Patent Application
20230393452
This application relates generally to projection systems and methods of calibrating a projection system.
Digital projection systems typically utilize a light source and an optical system to project an image onto a surface or screen. The optical system includes components such as mirrors, lenses, waveguides, optical fibers, beam splitters, diffusers, spatial light modulators (SLMs), and the like. The contrast of a projector indicates the brightest output of the projector relative to the darkest output of the projector. Contrast ratio is a quantifiable measure of contrast, defined as a ratio of the luminance of the projector's brightest output to the luminance of the projector's darkest output. This definition of contrast ratio is also referred to as “static” or “native” contrast ratio.
Some projection systems are based on SLMs that implement a spatial amplitude modulation. In such a system, the light source may provide a light field that embodies the brightest level that can be reproduced on the image, and light is attenuated or discarded in order to create the desired scene levels. Some high contrast examples of projection systems based on this architecture use a semi-collimated illumination system and a small aperture stop in the projection optics to improve contrast. In such architectures, the illumination angle on the SLM has a substantial effect on the projected image, including but not limited to effects on the contrast ratio and the clarity of the projected image.
Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to devices, systems, and methods for projection display a high-contrast projection architecture.
In one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a projection system comprising a light source configured to emit a light in response to an image data; an illumination optical system configured to steer the light, the illumination optical system including an integrating rod and a fold mirror; a digital micromirror device including a plurality of micromirrors, wherein a respective micromirror is configured to reflect the steered light to a predetermined location as on-state light in a case where the respective micromirror is in an on position and to reflect the steered light to a light dump as off-state light in a case where the respective micromirror is in an off position; and a controller configured to: determine a deviation between an actual angle of orientation of a respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device and a target angle of orientation of the respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device, calculate a first amount of rotational adjustment corresponding to the fold mirror and a second amount of lateral adjustment corresponding to the integrating rod based on the deviation of the actual angle of orientation and the target angle of orientation of the respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device, rotate the fold mirror by an angle corresponding to the first amount, and actuate the integrating rod in a first direction according to the second amount, wherein the second amount is based on the first amount and is configured to cause an angle of incidence of the steered light on the respective micromirror to change in response to the deviation and to maintain a position of the steered light on the respective micromirror.
In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of calibrating a projection system including a light source configured to emit a light in response to an image data, an illumination optical system configured to steer the light, the illumination optical system including an integrating rod and a fold mirror, and a digital micromirror device including a plurality of micromirrors respectively configured to reflect the steered light to a predetermined location as on-state light in a case where the respective micromirror is in an on position and to reflect the steered light to a light dump as off-state light in a case where the respective micromirror is in an off position, the method comprising: determining a deviation between an actual angle of orientation of a respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device and a target angle of orientation of a respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device, calculating a first amount of rotational adjustment corresponding to the fold mirror and a second amount of lateral adjustment corresponding to the integrating rod based on the deviation of the actual angle of orientation and the target angle of orientation of the respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device, rotating the fold mirror by an angle corresponding to the first direction, and actuating the integrating rod in a first direction according to the second amount, wherein the second amount is based on the first amount and is configured to cause an angle of incidence of the steered light on the respective micromirror to change in response to the deviation and to maintain a position of the steered light on the respective micromirror.
In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a projection device including a light source configured to emit a light in response to an image data, an illumination optical system configured to steer the light, the illumination optical system including an integrating rod and a fold mirror, and a digital micromirror device including a plurality of micromirrors respectively configured to reflect the steered light to a predetermined location as on-state light in a case where the respective micromirror is in an on position and to reflect the steered light to a light dump as off-state light in a case where the respective micromirror is in an off position, the method comprising: determining a deviation between an actual angle of orientation of a respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device and an expected angle of orientation of the respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device, calculating a first amount of rotational adjustment corresponding to the fold mirror and a second amount of lateral adjustment corresponding to the integrating rod based on the deviation of the actual angle of orientation and the target angle of orientation of the respective micromirror of the plurality of micromirrors of the digital micromirror device, rotating the fold mirror by an angle corresponding to the first direction, and actuating the integrating rod in a first direction according to the second amount, wherein the second amount is based on the first amount and is configured to cause an angle of incidence of the steered light on the respective micromirror to change in response to the deviation and to maintain a position of the steered light on the respective micromirror.
In this manner, various aspects of the present disclosure provide for the display of images having a high dynamic range and high resolution, and effect improvements in at least the technical fields of image projection, holography, signal processing, and the like.
These and other more detailed and specific features of various embodiments are more fully disclosed in the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:
This disclosure and aspects thereof can be embodied in various forms, including hardware, devices, or circuits controlled by computer-implemented methods, computer program products, computer systems and networks, user interfaces, and application programming interfaces; as well as hardware-implemented methods, signal processing circuits, memory arrays, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. The foregoing summary is intended solely to give a general idea of various aspects of the present disclosure, and does not limit the scope of the disclosure in any way.
In the following description, numerous details are set forth, such as optical device configurations, timings, operations, and the like, in order to provide an understanding of one or more aspects of the present disclosure. It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of this application.
Moreover, while the present disclosure focuses mainly on examples in which the various circuits are used in digital projection systems, it will be understood that this is merely one example of an implementation. It will further be understood that the disclosed systems and methods can be used in any device in which there is a need to project light; for example, cinema, consumer, and other commercial projection systems, heads-up displays, virtual reality displays, and the like.
The optics of an SLM-based projection system may be broadly categorized into two parts: the optics located on the illumination side (i.e., optically upstream of the SLM) and the optics located on the projection side (i.e., optically downstream of the SLM). The SLM itself includes a plurality of modulating elements arranged in, for example, a two-dimensional array. Individual modulating elements receive light from the illumination optics and convey light to the projection optics. In some examples, the SLM may be implemented as a digital micromirror device (DMD); this will be discussed in more detail below. Generally, however, a DMD includes a two-dimensional array of reflective elements (micromirrors or simply “mirrors”) which selectively reflect light towards the projection optics or discard light based on the position of the individual reflective elements.
As noted above, a high contrast projection system which uses a semi-collimated illumination system and a small aperture stop in the projection optics may be greatly affected by differences in the angle of incidence of the light on the DMD (also referred to as an “input angle”). To prevent degradation in the projected image, a projection system may maintain the position and focus of an output of the illumination optics (e.g., light output from an integrating rod or other uniformity correcting device and subsequently reflected by one or more reflective elements) on the DMD, while at the same time keeping the reflected beam centered in the aperture stop of the projection optics (e.g., a filter aperture). However, the exact position of the angles of the DMD mirrors (e.g., the respective angles of orientation of a DMD mirror in an “on” position and/or an “off” position as will be described in more detail below) may be subject to manufacturing or other tolerances, such that the actual angles may vary by some amount. In order to compensate for differences in DMD mirror angle between different physical DMDs and ensure that the beam is appropriately centered, one may control the angle of light exiting (e.g., reflecting from) the DMD (also referred to as an “exit angle”). Such control should be robust to variations in the first and second angle of the DMD mirrors. The robustness against angle variations may be provided by implementing an adjustment of the angle of incidence of the beam onto the DMD so that, when reflected by the DMD mirrors, the exit beam is always at (or substantially at) the nominal designed exit angle to the aperture. Moreover, because each color channel in color projection systems may have a different angle requirement, it is desirable to provide an adjustment for each color.
The architecture of such high contrast projection systems may provide particular constraints in addition to the adjustment and maintenance of proper illumination angle. For example, the projection systems may utilize a prism where the three colors are recombined and/or a fold mirror before the prism to reduce the size footprint of the optics and the projector itself. Furthermore, as noted above, the image of the integrating rod should be centered on the DMD. Herein, examples of projection systems are described which are capable of adjusting the input angle of a beam to the DMD without changing the focus or position of the image of the integrating rod (or other uniformity correcting device) at the DMD.
In practical implementations, the projection system 100 may include fewer optical components or may include additional optical components such as mirrors, lenses, waveguides, optical fibers, beam splitters, diffusers, and the like. With the exception of the screen 113, the components illustrated in
The light source 101 may be, for example, a laser light source, an LED, and the like. Generally, the light source 101 is any light emitter which emits light. In some implementations, the light is coherent light. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the light source 101 may comprise multiple individual light emitters, each corresponding to a different wavelength or wavelength band. The light source 101 emits light in response to an image signal provided by the controller 114; for example, one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU) of the projection system 100. The image signal includes image data corresponding to a plurality of frames to be successively displayed. Individual elements in the projection system 100, including the illumination optics 103 and/or the DMD 105, may be controlled by the controller 114. The image signal may originate from an external source in a streaming or cloud-based manner, may originate from an internal memory of the projection system 100 such as a hard disk, may originate from a removable medium that is operatively connected to the projection system 100, or combinations thereof.
