Patent US6175440B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6175440B1
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US
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Laser beam display
Assignee: Prysm Systems Inc
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Filing: 1998-10-08
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Granted: 2001-01-16
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Expires: 2018-10-08
Abstract
Abstract A laser beam display includes at least a first and second plurality of laser beam sources, each of which may preferably be an array of semiconductor lasers, providing a plurality of laser beams in an optical path so as to reflect off of reflective facets of a movable reflector and illuminate a display screen. In a color display, each column of the laser array corresponds to a separate primary color. The separate rows of each array correspond to independently activated but simultaneously driven scan lines to be illuminated by the laser beam scanning apparatus. The plural laser beam arrays subdivide the width of the screen into smaller scan segments to increase the scanning angle or increase the horizontal scanning speed of the apparatus. Tilted facets illuminate different vertical sections of the screen with the laser beams as the reflector rotates. A scan format employing simultaneously illuminated diagonal scan tiles provides optimal use of the plural laser beam arrays.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald C. Conemac
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 22:17
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/08; G02B26/10; H; H04; H04N; H04N9/00; H04N9/12; H04N9/31; H04N9/3129; G02B26/12; G02B26/121; G02B26/122; G02B26/123; H01; H01S; H01S5/00; H01S5/02; H01S5/022; H01S5/0225; H01S5/02251; H01S5/40; H01S5/4012; H01S5/4025; H01S5/4087; H01S5/4093
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A laser beam display apparatus, comprising: a display screen having a vertical and a horizontal dimension; a first plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; a second plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; control means for simultaneously activating said first and second plural laser beam sources; and an optical path including a movable reflector having a plurality of reflective facets between the display screen and the first and second laser beam sources for directing said simultaneously activated plural laser beams to the display screen via respective first and second facets of the movable reflector to simultaneously illuminate different horizontal regions of the display.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
128 words
A laser beam display apparatus, comprising: a display screen having a vertical and a horizontal dimension; a first plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; a second plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; control means for simultaneously activating said first and second plural laser beam sources; and an optical path including a movable reflector having a plurality of reflective facets between the display screen and the first and second laser beam sources for directing said simultaneously activated plural laser beams to the display screen via respective first and second facets of the movable reflector to simultaneously illuminate different horizontal regions of the display.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set in claim 1 , wherein the movable reflector is a rotatable polygon and wherein the laser beam scanning apparatus further comprises a motor for rotating the polygon at a predetermined angular speed thereby bringing successive facets into the optical path so as to intercept the plural laser beams.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set in claim 1 , wherein the laser beam sources in each column of the array correspond to a different color of laser beam light.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 3 , wherein the array has three columns and wherein each column corresponds to a laser beam source having a primary color.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of laser beam sources comprise semiconductor lasers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 5 , wherein the laser beam sources comprise semiconductor diodes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 1 , further comprising means for shifting the laser beams so as to illuminate different vertical scan segments of the display screen.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 7 , wherein the means for shifting comprises a plurality of reflective facets configured on the movable reflector tilted at differing degrees.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
51 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 8 , wherein movable reflector is a rotating polygon and wherein the tilted facets are tilted relative to the axis of rotation of the polygon so as to direct the laser beams to varying vertical scan segments on the display screen.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
182 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus comprising: an input for receiving video data, the video data including a plurality of horizontal lines of display information; a display screen; a first plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; a second plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; a movable reflector having a plurality of reflective facets tilted at differing angles; a memory for storing a plurality of horizontal lines of video data; a control circuit for simultaneously activating said laser beam sources in accordance with video data from plural horizontal lines stored in said memory; and an optical path between the display screen, the movable reflector and the first and second plurality of laser beam sources for directing said simultaneously activated plural beams to at least two facets of the movable reflector and to the display screen, wherein the movable reflecting scans each of the first and second plurality of laser beams over only a portion of a horizontal line.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
182 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus comprising: an input for receiving video data, the video data including a plurality of horizontal lines of display information; a display screen; a first plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; a second plurality of laser beam sources configured in an array comprising a plurality of rows and at least one column; a movable reflector having a plurality of reflective facets tilted at differing angles; a memory for storing a plurality of horizontal lines of video data; a control circuit for simultaneously activating said laser beam sources in accordance with video data from plural horizontal lines stored in said memory; and an optical path between the display screen, the movable reflector and the first and second plurality of laser beam sources for directing said simultaneously activated plural beams to at least two facets of the movable reflector and to the display screen, wherein the movable reflecting scans each of the first and second plurality of laser beams over only a portion of a horizontal line.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
55 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set in claim 10 , wherein the movable reflector is a rotatable polygon and wherein the laser beam scanning apparatus further comprises a motor for rotating the polygon at a predetermined angular speed thereby bringing respective facets into the optical path so as to intercept the plural laser beams.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set in claim 10 , wherein each of the arrays of laser beam sources have plural columns which correspond to a different color of laser beam light.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 12 , wherein each array has three columns and wherein each column corresponds to a laser beam source of a primary color.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 10 , wherein the plurality of laser beam sources comprise semiconductor lasers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
A laser beam scanning apparatus as set out in claim 10 , wherein each array comprises an array of fiber optic fibers mounted in an array and coupled optically to respective laser diodes.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
135 words
A method of displaying information on a display screen employing a plurality of laser beam sources and a movable reflector having a plurality of reflective facets tilted at different angles, comprising the steps of: directing a first plurality of laser beams to a first facet of the movable reflector, and from the first facet to the display screen; directing a second plurality of laser beams to a second facet of the movable reflector, and from the second facet to the display screen; moving the reflector so as to cause the first and second plurality of laser beams to simultaneously trace out in a first direction parallel multl-line scan segments on the display screen, the parallel scan segments being displaced in a second direction so as to provide a generally diagonal configuration on the display screen.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
135 words
A method of displaying information on a display screen employing a plurality of laser beam sources and a movable reflector having a plurality of reflective facets tilted at different angles, comprising the steps of: directing a first plurality of laser beams to a first facet of the movable reflector, and from the first facet to the display screen; directing a second plurality of laser beams to a second facet of the movable reflector, and from the second facet to the display screen; moving the reflector so as to cause the first and second plurality of laser beams to simultaneously trace out in a first direction parallel multl-line scan segments on the display screen, the parallel scan segments being displaced in a second direction so as to provide a generally diagonal configuration on the display screen.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as set out in claim 16 , wherein said display screen has a generally rectangular configuration and wherein said first direction corresponds to the horizontal dimension of said screen and said second direction corresponds to the vertical dimension of said screen.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as set out in claim 17 , wherein the entire display is illuminated by sequentially illuminating parallel scan segments employing different sets of tilted facets in the optical path of the laser beams.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as set out in claim 17 , wherein the parallel scan segments comprise diagonally adjacent rectangular segments of the display screen.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as set out in claim 18 , wherein the parallel scan segments each have a plurality of different horizontal scan lines of video information.
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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) | 2004-01-16 | 2004-07-17 | 2005-01-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-01-16 | 2008-07-17 | 2009-01-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-01-16 | 2012-07-17 | 2013-01-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |