LIGHT SOURCE APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROJECTION APPARATUS

• US 20120320355A1
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: MAEDA, Ikuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,974,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/16 Cooling; Preventing overheating
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2013 Plural light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2033 LED or laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28

Abstract

A light source apparatus includes a light source unit that includes plural sets of a laser and a coupling lens corresponding to the laser, which are circumferentially provided to form a circle; and a reflecting unit placed within the circle and provided with plural reflecting surfaces corresponding to the lasers of the plural sets of the light source unit to be formed in a cone shape, the light irradiated from each of the lasers being injected into the corresponding reflecting surface via the corresponding coupling lens.

Claims

1. A light source apparatus comprising:

a light source unit that includes plural sets of a laser and a coupling lens corresponding to the laser, which are circumferentially provided to form a circle; and

a reflecting unit placed within the circle and provided with plural reflecting surfaces corresponding to the lasers of the plural sets of the light source unit to be formed in a cone shape, the light irradiated from each of the lasers being injected into the corresponding reflecting surface via the corresponding coupling lens.

2. The light source apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the plural light source units; and

a support member on which the plural light source units and the reflecting unit are fixed such that the lights irradiated from the lasers of the plural light source units are injected into the respective reflecting surfaces of the reflecting unit.

3. The light source apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the sets of the laser and the coupling lens of one of the light source units and the sets of the laser and the coupling lens of another of the light source units are alternately positioned in a planar view.

4. The light source apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a support member on which the lasers and the coupling lenses of the plural sets are fixed,

wherein the lasers and the coupling lenses of the plural sets are positioned such that optical axes of the irradiated lights from the lasers are directed in a thickness direction of the support member.

5. The light source apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

plural reflecting mirrors provided to change the optical paths of the lights irradiated from the respective lasers and passed through the coupling lenses toward the respective reflecting surfaces of the reflecting unit.

6. The light source apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a radiation member provided at a surface of the support member opposite to the side where the light paths of the lights irradiated from the lasers of the sets are formed, and including a flat surface formed at a center portion, a guide surface which is provided at the outer side of the flat surface to be concaved from the flat surface, and plural fins provided to be stand at the guide surface.

7. The light source apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a radiation member provided at a surface of the support member opposite to the side where the light paths of the lights irradiated from the lasers of the sets are formed, and provided with a channel.

8. An image projection apparatus, comprising:

the light source apparatus according to claim 1;

an amount of light equation unit that equates the amount of the lights reflected by the reflecting surfaces of the reflecting unit of the light source apparatus;

a light transmission optical system that transmits the lights output from the amount of light equation unit to an image forming panel which forms an image; and

a projection optical system that projects an enlarged image of the image formed on the image forming panel.

9. The image projection apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

the plural light source apparatuses,

wherein the lights irradiated from the light source units and reflected by the respective reflecting surfaces of the reflecting units of the light source apparatuses are injected into the amount of light equation unit.

10. The image projection apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a diffusion unit that diffuses the lights.