Relay lens system for a high dynamic range projector
A relay lens system for a high dynamic range projector is provided. The relay lens system comprising: a light input; a light output; one or more lenses configured to relay light from the light input to the light output; and, an aperture stop configured to provide a given numerical aperture to the light being relayed through the one or more lenses, the combination of the given numerical aperture and the one or more lenses are configured to introduce a spherical aberration in the light between the light input and the light output, the spherical aberration changing a shape of a pixel in the light from an approximate square shape at the light input to a function having an upper boundary and a lower boundary based on a distance from a center of the pixel, and a pixel dimension of a dither pattern in the light entering the light input.
1. A relay lens system comprising:
a light input;
a light output;
one or more lenses configured to relay light from the light input to the light output; and,
an aperture stop configured to provide a given numerical aperture to the light being relayed through the one or more lenses,
the combination of the given numerical aperture and the one or more lenses are configured to introduce a spherical aberration in the light between the light input and the light output, the spherical aberration changing a shape of a pixel in the light from an approximate square shape at the light input to a function having an upper boundary and a lower boundary defined as follows:
LB( r )=0.9×(½+½ cos(π r/N )) for r<N
LB( r )=0 for r≧N
UB( r )=1.1exp(−( r/N ) 2 )
where UB is the upper boundary, LB is the lower boundary, r is a distance from a centre of the pixel, and N is a pixel dimension of a dither pattern in the light entering the light input.
2. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the combination of the given numerical aperture and the one or more lenses are further configured to suppress one or more of the following in a ray fan plot of the spherical aberration: local maxima and local minima; and, points where a derivative of the ray fan plot is zero.
3. The relay lens system of claim 2 , wherein the combination of the given numerical aperture and the one or more lenses are further configured to balance a third order spherical aberration, a fifth order spherical aberration and a seventh order spherical aberration, to suppress one or more of: the local maxima and the local minima; and, the points where a derivative of the ray fan plot is zero.
4. The relay lens system of claim 3 , wherein a full width half maximum of the shape extends over at least about +/−four of the plurality of pixels, and the tail extends over at least +/−ten of the plurality of pixels.
5. The relay lens system of claim 4 , wherein a full width half maximum of the shape extends over between about +/−three and about +/−ten of the plurality of pixels, and the tail extends over between about +/−five and about +/−thirty of the plurality of pixels.
6. The relay lens system of claim 4 , wherein the spherical aberration changes a shape of a pixel in the light from an approximate square shape at the light input to one or more of:
an approximate Gaussian shape at the light output;
a pseudo-Gaussian shape at the light output; and,
a shape with a broad central region and a tail that extends over a plurality of pixels in the light at the light output, as compared to the light input.
7. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the function is within a given percentage of one or more of the upper boundary and the lower boundary.
8. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the spherical aberration comprises one or more of a third order spherical aberration, a fifth order spherical aberration, and a seventh order aberration in a ray fan plot of the spherical aberration.
9. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the combination of the given numerical aperture and the one or more lenses are configured to one or more of:
balance a third order spherical aberration, a fifth order spherical aberration and a seventh order spherical aberration, to suppress one or more of: a local maxima and a local minima on a ray fan plot of the spherical aberration; and, points where a derivative of the ray fan plot is zero; and,
suppress spherical aberrations in the light that are larger than one or more of: a third order spherical aberration; a fifth order spherical aberration; and a seventh order spherical aberration.
10. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein an aperture of the aperture stop comprises a diameter that, at a given position of the aperture stop relative to a given lens, introduces at least a portion of the spherical aberration, and one or more of:
balance a third order spherical aberration, a fifth order spherical aberration and a seventh order spherical aberration, to suppress one or more of: a local maxima and a local minima on a ray fan plot of the spherical aberration; and, points where a derivative of the ray fan plot is zero; and,
suppress spherical aberrations in the light that are larger than one or more of: a third order spherical aberration; a fifth order spherical aberration; and a seventh order spherical aberration.
11. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more lenses comprises a spherical lens.
12. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the given numerical aperture comprises an F-stop in a range of about F/2 to about F/8.
13. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein an aperture of the aperture stop is:
circular; or,
one or more of: an oval; and asymmetrical, to correct for an anisotropic numerical aperture of the light entering the light input.
14. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the aperture stop comprises one or more of:
an iris;
a cat's eye;
an apparatus configured to manually adjust a size of an aperture of the aperture stop; and,
one or more of a motor and a stepper motor configured to adjust a size of the aperture of the aperture stop.
15. The relay lens system of claim 1 , further comprising an odd number of reflectors configured to relay the light received from the light input towards the light output.
16. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the relay lens system is bi-telecentric.
17. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more lenses is further configured to magnify the light from the light input to the light output, wherein the magnification can be: greater than one, less than one, or about one.
18. The relay lens system of claim 1 , wherein a position of at least one of the one or more lenses is adjustable along an optical axis of the relay lens system such that one or more of focus, zoom, and shape of a pixel of the light is adjustable by adjusting a position of at least one of the one or more lenses.
19. The relay lens system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more of:
a first apparatus configured to manually adjust a position of at least one of the one or more lenses;
a second apparatus configured to adjust positions of at least a two of the one or more lenses as a group; and,
at least one of a motor and a stepper motor configured to adjust positions of one or more of the one or more lenses.
20. The relay lens system of claim 1 , further comprising a compensator plate configured to compensate for one or more of astigmatism and coma of the light.