JP2007194012A - Light source device and projector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light source device with life prolongated and a projector equipped with the same. <P>SOLUTION: The light source device is provided with a microwave generating part 100 irradiating microwaves 100a, and a light-emitting part 500 emitting light with the microwaves 100a irradiated from the microwave generating part. The light-emitting part 500 is provided with a reflective unit 520 having a microwave reflecting face 521 converging microwaves 100b irradiated from the microwave generating part 100, an arc tube 510 of which light-emitting substance emits light by the reflected microwaves 100b to irradiate light flux 500a, and a reflector 530 having a light-flux reflecting face 531 reflecting the irradiated light flux 500a nearly in a constant direction. The microwave generating part 100 is arranged at a rear-face side of the reflector 530, and the reflecting unit 520 is fixed at an open end area 532 of the reflector 530 and makes light flux 500b reflected at the light flux reflecting face 531 pass to irradiate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a light source device that emits a light beam and a projector including the light source device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, projectors are used as video projection devices in various fields such as for presentations at conferences and home theaters at home. The light source device used in such a projector is mainly a discharge lamp having electrodes such as a halogen lamp, a metal halide lamp, and a high-pressure mercury lamp, as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example. It is used.

JP 2001-272726 A JP 2001-356212 A

  However, in the light source device using an electrode like the above-described conventional discharge lamp, the wear and deformation of the electrode tip progresses due to the secular change with continuous use, and the arc spot moves during discharge and the arc jump. Was likely to occur, and the discharge was unstable. As a result, a phenomenon called illuminance fluctuation (flicker) has occurred in the projected image on the screen. In addition, there is a phenomenon that the electrode material adheres to the inner wall of the arc tube due to evaporation of the electrode material, and a phenomenon that the inner wall of the arc tube becomes cloudy and devitrified due to a partial temperature rise of the arc tube. It has occurred. Due to these phenomena, the light source device using electrodes has a problem that the lamp life is reduced.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a light source device and a projector including the light source device with a long lifetime.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a light source device of the present invention includes a microwave generation unit that radiates microwaves, and a light emission unit that emits light by microwaves emitted from the microwave generation unit, A reflector having a microwave reflecting surface that reflects the microwave radiated from the microwave generating unit, a light emitting tube enclosing a light emitting material that emits light by the microwave reflected from the microwave reflecting surface, and light emission of the light emitting tube And a reflector having a light beam reflecting surface that reflects the light beam emitted by the reflector in a substantially constant direction, the microwave generator is disposed on the back side of the reflector, the reflector is fixed to the open end region of the reflector, and the microwave Reflecting microwaves on the reflecting surface and converging on the central region of the arc tube, and letting the reflected light beam pass through and exiting from the light reflecting surface of the reflector And it features.

According to such a light source device, the microwave radiated from the microwave generation unit disposed on the back side of the reflector is reflected by the microwave reflection surface of the reflector fixed to the open end region of the reflector in the light emitting unit. By reflecting the microwave and converging on the central region of the arc tube, the luminescent material enclosed in the arc tube is excited (and ionized) to emit plasma. The luminous flux emitted and emitted from the arc tube is reflected in a substantially constant direction by the luminous flux reflecting surface of the reflector. The reflected light beam passes through the microwave reflection surface and is emitted.
In this way, since the arc tube is caused to emit light using microwaves without using the electrode and the light beam is emitted, the electrode is consumed and deformed in the light source device using the electrode such as a discharge lamp. Disappear. Therefore, it is possible to extend the life of the light source device as compared with a light source device using a discharge lamp.
Further, the light source device can be made compact by disposing the microwave generating unit on the back side of the reflector and fixing the reflector having the microwave reflecting surface to the open end region of the reflector.

  In the light source device, the microwave reflecting surface of the reflector is preferably made of a conductive material, and includes a plurality of holes having a diameter equal to or less than 1/4 wavelength of the wavelength of the microwave. .

  According to such a light source device, the microwave reflection surface is made of a conductive material and includes a plurality of holes having a diameter equal to or less than ¼ of the wavelength of the microwave. In the surface, it is possible to reliably reflect the microwave without leaking. Further, since a plurality of holes are provided, the light beam reflected by the light beam reflecting surface of the reflector can be passed through and emitted.

  In the light source device, when the microwave radiated from the microwave generation unit is a substantially plane wave, the microwave reflection surface preferably has a parabolic shape or a spherical shape.

  According to such a light source device, when the microwave is radiated as a substantially plane wave, the microwave reflection surface has a parabolic shape or a spherical shape, so that the microwave is reflected without diverging, The reflected microwave can be efficiently converged on the central region of the arc tube.

  In the light source device, when the microwave radiated from the microwave generation unit is a spherical wave, the microwave reflection surface preferably has an elliptical shape.

  According to such a light source device, when the microwave is radiated as a spherical wave, the microwave reflecting surface has an elliptical shape, so that the microwave is reflected without divergence and reflected. Can be efficiently converged to the central region of the arc tube. In this case, it is preferable that the virtual radiation center point for radiating the microwave is set as one focal point of the ellipsoid and the arc tube center is set as the focal point of the other elliptical surface.

  In the light source device, the arc tube preferably includes a light emitting region having a spherical shape with an inner diameter of approximately 1 mm to 2 mm.

  According to such a light source device, the arc tube can emit light in a light emitting region having a spherical shape with an inner diameter of approximately 1 mm to 2 mm, and approaches a so-called point light source, so that a luminous flux with high luminous efficiency and excellent light distribution is obtained. It can radiate outside the arc tube.

  In the light source device, the arc tube is preferably formed of any one of quartz, transparent sapphire, and translucent ceramic.

  According to such a light source device, since the arc tube is formed of any one of quartz, transparent sapphire, or translucent ceramic, the light transmittance and heat resistance of the arc tube can be improved.

  In the light source device, the light emitting unit preferably includes a support unit that fixes the arc tube to the reflector.

  According to such a light source device, since the arc tube is fixed to the reflector by the support portion of the light emitting unit, the arc tube can be stably fixed at a predetermined position. Thereby, the emitted light beam can be reliably reflected by the light beam reflecting surface of the reflector. Also, with such a configuration, a compact light source device can be realized with a simple configuration.

  In the light source device, the light flux reflecting surface of the reflector is preferably formed of a dielectric multilayer film that transmits microwaves and reflects the light flux.

  According to such a light source device, the microwave radiated from the microwave generator passes through the light flux reflecting surface of the reflector, and the light flux emitted from the arc tube is reflected by the light flux reflecting surface. Therefore, the light source device having such a light beam reflecting surface can emit light from the arc tube without reducing the output level of the microwave, and can reflect the light beam emitted from the arc tube without reducing the luminance. Can be made. The dielectric multilayer film may reflect a light beam in the visible light region and transmit a light beam in the infrared region.

  In the light source device, the microwave generation unit includes a solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit that outputs a high-frequency signal, and a waveguide unit that radiates the high-frequency signal output from the solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit as a microwave. It is preferable to include a surface acoustic wave oscillator that generates a high-frequency signal and an amplifier that amplifies the high-frequency signal generated by the surface acoustic wave oscillator.

  According to such a light source device, a high-frequency signal is generated from a surface acoustic wave oscillator in a solid-state high-frequency oscillator, and the high-frequency signal is amplified by an amplifier. Then, the amplified high-frequency signal is radiated as a microwave in the waveguide section. As a result, the arc tube can be caused to emit light by the microwave.

  In the light source device, the surface acoustic wave oscillator includes a surface acoustic wave resonator, and the surface acoustic wave resonator is a thin film laminated on a hard carbon film having an elastic constant close to that of a diamond single crystal layer or polycrystalline diamond. It is preferable to include a piezoelectric layer, an IDT (Interdigital Transducer) electrode (comb electrode) formed on the thin film piezoelectric layer, and a silicon oxide film stacked on the IDT electrode.

  According to such a light source device, it is possible to generate microwaves using a surface acoustic wave resonator. Further, since the surface acoustic wave resonator uses a base made of diamond, it is possible to increase the surface acoustic wave transmission speed and to oscillate to a higher frequency. In addition, since the electrode width of the surface acoustic wave resonator can be widened as compared with other substrate materials, the power durability characteristics can be improved. In addition, the laminated structure can reduce the frequency fluctuation with respect to the temperature fluctuation, thereby improving the frequency temperature characteristics, suppressing the frequency fluctuation of the surface acoustic wave oscillator caused by the temperature fluctuation, and reducing the microwave output. Can be stabilized. As a result, the light source device can stably emit the luminescent material in the arc tube, and can emit a light beam while maintaining a stable luminance.

