Projector having diffuser

• US 9,939,561 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miyasaka, Koji, Yamashita, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, BAO-LUAN Q
• Application Number:
  US14/750,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20150293271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0037 characterized by the distribution or form of lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/02 Diffusing elements; Afocal elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0215 the surface having a regular structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0221 the surface having an irregular structure G02B5/0226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0226 having particles on the surface
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0231 the surface having microprismatic or micropyramidal shape macroscopic prism arrays G02B5/045
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0268 characterized by the fabrication or manufacturing method
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/005 Projectors using an electronic spatial light modulator but not peculiar thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2033 LED or laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/204 using secondary light emission, e.g. luminescence or fluorescence using different colours G03B33/00; if related to video signals H04N9/3197
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/06 by additive-colour projection apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/12 using beam-splitting or beam-combining systems, e.g. dichroic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3152 for shaping the light beam beam shaping per se G02B27/09

Abstract

An optical device includes a base material including a surface on which multiple concaves are formed. The concaves include respective curved surfaces. The concaves are formed so that the bottoms of the concaves are at two or more different positions in a depth direction. In the optical device, 2/7≤|(n1−n2)×Δd|/λ≤10 holds, where n1 is the refractive index of the base material, n2 is the refractive index of a medium around the concaves, λ is the wavelength of a beam flux that enters the base material, and Δd is a range of the positions of the bottoms in the depth direction.

Claims

1. A projector, comprising:

a light source that emits laser light; and

a diffuser positioned to receive the laser light from the light source,

wherein the diffuser comprises a base material having a plurality of concave portions forming a surface such that each of the concave portions has a curved surface and that the concave portions have bottoms formed at at least two different bottom positions in a depth direction, the diffuser satisfies 2/7≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

d|/λ

≤

10 where n1 is a refractive index of the base material, n2 is a refractive index of a medium around the concave portions, λ

is a wavelength of the laser light that enters the base material, and Δ

d is a range of the bottom positions of the bottoms in the depth direction, and the concave portions of the base material is formed such that a curvature radius at a boundary of two adjacent concave portions is smaller than a curvature radius of each concave portion at the bottom of the concave portion and that the bottoms of the concave portions have irregular positions with respect to a plane of the surface of the base material.

2. The projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diffuser transmits light.

3. The projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottoms of the concave portions are each positioned within circles in which the centers of the circles are arranged at predetermined intervals P and the radius of the circles is 0.5×

P.

4. The projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottoms of the concave portions are each positioned within circles in which the centers of the circles are arranged at predetermined intervals P and the radius of the circles is 0.25×

P.

5. The projector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the centers of the circles are arranged such that when the closest adjacent centers are connected by line segments, the line segments form equilateral triangles.

6. The projector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined interval P is 50 μ

m or more.

7. The projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the concave portions further comprise a flat surface at the bottom of the concave portion.

8. The projector as claimed in claim 7, wherein the flat surfaces of the at least part of the concave portions have two or more different sizes.

9. The projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diffuser satisfies 2/7≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

d|λ

≤

2.

10. The projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diffuser satisfies 2/7≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

z_avg|/λ

, wherein Δ

z_avg is an average of a difference of height of the bottom of each concave portion and the height of the boundary between the concave portion and adjacent concave portions.

11. The projector as claimed in claim 10, wherein the diffuser satisfies 1/2≤

(n1−

n2)×

Δ

z_avg|/λ

.

12. The projector as claimed in claim 10, wherein the diffuser satisfies 3/4≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

z_avg|/λ

.

13. A projector, comprising:

a light source that emits laser light; and

a diffuser positioned to receive the laser light from the light source,

wherein the diffuser comprises a base material having a plurality of convex portions forming a surface such that each of the convex portions has a curved surface and that the convex portions have tops formed at at least two different top positions in a height direction, the diffuser satisfies 2/7≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

d|/λ

≤

10 is satisfied where n1 is a refractive index of the base material, n2 is a refractive index of a medium around the convex portions, λ

is a wavelength of the laser light that enters the base material, and Δ

d is a range of the top positions of the tops in the height direction, and the convex portions of the base material is formed such that a curvature radius at a boundary of two adjacent convex portions is smaller than a curvature radius of each convex portion at the top of the convex portion and that the tops of the convex portions have irregular positions with respect to a plane of the surface of the base material.

14. The projector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the diffuser transmits light.

15. The projector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the tops of the convex portions are each positioned within circles in which the centers of the circles are arranged at predetermined intervals P and the radius of the circles is 0.5×

P.

16. The projector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the tops of the convex portions are each positioned within circles in which the centers of the circles are arranged at predetermined intervals P and the radius of the circles is 0.25×

P.

17. The projector as claimed in claim 15, wherein the centers of the circles are arranged such that when the closest adjacent centers are connected by line segments, the line segments form equilateral triangles.

18. The projector as claimed in claim 15, wherein the predetermined interval P is 50 μ

m or more.

19. The projector as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least part of the convex portions further comprise a flat surface at the top of the convex portion.

20. The projector as claimed in claim 19, wherein the flat surfaces of the at least part of the convex portions have two or more different sizes.

21. The projector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the diffuser satisfies 2/7≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

d|/λ

≤

2.

22. The projector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the diffuser satisfies 2/7≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

z_avgV/λ

, wherein Δ

z_avg is an average of a difference of height of the top of each convex portion and the height of the boundary between the convex portion and adjacent convex portions.

23. The projector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the diffuser satisfies 1/2≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

z_avg/λ

.

24. The projector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the diffuser satisfies 3/4≤

|(n1−

n2)×

Δ

z_avg/λ

.