JP3973043B2 - Projection display - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a projection display device including a reflective image display element, and more particularly to guiding illumination light to an image display element while guiding reflected light from the image display element to a projection optical system. This relates to the prism optical system.

  In recent years, the development of projection display devices has progressed rapidly, and miniaturization and cost reduction have been demanded. Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for miniaturization of the device size used in the projection display apparatus. To meet these demands, it is necessary to reduce the size of the peripheral portion, particularly the optical system, as the device size is reduced. As a result, the overall size of the projection display apparatus can be reduced. In particular, in recent years, there are time-division image projection apparatuses having a basic structure for extracting and projecting red, green, and blue color lights in a time-division manner. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, each mirror is used by using a digital mirror device (hereinafter referred to as DMD) in which hundreds of thousands of mirror elements each having a controllable tilt are mounted on a semiconductor memory cell. DMD projectors that control the reflection state by controlling the tilt of an element to form an image are known.

As shown in FIG. 8, this DMD projector has a color wheel 104 combined with a color filter that reflects light emitted from a light source 101 by a reflecting mirror 102 and selectively transmits red, green, and blue light. Is condensed by the condensing lens 103, and the passing light is made uniform by the integrator rod 105, and irradiated to the DMD 107 through the total reflection (TIR) prism 106 as a parallel light beam by an optical system 109 such as a relay lens. The image light is projected onto the screen via the zoom projection lens 108. Here, the total reflection prism 106 joins two prisms having different refractive indexes, totally reflects the illumination light incident on the joint surface and irradiates the DMD 107, and the reflected light from the DMD 107 transmits the joint surface. The light is emitted from the prism 106 to the projection lens 108. Other configurations of such a total reflection prism include those described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, for example.
JP-A-10-78550 Japanese Patent No. 3060049 Japanese Patent No. 3065058

  The total reflection prism in such a conventional DMD projector has a configuration in which two prisms are joined together because the illumination light is totally reflected while being transmitted. Further, as described above, a condensing relay lens is required before the total reflection prism. For this reason, the mounting space of the optical element part arrange | positioned between an integrator rod and a projection lens becomes large, and has become a problem for obtaining a small projection type display apparatus. This problem also applies to a projection display device that uses a reflective liquid crystal panel as an image display element.

  An object of the present invention is to realize a small projection display device in which an optical system for illuminating an image display element is composed of one prism and one relay lens.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a projection display device comprising a light source, a light uniformizing means, a relay lens, a prism, an image display element, and a projection lens. The prism comprises a first side surface and a second side surface. And a third prism, and the relay lens is disposed opposite to the first side, the image display element is disposed opposite to the second side, and the projection lens is third. The light beam emitted from the light source is disposed opposite the side surface, passes through the light uniformizing means and the relay lens, enters the prism from the first side surface, and exits the prism from the second side surface to display an image. The light beam that illuminates the element and is reflected by the image display element enters the prism from the second side face, then is totally reflected by the first side face, exits the prism from the third side face, and enters the projection lens. At least It is characterized in.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a relay lens that uses a light beam emitted from a light source as a light beam for illuminating the image display element, and guides a light beam emitted from the relay lens to the image display element. in the projection display device comprising a prism for totally reflecting toward the reflected light beam to the projection lens, the prism is only only one arranged in the optical path between the relay lens and the image display device, a relay lens It has a circular peripheral cut surface obtained by cutting at least a portion, characterized in that it is opposed to the total reflection surface of the prism.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a relay prism, an imaging display element, and a projection are provided on each of the first to third side surfaces by using only one prism having a triangular prism shape having the first to third side surfaces. By arranging the lenses facing each other, it is possible to irradiate the image display element with the light flux emitted from the light source and to guide the reflected light from the image display element to the projection lens. The volume and space of the optical system, particularly the prism, can be reduced as compared with a total reflection prism, and the projection display apparatus can be reduced in size and the cost can be further reduced. In the prism, the light beam incident on the prism from the first side surface is emitted from the second side surface toward the image display element, is reflected by the image display element, and enters the prism again from the second side surface. Is totally reflected by the inner surface of the first side surface and then emitted from the third side surface toward the projection lens. Therefore, the light beam incident on the prism and the light beam emitted from the prism are in different directions, and are emitted from the incident light beam. There is no interference of the luminous flux.
Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, by facing the one re Rerenzu the total reflection surface of one prism, irradiating a light beam coming emitted from the light source to the image display device, and an image as it can be guided to the projection lens the reflected light from the display device, since the light flux emitted from the light beam and the prism enters the flop rhythm is different directions, the interference of light flux emitted light beam incident occurs Absent. Here, the prism has a triangular prism shape having a first side surface, a second side surface, and a third side surface, the total reflection surface is formed by the first side surface, and the second side surface is the image. It is preferable that the display element is disposed opposite to the display element and the third side surface is disposed opposite to the projection lens.