  The light source device preferably includes a shielding unit that prevents leakage of microwaves, and the shielding unit contains a microwave generation unit and a light emitting unit.

  According to such a light source device, the blocking unit prevents the microwave radiated from the microwave generation unit and the microwave reflected by the reflector or the like from leaking from the light source device to the outside. As a result, electronic devices such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Home RF, WLAN, etc. used in the ISM (Industrial Scientific and Medical equipment) band, medical devices, etc. An adverse effect can be prevented and a safe light source device can be provided.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a projector according to the present invention includes any one of the light source devices described above, a light modulation unit that modulates a light beam emitted from the light source device according to image information, and forms an optical image; And a projection unit that projects an optical image formed by the light modulation unit.

  According to such a projector, the light source device includes any one of the light source devices described above, and a light beam emitted from the light source device is modulated by the light modulation unit according to image information to form an optical image, which is formed by the projection unit. Project an optical image. Thereby, the projector which has the effect of the light source device mentioned above can be provided. In particular, by providing a light source device using microwaves, a projector capable of extending the life of a light source device compared to a projector having a light source device using a conventional discharge lamp is provided. Can do.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical system of a projector when the light source device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied to the projector. The configuration and operation of the optical system 5 of the projector 1 will be schematically described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical system 5 of the projector 1 includes a light source device 10, an illumination optical system 60, a light modulation unit 70, a color synthesis optical system 80, and a projection unit 90. Yes. In addition, the light source device 10 includes a microwave generation unit 100 and a light emitting unit 500.

  The microwave generation unit 100 radiates microwaves. The light emitting unit 500 emits light by the microwave radiated from the microwave generating unit 100. Further, the illumination optical system 60 equalizes the illuminance of the light beam emitted from the light source device 10 and separates it into each color light. The light modulation unit 70 modulates the light beams of the respective color lights separated by the illumination optical system 60 according to image information to form an optical image. The color synthesizing optical system 80 synthesizes optical images of the respective color lights separated by the illumination optical system 60 and modulated by the light modulator 70. The projection unit 90 projects the optical image synthesized by the color synthesis optical system 80. The light source device 10 is configured by shielding the microwave by the light source case 15 serving as a shielding unit, which will be described later, and the microwave generation unit 100 and the light emitting unit 500 as a unit.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the light source device. The configuration of the light source device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light source device 10 includes a microwave generation unit 100, a light emitting unit 500, and a light source case 15 as a shielding unit that houses the microwave generation unit 100 and the light emitting unit 500. The The light emitting unit 500 includes an arc tube 510, a reflector 520, a reflector 530, and a support unit 540. In addition, the light emission part 500 shown in FIG. 2 is shown as schematic sectional drawing.

The microwave generator 100 is disposed on the back side of the reflector 530.
The arc tube 510 is made of quartz glass. The arc tube 510 has a substantially spherical shape, and a light emitting region 511 having a spherical shape with an inner diameter of about 1 mm filled with a light emitting substance that emits light by microwaves is formed therein. In addition, it is suitable that the inner diameter of the light emitting region 511 is approximately 1 mm to 2 mm. The arc tube 510 has an electrodeless structure in which no electrode is provided inside the light emitting region 511.

  The reflector 520 is formed of a metal member that is a conductive material, and includes a microwave reflecting surface 521 having a spherical curved surface. The reflector 520 is formed with a plurality of holes 522 having a diameter equal to or less than a quarter wavelength of the microwave. Further, the spherical shape of the microwave reflecting surface 521 is configured such that the region 512 at the center of the arc tube 510 is substantially in focus. The microwave reflecting surface 521 reflects the microwave 100a. The plurality of holes 522 allow the light beam 500b reflected by the light beam reflecting surface 531 of the reflector 530 described later to pass therethrough. Note that the microwave reflecting surface 521 may have a parabolic curved surface. The microwave reflecting surface 521 preferably has a parabolic curved surface in terms of convergence, but it is advantageous to have a spherical curved surface in terms of manufacturing simplicity.

  The reflector 530 is made of quartz glass, and a light beam reflecting surface 531 having a paraboloid-shaped curved surface is formed on the inner surface side so as to face the outer surface of the arc tube 510. The light beam reflecting surface 531 is formed of a dielectric multilayer film that transmits microwaves and reflects light beams. In addition, the parabolic shape of the light beam reflecting surface 531 is formed so that the central region 512 of the arc tube 510 installed on the inner surface side of the reflector 530 is substantially in focus. The shape of the light beam reflecting surface 531 may have a spherical curved surface.

  Here, inside the open end region 532 of the reflector 530, a fixing recess 533 having an open end surface recessed by one step is formed. The reflector 520 is fixed to the reflector 530 by engaging the open end region 523 of the reflector 520 with the fixing recess 533.

  The support portion 540 is formed of rod-shaped quartz glass, and one end supports and fixes the arc tube 510 and the other end supports and fixes to the reflector 530. Thereby, the arc tube 510 is supported at a predetermined position on the inner surface side of the reflector 530 and is fixed to the reflector 530 in a form protruding to the inner surface side.

  In the present embodiment, quartz glass is used as a material for forming the arc tube 510, but a material such as transparent sapphire or translucent ceramic may be used. Thereby, the light transmittance and heat resistance of the arc tube 510 can be improved. Further, in this embodiment, mercury, a rare gas, and a small amount of halogen are encapsulated as the luminescent substance enclosed in the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510. For example, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, halogen, etc. A rare gas or a metal or a metal compound such as mercury or sodium may be enclosed together with these gases.

  The light source case 15 is installed in order to prevent the human body and peripheral electronic devices from being adversely affected by microwaves leaking outside the light source device 10. Therefore, the light source case 15 is formed using a metal member that is a conductive material that shields microwaves.

  Further, in the light source case 15, a substantially circular hole 16 is formed on the surface facing the reflector 520 constituting the light emitting unit 500, and the edge of the hole 16 is an open end region of the reflector 520. It is formed to be an inner surface having a curved surface similar to the outer surface of 523. Accordingly, the light source case 15 fixes the reflector 520 by engaging the open end region 523 of the reflector 520 with the hole 16. Therefore, the light source device 10 has a configuration in which the reflector 520 of the light emitting unit 500 protrudes from the light source case 15. The light source case 15 houses the microwave generation unit 100 and the light emitting unit 500. In the present embodiment, the light source case 15 and the reflector 520 prevent the microwave from leaking from the light source device 10.

  In addition, the metal member forming the light source case 15 may be formed so as to have a mesh knitted shape or a plurality of holes having a diameter equal to or less than ¼ wavelength of the wavelength of the microwave. The light source case 15 may use other members as long as the light source case 15 can be configured to shield microwaves.

Next, the operation of the light source device 10 including the traveling direction of the microwave and the light beam will be described with reference to FIG.
The microwave generation unit 100 generates a high-frequency signal and radiates it toward the reflector 520 constituting the light emitting unit 500 as the microwave 100a (the traveling direction is indicated by a dashed arrow in the drawing) (of the microwave generation unit 100). Details will be described later). The emitted microwave 100 a is a substantially plane wave, passes through the light beam reflecting surface 531 of the reflector 530, and travels to the reflector 520. The microwave 100 a that has reached the reflector 520 is reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 521. The reflected microwave 100 b converges in a region 512 at the center of the arc tube 510. By the microwave 100b focused on the central region 512, the luminescent substance enclosed in the light emitting region 511 is excited (and ionized) in the central region 512, which is the substantially central region of the light emitting region 511, and emits plasma. As a result, the entire light emitting region 511 emits light.

  When the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510 emits light, a light beam 500a (indicated by the solid line arrow in the drawing) is emitted to the outside of the arc tube 510. The emitted light beam 500 a reaches the light beam reflection surface 531 of the reflector 530 and is reflected. In the present embodiment, the light beam 500b reflected by the light beam reflecting surface 531 is a parallel light beam that is substantially parallel to the illumination optical axis L (illustrated by a one-dot chain line). Then, the reflected light beam 500b passes through a plurality of holes 522 formed in the reflector 520, so that the light beam 500b is emitted from the light source device 10. The light beam 500 b emitted from the light source device 10 is incident on the first lens array 611 of the illumination optical system 60 constituting the optical system 5.

  Note that the microwave 100a radiated from the microwave generation unit 100 and the micro wave reflected by the reflector 520 are reflected by the light source case 15 housing the microwave generation unit 100 and the light emitting unit 500 and the reflector 520. Waves 100b and microwaves reflected by other components are prevented from leaking from the light source device 10 to the outside.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the microwave generator. The configuration and operation of the microwave generation unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the microwave generation unit 100 includes a solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit 110 that outputs a high-frequency signal, and a waveguide unit 150 that radiates the high-frequency signal output from the solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit 110 as a microwave. Has been.

