LIGHT SOURCE DEVICE AND PROJECTOR

• US 20080247022A1
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: TAKEDA, Takashi, YAMAUCHI, Taisuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,029,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/211
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/117 Adjustment of the optical path length
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/48 Laser speckle optics
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/08 Synthesising holograms, i.e. holograms synthesized from objects or objects from hologramsusing electric digital computers G06F; G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/085 Kinoform, i.e. phase only encoding wherein the computed field is processed into a distribution of phase differences

Abstract

A light source device which produces illumination light for illuminating a target illumination area on a predetermined light receiving surface includes: a light source which emits light; a superimposing illumination element which superimposes the light emitted from the light source and applies the light to the target illumination area; an optical path converting unit disposed on an optical path between the light source and the superimposing illumination element to convert the optical path of the light emitted from the light source and supply the light having the converted optical path to the superimposing illumination element; and a shift unit which shifts the optical path converting unit.

Claims

1. A light source device which produces illumination light for illuminating a target illumination area on a predetermined light receiving surface, comprising:

a light source which emits light;

a superimposing illumination element which superimposes the light emitted from the light source and applies the light to the target illumination area;

an optical path converting unit disposed on an optical path between the light source and the superimposing illumination element to convert the optical path of the light emitted from the light source and supply the light having the converted optical path to the superimposing illumination element; and

a shift unit which shifts the optical path converting unit.

2. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the optical path converting unit is a reflection member which reflects the light emitted from the light source toward the superimposing illumination element.

3. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the optical path converting unit is a prism which refracts the light emitted from the light source toward the superimposing illumination element.

4. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the shift unit shifts the optical path converting unit such that the center axis of light released from the optical path converting unit is moved by parallel displacement.

5. The light source device according to claim 4, wherein the shift unit reciprocates the optical path converting unit.

6. The light source device according to claim 4, wherein the shift unit continuously moves the optical path converting unit.

7. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein:

the plural optical path converting units are provided on the same optical path of the light emitted from the light source; and

the shift unit always shifts at least one of the plural optical path converting units.

8. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein:

the plural light sources and optical path converting units are provided,

the shift unit always shifts at least one of the plural optical path converting units; and

each of the optical path converting units converts the optical path of light emitted from at least one of the plural light sources and supplies the light having the converted optical path to the superimposing illumination element.

9. A projector, comprising:

the light source according to claim 1;

a light modulation device which modulates the light emitted from the light source according to an image signal; and

a projection device which projects an image formed by the light modulation device.