1. An image generation unit for projecting an image at a projection screen comprising:
an illumination unit configured to generate a plurality of coherent sub-beams and to illuminate an image modulator, the illumination unit including a light source;
a projection lens configured to superimpose each of the coherent sub-beams onto the projection screen plane, an optical set-up configured to introduce angles between each two of the sub-beams, which are chosen to produce uncorrelated speckle patterns in the projection screen plane, resulting in an interference speckle pattern; and
a phase modulator including a liquid crystal cell configured to change its directory profile in a lateral manner, thereby able to change the phase of light of each sub-beam individually and to change its directory profile in a temporal manner individually for each sub-beam such that a resulting interference speckle pattern in the image plane changes and is uncorrelated from previous interference speckle patterns and the change is so fast, that during an integration time of a detector, speckle contrast of a resulting time-averaged interference speckle pattern is reduced compared with a not time-averaged interference speckle pattern.
2. An image generation unit according to claim 1, wherein the angles are chosen to be at least half of an aperture angle of a detector to detect the image at the projection screen.
3. An image generation unit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal cell contains a nematic liquid crystal.
4. An image generation unit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal cell contains a polymer dispersed liquid crystal.
5. An image generation unit according to claim 1, wherein the light source includes a laser and a beam expander to build an expanded beam, represented by the sub-beams, and
the optical set-up comprises a first and a second integrator plate and a condenser, whereby the integrator plates include a plurality of lens segments having a rectangular shape, whereby each such lens segment of the first integrator plate is imaged by a corresponding lens segment of the second integrator plate and a condensor lens onto the image plane.
6. An image generation unit according to claim 5, wherein the beam expander includes a combination of concave and convex lenses.
7. An image generation unit according to claim 5, wherein the beam expander includes a combination of a diffuser and a convex lens.
8. An image generation unit according to claim 5, wherein the beam expander includes a combination of a moving mirror and a convex lens.
9. Am image generation unit according to claim 1, wherein the phase modulator is situated in or close to an aperture stop of the projection lens.
10. A method to use the image generation unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the superimposed sub-beams produces a speckle pattern in the image plane and so a resulting interference speckle pattern in the image plane is built, and
the phase modulator changes its directory profile in the temporal manner individually for each sub-beam such that the resulting interference speckle pattern in the image plane changes and is uncorrelated from the previous interference speckle patterns and the change is so fast, that during an integration time of a detector, the speckle contrast of the resulting time-averaged interference speckle pattern is reduced compared with the not time-averaged interference speckle pattern.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An engine combination for generating forces, the engine combination comprising:
a gas turbine engine having an air inlet open to the atmosphere, an air compressor, a combustor, a turbine with an exhaust manifold thereabout from which fluids can be transferred to the turbine and an exhaust exit nozzle open to the atmosphere all positioned along a fluids flow path passing therethrough for generating force, the air compressor having an air transfer duct extending therefrom so as to be capable to provide compressed air in that air transfer duct at one end thereof; and
an internal combustion engine provided as an intermittent combustion engine having an air intake and an exhaust outlet each coupled to combustion chambers therein and a rotatable output shaft also coupled to those combustion chambers for generating force, the air transfer duct being connected at an opposite end to the air intake to be capable of transferring compressed air thereto, the exhaust outlet having an exhaust transfer duct extending therefrom so as to have the intermittent combustion engine be capable to provide exhaust therefrom in that exhaust transfer duct at one end thereof, and the exhaust transfer duct being connected at an opposite end thereof to the exhaust manifold to be capable of transferring intermittent combustion engine exhaust thereto.
2. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a control valve at least partially in the air transfer duct which can be selectively directed to open more or close more to thereby selectively affect the passage of compressed air through the air duct.
3. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a primary electrical generator having a rotatable input shaft mechanically coupled through a coupler to the intermittent combustion engine output shaft and having an output conductor, the output conductor being electrically energized in response to rotation of the input shaft.
4. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a supplemental electrical generator having a rotatable input shaft coupled through a coupler to the turbine of the gas turbine engine, the supplemental electrical generator having an output conductor which is electrically energized in response to rotation of the input shaft thereof.
5. The combination of claim 4 further comprising a clutch as part of the coupler which can be selectively directed to engage or disengage to thereby selectively complete the coupling to cause the supplemental electrical generator input shaft to be rotated.
6. The combination of claim 1 further comprising an electrical starter having a rotatable operation shaft coupled through a coupler to the air compressor of the gas turbine engine such that the starter can be selectively directed to rotate a rotor in the air compressor or to have a rotor in the starter to be rotated by the air compressor to generate electrical power.
7. The combination of claim 6 further comprising a clutch as part of the coupler which can be selectively directed to engage or disengage to thereby selectively complete the coupling to allow the starter to be selectively directed to rotate a rotor in the air compressor or to allow a rotor in the starter to be rotated by the air compressor.
8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the intermittent combustion engine is positioned at least in part forward of the gas turbine engine in an aircraft propelled by the gas turbine engine.
