Reflective liquid crystal projector and image reproduction apparatus

• US 8,177,369 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kaise, Kikuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Application Number:
  US12/301,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20090161031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 353/31, 353/33, 353/34, 353/37, 353/38, 353/94, 349/5, 349/7, 349/8, 349/9, 349/113
• US Class Current: 353/31
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/34 Colour display without the use of colour mosaic filters
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2033 LED or laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 scanning a light beam on the display screen scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3161 using laser light sources using laser beams scanning the display screen H04N9/3129

Abstract

Laser light beams are diffused and shaped by diffractive optical devices such that they are introduced to corresponding pixels of a liquid crystal layer over an entire area of a display region of a reflective liquid crystal panel. The diffused and shaped laser light beams are introduced to the reflective liquid crystal panel through a field lens and a polarizing beam splitter. Red, green and blue pixels are formed on the reflective liquid crystal panel, and a microlens array is formed on an incoming and outgoing side substrate while reflecting layers corresponding to the pixels are formed on a reflection side substrate. The laser light fluxes of the colors are distributed and condensed by the microlenses and introduced to the corresponding pixels and then reflected by the corresponding reflecting layers. Refractive optical devices may be used in place of the diffractive optical devices.

Claims

1. A reflective liquid crystal projector, comprising:

a light source section having first, second and third lasers, each of which is formed from a semiconductor laser or a solid-state laser, and configured to emit laser light beams of red, green and blue, respectively;

a reflective liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer formed between an incoming and outgoing side substrate and a reflection side substrate and forming pixels for red, green and blue, a microlens array formed on said incoming and outgoing side substrate and comprised of a plurality of microlenses, and reflecting layers formed corresponding to the pixels on said reflection side substrate;

a light beam diffusing and shaping optical device configured to diffuse and shape the laser light beams emitted from said light source section by diffraction or refraction of light such that the laser light beams are introduced to the corresponding pixels of said liquid crystal layer over all of an area of a display region of said reflective liquid crystal panel;

a lens system configured to convert the laser light beams of the colors diffused and shaped by said light beam diffusing and shaping optical device into beams of substantially parallel light;

an optical device configured to transmit or reflect the laser light beams of the colors converted into the beams of substantially parallel light by said lens system so as to introduce the laser light beams of the colors from said incoming and outgoing side substrate to said reflective liquid crystal panel and further introduce the laser light beams of the colors to said liquid crystal layer through said microlenses; and

a projection lens configured to project the image light beams of the colors after (i) being transmitted through said liquid crystal layer, (ii) being reflected by said reflecting layers, (iii) being transmitted through said liquid crystal layer again, (iv) emerging from said incoming and outgoing side substrate through said microlenses and (v) being reflected by said optical device or transmitted through said optical device.

2. The reflective liquid crystal projector according to claim 1, wherein said reflecting layers are curved mirrors having concave faces positioned on spherical phases centered at principal points of the corresponding microlenses and having a radius of a distance equal to or a little smaller than a focal distance of said microlenses, having a same spherical shape and directed toward said microlenses.

3. The reflective liquid crystal projector according to claim 1, wherein said reflecting layers are plane mirrors positioned on spherical phases centered at principal points of the corresponding microlenses and having a radius of a distance equal to or a little smaller than a focal distance of said microlenses and directed toward said microlenses.

4. The reflective liquid crystal projector according to claim 1, wherein each pixel electrode of said reflective liquid crystal panel is electrically connected to a corresponding one of said reflecting layers at a respective corner portion.

5. A reflective liquid crystal projector, comprising:

first, second and third lasers, each of which is formed from a semiconductor laser or a solid-state laser and configured to emit laser light beams of a first color, a second color and a third color, respectively, from among red, green and blue;

a first reflective liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer formed between an incoming and outgoing side substrate and a reflection side substrate and forming pixels of a first color and reflecting layers formed corresponding to the pixels on said reflection side substrate;

a second reflective liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer formed between an incoming and outgoing side substrate and a reflection side substrate and forming pixels of a second color and pixels of a third color, a microlens array formed on said incoming and outgoing side substrate and comprised of a plurality of microlenses, and reflecting layers formed corresponding to the pixels on said reflection side substrate;

a light beam diffusing and shaping optical device configured to diffuse and shape the laser light beams of the first color, second color and third color emitted from said first, second and third lasers by diffraction or refraction of the light such that the laser light beam of the first color is introduced to all of an area of a display region of said first reflective liquid crystal panel and the laser light beams of the second color and the third color are introduced to the corresponding pixels of said liquid crystal layer of said second reflective liquid crystal panel over all of an area of a display region of said second reflective liquid crystal panel;

a lens system configured to convert the laser light beams of the first color, second color and third color diffused and shaped by said light beam diffusing and shaping optical device into beams of substantially parallel light;

an optical device configured to transmit or reflect the laser light beam of the first color converted into the beam of substantially parallel light by said lens system so as to be introduced to said liquid crystal layer of said first reflective liquid crystal panel and reflect or transmit the laser light beams of the second color and third color converted into the beams of substantially parallel light by said lens system so as to be introduced to said liquid crystal layer of said second reflective liquid crystal panel; and

a projection lens configured to project (a) the image light of the first color in said first reflective liquid crystal panel after (i) being transmitted through said liquid crystal layer, (ii) being reflected by said reflecting layer, (iii) being transmitted through said liquid crystal layer again, (iv) emerging from said incoming and outgoing side substrate, and (v) being reflected by said optical device or transmitted through said optical device and (b) the image light of the second color and the third color in said second reflective liquid crystal panel after (i) being transmitted through said liquid crystal layer, (ii) being reflected by said reflecting layer, (iii) being transmitted through said liquid crystal layer again, (iv) emerging from said incoming and outgoing side substrate through said microlenses, and (v) being transmitted through said optical device or reflected by said optical device.