboard includes at least one wireless transceiver operably configured to wirelessly transmit an audio signal associated with the corresponding audio channel from a musical instrument over a network to the audio playback device. The mainboard is configured so that, for each of the plurality of daughterboards, the mainboard is operable to independently modify at least one characteristic of the audio signal from the musical instrument before the audio signal is transmitted to the audio playback device.

Abstract: An image processing system includes a combined display-camera having an array of interspersed display elements and camera elements, arranged substantially in a common plane of a flat panel or other display. Each of at least a subset of the camera elements has one or more imaging angles associated therewith, with the one or more imaging angles being selected to provide a desired imaging operation for the combined display-camera. The imaging angles of the camera elements can be selected to provide an imaging operation which approximates that of a lens-based single-camera system, a pin-hole camera system or other type of system. Each of the camera elements may include multiple image sensors, such that different imaging angles can be set for the different image sensors of a given camera element, and different perspectives of a scene can be generated in the image processing system.

Abstract: A light guide comprises two or more straight light guide sections and one or more light coupling elements between sections to transport light from one section to another section. By having at least two TIR (totally internally reflecting) surfaces aligned with the light guiding direction of one of the light guiding sections, a light coupling element of the invention transports light from one light guide section to another with little or no light loss and little or no increase of etendue.

Abstract: A row addressing circuit and method for addressing multiple rows of a visual display in a single cycle. The circuit comprises: a decoder coupled to a plurality of signal lines, wherein the decoder includes a system for decoding a row select address, a first pre-write address and a second pre-write address and selecting three corresponding signals lines during the single cycle; and wherein each of the plurality of signal lines is further coupled to a dedicated set of latches, wherein each set of latches includes a row select latch, a first pre-write latch, and a second pre-write latch.

Abstract: An external electronically controlled illumination module utilizing polarizing beam splitters to split the light beam I from a projection lamp into two polarization states, selectively altering the state of each polarized light beam to reject a controlled portion of the light where the selectively altered beams are recombined and passed to the projection system optics.

Abstract: A column driver system and method for driving a plurality of column drivers in an active matrix display. The system comprises: a register in each column driver for holding a pixel value; a system that generates a shared ramp signal for the plurality of column drivers; a system that samples the shared ramp signal for each possible pixel value; and a load characteristic correction system that adaptively adjusts the shared ramp signal in anticipation of a load error associated with at least one pixel value. The load characteristic correction system comprises: a data collection system that collects pixel data for each of the plurality of column drivers and determines a number of occurrences of all possible pixel values; a load analysis system that identifies error conditions based on the number of occurrences; and a signal modification system that determines a correction to the ramp signal when an error condition is identified.

Abstract: A light engine for a single panel scrolling color projection display system employs a light guide to guide light from a source through unequal path lengths to an output lens. The light guide is characterized by little or no light loss or increase in etendue (angular extent) regardless of path length, resulting in a compact arrangement having high performance and low cost.

Abstract: Tools and method for aligning a first polyhedral workpiece with a central axis and for joining the first workpiece with a second workpiece also aligned with the central axis. The aligning tool includes two sets of urging members offset from one another along the central axis of the first workpiece, each set including urging members biased to urge the first workpiece in a direction transverse to the central axis and opposite from the bias direction of the other set. The invention is useful for example in aligning and joining a rotatable prism to a rotor.

Abstract: A uniform phase relation restoration method for a. scrolling color projection system wherein the addressing sequence of an LCD panel is altered to change the sweep rate of any one primary color relative to the other two primary colors to momentarily increase the sweep speed of the one color channel while correspondingly decreasing the sweep speed of the other two color channels.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a circuit for calibrating out non-linearities in the signal processing path from received digital input data to the analog voltage produced on a data (column) line of the display, and for calibrating out differences between column drivers and column lines in the device. The device receives digital input data and in response thereto generates an analog data voltage to be applied to a column line. The device includes a circuit for generating a precision staircase reference signal, and a circuit for comparing the precision staircase reference signal voltage to the data voltage and in response thereto producing a calibration data error value which is stored in the device. One, or beneficially all, columns of the device are calibrated by stepping the digital input data through each value in its operating range and storing the corresponding calibration data error values in memory.

Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a plurality of openings patterned in the pixel metal layer in the peripheral region of the device exposing the insulating layer beneath, a plurality of light-shielding islands beneath the openings in the pixel metal layer, and a plurality of walls formed on the islands surrounding the openings and extending substantially between the islands and the pixel metal layer. A plurality of spacers are disposed on the exposed portions of the insulating layer in the peripheral region for supporting the transparent (e.g., glass) layer above and providing a space for the liquid crystal material. The structure enhances display uniformity by making the spacers formed in the peripheral area more closely match the spacers formed in the pixel area of the device.

Abstract: A light collection for an arc lamp includes a parabolic reflector having primary and secondary parabolic reflector sections, the secondary parabolic reflector section divided into subsections, resulting in multiple arc images. The light collection system combines high efficiency and etendue preserving aperture shaping, and is particularly useful in projection display systems.

Abstract: A liquid crystal is configured as a photonic crystal by an establishment of a network of biased liquid crystal regions within the liquid crystal. The liquid crystal is situated between a dielectric plane including an electrode plate and a glass plate, and a dielectric plane including a glass plate and a plurality of electrode pixels. The network is established by a selective application of one or more electric potentials between an electrode plate and one or more of the electrode pixels.

Abstract: Row addressing circuitry for implementing random row selection, pre-writes, and bi-directional scrolling includes a plurality of decoders, each connected to an address bus, each having a decoder enable input, and each producing row enable signals for rows of a pixel array. Row enable information for each row from each decoder is logically combined together to produce composite row drive information. Beneficially, each decoder is connected to the same address bus, and each decoder enable signal is produced from a common controller. By using the row enable signals, in synchronization with address information on the address bus, the correct row drive information, such as pre-writes or image information, is applied to each of pixels. Bi-directional scrolling can be implemented by enabling two rows to accept the same image information.

Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a plurality of openings patterned in the pixel metal layer in the peripheral region of the device exposing the insulating layer beneath, a plurality of light-shielding islands beneath the openings in the pixel metal layer, and a plurality of walls formed on the islands surrounding the openings and extending substantially between the islands and the pixel metal layer. A plurality of spacers are disposed on the exposed portions of the insulating layer in the peripheral region for supporting the transparent (e.g., glass) layer above and providing a space for the liquid crystal material. The structure enhances display uniformity by making the spacers formed in the peripheral area more closely match the spacers formed in the pixel area of the device.

Abstract: A column driving arrangement for an RLCD device isolates the source of a ramp voltage corresponding to gray-scale levels from the sample-and-hold gates of the individual columns. Preferably, this isolation is provided by an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) at each column that provides a controlled current for charging the column capacitance to the appropriate gray-scale voltage level. The capacitor effects an integration of the current, thereby providing a noise-filtering effect. Additionally, each column capacitance is individually discharged, thereby obviating the need for a common high-current discharge device.

Abstract: A light collection system for an arc lamp includes a parabolic reflector having primary and secondary parabolic reflector sections, the secondary parabolic reflector section divided into subsections, resulting in multiple arc images. The light collection system combines high efficiency and etendue preserving aperture shaping, and is particularly useful in projection display systems.

Abstract: An electro-optic device comprising a matrix array of an LCD display element, the device having shared-source adjacent transistors in contiguous rows, thereby reducing the capacitive loading on drivers providing voltage signals which modulate the display elements. In addition, a method is provided for utilizing a matrix design that incorporates non-contiguous, multi-row addressing and shared-source transistors. The device and method provide a display device with large pixel count, yet with high display definition and performance.

Abstract: The electrical asymmetry in certain electro-optic display device structures employing orientation layers, evidenced as an internal DC voltage, is reduced or eliminated by inserting a barrier layer between the orienting layers and adjacent electrode layers, thereby reducing or eliminating a DC offset which leads to flicker in a display image when such devices are driven with an AC waveform.