Seiko Epson Corporation

Makoto Fuse

Kazuhiro Nishida

Osamu Ishibashi

Tomiyoshi Ushiyama

Hiroaki Yanai

Ayumu Kobayashi

A light source device according to the invention includes a light source configured to emit blue light having a wavelength band of 37 nm or less and a diffusion element configured to diffuse the light emitted from the light source. The diffusion element includes a base material that has an uneven structure and is composed of a metal, a reflection film that is provided along the uneven structure and is composed of aluminum, and a dielectric multilayer film provided on the reflection film.

Light source device and projector

An image display apparatus includes: a light source; a light modulator that modulates the light flux emitted from the light source, the light modulator including a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal molecules are sealed, the liquid crystal panel having a modulation area where an incident light flux is modulated, and a pair of polarizing elements disposed on opposite sides of the liquid crystal panel, on the light flux incident side and the light flux exiting side thereof; and a compensating element disposed between at least one of the pair of polarizing elements and the modulation area, the compensating element compensating an optical phase difference resulting from birefringence associated with the liquid crystal molecules, wherein the compensating element is sized to be smaller than the modulation area and disposed based on the viewing angle characteristics of the modulation area.

Image display apparatus and viewing angle compensation method

A reduced product height/thickness projector includes an illuminator, an electro-optic modulator, a projection system, a collector lens, and associated housing. The illuminator including a light source that emits an illumination light flux, a first lens array having a plurality of first lenslets that divide the illumination light flux from the light source into a plurality of sub-light fluxes, a second lens array having a plurality of second lenslets corresponding to the plurality of first lenslets, and a superimposing lens that superimposes the sub-light fluxes from the second lens array on an illuminated area. The central axis of the image formation area of the electro-optic modulator and the lens optical axis of the superimposing lens is shifted from the light source optical axis of the light source. The lens optical axis of the collector lens is shifted opposite from the central axis of the image formation area of the electro-optic modulator.

Projector

A projector includes an integrator illumination optical system. The integrator illumination optical system includes: a first lens array having a plurality of first small lenses, a second lens having a plurality of second small lenses, and a polarization converter including: polarization separating layers. The second small lenses of the second lens array are each arranged with its convex surface oriented to the light-irradiation side. A light shield section is provided on a portion on an incident-side surface of the polarization converter, the portion excluding a light-incident surface corresponding to the polarization separating layers. An extending portion is formed on one of the second lens array and the polarization converter in a manner extending toward the other one of the second lens array and the polarization converter, the second lens array and the polarization converter bonded and fixed to each other by bonding and fixing the extending portion to the other one.

An image display apparatus includes a light source that emits light-source light, an illumination system that makes the light-source light uniform, a color separation system that separates illumination light outputted from the illumination system into color light fluxes, color optical modulators illuminated with the color light fluxes separated by the color separation system, and an optical element having an element surface the film thickness distribution of which is configured in such a way that the film thickness changes in a non-uniform manner.

Image display apparatus and projector

Aspects of the invention can provide a projector capable of projecting a high-quality image by illumination that does not produce a difference in size among illumination areas for respective colors including red, green, and blue. A light-source light from a light source can be separated into color lights by first and second dichroic mirrors provided in a color separation system, which independently go incident on corresponding liquid crystal light valves as illumination lights. Herein, a mutual chromatic aberration can be corrected by adjusting, as needed, the radii of curvature of respective field lenses provided in the color separation system for use in adjusting angles of incidence of illumination lights with respect to the liquid crystal light valves. This configuration makes it possible to illuminate the respective liquid crystal light valves by illumination areas of exactly the same size, which in turn enables a high-quality image having no display shadow to be projected.

Projector system for light modulation device

Heat generation is inhibited in a polarized light generating optics system in a projector. A liquid crystal projector includes: lens arraysthat generate partial light beams from a light beam emitted from a light source; and a polarized light generating optics systemthat generates polarized light, which is to be supplied to liquid crystal light valves, from the partial light beams. The polarized light generating optics systemseparates s-polarized light and p-polarized light by polarization separating films. The s-polarized light is reflected from reflecting filmsand is emitted directly. The p-polarized light is converted into s-polarized light by a selective phase difference plateand is emitted therefrom. The polarized light generating optics systemis equipped with light shielding surfacesthat shield light from entering into the reflecting films. The lens arraysare also equipped with light shielding membersthat act similarly as the light shielding surfaces. Disposing the light shielding memberscan inhibit heat generation on the light shielding surfaces

Growing community of inventors

Matsumoto, Japan

Makoto Fuse