JP4507607B2 - projector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device including an electro-optical panel that is used as a projection display device such as a liquid crystal projector or the light vibe thereof and is mounted on an outer case, and an outer case for the electro-optical panel.

  This type of electro-optical device includes an electro-optical panel as a light valve, and constitutes a projector that modulates light from a light source in the electro-optical panel and projects it as a display image. The electro-optical panel is housed in a suitable outer case and is installed in a housing constituting the projector. In addition, the projection light in the electro-optical device is very strong, and a mechanism for air-cooling the electro-optical panel and the light source is generally provided in the casing in order to prevent deterioration of the electro-optical panel due to heat generation due to light absorption or the like. .

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for cooling a liquid crystal panel with air sent to a blower fan and attaching a display panel cooler to the back surface of the liquid crystal panel. The display panel cooler is a sealed box-shaped body composed of a frame and a transparent plate larger than the display screen of the liquid crystal panel, filled with a coolant such as an ethylene glycol aqueous solution. The other end of the heat pipe having an air cooling fin at one end is inserted.

JP 7-168179 A

  However, in general, in the air cooling system, there is a problem that dust in the housing rises with blowing air, adheres to the display surface of the electro-optical panel, and lowers the display quality by forming an image on the enlarged projected image. is there. Further, in the liquid crystal projector described in Patent Document 1, the structural and manufacturing process becomes complicated by closely fixing the display panel cooler to the liquid crystal panel. In addition, since the display panel cooler is disposed on the optical path of the transmitted light of the liquid crystal panel, the brightness of the display image is inevitably lowered, and high-definition display becomes difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electro-optical device and an outer case for an electro-optical device that enable simple and efficient cooling of the electro-optical panel.

For the projector of the present invention is to solve the above problems, a projector having a electric exterior case for optical device for sheathing the electro-optical panel display image from the display surface is projected, exterior the electro-optical device The case holds a main body portion that can accommodate the electro-optic panel so that the display surface is exposed, and a heat pipe that conducts heat in the main body portion to the outside in a state in contact with the main body portion. Holding means, and the holding means shares the heat pipe with at least three sides of the display surface at the periphery of the display surface and shares the heat pipe with other exterior cases for the electro-optical device. It holds way, the heat pipe, a dichroic prism in each of a plurality of surfaces each oppositely disposed within a plurality of the electro-optical device exterior case for the The fluid flowing around the bottom surface of the dichroic prism and flowing through the heat pipe is flowed into the heat pipes in the plurality of exterior cases for the electro-optical device, It flows into a heat pipe routed along the bottom surface of the dichroic prism .

According to the outer casing for the electro-optical device of the present invention, together with the electro-optical panel is housed in the main body, the holding means, the body portion to hold while contacting the heat pipe which is an example of a heat conducting means. The electro-optical panel projects a display image as a light valve of a projector, for example, and receives heat from projection light or the like during driving. This heat is conducted to a heat pipe through the main body, and the electro-optical panel in the main body Will be removed. That is, the exterior case of the present invention has a cooling function in addition to a function of protecting the electro-optical panel and a function as an auxiliary tool attached to a predetermined position.

  Therefore, it is possible to cool the electro-optical panel with a simple configuration. In addition, by accommodating and cooling the electro-optical panel in this exterior case, if there is no need to air-cool the inside of the electro-optical device, the dust generated by the ventilation will adhere to the display surface of the electro-optical panel. This can avoid adversely affecting the display quality.

The "heat pipe" here is a kind of heat conducting means , but it may be one that causes a coolant such as water or reduced-pressure air to flow inside, or one that does not allow such fluid to flow inside. Also good. In the latter case, the inside is not necessarily in a hollow state and may be configured as a rod-like member having excellent thermal conductivity. The shape is not particularly limited except that it is a linear shape. For example, the cross section may be a circular shape or a polygonal shape, and may have fins or the like for dissipating heat on the outer surface. Further, the heat pipe is in contact with the main body, but any form of contact may be used. For example, the heat pipe penetrates through the main body or inserts one end into the main body. In some cases, it adheres to the surface. Accordingly, as a specific embodiment of the retaining means, for example, or a hole for inserting the through-hole or the heat pipe passing the heat pipe, or a groove snaps part of the heat pipe is fitted, a heat pipe The case where it is a nail | claw hold | maintained so that it may press on a main-body part etc. is mentioned.

