Projection display having polarization compensator

Claim 1

A projection display system, comprising: (a) a light source; (b) at least one polarizer for polarizing light from said light source; (c) at least one liquid crystal panel for generating an image, and which together with said polarizer, acts to polarize light from said light source generally into a uniaxial orientation; (d) a projection source for projecting said image; (e) a polarization compensator having a plurality of light transmitting regions each having an incident face for receiving incident light and each having a respective birefringence, where said birefringence of each respective region is based on the variance of the polarization of said incident light on the incident face of said respective region from said uniaxial orientation, where said birefringence reduces said variance, and where said birefringence of at least one of said regions is different than said birefringence of another of said regions; (f) wherein said polarization compensator is located substantially coincident with where the angular distribution of the light is directly related to its physical location within said projection display system.

Claim 18

A method for displaying an image, comprising: (a) providing light generally polarized in a uniaxial orientation; (b) generating an image from said polarized light; (c) determining a variance, from said uniaxial orientation, of the polarization of light at a first location and a second location of said image, each of said locations being located in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to said light; (d) reducing said variance at said first and second locations where said reduction at said first location is different than said reduction at said second location; (e) projecting said image; (f) wherein said variance is said reduced at a location substantially coincident with where the angular distribution of the light is directly related to its physical location.

Claim 19

A method for displaying an image, comprising: (a) providing light generally polarized in a uniaxial orientation; (b) generating an image from said polarized light; (c) determining a variance, from said uniaxial orientation, of the polarization of light at a first location and a second location of said image, each of said locations being located in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to said light; (d) reducing said variance at said first and second locations where said reduction at said first location is different than said reduction at said second location; (e) projecting said image; (f) wherein said variance is said reduced at a location substantially coincident with where the angular distribution of the light is directly related to its physical location.