Single light valve full-color projector display

摘要

A single light valve full-color projector 10 operative to display an image on a screen 12 in response to first and second video signals. The inventive projector 10 includes a laser 22 for providing a beam of coherent light. A scanning control circuit 20 coupled to the laser 22 varies the intensity of the beam on the basis of information inherent in the first and second video signals. The inventive projector 10 further includes a liquid crystal light valve 26 which modulates light illuminating an output layer 44 thereof in accordance with an internally generated voltage pattern produced by incidence of the modulated beam on an input layer 40 thereof. A raster scanner 24 is operative to deflect the beam to a first set of areas on the input layer 40 in response to the first video signal and to deflect the beam to a second set of areas on the input layer in response to the second video signal. The projector display 10 of the present invention further includes a polarizing beam splitter 46 positioned in an optical path between the output layer 44 and an external light source 42 for polarizing and directing the light from the external source 42 onto the light valve output layer 44 and for relaying modulated light reflected by the output layer 44 to an image plane P. A striped filter arrangement 18 having first and second sets of filter elements in optical alignment with the first and second sets of areas of the input layer 40 transmits radiant energy in first and second wavelength bands, respectively, to the display screen 12.