Mirror and aperture based color phase detector for use in a multimedia projection system
AssigneeInFocus Corporation
InventorT. Scott Engle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multimedia projector employing a color wheel housed within a shroud uses a light guide that is integral with the shroud and formed as an aperture extending through the shroud to transmit light from the color wheel to a photo detector that detects a particular color or colors of light to provide an index mark signal to a display controller to synchronize red, green, and blue image data with the associated color wheel filter segments. A reflector is located at an exit end of the light guide to reflect the light through a dichroic filter positioned on the shroud toward the photo detector on a circuit board.
Claims9
An apparatus for synchronizing frame sequential color image data and color modulated light propagating from a color modulation device, comprising:
- a light source emitting polychromatic light that propagates along an optical path and otherwise wasted light that propagates adjacent to the optical path;
- a color modulation device housed within a shroud and positioned generally along the light path to change the polychromatic light into color modulated light and the wasted light into color modulated sensing light;
- a light guide formed within the shroud for receiving the color modulated sensing light and propagating the color modulated sensing light out an exit end of the light guide;
- a photo detector positioned to receive the color modulated sensing light exiting the light guide, the photo detector causing generation of a timing mark signal in response to receiving predetermined wavelengths of color modulated sensing light;
- and
- a display controller generating the frame sequential color image data in response to receiving the timing mark signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.