  The solid-state high-frequency oscillator 110 includes a power source 111, a diamond SAW oscillator 202 as a surface acoustic wave (SAW) oscillator 201, which is a solid-state high-frequency oscillator 200, and a first amplifier 112 as an amplifier. Is done. The waveguide 150 includes an antenna 151 and an isolator 152 as a safety device.

The solid high-frequency oscillator 110 will be described in detail.
The power supply 111 supplies power to the diamond SAW oscillator 202 and the first amplifier 112. In this embodiment, a diamond SAW oscillator 202 is used as the surface acoustic wave oscillator 201 that is the solid-state high-frequency oscillator 200. The subsequent stage of the diamond SAW oscillator 202 is connected to the previous stage of the first amplifier 112. The high-frequency signal output from the diamond SAW oscillator 202 is output after being amplified by the first amplifier 112. The high-frequency signal output from the first amplifier 112 becomes a high-frequency signal output from the solid-state high-frequency oscillator 110. In the present embodiment, the high-frequency signal in the 2.45 GHz band that is amplified to a high-frequency output level that excites the luminescent substance enclosed in the arc tube 510 to emit light is output from the solid-state high-frequency oscillator 110.

  In this embodiment, since the diamond SAW oscillator 202 is used as the surface acoustic wave oscillator 201, the diamond SAW resonator 310 is used as the surface acoustic wave resonator 300 described later.

The waveguide unit 150 will be described in detail.
The waveguide unit 150 guides a high-frequency signal output from the solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit 110 and radiates it as a microwave 100a. The waveguide unit 150 includes an antenna 151 that radiates the microwave 100a and an isolator 152 as a countermeasure against reflected waves. ing.

  In this embodiment, the antenna 151 is configured as a patch antenna, and is a planar antenna that radiates microwaves having unidirectionality. The antenna 151 can radiate the microwave 100a as a substantially plane wave.

  The isolator 152 is installed between the antenna 151 and the subsequent stage of the first amplifier 112 of the solid-state high-frequency oscillator 110. Therefore, as a result of radiating the microwave 100a from the antenna 151, the reflected waves from the reflector 520, the light emitting tube 510, the light source case 15 and the like as the object are prevented from returning to the solid high-frequency oscillation unit 110, and the first amplifier 112 and other failures are prevented.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a solid-state high-frequency oscillator constituting the solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit. The configuration and operation of the solid-state high-frequency oscillator 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

  A solid-state high-frequency oscillator 200 (in this embodiment, a diamond SAW oscillator 202 as a surface acoustic wave oscillator 201) includes a phase shift circuit 210, a diamond SAW resonator 310 as a surface acoustic wave resonator 300, a second amplifier 220, and power distribution. The loop circuit 240 is configured by the power generator 230, and the buffer circuit 250 is connected to one output side of the power distributor 230. The phase shift circuit 210 receives a control voltage from the power supply 111 and varies the phase of the loop circuit 240. These blocks are all matched and connected to a certain characteristic impedance, for example, 50 ohms. The diamond SAW resonator 310 can be connected to the input side of the second amplifier 220 so that an input voltage at which the second amplifier 220 is saturated is supplied.

  As a result, a high-frequency signal in the GHz band can be directly oscillated using the diamond SAW resonator 310. Further, the output power of the second amplifier 220 can be output from the power distributor 230 to the outside via the buffer circuit 250 while maintaining matching. Also, with this circuit configuration, it is possible to continue the continuous oscillation state while minimizing the power applied to the diamond SAW resonator 310. Further, the phase shift circuit 210 can apply frequency modulation to the high-frequency signal, and the microwave frequency can be variably adjusted with respect to the arc tube 510. In the present embodiment, the diamond SAW resonator 310 outputs a 2.45 GHz band high frequency signal. Further, the phase shift circuit 210 may not be used, and in that case, the solid-state high-frequency oscillator 200 becomes a fixed oscillator that oscillates at a frequency uniquely determined by the characteristics of the diamond SAW resonator 310.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the surface acoustic wave resonator. The structure and manufacturing method of the surface acoustic wave resonator 300 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, a diamond SAW resonator 310 is used as the surface acoustic wave resonator 300. The diamond SAW resonator 310 is based on a silicon substrate 311, and a diamond single crystal layer 312 is laminated on the upper surface. A thin film piezoelectric layer 313 (in this embodiment, a thin film of zinc oxide (ZnO)) is laminated on the upper surface of the diamond single crystal layer 312. An IDT electrode 314 that excites surface acoustic waves is provided on the upper surface of the thin film piezoelectric layer 313, and a reflector electrode (not shown) that reflects surface acoustic waves is provided. The IDT electrode 314 is composed of a pair of comb electrodes arranged so as to mesh with each other. A silicon oxide film 315 is laminated on the upper surfaces of the IDT electrode 314, the reflector electrode, and the thin film piezoelectric layer 313. The silicon oxide film 315 is laminated to improve the temperature characteristics of the operating frequency because the temperature dependency of the operating frequency is opposite to that of the thin film piezoelectric layer 313, the IDT electrode 314, and the diamond single crystal layer 312. .

The diamond single crystal layer 312 is formed by a vapor phase synthesis method. In addition, a hard carbon film having an elastic constant close to that of polycrystalline diamond can be used. In addition to ZnO, the thin film piezoelectric layer 313 can be formed of AlN, Pb (Zr, Ti) O ₂ or the like by a sputtering method, a vapor phase synthesis method, or the like.

  As described above, the diamond SAW resonator 310 as the surface acoustic wave resonator 300 has a laminated structure, and is manufactured and formed into a chip using a fine processing technique in semiconductor manufacturing. Further, the surface acoustic wave resonator 300 and other elements formed in a chip are mounted, and the solid high-frequency oscillator 110 having the solid high-frequency oscillator 200 is formed and manufactured. Therefore, the solid high-frequency oscillator 110 is small in size.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the frequency and intensity of a signal output from the diamond SAW oscillator. Here, the horizontal axis of FIG. 6 indicates the frequency, and the vertical axis indicates the intensity.

With the configuration of the diamond SAW resonator 310 described above, as shown in FIG. 6, the signal output from the diamond SAW oscillator 202 outputs only a high-frequency signal (GHz band) having a specific frequency f ₁ . In addition, steep direct oscillation can be achieved. In the present embodiment, the specific frequency f ₁ outputs a high-frequency signal in the 2.45 GHz band.

  FIG. 7 is a circuit block diagram of the projector. The circuit configuration and operation of the projector 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The projector 1 includes a control unit 800, a signal conversion unit 810, an image processing unit 820, a liquid crystal panel driving unit 830, an operation receiving unit 840, a power supply unit 850, a storage unit 860, a fan driving unit 870, and the like. Each unit is connected to each other by a bus B. As the optical system 5, the light source device 10 (the microwave generation unit 100 and the light emitting unit 500), the light modulation unit 70, the projection unit 90 and the like are configured.

The operation of each part will be described.
The signal conversion unit 810 is connected to an image input terminal 815 installed on the outer surface of the projector 1 main body. Then, for example, an analog image signal supplied from an external image signal supply device (not shown) connected to the image input terminal 815 is received. Note that, as the analog image signal, for example, an image input terminal 815 is an image signal such as an RGB signal representing a computer image output from a personal computer or a composite image signal representing a moving image output from a video recorder or a television receiver. To be supplied. Then, the signal conversion unit 810 performs AD conversion on the analog image signal input from the image input terminal 815 and outputs the analog image signal to the image processing unit 820 as a digital image signal.

  The image processing unit 820 converts image data into an image memory (illustrated) in order to make the input digital image signal a signal suitable for display on a liquid crystal panel 71 (illustrated in FIG. 8) constituting the light modulating unit 70 described later. After the image processing such as writing to (omitted) and reading under a predetermined condition, it is converted again to an analog image signal and output to the liquid crystal panel driving unit 830 as an image signal. The image processing is suitable for scaling processing that matches the resolution of the liquid crystal panel 71 by enlarging and reducing the image represented by the image signal, and for displaying the gradation value of the image signal on the liquid crystal panel 71. Γ correction processing for converting to a gradation value is included. Note that such image processing such as scaling processing and γ correction processing by the image processing unit 820 is performed by executing firmware that defines the image processing procedure stored in the storage unit 860.

