JP2003270407A - Rod integrator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rod integrator which saves the trouble to manufacture and can be suppressed in manufacturing cost. <P>SOLUTION: A sheet 10 of tens of μm in thickness with a light reflecting function is prepared, folded in order with its reflecting surface in and rolled to form a quadrangular prism. Matching surfaces 110 of end parts of the sheet 10 are stuck together with an adhesive to manufacture the rod integrator 100. The rod integrator 100 which is thus manufactured is in a rod shape on the whole and hollow and has quadrangular opening at both end parts, the internal wall surface 120 being entirely a light reflecting surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rod integrator that guides light incident from one end to the other end while internally reflecting the light, and more particularly to a rod integrator suitable for use in a projector or the like. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A rod integrator of this type is conventionally manufactured by depositing silver on one surface of each of four glass plates, and then as shown in FIG.
No. 01 was surrounded by a square with each vapor deposition surface 1502 inside, and adjacent glass plates were bonded together at their ends.

The rod integrator thus produced has a rod-like shape, the inside of which is hollow and both ends thereof are opened in a square shape, and the inner wall surface constitutes a reflecting surface of evaporated silver. Therefore, when light enters from one end, it is reflected multiple times inside and is guided to the other end, from which light with a uniform illuminance distribution is emitted. Will be done.

In such a rod integrator, since the reflecting surface is made of silver, the reflectance of the light is very high. Therefore, even if the light is internally reflected a plurality of times, the light is attenuated. The light can be guided without any use, and the light utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional rod integrator, since silver is vapor-deposited on a glass plate to manufacture, there is a problem that the manufacturing is troublesome and the manufacturing cost is high. .

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, to provide a rod integrator which does not require any labor for production and can keep the production cost low.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems and Their Actions and Effects] In order to achieve at least a part of the above-mentioned objects, the rod integrator of the present invention is rod-shaped, has a hollow interior and is open at both ends. It is a rod integrator that guides light incident from one end to the other end while reflecting the light inside, and the wall surface of the inside is made of a sheet having a light reflecting function.

As described above, in the rod integrator of the present invention, the inner wall surface is not vapor-deposited by silver, but is formed by a sheet having a light reflecting function, and therefore the sheet is simply folded or bonded. The rod integrator can be easily manufactured, and therefore the manufacturing cost is low and the manufacturing cost is low. Further, since the seat itself is light to some extent, it is possible to reduce the weight of the entire rod integrator.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
It is preferable that the sheet is made of synthetic resin and has a multilayer film structure.

Some sheets having such a structure have a very high light reflectance, and the use of such a sheet makes the reflectance of the inner wall surface (ie, the reflecting surface) extremely high. Therefore, even if the light is reflected multiple times on the inner wall surface, the light can be guided without being attenuated, and the light utilization efficiency can be improved.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The sheet may be made of at least one of silver, silver alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy.

These sheets have a reflectance slightly lower than that of the sheet having the above-mentioned multilayer film structure, but have sufficient reflectance as a sheet constituting the inner wall surface of the rod integrator.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The back surface of the sheet is preferably supported by a base material.

Since the sheet is supported by the base material as described above, the sheet can be easily handled and processed, and the strength of the rod integrator can be increased.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The sheet is preferably supported by the base material so as to be flat.

By supporting the sheet in this manner, it is possible to secure the flatness of the inner wall surface (that is, the reflecting surface), and it is possible to improve the light reflection efficiency of the entire rod integrator.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The base material preferably has a relatively high thermal conductivity.

In the rod integrator, every time light is reflected, a part of the light is absorbed by the wall surface as a light loss and converted into heat. Thus, the heat conductivity of the base material supporting the back surface of the sheet is high. Then, the absorbed heat can be quickly released into the atmosphere through the base material.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The sheet is preferably adhered to the base material via an adhesive member.

As described above, the base material can surely support the sheet by adhering through the adhesive member.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
It is preferable that the adhesive member has a relatively high thermal conductivity.

As described above, when the heat conductivity of the adhesive member is high, the heat absorbed by the sheet can be quickly transmitted to the base material through the adhesive member and released into the atmosphere.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The sheet is preferably attached to the base material when the base material is molded by in-mold molding.

Thus, by in-mold molding,
By bonding the sheet to the base material, the base material can reliably support the sheet. Moreover, since the bonding and the molding are performed at the same time by the in-mold molding, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced accordingly.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
It is preferable that a shape-holding frame that is rod-shaped and has a hollow interior and open both ends is provided, and that the sheet is held in a constant shape inside the shape-holding frame.

