Light guiding apparatus, lighting apparatus, space modulation part, and image projection apparatus

• US 20060028838A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Imade, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,168,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/602
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0994 Fibers, light pipes optical fibers per se G02B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/315 Modulator illumination systems general applications of lighting devices F21V; general optical systems G02B; lamp houses for projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/20

Abstract

A light guiding apparatus has a first transparent member, a second transparent member, and a transparent member holding portion. The first transparent member has a light entry surface, a first side surface at which guidance of light by way of complete reflection of the emitted light is performed when the second transparent member is separated, and the emitted light is transmitted into the second transparent member when the second transparent member is in contact, and a first light emitting end surface. The second transparent member has a second side surface, and a third side surface at which when the two side surfaces are in contact with each other, guidance of light toward at least the first light emitting end surface by way of complete reflection of the emitted light is performed.

Claims

1. A light guiding apparatus which guides emitted light emitted from a light source, comprising:

a first transparent member which is solid;

a second transparent member which is solid and is moved relatively to the first transparent member to take a contact position where the second transparent member is in contact with the first transparent member or a separate position where the second transparent member is separated from the first transparent member; and

a transparent member holding portion which moves the second transparent member relatively to the first transparent member, and holds the second transparent member in one of the contact or separate position,

wherein the first transparent member is provided with a light entry surface into which the emitted light enters, a first side surface in which light guidance is performed to the emitted light entering the light entry surface by way of complete reflection by an inner surface thereof when the second transparent member is in the separate position, and in which the emitted light is transmitted into the second transparent member when the second transparent member is in contact, and a first light emitting end surface which emits the emitted light which is guided, and

wherein the second transparent member is provided with a second side surface which faces the first side surface so that the second side surface can contact the first side surface, and a third side surface in which, when the second side surface and the first side surface are in contact with each other, light guidance toward at least the first light emitting end surface is performed to the emitted light which is entering the second side surface by way of complete reflection by an inner surface thereof.

3. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member holding portion is provided with an elastic body which presses the second transparent member toward a direction of the first transparent member, and a separation portion which reverses a pressed state created by the elastic body.

4. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the separation portion is an electromagnet.

5. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the separation portion is provided with a rotation portion which drives the first transparent member and the second transparent member to rotate about a normal line which passes through a center of the first light emitting end surface as a rotation axis so as to cause the second transparent member to generate centrifugal force which is greater than a pressing force of the elastic body.

6. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a direction of a normal line of the first light emitting end surface is a direction of a longitudinal axis of the first transparent member; and

the second transparent member has a second light emitting end surface which emits at least one of the emitted light entering the second side surface and the emitted light guided by the third side surface, and is arranged along the direction of the longitudinal axis.

7. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

when a profile of the first transparent member viewed perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first transparent member is a first profile, a cross-section of the first profile gradually enlarges from a side of the light entry surface to a side of the first light emitting end surface; and

when a profile of the second transparent member viewed perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first transparent member is a second profile, a cross-section of the second profile gradually enlarges from a side of the light entry surface to a side of the first light emitting end surface.

8. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

when a profile of the first transparent member viewed perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first transparent member is a first profile, a cross-section of the first profile gradually enlarges from a side of the light entry surface to a side of the first light emitting end surface;

when a profile of the second transparent member viewed perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first transparent member is a second profile, a cross-section of the second profile gradually gets smaller from a side of the light entry surface to a side of the first light emitting end surface; and

cross-sections of a total profile, which is composed of the first profile and the second profile which are formed when the second transparent member is in the contact position, are approximately the same at unprescribed positions in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

9. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

when a profile of the first transparent member viewed perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first transparent member is a first profile, cross-sections of the first profile are approximately the same at unprescribed positions in the direction of the longitudinal axis; and

when a profile of the second transparent member viewed perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first transparent member is a second profile, a cross-section of the second profile gradually enlarges from a side of the light entry surface to a side of the first light emitting end surface.

10. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein both the first side surface and the second side surface are planar surfaces.

11. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an index of refraction of a medium which constitutes the first transparent member and an index of refraction of a medium which constitutes the second transparent member are the same.

12. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the light entry surface is a planar surface viewed perpendicularly to a normal line of the first light emitting end surface;

a total light emitting surface is formed by the first light emitting end surface and the second light emitting end surface in a state in which the second transparent member is in the contact position; and

the light entry surface and the total light emitting surface have similar shapes to each other.

13. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

a plurality of parts of the first side surface are arranged in axial symmetry with respect to the longitudinal axis; and

a plurality of parts of the second transparent member are arranged so that the second side surface faces each first side surface so that the second side surface can contact the first side surface.

14. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a light absorbing portion which absorbs the emitted light is arranged at the second light emitting end surface.

15. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a light reflection portion which reflects the emitted light is arranged at the second light emitting end surface.

16. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a first light reflection portion which is approximately parallel to the first light emitting end surface and reflects the emitted light is arranged near the light entry surface of the first transparent member.

17. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a second light reflection portion which is approximately parallel to the second light emitting end surface, and reflects the emitted light is arranged on the second transparent member near the light entry surface.

18. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a quantity of light detection portion which detects a quantity of light of a part of the emitted light which reaches the light absorbing portion or the light reflection portion.

20. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a light guiding apparatus according to claim 1;

a light source portion which emits the emitted light; and

a mode selection portion which selects one of a wide angle light emitting mode in which wide angle light emitting is performed and a narrow angle light emitting mode in which narrow angle light emitting is performed as a light emitting mode in which light is emitted from the light guiding apparatus,

wherein the wide angle light emitting mode is in a state in which the second transparent member is separated from the first transparent member, and the narrow angle light emitting mode is in a state in which the second transparent member is in contact with the first transparent member.

21. A lighting apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a reflection surface from which the emitted light emitted from the light source portion is reflected once, and enters the first transparent member.

24. An image projection apparatus which projects an image according to image information which is input so that an observer observes the image, comprising:

the lighting apparatus according to claim 20;

a space modulation part which is modulated according to the image information which is input;

a light emitting optical portion which guides the emitted light emitted from at the least first light emitting end surface, and illuminates the space modulation part; and

a projection optical portion which projects an image which is cast by the light emitting optical portion, and is modulated by the space modulation part.

25. An image projection apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the space modulation part is modulated according to image information which is input and comprises a plurality of light guiding apparatuses wherein:

a light absorbing portion which absorbs the emitted light is arranged on the first light emitting end surface;

the second transparent member has a second light emitting end surface which emits at least one of the emitted light entering the second side surface and the emitted light guided by the third side surface, and is arranged along the direction of the longitudinal axis;

in the light guiding apparatuses, normal lines of the light entry surfaces are parallel to each other, and normal lines of the second light emitting end surfaces are parallel to each other;

the first transparent member and the second transparent member are right-angled prisms;

the light entry surface and the first light emitting end surface are perpendicularly arranged; and

the second side surface and the second light emitting end surface are arranged in contact with each other at an angle of 45 degrees.

26. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a quantity of light detection portion which detects a quantity of light of a part of the emitted light which reaches the light absorbing portion or the light reflection portion.

27. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a light absorbing portion which absorbs the emitted light is arranged on the first light emitting end surface.

28. A space modulation part which is modulated according to image information which is input, comprising:

a plurality of light guiding apparatuses according to claim 27,

wherein, in the light guiding apparatuses, normal lines of the light entry surfaces are parallel to each other, and normal lines of the second light emitting end surfaces are parallel to each other.

2. A light guiding apparatus which guides emitted light emitted from a light source, comprising:

a first transparent member which is solid;

a second transparent member which is solid and is moved relatively to the first transparent member to take a contact position where the second transparent member is in contact with the first transparent member or a separate position where the second transparent member is separated from the first transparent member; and

a transparent member holding portion which moves the second transparent member relatively to the first transparent member, and holds the second transparent member in one of the contact or separate position,

wherein the first transparent member is provided with a light entry surface into which the emitted light enters, a first side surface in which light guidance is performed to the emitted light entering the light entry surface by way of complete reflection by an inner surface thereof when the second transparent member is in the separate position, and in which the emitted light is transmitted into the second transparent member when the second transparent member is in the contact position, and a first light emitting end surface which emits the emitted light which is guided, and

wherein the second transparent member is provided with a second side surface which faces the first side surface so that the second side surface can contact the first side surface, and a second light emitting end surface which emits the emitted light entering the second side surface.

19. A light guiding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a light absorbing portion which absorbs the emitted light is arranged on the first light emitting end surface.

22. A space modulation part which is modulated according to image information which is input, comprising:

a plurality of light guiding apparatuses according to claim 19,

wherein, in the light guiding apparatuses, normal lines of the light entry surfaces are parallel to each other, and normal lines of the second light emitting end surfaces are parallel to each other.

23. A space modulation part according to claim 22, wherein:

the first transparent member and the second transparent member are right-angled prisms;

the light entry surface and the first light emitting end surface are perpendicularly arranged; and

the second side surface and the second light emitting end surface are arranged in contact with each other at an angle of 45 degrees.