The liquid crystal panel driving unit 830 supplies the image signal output from the image processing unit 820 and a driving voltage based on the image signal to the liquid crystal panel 71 for driving.
The control unit 800 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), transmits and receives signals to and from each unit via the bus B, and performs overall control of the operation of the projector 1.

  The storage unit 860, for example, various control programs for instructing and controlling the operation of the projector 1, such as an activation program for instructing the procedure and contents of processing when the projector 1 is activated, firmware, and accompanying data Is remembered.

  When the user performs an operation on the operation unit 841 or the remote control 842 installed on the outer surface of the main body of the projector 1, the operation reception unit 840 receives the operation input and sends operation signals serving as triggers for various operations to the control unit 800. Output to.

  The fan drive unit 870 drives (rotates) the fan 875 by a drive circuit (not shown) in accordance with a fan drive command from the control unit 800. Also, a plurality of fans 875 are installed inside the projector 1 and rotate to inhale outside air from the outside of the projector 1 to cause an air flow, and the light emitting unit 500, the light modulation unit 70, and the power supply unit 850. The portions that generate heat are cooled by radiating the heat generated by the air and the like, and exhausting the warm air to the outside of the projector 1.

  The power supply unit 850 guides AC power from the external power supply 880 from the plug, performs processing such as transformation, rectification, and smoothing with a built-in AC / DC conversion unit (all not shown), and outputs a stabilized DC voltage to the projector. 1 is supplied to each part.

  The microwave generation unit 100 of the light source device 10 emits light (turns on) and does not emit light (turns off) according to a control command from the control unit 800.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the components in the optical system of the projector shown in FIG. The structure and operation of the optical system 5 of the projector 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As described in FIG. 1, the optical system 5 includes the light source device 10, the illumination optical system 60, the light modulation unit 70, the color synthesis optical system 80, and the projection unit 90. Then, the light beam emitted from the light source device 10 is modulated in accordance with the image information by the light modulation unit 70 to form an optical image, and the formed optical image is displayed on the screen S (shown in FIG. 7) via the projection unit 90. Projected above.

  As described with reference to FIG. 2, in the light source device 10, the microwave 100 a excites the luminescent substance enclosed in the light emitting tube 510 of the light emitting unit 500 to emit light by driving the microwave generating unit 100. The light beam 500 a emitted from the arc tube 510 is reflected by the light beam reflecting surface 531 of the reflector 530 as a parallel light beam 500 b substantially parallel to the illumination optical axis L, and the light beam 500 b is emitted from the light source device 10.

Next, the configuration and operation of the optical system 5 after the light beam 500b is emitted from the light source device 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, the optical system 5 includes an illumination optical system 60, a light modulation unit 70, a color synthesis optical system 80, and a projection lens 91 constituting the projection unit 90 in addition to the light source device 10. Is done. The illumination optical system 60 includes an integrator illumination optical system 61, a color separation optical system 62, and a relay optical system 63.

  Further, the optical component casing 65 accommodates the components constituting the light source device 10, the illumination optical system 60, the light modulation unit 70, and the color synthesis optical system 80, and is unitized as a unit. Note that the illumination optical system 60 constituting the optical system 5 in the present embodiment can be appropriately changed or omitted depending on the optical system used.

  The integrator illumination optical system 61 constituting the illumination optical system 60 is an optical system for making the luminous flux emitted from the light source device 10 uniform in the plane perpendicular to the illumination optical axis L (illustrated by a one-dot chain line). . The integrator illumination optical system 61 includes the light source device 10, a first lens array 611, a second lens array 612, a polarization conversion element 613, and a superimposing lens 614.

The first lens array 611 has a configuration in which small lenses having a substantially rectangular outline when viewed from the illumination optical axis L direction are arranged in a matrix. Each small lens divides the light beam emitted from the light source device 10 into partial light beams and emits them in the direction along the illumination optical axis L.
The second lens array 612 has substantially the same configuration as the first lens array 611, and has a configuration in which small lenses are arranged in a matrix. The second lens array 612 has a function of forming an image of each small lens of the first lens array 611 together with the superimposing lens 614 on a liquid crystal panel 71 described later.

  The polarization conversion element 613 is an optical element that converts (aligns) the polarization directions of the partial light beams divided by the first lens array 611 and the second lens array 612 into polarized light beams in substantially one direction. The polarization conversion element 613 in the present embodiment has a configuration in which polarization separation films (not shown) and reflection films (not shown) that are inclined with respect to the illumination optical axis L are alternately arranged. The polarization separation film transmits one polarized light beam among the P-polarized light beam and S-polarized light beam included in each partial light beam, and reflects the other polarized light beam. The other polarized light beam reflected is bent by the reflecting film and emitted in the emission direction of one polarized light beam, that is, the direction along the illumination optical axis L. The emitted polarized light beam is polarized and converted by a phase difference plate (not shown) disposed on the light beam exit surface (not shown) of the polarization conversion element 613, and the polarization direction of almost all the polarized light beams is one direction. As aligned.

  In the projector 1 using the liquid crystal panel 71 of the type that modulates a polarized light beam, only a polarized light beam in one direction can be used, and therefore approximately half of the light beam from the arc tube 510 that emits a polarized light beam in a random direction is not used. For this reason, by using the polarization conversion element 613, the light emitted from the light emitting tube 510 and emitted from the light source device 10 is converted into a polarized light beam in a substantially unidirectional direction, thereby increasing the light use efficiency in the light modulator 70. ing.

  The superimposing lens 614 collects a plurality of partial light beams that have been converted into polarized light beams in substantially one direction by the polarization conversion element 613, and superimposes them on image forming regions of three liquid crystal panels 71 (to be described later) of the light modulator 70. It is an element. The light beam emitted from the superimposing lens 614 is emitted to the color separation optical system 62.

  The color separation optical system 62 includes two dichroic mirrors 621 and 622 and a reflection mirror 623. A plurality of partial light beams emitted from the integrator illumination optical system 61 are separated into three color lights of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) by two dichroic mirrors 621 and 622.

  The relay optical system 63 includes an incident side lens 631, a pair of relay lenses 633, and reflection mirrors 632 and 635. In this embodiment, the relay optical system 63 has a function of guiding the blue light, which is the color light separated by the color separation optical system 62, to a blue light liquid crystal panel 71B described later of the light modulator 70.

  At this time, the dichroic mirror 621 of the color separation optical system 62 transmits the green light component and the blue light component and reflects the red light component among the light beams emitted from the integrator illumination optical system 61. The red light reflected by the dichroic mirror 621 is reflected by the reflection mirror 623, passes through the field lens 619, and reaches the liquid crystal panel 71R for red light. The field lens 619 converts each partial light beam emitted from the second lens array 612 into a light beam parallel to the central axis (principal ray). The same applies to the field lens 619 provided on the light incident side of the liquid crystal panels 71B and 71G for blue light and green light.

  Of the blue light and green light transmitted through the dichroic mirror 621, the green light is reflected by the dichroic mirror 622, passes through the field lens 619, and reaches the liquid crystal panel 71G for green light. On the other hand, the blue light passes through the dichroic mirror 622, passes through the relay optical system 63, passes through the field lens 619, and reaches the liquid crystal panel 71B for blue light. Note that the relay optical system 63 is used for blue light because the optical path length of the blue light is longer than the optical path lengths of the other color lights, thereby preventing a reduction in light use efficiency due to light divergence or the like. It is to do. That is, this is to transmit the partial light beam incident on the incident side lens 631 to the field lens 619 as it is. The relay optical system 63 is configured to pass blue light out of the three color lights, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to pass red light, for example.

  The light modulator 70 modulates the incident light beam according to image information to form a color image. The light modulator 70 includes three incident polarizing plates 72 (red light incident polarizing plate 72R for red light and green light incident polarizing plate 72G for green light) on which each color light separated by the color separation optical system 62 is incident. And blue light incident polarizing plate 72B). Also, three liquid crystal panels 71 (red light liquid crystal panel 71R for red light, green light liquid crystal panel 71G for green light, and blue light for blue light) as light modulation devices installed at the subsequent stage of each incident polarizing plate 72 A liquid crystal panel 71B). In addition, three emission polarizing plates 73 (red light emission polarizing plate 73R for red light, green light emission polarizing plate 73G for green light, and blue light emission polarizing plate for blue light are installed at the rear stage of each liquid crystal panel 71. 73B).

  The liquid crystal panel 71 (71R, 71G, 71B) uses, for example, a polysilicon TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as a switching element, and the liquid crystal is hermetically sealed in a pair of opposed transparent substrates. The liquid crystal panel 71 modulates and emits the light beam incident through the incident polarizing plate 72 according to the image information.

