Projector

• US 8,313,198 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2009
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Columbia Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kamijima, Shunji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Application Number:
  US12/504,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 353/31, 353/38, 353/94, 353/102, 359/28, 359/29, 359/599, 359/707, 359/558, 359/559, 359/567, 345/32, 345/39, 345 45- 49, 345/55, 345/82, 345/83, 345/84, 348/801, 348/802
• US Class Current: 353/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light

Abstract

A projector includes: light emitting devices provided in correspondence with pixels that form an image displayed on an illuminated surface, each of the light emitting devices emitting light modulated in accordance with an image signal; and shaping optical elements provided in correspondence with the light emitting devices, each of the shaping optical elements shaping the region illuminated with the light emitted from the corresponding light emitting device, wherein the shaping optical elements form a shaped light region in a position on the light path between the shaping optical elements and the illuminated surface.

Claims

1. A projector comprising:

light emitting devices provided in correspondence with pixels that form an image displayed on an illuminated surface, each of the light emitting devices emitting light modulated in accordance with an image signal; and

shaping optical elements provided in correspondence with the light emitting devices, each of the shaping optical elements shaping the region illuminated with the light emitted from the corresponding light emitting device,

wherein the shaping optical elements form a shaped light region in a position on the light path between the shaping optical elements and the illuminated surface, and

wherein an intermediate image is formed on the shaped light region.

2. The projector according to claim 1, further comprising a projection system that projects the light shaped by the shaping optical elements on the illuminated surface, wherein the shaping optical elements form the shaped light region in a position on the light path between the shaping optical elements and the projection system.

3. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the shaping optical elements cause parts of the illuminated regions created by adjacent ones of the light emitting devices to overlap with each other in the position of the shaped light region.

4. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the shaping optical elements create a gap between adjacent ones of the illuminated regions in the position of the shaped light region.

5. The projector according to claim 1, wherein each of the shaping optical elements shapes the corresponding illuminated region in the position of the shaped light region into a rectangular shape.

6. The projector according to claim 1, wherein each of the shaping optical elements converges the light emitted from the corresponding light emitting device.

7. The projector according to claim 1, wherein each of the shaping optical elements diffuses the light emitted from the corresponding light emitting device.

8. The projector according to claim 1, wherein each of the shaping optical elements parallelizes the light emitted from the corresponding light emitting device.

9. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the shaping optical elements are diffraction optical elements that diffract the light emitted from the light emitting devices.

10. The projector according to claim 9, wherein zero-order light, which is non-diffracted light, among the light having exited from each of the diffraction optical elements is directed toward a position outside the illuminated surface.

11. The projector according to claim 10, wherein the principal ray of the light flux having exited from each of the light emitting devices is inclined to the optical axis of the projection system.

12. The projector according to claim 1, further comprising a scatterer provided in the position of the shaped light region, the scatterer scattering the light shaped by the shaping optical elements.

13. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting devices are arranged two-dimensionally in a first direction and a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and

the light emitting devices arranged along adjacent lines spaced apart in the first direction deviate from each other in the second direction, and the light emitting devices arranged along adjacent lines spaced apart in the second direction deviate from each other in the first direction.

14. The projector according to claim 1, further comprising a scan optical system provided in a position on the light path between the shaped light region and the illuminated surface, the scan optical system scanning the light shaped by the shaping optical elements on the illuminated surface.

15. The projector according to claim 1 comprising:

first light emitting devices, which are the light emitting devices that emit first color light;

second light emitting devices, which are the light emitting devices that emit second color light;

third light emitting devices, which are the light emitting devices that emit third color light;

first shaping optical elements, which are the shaping optical elements that shape the regions illuminated with the first color light emitted from the first light emitting devices;

second shaping optical elements, which are the shaping optical elements that shape the regions illuminated with the second color light emitted from the second light emitting devices;

third shaping optical elements, which are the shaping optical elements that shape the regions illuminated with the third color light emitted from the third light emitting devices; and

a color combining optical system that combines the first color light from the first shaping optical elements, the second color light from the second shaping optical elements, and the third color light from the third shaping optical elements.

16. The projector according to claim 1, wherein each of the light emitting devices is a surface emitting light source with a light emitting region that emits light.

17. The projector according to claim 16, wherein the light emitting region has a rectangular shape.

18. The projector according to claim 16, wherein adjacent ones of the light emitting regions are spaced apart from each other, and an absorber that absorbs light is provided between adjacent ones of the light emitting regions.

19. The projector according to claim 16, wherein adjacent ones of the light emitting regions are spaced apart from each other, and a scatterer that scatters light is provided between adjacent ones of the light emitting regions.

20. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting devices are arranged in lines on a substrate, and the shaping optical elements are mounted on the substrate.

21. The projector according to claim 6, further comprising a projection system that projects the light shaped by the shaping optical elements on the illuminated surface, wherein the shaping optical elements form the shaped light region in a position on the light path between the shaping optical elements and the projection system.

22. The projector according to claim 6, wherein the shaping optical elements cause parts of the illuminated regions created by adjacent ones of the light emitting devices to overlap with each other in the position of the shaped light region.

23. The projector according to claim 6, wherein the shaping optical elements create a gap between adjacent ones of the illuminated regions in the position of the shaped light region.

24. The projector according to claim 6, wherein each of the shaping optical elements shapes the corresponding illuminated region in the position of the shaped light region into a rectangular shape.

25. The projector according to claim 6 comprising:

first light emitting devices, which are the light emitting devices that emit first color light;

second light emitting devices, which are the light emitting devices that emit second color light;

third light emitting devices, which are the light emitting devices that emit third color light;

first shaping optical elements, which are the shaping optical elements that shape the regions illuminated with the first color light emitted from the first light emitting devices;

second shaping optical elements, which are the shaping optical elements that shape the regions illuminated with the second color light emitted from the second light emitting devices;

third shaping optical elements, which are the shaping optical elements that shape the regions illuminated with the third color light emitted from the third light emitting devices; and

a color combining optical system that combines the first color light from the first shaping optical elements, the second color light from the second shaping optical elements, and the third color light from the third shaping optical elements.

26. The projector according to claim 6, wherein each of the light emitting devices is a surface emitting light source with a light emitting region that emits light.

27. The projector according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of light emitting devices are arranged in lines on a substrate, and the shaping optical elements are mounted on the substrate.