PROJECTOR

• US 20120200830A1
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: YANAI, Hiroaki, MORIKUNI, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 9,039,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/20
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• 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 9/3152 for shaping the light beam beam shaping per se G02B27/09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3197 using light modulating optical valves

Abstract

A projector includes: a light source device; a light modulation device adapted to modulate a light beam emitted from the light source device; a light transmissive substrate adapted to transmit the light beam modulated by the light modulation device; and a projection optical device adapted to project the light beam transmitted through the light transmissive substrate, wherein the light modulation device includes a first light modulation unit having a plurality of pixels arranged, the pixels having colors different from each other, and the light transmissive substrate is disposed so as to be tilted with respect to an imaginary plane perpendicular to a light axis of the light beam modulated by the first light modulation unit.

Claims

1. A projector comprising:

a light source device;

a light modulation device adapted to modulate a light beam emitted from the light source device;

a light transmissive substrate adapted to transmit the light beam modulated by the light modulation device; and

a projection optical device adapted to project the light beam transmitted through the light transmissive substrate,

wherein the light modulation device includes a first light modulation unit having a plurality of pixels arranged, the pixels having colors different from each other, and

the light transmissive substrate is disposed so as to be tilted with respect to an imaginary plane perpendicular to a light axis of the light beam modulated by the first light modulation unit.

2. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of pixels is arranged so that the pixels with the same color are arranged side by side along a first direction and the pixels with different colors are arranged side by side along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and

the light transmissive substrate is parallel to a plane obtained by rotating the imaginary plane around an imaginary straight line extending along the first direction.

3. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of pixels is arranged so that the pixels with different colors are disposed side by side in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

the light modulation device is composed of the first light modulation unit alone.

5. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

the light modulation device includes a second light modulation unit having a plurality of pixels arranged, the pixels having the same color, and

the projection optical device projects a light beam obtained by combining the light beam transmitted through the light transmissive substrate and a light beam modulated by the second light modulation unit.

6. The projector according to claim 5, wherein

the light transmissive substrate is formed of a reflective polarization plate, and transmits the light beam modulated by the first light modulation unit while reflecting the light beam modulated by the second light modulation unit to thereby combine the light beam modulated by the first light modulation unit and the light beam modulated by the second light modulation unit.