As described above, by holding the sheet in a fixed shape by the shape holding frame, the state of light passing through the rod integrator can be kept constant.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
It is preferable that the sheet includes a shape holding frame arranged at the end portion, and a portion of the sheet corresponding to the end portion is held in a constant shape by the shape holding frame.

As described above, by holding the portion corresponding to the end portion in a constant shape by the shape holding frame, the cross-sectional shape of the light incident on the rod integrator and the cross-sectional shape of the light emitted from the rod integrator are determined. , Each can always have the desired shape.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The shape-holding frame preferably has relatively high thermal conductivity.

As described above, when the shape-holding frame that holds the shape of the sheet has high thermal conductivity, the heat absorbed by the sheet can be quickly released into the atmosphere through the shape-holding frame.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The sheet is preferably adhered to the shape holding frame via an adhesive member.

As described above, the shape holding frame can securely hold the shape of the sheet by adhering through the adhesive member.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
It is preferable that the adhesive member has a relatively high thermal conductivity.

As described above, when the heat conductivity of the adhesive member is high, the heat absorbed by the sheet can be quickly transferred to the shape holding frame via the adhesive member and released into the atmosphere.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The sheet is preferably held in a fixed shape by an adhesive member.

By holding the sheet in a constant shape by the adhesive member, the state of light passing through the rod integrator can be kept constant.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
It is preferable that the sheet is arranged in a roll shape and has one seam.

When the sheet forming the inner wall surface has a seam, light loss occurs at that portion. However, the light loss can be reduced by forming the sheet in a roll shape so that there is only one seam.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
It is preferable to provide a radiation fin on the outer peripheral portion.

As described above, by providing the heat radiation fins, the heat absorbed by the sheet can be quickly and largely released to the atmosphere through the heat radiation fins, and the heat radiation effect can be improved.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
The shapes of the open ends may be different from each other.

Therefore, the shape of the opening on the side where the light is incident can be matched to the cross-sectional shape of the light that is actually incident, and the shape of the opening on the side where the light is emitted is It is possible to match the shape of the emitted light required by the optical system located at the latter stage of the rod integrator.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
When the sheet can expand due to heat, it is preferable that the sheet is arranged so that the expansion direction thereof coincides with the light guiding direction.

By arranging in this way, even if the sheet expands, the inner wall surface does not rise and the light can be reflected well.

In the rod integrator of the present invention,
When the sheet reflects the polarized light, the polarized light may be reflected as the light from the one end when the polarized light may be influenced by the relationship between the incident direction of the polarized light and the arrangement direction of the sheet. It is preferably arranged in a direction that does not affect the polarized light even when incident.

With such an arrangement, the illuminance distribution of polarized light can be made uniform without affecting the polarized light.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment as a rod integrator, but may be realized as a projector provided with the rod integrator or a method as a method for manufacturing the rod integrator. It is possible.

[0048]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in the following order based on Examples. A. First Example: B. Second Example: C.I. Third Example: D. Fourth Example: E. Fifth Example: F. Sixth Embodiment: G.I. Seventh Example: H. Eighth Example: I. Ninth Example: J.I. Tenth Example: K. Eleventh Embodiment: Application to projector: M. Modification:

A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator as a first embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A sheet 10 having a thickness of several tens of μm and having a light reflecting function is prepared, and the sheet 10 is sequentially bent so that the reflecting surface is on the inside, and is rolled to form a quadrangular prism. Then, the mating surfaces 110 at the ends of the sheet 10 are bonded to each other with an adhesive to manufacture the rod integrator 100 as shown in FIG. That is, the rod integrator 100 manufactured in this way
Has a rod-like shape formed by the sheet 10 as a whole, the inside thereof is hollow and both ends thereof are opened in a square shape, and the inner wall surface 120 is entirely a light reflecting surface.

As the sheet 10 having such a light reflecting function, for example, Vicuity (registered trademark) ESR (Enhanced Specular Reflec) manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited is used.
can be used. This sheet is made of synthetic resin (polyester resin), has a multilayer film structure, and has extremely high reflectance (98% or more) in the visible light range. In addition, as the sheet 10, for example, a silver sheet having a reflective surface made of silver, a silver alloy sheet made of a silver alloy, an aluminum sheet made of aluminum, an aluminum alloy sheet made of an aluminum alloy, or the like. Can also be used. These sheets are somewhat inferior in reflectance to the above-mentioned sheets having a multilayer film structure (about 95% for silver sheets and about 80% for aluminum sheets), but the inner wall surface (that is, the reflecting surface) of the rod integrator. As a sheet that composes
It has a sufficient reflectance.

