Illumination device and image projection apparatus comprising the device

• US 6,254,246 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Assets 84 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC), MEC Management, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Tiao, Kuo-Tung, Chuang, Fu-Ming, Chen, Kuang-Vu, Yoo, Jinn-Chou
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alavi, Ali
• Application Number:
  US09/411,622
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 362/268, 362/19, 362/800, 362/331, 362/332, 362/31, 362/27
• US Class Current: 362/614
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/10 comprising a two-dimensional array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

An illumination device and an image display apparatus using the same. The illumination device comprising a light source, an illumination uniformizing device, and a polarization converter. The image display apparatus comprises an illumination device provided in the invention, a synthesizing means, and a projection means.

The illumination uniformizing device has an incident plane for receiving a light emitted from the light source. Opposite the incident plane, a mirror is used as a side plane of the illumination uniformizing device to reflect the light coming from the incident plane. A bottom plane at a lower side and projection plane at an upper side of the incident plane are disposed between the incident plane and the side plane. A scattering pattern gradually condensed from the incident side toward the side plane is formed on the bottom plane, so that the light incident from the incident plane is made uniform.

Claims

1. An illumination device, comprising:

a light source, comprising an array of a plurality of light emitting devices, and

an illumination uniformizing means in a form of a back light panel, further comprising;

an incident plane;

a bottom plane and a projection plane disposed opposite thereto, the bottom plane and the projection plane being connected to the incident plane at a lower side and an upper side thereof, respectively, the bottom plane further comprising a scattering pattern for uniformizing a light incident from the incident plane; and

a side plane, disposed opposite the incident plane, the side plane having an upper side connected to the projection plane and a lower side connected to the bottom plane;

wherein

the scattering pattern comprises a plurality of triangle patterns each of which has a top interior angle originating from the incident plane and a bottom side located at the side plane.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting devices comprises one of light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes, laser diode, field emission display, and cold cathode fluorescence lamp.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a polarization converter disposed between the illumination uniformizing means and a light valve.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the polarization converter further comprises a plurality of ¼

wavelength plates and a plurality of polarization beam splitters, the ¼

wavelength plates being disposed in front of the polarization beam splitters, and the polarization beam splitters being arranged in a zigzag shape, each of the polarization beam splitter having a right angle with the adjacent polarization beam splitter.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the polarization converter further comprises a plurality of polarization beam splitters and a plurality of ½

wavelength plates, the polarization beam splitters being arranged parallel to each other with an tilt angle to an incident light, and the ½

wavelength plates each being disposed in front of every other of the polarization beam splitters with a right angle to the incident light.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination uniformizing device further comprises a plurality of columnar light converging lenses and a plurality of mirrors alternately disposed on the projection plane as an array.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein each columnar lenses includes a collimate cylindrical lens.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein each columnar light converging lens further comprises a row of light converging lenses.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the columnar light converging lens comprises Fresnel type lenses.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the scattering pattern on the bottom plane of the illumination uniformizing means comprises a scattering pattern gradually condensed from the incident plane towards the side plane.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the scattering pattern comprises a plurality of lines gradually diffusing from the side plane toward the incident plane.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the back light panel has a wedge shape wherein the distance between the bottom plane and the projection plane is greater at the incident plane than at the side plane.