Light source apparatus its manufacturing method and apparatus reflector focal point locating method and apparatus focal point locating light source discharge lamp emittion position locating method and apparatus and discharge lamp-reflector positioning method and apparatus

• US 20040063376A1
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Shinohara, Kazuto, Iwadare, Yoshiji, Fujisawa, Shohei
• Granted Patent: US 7,145,665 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 445/40
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1046 for use with transmissive spatial light modulators
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/106 for splitting or combining a plurality of identical beams or images, e.g. image replication
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/14 operating by reflection only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/145 having sequential partially reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/149 using crossed beamsplitting surfaces, e.g. cross-dichroic cubes or X-cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/62 Optical apparatus specially adapted for adjusting optical elements during the assembly of optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2026 Gas discharge type light sources, e.g. arcs
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2046 Positional adjustment of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/315 Modulator illumination systems general applications of lighting devices F21V; general optical systems G02B; lamp houses for projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

The light emitted from a focal position-detecting light source 38 and reflected from a reflector 12 is projected onto a screen 341, and a projected image on the screen 341 is detected by a focal position-detecting camera 35. Based on this projected image, the focal position-detecting light source 38 is moved by a position adjusting system 37 so as to place the focal position-detecting light source 38 at a focal position of the reflector 12, and the position of the focal position-detecting light source 38 at this time is detected as the focal position of the reflector 12. When the focal position of the reflector 12 is detected, the projected image on the screen 341 detected by the focal position-detecting camera 35 is used, and, therefore, the conventional measurement by a three dimensional measuring instrument is made unnecessary, thereby improving the working efficiency.

Claims

1. A focal position-detecting apparatus of a reflector, comprising:

reflector holding means for holing the reflector,

a detecting light source lightened in the vicinity of a focal position of the reflector held by this reflector holding means;

a screen on which a reflected light emitted from this detecting light source and reflected from said reflector is projected;

reflected light information detecting means for detecting information on the reflected light projected onto this screen; and

a first relative displacement means for relatively displacing said detecting light source with respect to said reflector held by said reflector holding means.

2. The focal position -detecting apparatus of the reflector according to claim 1, wherein said screen is formed of a transmissive member.

6. A manufacturing apparatus of a light source apparatus comprising a light source lamp and a reflector which reflects the light ray emitted from this light souse lamp, comprising;

a focal position-detecting apparatus of the reflector according to claim 1 or claim 2;

light source holding means for holding said light source lamp; and

second relative displacement means for relatively displacing said light source lamp with respect to said reflector held by said reflector holding means.

7. The manufacturing method of the light source apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said light source lamp is a discharge lamp lightened by a discharge generated between a pair of opposing electrodes and at the same time comprises:

an emission position-detecting apparatus for detecting an emission position of said light source lamp;

wherein this emission position-detecting apparatus comprises imaging means for obtaining the imaging information on said pair of electrodes of said light source lamp held by said light source holding means;

estimated discharge path detecting means for detecting the shortest path coupling between said pair of electrodes based on said imaging information; and

emission position calculating means for finding a coordinate value of a center point of said shortest path detected by this estimated discharge path detecting means as the coordinate value of the emission position of said light source lamp.

3. A focal position-detecting method of a reflector, comprising:

a light source lightening step of lightening a detecting light source in the vicinity of a focal position of a reflector;

a reflected-light information detecting step of detecting information on a reflected light emitted from the detecting light source and reflected from said reflector and projected onto a screen after the detecting light source is lightened in this light source lightening step; and

a first position adjusting step of relatively displacing said detecting light source with respect to said reflector based on the information on the reflected fight obtained in this reflected light information detecting step.

4. A manufacturing method of a light source apparatus comprising a light source lamp and a reflector which reflects the light ray emitted from this light source lamp, comprising:

a focal position-detecting step of detecting a focal position of said reflector by using the focal position-detecting method of the reflector according to claim 3;

and

a second position adjusting step of approximately matching said focal position of said reflector detected in said focal position-detecting step with an emission position of said light source lamp by moving said reflector and/or said light source lamp.

5. A light source apparatus, wherein the light source apparatus is manufactured by the manufacturing method of the light source apparatus according to claim 4.