  The incident polarizing plate 72 transmits only polarized light beams in one direction among the color lights separated by the color separation optical system 62 and absorbs other light beams. A polarizing film is attached to a substrate such as sapphire glass. It is a thing. The exit polarizing plate 73 is configured in substantially the same manner as the entrance polarizing plate 72, and transmits only the polarized light beam in a predetermined direction among the light beams emitted from the liquid crystal panel 71 and absorbs the other light beams. The polarization axis of the polarized light beam to be transmitted is set to be orthogonal to the polarization axis of the polarized light beam transmitted through the incident polarizing plate 72.

  The color synthesis optical system 80 includes one cross dichroic prism 81. The cross dichroic prism 81 is an optical element that synthesizes an optical image modulated for each color light emitted from the exit polarizing plate 73 to form a color image. The cross dichroic prism 81 has a substantially square shape in plan view in which four right-angle prisms are bonded. A dielectric multilayer film is formed along the interface at the substantially X-shaped interface where the right-angle prisms are bonded together. One of the substantially X-shaped dielectric multilayer films reflects red light, the other dielectric multilayer film reflects blue light, and red light and blue light correspond to the corresponding dielectric multilayer films. Reflected and bent by the film. Green light is transmitted through both dielectric multilayer films.

  Thereby, the traveling direction of red light and blue light can be aligned with the traveling direction of green light, and three color lights are synthesized. The color light synthesized by the cross dichroic prism 81 is emitted in the direction of the projection lens 91 constituting the projection unit 90. The image light emitted from the cross dichroic prism 81 is projected on the screen S by the projection lens 91.

  The liquid crystal panel 71 (71R, 71G, 71B), the exit polarizing plate 73 (73R, 73G, 73B), and the cross dichroic prism 81 are unitized so as to be integrated.

According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the microwave 100 a radiated from the microwave generation unit 100 disposed on the back side of the reflector 530 is emitted from the open end region 532 of the reflector 530 in the light emitting unit 500. The light is reflected by the microwave reflection surface 521 of the reflector 520 fixed to the fixing recess 533 formed inside. Then, the reflected microwave 100b is converged on a central region 512 which becomes the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510, thereby exciting the luminescent material to emit light and emitting the light beam 500a.
In this way, the arc tube 510 is caused to emit light using the microwave 100a without using the electrode, and the luminous flux 500a is emitted, so that the consumption of the electrode generated in the light source device using an electrode such as a discharge lamp is consumed. And no deformation. Therefore, it is possible to extend the life of the light source device 10 as compared with a light source device using a discharge lamp. Further, as compared with a projector provided with a light source device using a conventional discharge lamp, the projector 1 capable of extending the life can be provided by using the light source device 10 of the present invention. Further, since no electrode is used, there is no arc jump, and the projector 1 using the light source device 10 is free from flickering in the projected image on the screen S, so that the quality of the projected image can be improved.

  (2) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the microwave generator 100 that radiates the microwave 100a is disposed on the back side of the reflector 530, and has the microwave reflection surface 521 that reflects the microwave 100a. The reflector 520 is supported and fixed to a fixing recess 533 formed inside the open end region 532 of the reflector 530. With such a configuration, the light source device 10 can be configured in a compact manner. Therefore, the projector 1 using such a light source device 10 can be downsized.

  (3) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the microwave reflection surface 521 of the reflector 520 is configured using a metal member that is a conductive material and having a plurality of holes 522. Therefore, the microwave reflection surface 521 can reliably reflect the microwave 100a emitted from the microwave generation unit 100 without leaking, and the light beam 500b reflected by the light beam reflection surface 531 of the reflector 530 can be reflected through the hole 522. Can be passed through.

  (4) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the microwave 100a radiated from the microwave generation unit 100 is a substantially plane wave, and the microwave reflection surface 521 has a spherical shape (or a parabolic shape). But it may have a curved surface. Thereby, when the microwave 100a is radiated as a substantially plane wave, the microwave 100a is reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 521 without diverging, and the reflected microwave 100b is efficiently applied to the region 512 at the center of the arc tube 510. Can be converged to. Thereby, the luminescent substance enclosed in the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510 can be excited efficiently and uniformly to emit light. The projector 1 using such a light source device 10 eliminates uneven brightness in the projected image on the screen S and can improve the quality of the projected image.

  (5) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the light emitting tube 510 includes the light emitting region 511 having a spherical shape with an inner diameter of approximately 1 mm, and emits light within the light emitting region 511. Accordingly, since the arc tube 510 approaches a so-called point light source, a luminous flux 500a having high luminous efficiency and excellent light distribution can be emitted to the outside of the arc tube 510.

  (6) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 500 includes the support unit 540 and supports and fixes the arc tube 510 to the reflector 530. As a result, the light emitting section 500 can be stabilized and supported and fixed to the reflector 530. With such a configuration, a compact light source device 10 can be realized with a simple configuration. Further, the projector 1 using such a light source device 10 can be downsized.

  (7) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the light beam reflecting surface 531 of the reflector 530 is formed of a dielectric multilayer film that transmits the microwave 100a and reflects the light beam 500a. Thereby, the microwave 100 a from the microwave generation unit 100 disposed on the back surface of the reflector 530 is transmitted, and the light beam 500 a emitted from the arc tube 510 is reflected by the light beam reflecting surface 531. Accordingly, the light source device 10 having such a light beam reflecting surface 531 can cause the light emitting tube 510 to emit light without reducing the output level of the microwave 100a, and can also emit the light beam 500a emitted from the light emitting tube 510. It can be reflected without lowering the brightness.

  (8) According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, the light source case 15 serving as a shielding unit accommodates the microwave generation unit 100 and the light emitting unit 500. The light source case 15 and the reflector 520 leak the microwave 100a generated from the microwave generator 100 and the microwave 100b reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 521 of the reflector 520 to the outside of the light source device 10. Is prevented. As a result, electronic devices such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Home RF, WLAN, etc. used in the ISM (Industrial Scientific and Medical equipment) band, medical devices, etc. An adverse effect can be prevented, and a safe light source device 10 can be provided. Further, by using such a light source device 10, a safe projector 1 can be provided.

  (9) According to the light source device 10 of this embodiment, the surface acoustic wave resonator 300 includes the thin film piezoelectric layered on the diamond single crystal layer 312 (or a hard carbon film having an elastic constant close to that of polycrystalline diamond). Body layer), a thin film piezoelectric layer 313, an IDT electrode 314, and a silicon oxide film 315. Thereby, the transmission speed of the surface acoustic wave can be increased, and it is possible to oscillate to a higher frequency. In addition, since the electrode width of the surface acoustic wave resonator 300 can be increased as compared with other substrate materials, the power durability characteristics can be improved.

  Further, the frequency variation with respect to the temperature variation can be reduced by the laminated structure of the surface acoustic wave resonator 300, so that the frequency temperature characteristic is improved. And the frequency fluctuation of the surface acoustic wave oscillator 201 caused by the temperature fluctuation can be suppressed, and the microwave output can be stabilized. As a result, the light source device 10 can stably emit light from the luminescent material in the arc tube 510. Therefore, the projector 1 using such a light source device 10 can perform projection while maintaining stable luminance.

  (10) According to the projector 1 of the present embodiment, the diamond SAW resonator 310 has a laminated structure and is manufactured using a microfabrication technique in semiconductor manufacturing. There is no variation. Moreover, the diamond SAW resonator 310 immediately excites a surface acoustic wave on the substrate when a signal is input from the phase shift circuit 210, and a high-frequency signal corresponding to the frequency of the surface acoustic wave (2.45 GHz band in this embodiment). Is output. Therefore, since a high frequency signal can be output immediately from the solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit 110 including the surface acoustic wave resonator 300 when the power is turned on, the microwave 100a can be immediately emitted from the antenna 151 of the waveguide unit 150, and light emission is immediately performed. The tube 510 can emit light. Accordingly, when the projector 1 is turned on, the arc tube 510 immediately emits light, and the optical image formed by the light modulation unit 70 can be projected immediately. When using a conventional discharge lamp such as a high-pressure mercury lamp, even if the projector is turned on, due to the characteristics of the discharge lamp, it gradually emits light and the brightness increases. It took a few minutes. However, in the projector 1 using the microwave according to the present invention, the projector 1 can be used without waiting because the projector 1 can emit light with a predetermined luminance as soon as the projector 1 is turned on. Improves.

