Projection apparatus

• US 9,229,309 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Young Optics, Inc. (Coretronic Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Young Optics, Inc. (Coretronic Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Wei-Hao, Chen, Chao-Shun, Pan, Haw-Woei
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sultan
• Application Number:
  US14/144,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20140211171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 353/7, 353/20, 353/30, 353/34, 353/37, 353/94, 353/99, 359/224.1, 359/317, 359/618, 359/629, 348/511, 348/513, 348743-747, 349/5, 349 7- 9, 349/57
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1066 for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/26 Projecting separately subsidiary matter simultaneously with main image
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3105 for displaying all colours simultaneously, e.g. by using two or more electronic spatial light modulators simultaneous projection in colour photography G03B33/10; beam splitting or combining systems per se G02B27/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3197 using light modulating optical valves

Abstract

The invention provides a projection apparatus having an image source, a projection lens, and a beam-splitting module. The image source provides an image beam, and the image beam includes a first sub image beam and at least one second sub image beam. The projection lens is disposed on a transmission path of the image beam. The beam-splitting module projects the first sub image beam passing through the beam-splitting module onto a first imaging plane, and projects the second sub image beam reflected by the beam-splitting module onto at least one second imaging plane. The first imaging plane is not coplanar with the at least one second imaging plane. The projection lens is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam between the beam-splitting module and the image source.

Claims

1. A projection apparatus, comprising:

an image source for providing an image beam, wherein the image beam comprises a first sub image beam and at least one second sub image beam;

a projection lens disposed on a transmission path of the image beam;

a beam-splitting module for projecting the first sub image beam passing through the beam-splitting module onto a first imaging plane and projecting the second sub image beam reflected by the beam-splitting module onto at least one second imaging plane, wherein the projection lens is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam between the beam-splitting module and the image source; and

at least one lens group disposed on at least one of a transmission path of the first sub image beam and a transmission path of the second sub image beam for adjusting a length of an optical path corresponding to the at least one of the transmission path of the first sub image beam and the transmission path of the second sub image beam projected by the projection lens, so as to adjust a magnification of an image projected onto at least one of the first imaging plane and the second imaging plane.

2. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first imaging plane comprises a curved plane or a flat plane.

3. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second imaging plane comprises a curved plane or a flat plane.

4. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one lens group comprises a first lens group disposed on the transmission path of the first sub image beam and is located between the projection lens and the first imaging plane.

5. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beam-splitting module comprises at least one reflector disposed on a transmission path of the second sub image beam for altering a transmission direction of the second sub image beam.

6. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beam-splitting module comprises at least one reflector disposed on the transmission path of the second sub image beam for altering a transmission direction of the second sub image beam, and the at least one lens group comprises at least one second lens group disposed on the transmission path of the second sub image beam.

7. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first imaging plane and the second imaging plane are adjacent to each other.

8. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first imaging plane and the second imaging plane are separated from each other.

9. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beam-splitting module is a movable beam-splitting module.

10. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image source comprises:

an illumination system configured for providing an illumination beam; and

a display plane disposed on a transmission path of the illumination beam, and located between the projection lens and the illumination system, wherein the first sub image beam is corresponded to an image displayed by a region on a portion of the display plane, and the second sub image beam is corresponded to an image displayed by a region on another portion of the display plane.

11. A projection apparatus, comprising:

an image source for providing an image beam, wherein the image beam comprises a first sub image beam and at least one second sub image beam, the first sub image beam is corresponded to an image displayed by a first region of a display plane of the image source, the at least one second sub image beam is corresponded to an image displayed by at least one second region of the display plane, and the image displayed by the first region and the image displayed by the at least one second region of the display plane are different individual images;

a projection lens disposed on a transmission path of the image beam; and

a beam-splitting module for projecting the first sub image beam passing through the beam-splitting module onto a first imaging plane and projecting the second sub image beam reflected by the beam-splitting module onto at least one second imaging plane, wherein the projection lens is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam between the beam-splitting module and the image source.

12. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first imaging plane comprises a curved plane or a flat plane.

13. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second imaging plane comprises a curved plane or a flat plane.

14. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one lens group comprises a first lens group disposed on the transmission path of the first sub image beam and is located between the projection lens and the first imaging plane.

15. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam-splitting module comprises at least one reflector disposed on a transmission path of the second sub image beam for altering a transmission direction of the second sub image beam.

16. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam-splitting module comprises at least one reflector disposed on the transmission path of the second sub image beam for altering a transmission direction of the second sub image beam, and the at least one lens group comprises at least one second lens group disposed on the transmission path of the second sub image beam.

17. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first imaging plane and the second imaging plane are adjacent to each other.

18. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first imaging plane and the second imaging plane are separated from each other.

19. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam-splitting module is a movable beam-splitting module.

20. The projection apparatus of claim 11, wherein the image source further comprises an illumination system configured for providing an illumination beam, and the display plane is disposed on a transmission path of the illumination beam and located between the projection lens and the illumination system.