In the first and second aspects of the present invention, by providing a cut surface obtained by cutting a part of the circumference of the relay lens, the cut surface is made to correspond to the side of the total reflection surface of the prism, and the relay lens is fixed to the prism. It can be used for positioning and reliable fixing. At least two cut surfaces of the relay lens are provided, and are configured to be along at least two sides of the total reflection surface of the prism. Here, the second side surface and the third side surface are perpendicular to each other. Further, an air layer having a minute interval is interposed between the relay lens and the prism. Furthermore, the relay lens is preferably integrated with the prism. For example, the relay lens is bonded to the prism with an adhesive. In this case, an adhesive containing glass beads can be used as the adhesive. Moreover, it is preferable to provide a reinforcing plate for connecting the relay lens and the prism. The reinforcing plate is configured to adhere to the cut surface of the relay lens and the side surface of the prism. Further, the relay lens is preferably blackened on the edge or snuff surface.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a DMD projector using a DMD as a reflection type image display element, and parts equivalent to those of the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals. The light emitted from the light source 1 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 2 and is condensed by a condenser lens 3 at one point of a color wheel 4 combined with a color filter that selectively passes red, green, and blue light, and passes therethrough. Light is made uniform by the integrator rod 5. The light emitted from the integrator rod 5 is incident on one surface of the lens-integrated prism 6 according to the present invention, is emitted from the other surface as a parallel light beam, and illuminates the DMD 7 as an image display element. Further, the image light that is the reflected light of the DMD 7 is incident on the lens-integrated prism 6, is emitted from another surface, and is projected onto a screen (not shown) through a projection lens 8 having a zoom configuration. Yes.

  2 is an exploded perspective view of the lens-integrated prism 6, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the assembled state. A prism 61 having a triangular cross section, here an isosceles triangle, and a relay lens 62 joined to the bottom surface 61a of the prism 61 are configured. The two oblique sides 61b and 61c sandwiching the bottom surface 61a of the prism 61 are each formed in a square or rectangular shape, one oblique surface 61b is disposed opposite to the DMD 7, and the other oblique surface 61c is the projection. Opposing to the lens 8. Here, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the prism 61 is arranged in a horizontal direction, so that the three side surfaces constituting the triangular prism shape are arranged in the vertical direction, and the base surface 61 a. The oblique side surface 61b and the oblique side surface 61c are respectively the first side surface, the second side surface, and the third side surface in the present invention. The relay lens 62 has a configuration in which a part of the circumference of the plano-convex lens is cut, and the flat surface 62a is joined to the first side surface of the prism 61, that is, the bottom surface 61a. The relay lens 62 has a black coating structure to suppress stray light that is irregularly reflected by a curved surface (edge) 62b or a surface (snazzed surface) 62c obtained by cutting the lens.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the junction surface between the relay lens and the prism has a structure in which a minute air layer (air gap) 63 is provided between the surfaces facing each other. Thus, total reflection is caused on the inner surface of the bottom surface 61a of the prism 61 by the difference between the refractive index of air and the refractive index of air. In order to generate the air layer 63, a UV curable adhesive containing glass beads is used here, and an adhesive is applied along the periphery or the entire surface of the bonding surface to bond the two together. A gap corresponding to the diameter is secured. Further, in this case, in order to prevent the adhesive force between the relay lens 62 and the prism 61 from being reduced due to heat of the light source generated when the projector is driven, light transmission and reflection are prevented. For example, a reinforcing plate 64 made of a glass plate is attached to at least one surface parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 3 with an adhesive 64a. Since the adhesive area of the adhesive 64a used at this time is wider than that obtained by bonding the relay lens 62 and the prism 61, the heat resistance is excellent.