Further, in the case of a projector using a conventional discharge lamp such as a high-pressure mercury lamp, a ballast or the like serving as a power source is necessary to cause the discharge lamp to emit light. For example, in order to supply power of about 300 W, the power source of the projector 1 Since a size (volume) substantially equal to that of the unit 850 is required, it has become a bottleneck for downsizing the projector. On the other hand, according to the projector 1 of the present invention, since the ballast is not necessary in the solid high-frequency oscillation unit 110, the projector 1 can be downsized.
(Second Embodiment)

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a light source device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration and operation of the light source device 11 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the difference between the light source device 11 in the second embodiment (this embodiment) of the present invention and the light source device 10 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 2.
The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the microwave 100a emitted from the microwave generation unit 100 constituting the light source device 10 in the first embodiment is a substantially plane wave. The microwave 101a radiated from the microwave generation unit 101 constituting the light source device 11 in the form is a substantially spherical wave, and a so-called spherical wave is used. A non-directional dipole antenna (not shown) is used as the waveguide antenna constituting the microwave generation unit 101 in the present embodiment.

  Another difference is that the reflector 520 of the light emitting unit 500 constituting the light source device 10 in the first embodiment has a spherical shape (or a parabolic shape) in order to reflect the microwave 100a that is a substantially plane wave. In contrast to the microwave reflecting surface 521 having a curved surface, the reflector 550 of the light emitting unit 501 constituting the light source device 11 in the present embodiment reflects the spherical wave microwave 101a. A microwave reflecting surface 551 having an elliptical curved surface is provided. The points described above are different from the first embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Note that components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment. In this case, the virtual radiation center point that radiates the microwave 101a is set as one focal point of the microwave reflecting surface 551 having an elliptical curved surface, and the center of the arc tube 510 is set as the focal point of the other microwave reflecting surface 551. It is preferable that

  As in the first embodiment, a fixing recess 533 having an open end surface recessed by one step is formed on the inner side of the open end region 532 of the reflector 530, and the open end of the reflector 550 is formed in the fixing recess 533. The reflector 550 is fixed to the reflector 530 by the engagement of the region 553. Further, in the light source case 15, a substantially circular hole 16 is formed on the surface facing the reflector 550 constituting the light emitting unit 501, and the edge of the hole 16 is an open end region of the reflector 550. It is formed to be an inner surface having a curved surface similar to the outer surface of 553. Accordingly, the light source case 15 fixes the reflector 550 by engaging the open end region 553 of the reflector 550 with the hole 16.

Next, the operation of the light source device 11 including the traveling direction of the microwave and the light beam will be described with reference to FIG.
A spherical wave microwave 101a radiated from the microwave generation unit 101 (indicated by a broken arrow in the figure indicates a traveling direction) is incident on the light emitting unit 501 and is transmitted through the light beam reflecting surface 531 of the reflector 530, and reflected by the reflector 550. Proceed to. The microwave 101a that has reached the reflector 550 is reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 551 having an elliptical curved surface. The reflected microwave 101 b converges in the central region 512 of the arc tube 510. By the microwave 101b converged on the central region 512, the light emitting substance enclosed in the light emitting region 511 is excited (and ionized) in the central region 512, which is the substantially central region of the light emitting region 511, and emits plasma. As a result, the entire light emitting region 511 emits light.

  When the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510 emits light, a light beam 501a (indicated by the solid line arrow in the drawing) is emitted to the outside of the arc tube 510. The emitted light beam 501a reaches the light beam reflecting surface 531 having a parabolic shape of the reflector 530 and is reflected. Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the light beam 501b reflected by the light beam reflecting surface 531 becomes a parallel light beam that is substantially parallel to the illumination optical axis L (illustrated by a one-dot chain line). Then, the reflected light beam 501b passes through a plurality of holes 552 formed in the reflector 550, so that the light beam 501b is emitted from the light source device 11. The light beam 501 b emitted from the light source device 11 is incident on the first lens array 611 of the illumination optical system 60 constituting the optical system 5.

According to the second embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, an elliptical surface is used even when a spherical microwave 101a is radiated using a non-directional dipole antenna or the like as the antenna of the microwave generator 101. With the configuration of the reflector 550 having the microwave reflection surface 551 having a curved surface, the microwave 101a can be efficiently reflected without reducing the output of the microwave 101a. In addition, the reflected microwave 101b can be efficiently converged on the region 512 at the center of the arc tube 510. Thereby, the luminescent substance enclosed in the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510 can be excited efficiently and uniformly to emit light. The projector 1 using such a light source device 11 eliminates uneven brightness in the projected image on the screen S, and can improve the quality of the projected image.

(2) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the microwave 101 a radiated from the microwave generation unit 101 disposed on the back side of the reflector 530 is emitted from the open end region 532 of the reflector 530 in the light emitting unit 501. The light is reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 551 of the reflector 550 fixed to the fixing recess 533 formed inside. Then, the reflected microwave 101b is converged on a central region 512, which is the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510, thereby exciting the luminescent material to emit light and emitting the light beam 501a.
In this way, the arc tube 510 is caused to emit light using the microwave 101a without using the electrode, and the luminous flux 501a is emitted, so that the consumption of the electrode generated in the light source device using the electrode such as a discharge lamp is consumed. And no deformation. Therefore, it is possible to extend the life of the light source device 11 as compared with a light source device using a discharge lamp. In addition, the projector 1 can be provided with a longer life by using the light source device 11 of the present invention as compared with a projector having a light source device using a conventional discharge lamp. Further, since no electrode is used, there is no arc jump, and the projector 1 using the light source device 11 is free from flickering in the projected image on the screen S and can improve the quality of the projected image.

  (3) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the microwave generation unit 101 that radiates the microwave 101a is disposed on the back side of the reflector 530, and the microwave reflection surface 551 that reflects the microwave 101a is provided. The reflector 550 is supported and fixed to a fixing recess 533 formed inside the open end region 532 of the reflector 530. With such a configuration, the light source device 11 can be configured in a compact manner. Therefore, the projector 1 using such a light source device 11 can be downsized.

  (4) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the microwave reflection surface 551 of the reflector 550 is configured using a metal member that is a conductive material and having a plurality of holes 552. Accordingly, the microwave reflection surface 551 can reliably reflect the microwave 101a emitted from the microwave generation unit 101 without leaking, and the light beam 501b reflected by the light beam reflection surface 531 of the reflector 530 can be reflected through the hole 552. Can be passed through.

  (5) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the light emitting tube 510 includes the light emitting region 511 having a spherical shape with an inner diameter of about 1 mm, and emits light within the light emitting region 511. Therefore, since the arc tube 510 approaches a so-called point light source, a luminous flux 501 a having high luminous efficiency and excellent light distribution can be emitted to the outside of the arc tube 510.

  (6) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 501 includes the support unit 540 and supports and fixes the arc tube 510 to the reflector 530. As a result, the light emitting section 501 that stabilizes the arc tube 510 and can be supported and fixed to the reflector 530 is obtained. With such a configuration, a compact light source device 11 can be realized with a simple configuration. Further, the projector 1 using such a light source device 11 can be reduced in size.

  (7) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the light beam reflecting surface 531 of the reflector 530 is formed of a dielectric multilayer film that transmits the microwave 101a and reflects the light beam 501a. Thereby, the microwave 101 a from the microwave generation unit 101 disposed on the back surface of the reflector 530 is transmitted, and the light beam 501 a emitted from the arc tube 510 is reflected by the light beam reflection surface 531. Therefore, the light source device 11 having such a light beam reflecting surface 531 can cause the light emitting tube 510 to emit light without reducing the output level of the microwave 101a, and can also emit the light beam 501a emitted from the light emitting tube 510. It can be reflected without lowering the brightness.

  (8) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the light source case 15 as the shielding unit accommodates the microwave generation unit 101 and the light emitting unit 501. The light source case 15 and the reflector 550 leak the microwave 101 a generated from the microwave generator 101 and the microwave 101 b reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 551 of the reflector 550 to the outside of the light source device 11. Is prevented. This can prevent adverse effects on electronic devices and human bodies, including wireless communication devices such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Home RF, WLAN, and medical devices used in the ISM band. The safe light source device 11 can be provided. Further, by using such a light source device 11, a safe projector 1 can be provided.

(9) According to the light source device 11 of the present embodiment, the same effects as the effects (9) and (10) in the first embodiment can be obtained.
(Third embodiment)

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a light source device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The configuration and operation of the light source device 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the difference between the light source device 12 in the third embodiment (this embodiment) of the present invention and the light source device 10 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 2.
The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the light beam reflecting surface 531 of the reflector 530 of the light emitting unit 500 constituting the light source device 10 in the first embodiment has a parabolic curved surface. However, the light beam reflecting surface 561 of the reflector 560 of the light emitting unit 502 constituting the light source device 12 in the present embodiment has an elliptical curved surface.

