Seiko Epson Corporation

Katsuyuki Uehara

Kazuhiro Nishida

Koichi Akiyama

Takeshi Takezawa

Kunihiko Takagi

Kazuyuki Iinuma

Tomoko Akagawa

Masaki Uchida

Hirtaka Yanagisawa

A light source device according to the present disclosure includes a first light source section for emitting a first light flux, a second light source section for emitting a second light flux, a third light source section for emitting a third light flux, a first reflecting member, a second reflecting member for reflecting the second light flux, and a polarization combining element. With respect to the polarization combining element, the first light flux and the second light flux are light polarized in a first polarization direction, and the third light flux is light polarized in a second polarization direction, and the first and second reflecting members are disposed so that a distance between the first light flux and second light flux becomes smaller after incidence than before the incidence. The polarization combining element combines the first light flux, the second light flux, and the third light flux with each other.

Light source device, illumination device, and projector

A light source device includes a light emitting element, and a microlens array having a first multi-lens surface and a second multi-lens surface. The light which enters the first multi-lens surface has an angular distribution. The first multi-lens surface has a plurality of first cells arranged in an array, and the second multi-lens surface has a plurality of second cells arranged in an array. Light proceeding from one of the first cells toward the second multi-lens surface has a first light beam which enters one second cell, and a second light beam which enters another second cell different from the one second cell. A first area of an illumination target is irradiated with the first light beam, and a second area of the illumination target different from the first area is irradiated with the second light beam.

Light source device, image display device, and projector

An illuminator includes a light source that outputs first light having a first wavelength band, a wavelength converter that converts the first light into second light having a second wavelength band different from the first, a first optical element that reflects part of the first light to cause the reflected first light to be incident on the wavelength converter and transmits the other part of the first light and the second light, and a second optical element that reflects the other part of the first light having the first wavelength band and passing through the first optical element, the direction of the reflected light being the traveling direction of the second light having the second wavelength band and passing through the first optical element, and transmits the second light having the second wavelength band and emitted from the wavelength converter.

Illuminator and projector

An optical element includes a first multi-lens surface and a second multi-lens surface. The first multi-lens surface has m areas arranged in an array, the m areas including a plurality of first cells. The second multi-lens surface has m second cells arranged in an array, the m second cells corresponding to the m areas. Light enters the first multi-lens surface. The light is emitted from the second multi-lens surface. The m areas of the first multi-lens surface each have n first cells. A focal plane of the m second cells is located at an emission side of the n first cells. The number m is a natural number no smaller than 2, and the number n is a natural number no smaller than 2.

Optical element, light source device, image display device, and projector

A projector includes a first light modulation device, a second light modulation device, a third light modulation device, a first light source configured to emit excitation light, a fluorescence emitting element which is excited by the excitation light to emit fluorescence toward an incidence side of the excitation light, a first dichroic mirror configured to guide the excitation light to the fluorescence emitting element, and separate the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescence emitting element into first colored light and second colored light, and a second dichroic mirror configured to guide the excitation light to the first dichroic mirror, and reflect the second colored light separated by the first dichroic mirror, wherein the first colored light separated by the first dichroic mirror enters the first light modulation device, and the second colored light reflected by the second dichroic mirror enters the second light modulation device.

Projector

An illumination device is provided with a light source device including a first light-emitting element that emits a first pencil of rays, and a light shaping optical system including a first lens surface on which the first pencil of rays is incident. The first lens surface has a first free-form surface represented by Expression (1) in which x and y are used as variables. In Expression (1), in a case where h is set to a positive integer, the coefficient Cof the xterm is different from the coefficient Cof the yterm. 

Illumination device and projector having light shaping optical system including free-form surface

A projector includes a light source device, a light modulation device, and an exterior casing. The projector is arranged so as to be installed in a desktop mount position and a ceiling suspension position. The light source device includes an elliptic reflector having a nearly ellipsoidal reflection surface and converging and outputting a luminous flux radiated from a light source lamp in a certain direction, and a parallelizing lens that parallelizes the converged light of the elliptic reflector, and a lens supporting part that supports the parallelizing lens and makes a position of the parallelizing lens relative to the light source device main body changeable according to the position of the projector is provided.

A projector includes a light source, an illumination optical system, and a color separating optical system. The color separating optical includes a dichroic mirror which reflects a first color light component of an illumination light through a first optical path by a reflection angle and transmits a second light component through a second optical path; a first mirror which bends the first optical path by a first bent angle; and a second mirror which bends the second optical path by a second bent angle. The reflection angle, the first bent angle, and the second bent angle are arranged to provide a predetermined difference between the length of the first optical path and the length of the second optical path, and the predetermined difference corresponding to a difference between focal distances of a superimposing optical element corresponding to the first and second light components.

Aspects of the invention can provide a projector capable of forming a projected image with an apparently seamless and smooth image quality in the stable state. As for the image light passed through a first unit, the polarization direction thereof can be appropriately rotated by a &#x3bb;/2 phase plate, and a part of the image light can be split in the Y direction by a birefringent plate. When this is projected as it is, an image composed of a plurality of two dimensionally arranged pixels, pixels corresponding to the split image, and a black matrix area can be formed on a screen. As for the image light passed through a second unit, the polarization direction thereof can be appropriately rotated by a &#x3bb;/2 phase plate, and a part of the image light can be split in the Y direction by a birefringent plate. Then, an image composed of the pixels in the previous stages, the pixels corresponding to the split images, and the black matrix area can be formed on the screen.

An object of the invention is to form a projecting image of smooth image quality inconspicuous in a joint in a stable state. With respect to image light passing through a second birefringent plateset to a first state, an image light portion branched by a first birefringent plateis further branched in the Y-direction. An image IMconstructed by an original pixel PX, a pixel PXcorresponding to its branching image, and a black matrix area BA is formed on a screen. With respect to the image light passing through a second birefringent plateset to a second state, the image light once branched by the first birefringent plateis returned in the &#x2212;Y direction. As this result, an image constructed by the black matrix area BA and an image provided by overlapping the branching image of the original pixel PXwith the original pixel PXis formed on the screen. Namely, the same image IM' as an original image IMis formed on the screen.

A projector is provided to ensure the enhancement of contrasts while reducing the needs for alignment accuracy. The projector includes a light source, a first lens array, a second lens array, a superimposing lens, and a projection lens. The first lens array splits light emitted by the light source into a plurality of partial light beams with a plurality of small lenses that are arranged in a matrix. The second lens array includes a plurality of small lenses corresponding to the plurality of small lenses of the first lens array. The superimposing lens superimposes a plurality of partial light beams emitted by the first lens array and the second lens array on a liquid crystal panel. The projection lens projects light modulated by the liquid crystal panel. In the projector, a diaphragm having an opening that is shaped to be nearly similar to the outline of the second lens array is provided in the vicinity of an area conjugated with the second lens array.

Growing community of inventors

Azumino, Japan

Katsuyuki Uehara