To fold the sheet 10, a heating and folding device 140 as shown in FIG. 2 is used. The heating and bending apparatus 140 bends the bending molds 15 and 16 that are bent substantially at right angles and arranged to face each other, while heating the bending molds 15 and 16 by the heating wires 13 and 14 driven by the power supplies 11 and 12, and , The sheet 10 is clamped so that the sheet 10 can be bent at a right angle without difficulty and a fold can be added.

The rod integrator 100 manufactured in this way has, for example, a total length of about 3 cm, and the openings at both ends have a size of several mm square, and is shown inside the projector (not shown) as shown in FIG. To be installed. That is, the rod integrator 100 is moved in the direction of arrow A with respect to the two mounting jigs 150 that are erected on the inner wall of the housing (not shown) of the projector,
By inserting the protrusion 160 of the rod integrator 100 into the groove 150 a of the attachment jig 150, the rod integrator 100 is gripped by the two attachment jigs 150 from both sides. At this time, an adhesive is applied to the groove 150a, so that the rod integrator 100 is fixed to the attachment jig 150.

Thus, the rod integrator 100
By making the attachment jig 150 grip the
The rod integrator 100 can be accurately positioned and mounted in the projector.

In the rod integrator 100 thus mounted, when light is incident from the opening at one end (incident side end), the light is reflected by the inner wall surface a plurality of times while the other end (exit) is emitted. The light is guided to the side end), and the light having the uniform illuminance distribution is emitted from the opening at the end.

As described above, according to the rod integrator 100 of the present embodiment, the sheet 10 can be manufactured by simply bending the sheet 10 and adhering the end portions thereof, so that the manufacturing cost is low and the manufacturing cost is low. be able to. In particular, when the sheet having the above-described multilayer film structure, the aluminum sheet, the aluminum alloy sheet, or the like is used as the sheet 10, the sheet 10 itself is inexpensive, and thus the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

Further, since the seat 10 itself is light to some extent, it is possible to reduce the weight of the entire rod integrator 100.

Further, by using the above-mentioned sheet having a multilayer film structure having an extremely high reflectance as the sheet 10, the reflectance of the inner wall surface (that is, the reflecting surface) can be made extremely high. Even if the light is reflected a plurality of times, it is possible to guide the light without attenuating it and improve the light utilization efficiency.

Further, if the sheet 10 forming the inner wall surface has a joint, light loss occurs at that portion. However, in the rod integrator 100 of this embodiment, the sheet 10 is roll-shaped, and the joint 130 is also at one location. Therefore, the light loss is small. In FIG. 1, the sheet 10 is folded into a roll shape as shown in FIG. 4A, but may be folded into a roll shape as shown in FIG. 4B.

Further, in this embodiment, when the sheet 10 can be expanded by heat, the sheet 10 is arranged so that the light guiding direction of the rod integrator 100 coincides with the expanding direction of the sheet 10. . By arranging the sheet 10 in this manner, the sheet 10 is heated by heat.
Even if the swells, the inner wall surface of the rod integrator 100 does not rise and the light can be reflected well.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the sheet 10 reflects polarized light, the polarized light can be influenced by the relationship between the incident direction of the polarized light and the arrangement direction of the sheet 10, that is, with respect to the polarized light. When the polarized light is incident on the rod integrator 100, the sheet 10 is arranged in a direction that does not affect the polarized light. By arranging the sheet 10 in this way, the illuminance distribution can be made uniform without affecting the polarization.

B. Second Embodiment: FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator as a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The entire back surface of the sheet 10 having a light reflecting function is supported by the metal plate 20 which is a base material. That is, the metal plate 20 is attached to the entire back surface of the sheet 10 with an adhesive.

As the metal plate 20, for example, an aluminum plate, an iron plate, a copper plate, a stainless plate or the like can be used.

In this embodiment, such a metal plate 2 is used.
The sheet 10 whose back surface is supported by 0 is sequentially bent so that the reflecting surface is on the inside, and is formed into a quadrangular prism to form a square prism. Figure 5
A rod integrator 200 as shown in (b) is manufactured.

The method of mounting the rod integrator 200 thus manufactured inside the projector is the same as in the case of the first embodiment, and therefore its explanation is omitted.

According to the rod integrator 200 of this embodiment, since the sheet 10 is supported by the metal plate 20, the handleability and the workability of the sheet 10 are improved, and the strength of the rod integrator 200 as a whole is improved. Can be raised.

Further, since the sheet 10 is supported by the flat metal plate 20, it is possible to secure the flatness of the inner wall surface, which is the reflecting surface, and to improve the light reflection efficiency of the rod integrator 200 as a whole. it can. In particular, when a stainless plate is used as the metal plate 20,
A higher shape retention effect can be expected.

Since the sheet 10 and the metal plate 20 are adhered to each other with an adhesive, the metal plate 20 can reliably support the sheet 10. As an adhesive member for adhering the sheet 10 and the metal plate 20 to each other, a double-sided tape or the like can be used instead of the adhesive.

Furthermore, when light is made incident on the rod integrator and is reflected a plurality of times inside, a part of the light is absorbed by the wall surface as a light loss at each reflection, and is converted into heat.
In the rod integrator 200 of this embodiment, since the metal plate 20 having high thermal conductivity is attached to the back surface of the sheet 10 which is the wall surface, the absorbed heat is quickly transferred to the atmosphere through the metal plate 20. Is released to. When an aluminum plate is used as the metal plate 20, a higher heat dissipation effect can be expected.

In the above description, the characteristics of the adhesive member for attaching the sheet 10 and the metal plate 20 were not particularly mentioned, but such an adhesive member having high thermal conductivity was used. In this case, the heat absorbed by the sheet 10 can be quickly transferred to the metal plate 20 via the adhesive member and released into the atmosphere.

In the above description, the base material that supports the sheet 10 is the metal plate 20, but a synthetic resin plate may be used instead of the metal plate.

C. Third Embodiment: FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a rod integrator as a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG.
The sheet 10 having a light-reflecting function is sequentially bent so that the reflecting surface is on the inside, and is rolled to form a quadrangular prism. Then, the shape retaining frames 30 to 32 are attached to both ends and the central portion of the quadrangular prism, respectively, and fixed with an adhesive to manufacture the rod integrator 300 as shown in FIG. The shape holding frames 30 to 3
Positioning and fixing holes 33 to 35 are opened at the end portions of 2, respectively.

The shape holding frames 30 to 32 are made of aluminum,
It may be made of metal such as iron, copper or stainless steel, or may be made of synthetic resin.

The rod integrator 300 manufactured in this manner is attached to the inside of a projector (not shown) as follows, for example. That is, the rod integrator 300 is arranged in the mounting portion (not shown) provided on the inner wall of the housing (not shown) of the projector, and the positioning fixing holes 33 to 35 provided in the shape holding frames 30 to 32 are provided. Each through a fixing bracket (not shown),
It is mechanically fixed to the above-mentioned mounting part.

Therefore, according to the rod integrator 300 of the present embodiment, in the seat 10, the portions corresponding to both ends and the central portion of the rod integrator 300 are held in a constant shape by the shape holding frames 30 to 32, respectively. Accordingly, the cross section of the opening at the entrance side end, the opening at the exit side end, and the center part can be kept in a desired quadrangular shape. Therefore, it is possible to always make the cross-sectional shape of the light incident from the opening at the incident side end and the cross-sectional shape of the light emitted from the opening at the exit side end each into a desired shape.

Further, the rod integrator 300 can be accurately positioned and mounted in the projector by fixing it with the fixing metal fittings by utilizing the positioning fixing holes 33 to 35.

Further, the sheet 10 and the shape holding frames 30 to 32.
Are bonded to each other with an adhesive, the shape holding frames 30 to 32 can securely hold the shape of the sheet 10. As an adhesive member for adhering the sheet 10 and the shape retaining frames 30 to 32, a double-sided tape or the like can be used in addition to the adhesive.

Furthermore, when the shape holding frames 30 to 32 are made of a metal having a high thermal conductivity, the heat absorbed by the sheet 10 is promptly released into the atmosphere via the shape holding frames 30 to 32. To be done. In addition, the sheet 10 and the shape retention frame 3
When an adhesive member having a high thermal conductivity is used as an adhesive member for adhering 0 to 32, the heat absorbed by the sheet 10 is quickly transmitted to the shape holding frames 30 to 32 via the adhesive member, Can be released into the atmosphere.

D. Fourth Embodiment: FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator as a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
First, a shape-holding frame 40 is prepared, which is a quadrangular prism having a hollow interior and square-shaped openings at both ends. Next, the sheet 10 having a light reflecting function is sequentially bent so that the reflection surface is on the inside, and is made into a roll shape to form a similar quadrangular prism. Then, the sheet 10 having a rectangular prism shape is attached to the shape holding frame 4
It is inserted from one end portion of 0 in the direction shown by the arrow B and attached inside the shape holding frame 40. At this time, the sheet 10
By fixing the shape holding frame 40 and the shape holding frame 40 with an adhesive, the rod integrator 40 as shown in FIG.
Create 0. In addition, positioning fixing holes 41 to 43 are opened at the end of the shape holding frame 40, respectively.