  Further, the difference is that in the first embodiment, the light beam 500 b reflected from the light beam reflecting surface 531 and emitted from the light source device 10 is incident on the first lens array 611 of the illumination optical system 60 constituting the optical system 5. However, in the present embodiment, the light beam 502 b reflected by the light beam reflecting surface 561 and emitted from the light source device 12 is incident on the first lens array 611 of the illumination optical system 60 constituting the optical system 5. The incident light is incident on a concave lens 615 having a concave shape. The points described above are different from the first embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Note that components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment.

  A fixing recess 563 having an open end surface recessed by one step is formed inside the open end region 562 of the reflector 560, and the open end region 523 of the reflector 520 is engaged with the fixing recess 563. The reflector 520 is fixed to the reflector 560. Further, in the light source case 15, a substantially circular hole 16 is formed on the surface side facing the reflector 520 constituting the light emitting unit 502, and the edge of the hole 16 is an open end region of the reflector 520. It is formed to be an inner surface having a curved surface similar to the outer surface of 523. Thus, the light source case 15 fixes the reflector 520 by engaging the open end region 523 of the reflector 520 with the hole 16.

Next, the operation of the light source device 12 including the traveling direction of the microwave and the light beam will be described with reference to FIG.
A substantially parallel microwave 100a radiated from the microwave generator 100 (the direction of travel is indicated by a broken-line arrow in the figure) is incident on the light-emitting unit 502, passes through the light beam reflecting surface 561 of the reflector 560, and is reflected by the reflector. Proceed to 520. The microwave 100a that has reached the reflector 520 is reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 521 having a spherical (or parabolic) curved surface. The reflected microwave 100 b converges in a region 512 at the center of the arc tube 510. By the microwave 100b focused on the central region 512, the luminescent substance enclosed in the light emitting region 511 is excited (and ionized) in the central region 512, which is the substantially central region of the light emitting region 511, and emits plasma. As a result, the entire light emitting region 511 emits light.

  When the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510 emits light, a light beam 502a (indicated by the solid line arrow in the drawing) is emitted to the outside of the arc tube 510. The emitted light beam 502a reaches the light beam reflection surface 561 of the reflector 560 and is reflected. In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the light beam 502b reflected by the light beam reflecting surface 561 does not become a light beam parallel to the illumination optical axis L (illustrated by a one-dot chain line) but converges on the illumination optical axis L. Thus, the light is reflected in a certain direction at a predetermined angle. The reflected light beam 502 b passes through a plurality of holes 522 formed in the reflector 520, so that the light beam 502 b is emitted from the light source device 12.

  The light beam 502 b emitted from the light source device 12 is incident on the concave lens 615 of the illumination optical system 60 constituting the optical system 5. The light beam 502b incident on the concave lens 615 is emitted as a parallel light beam parallel to the illumination optical axis L, and is incident on the first lens array 611A having a smaller planar size than the first lens array 611 in the first embodiment. To do. Subsequent light flux progression is the same as in the first embodiment, and is therefore omitted.

According to the third embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the light beam 502a emitted and emitted from the arc tube 510 is reflected at a predetermined angle by the light beam reflecting surface 561 having an elliptical curved surface. The reflected light beam 502b enters the concave lens 615 and enters the first lens array 611A as a substantially parallel light beam. By adopting such a configuration, the size of the light source device 12 is substantially the same as that of the light source device 10 of the first embodiment, but includes the concave lens 615 and the optical elements constituting the subsequent optical system 5. Compared to the optical element in the first embodiment, the size can be changed to a small optical element. Accordingly, a small optical system 5 can be obtained. By using such a light source device 12 for the projector 1, the size of the main body of the projector 1 can be reduced.

(2) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the microwave 100a radiated from the microwave generation unit 100 disposed on the back side of the reflector 560 is converted into the open end region 562 of the reflector 560 in the light emitting unit 502. The light is reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 521 of the reflector 520 fixed to the fixing recess 563 formed inside. Then, the reflected microwave 100b is converged on a central region 512 to be the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510, thereby exciting the luminescent material to emit light and emitting the light beam 502a.
In this way, the arc tube 510 is caused to emit light using the microwave 100a without using the electrode, and the luminous flux 502a is emitted, so that the consumption of the electrode generated in the light source device using an electrode such as a discharge lamp is consumed. And no deformation. Accordingly, it is possible to extend the life of the light source device 12 as compared with a light source device using a discharge lamp. Further, as compared with a projector provided with a light source device using a conventional discharge lamp, the projector 1 capable of extending the life can be provided by using the light source device 12 of the present invention. Further, since no electrode is used, there is no arc jump, and the projector 1 using the light source device 12 is free from flickering on the projected image on the screen S, and the quality of the projected image can be improved.

  (3) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the microwave generation unit 100 that radiates the microwave 100a is disposed on the back side of the reflector 560, and the microwave reflection surface 521 that reflects the microwave 100a is provided. The reflector 520 is supported and fixed to a fixing recess 563 formed inside the open end region 562 of the reflector 560. With such a configuration, the light source device 12 can be configured compactly. Therefore, the projector 1 using such a light source device 12 can be reduced in size.

  (4) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the microwave reflection surface 521 of the reflector 520 is configured using a metal member that is a conductive material and having a plurality of holes 522. Therefore, the microwave reflection surface 521 can reliably reflect the microwave 100a radiated from the microwave generation unit 100 without leaking, and the light beam 502b reflected by the light beam reflection surface 561 of the reflector 560 passes through the hole 522. Can be passed through.

  (5) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the microwave 100a emitted from the microwave generation unit 100 is a substantially plane wave, and the microwave reflection surface 521 has a spherical shape (or a parabolic shape). But it may have a curved surface. Thereby, when the microwave 100a is radiated as a substantially plane wave, the microwave 100a is reflected by the microwave reflecting surface 521 without diverging, and the reflected microwave 100b is efficiently applied to the region 512 at the center of the arc tube 510. Can be converged to. Thereby, the luminescent substance enclosed in the light emitting region 511 of the arc tube 510 can be excited efficiently and uniformly to emit light. The projector 1 using such a light source device 12 eliminates uneven brightness in the projected image on the screen S and can improve the quality of the projected image.

  (6) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the light emitting tube 510 includes the light emitting region 511 having a spherical shape with an inner diameter of approximately 1 mm, and emits light within the light emitting region 511. Therefore, since the arc tube 510 approaches a so-called point light source, a luminous flux 502 a having high luminous efficiency and excellent light distribution can be emitted to the outside of the arc tube 510.

  (7) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 502 includes the support unit 540 and supports and fixes the arc tube 510 to the reflector 560. As a result, the light emitting section 502 can be stabilized and supported and fixed to the reflector 560. With such a configuration, a compact light source device 12 can be realized with a simple configuration. Further, the projector 1 using such a light source device 12 can be reduced in size.

  (8) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the light beam reflecting surface 561 of the reflector 560 is formed of a dielectric multilayer film that transmits the microwave 100a and reflects the light beam 502a. Thereby, the microwave 100 a from the microwave generation unit 100 disposed on the back surface of the reflector 560 is transmitted, and the light beam 502 a emitted from the arc tube 510 is reflected by the light beam reflection surface 561. Therefore, the light source device 12 having such a light flux reflecting surface 561 can cause the light emitting tube 510 to emit light without reducing the output level of the microwave 100a, and can also emit the light flux 500a emitted from the light emitting tube 510. It can be reflected without lowering the brightness.

  (8) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the light source case 15 as the shielding unit accommodates the microwave generation unit 100 and the light emitting unit 502. The light source case 15 and the reflector 520 leak the microwave 100a generated from the microwave generation unit 100 and the microwave 100b reflected by the microwave reflection surface 521 of the reflector 520 to the outside of the light source device 12. Is prevented. This can prevent adverse effects on electronic devices and human bodies, including wireless communication devices such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Home RF, WLAN, and medical devices used in the ISM band. A safe light source device 12 can be provided. Further, by using such a light source device 12, a safe projector 1 can be provided.

  (9) According to the light source device 12 of the present embodiment, the same effects as the effects (9) and (10) in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various change, improvement, etc. can be added. A modification will be described below.

  (Modification 1) In the third embodiment, the microwave generator 100 radiates a microwave 100a that is a substantially parallel wave. However, a microwave that becomes a spherical wave may be radiated using a non-directional dipole antenna or the like. In that case, similarly to the second embodiment, the reflector uses a microwave reflecting surface having an elliptical curved surface, thereby converging the microwave in the region 512 at the center of the arc tube 510, thereby emitting the light emitting region 511. In the central region 512, the luminescent material can emit light.