By actively cooling the exterior case in this way, it is possible to efficiently cool the electro-optical panel inside. Note that total contact area between the heat pipe and the body portion is as large as possible it is preferred for the heat transfer efficiency is high, in order that the contact portion in the shape and the main body portion of the heat pipe, and the structure and the like of the holding means Must be taken into account.

The electro-optical panel is accommodated in the main body so as to expose the display surface. Here, “the display surface is exposed” means that when the electro-optical panel functions as a transmissive light valve, both the front surface and the back surface of the panel are exposed as the display surface. . On the other hand, when the electro-optical panel is a reflection type, one surface of the panel is exposed as a display surface. With such a configuration, the heat pipe and the holding means do not cover the display surface, and thus the electro-optical panel in this case can project a bright display image.
Moreover, in the present invention, the holding means holds the heat pipe so as to be along at least a part of the peripheral edge of the display surface, so that it is reliably avoided that the heat pipe blocks the display surface of the electro-optical panel.

  Therefore, the exterior case for an electro-optical device of the present invention can cool the electro-optical panel easily and efficiently without degrading the display quality of the electro-optical device.

In another aspect of the projector of the present invention, the holding means in the outer case for the electro-optical device is integrally formed with the main body portion as an inner wall surface that defines a groove in the main body portion.

In this aspect, the heat conducting means is held in the groove formed in the main body. That is, the thermal conduction means, the groove forming part of a simultaneously the body portion by the holding means, or fitted, by or inserted, the contact state. Therefore, the contact area between the heat conducting means and the main body can be increased, and high cooling efficiency can be achieved with a simple configuration.

In an aspect in which the holding means is integrally formed with the main body as an inner wall surface defining the groove, the main body in the outer case for the electro-optical device is divided in a cross section including at least a part of the holding means. It may be composed of a plurality of removable parts.

The main body in this case is divided into portions having a part of the inner wall surface that defines the groove as the holding means. Therefore, when assembling these parts, the heat conduction means can be easily held by sandwiching the heat conduction means between the inner wall surfaces of each part. In addition, such a holding method allows the heat conducting means to be firmly attached to the inner wall surface.

In another aspect of the projector of the present invention, the holding means in the outer case for the electro-optical device is disposed in a gap between the main body and the heat pipe, and has a viscosity or thermal conductivity superior to that of the atmosphere. Contains plastic materials.

According to this aspect, the gap between the main body portion and the heat pipe , which is typically a minute gap, is applied with a viscous substance such as grease, or a plastic substance such as grease. A solid substance such as a resin is inserted. And since such a viscous or plastic substance is superior in thermal conductivity to the atmosphere, it can be made relatively easy and heat conduction from the main body to the heat pipe can be increased, and thus the heat dissipation efficiency in the exterior case Alternatively, the cooling efficiency can be increased. However, if the gap between the main body and the heat pipe is a minute gap, it is possible to obtain sufficient heat radiation efficiency or cooling efficiency even without such a viscous or plastic material.

In order to solve the above problems, an electro-optical device according to the present invention includes a plurality of the above-described exterior cases for electro-optical devices according to the present invention (including various aspects thereof) and a plurality of the electro-optical panels.

  According to the electro-optical device of the present invention, since the electro-optical panel is provided on the electro-optical device outer case of the present invention described above, it has a simple configuration and efficiently without reducing display quality. It is possible to cool the electro-optic panel.

In one aspect of the electro-optical device of the present invention, the electro-optical device further includes the heat pipe and a flow unit that causes a fluid to flow in the heat pipe .

In this aspect, the heat pipe is attached to the outer case for the electro-optical device according to the present invention, and the fluid flows in the heat pipe by the flow means, so that the heat dissipation through the heat pipe of the outer case is actively performed. Therefore, the electro-optical panel can be efficiently cooled. Here, the “flow means” refers to a mechanism for generating a direct or indirect driving force for flowing the fluid in the heat pipe . Flow means, for example, by heat radiation at a remote part from the part held by the holding means in a heat pipe, may be configured for convection fluid within the heat pipe, or in addition a pump or the like instead of this For example, the fluid may be forced to flow.

