PROJECTOR

• US 20080174742A1
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: ITO, Yoshitaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/31
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/006 using LCD's
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/26 Projecting separately subsidiary matter simultaneously with main image
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/12 using beam-splitting or beam-combining systems, e.g. dichroic mirrors

Abstract

A projector includes a light source that emits light including visible light and infrared light, a light separating unit that separates the light from the light source into lights in plural different wavelength regions, at least one light modulation element for visible light that modulates visible light separated by the light separating unit, at least one light modulation element for infrared light that modulates one kind of infrared light or at least two kinds of infrared light in wavelength regions different from each other separated by the light separating unit, a light combining unit that combines the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for visible light and the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for infrared light into one to form combined light, and a projecting unit that projects and displays the combined light combined by the light combining unit on a projection surface. The projector superimposes and displays a visible light image formed by the light modulation element for visible light and an infrared image formed by the light modulation element for infrared light on the identical projection surface.

Claims

1. A projector comprising:

a light source that emits light including visible light and infrared light;

a light separating unit that separates the light from the light source into lights in plural different wavelength regions;

at least one light modulation element for visible light that modulates visible light separated by the light separating unit;

at least one light modulation element for infrared light that modulates one kind of infrared light or at least two kinds of infrared light in wavelength regions different from each other separated by the light separating units;

a light combining unit that combines the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for visible light and the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for infrared light into one to form combined light; and

a projecting unit that projects and displays the combined light combined by the light combining unit on a projection surface, wherein

the projector superimposes and displays a visible light image formed by the light modulation element for visible light and an infrared image formed by the light modulation element for infrared light on the identical projection surface.

4. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the light modulation element for visible light and the light modulation element for infrared light are light modulation elements having identical dimensions of an image display area and identical resolution.

5. The projector according to claim 1, further comprising:

an infrared-light separating unit that separates the infrared light into plural infrared lights in wavelength regions different from one another; and

plural light modulation elements for infrared light that respectively modulate the plural infrared lights in wavelength regions different from one another separated by the infrared-light separating unit.

6. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the light combining unit is a prism made of a medium having a refractive index larger than a refractive index of the air.

7. The projector according to claim 1, wherein a distance from the light modulation element for visible light to the projecting unit and a distance from the light modulation element for infrared light to the projecting unit are set different from each other.

8. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

the light modulation element for infrared light is a liquid crystal light valve, and

a polarizer attached to the liquid crystal light valve is a light reflective polarizer or a light absorptive polarizer containing metal.

9. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the light modulation element for visible light and the light modulation element for infrared light are any one of a transmissive liquid crystal light valve, a reflective liquid crystal light valve, and a micromirror array element.

10. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the projector has a function of displaying, on the projection surface, a marker that indicates a state of display of the infrared image.

11. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the projector includes, in an apparatus main body, an indicator that indicates a state of display of the infrared image.

2. A projector comprising:

a first light source that emits light including visible light;

a second light source that emits light including infrared light;

a light separating unit that separates the light from at least the first light source of the first light source and the second light source into lights in plural wavelength regions different from one another;

at least one light modulation element for visible light that modulates visible light separated by the light separating unit;

at least one light modulation element for infrared light that modulates infrared light from the second light source;

a light combining unit that combines the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for visible light and the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for infrared light into one to form combined light; and

a projecting unit that projects and displays the combined light combined by the light combining unit on a projection surface, wherein

the projector superimposes and displays a visible light image formed by the light modulation element for visible light and an infrared image formed by the light modulation element for infrared light on the identical projection surface.

3. A projector comprising:

plural light sources having light emission wavelength regions different from one another;

at least one light modulation element for visible light that modulates visible light emitted from each of the plural light sources;

at least one light modulation element for infrared light that modulates one kind of infrared light or at least two kinds of infrared light in wavelength regions different from each other emitted from each of the plural light sources;

a light combining unit that combines the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for visible light and the modulated light modulated by the light modulation element for infrared light into one to form combined light; and

a projecting unit that projects and displays the combined light combined by the light combining unit on a projection surface, wherein

the projector superimposes and displays a visible light image formed by the light modulation element for visible light and an infrared image formed by the light modulation element for infrared light on the identical projection surface.