A digital image projector includes an illumination-light source lamp and illumination beam forming optics for forming a white-spectrum illumination beam and color-band-separation optics to divide the illumination beam into color-component subbeams. The digital image projector also includes a reflective digital-image-encoding polarization modulator mechanism such as a reflective liquid crystal display polarization modulator to reflectively modulate the linearly polarized subbeams to form color-component image encoded-polarization subbeams and projection lens optics for projecting a color image divided from the image encoded-polarization subbeams. The digital image projector further includes a plate-supported, surface mounted fixed polarization-axis polarizing beamsplitter such as a wire-grid polarizing beamsplitter for dividing the color image from the image-encoded-polarization subbeams in which a polarizer support plate of the polarizing beamsplitter faces an illumination-source side of the optical system of the projector.
Disclosed is a compact, light, inexpensive reflection type liquid crystal projector optical unit or reflection type liquid crystal projector which provides high brightness without contrast deterioration caused by light leakage associated with black image display. The unit or projector uses, as a polarizer/analyzer for a reflection liquid crystal panel, a reflection polarizing plate which functions as a polarizing plate by its grating function only in a specific direction. It also uses an auxiliary polarizer and an absorption auxiliary analyzer. Their reflection axis or absorption axis is adjusted according to the characteristic of the reflection liquid crystal panel so as to minimize light leakage associated with black image display.
Disclosed is a compact, light, inexpensive reflection type liquid crystal projector optical unit or reflection type liquid crystal projector which provides high brightness without contrast deterioration caused by light leakage associated with black image display. The unit or projector uses, as a polarizer/analyzer for a reflection liquid crystal panel, a reflection polarizing plate which functions as a polarizing plate by its grating function only in a specific direction. It also uses an auxiliary polarizer and an absorption auxiliary analyzer. Their reflection axis or absorption axis is adjusted according to the characteristic of the reflection liquid crystal panel so as to minimize light leakage associated with black image display.
A projector incorporating a prism and a plurality of light valves for modulating light that passes though the prism, wherein the color splitting-converging prism includes a dichroic coating having multiple layers of high and low index of refraction and 1/4 wavelength thickness at each desired angle of incidence for reducing dichroic shift and thereby minimizing light loss.
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.
An image display system utilizes primarily non-absorptive polarization components to polarize light illuminating an imaging device. The non-absorptive polarization components reduce cost and cooling requirements, increase durability, and permit the use of high powered light sources.
