Image projection apparatus

• US 8,985,786 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujioka, Tetsuya, Yamada, Masamichi, Tsukioka, Yasutada, Ishikawa, Naoyuki, Kanai, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, SULTAN U.
• Application Number:
  US13/611,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20130070216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 353/30, 353/31, 353/34, 353/38, 353/79, 353/81, 353/82, 353/74, 353/77, 353/78, 353/98, 353/99, 353/119, 359/850, 359/863, 359/864, 359/869, 359/893, 359/904, 348/744, 348/750, 348/756, 348/745, 348/781, 349/5, 349 7- 9
• US Class Current: 353/99
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/08 Catadioptric systems used in non-imaging applications G02B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/008 using micromirror devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

Provided is an image projection apparatus, such as a projector, including a light source; an image generating element such as a DMD that receives light from the light source and forms an image; an image generating unit that irradiates the image generating element with the light from the light source; a first optical system including multiple transmission refractive optical elements; a second optical system arranged on an optical path of outgoing light of the first optical system and including a reflection optical element; and a projection optical system that enlarges and projects an image conjugate to the image generated by the image generating element as a projected image. The light source, the image generating unit, and the first optical system are arranged side by side in series in a direction parallel with the projected image plane.

Claims

1. An image projection apparatus comprising:

a light source;

an image generating unit that generates an image by using the light source; and

a projection optical unit that projects the image generated by the image generating unit, wherein

the image generating unit and the projection optical unit are arranged in a vertical direction,

the light source is arranged beside the image generating unit, and

the projection optical unit projects the image on a plane positioned in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and the projection optical unit includes

a first optical system having a plurality of lenses, and

a second optical system having a first mirror, a second mirror, a mirror holder, and a transmitting glass,

the first mirror is positioned on an optical path of light output from the first optical system,

the second mirror is a concave mirror and is positioned on an optical path of light reflected from the first mirror so as to directly project the image to the plane positioned in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction,

at least the first mirror is fixed to the mirror holder through the interposition of a first bracket, and

the transmitting glass allows the light reflected from the second mirror to be transmitted, and the transmitting glass is fixed to the first bracket that fixes the first mirror to the mirror holder.

2. The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plane formed by the light source, the image generating unit, and the projection optical unit corresponds to the plane positioned in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and the light source, the image generating unit, and the projection optical unit are arranged to face a plane on which the image generated by the image generating unit is projected.

3. The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first mirror and the second mirror are held to the second optical system by the mirror holder, and

the first mirror and the second mirror are fixed to the mirror holder so that the mirror holder is sandwiched between the first mirror and the second mirror.

4. The image projection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the first optical system is fixed to the image generating unit by a lens holder, and

the mirror holder is fixed to the lens holder.

5. The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second mirror is fixed to the mirror holder through the interposition of a second bracket, and

an edge opposite to the transmitting glass of the second mirror is pressed by a plate spring to the second bracket, and an edge opposite to the first optical system of the second mirror is fixed with screws.

6. The image projection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the first bracket is disposed at a reflection-surface side of the first mirror, and the second bracket is disposed at a reflection-surface side of the second mirror.