  According to the lens-integrated prism 6 configured as described above, the light beam from the light source 1 is diffused from the integrator rod 5 and incident on the convex surface of the relay lens 62 as shown in FIG. The light is emitted from the flat surface of the relay lens 62 as a parallel light beam and is incident on the bottom surface 61 a that is the first side surface of the prism 61. The light beam incident on the prism 61 is transmitted through the inside, is emitted from one hypotenuse surface 61b which is the second side surface, and is applied to the DMD 7. The light beam modulated by being reflected by the DMD 7 enters the prism 61 again from one oblique side surface 61b, and is projected onto the inner surface of the bottom surface 61a at an angle larger than the critical angle with respect to the bottom surface 61a. , Where it is totally reflected. The critical angle is an incident angle at which, when light is incident on a medium having a high refractive index (refractive index n1) to a medium having a low refractive index (refractive index n0), total reflection occurs at the interface when the light is incident at a certain angle. The critical angle θc is represented by sin θc = n0 / n1. The light totally reflected by the bottom surface 61a is emitted from the other oblique surface 61c, which is the third side surface of the prism 61, and reaches the projection lens 8. The image displayed on the DMD 7 by the projection lens 8 is a screen (not shown). Is projected onto the screen.

  As described above, in the lens-integrated prism 6 according to the present embodiment, one relay lens 62 is bonded to one prism 61 to irradiate the DMD 7 with the light beam emitted from the integrator rod 5, and from the DMD 7. The reflected light can be guided to the projection lens 8. Therefore, the volume and space of the optical system can be reduced as compared with a conventional configuration in which the condensing lens and the total reflection prism are separately provided, and the projection display apparatus can be miniaturized. In addition, according to this configuration, the number of prisms can be reduced by one as compared with the conventional configuration that requires one lens and two prisms, so that the cost can be reduced. Even in such a configuration, since the light beam incident on the prism 61 and the light beam emitted from the prism 61 are in different directions, there is no interference between the incident light beam and the emitted light beam.

  In the above embodiment, the air layer 63 is provided on the joint surface between the relay lens 62 and the prism 61 so as to ensure a critical angle for total reflection of the light reflected from the DMD 7. You may make it join both using a low refractive index transparent adhesive agent or an adhesive sheet. Alternatively, when the refractive index of the relay lens 62 is smaller than the refractive index of the prism 61, it is possible to realize a configuration in which both are joined in direct contact.

  Next, a configuration example in which the lens-integrated prism 6 of the present invention is formed in the smallest size will be described. 4, in the prism 61, the DMD 7 and one oblique side surface 61b (surface AC in FIG. 4) are parallel, and the projection lens 8 and the other oblique side surface 61c (surface BC in FIG. 4) are parallel. is required. Therefore, the optical axis is always perpendicular to the oblique side surface 61b and the oblique side surface 61c. Therefore, ∠ATU = ∠BVU = 90 °. Further, since the incident angle and the reflection angle of the light beam are equal, ∠AUT = ∠BUV, so ΔATU∽ΔBVU. For this reason, both side angles θ1 and θ2 of the prism 61 become equal, and it can be seen from this that the prism 61 is an isosceles triangle.

  Next, the size of the prism 61 will be described. That is, the prism 61 needs to have a size that allows all the light beams reflected by the effective area of the DMD 7 to enter and exit. Therefore, here, conditions necessary for obtaining the size and shape of the prism that can totally reflect all the light beams and can include all the light beams reflected by the effective area of the DMD 7 are shown. By substituting the fixed values (the F number of the projection lens 8 and the effective area size of the DMD 7) into the obtained conditional expression, the minimum size of the prism that satisfies the condition is obtained.

