US5379080A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Image projector system
Assignee: Sony Corp
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Filing: 1994-02-01
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Granted: 1995-01-03
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Expires: 2014-02-01
Abstract
Abstract Parallel rays of light emitted from a light source are reflected at an angle of approximately 90° by a first reflecting mirror toward a liquid crystal panel. The light reflected from the first reflecting mirror is applied to the pixels of the liquid crystal panel through a light guide lens. An image formed on the liquid crystal panel is projected on a second reflecting mirror through an auxiliary projection lens. The second reflecting mirror has a concave surface formed on the lower end portion thereof such that the concave surface gradually changes into a flat surface toward the upper end thereof. Thus, the second reflecting mirror reflects the image projected by the auxiliary projection lens such that the lower end portion of the image is reduced in size by the concave surface of the mirror. When the reflected image is projected through a projection lens on a screen inclined with respect to the optical axis of the projection lens, it is displayed as a normal image with the trapezoidal distortion effectively corrected.
Inventors
- 👤 Kuniharu Onozuka
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 18:47
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/01; G02F1/13; G02F1/133; G02F1/1333; G02F1/1335; G02F1/1336; G02F1/133602; G02F1/133605; H; H04; H04N; H04N5/00; H04N5/74; H04N5/7416; H04N5/7441; G02F1/133606; G02F1/133607; H04N9/00; H04N9/12; H04N9/31; H04N9/3141
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
An image projector system including a light source, a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels controllable so as to selectively transmit or intercept light on the basis of image information fed thereto, and a projection lens for capturing and projecting as an enlarged image light emitted from said light source and transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, said image projector system comprising: a reflecting mirror having a plurality of reflecting surfaces and disposed between said light source and said liquid crystal panel so that light emitted from said light source is reflected by said plurality of reflecting surfaces to enter said liquid crystal panel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
106 words
An image projector system including a light source, a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels controllable so as to selectively transmit or intercept light on the basis of image information fed thereto, and a projection lens for capturing and projecting as an enlarged image light emitted from said light source and transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, said image projector system comprising: a reflecting mirror having a plurality of reflecting surfaces and disposed between said light source and said liquid crystal panel so that light emitted from said light source is reflected by said plurality of reflecting surfaces to enter said liquid crystal panel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
65 words
An image projector system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of reflecting surfaces comprises a plurality of concave reflecting surfaces disposed in close proximity to each other so as to be coplanar and so that distances between respective centers of each of said concave reflecting surfaces and said light source are substantially equal to the focal lengths of each of said concave reflecting surfaces.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
173 words
An image projector system including a light source, a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels controllable so as to selectively transmit or intercept light on the basis of image information fed thereto, and a projection lens for capturing and projecting as an enlarged image light emitted from said light source and transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, said image projector system comprising: an auxiliary projection lens including a number of convex lenses equal in number to said plurality of pixels and being disposed on a light emergence side of said liquid crystal panel to correspond to said pixels, respectively, and a number of concave lenses equal in number to said plurality of pixels and being disposed on a light emergence side of said convex lenses and within the focal length of said convex lenses, said concave lenses having a focal length substantially equal to a focal length of said convex lenses, so that light emerging from said concave lenses is captured and projected as an enlarged image by said projection lens.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
173 words
An image projector system including a light source, a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels controllable so as to selectively transmit or intercept light on the basis of image information fed thereto, and a projection lens for capturing and projecting as an enlarged image light emitted from said light source and transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, said image projector system comprising: an auxiliary projection lens including a number of convex lenses equal in number to said plurality of pixels and being disposed on a light emergence side of said liquid crystal panel to correspond to said pixels, respectively, and a number of concave lenses equal in number to said plurality of pixels and being disposed on a light emergence side of said convex lenses and within the focal length of said convex lenses, said concave lenses having a focal length substantially equal to a focal length of said convex lenses, so that light emerging from said concave lenses is captured and projected as an enlarged image by said projection lens.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
An image projector system according to claim 3, wherein said convex and concave lenses of said auxiliary projection lens are integrally formed as one unit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
An image projector system according to claim 3, wherein said convex lenses of said auxiliary projection lens are disposed so as to be coplanar and so that the respective optical axes of said convex lenses are parallel to each other, said liquid crystal panel being disposed outside the focal length of each of said convex lenses.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
133 words
An image projector system including a light source, a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels controllable so as to selectively transmit or intercept light on the basis of image information fed thereto, and a projection lens for capturing and projecting as an enlarged image light emitted from said light source and transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, said image projector system comprising: a reflecting mirror having a reflecting surface formed on one end portion thereof such that said reflecting surface gradually changes into a flat surface toward the other end portion of said reflecting mirror, said reflecting mirror being disposed between said liquid crystal panel and said projection lens so that light transmitted by said liquid crystal panel is reflected by said reflecting surface and is incident on said projection lens.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
133 words
An image projector system including a light source, a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels controllable so as to selectively transmit or intercept light on the basis of image information fed thereto, and a projection lens for capturing and projecting as an enlarged image light emitted from said light source and transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, said image projector system comprising: a reflecting mirror having a reflecting surface formed on one end portion thereof such that said reflecting surface gradually changes into a flat surface toward the other end portion of said reflecting mirror, said reflecting mirror being disposed between said liquid crystal panel and said projection lens so that light transmitted by said liquid crystal panel is reflected by said reflecting surface and is incident on said projection lens.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
An image projector system according to claim 6, wherein said reflecting mirror is formed from an elastic material and has a holder for holding said one end portion thereof, and curvature adjusting means are provided at the other end portion of said mirror.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
An image projector system according to claim 6, wherein said reflecting mirror is disposed so that said reflecting surface thereof intersects the optical axis of said projection lens at approximately 45°.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-01-02 | 1998-07-04 | 1999-01-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-01-02 | 2002-07-04 | 2003-01-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-01-02 | 2006-07-04 | 2007-01-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |