In and around 2012, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Beam smartphone that introduced a pico projector. While the idea was interesting, it never found applications and more importantly a market for the device. Samsung is now thinking of resurrecting the idea but as a mobile projector accessory for Galaxy smartphones and other computers.
Early last month the US Patent & Trademark Office published a granted patent from Samsung relating to a new kind of portable projector that could sit on a table, like our cover graphic illustrates, or be easily attached to a wall to show slides, pictures, videos or simply watch live TV. The projection system could be controlled by a smartphone or any other kind of computer such as a tablet, laptop, desktop, wearable device like a smartwatch or even a set-top-box.
Samsung's patent FIG. 2A below is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary system in which an electronic device communicates with an external device.
The network #200 noted above may be a telecommunications network, a computer network, the Internet, the Internet of things (IOT), a telephone network, or any combination thereof. The network may also include a near field communication (NFC) network, a Bluetooth (BT) network, a Wi-Fi network, a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) network, an infrared communication network, a laser beam network, or any combination thereof.
Both our cover graphic which represents Samsung's FIG. 1A and the first images below in FIG. 1B are reference diagrams showing an exemplary electronic projection device.
Samsung's patent FIGS. 18A and 18B re diagrams showing an exemplary relationship between an electronic device and an attachment member; FIG. 3C shows an exemplary projection module that utilizes a digital light processing (DLP) system.
The DLP Display System
Being that this is the heart of this invention, we'll highlight what Samsung describes.
"In FIG. 3C, the projection module (#160) utilizing the DLP display system may include an electronic circuit (#161) and an optical module (#162).
The electronic circuit may include a multimedia processor (#41) configured to convert a received image signal into image data having a format for driving a DMD (#49) and provide the image data to the Digital Micro-mirror Display (DMD 49), a power manager (#43) configured to perform power management on the DLP display system (#160), an application processor (#44), an illumination driver (#45) configured to drive a display lamp (#47), and a display controller (#42) configured to control elements of the electronic circuit.
The optical module may include the display lamp configured to emit white light using supplied power and direct the emitted white light to the DMD through a color wheel, a lens module (#48) including a condenser lens for collecting and focusing the light and a prism for reflecting the light passing through the condenser lens, the DMD configured to convert the light reflected by the prism into an image and reflect the image toward a screen, and a projection lens (#50) configured to project the light reflected by the DMD toward the screen.
Here, the DMD may be composed of about 1.3 million micro mirrors. The DMD may determine an on/off state of each of the mirrors according to the image data provided by the multimedia processor. Each mirror may selectively reflect the light directed by the display lamp and thus the DMD may display an image on the screen. That is, the DMD may control light with red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors reflected by the mirrors included in the DMD based on the image data provided by the multimedia processor. Accordingly, the DMD may display an image on the screen.
In the DLP display system shown in FIG. 3C, the optical module including an illumination system/DMD may cause high power consumption. When a user need not necessarily be seeing content or when the installation is not yet completed, the optical module may be powered off or have its power consumption reduced in order to prevent high power consumption. Accordingly, the electronic device may be utilized for a long time.
Later in the patent filing Samsung continues its description of the DLP display system and more: "A scheme in which the optical module projects light includes digital light processing (DLP), liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), liquid crystal display (LCD), 3LCD, laser projection, and the like.
DLP is a projection display scheme that utilizes a digital micro-mirror display (DMD), which is one of screen display elements.
The LCOS scheme may also include performing projection using an LCOS panel that performs displaying by defining a pixel by a plurality of scan lines and data lines, including a crystal having a predetermined molecule arrangement, and transmitting and reflecting light input from the outside through the crystal.
The 3LCD scheme includes an LCD to which lamp light is transmitted and which is divided into three parts. The 3LCD uses red, blue, and green into which each color is divided before an image originating from the lamp is enlarged by a lens through an LCD panel. A projector may also be implemented in the 3LCD scheme. In addition, similar to an LCD, the projector using one LCD panel may also be provided.
Furthermore, the laser scheme may include a light source that consists of a red light emitting device, a green light emitting device, and a blue light emitting device, an optical tunnel to which laser light emitted from the light source is incident, and a display device configured to project an image onto a screen using the laser light incident through the optical tunnel. The laser scheme may also include, as a projection module, a structure including a synthesis module for performing synthesis by transmitting or reflecting some colors of the laser light emitted from the light source and a speckle remover for removing speckles by irregularly changing a phase of the laser light synthesized through the synthesis module.
Random Notes about this Invention
The interface may include, for example, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) and a Universal Serial Bus (USB). Additionally or alternatively, the interface may include, for example, a Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) interface, a Secure Digital (SD) card interface, a MultiMedia Card (MMC) interface, or an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) interface.
The electronic device #100 may further include a processing device (e.g., a GPU) for supporting a mobile television feature. The processing device for supporting the mobile television feature may process media data according to a standard such as digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting (DVB), or media flow.
The sensor module may be an array of sensors that measure a physical quantity or sense an operation state of the electronic device and may convert the measured or sensed information into an electric signal. The sensor module may include, for example, a gesture sensor; a gyro sensor; an acceleration sensor; an ultrasonic sensor; an infrared sensor; a Hall effect sensor; a proximity sensor; 140G; and an illumination sensor.
Additionally or alternatively, the sensor module may include, for example, an E-nose sensor; an electromyography (EMG) sensor; an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor; an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor; an iris sensor; a fingerprint sensor; a pressure sensor, etc.
The patent spends some time describing how the device could be set up on a wall using various methods such as setting up a wall mount that could support a magnetic ring to which the projector can be attached to.
In one example the patent states that "an attachment part that is attached to an attachment surface (i.e., installation surface) may be formed with an adhesive tape, an adhesive material, a magnet, a hanger structure, a nail, a staple, or a combination thereof. Thus, an electronic device may be attached and installed in various places without regard to a change of materials on various installation surfaces, such as glass, a magnetic material, and a desk."
Samsung Electronics filed for this invention in the U.S. back in Q3 2017 and granted the patent earlier in June. It's unknown when Samsung's patented projector accessory may come to market or even if it comes to market, as not all patents materialize into products.
With that said, the projector could replace a TV, possibly be used in country cabin, hotel room, used on kitchen table at home or in a mobile camper or used at the office as a presentation device. This projector accessory has a lot of potential that would give Galaxy Phones an advantage over their competitor's smartphones. But as always, only time will tell if Samsung will pull the trigger.
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