IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND LIGHT SOURCE UNIT

• US 20070070303A1
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: YONEKUBO, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,142,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/94
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/16 Cooling; Preventing overheating
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2033 LED or laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/12 using beam-splitting or beam-combining systems, e.g. dichroic mirrors
• 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 9/315 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 apparatus includes: a plurality of laser beam sources which emit different color light beams; a plurality of light modulators which modulate the light beams emitted from the laser beam sources; and a projection element which projects the light beams modulated by the light modulators, wherein the light modulators are disposed such that the light beams are incident from different directions, and the laser beam sources are concentrated in a single position.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of laser beam sources that emit different color light beams;

a plurality of light modulators that modulate the light beams emitted from the laser beam sources, the light modulators being disposed such that the light beams are incident from different directions; and

a projection element that projects the light beams modulated by the light modulators,

the laser beam sources being concentrated with regard to their relative positions.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a common cooler that cools the laser beams sources.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination equalizing element that equalizes distribution of the light beams emitted from the laser beam sources.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 3, the illumination equalizing element being a diffraction optical element that converts the light beams emitted from the laser beam sources so as to fit a shape and size of irradiated surfaces of the light modulators.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 4, the diffraction optical element including a base and a plurality of notches, each having a depth according to a wavelength of light beams emitted from the laser beam sources, that are formed on the base in positions where the light beams of different wavelengths are incident.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a case body that houses at least one of the laser beam sources,

the illumination equalizing element being fastened to the case body.

7. The image display apparatus according to claim 3, an optical path being uniform between the illumination equalizing element and the light modulators.

8. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a common light diffusion member that diffuses the light beams emitted from the laser beam sources.

9. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, at least one of the laser beam sources being an infrared laser source, and

further comprising an infrared cut filter disposed between the at least one infrared laser source and the light modulators.

10. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, the light modulators being a plurality of liquid crystal panels corresponding to each of the color light beams emitted from the laser beam sources, and including a color compositor that composites each of the color light beams emitted from the liquid crystal panels and emits the composed color light beams onto the projection element.

11. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a case body that houses at least one of the laser beam sources.

12. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a wavelength converting element that converts a wavelength of a light beam emitted from at least one of the laser beam sources into a specific wavelength.

13. A light source unit for use with an image display apparatus that includes a light modulator that modulates a laser beam and a projection element that projects the modulated laser beam, the light source unit comprising:

a plurality of laser beam sources that emit different color light beams;

a case body that contains at least one of the laser beam sources; and

a diffraction optical element that converts the light beams emitted from the laser beam sources so as to fit a shape and size of an irradiated surface of the light modulator, the diffraction optical element being disposed in the case body.

14. The light source unit according to claim 13, the diffraction optical element including a base and a plurality of notches, each having a depth according to a wavelength of light beams emitted from the laser beam sources, that are formed on the base in positions where the light beams of different wavelengths are incident.

15. The light source unit according to claim 13, at least one of the laser beam sources being an infrared laser source, and

further comprising an infrared cut filter disposed between the at least one infrared laser source and the light modulator.

16. An image display apparatus, comprising:

at least two light beam sources that each emit a light beam, the at least two light beam sources disposed adjacent to each other;

at least two light modulators that each modulate the light beam emitted from one of the at least two light beam sources;

a projection element that projects the modulated light beams; and

a single cooler that cools the at least two light beam sources by virtue of the light beam sources being disposed adjacent to each other.