In another aspect of the electro-optical device of the present invention, the heat pipe is disposed so as to meander at least partially along a member disposed between the plurality of electro-optical device exterior cases.
According to this aspect, the heat pipe is disposed so as to meander (that is, the portion in contact with the member increases) along the member disposed between the plurality of outer cases for the electro-optical device. It is possible to earn heat dissipation area. Specifically, for example, the heat dissipation area for the dichroic prism can be increased by meandering the heat pipe to the entire bottom surface of the dichroic prism.
Such an operation and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments described below.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Outline of LCD projector)
First, the main configuration of the projection type liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A liquid crystal projector 1100 in FIG. 1 is constructed as a double-plate color projector using three liquid crystal light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B for RGB.

  In the liquid crystal projector 1100, when projection light is emitted from a lamp unit 1102 of a white light source such as a metal halide lamp, light components R, G, and R corresponding to the three primary colors of RGB are obtained by three mirrors 1106 and two dichroic mirrors 1108. The liquid crystal light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B corresponding to the respective colors are respectively guided to B. At this time, in particular, the B light is guided through a relay lens system 1121 including an incident lens 1122, a relay lens 1123, and an exit lens 1124 in order to prevent light loss due to a long optical path. The light components corresponding to the three primary colors modulated by the liquid crystal light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B are combined by the dichroic prism 1112 and then projected as a color image on the screen 1120 via the projection lens 1114. In the following description, the liquid crystal light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B are referred to as the liquid crystal light valve 100 when referring to them individually. Here, the liquid crystal projector 1100 and the liquid crystal light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B all correspond to a specific example of the “electro-optical device” of the invention.

  In the configuration described above, the temperature rises in the liquid crystal light valve 100 due to the projection light from the lamp unit 1102 as a powerful light source. At this time, if the temperature rises excessively, the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal light valve 100 deteriorates, or the transmittance is uneven due to the appearance of hot spots due to partial heating of the liquid crystal panel due to unevenness of the light source light. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in particular, the liquid crystal light valve 100 is configured as follows to efficiently suppress the temperature rise.

(Configuration of liquid crystal light valve)
Next, the configuration of the liquid crystal light valve 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the liquid crystal light valve 100, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view thereof, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are views for explaining the path of the heat pipe 6. FIG. FIG. 5 shows the dichroic prism 1112 provided with a liquid crystal light valve as viewed from the bottom.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal light valve 100 has a liquid crystal panel 110 housed in the exterior case 2. The liquid crystal panel 110 may be a liquid crystal panel having a general configuration, for example, and is configured to project a display image from the display surface 10a by transmitting light incident on the opposite surface of the display surface 10a. The liquid crystal panel 110 includes, for example, a drive circuit and external circuit connection terminals (not shown) around the display surface 10a, and may be housed alone in the outer case 2, or may be an antireflection plate, a polarizing plate, a retardation plate, or the like. It may be accommodated after being superposed on the optical element.

  The interior of the exterior case 2 is configured to fix the liquid crystal panel 110 in contact with the periphery thereof so that the display surface 10a is just exposed from the outer frame 3 provided in the center of the interior. Through holes 4 and 5, which are examples of the “holding means” of the present invention, are formed in regions along both side edges of the display surface 10 a. The through holes 4 and 5 are respectively inserted with heat pipes 6 as an example of the “heat conduction means” of the present invention. The inner diameters of the through-holes 4 and 5 are designed according to the outer diameter of the heat pipe 6, and the heat pipe 6 is held in the through-holes 4 and 5 in close contact with the inner wall surfaces of the through-holes 4 and 5. Is done.

  With such a configuration, the heat pipe 6 is prevented from covering the display surface 10a and its opposite surface, and thus the liquid crystal panel 110 in this case can project a bright display image.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the exterior case 2 is divided into detachable case parts 2 </ b> A, 2 </ b> B, and 2 </ b> C in each cross section along the through holes 4 and 5. That is, the inner wall surface of the through hole 4 is divided into the groove portions 4A and 4B, and the inner wall surface of the through hole 5 is divided into the groove portions 5A and 5B. Is formed against. The exterior case 2 is configured by assembling the case components 2A, 2B, and 2C by sandwiching the heat pipe 6 between the groove 4A and the groove 4B and between the groove 5A and the groove 5B. In that case, case components 2A, 2B, and 2C can be joined by an adhesive agent, or can be joined by screwing, hooking or hooking, for example. Further, by caulking the case parts 2A, 2B and 2C or by applying grease to the inner wall surfaces of the grooves 4A, 4B and 5A and 5B, the heat pipe 6 can be firmly attached to the inner wall surfaces of the through holes 4 and 5. Can be brought into close contact with. Further, by firmly adhering with an adhesive, grease, or the like in this way, it is possible to increase the thermal conductivity between the outer case 2 and the heat pipe 6, and the cooling efficiency can be increased. At this time, it is more preferable to use an adhesive or grease having high thermal conductivity. From this point of view, even when the outer case 2 is of a type that is not divided into the parts 2A, 2B, and 2C, grease having excellent thermal conductivity is provided in the gaps between the heat pipe 6 and the through holes 4 and 5 of the outer case 2. It is better to apply resin.

