Refractive optics and projection display apparatus

• US 8,641,208 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Ricoh Optical Industries Co. Ltd. (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Ricoh Optical Industries Co. Ltd. (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Amano, Ryuhei, Ikeda, Takashi, Kohno, Yoshitsugu, Nagase, Osamu, Takahashi, Kazuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOWARD, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US13/078,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20110292355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 353/102, 353/101, 353/100
• US Class Current: 353/102
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0095 Relay lenses or rod lenses in instruments for viewing the inside of hollow bodies G02B23/2446
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/023 permitting adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066

Abstract

Disclosed are a projection display apparatus and a projection optics provided in the projection display apparatus. The projection optics has a refractive optics and a reflective optics. In the refractive optics, a lens (non-circular lens) provided on a reflective optics side has a non-circular shape forming part of an imaginary circular region whose center is an optical axis center of the refractive optics. In other words, the non-circular lens has a shape of a cut-out portion of an imaginary circular lens having an optical axis center coinciding with the optical axis center of the refractive optics.

Claims

1. A refractive optics which forms part of a projection optics including a reflective optics having at least one reflecting mirror and which has a group of lenses, the refractive optics comprising:

a non-circular lens which is a lens in the group of lenses provided on a side closer to the reflective optics; and

a holder which has an inner wall surface holding the non-circular lens and which has an annular cross section, wherein

the non-circular lens has an optical axis center coinciding with an optical axis center of the refractive optics, and has a non-circular shape forming part of an imaginary circular region whose center is the optical axis center of the refractive optics,

the optical axis center of the non-circular lens does not coincide with a center axis of a cylinder formed by the inner wall surface, and

the projection optics further includes imager output light guide circular lenses having optical axes that coincide with the optical axis center of the refractive optics provided on a side closer to an image light generator, and the diameter of the imaginary circular region is set larger than the diameter of any of the imager output light guide circular lenses.

2. The refractive optics according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first lens frame which has an inner wall surface holding the holder and which has an annular cross section; and

a second lens frame which has an inner wall surface holding the first lens frame and which has an annular cross section, wherein

the holder has a guide pin which protrudes outward in a radial direction of a circle formed by the inner wall surface of the holder,

the first lens frame has a straight slot which extends in a direction along an optical axis of the refractive optics,

the second lens frame has a cam slot which extends in a direction oblique to the optical axis of the refractive optics, and

the guide pin is inserted into the straight slot and the cam slot.

3. The refractive optics according to claim 2, wherein the second lens frame has an adjuster which protrudes outward in a radial direction of a circle formed by an inner wall surface of the second lens frame.

4. The refractive optics according to claim 1, wherein an effective region of the non-circular lens is provided at an area not overlapping the optical axis center of the refractive optics.

5. The refractive optics according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting mirror is a concave mirror.

6. A projection display apparatus comprising:

an imager; and

a projection optics configured to project light outputted from the imager, wherein

the projection optics includes a refractive optics and a reflective optics having at least one reflecting mirror, the refractive optics including a plurality of lenses,

the refractive optics has a non-circular lens and a holder, the non-circular lens being one of the plurality of lenses provided on a side closer to the reflective optics, the holder having an annular cross section and having an inner wall surface holding the non-circular lens,

the non-circular lens has an optical axis center coinciding with an optical axis center of the refractive optics, and has a non-circular shape forming part of an imaginary circular region whose center is the optical axis center of the refractive optics,

the optical axis center of the non-circular lens does not coincide with a center axis of a cylinder formed by the inner wall surface,

the imager is provided at a position shifted from the optical axis center of the refractive optics, and

the projection optics further includes imager output light guide circular lenses having optical axes that coincide with the optical axis center of the refractive optics provided on a side closer to an image light generator, and the diameter of the imaginary circular region is set larger than the diameter of any of the imager output light guide circular lenses.

7. The projection display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the diameter of the imaginary circular region is set larger than the diameter of any of the refractive optics lenses provided on a side further away from the reflective optics.

8. The projection display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the non-circular lenses are provided at positions not overlapping the optical axis center of the refractive optics such that light outputted from the refractive optics lenses provided on a side further away from the reflective optics does not pass through the optical axis of the refractive optics.

9. The projection display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the non-circular lenses are provided at positions not overlapping the optical axis center of the refractive optics such that light outputted from the refractive optics lenses provided on a side further away from the reflective optics does not pass through the optical axis of the refractive optics.