9. The combination of claim 1 wherein the engine combination is in an aircraft propelled by the gas turbine engine that is a turbofan engine.
10. A method of generating force and electrical power using an engine combination of a gas turbine engine having an air inlet open to the atmosphere, an air compressor, a combustor, a turbine with an exhaust manifold thereabout from which fluids can be transferred to the turbine and an exhaust exit nozzle open to the atmosphere all positioned along a fluids flow path passing therethrough and of an internal combustion engine provided as an intermittent combustion engine having an air intake and an exhaust outlet each coupled to combustion chambers therein, a fuel system coupled to those combustion chambers and a rotatable output shaft also coupled to those combustion chambers, there being an air transfer duct extending from the air compressor to the air intake to transfer compressed air to the air intake from the air compressor and there being an exhaust transfer duct extending from the exhaust outlet to the exhaust manifold to transfer exhaust to exhaust manifold from the intermittent combustion engine, the method comprising:
operating the gas turbine engine to establish a combustion products flow out the exhaust exit nozzle;
distributing air compressed in the air compressor of the gas turbine engine to the air intake of the intermittent combustion engine; and
distributing exhaust generated in the intermittent combustion engine to the exhaust manifold.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising a control valve between the air compressor and the air intake which can be selectively directed to open more or close more to thereby selectively affect the passage of compressed air through the air duct with the engine combination being in an aircraft, and altering the amount of compressed air passing to the air intake based at least in part on the altitude of the aircraft.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising an electrical power generator having an input shaft coupled to the output shaft of the intermittent combustion engine with the electrical power generator having output conductors which are electrically energized by rotating the input shaft, and selecting quantities of fuel to be injected into the combustion chambers of the intermittent combustion engine based at least in part on the demand for electrical power at the output conductors of the electrical power generator.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the intermittent combustion engine having an exhaust manifold coupled to combustion chambers therein, a turbine with an output shaft positioned at an output of the exhaust manifold, and an electrical power generator having an input shaft coupled to the output shaft of the turbine with the electrical power generator having output conductors which are electrically energized by rotating the input shaft thereof, and directing combustion products provided by the intermittent combustion engine in the exhaust manifold during its operation through the output of the exhaust manifold to impinge on the turbine.
14. The method of claim 10 further comprising an electrical power generator having an input shaft and output conductors which are electrically energized by rotating the input shaft thereof with the input shaft coupled through a clutch to a selected one of the air compressor and the turbine in the gas turbine engine, and selectively engaging and disengaging the clutch to cause the input shaft to rotate or not.
15. A power generation system for propelling, and generating electrical power in, an aircraft, the system comprising:
a turbofan engine in an engine compartment in the aircraft with an air inlet in the aircraft open to the atmosphere and leading to an air compressor in the turbofan engine followed by a combustor, a turbine with an exhaust manifold thereabout from which fluids can be transferred to the turbine and an exhaust exit nozzle open to the atmosphere, the air compressor having an air transfer duct extending therefrom so as to be capable of providing compressed air therein and to the combustor;
an internal combustion engine provided as an intermittent combustion engine in the aircraft having an air intake and an exhaust outlet each coupled to combustion chambers therein, a rotatable output shaft also coupled to those combustion chambers for generating force, and a fuel system for providing fuel to those combustion chambers, the air transfer duct being connected to the air intake to transfer compressed air thereto, the exhaust outlet having an exhaust transfer duct extending therefrom so as to have the intermittent combustion engine be capable to provide exhaust therefrom in that exhaust transfer duct at one end thereof, and the exhaust transfer duct being connected at an opposite end thereof to the exhaust manifold to be capable of transferring intermittent combustion engine exhaust thereto, and
a primary electrical generator in the aircraft having a rotatable input shaft mechanically coupled through a coupler to the intermittent combustion engine output shaft and having an output conductor with the output conductor being electrically energized in response to rotation of the input shaft.
16. The combination of claim 15 further comprising a control valve at least partially in the air transfer duct which can be selectively directed to open more or close more to thereby selectively affect the passage of compressed air through the air duct.
17. The combination of claim 15 wherein the aircraft is an unmanned stealth type aircraft.
18. The combination of claim 17 wherein the intermittent combustion engine is positioned at least in part forward of the gas turbine engine in an aircraft propelled by the turbofan engine.
19. The combination of claim 15 further comprising a supplemental electrical generator having a rotatable input shaft coupled through a coupler to the turbine of the turbofan engine, the supplemental electrical generator having an output conductor which is electrically energized in response to rotation of the input shaft thereof.
20. The combination of claim 19 further comprising a clutch as part of the coupler which can be selectively directed to engage or disengage to thereby selectively complete the coupling to cause the supplemental electrical generator input shaft to be rotated.
21. The combination of claim 15 further comprising the aircraft having selectively operated electrical power consumption devices therein electrically connected or connectable to the output conductor of the primary electrical generator to receive electrical power therefrom.