Illuminating device and projector device to be mounted into electronic apparatus

• US 8,061,850 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Fujinawa, Nobuhiro, Nozaki, Hirotake
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps; Georgia Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cruz; Magda
• Application Number:
  US12/604,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20100039624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 353/52, 353/119, 353/122, 353/87, 353/85, 362/294, 362/362
• US Class Current: 353/52
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/89 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0056 Audio equipment, e.g. music instruments, radios or speakers
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0272 for a projector or beamer module assembly constructional features of projectors per se G03B21/00; constructional details of projectors using electronic spatial light modulators per se H04N9/31

Abstract

A projector module adopts a structure having an optical image forming block and an optical block integrated via a locking member. The optical image forming block adopts a structure achieved by disposing an aluminum substrate at which an LED is mounted and a liquid crystal panel in a casing constituted with a plastic material having low thermal conductivity. The locking member is formed by bending a metal sheet through a sheet metal bending process and the locking member is set in surface contact with the substrate. The optical block adopts a structure achieved by disposing a PBS and a reflecting member at the casing constituted with a plastic material having low thermal conductivity with a quarter-wave plate disposed at the boundary of the two members.

Claims

1. A projector device to be mounted in an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a first member constituted of a thermally conductive material, at which a light emitting device is disposed;

a light modulating member that modulates light originating from the light emitting device;

a projection optical system that projects an image formed with the light modulated by the light modulating member;

a second member constituted of a material with a lower level of thermal conductivity compared to the first member, at which the first member and the light modulating member are disposed; and

a third member constituted of a material with a high level of thermal conductivity compared to the second member, that supports the second member and the projection optical system as an integrated unit and comes into surface contact with the first member.

2. A projector device to be mounted in an electronic apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein:

the second member is formed in a prismatic shape so as to enclose a passing light flux; and

the third member is bent so as to fit along an outer surface of the prism-shaped second member.

3. A projector device to be mounted in an electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the first member is disposed at a position of a bottom surface of the prism-shaped second member; and

the third member comes into surface contact with the first member at the position of the bottom surface.

4. A projector device to be mounted in an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the second member holds the light modulating member at a position away from the third member.

5. A projector device to be mounted in an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the third member comprises a mounting portion to be used to mount the projector device in the electronic apparatus.

6. A projector device to be mounted in an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a separating portion disposed at the second member, that separates a space toward the first member from a space toward the light modulating member.

7. A projector device to be mounted in an electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the light emitting device is an LED.