The shape holding frame 40 is made of aluminum, iron,
It may be made of metal such as copper or stainless steel, or may be made of synthetic resin.

The method of attaching the rod integrator 400 thus manufactured to the inside of the projector is the same as in the case of the third embodiment, and therefore its explanation is omitted.

According to the rod integrator 400 of the present embodiment, the entire sheet 10 is held in a constant shape inside the shape holding frame 40, so that the state of light passing through the rod integrator 400 is kept constant. It becomes possible to keep.

Further, similarly to the third embodiment, the rod integrator 400 can be accurately positioned and mounted in the projector by fixing it with the fixing metal fittings by utilizing the positioning fixing holes 41 to 43.

Since the sheet 10 and the shape holding frame 40 are adhered to each other with an adhesive, the shape holding frame 4
With 0, the shape of the sheet 10 can be reliably retained.
Note that, also in this embodiment, the sheet 10 and the shape retention frame 4 are
As an adhesive member for adhering 0 to each other, a double-sided tape or the like can be used in addition to the adhesive.

Furthermore, when the shape retaining frame 40 is made of a metal having a high thermal conductivity, the heat absorbed by the sheet 10 is quickly released into the atmosphere through the shape retaining frame 40. Further, when an adhesive member having a high thermal conductivity is used as the adhesive member for adhering the sheet 10 and the shape-holding frame 40, the heat absorbed by the sheet 10 is quickly transferred to the shape-holding frame 40 via the adhesive member. Can be communicated and released into the atmosphere.

E. Fifth Embodiment: FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator as a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
First, the sheet 10 having a light-reflecting function is sequentially bent so that the reflecting surface is on the inside, and is rolled to form a quadrangular prism. Next, the fixing jigs 51 and 52 for adhesion are attached to both ends of the square pole, respectively, and the fixing jigs 51 and 52 for adhesion are fixed with screws 53 and 54. And
The adhesive 50 is applied to the outer periphery of the central portion with a predetermined width. After that, when the adhesive 50 dries and the entire sheet 10 is fixed in the state of the quadrangular prism, the screws 53 and 54 are loosened, and the fixing jigs 51 and 52 for adhesion are removed. Thus, FIG. 8 (b)
A rod integrator 500 as shown in FIG.

According to the rod integrator 500 of this embodiment, the sheet 10 is held in a constant shape by the adhesive 50, so that the state of light passing through the rod integrator 400 can be kept constant. .

As an adhesive member for holding the sheet 10 in a constant shape, an adhesive tape or the like may be used instead of the adhesive. Further, when such an adhesive member having high thermal conductivity is used, the sheet 1
The heat absorbed by 0 can be promptly released into the atmosphere via the adhesive member.

F. Sixth Embodiment: FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator as a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, first, a sheet 10 having a light reflecting function is prepared, and as shown in FIG. 9A, four resin plates 60 to 6 as base materials are formed by in-mold molding.
3 is integrally molded so that the sheet 10 is bonded to the surfaces of the resin plates 60 to 63. At that time, sheet 1
0 is arranged so that the reflection surface is on the outside. A fixing pin 64 is formed in the resin plate 60 at one end, and a fixing pin hole 65 is formed in the resin plate 63 at the other end at the same time.

Here, the in-mold molding means the sheet 1
A cover material such as 0 is placed in a mold, and a synthetic resin is injected into the mold to mold a component with the cover material.

Next, the sheet 10 is placed inside so that the boundary between the resin plates becomes a crease, and the sheets are bent in order to form a roll. Finally, the fixing pin 64 is fixed to the fixing pin hole 65. To form a square pole. In this way, the rod integrator 60 as shown in FIG.
Create 0. The fixing pin 64 and the fixing pin hole 6
5 may be fixed with an adhesive.

According to the rod integrator 600 of this embodiment, since the sheet 10 is bonded to the resin plates 60 to 63 by the in-mold molding, the resin plates 60 to 6
3 can securely support the seat 10. Also,
Since the bonding and the molding are performed at the same time by the in-mold molding, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced and the adhesive member can be eliminated.

G. Seventh Embodiment: FIG. 10 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view showing a rod integrator as an example of FIG.

In this embodiment, as in the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the resin plate 75 as the base material is replaced by the resin plate 75 as the base material by the in-mold molding. It is integrally molded so that it can be attached,
In-mold molded products 70a and 70b of the same type are manufactured. Next, these in-mold molded products 70a, 70b
The rod integrator 700 is manufactured by combining the above with the shape of a quadrangular prism so that the sheet 10 is on the inner side and adhering the sheet 10 with an adhesive.

