Nikon Corporation

Sony Corporation

Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Hoso Kyoki

Yuji Manabe

Tetsuo Hattori

Atsushi Sekine

Masaaki Kusano

Koji Kita

Kiyoshi Numazaki

Hideaki Shimonura

Kazuya Okamoto

Yukiharu Okubo

Hideki Yamamoto

Junichi Iwai

Motoo Koyama

Ikuo Mori

Yutaka Iwasaki

Ryoko Horikoshi

Jyunpei Nakajima

Tomoko Hattori, Legal Representative

Hisao Oozeki

Provided is an image projection apparatus including: one or more light sources; one or more illumination optical systems; a first reflection-type light valve group including three light valves and being configured to modulate incident light based on first image information; a second reflection-type light valve group including three light valves and being configured to modulate incident light based on second image information; a first prism-type photosynthesizing member having a function of synthesizing, on one optical axis, light that is reflected by the first reflection-type light valve group; a second prism-type photosynthesizing member having a function of synthesizing, on one optical axis, light that is reflected by the second reflection-type light valve group; and a prism-type beam splitter configured to synthesize, on one optical axis, light that has been reflected by the first reflection-type light valve group and light that has been reflected by the second reflection-type light valve group.

Image projection apparatus

A light source apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technique includes a first light source section, a second light source section, a third light source section, and a synthesis section. The first light source section includes a plurality of red laser light sources arranged in an array. The second light source section includes a plurality of green laser light sources arranged in an array. The third light source section includes a plurality of blue laser light sources arranged in an array. The synthesis section synthesizes red laser light emitted from the first light source section, green laser light emitted from the second light source section, and blue laser light emitted from the third light source section to generate white light.

Light source apparatus and image display apparatus

A projection display apparatus includes a light source configured to emit light, at least one reflective liquid crystal device configured to generate an image by modulating a polarization of the light emitted from the light source and reflecting the light, an imaging lens configured to form a real image of the image generated by the reflective liquid crystal device, a quarter-wave plate disposed between the reflective liquid crystal device and the imaging lens, an image splitter configured to include at least one reflecting plane and spatially split the real image into at least two split real images by reflecting the real image on the reflecting plane, at least two projection lenses configured to form the split real images again on a screen, and a phase difference corrector configured to correct a phase difference between a p-polarized light and an s-polarized light generated by the reflecting plane.

Projection display apparatus

A liquid crystal display apparatus is provided. The liquid crystal display apparatus includes at least one incidence-side polarizer, a liquid crystal panel, at least one output-side polarizer, and a mechanism for turning each of the incidence-side polarizer and the output-side polarizer around an optical axis. The incidence-side polarizer is made of an inorganic material. The liquid crystal panel is provided for modulating the polarized state of light output from the incidence-side polarizer to output the modulated light. The output-side polarizer is made of an inorganic material for outputting the light incident from the liquid crystal panel.

Liquid crystal display apparatus having both organic and inorganic polarizers

A projection type display apparatus includes: a reflection type light valve; a polarization beam splitter that emits light obtained through polarization split executed thereat on light from a light source toward the reflection type light valve, analyzes light modulated at the reflection type light valve and includes a light blocking portion disposed near an outer edge of an exit surface through which the analyzed light exits; and a projection lens through which the analyzed light is projected.

Projection type display apparatus

A cross dichroic prism color-synthesizes a plurality of color lights having entered therein separately and emits color-synthesized light to a projection lens. The cross dichroic prism includes a first dichroic film; and a second dichroic film intersecting the first dichroic film so as to pass through the first dichroic film. The cross dichroic prism is configured so that a color light having entered the cross dichroic prism and having become diffracted at a gap created in the first dichroic film over an area where the second dichroic film passes through the first dichroic film is not projected through the projection lens.

Cross dichroic prism and projection display apparatus equipped with cross dichroic prism

A projection type display apparatus includes a color separation optical system separating light emitted from a light source into first, second and third color light; reflection type light valves provided each in correspondence to one of the first through third color light; polarization beam splitters provided each in correspondence to one of the first through third color light, which executes polarization separation causing the first through third color light to enter the reflection type light valves, and analyzing light exiting from the reflection type light valves after being modulated; a color composition optical system having a first, a second and a third prism, wherein the analyzed first through third color light undergo color composition; and a projection lens projecting the resulting light from the color composition, and lengths of optical paths wherein each of the first through third color light travels are equal to one another.

A projection type display device, having a light beam flux converting optical system which makes plural beam fluxes from light emitted from a light source and converts the each beam flux into a parallel beam flux and makes the each beam flux advance in a different direction, a polarized light separating color separating optical system which polarization separates and color separates light which was emitted from the light beam flux converting optical system, plural reflecting type light valves which modulate polarized light components emitted from the polarized light separating color separating optical system based on image information and a color synthesizing and analyzing optical system performing color synthesis and analysis of modulated light which were emitted from the plural reflecting type light valves.