  Thus, the exterior case 2 can easily hold the heat pipe 6 and can be firmly attached to the inner wall surfaces of the through holes 4 and 5. That is, the exterior case 2 has a function of cooling the liquid crystal panel 110 in addition to a function of protecting the liquid crystal panel 110 and a function as an auxiliary tool attached to a predetermined position. Therefore, the liquid crystal projector 1100 does not have to include a separate member for cooling the liquid crystal panel 110, and can cool the liquid crystal panel 110 with a simple configuration. Also, with such a configuration, the contact area between the heat pipe 6 and the outer case 2 body can be increased, and high cooling efficiency can be achieved.

  The heat pipe 6 may be routed in any way, but may be continuously penetrated from one of the through holes 4 and 5 to the other, for example, as shown in FIG. In this case, the portion of the heat pipe 6 that connects the through hole 4 and the through hole 5 may be completely exposed on the surface of the outer case 6, or a groove is formed at the passing position on the surface of the outer case 6. The contact area with respect to the outer case 6 may be increased.

  Further, the liquid crystal projector 1100 of the present embodiment is configured to flow a liquid such as water as a refrigerant in the heat pipe 6 as indicated by arrows in FIGS. 4 and 5. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat pipe 6 is routed around each of the liquid crystal light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B, and both ends thereof are connected to the electric pump 200. Here, the heat pipe 6 meanders to fill the entire bottom surface of the dichroic prism 1112 so that the heat radiation area by the heat pipe 6 is increased.

  In such a liquid crystal projector 1100, the water in the heat pipe 6 is forcibly circulated by the electric pump 200, and the exterior case 2 of each liquid crystal light valve 100 is water-cooled. Therefore, in the exterior case 2, heat generated due to projection light or the like during driving is released to the outside through the heat pipe 6, and the temperature rise of the liquid crystal panel 110 is efficiently suppressed. Further, when the inside of the liquid crystal projector 1100 does not need to be air-cooled due to the cooling effect of the exterior case 2, it is possible to avoid the dust that rolls up by being ventilated from adhering to the display surface 10 a and adversely affecting the display quality. Can do.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the liquid crystal panel 110 is water-cooled using the exterior case 2, the liquid crystal panel 110 can be cooled with a simple structure.

  Further, since the exterior case 2 is provided with the through holes 4 and 5 at positions along the periphery of the display surface 10a of the liquid crystal panel 110 inside, the optical path of the projection light on the display surface 10a and its opposing surface is blocked. The liquid crystal panel 110 can project a bright display image. Therefore, the liquid crystal projector 1100 can maintain high display quality.

  Further, since the outer case 2 is configured to hold the heat pipe 6 in close contact with the through holes 4 and 5, a large contact area between the heat pipe 6 and the main body of the outer case 2 is ensured, and high cooling efficiency is achieved. Is possible.

  Furthermore, since the exterior case 2 is divided into detachable case parts 2A to 2C, the heat pipe 6 can be easily held. At the same time, the exterior case 2 having such a configuration can reliably adhere the heat pipe 6.

  In the present embodiment, since the water in the heat pipe 6 is circulated by the electric pump 200, the outer case 2 is actively cooled, and the liquid crystal panel 110 inside the case can be efficiently cooled. .