Also in this embodiment, since the sheet 10 is attached to the resin plate 75 by in-mold molding, the same effect as that of the sixth embodiment can be obtained.

H. Eighth Embodiment: FIG. 11 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view showing a rod integrator as an example of FIG.

Also in this embodiment, as in the sixth and seventh embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11, the resin plate 85 as the base material and the sheet 10 having the light reflecting function are made of resin by in-mold molding. Two types of in-mold molded products 80a to 80d are integrally molded so as to be bonded to the plate 85.
To make. That is, the in-mold molded products 80a, 8
0c is provided with four fitting holes 87 on the surface side of the sheet 10, and the in-mold molded products 80b, 80d are provided.
Are four fitting protrusions 8 on both sides of the resin plate 85, respectively.
6 is provided. Next, these four in-mold molded products 80a to 80d are arranged so that the sheets 10 are inside each other, and the fitting protrusions 86 of the in-mold molded products 80b and 80d are fitted into the in-mold molded products 80a and 80c. It is inserted into the fitting hole 87 and fitted, and combined into a square pole shape. At this time, the rod integrator 800 is manufactured by bonding the in-mold molded products 80a to 80d to each other with an adhesive.

Also in this embodiment, since the sheet 10 is bonded to the resin plate 85 by in-mold molding, the same effects as those of the sixth and seventh embodiments can be obtained.

I. Ninth Embodiment: FIG. 12 shows a ninth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator as an example of FIG.

Also in this embodiment, as in the sixth to eighth embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12A, the resin plate 95 as the base material is formed by the in-mold molding, and the sheet having the light reflecting function is formed. So as to be bonded to the resin plate 95, and integrally molded into two types of in-mold molded products 90a to 90.
Create d. In FIG. 12A, the in-mold molded products 90c and 90d are omitted.

Of these, the in-mold molded product 90
b and 90d are provided with notches on both side surfaces for engaging with other in-mold molded products 90a and 90c, and these notches, when engaged, with the in-mold molded products 90b and 90d. Are in-mold molded products 90a, 90c
Position so that it is almost perpendicular to.

Therefore, these four in-mold molded products 9
0a to 90d are arranged such that the sheet 10 is on the inside, and the notches on the both side surfaces of the in-mold molded products 90b and 90d are engaged with the in-mold molded products 90a and 90c to combine them into a quadrangular prism shape. . At this time, the rod integrator 900 is manufactured by bonding the in-mold molded products 90a to 90d to each other with an adhesive.

Also in this embodiment, since the sheet 10 is attached to the resin plate 95 by in-mold molding, the same effects as those of the sixth to ninth embodiments can be obtained.

J. Tenth Embodiment: FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a rod integrator as a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as in the case of the fourth embodiment, the sheet 10 having a light reflecting function is bent into a roll shape so that the reflecting surface is on the inside, and a quadrangular prism is formed. Is inserted into the shape holding frame 45 and fixed with an adhesive to manufacture the rod integrator 450. The shape holding frame 45 is made of aluminum, iron, copper,
Alternatively, it is made of metal such as stainless steel.

The present embodiment is different from the fourth embodiment in that
Four heat radiation fins 46 to 49 are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the shape holding frame 45.
Is attached.

Thus, the rod integrator 450
Since the heat radiation fins 46 to 49 are provided on the outer periphery thereof, the heat absorbed by the sheet 10 can be quickly and largely released to the atmosphere by the heat radiation fins 46 to 49 via the shape holding frame 45. Therefore, the heat dissipation effect can be improved.

It should be noted that positioning fixing holes 41 to 43 similar to those of the fourth embodiment are provided at the end portions of the shape holding frame 45, respectively.
Is open. The method of attaching the rod integrator 450 to the inside of the projector is the same as in the case of the fourth embodiment, and therefore its explanation is omitted.

K. Eleventh Embodiment: FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a rod integrator as an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14A, the sheet 10 having a light reflecting function is formed into a roll so that the reflecting surface is on the inside, and one end is rounded without bending and the other end is rolled. Bend the ends of the. Thus, the opening 1001 at one end is circular and the opening 1002 at the other end is rectangular. After that, the mating surfaces of the ends of the sheet 10 in different directions are bonded together with an adhesive, whereby the rod integrator 1
000 is produced.

