The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 06, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 08, 2000
Yasumasa Sawai, Yamatotakada, JP;
Hisashi Tokumaru, Kawachinagano, JP;
Nobuo Mushiake, Kawachi-Gun, JP;
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
An illumination optical system has a lens array for dividing light from a light source into a plurality of beams of light; a polarized light conversion optical system having a separator and converter, wherein the separator has a prism array comprising a plurality of right angle prisms arranged consecutively with the same surface being an inclined surface for reflecting the plurality of beams of light by the inclined surface and separating the plurality of reflected beams of light into first and second linearly polarized light beams having mutually intersecting polarization directions, and the converter converts the polarization direction of one of the first and second linearly polarized light beams to the ot her polarization direction, wherein the lens cell width of the lens array is greater than the prism array pitch of the prism array viewed from the incidence side of the plurality of beams of light.