  In order to obtain the minimum size of the prism 61 from the effective area size of the DMD 7 and the F number of the projection lens 8, a description will be given with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. In addition, the figure on the left side of the figure is an enlarged detailed view of a portion surrounded by a circle S on the right side of the figure. The light beam reflected at both ends of the effective area surface EF of the DMD 7 has a spread of an angle θ and is incident on one oblique side surface 61b (hereinafter referred to as an incident surface) AC of the prism. When the leftmost light ray AE is incident on the apex A of the prism (when AA ′ = 0), the first condition is that the prism 61 has a minimum size. Further, when the rightmost ray DF passes through the incident surface AC of the prism 61 and is incident on the extreme end (vertex B) of the oblique side surface 61a of the prism 61 (surface AB in FIG. 5; hereinafter, total reflection surface), This is one condition when the prism becomes the minimum size. The minimum size of the prism 61 is determined by satisfying these two conditions and satisfying the condition that the light ray AE is transmitted through the incident surface AC and the incident angle to the total reflection surface AB of the prism is a critical angle.

The light beam reflected at both ends of the effective area of the DMD 7 has a certain spread, and the spread angle is determined by the F number of the projection lens 8. If the F number is F and the spread angle is θ,
F = 1/2 sinθ (Formula 1)
It is represented by

Here, the angle between the optical axis of the light beam reflected by the DMD 7 and the perpendicular of the incident surface AC of the prism 61 is α, the refractive index of the prism 61 is n, and the leftmost light beam is emitted when entering the incident surface AC. If the angle is ω, the refraction angle of the optical axis when incident on the incident surface AC is β, and the emission angle of the rightmost ray is ψ, Snell's law
n · sinβ = sinα (Formula 2)
n · sinω = sin | α−θ / 2 | (Formula 3)
n · sinψ = sin (α + θ / 2) (Formula 4)
It becomes.

Furthermore, when the angle of the vertex A of the prism 61 is γ and the critical angle is θc,
When α ≦ θ / 2,
θc ≧ γ−ω (Formula 5)
When α ≧ θ / 2,
θc ≦ γ−ω (Expression 6)
It has a condition that satisfies. Here, when the refractive index of air is 1,
sinθc = 1 / n (Expression 7)
It becomes. Therefore, γ when the incident angle at the beam end becomes the critical angle is
γ = θc ± ω = sin ⁻¹ (1 / n) ± ω (Equation 8)
Is required.

In order for the prism 61 to totally reflect all the light beams, first, all the light beams must be incident on the incident surface AC. Further, the condition that determines the size of the prism 61 is that the rightmost light beam FD can pass through the incident surface AC and enter the total reflection surface AB. Here, an isosceles triangle ABC (AC = BC) is considered, and the horizontal length parallel to the paper surface of the DMD 7 is x, the vertical length (depth direction of the paper surface) is y, and the distance between the prism 61 and the DMD 7 is z. , Where D is the incident point of the rightmost light beam incident on the incident surface AC from DMD7, the length of AD is
AD = x + z [tan (α + θ / 2) −tan | α−θ / 2 |] (Equation 9)
It becomes.

Further, G is a point where a perpendicular to the incident surface AC at the incident point D intersects the total reflection surface AB, H is an intersection of perpendiculars drawn from the vertex B to the incident surface AC, and a perpendicular is dropped from the point G to the perpendicular BH. If the intersection of I is I and the intersection of BD and GI is J,
AG = AD / cosγ (Formula 10)
HI = DG = AD · tanγ (Formula 11)
It becomes. From △ GDJ,
GJ = DG · tanψ ... (Formula 12)
It becomes.

Furthermore, from △ ABD∽ △ GBJ,
AG: AD = GB: GJ (Formula 13)
from now on,
GB = AG · GJ / AD (Formula 14)
It becomes.

Substituting (Equation 10) and (Equation 11) into AG and GJ in (Equation 14) respectively,
GB = [(AD / cosγ) × (DG · tanψ)] / AD (Equation 15)
It becomes. Furthermore, if (Equation 11) is substituted into DG of (Equation 15),
GB = [(AD / cosγ) × (AD · tanγ · tanψ)] / AD
= AD ・ tanγ ・ tanψ / cosγ ... (Formula 16)
It becomes.