Therefore, in a projector equipped with a rod integrator, for example, the cross-sectional shape of the light incident on the rod integrator is circular, and the optical system arranged downstream of the rod integrator has a rectangular cross-sectional shape of the emitted light. When the rod integrator 1000 of the present embodiment is applied, the opening 1001 is provided on the light incident side and the opening 10 is provided on the light emitting side.
By arranging 02 respectively, the light can be made incident on the rod integrator 1000 without waste, and the light emitted from the rod integrator 1000 can be effectively used in the optical system in the subsequent stage.

In the above description, it is assumed that the optical system arranged downstream of the rod integrator requires a rectangular cross section of the emitted light.
Some optical systems require parallelograms instead of rectangles. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 14B, if the opening 1101 at one end has a circular shape and the opening 1102 at the other end has a parallelogram, a rod integrator 1100 can be used. good.

L. Application to Projector: FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a projector to which the rod integrator of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 15, this projector includes a light source lamp 1, a concave mirror 2, and a color wheel 3.
And a rod integrator 4 of the present invention and a lens group 5
A mirror 6, a reflective light modulation device 7, and a projection lens group 8.

Of these, the light source lamp 1 is a radiation light source that emits radial rays. The concave mirror 2 is an elliptical concave mirror that emits light from the opening so that the radiation beam from the light source lamp 1 is reflected and condensed on the color wheel 3.

The color wheel 3 has a rotating shaft (not shown).
In the shape of a disc that can be rotated around the center of the circle, three transmissive color filters are formed in three fan-shaped regions that are divided along the rotation direction. These three color filters are a filter that transmits red light, a filter that transmits green light, and a filter that transmits blue light. The color wheel 3 is arranged so that the light spot condensed by the concave mirror 2 irradiates a predetermined peripheral position deviated from the rotation axis. Then, the color wheel 3 is rotated by a motor (not shown) around the rotation axis at a constant speed, and the light spot cyclically irradiates each region of the color filter at a constant interval in accordance with the rotation. As a result, color wheel 3
Depending on the rotation, the light transmitted through the red light, the green light,
Circularly changes with blue light.

The rod integrator 4 makes the light transmitted through the color wheel 3 enter through the opening at the end portion on the incident side, guides it to the end portion on the emitting side while being reflected a plurality of times on the inner wall surface. As a result, even when the illuminance distribution of the light transmitted through the color wheel 3 is not uniform, the light passing through the rod integrator 4 has a uniform illuminance distribution and is emitted from the opening at the emission side end. .

The light emitted from the rod integrator 4 passes through the lens group 5 and is reflected by the mirror 6,
The light is incident on the light irradiation surface of the reflective light modulation device 7. At this time, the lens group 5 forms an image of the emission surface of the rod integrator 4 on the light irradiation surface of the reflective light modulation device 7. By bending the optical path of the mirror 6, the length of the entire projector is shortened while keeping the optical path length. The reflection-type light modulation device 7 emits image light representing an image to the projection lens group 8 by reflecting the light incident on the light irradiation surface according to the image information.

The projection lens group 8 projects the image light from the reflection type light modulation device 7 on the screen 9 and displays the image on the screen 9.

On the other hand, FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing the structure of another projector to which the rod integrator of the present invention is applied.

In the projector shown in FIG. 16, a transmissive light modulating device 7'is used instead of the reflective light modulating device 7 in FIG. The mirror 6 is also deleted. The other components are the same as in the case of FIG. 15, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

Therefore, in this projector, the light emitted from the rod integrator 4 passes through the lens group 5 and then enters the light irradiation surface of the transmissive light modulation device 7'as it is. The transmissive light modulation device 7 ′ emits image light representing an image to the projection lens group 8 by transmitting light incident on the light irradiation surface according to image information.

As described above, the rod integrator of the present invention can be applied to a projector for the purpose of making the illuminance distribution of light uniform.

M. Modification: The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the above third to eleventh embodiments, the single sheet 10 is used, but like the second embodiment, it is supported by the base material such as the metal plate 20 and the synthetic resin plate. The sheet 10 may be used.

In the sixth to ninth embodiments described above,
Although the sheet 10 is attached to the resin plate as the base material by in-mold forming, it may be attached by an adhesive member, and otherwise, the rod integrator may be assembled by the same method as in these examples.