8. A focal position-detecting light source of a reflector, comprising:

a light-emitting element for emitting a light;

a reflecting member formed in a pyramidal shape having an apex and a conical surface for reflecting the light emitted from said light-emitting element in the vicinity portion of said apex of said conical surface; and

a housing in which these light-emitting elements and the reflecting member are housed;

wherein said housing has holes formed for the reflected light from said reflecting member to pass through to the outside.

9. The focal position-detecting light source of the reflector according to claim 8,

wherein said reflecting member is formed of a reflecting prism.

10. The focal position-detecting light source of the reflector according to claim 8 or claim 9,

wherein said conical surface of said reflecting member is provided so as to be able to adjust its angle to the direction of the light ray emitted from said light-emitting element.

11. The focal position-detecting light source of the reflector according to claim 8 to claim 10,

wherein said focal position-detecting light source is constituted such that an optical fiber cable is placed between said light-emitting element and said reflecting member, and

the light emitted from said light-emitting element is incident on said optical fiber cable, and the light emitted from the optical fiber cable is reflected from said reflecting member.

12. The focal position-detecting light sore of the reflector according to any one of claim 8 to claim 11,

wherein said light-emitting element is a light emitting diode.

13. An emission position-detecting method of a discharge lamp lightened by a discharge generated between a pair of opposing electrodes, comprising:

obtaining the imaging information on said pair of electrodes;

detecting the shortest path coupling between said pair of electrodes based on this imaging information; and

detecting a center point of this shortest path as an emission position of said discharge lamp.

14. The emission position-detecting method of the discharge lamp according to claim 13,

wherein the standard imaging information on the standard electrodes used in said discharge lamp is obtained in advance, and

wherein said imaging information is compared to said standard imaging information so as to determine the shape of said pair of electrodes.

17. A positioning method of a discharge lamp and a reflector for performing a positioning of the discharge lamp and the reflector which has a focal position and reflects the light ray reflected from said discharge lamp,

wherein the emission position of said discharge lamp is detected by using the emission position-detecting method of the discharge lamp according to any one of claim 13 to claim 16, and

wherein the emission position of said discharge lamp is placed at said focal position of said reflector.

18. A positioning method of a discharge lamp and a reflector for performing a positioning of the discharge lamp and the reflector which reflects the light ray reflected from this discharge lamp, comprising:

a detecting work step of detecting the emission position of said discharge lamp by using the emission position-detecting method of the discharge lamp according to any one of claim 13 to claim 16;

a fixing work step of fixing said discharge lamp and said reflector to a fixing member respectively in a state of being mutually independent; and

an adjusting work step of adjusting a mounting position with respect to said fixing member of said discharge lamp and/or said reflector based on said emission position.

19. The positioning method of the discharge lamp and the reflector according to claim 17 or claim 18,

wherein the imaging information on said pair of electrodes is plurally obtained from different imaging directions, and

wherein, from among said pair of electrodes, a misalignment of the other electrode with respect to either one of the electrodes is detected.

15. An emission position-detecting method of a discharge lamp lightened by a discharge generated between a pair of opposing electrodes,

wherein a micro discharge is generated between said pair of electrodes of said discharge lamp;

wherein the imaging information on this micro discharge is obtained; and

wherein, based on this imaging information, a center point of said micro discharge path is detected as an emission position of said discharge lamp.

16. The emission position-detecting method of the discharge lamp according to claim 15,

wherein a plurality of said micro discharge paths are found by generating said micro discharge plural times,

wherein each center point of said plurality of micro discharge paths is detected, and

wherein a mean place of a plurality of these center points is found as the emission position of said discharge lamp.

20. An emission position-detecting apparatus of a discharge lamp lightened by a discharge generated between a pair of opposing electrodes, comprising:

discharge lamp holding means for holding said discharge lamp;

imaging means for obtaining imaging information on said pair of electrodes of said discharge lamp held by this discharge holding means;

estimated discharge path detecting means for detecting the shortest path coupling between said pair of electrodes based on said imaging information; and

emission position calculating means for finding a coordinate value of the center point of said shortest path detected by this estimated discharge path detecting means as the coordinate value of the emission position of said discharge lamp.

21. A positioning apparatus for performing a positioning of a discharge lamp lightened by a discharge generated between a pair of opposing electrodes and a reflector reflecting the light ray emitted from this discharge lamp, comprising;

an emission position-detecting apparatus according to claim 20,

reflector holding means for holding said reflector, and

relative displacement means for relatively displacing said discharge lamp with respect to the reflector held by this reflector holding means.