Although
To illustrate the effects of the angle of incidence and the DMD mirrors,
While
As can be seen in
Depending on the particular operation and control of the electrodes 216, the individual micromirrors 202 may be switched between an “on” position, an “off” position, and an unactuated or neutral position. If a micromirror 202 is in the on position, it is actuated to an angle of (for example) −12° (that is, rotated counterclockwise by 12° relative to the neutral position) to specularly reflect input light 206 into on-state light 218. If a micromirror 202 is in the off position, it is actuated to an angle of (for example) +12° (that is, rotated clockwise by 12° relative to the neutral position) to specularly reflect the input light 206 into off-state light 220. The off-state light 220 may be directed toward a light dump that absorbs the off-state light 220. In some instances, a micromirror 202 may be unactuated and lie parallel to the substrate 204. The particular angles illustrated in
In the context of
In order to ensure that the image on the screen 113 has an acceptable clarity and contrast ratio, the illumination optics 103 may be designed and/or controlled to ensure that the angle of incidence on the DMD 105 is correct, while maintaining the position of the second light 104 centered on the DMD 105.
In one exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the above may be realized by using an integrating rod and a fold mirror.
In particular,
The integrating rod 301 is situated optically upstream (and thus farther from the DMD) compared to the fold mirror 305. Additionally, the first lens group 303 is situated optically upstream compared to the second lens group 307. In some implementations, the fold mirror 305 may be positioned after (e.g., downstream) the second lens group 307. Various elements illustrated in
In some examples, the integrating rod 301 may be a component of the light source 101 which receives light from a light emitting element of the light source 101 and outputs light, such that the first light 302 corresponds to the first light 102. In other examples, the integrating rod 301 may be a component of the illumination optics 103, such that the integrating rod 301 receives the first light 102 (e.g., the light emitted by light source 101). In such examples, the first light 302 is internal to the illumination optics 103, and thus is not expressly illustrated in
The first lens group 303 includes a first lens 310 and a second lens 311. The second lens group 307 includes a third lens 312 and a fourth lens 313. Although shown as including two lenses, the first lens group 303 and the second lens group 307 may be composed of any number of lenses to direct the first light 302 to the DMD 309 at the determined angle. Moreover, while each individual lens is separately illustrated, individual lenses within a group may be cemented to one another. Additionally, each lens group may be composed of any type of lenses, such as concave lenses, convex lenses, biconcave lenses, biconvex lenses, planoconcave lenses, planoconvex lenses, negative meniscus lenses, and positive meniscus lenses.
The DMD 309 may correspond to the DMD 105. For ease of explanation, the DMD 309 is illustrated as a flat surface; however, in practice the DMD 309 includes a plurality of individual reflective elements that may or may not be oriented along the same plane. In this manner, the DMD 309 may have a structure as illustrated in
In the state illustrated in
In practice, however, any deviation in the nominal tilt angle of the micromirrors of the DMD 309 (or the DMD 105) will result in a shift in the point of incidence of the third light 106 on the first projection optics 107. Also, the fourth light 308 being angled at any other angle other than 0° relative to the surface of the DMD 309 may no longer result in the third light 106 being centered in the aperture stop 109. These shifts may be counteracted by adjusting the integrating rod 301 and the fold mirror 305. For example, as illustrated in
For example, in order to counteract a first exemplary deviation, the fourth light 308 as illustrated in
In order to counteract a second exemplary deviation, the fourth light 308 as illustrated in
The angles and angle adjustments illustrated in
At operation 401, the adjustment method determines an angle of orientation, or a deviation in the angle of orientation from the expected angle, of the DMD micromirrors 202. Additionally or alternatively, the angle of orientation may be determined indirectly by, for example, illuminating the DMD 309 at a known angle and measuring the output angle of reflected light. In some implementations, operation 401 may be performed in a test fixture before the DMD 309 is installed on its prism assembly.