△ From BGI
BI = GB · sinγ (Formula 17)
It becomes. Substituting (Equation 16) into GB in (Equation 17),
BI = AD ・ tanγ ・ tanψ ・ sinγ / cosγ
= AD · tan ² γ · tanψ ... (Formula 18)
It becomes.

From ∠ABC = ∠BAC = γ,
∠BCH = π-2γ (Equation 19)
It becomes. △ From BCH
BC = BH / sin (π−2γ) = [BI + HI] / sin2γ (Equation 20)
By substituting (Equation 18) and (Equation 11) into BI and HI of (Equation 20),
AC = BC = (AD · tan ² γ · tanψ + AD · tan γ) / sin2γ
= AD ・ tanγ （tanγ ・ tanψ + 1）
= AD · (tanγ · tanψ + 1) / 2cos 2 γ ... ( Equation 21)
It becomes.

In addition,
BH = AD ・ tanγ ・ (tanγ ・ tanψ + 1) (Equation 22)
It is. Therefore, when (Equation 9) is substituted into AD of (Equation 21),
AC = BC = {x + z [tan (α + θ / 2) - tan | α-θ / 2 | ]} · (tanγ · tanψ + 1 ) / 2cos 2 γ ... ( Equation 23), and made.

Also,
AB = BH / sinγ = [BI + HI] / sinγ (Equation 24)
Therefore, when (Expression 18) and (Expression 11) are substituted into BI and HI of (Expression 24),
AB = AD · tanγ (tanγ · tanψ + 1) / sinγ (Equation 25)
It becomes.
Therefore, when (Equation 9) is substituted into AD of (Equation 25),
AB = {x + z [tan (α + θ / 2) −tan | α−θ / 2 |]} · (tanγ · tanψ + 1) / cosγ (Equation 26)
It becomes.

  As described above, the length of each side of the vertex ABC of the prism 61 having an isosceles triangle can be determined. Therefore, these are the lengths of the sides of the prism 61 that are minimized.

  Next, the minimum size of the prism 61 in the thickness direction (perpendicular to the paper surface) is determined. First, the length until the optical axis of the light beam reflected at the center of the DMD 7 reaches the surface BC, that is, the emission surface BC is obtained. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the same prisms 61 ′ as the prism 61 are combined with each other on the bottom surface, and schematically shows a state where the light beam from the DMD 7 is transmitted through the prism 61 ′ without being reflected by the total reflection surface AB. ing. KLN indicates the luminous flux at that time.

Here, the prisms 61 and 61 'are the same isosceles triangle, respectively.
KL + LM = KN (Formula 27)
It becomes. here,
KN = OK / cosβ = BH / cosβ (Equation 28)
It becomes.
The length PK of the optical axis from the DMD to the prism is
PK = z / cosα (Formula 29)
It becomes.

From this, the distance l until the optical axis of the light beam reflected at the center of the DMD 7 reaches the exit surface BC is calculated from BH in (Equation 28), (Equation 29) and (Equation 22):
l = PK + KN = [z / cosα] + [AD · tanγ (tanγ · tanψ + 1) / cosβ] (Equation 30)
It becomes.

Since the light beam has a conical spread, the diameter R of the circle when the light beam that is reflected at the center of the DMD 7 and spreads at an angle θ advances by a distance l is expressed by using (Equation 30):
R = 2l · tan (θ / 2) = 2tan (θ / 2) [z / cosα] + [AD · tanγ (
tanγ · tanψ + 1) / cosβ] (Equation 31)
It becomes. Therefore, since the minimum thickness Y of the prism 61 is obtained by adding the vertical length y of the DMD to the diameter R of the obtained circle, from (Equation 30),
Y = 2 tan (θ / 2) [z / cos α] + [AD tan γ (tan γ tan ψ + 1) / cos β] + y (Expression 32)
It becomes.

  The above (Expression 23), (Expression 26), and (Expression 32) are the minimum dimensions of the sides AC, BC, AC and thickness Y of the prism suitable for use in the projection display apparatus of the present invention.