(Modification)
In the embodiment, the through holes 4 and 5 are provided in the exterior case 2, but the position, shape, number, and the like of the through holes are not limited to the above embodiment, and arbitrary modifications are possible. A specific example of such a modification is shown in FIG. In the outer case 21 shown in FIG. 6A, the through holes 7 are formed along the three sides of the display surface 10a of the liquid crystal panel to be accommodated. In addition, in the exterior case 22 shown in FIG. 6B, a through hole 8 is formed along almost the entire periphery of the display surface 10a of the liquid crystal panel to be accommodated. It is considered that the heat pipes 67 and 68 passed through the through holes 7 and 8 have a larger contact area with the outer case 2 than the heat pipe 6 of the embodiment, and the cooling effect is further increased. Since the heat pipes 67 and 68 have a bent shape, the outer cases 21 and 22 are preferably composed of two parts that are detachable in the thickness direction. Furthermore, in these modified examples, it is also possible to configure the through holes 7 or 8 to be at least partially a refrigerant flow path, similar to the tubular space inside the heat pipe. In this case, for example, the heat pipe may be airtightly connected to the inlet portion and the outlet portion of the through hole 7 or 8. Alternatively, the heat pipe may be interrupted at a part of the through hole 7 or 8, and the through hole 7 or 8 may be used as a refrigerant flow path at a part where the heat pipe is interrupted. Further, for example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the heat pipe is hermetically inserted into only a part of the straight portion of the through hole 7 or 8.

  Further, the heat pipe does not necessarily pass through the outer case, and only one end may be inserted into the heat pipe. Furthermore, the heat pipe may not be routed as in the embodiment. For example, a rod-like heat pipe may be inserted into each of the through holes 4 and 5 in the embodiment. In addition, the heat pipe does not have to have a tubular space inside, and may be composed of a rod-like member having excellent thermal conductivity.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 110 is water-cooled exclusively by the exterior case 2 and the heat pipe 6. However, it is also possible to air-cool using a fan as an auxiliary cooling means. In this case, since a high cooling effect can be obtained even in so-called light wind operation, it is possible to suppress the raising of the dust by reducing the air volume, and to suppress the adverse effect on the display quality. With such a fan, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the heat radiating part of the heat pipe 6 that is separated from the outer case 2, such as a heat pipe part provided with cooling fins or a meandering part with a large total area, is cooled. is there.

  The electro-optical device of the present invention can be applied not only to a projection type projector but also to a reflection type projector. Further, for example, a television receiver that is used as a light valve and includes an electro-optical panel that generates heat when driven. The present invention can be widely applied to various display devices. Such electro-optical devices include not only liquid crystal devices but also display devices using DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), electrophoresis devices, display devices using electron-emitting devices (Field Emission Display and Surface-Conduction Electron). -Emitter Display) or the like.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit or idea of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and is accompanied by such changes. The electro-optical device and the outer case for the electro-optical device are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

It is a top view which shows the whole structure of a liquid-crystal projector. It is a perspective view of a liquid crystal light valve. FIG. 3 is an exploded configuration diagram of FIG. 2. It is a figure for demonstrating the path | route of a heat pipe. It is a figure for demonstrating the path | route of a heat pipe. It is a figure showing the modification of an exterior case.

Explanation of symbols

2 ... exterior case, 2A, 2B, 2C ... case parts, 3 ... outer frame, 4, 5 ... through-hole, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B ... groove, 6 ... heat pipe, 100 (100R, 100G, 100B) ... Liquid crystal light valve, 110 ... liquid crystal panel, 10a ... display surface, 200 ... electric pump, 1112 ... dichroic prism, 1100 ... liquid crystal projector.

Claims (4)

A projector including an outer case for an electro-optical device for mounting an electro-optical panel on which a display image is projected from a display surface,
The outer case for the electro-optical device is
A main body capable of accommodating the electro-optical panel so that the display surface is exposed;
A holding means for holding a heat pipe that conducts heat inside the main body to the outside in a state of being in contact with the main body, and
The holding means holds the heat pipe so as to be along at least three sides of the display surface at the periphery of the display surface , and to share the heat pipe with other electro-optical device exterior cases ,
The heat pipes are routed along the bottom surface of the dichroic prism while being routed respectively in the plurality of exterior cases for the electro-optical device arranged to face the plurality of surfaces of the dichroic prism,
The fluid flowing in the heat pipe is flowed into the heat pipes drawn along the bottom surface of the dichroic prism after being flowed into the heat pipes in the plurality of exterior cases for the electro-optical device. Projector . The projector according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit in the outer case for the electro-optical device is formed integrally with the main body as an inner wall surface that defines a groove in the main body. The projector according to claim 2, wherein the main body portion of the outer case for the electro-optical device includes a plurality of detachable portions divided in a cross section including at least a part of the holding unit. The holding means in the outer case for the electro-optical device is disposed in a gap between the main body and the heat pipe, and includes a viscous or plastic material having a thermal conductivity superior to that of the atmosphere. Item 4. The projector according to any one of Items 1 to 3.

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