At operation 402, the adjustment method calculates the appropriate amount of lateral adjustment for the integrating rod 301 and the appropriate amount of rotational adjustment for the fold mirror 305, based on the measured angle of the DMD micromirrors 202. The appropriate amount of lateral adjustment and rotational adjustment may be the amount which causes the third light 106 to be centered on the DMD 309 and in the projection aperture 109. The calculations of operation 402 may be performed through the use of a computer program that receives a single input (the tilt angle of the DMD micromirrors 202, or the tilt angle of orientation of the DMD micromirrors 202 relative to the expected angle) and outputs an amount of lateral adjustment for the integrating rod 301 and an amount of rotational adjustment for the fold mirror 305.
The calculations of operation 402 may be carried out at a time of calibration, or may be performed beforehand and stored in a lookup table associated with the projection system 100. In such an implementation, the calibration method may calculate the appropriate mirror angle adjustment by referencing the lookup table.
After the above calculations of operation 402, at operation 403, the adjustment method actuates the integrating rod 301 and the fold mirror 305 to implement the calculated adjustments. This actuation may be implemented using a stepper motor, servomotor, or other appropriate adjustment mechanism. For example, the integrating rod 301 may be coupled to a first track, and the fold mirror 305 may be coupled to a servomotor. The first track and the servomotor may be coupled (e.g., by a mechanical linkage) such that a movement of the integrating rod 301 along the first track causes a corresponding movement of the fold mirror 305 by the servomotor. The integrating rod 301 may be actuated in the first direction 314 by actuating the first track such that the integrating rod 301 is at a first position, as calculated in operation 402. In another implementation, the integrating rod 301 may be actuated in the third direction 316 by actuating the first track such that the integrating rod 301 is at a second position, as calculated in operation 402. The fold mirror 305 may be actuated in the second direction 315 by actuating the servomotor such that the fold mirror 305 is at a first position, as calculated in operation 402. In another implementation, the fold mirror 305 may be actuated in the fourth direction 317 by actuating the servomotor such that the fold mirror 305 is at a second position, as calculated in operation 402. In some examples, the actuation is performed under the control of the controller 114 of
The beam splitter 504 splits the fifth light 501 and the sixth light 502 such that the rays of the fifth light 501 converge on the first screen 506 and the rays of the sixth light 502 converge on the second screen 508. Accordingly, the image projected by the DMD 309 is reflected on the first screen 506. Specifically, a diffraction pattern projected by the DMD 309 may be used for calibrating the projection system 100. The image of the aperture stop 509 is projected on the second screen 508. The first screen 506 may be, for example, the screen 113 of
At operation 601, the integrating rod 301 and the fold mirror 305 are moved to the center of their range of travel. For example, the integrating rod 301 may move to the center of the first track, or the center of its range of motion, as previously described. The fold mirror 305 may move to the center of its range of motion, such as 45°, as previously described.
At operation 602, a projection aperture filter is installed, such as filter 109 of
At operation 603, the fold mirror 305 is adjusted until the center of the diffraction pattern from the DMD 309 is centered on the second screen 508. For example, the fifth light 501 may be a random noise pattern. When the fifth light 501 is projected onto the second screen 508, the viewed diffraction pattern (e.g., spatial frequency) is asinc2 function. As the fold mirror 305 is rotationally adjusted, the diffraction pattern of the fifth light 501 shifts. Once the diffraction pattern is centered, the fold mirror 305 is at a final calibration position. However, the image projected on the first screen 506 may no longer be fully illuminated. At operation 604, the integrating rod 301 is adjusted until the image of the random noise pattern from the DMD 309 is fully illuminated on the first screen 506. Once the DMD 309 is fully illuminated, the integrating rod 301 is at a final calibration position. The final calibration positions of the integrating rod 301 and the fold mirror 305 are stored in the memory of the controller 114 (e.g., the look-up table) as initial positions of the integrating rod 301 and the fold mirror 305.
The above projection systems and calibration methods may provide for a configuration having illumination optics which are able to adjust and maintain the proper illumination angle, maintain position of the illumination, and perform all this in an architecture which uses a an integrating rod and a fold mirror.
Systems, methods, and devices in accordance with the present disclosure may take any one or more of the following configurations.
With regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It further should be understood that certain steps could be performed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed so as to limit the claims.
Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent upon reading the above description. The scope should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the technologies discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the application is capable of modification and variation.
All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless an explicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments incorporate more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application 63/104,855, filed 23 Oct. 2020, all of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/055800 | 10/20/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63104855 | Oct 2020 | US |
