Image display device and projector

• US 20060082692A1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kamijima, Shunji, Uchiyama, Shoichi, Nakamura, Junichi, Nitta, Takashi, Asahi, Tsunemori
• Application Number:
  US11/248,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20060082692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3105 for displaying all colours simultaneously, e.g. by using two or more electronic spatial light modulators simultaneous projection in colour photography G03B33/10; beam splitting or combining systems per se G02B27/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3126 for spatial light modulators in series
• 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

An image display device modulates light from a light source according to display image data and displays an image, and includes a first light modulation element that modulates light from the light source, a second light modulation element that modulates light from the first light modulation element, and an illumination optical system that leads a light beam, which has been modulated by the first light modulation element, to the second light modulation element; the illumination optical system comprising an optical element that spectrally illuminates a light beam from the first light modulation element to the second light modulation element at a predetermined position, the optical element being provided between the first light and second light modulation elements and the optical element including a prism group including prism elements, each prism element including a refractive surface that refracts an incident light in a predetermined direction.

Claims

1. An image display device for modulating light from a light source according to display image data and displaying an image, comprising:

a first light modulation element that modulates light from the light source and is arranged in a regular manner,

a second light modulation element that modulates light from the first light modulation element and is arranged in a regular manner, and

an illumination optical system that leads a light beam, which has been modulated by the first light modulation element, to the second light modulation element;

the illumination optical system comprising all optical element that spectrally illuminates a light beam from the first light modulation element to the second light modulation element at a predetermined position, the optical element being provided between the first light and second light modulation elements;

the optical element comprising a prism group including prism elements, each prism element comprising a refractive surface that refracts an incident light in a predetermined direction

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the refractive surface is arranged in a direction for leading the incident light to a region adjacent to an incidence position when the incident light travels directly through the prism group, and the refractive surface forms a predetermined angle with a reference face which is substantially perpendicular to an optical axis.

3. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the prism group includes two prism elements having a substantial trapezoid cross-sectional shape in a first direction and a longitudinal direction in a second direction that is approximately orthogonal to the first direction;

and

the two prism elements are arranged so that longitudinal directions of the two prism elements are approximately orthogonal to each other, and slanting faces of their trapezoid shapes are in correspondence with the refractive surfaces.

4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the prism elements have at least four of the refractive surfaces, which face different directions, and the optical element does not satisfy diffraction conditions.

5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the prism elements that form the prism group have at least two shapes.

6. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein an amount of displacement of a pixel of the optical system is less than a half of a pixel pitch in a predetermined direction.

7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the number of prism elements in the prism group is determined based on an F-number of the illumination optical system.

13. A projector comprising:

the image display device according to claim 1;

and

a projection section.

8. An image display device that modulates light from a light source according to display image data and displays an image, comprising:

a first light modulation element that modulates light from the light source;

a second light modulation element that modulates light incident from the first light modulation element;

a relay optical system between the first and second light modulation elements, the relay lens relaying an optical image formed by the first light modulation element onto a pixel surface of the second light modulation element;

an optical low pass filter provided between the first light modulation element and the second light modulation element; and

a micro-lens array that collects light from the optical low pass filter in each pixel of the second light modulation element.

9. The image display device according to claim 8, wherein each pixel of the first and second light modulation elements includes an opening section and a light-shield section;

and

the optical low pass filter deflects some of the light which passes through the opening sections of the first light modulation element, and overlaps this light on a dark section formed by the light-shield section of the first light modulation element.

10. The image display device according to claim 9, wherein the optical low pass filter includes a prism group including a collection of prism elements having refractive surfaces.

11. The image display device according to claim 10, wherein each of the prism elements includes a flat section and a polyangular pyramid-shaped prism section.

12. The image display device according to claim 8, wherein the micro-lens array includes a lens group that is arranged on an incident light side of the second light modulation element and in a one-to-one correspondence with the pixels of the second light modulation element

14. A projector comprising:

the image display device according to claim 8;

and

a projection section.