Projection optical system and image projection device

• US 8,657,450 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2011
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Abe, Issei, Fujita, Kazuhiro, Takahashi, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ko, Tony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cruz, Magda
• Application Number:
  US13/184,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 353/99, 353/97, 353/77, 353/70, 359/649
• US Class Current: 353/99
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066

Abstract

A projection optical system includes a first optical system, a second optical system, and first and second reflection mirrors. The first and second reflection mirrors are arranged on an optical path between an image forming element and a reflection surface of the second optical system, so that a direction of an optical path of light beams from the second reflection mirror to the reflection surface contains a component of a direction opposite to a predetermined direction from the image forming element to the first optical system, and a projection image of the image forming element on a conjugate surface, a projection of the reflection surface onto the conjugate surface, and a projection of the image forming element onto the conjugate surface are arrayed in this order on the conjugate surface.

Claims

1. A projection optical system which is arranged to cause a number of light beams output from an image forming element on a first conjugate surface to slantingly enter a second conjugate surface and project an enlarged image of an image formed by the image forming element, on the second conjugate surface, the projection optical system comprising:

a first optical system disposed on a first optical path between the image forming element and the second conjugate surface and including a refracting optical system;

a second optical system disposed on the first optical path at a downstream position of the first optical system and including a reflection surface having a positive power; and

first and second reflection mirrors disposed in this order on a second optical path between the image forming element and the reflection surface to reflect the light beams along the second optical path,

wherein the first and second reflection mirrors are arranged so that a direction of an optical path of the light beams from the second reflection mirror to the reflection surface contains a component of a direction that is opposite to a predetermined direction from the image forming element to the first optical system, and a projection image of the image forming element on the second conjugate surface, a projection of the reflection surface onto the second conjugate surface, and a projection of the image forming element onto the second conjugate surface are arrayed in this order on the second conjugate surface.

2. The projection optical system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror is disposed on an optical path between the image forming element and a lens having a largest negative power included in the first optical system.

3. The projection optical system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming element is formed of a micro mirror device and arranged to form a non-telecentric optical system.

4. The projection optical system according to claim 1, wherein an optical surface of the first optical system disposed at a position nearest to an aperture stop has an aspherical surface configuration.

5. The projection optical system according to claim 1, wherein an optical surface of the first optical system disposed at a position nearest to the reflection surface has an aspherical surface configuration.

6. The projection optical system according to claim 1, wherein the reflection surface has a free-form surface configuration.

7. An image projection device comprising:

the projection optical system according to claim 1;

a light source to emit an illuminating light; and

the image forming element to form an image by the illuminating light in accordance with a modulating signal,

wherein the image projection device is arranged to supply the illuminating light emitted by the light source to the image forming element, and project an enlarged image of an image formed by the image forming element onto a screen by using the projection optical system.

8. The image projection device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the second optical system and the second reflection mirror is arranged to fully or partially protrude from a housing of the image projection device when the image projection device is in use, and the at least one of the second optical system and the second reflection mirror is arranged to be movable so that the at least one of the second optical system and the second reflection mirror is accommodated in the housing when the image projection device is not in use.

9. The image projection device according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the second optical system and the second reflection mirror is arranged to be rotatable around a predetermined shaft.

10. The image projection device according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the second optical system and the second reflection mirror is arranged to be movable in a direction of a thickness of the housing.