  (Modification 2) In the first to third embodiments, the light source case 15 has the substantially circular hole 16 on the surface facing the reflectors 520 and 550 constituting the light emitting portions 500, 501 and 502. The open end regions 523 and 553 of the reflectors 520 and 550 are engaged with the holes 16 to fix the reflectors 520 and 550. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and the reflector 520, 550 may be covered without forming the hole 16, and the leakage of microwaves from the light source devices 10, 11, 12 can be further prevented. Can do.

  (Modification 3) In the first to third embodiments, the reflectors 530 and 560 are fixed to the reflectors 520 and 550 by making the open end surface recessed one step inside the open end regions 532 and 562 of the reflectors 530 and 560. The fixing recesses 533 and 563 are formed, and the fixing recesses 533 and 563 are fixed by engaging the open end regions 523 and 553 of the reflectors 520 and 550. However, the structure is not limited to this structure, and the fixing structure is appropriately changed so that the functions of the light beam reflecting surfaces 531 and 561 of the reflectors 530 and 560 and the microwave reflecting surfaces 521 and 551 of the reflectors 520 and 550 can be achieved. be able to.

  (Modification 4) The configuration of the optical system 5 of the projector 1 in the first to third embodiments uses a lens array integrator system. On the other hand, a rod integrator method may be used. In that case, it can be dealt with by appropriately forming the shape of the light beam reflecting surface of the reflector so that the light beam reflected by the light beam reflecting surface of the reflector is condensed and incident on the rod.

  (Modification 5) The projector 1 in the first to third embodiments uses a liquid crystal panel 71 as a light modulation device. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In general, any device that modulates incident light in accordance with image information may be used, and a micromirror light modulator or the like may be used. For example, DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) (registered trademark) can be used as the micromirror type light modulation device. In the case of using a micromirror type light modulation device, an incident polarizing plate, an emitting polarizing plate, etc. can be dispensed with, and a polarization conversion element can also be dispensed with.

  (Modification 6) The light source devices 10, 11, and 12 in the first to third embodiments are used in a projector 1 of a transmissive liquid crystal system. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the same effect can be obtained even when used in a projector that employs a LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon) system that is a reflective liquid crystal system.

  (Modification 7) The light modulation unit 70 in the first to third embodiments uses a three-plate system using three liquid crystal panels 71. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a single plate method using one liquid crystal panel may be used. When the single plate method is used, the color separation optical system 62 and the color synthesis optical system 80 of the illumination optical system 60 can be omitted.

  (Modification 8) The light source devices 10, 11, and 12 in the first to third embodiments are applied to a front-type projector 1 that projects an optical image on a screen S installed outside. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a rear type projector that has a screen inside the projector and projects an optical image on the screen.

  (Modification 9) The projector 1 in the first to third embodiments may be provided with a voltage adjustment unit, and the amplification degree of the first amplifier 112 of the solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit 110 may be variable. With such a configuration, since the output power of the microwave can be varied, the luminance of the luminous flux emitted from the arc tube 510 can be varied. Therefore, the brightness of the image light projected from the projector 1 can be adjusted according to the image scene by adjusting the amplification degree according to the scene of the image to be projected (for example, a bright scene or a dark scene). it can.

  (Modification 10) The light source devices 10, 11, and 12 in the first to third embodiments output a high-frequency signal in the 2.45 GHz band from the solid-state high-frequency oscillating unit 110, and as a microwave from the antenna of the waveguide Radiating. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and by appropriately changing the configuration of the surface acoustic wave resonator 300, various high-frequency signals can be output and emitted as microwaves, so that the arc tube 510 can emit light. In this way, it is also possible to radiate microwaves that match the type of light-emitting substance sealed in the light-emitting tube 510 and the light emission condition (light emission color condition).

  (Modification 11) The light source devices 10, 11, and 12 in the first to third embodiments are applied as the light source of the projector 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the small and light source devices 10, 11, and 12 may be applied to other optical devices. Moreover, it can be suitably applied to lighting devices such as aviation, ships, vehicles, and indoor lighting devices.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the optical system of a projector at the time of applying the light source device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention to a projector. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a light source device. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a microwave generation part. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the solid high frequency oscillator which comprises a solid high frequency oscillation part. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of a surface acoustic wave resonator. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the frequency and intensity | strength of the signal output from a diamond SAW oscillator. It is a circuit block diagram of a projector. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the structure part in the optical system of a projector. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the light source device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the light source device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Projector, 5 ... Optical system 10, 11, 12 ... Light source device, 15 ... Light source case as a shielding part, 60 ... Illumination optical system, 70 ... Light modulation part, 80 ... Color composition optical system, 90 ... Projection part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 101 ... Microwave generator, 110 ... Solid high frequency oscillator, 111 ... Power source, 112 ... First amplifier, 150 ... Waveguide, 201 ... Surface acoustic wave oscillator, 202 ... Diamond SAW oscillator, 300 ... Elastic surface Wave resonator, 310 ... Diamond SAW resonator, 311 ... Silicon substrate, 312 ... Diamond single crystal layer, 313 ... Thin film piezoelectric layer, 314 ... IDT electrode, 315 ... Silicon oxide film, 500, 501, 502 ... Light emitting part, 510 ... arc tube, 511 ... emission region, 512 ... central region, 520, 550 ... reflector, 521, 551 ... microwave reflection surface, 522, 552 ... hole, 23,553 ... reflector open end region of 530,560 ... reflector, 531,561 ... light flux reflecting surface, the open end region of 532,562 ... reflector, 540 ... support.

Claims (12)

A microwave generator that emits microwaves;
A light emitting unit that emits light by the microwave emitted from the microwave generating unit,
The light emitting unit includes a reflector having a microwave reflecting surface that reflects the microwave radiated from the microwave generating unit, and a light emitting material that emits light by the microwave reflected from the microwave reflecting surface. An arc tube, and a reflector having a light beam reflecting surface for reflecting the light beam emitted by the light emission of the arc tube in a substantially constant direction,
The microwave generator is disposed on the back side of the reflector,
The reflector is fixed to the open end region of the reflector, reflects the microwave by the microwave reflecting surface, converges to the central region of the arc tube, and is reflected by the light flux reflecting surface of the reflector. A light source device characterized by passing the emitted light beam and emitting it. The light source device according to claim 1,
The microwave reflecting surface of the reflector is made of a conductive material, and includes a plurality of holes having a diameter equal to or less than ¼ wavelength of the wavelength of the microwave. Light source device. The light source device according to claim 1 or 2,
When the microwave radiated from the microwave generation unit is a substantially plane wave, the microwave reflection surface has a paraboloid shape or a spherical shape. The light source device according to claim 1 or 2,
When the microwave radiated from the microwave generator is a spherical wave, the microwave reflection surface has an elliptical shape. It is a light source device as described in any one of Claims 1-4, Comprising:
The light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the arc tube includes a light-emitting region having a spherical shape with an inner diameter of approximately 1 mm to 2 mm. The light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The light emitting device is characterized in that the arc tube is formed of quartz, transparent sapphire, or translucent ceramic. It is a light source device as described in any one of Claims 1-6, Comprising:
The light-emitting unit includes a support unit that fixes the arc tube to the reflector. It is a light source device as described in any one of Claims 1-7, Comprising:
The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the light flux reflecting surface of the reflector is formed of a dielectric multilayer film that transmits the microwave and reflects the light flux. It is a light source device as described in any one of Claims 1-8, Comprising:
The microwave generation unit includes a solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit that outputs a high-frequency signal, and a waveguide unit that radiates the high-frequency signal output from the solid-state high-frequency oscillation unit as the microwave,
The solid-state high-frequency oscillator includes a surface acoustic wave oscillator that generates the high-frequency signal and an amplifier that amplifies the high-frequency signal generated by the surface acoustic wave oscillator. The light source device according to claim 9,
The surface acoustic wave oscillator has a surface acoustic wave resonator,
The surface acoustic wave resonator includes a thin film piezoelectric layer laminated on a hard carbon film having an elastic constant close to that of a diamond single crystal layer or polycrystalline diamond, and an IDT electrode formed on the thin film piezoelectric layer. And a silicon oxide film laminated on the IDT electrode. The light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A shielding portion for preventing leakage of the microwave;
The light shielding device, wherein the shielding unit houses the microwave generation unit and the light emitting unit. The light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A light modulation unit that modulates a light beam emitted from the light source device according to image information to form an optical image;
A projector comprising: a projection unit that projects the optical image formed by the light modulation unit.

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