Projection type display device

To suppress light loss without deteriorating resolution of a projected image, light is first polarized and separated by a polarizing beam splitter. Green light is separated from a light flux emitted by the polarizing beam splitter by a dichroic mirror having a green light reflection property. A light flux containing blue and red light, which is transmitted by the dichroic mirror, is separated into red light and blue light by a dichroic prism. Resultant color light is modulated and reflected by reflection light valves, returned to the corresponding dichroic mirror or dichroic prism, and combined by the dichroic mirror and the dichroic prism. Resultant combined color light is projected via the polarizing beam splitter and a projection lens. The dichroic prism transmits s-polarized light having wavelengths less than a wavelength substantially within a wavelength band of green light and reflects s-polarized light having larger wavelengths. The dichroic prism transmits p-polarized light having wavelengths less than a wavelength substantially within a wavelength band of green light and reflects p-polarized light having smaller wavelengths.

Color-projection apparatus operable to project a high-contrast image with minimal change in the state or phase of polarization of light flux

A projection type display device constructed so that light source beams via a polarization beam splitter are separated of colors by a color separating/synthesizing optical system and enter light valves disposed for every color light, the light beams exiting from the respective light valves are synthesized by the color separating/synthesizing optical system, the synthesized light beams exit, the polarization beam splitter analyzes the synthesized light beams and takes out the analyzed light beams, and the analyzed light beams are projected on a screen through a projection lens. A normal line of an outgoing surface of the polarization beam splitter with respect to the light source beams exiting toward the color separating/synthesizing optical system from the polarization beam splitter, has a predetermined angle larger than zero degree with respect to an optical axis of the light source beams. An incident surface of the color separating/synthesizing optical system with respect to the light source beams exiting toward the color separating/synthesizing optical system from the polarization beam splitter, is disposed in parallel to the outgoing surface of the polarization beam splitter.

A projection display apparatus comprises a modulator, an analyzer, and projecting optical system. The modulator includes two-dimensionally arrayed pixel units and it modulates an incident light and emits the modulated light. The analyzer analyzes the emitted light from the modulator. The projection optical system projects the analyzed light from the analyzer. The analyzer includes a polarized beam splitter having a pair of prisms and an adhesive layer held between the pair of prisms. The difference in thickness between thin and thick portions of the adhesive layer is set equal to a predetermined value or less, based on a pixel pitch of the modulator.

The projection type display apparatus according to the present invention has a prism for separating incident light into a plurality of light components and combining the plurality of modulated color components. The prism is constituted by a plurality of prism assemblies, each including an optical member made of an optically transparent material having a photoelastic constant whose absolute value is not greater than &plus;1.5&times;10,cm,/N with respect to the incident light. More preferably, these plurality of prism assemblies are arranged such that each of a plurality of the separated color components is totally reflected by any of the prism assemblies.

Apparatus are disclosed that provide a high-luminance projected image with no color shading or uneven contrast. Light from a light source undergoes color separation by passing through a color-separation optical system (e.g., a cross-dichroic mirror or cross-dichroic prism). The light from the light source can also be split into first and second polarized lights by passage through, e.g., a first polarized-light beamsplitter (PBS). Each color-separated light is modulated by a respective color-signal light valve and undergoes color combining by, e.g., a cross-dichroic prism. The second polarized light, if formed, is modulated by a luminance-signal light valve, undergoes color combining and polarized-light combining by, e.g., a second PBS, and is projected by a projection lens (that comprises an aperture stop). The PBSs, cross-dichroic mirrors, and cross-dichroic prisms are situated where principal rays (defined by the aperture stop) are parallel to the optical axis. The first PBS (if present) and color-separation optical system are preferably arranged between a front illumination lens group and a rear illumination lens group both comprising an illumination relay optical system telecentric on both front and rear sides thereof. Field lenses and relay lenses can be included that comprise a relay optical system forming a magnified image of the color-signal light valves at a position conjugate to the luminance-signal light valve with respect to the projection lens.

Projection-display apparatus

Apparatus is disclosed that provides a high-luminance projected image with no color shading or uneven contrast. Light from a light source undergoes color separation by passing through a color-separation optical system (e.g., a cross-dichroic mirror or cross-dichroic prism). The light from the light source can also be split into first and second polarized lights by passage through, e.g., a first polarized-light beamsplitter (PBS). Each color-separated light is modulated by a respective color-signal light valve and undergoes color combining by, e.g., a cross-dichroic prism. The second polarized light, if formed, is modulated by a luminance-signal light valve, undergoes color combining and polarized-light combining by, e.g., a second PBS, and is projected by a projection lens (that comprises an aperture stop). The PBSs, cross-dichroic mirrors, and cross-dichroic prisms are situated where principal rays (defined by the aperture stop) are parallel to the optical axis. The first PBS (if present) and color-separation optical system are preferably arranged between a front illumination lens group and a rear illumination lens group both comprising an illumination relay optical system telecentric on both front and rear sides thereof. Field lenses and relay lenses can be included that comprise a relay optical system forming a magnified image of the color-signal light valves at a position conjugate to the luminance-signal light valve with respect to the projection lens.

Growing community of inventors

Kamakura, Japan

Yuji Manabe