  Here, the size and thickness of the prism 61 are determined by the F number of the projection lens 8 and the effective area size of the DMD 7, but in order to obtain an accurate prism size, the optical axis of the light beam reflected by the DMD 7 is the prism. Needless to say, it is necessary to determine the angle of incidence on 61 and the distance between DMD 7 and prism 61. FIG. 7 shows the case where the length and thickness Y of each side AB, AC, BC of the prism 61 are obtained when the angle α at which the light beam enters the prism 61 is 5 ° and the distance z between the DMD 7 and the prism 61 is 10 mm. These two examples are shown.

  In the present invention, the image display element is not limited to the DMD described above, but can be applied to a projection display apparatus using a reflective liquid crystal panel.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the projection type display apparatus of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of a lens-integrated prism. It is a side view of the assembly state of a lens integrated prism. It is a typical side view which shows the optical path in a lens integrated prism. It is a typical side view for demonstrating the method of calculating | requiring the minimum dimension of a lens-integrated prism. It is a typical side view for demonstrating the method of calculating | requiring the minimum thickness dimension of a lens-integrated prism. It is a table | surface which shows the example of the minimum dimension of a lens integrated prism. It is a block diagram of an example of the conventional projection type display apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source 2 Reflecting mirror 3 Condensing lens 4 Color wheel 5 Integrator rod 6 Lens-integrated prism 7 DMD
8 Projection lens 61 Prism 62 Relay lens 63 Air layer 64 Reinforcing plate

Claims (15)

  In a projection display device including a light source, a light uniformizing unit, a relay lens, a prism, an image display element, and a projection lens, the prism has a first side surface, a second side surface, and a third side surface. The relay lens is disposed opposite to the first side surface, the image display element is disposed opposite to the second side surface, and the projection lens is disposed on the third side surface. The light beams emitted from the light source are arranged to face each other, pass through the light uniformizing means and the relay lens, enter the prism from the first side surface, and enter the prism from the second side surface. The emitted light illuminates the image display element, and the light beam reflected by the image display element enters the prism from the second side surface, is totally reflected by the first side surface, and is reflected from the third side surface. The pre Projection display device, characterized in that is emitted to the outside of the arm including at least a light flux incident on the projection lens. The projection display device according to claim 1 wherein the relay lens is characterized by having a cut surface obtained by cutting at least a portion of a circle periphery. A relay lens that uses a light beam emitted from a light source as a light beam for illuminating the image display element, and a projection lens that guides the light beam emitted from the relay lens to the image display element and reflects the light beam reflected by the image display element. the projection display device comprising a prism for totally reflecting towards the prism is only only one arranged in the optical path between the relay lens and the image display device, the relay lens is circular circumferential least A projection display device having a cut surface obtained by cutting a part of the prism and facing the total reflection surface of the prism . The prism has a triangular prism shape having a first side surface, a second side surface, and a third side surface, the total reflection surface is formed by the first side surface, and the second side surface is formed by the image display element. The projection display device according to claim 3, wherein the projection display device is disposed so as to face the projection lens, and the third side surface is arranged to face the projection lens. 5. The projection display device according to claim 2, wherein at least two cut surfaces are provided, and each cut surface is provided along at least two sides of the total reflection surface of the prism. 5. The projection display device according to claim 1, wherein the second side surface and the third side surface of the prism form a right angle. 6. The projection display device according to claim 6, wherein the projection lens is substantially parallel to the third side surface. The projection display device according to claim 6, wherein the display device is substantially parallel to the second side surface. 9. The projection display device according to claim 1, wherein an air layer having a minute interval is interposed between the relay lens and the prism. The projection display device according to claim 1, wherein the relay lens is integrated with the prism. The projection display device according to claim 10, wherein the relay lens is bonded to the prism with an adhesive. The projection display device according to claim 11, wherein the adhesive is an adhesive containing glass beads. The projection display device according to claim 10, further comprising a reinforcing plate for connecting the relay lens and the prism. The projection display device according to claim 13, wherein the reinforcing plate is attached to a cut surface of the relay lens and a side surface of the prism . The projection display device according to claim 1, wherein the relay lens is blackened on the edge or snuff surface.

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