RGB illuminator with calibration via single detector servo

A display system comprising:

• a light modulator divided into an array of individually controllable pixels;
• a separate input-driven illumination device having one or more light sources which are adapted to receive variable inputs and which are configured to direct light of variable intensities onto the modulator, depending on said inputs;
• and
• a calibrating arrangement for establishing the inputs for a desired intensity level of said light from each light source, the arrangement including a light sensing mechanism which senses said light from one light source at a time while each light source is driven by an initial input, the calibration arrangement being configured to determine a comparison between the sensed light and a value representative of the desired intensity level of light from the light source, the calibration arrangement further including means responsive to the comparisons for varying the inputs so as to provide light of said desired intensity level from each light source.

A display system comprising:

• a light modulator;
• a separate input-driven illumination device having a plurality of light sources which are adapted to receive variable inputs and which are configured to direct light of variable intensities onto the modulator, depending on said inputs;
• and
• a calibrating arrangement for establishing the inputs for a desired intensity level of said light from each light source, the arrangement including a light sensing mechanism forming part of the light modulator which senses said light from one light source at a time while each light source is driven by an initial input, the calibration arrangement being configured to determine a comparison between the sensed light and a value representative of the desired intensity level of light from the light source, the calibration arrangement further including means responsive to the comparisons for varying the inputs so as to provide light of said desired intensity level from each light source.

A method of operating a display system comprising the steps of:

• a) providing an input-driven illumination device having one or more light sources which are adapted to receive variable inputs and which are configured to direct light of variable intensities onto a light modulator depending on said inputs;
• b) sensing said light from one light source at a time while each light source is driven by an initial input;
• c) comparing the sensed light to a value representative of the desired intensity;
• d) establishing the inputs for a desired intensity level of said light from each light source in response to the comparisons;
• and
• e) directing the light of said desired intensity level from each light source onto said light modulator.

A display system, comprising:

• a light modulator;
• a separate illumination device including three light sources, each of the three light sources providing light that is substantially in a different color band than two others of the three light sources, each of the three light sources providing an output light intensity related to an input corresponding to that light source;
• and
• a calibrating arrangement that establishes the inputs to the three light sources, the arrangement including a light sensing arrangement that separately senses the output light intensity from each of the three differently-colored light sources and based thereon separately adjusts the input to each of the three differently-colored light sources to achieve a desired output light intensity from each differently-colored light source to achieve a desired color balance in the combination of the light from each of the three differently-colored light sources.