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Patent

Image Mover

US 5,365,288

Once you can project a large laser image, you often want to move it — slide it across a wall, rotate it, or resize it — without physically moving the whole projector. This patent describes an optical assembly that steers and repositions the projected image itself.

The drawing, explained

What the figure shows

FIG. 2 of U.S. Patent 5,365,288, annotated: the steering mirror and image-mover assembly that reposition the projected image, the horizontal scanner, and the projection surfaces.
  1. 1 Steering mirror — tilts to aim the image
  2. 2 Image-mover assembly — moves the projected image
  3. 3 Horizontal scanner — draws each line of the raster
  4. 4 Projection surfaces — where the steered image lands
FIG. 2 — the "image mover": mirrors that steer the whole projected image onto a chosen surface. U.S. Patent 5,365,288, FIG. 2 — U.S. Patent and Trademark Office · Annotations added for clarity; the drawing is the original figure.
FIG. 2 of U.S. Patent 5,365,288 — a perspective view of the image-mover optical assembly: spinning and tilting mirrors that reposition the projected image before the horizontal scanner.
FIG. 2 — the image-mover mirror assembly (sheet 1 of 3). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Drawing sheet 2 of 3 from U.S. Patent 5,365,288.
Sheet 2 of 3. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Drawing sheet 3 of 3 from U.S. Patent 5,365,288.
Sheet 3 of 3. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
View full patent on Google Patents →
Patent number
US 5,365,288
Issued
November 15, 1994
Inventors
Paul A. Linden, Lloyd G. Cross, Duane S. Dewald
Assignee
Advanced Laser Projection, Inc.

U.S. Patent 5,365,288, “Image Mover,” extends the laser projection work in a natural direction. Once you can cast a large, sharp image with lasers, the next question is how to move it — and doing that by physically swinging a heavy projector is clumsy.

What it does, in plain English

The Image Mover is an optical system that moves, rotates, or repositions the projected image using specialized optical assemblies — steering the picture across a surface without moving the projector body itself. It allowed full 360° image rotation, 80° of tilt, and continuous rotation of up to 90° per second, all synced to SMPTE time code so the moving image could be choreographed frame- accurately with a show. For large-format shows and installations, that kind of control opens up dynamic, animated staging that a fixed projector cannot provide.

Collaborators

The patent names Paul alongside Lloyd G. Cross — a pioneer of holography and the multiplex hologram — and Duane S. Dewald, and is assigned to Advanced Laser Projection, Inc. Cross’s deep background in optics and holography made him a natural collaborator on a problem about steering light with precision.

The full patent is available from the USPTO and Google Patents.

Technical abstract

The patent concerns an optical system for moving, rotating, or repositioning a projected image using specialized optical assemblies.

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