The above-described embodiments may be used in any combination as appropriate. The rod integrator of the present invention is not limited to a projector, but may be applied to other optical devices such as a scanner.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator 100 as a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heating and folding device 140 used for folding the sheet 10.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of attaching the rod integrator 100 of FIG. 1 to a projector.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining how to roll the sheet 10.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator 200 as a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a rod integrator 300 as a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator 400 as a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator 500 as a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator 600 as a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a rod integrator 700 as a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a rod integrator 800 as an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of a rod integrator 900 as a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a rod integrator 450 as a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a rod integrator 1000 or 1100 as an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a projector to which the rod integrator of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another projector to which the rod integrator of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a conventional rod integrator.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Light source lamp 2 ... concave mirror 3 ... Color wheel 4 ... Rod integrator 5 ... Lens group 6 ... Mirror 7. Transmissive light modulation device 7 '... Reflective light modulation device 8 ... Projection lens group 9 ... Screen 10 ... Sheet 11, 12 ... Power supply 13, 14 ... Heating wire 15, 16 type 20 ... Metal plate 30 to 32 ... Shape holding frame 33 to 35 ... Positioning fixing hole 40 ... Shape holding frame 41-43 ... Positioning fixing hole 45 ... Shape holding frame 46-49 ... Radiating fins 50 ... Adhesive 51, 52 ... Fixing jig for bonding 53, 54 ... screws 60 to 63 ... Resin plate 64 ... Fixing pin 65 ... Pin hole for fixing 70a, 70b ... In-mold molded product 75 ... Resin plate 80a-80d ... In-mold molded product 85 ... Resin plate 86 ... Fitting protrusion 87 ... Mating hole 90a to 90d ... In-mold molded product 95 ... Resin plate 100 ... Rod integrator 1000 ... Rod integrator 1001, 1002 ... Opening 110 ... Mating surface 1100 ... Rod integrator 1101, 1102 ... Opening 120 ... Wall 130 ... seam 140 ... Heating and bending device 150 ... Mounting jig 150a ... groove 1501 ... Glass plate 1502 ... Deposition surface 160 ... Projection 200 ... Rod integrator 210… Mating surface 300 ... Rod integrator 400 ... Rod integrator 450 ... Rod integrator 500 ... Rod integrator 600 ... Rod integrator 700 ... Rod integrator 800 ... Rod integrator 900 ... Rod integrator

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Akira Momose             Seiko, 3-3 Yamato 3-chome, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture             -In Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Masatoshi Yonekubo             Seiko, 3-3 Yamato 3-chome, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture             -In Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 2H042 AA02 AA18 AA28 AA29                 2K103 AA01 AA16 BC03 BC50

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A rod integrator that is rod-shaped, has a hollow interior and is open at both ends, and guides light incident from one end to the other end while reflecting the light from the inside, A rod integrator in which the inner wall surface is formed of a sheet having a light reflecting function. 2. The rod integrator according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is made of synthetic resin and has a multilayer film structure. 3. The rod integrator according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is made of at least one of silver, silver alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy. 4. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the back surface of the sheet is supported by a base material. 5. The rod integrator according to claim 4, wherein the sheet is supported by the base material so as to be flat. 6. The rod integrator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the base material has a relatively high thermal conductivity. 7. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the sheet is bonded to the base material via an adhesive member. . 8. The rod integrator according to claim 7, wherein the adhesive member has relatively high thermal conductivity. 9. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the sheet is bonded to the base material when the base material is molded by in-mold molding. A rod integrator characterized in that 10. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a shape-retaining frame that is rod-shaped and has a hollow interior and open both ends, wherein the sheet is A rod integrator, wherein the rod integrator is held in a fixed shape inside the shape holding frame. 11. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a shape holding frame arranged at the end, wherein the sheet is a portion corresponding to the end. Is held in a fixed shape by the shape holding frame. 12. The rod integrator according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the shape retaining frame has a relatively high thermal conductivity. 13. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the sheet is bonded to the shape holding frame via an adhesive member. Integrator. 14. The rod integrator according to claim 13, wherein the adhesive member has relatively high thermal conductivity. 15. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sheet is held in a constant shape by an adhesive member. 16. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the sheet is arranged in a roll shape and has one seam. 17. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein a radiation fin is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the rod integrator. 18. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the shapes of the openings of the both ends opened are different from each other. 19. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein when the sheet can be expanded by heat, the expansion direction of the sheet is a direction that guides the light. A rod integrator characterized by being arranged so as to match. 20. The rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein when the sheet reflects polarized light, an incident direction of the polarized light and an arrangement direction of the sheet are set. When the relationship may affect the polarized light, the sheet is arranged in a direction that does not affect the polarized light even when the polarized light is incident as the light from the one end. Rod integrator. 21. A projector comprising the rod integrator according to any one of claims 1 to 20 as a part of an optical system. 22. A rod integrator for producing a rod integrator, which is rod-shaped, has a hollow interior and is open at both ends, and guides light incident from one end to the other end while reflecting the light inside the end. A method for producing a rod integrator, comprising a step of disposing a sheet having a light reflecting function as the inner wall surface.