ILLUMINATION SYSTEM

• US 20090059585A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Young Optics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Young Optics, Inc.
• Inventors: Chuang, Fu-Ming, Chen, S-Wei
• Application Number:
  US12/045,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059585A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/235
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/123 Multibeam scanners, e.g. using multiple light sources or beam splitters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/124 Details of the optical system between the light source and the polygonal mirror G02B26/123, G02B26/127 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0006 Arrays G02B3/02, G02B5/188 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/06 by additive-colour projection apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/08 Sequential recording or projection G03B33/02, G03B33/04, G03B33/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3111 for displaying the colours sequentially, e.g. by using sequentially activated light sources sequential projection in colour photography G03B33/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 scanning a light beam on the display screen scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3164 using multiple light sources

Abstract

An illumination system capable of providing at least one light beam to a light valve is provided. The illumination system includes at least one light source, a linearization beam shaper and an optical scanning device. The light source is capable of providing the light beam. The linearization beam shaper is disposed on a transmission path of the light beam and between the light source and the light valve to expand the light beam along a first direction. The optical scanning device is disposed on the transmission path of the light beam and between the linearization beam shaper and the light valve. The optical scanning device is capable of moving for making the light beam scan on the light valve unidirectionally along a second direction or back and forth along the second direction.

Claims

1. An illumination system, for providing at least one light beam to a light valve, comprising:

at least one light source, for providing the light beam;

a linearization beam shaper, disposed on a transmission path of the light beam and between the light source and the light valve to expand the light beam along a first direction; and

an optical scanning device, disposed on the transmission path of the light beam and between the linearization beam shaper and the light valve, wherein the optical scanning device is capable of moving for making the light beam scan the light valve unidirectionally along a second direction or back and forth along the second direction.

2. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the linearization beam shaper comprises at least one lenticular lens having at least one curve surface facing to the light source or the optical scanning device, a cutaway section line of the curve surface along the first direction is a curve line, and a cutaway section line of the curve surface along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction is a straight line.

3. The illumination system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one lenticular lens comprises a plurality of the lenticular lenses arranged along the first direction and integrated to form a lenticular lens plate.

4. The illumination system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the linearization beam shaper further comprises at least one light integration rod disposed on the transmission path of the light beam and between the light source and the lenticular lens, and a width of the light integration rod in the first direction is greater than a width of the light integration rod in the third direction.

5. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one light source comprises a plurality of the light sources, the light sources are divided into a plurality of light-emitting groups, each of the light-emitting groups is capable of providing an illumination beam, and the illumination beams provided by different light-emitting groups have different colors.

6. The illumination system as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the light-emitting groups comprises a plurality of light sources arranged in an array.

7. The illumination system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the light-emitting groups are arranged along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The illumination system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the linearization beam shaper comprises a plurality of the lenticular lenses, each of the lenticular lenses has at least one curve surface facing to the light sources or the optical scanning device, a cutaway section line of the curve surface along the first direction is a curve line, and a cutaway section line of the curve surface along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction is a straight line, and the lenticular lenses are respectively disposed on transmission paths of the illumination beams provided by the light-emitting groups.

9. The illumination system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the linearization beam shaper comprises a plurality of lenticular lens plates, each of the lenticular lens plates has a plurality of the lenticular lenses arranged along the first direction, each of the lenticular lens has at least one curve surface facing to the light sources or the optical scanning device, a cutaway section line of the curve surface along the first direction is a curve line, a cutaway section line of the curve surface along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction is a straight line, and the lenticular lenses are respectively disposed on transmission paths of the illumination beams provided by the light-emitting groups.

10. The illumination system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the linearization beam shaper comprises:

a plurality of light integration rods, respectively disposed on transmission paths of the illumination beams provided by the light-emitting groups; and

at least one lenticular lens, disposed on the transmission paths of the illumination beams and between the light integration rods and the optical scanning device, wherein the lenticular lens has at least one curve surface facing to the light integration rods or the optical scanning device, a cutaway section line of the curve surface along the first direction is a curve line, and a cutaway section line of the curve surface along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction is a straight line.

11. The illumination system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one lenticular lens comprises a plurality of lenticular lenses arranged along the first direction and integrated to form a lenticular lens plate.

12. The illumination system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the light integration rods are arranged along the third direction.

13. The illumination system as claimed in claim 10, wherein a width of each of the light integration rods in the first direction is greater than a width of each of the light integration rods in the third direction.

14. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical scanning device comprises:

a polyhedron, having a bottom surface, a top surface and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the bottom surface with the top surface; and

a reflection film, disposed on the side surfaces of the polyhedron, for reflecting the light beam from the linearization beam shaper to the light valve, wherein the polyhedron has an axis extending from the bottom surface to the top surface, and the polyhedron is capable of rotating about the axis for making the light beam scan the light valve unidirectionally along the second direction.

15. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical scanning device comprises a prismatical prism having a bottom surface, a top surface and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the bottom surface with the top surface, the prismatical prism has an axis extending from the bottom surface to the top surface, the prismatical prism is capable of rotating about the axis for making the light beam from the linearization beam shaper enter the prism through one of the side surfaces and exit the prism through another one of the side surfaces to reach the light valve, whereby the light beam scans the light valve unidirectionally along the second direction.

16. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical scanning device comprises a reflection mirror for reflecting the light beam from the linearization beam shaper to the light valve, the reflection mirror has an axis, and the reflection mirror is capable of swinging about the axis for making the light beam scan the light valve back and forth along the second direction.

17. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source is a laser or a light-emitting diode.

18. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an actuator connected to the optical scanning device for driving the optical scanning device to move.

19. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one lens disposed on the transmission path of the light beam and between the linearization beam shaper and the optical scanning device.

20. The illumination system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one lens disposed on the transmission path of the light beam and between the optical scanning device and the light valve.