Image display device and adjustment for alignment

• US 6,631,994 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hiroshi, Teramoto, Kohei, Suzuki, Jiro, Shikama, Shinsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): SEVER, ANDREW T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Esplin, D. Ben
• Application Number:
  US09/852,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20010050758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 353/69, 353/98, 353/74, 353/77
• US Class Current: 353/77
• 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 13/18 with lenses having one or more non-spherical faces, e.g. for reducing geometrical aberration G02B13/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/002 Arrays of reflective systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/08 Catadioptric systems used in non-imaging applications G02B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0852 having a field corrector only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/086 wherein the system is made of a single block of optical material, e.g. solid catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0025 for optical correction, e.g. distorsion, aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/18 for optical projection, e.g. combination of mirror and condenser and objective photographic, cine and overhead projectors G03B21/00; photographic projection printing G03B27/32; photolithographic projectors G03F7/20; projection television H04N5/74; colour projection television H04N9/31
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/09 Multifaceted or polygonal mirrors , e.g. polygonal scanning mirrors; Fresnel mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/181 with means for compensating for changes in temperature or for controlling the temperature; thermal stabilisation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/28 Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/10 Projectors with built-in or built-on screen
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/16 Cooling; Preventing overheating
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/53 Means for automatic focusing, e.g. to compensate thermal effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7458 the modulator being an array of deformable mirrors, e.g. digital micromirror device [DMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/317 : Convergence or focusing systems electronic adjustment of convergence H04N9/3185; convergence or focusing arrangements for cathode ray tubes H04N9/28; means for automatic focusing of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 : including sensor feedback

Abstract

A refracting optical lens 15 is provided to project light from transmitting means onto a convex mirror 16 to correct for pincushion distortion of the convex mirror 16.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

an optical imaging arrangement for providing image information to illumination light and for transmitting said light as an optical image signal;

a display for receiving said optical image signal and for displaying an image based on said image information; and

a projecting optical arrangement including a reflecting part for reflecting said optical image signal, said reflecting part having a surface shaped to cause a pincushion distortion of light incident thereon, and a refracting optical part for projecting said optical image signal onto said reflecting part, said refracting optical part having a surface shaped to cause a barrel distortion of light incident thereon, so as to pre-correct for said pincushion distortion of said reflecting part;

wherein said display receives said optical image signal through said projecting optical arrangement.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said refracting optical part has odd-order aspherical refracting surfaces obtained by adding odd-orders term to a polynomial composed of even-order terms.

3. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said refracting optical part is provided with a curvature-of-field correcting arrangement for canceling a curvature of field of said reflecting part.

4. The image display device according to claim 3, wherein said refracting optical part is provided with:

a positive lens of positive power;

a negative lens of negative power and having a refractive index tower than that of said positive lens; and

a Petzval'"'"'s sum correcting lens for correcting for a Petzval'"'"'s sum contributing component of said reflecting part.

5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said projecting optical arrangement has an aspherical optical surface at places where principal rays of said optical image signal to be projected onto the reflecting part from said optical imaging arrangement are divergent and/or convergent.

6. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said refracting optical part comprises:

a retro-focus optical system having a positive lens group of positive power and a negative lens group of negative power; and

a refracting optical lens for fine-tuning the angle of emission of said optical image signal from said retro-focus optical system to said reflecting part.

7. The image display device according to claim 6, wherein said retro-focus optical system is composed of two positive lens groups and one negative lens group.

8. The image display device according to claim 6, wherein said retro-focus optical system is composed of one positive lens group and one negative lens group.

9. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said refracting optical part comprises:

negative lenses having an average value of refractive indexes in the range of 1.45 to 1.722 and having negative power; and

positive lenses having an average value of refractive indexes in the range of 1.722 to 1.9 and having positive power.

10. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said refracting optical part comprise:

negative lenses having an average value of Abbe'"'"'s number in the range of 25 to 38 and having negative power; and

positive lenses having an average value of Abbe'"'"'s number in the range of 38 to 60 and having positive power.

11. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said retracting optical part comprises positive lenses made of refractive materials and negative lenses made of refractive materials, the difference between average refractive indexes of said refractive materials for said positive and negative lenses is in the range of 0.04 to 1.

12. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said retracting optical part comprises positive lenses made of refractive materials and negative lenses made of refractive materials, the difference between average Abbe'"'"'s number of said refractive materials for said positive and negative lenses is in the range of 0 to 16.

13. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein a back focal length from the closest one of a plurality of lenses forming said refracting optical part to a light emitting surface of said optical imaging arrangement to said light emitting surface is equal to the distance from said light emitting surface of said optical imaging arrangement to the position of an entrance pupil of said retracting optical part.

14. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said projecting optical arrangement has negative lenses of negative power provided at the position of a low marginal ray.

15. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein said refracting optical part has positive lenses of positive power provided at the position of high marginal ray.

16. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein, letting hi represent the height of the marginal ray of light incident to said refracting optical part, hm the maximum height of the marginal ray in a positive lens disposed at the center of said refracting optical part and ho represent the height of the marginal ray of light emitted from said retracting optical part, said retracting optical part satisfies the relationships 1.05hi<

hm<

3hi and 0.3hi<

ho<

1hi.