Optical Fiber Failure Detection in Image Display Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image display systems that detect optical fiber cable failures reduce optical output and cause visible interference during image projection, limiting their effectiveness in fault detection without impacting image quality.
Innovation Solution
An image display system utilizing a plurality of semiconductor light sources, optical fiber cables, a light synthesizer, a light amount detector, a modulated signal detector, and a light source controller to detect optical fiber cable failures by modulating optical signals at different timings, allowing for fault detection without reducing optical output or interfering with the image display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pulse current is superimposed on the drive current to detect optical fiber cable damage, then the failure detection function is improved, but the optical output is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by superimposing pulse currents at specific timing intervals during image projection. The pulse currents are applied periodically to enable failure detection without continuously reducing the optical output. This allows the system to maintain high optical output during normal operation while periodically checking for optical fiber cable failures through the pulse current method.
2Reliability
If pulse current superposition is used for failure detection, then the detection capability is improved, but visible interference appears in the displayed image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the temporal characteristics of different light sources. Each light source is assigned a unique timing for pulse current superposition, creating locally distinct temporal patterns. This allows the failure detection signal to be encoded in the timing domain rather than the intensity domain, making it invisible to the human eye while still detectable by the sensor system.
Solution Approach 2:
The periodic application of pulse currents at carefully controlled timing intervals allows failure detection without continuous interference. The periodic nature ensures that the detection signal is embedded within the normal operation cycle, avoiding persistent visible interference while maintaining detection capability throughout the projection process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the detection of optical fiber cable failures without reducing optical output or causing visible interference during image projection, minimizing loss and maintaining image quality by using high-pass filtering to separate modulated signal portions from the DC component.
Implementation Method 1
a light synthesizer that synthesizes the plurality of optical signals respectively output from the plurality of optical fiber cables, to output a synthesized optical signal
Implementation Method 2
a light amount detector that detects an output light amount of the synthesized optical signal from the light synthesizer
Implementation Method 3
an image modulator that modulates the synthesized optical signal from the light synthesizer according to an input image signal to output a modulated image light
Implementation Method 4
a plurality of semiconductor light sources that drive semiconductor light source elements to respectively output a plurality of optical signals
Data Source
AI summary
An image display system includes semiconductor light sources that output optical signals including modulated signal portions at timings different from each other, optical fiber cables that respectively transmit the optical signals, a light synthesizer that synthesizes the optical signals to output a synthesized optical signal, a light amount detector that detects an output light amount of the synthesized optical signal, a modulated signal detector that detects the modulated signal portions from the detected output light amount, an image modulator that modulates the synthesized optical signal according to an input image signal to output a modulated image light, and a light source controller that outputs drive control signals for respectively outputting the optical signals respectively including the modulated signal portions according to the image signal, and detects a failure of the optical fiber cables based on whether a modulated signal portion among the plurality of modulated signal portions is detected.