Projection-type apparatus

• US 5,671,993 A
• Filed: 05/04/1994
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Shikama, Shinsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): DOWLING, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US08/238,067
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 353/74, 353/75, 353/76, 353/77, 353/78, 353/98, 353/99, 353/97, 348/744, 348/782, 348/786, 348/787, 348/789, 348/794, 348/836
• US Class Current: 353/77
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/04 Reversed telephoto objectives
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/16 for use in conjunction with image converters or intensifiers , or for use with projectors, e.g. objectives for projection TV
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/22 Telecentric objectives or lens systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1046 for use with transmissive spatial light modulators
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1066 for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/145 having sequential partially reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/149 using crossed beamsplitting surfaces, e.g. cross-dichroic cubes or X-cubes
• 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

Abstract

A retro-focus type lens is provided from a large conjugate side with a first lens group having a negative refracting power, a second lens group having a positive refracting power which is spaced away from the first lens group at an air interval D1, and a third lens group having a positive refracting power. The following conditions are satisfied when focal lengths of the first lens group, the second lens group, the third lens group, and a total lens system are assumed respectively as f1, f2, f3, and f:

1.8<D1/f<3.0

1.1<f2/f3<1.6

1.5<|f1|/f<2.3.

A projection lens constructed by inserting a mirror in a lens system of thus constructed retro-focus type lens is used in a projection-type display apparatus.

Claims

1. A projection-type display apparatus, comprising:

projection means including a built-in image display device and adapted to project an image displayed on the image display device in an enlarged manner;

a projection lens provided at an exiting portion of said projection means;

a first mirror provided in said projection lens for reflecting a light beam that is substantially horizontal to an upward direction;

a second mirror for reflecting a projected light beam exiting from said projection lens;

a translucent screen on which the projected light beam reflected by said second mirror is incident, to thereby form an enlarged image; and

a cabinet for accommodating said projection means and for holding said second mirror and said translucent screen;

wherein a portion of said projection means before said first mirror including the image display device is asymmetrically mounted relative to a vertical center line of said translucent screen such that said portion of said projection means is entirely disposed on one side relative to the vertical center line of said translucent screen and arranged on a plane substantially perpendicular to the projected light beam exiting from said projection lens,

wherein the projected light beam exiting from said projection lens is reflected in a substantially upward direction by said first mirror and then bent to a substantially horizontal direction by said second mirror so as to be incident upon said translucent screen.

2. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dichroic prism provided immediately before the projection lens for combining light beams of three primary colors.

3. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the projection lens is a zoom lens capable of adjusting a projection magnification.

4. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 2 wherein said dichroic prism is formed of plastic.

5. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a direction of the image display device corresponding to the horizontal direction of the screen coincides with a direction of a center ray of an exiting light beam from the projection lens.

6. A projection-type display apparatus, comprising:

projection means including a built-in image display device and adapted to project an image displayed on the image display device in an enlarged manner;

a projection lens provided at an exiting portion of the projection means;

a casing for holding an optical system of the projection means that is before the projection lens;

a first mirror provided in the projection lens for reflecting a light beam;

a second mirror for reflecting a projected light beam exiting from the projection lens;

a translucent screen on which the projected light beam reflected by the second mirror is incident, to thereby form an enlarged image; and

a cabinet for accommodating said projection means and for holding the second mirror and the screen;

wherein the casing is arranged entirely on one side relative to a vertical center line of the screen;

wherein the arrangement of the casing and the optical system the casing holds is such that the projected light beam exiting from the projection lens is reflected in a substantially upward direction by the first mirror and then reflected to a substantially horizontal direction by the second mirror so as to be incident upon the screen;

further wherein the arrangement at the casing disposes the optical system on a plane substantially perpendicular to a center ray of an exiting light beam from the projection lens; and

wherein the casing is further arranged such that an angle θ

defined between a bottom portion of the casing and a bottom portion of the cabinet is set within a specified angle range.

7. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the center ray from the projection lens exits in the vertical direction or in an oblique direction and is inclined from the vertical direction toward a rear surface of the apparatus by the angle θ

, where θ

satisfies the following condition;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0°

≦

θ

≦

20°

.

8. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a dichroic prism provided immediately before the projection lens for combining beams of three primary colors.

9. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the projection lens is a zoom lens capable of adjusting a projection magnification.

10. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a diaphragm provided in said projection lens for restricting a recipient angle of a light beam exiting from the image display device,

wherein an aperture diameter of the diaphragm is automatically adjusted according to an ambient light level.

11. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a light sensor sensing the ambient light level,

a motor for changing the aperture diameter of said diaphragm, and

a control circuit controlling said motor to change the aperture diameter of said diaphragm in accordance with the ambient light level sensed by said light sensor.

12. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 6 wherein said projection means includes a lamp illuminating the image display device and further comprising:

a control circuit controlling a level of light output from the lamp according to an ambient light level.

13. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a diaphragm provided in said projection lens for restricting a recipient angle of a light beam exiting from the image display device,

wherein an aperture diameter of the diaphragm is adjustable.

21. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 8 wherein said dichroic prism is formed of plastic.

14. A projection-type display apparatus, comprising:

projection means including a built-in image display device and adapted to project an image displayed on the image display device in an enlarged manner;

a projection lens provided at an exiting portion of the projection means;

a casing for holding an optical system of the projection means before the projection lens;

a mirror provided in the projection lens for reflecting a light beam;

a translucent screen on which the projected light beam exiting from the projection lens is incident, to thereby form an enlarged image; and

a cabinet for accommodating the projection means and for holding the screen;

wherein a center ray of the projected light beam exiting from the projection lens is reflected to a substantially horizontal direction by the mirror so as to be incident upon the screen;

an optical system in a portion of the projection means before the mirror is arranged on a plane substantially perpendicular to the center ray of an exiting light beam from the projection lens; and

a portion of the casing, provided to be substantially parallel with the plane where the optical system is arranged, is substantially parallel with the screen.

15. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a plurality of projection means are arranged in a matrix and a projected image of each projection means forms a unit image.

16. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a dichroic prism provided immediately before the projection lens for combining lights of three primary colors.

17. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the projection lens is a zoom lens capable of adjusting a projection magnification.

18. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a diaphragm provided in said projection lens for restricting a recipient angle of a light beam exiting from the image display device,

wherein an aperture diameter of the diaphragm means is automatically adjusted according to an ambient light level.

19. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a light sensor sensing the ambient light level,

a motor for changing the aperture diameter of said diaphragm, and

a control circuit controlling said motor to change the aperture diameter of said diaphragm in accordance with the ambient light level sensed by said light sensor.

20. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 14 wherein said projection means includes a lamp illuminating the image display device and further comprising:

a control circuit controlling a level of light output from the lamp according to an ambient light level.

22. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 16 wherein said dichroic prism is formed of plastic.

23. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a diaphragm provided in said projection lens for restricting a recipient angle of a light beam exiting from the image display device,

wherein an aperture diameter of the diaphragm means is adjustable.

24. A projection-type display apparatus, comprising:

projection means including a built-in image display device and adapted to project an image displayed on the image display device in an enlarged manner;

a projection lens provided at an exiting portion of the projection means;

a screen on which the projected light beam exiting from the projection lens is incident to thereby form an enlarged image;

wherein the image display device is provided with such a function that an optical characteristic within a display plane is switched between a scattering state and a transparent state according to the brightness of the displayed image.

25. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

a diaphragm provided in said projection lens for restricting a recipient angle of a light beam exiting from the image display device,

wherein an aperture diameter of the diaphragm is automatically adjusted according to an ambient light level.

26. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

a light sensor sensing the ambient light level,

a motor for changing the aperture diameter of said diaphragm, and

a control circuit controlling said motor to change the aperture diameter of said diaphragm in accordance with the ambient light level sensed by said light sensor.

27. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 24 wherein said projection means includes a lamp illuminating the image display device and further comprising:

a control circuit controlling a level of light output from the lamp according to an ambient light level.

28. The projection-type display apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

a diaphragm provided in said projection lens for restricting a recipient angle of a light beam exiting from the image display device,

wherein an aperture diameter of the diaphragm is adjustable.

29. A projection-type display apparatus, comprising:

projection means provided internally with an image display device and a lamp for illuminating the image display device, and adapted to project an image displayed on the image display device in an enlarged manner;

a projection lens provided at an exiting portion of the project means;

diaphragm means provided in the projection lens for restricting a recipient angle of a light beam incident upon the projection lens from the image display device;

a screen on which the projected light beam exiting from the projection lens is incident to thereby form an enlarged image;

a motor for causing an aperture diameter of the diaphragm means to vary;

an optical sensor for outputting an electric signal according to an amount of light incident thereon;

an amplifying circuit for amplifying an output of the optical sensor; and

a control circuit for generating a drive control signal to be applied to the motor, the lamp, or both in accordance with an output of the amplifying circuit;

wherein the aperture diameter of the diaphragm means, a drive power of the lamp, or both are changed according to an illuminated state detected by the optical sensor.

30. A projection-type display apparatus according to claim 29 wherein the image display device is provided with such a function that an optical characteristic within a display plane is switched between a scattering state and a transparent state according to the brightness of the displayed image.