Fixing plate, optical device and projector

• US 7,114,816 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yanagisawa, Yoshiyuki, Fujimori, Motoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACKMAN, ROCHELLE ANN J
• Application Number:
  US10/855,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20050012910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 353/119, 353/122, 353/30, 353/31, 353/33, 353/34, 353/81, 353/82, 348/739, 348/744, 348/750, 348/751, 348/758, 348/759, 348/771, 348/757, 349/7, 349/8, 349/58, 359/242, 359/244, 359/618, 359/629, 359/634, 359638-640
• US Class Current: 353/119
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/005 Projectors using an electronic spatial light modulator but not peculiar thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• 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 9/3144 Cooling systems cooling of liquid crystal cells in general G02F1/133382; cooling of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/16

Abstract

The invention provides a fixing plate, optical device and projector capable of preventing against color unevenness occurrence and pixel deviation. Specifically, in each of the four sides of a luminous-flux exit surface of a plate part of a fixing plate, there can alternately be formed a first cutout in a groove form extending from an opening toward an outer edge of the plate part and nearly orthogonal to a lengthwise of each side, and a second cutout in a groove form extending from the outer edge toward the opening and nearly orthogonal to the lengthwise of each side.

Claims

1. A fixing plate attached at a luminous-flux exit side of a light modulator device that modulates a luminous flux emitted from a light source in accordance with image information and forming an optical image, and that fixes the light modulator device on a color-synthesizing optical device that synthesizes colors of light exited from the light modulator device, the fixing plate comprising:

a plate part in a rectangular plate form fixing the light modulator device and formed with an opening that transmits a luminous flux exited from the light modulator device,

a cutout in a groove form being formed extending nearly orthogonal to a lengthwise of each side, in four sides of a luminous-flux incident surface or luminous-flux exit surface of the plate part.

2. The fixing plate according to claim 1, the cutout having a first cutout part extending from the opening toward an outer edge and a second cutout part extending from the outer edge toward the opening, the first cutout part and the second cutout part being alternately formed in each side.

3. An optical device having a light modulator device that modulates a luminous flux emitted from a light source in accordance with image information and forming an optical image, and a color-synthesizing optical device that synthesizes colors of light modulated by the light modulator device, the optical device comprising:

a fixing plate that fixes the light modulator device at a luminous-flux incident end face of a color-synthesizing optical device,

the fixing plate being a fixing plate according to claim 1.

4. A projector comprising the optical device according to claim 3, and a projection optical system that projects an image formed by the optical device.

5. A fixing plate attached at a luminous-flux exit side of a light modulator device that modulates a luminous flux emitted from a light source in accordance with image information and forming an optical image, and that fixes the light modulator device on a color-synthesizing optical device that synthesizes colors of light exited from the light modulator device, the fixing plate comprising:

a plate part in a rectangular plate form fixing the light modulator device and formed with an opening that transmits a luminous flux exited from the light modulator device,

a cutout in a groove form being formed extending nearly orthogonal to a lengthwise of each side, in four sides of a luminous-flux incident surface or luminous-flux exit surface of the plate part, a number of the cutouts being the value resulting when an expansion coefficient of the fixing plate is divided by an expansion coefficient of the color-synthesizing optical device and then is changed into an integer, or the above value changed into an integer is multiplied by an integer.

6. The fixing plate according to claim 5, the expansion coefficient is 7.0×

10-6 or greater and 26×

10-6 or smaller.

7. A fixing plate according to claim 6, the light modulator device having a light modulator element that modulates an incident luminous flux and a holder frame holding the light modulator element and fixed on the fixing plate, the expansion coefficient being a value nearly intermediate between the expansion coefficient of the color-synthesizing optical device and an expansion coefficient of the holder frame of the light modulator device.