a. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an illumination system and a projection apparatus having the illumination system.
b. Description of the Related Art
Currently, in a projection apparatus an ultra high pressure lamp capable of emitting white light may cooperate with a color wheel to produce red light, green light, and blue light in succession and to display color images as a result. Further, in the recent trend, red light emitting diodes, green light emitting diodes, and blue light emitting diodes are used as a light source for a projection apparatus.
Referring to
Further, as shown in
The invention provides an illumination system with good light-utilization efficiency and space-utilization efficiency and a projection apparatus including the illumination system.
Other advantages and objects of the invention may be further comprehended through the technical features disclosed in the invention.
In order to achieve one or part of or all the objectives or other objectives, in an embodiment of the invention, an illumination system is provided. The illumination system includes a chip package, a first dichroic film, a second dichroic film, and a third dichroic film. The chip package includes a first light-emitting chip capable of emitting a first light beam, a second light-emitting chip capable of emitting a second light beam, and a third light-emitting chip capable of emitting a third light beam. The first light-emitting chip, the second light-emitting chip, and the third light-emitting chip are arranged to form a delta arrangement, and the first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam have mutually different colors. The first dichroic film is capable of deflecting the first light beam, the second dichroic film is capable of deflecting the second light beam, and the third dichroic film is capable of deflecting the third light beam. The first dichroic film, the second dichroic film, and the third dichroic film are not parallel to each other and cross one another at an identical region. The first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam form an illumination light beam as the first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam respectively leaving the first dichroic film, the second dichroic film, and the third dichroic film.
In one embodiment, the illumination system further includes a light-homogenizing element disposed in the light path of the illumination light beam and the chip package further includes a lens covering the first light-emitting chip, the second light-emitting chip, and the third light-emitting chip.
In one embodiment, the first light beam is a red light beam, the second light beam is a green light beam, the third light beam is a blue light beam, the angle of incidence formed by the red light beam impinging on the first dichroic film is larger than the angle of incidence formed by the green light beam impinging on the second dichroic film, and the angle of incidence formed by the green light beam impinging on the second dichroic film is larger than the angle of incidence formed by the blue light beam impinging on the third dichroic film.
In another embodiment of the invention, a projection apparatus is provided. The projection apparatus includes an illumination system, a light valve, and a projection lens. The illumination system includes a chip package, a first dichroic film, a second dichroic film, and a third dichroic film. The chip package includes a first light-emitting chip capable of emitting a first light beam, a second light-emitting chip capable of emitting a second light beam, and a third light-emitting chip capable of emitting a third light beam. The first light-emitting chip, the second light-emitting chip, and the third light-emitting chip are arranged to form a delta arrangement, and the first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam have mutually different colors. The first dichroic film is capable of deflecting the first light beam, the second dichroic film is capable of deflecting the second light beam, and the third dichroic film is capable of deflecting the third light beam. The first dichroic film, the second dichroic film, and the third dichroic film are not parallel to each other and cross one another at an identical region. The first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam form an illumination light beam as the first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam respectively leaving the first dichroic film, the second dichroic film, and the third dichroic film. The light valve is disposed in the light path of the illumination light beam for transforming the illumination light beam into an image beam. The projection lens is disposed in the light path of the image beam.
In one embodiment, the first dichroic film is disposed in the light paths of the first light beam and the third light beam. The second dichroic film is disposed in the light path of the second light beam and the third dichroic film is disposed in the light path of the third light beam. The first light-emitting chip, the second light-emitting chip, and the third light-emitting chip are numbered for the proximity to the projection lens, and the first dichroic film is capable of reflecting the first light beam, the second dichroic film is capable of reflecting the second light beam, the first dichroic film is capable of transmitting the third light beam, and the third dichroic film is capable of reflecting the third light beam.
In one embodiment, the projection apparatus further includes a total-internal-reflection prism disposed in the light paths of the illumination light beam and the image beam and between the light valve and the projection lens.
In one embodiment, the projection apparatus further includes a reflective mirror disposed in the light path of the illumination light beam and between the illumination system and the light valve.
In one embodiment, the light-homogenizing element is a fly-eye lens that has a plurality of lens elements arranged in an array, and each of the lens elements has a shape complementary to the shape of a light spot deformed as a result of oblique incidence.
In one embodiment, the illumination system further includes a condenser lens disposed in the light path of the illumination light beam and between the light-homogenizing element and the light valve, and a central axis of the condenser lens is away from an optical axis of the projection apparatus.
The embodiments of the invention have at least one of the following advantages. First, since the first dichroic film, the second dichroic film, and the third dichroic film are no need to be parallel to each other, the reflective angles of the first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam are allowed to be respectively controlled. This helps to cure deviations of incident angle and incident position resulting from off-axis of the left-sided first light-emitting chip and the right-sided third light-emitting chip, so as to make the first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam to leave the first dichroic film in parallel. In addition, since the first light-emitting chip, the second light-emitting chip, and the third light-emitting chip are in a same chip package and form a delta arrangement, the first light beam, the second light beam, and the third light beam are incident to the first dichroic film in substantially the same direction. In contrast, in the conventional projection apparatus, the red light, green light, and blue light are incident to the X-mirror in three respective directions. Hence, according to the delta arrangement of light-emitting chips of this embodiment, the components are allowed to be disposed in the projection apparatus in a space-efficient way to reduce the occupied space of the projection apparatus. Besides, when the first light-emitting chip, the second light-emitting chip, and the third light-emitting chip are arranged to form a delta arrangement, a smaller combination of light-spots is obtained to provide enhanced light-collecting efficiency. Moreover, in the above embodiments, different light paths may be arbitrarily selected according to the actual color or brightness demand.
Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the further technological features disclosed by the embodiments of the present invention wherein there are shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of modes best suited to carry out the invention.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. On the other hand, the drawings are only schematic and the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Similarly, the terms “facing,” “faces” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect facing, and “adjacent to” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass directly and indirectly “adjacent to”. Therefore, the description of “A” component facing “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component directly faces “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Also, the description of “A” component “adjacent to” “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component is directly “adjacent to” “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
In this embodiment, the first light-emitting chip 221, the second light-emitting chip 222, and the third light-emitting chip 223 are numbered for the proximity to the projection lens 16. The first dichroic film 24 is disposed in the light paths of the first light beam 221a and the third light beam 223a. The second dichroic film 26 is disposed in the light path of the second light beam 222a. The third dichroic film 28 is disposed in the light path of the third light beam 223a. The first dichroic film 24, the second dichroic film 26, and the third dichroic film 28 are not parallel to each other and cross one another at an identical region P. The first dichroic film 24 is disposed on a surface of a first transparent substrate 34, the second dichroic film 26 is disposed on a surface of a second transparent substrate 36, and the third dichroic film 28 is disposed on a surface of a third transparent substrate 38. The first dichroic film 24 reflects the first light beam 221a, and the second dichroic film 26 reflects the second light beam 222a. The first dichroic film 24 transmits the third light beam 223a, and the third dichroic film 28 reflects the third light beam 223a. When the first light beam 221a, the second light beam 222a, and the third light beam 223a leave the first dichroic film 24, the second dichroic film 26, and the third dichroic film 28 respectively, the first light beam 221a, the second light beam 222a, and the third light beam 223a together form an illumination light beam I.
In addition, in this embodiment, the illumination system 12 further includes a light-homogenizing element 42 and a condenser lens 44. The light-homogenizing element 42 and the condenser lens 44 are disposed in the light paths of the first light beam 221a, the second light beam 222a, and the third light beam 223a and between the three dichroic films 24, 26, and 28, and the light valve 14. More specifically, the light-homogenizing element 42 may be a fly-eye lens for evenly spreading out the illumination light beam I on the light valve 14. The light valve 14 is disposed in the light path of the illumination light beam I for transforming the illumination light beam I into an image beam L. In this embodiment, the light valve 14 may be a digital micro-mirror device. However, in other embodiments, the light valve 14 may be a liquid-crystal-on-silicon panel, or a transmissive liquid crystal panel. A projection lens 16 is disposed in the light path of the image beam L to project the image beam L onto a screen (not shown). Moreover, in this embodiment, the projection apparatus 10 further includes a reflective mirror 46 disposed in the light path of the illumination light beam I and between the illumination system 12 and the light valve 14. The reflective mirror 46 is allowed to bend the light path of the illumination light beam I to more efficiently use the accommodation space of the projection apparatus 10. Besides, a field lens 48 is disposed in the light path of the image beam L and between the light valve 14 and the projection lens 16.
The embodiments of the invention have at least one of the following advantages. First, since the first dichroic film 24, the second dichroic film 26, and the third dichroic film 28 of the projection apparatus 10 are no need to be parallel to each other, the reflective angles of the first light beam 221a, the second light beam 222a, and the third light beam 223a are allowed to be respectively controlled. This helps to cure deviations of incident angle and incident position resulting from off-axis of the left-sided first light-emitting chip 221 and the right-sided third light-emitting chip 223, so as to allow the first light beam 221a, the second light beam 222a, and the third light beam 223a to leave the first dichroic film 24 in parallel. In addition, since the first light-emitting chip 221, the second light-emitting chip 222, and the third light-emitting chip 223 are in a same chip package 22 and form a delta arrangement, the first light beam 221a, the second light beam 222a, and the third light beam 223a are incident to the first dichroic film 24 in substantially the same direction. In contrast, in the conventional projection apparatus, the red light, green light, and blue light are incident to the X-mirror in three respective directions. Hence, according to the delta arrangement of light-emitting chips of this embodiment, the components are allowed to be disposed in the projection apparatus 10 in a space-efficient way to reduce the occupied space of the projection apparatus 10. Besides, when the first light-emitting chip 221, the second light-emitting chip 222, and the third light-emitting chip 223 are arranged to form a delta arrangement, a smaller combination of light-spots is obtained to provide enhanced light-collecting efficiency.
In one embodiment, when the first light beam 221a is a red light beam, the second light beam 222a is a green light beam, and the third light beam 223a is a blue light beam, the angle of incidence (such as 55 degrees) formed by the red light beam impinging on the first dichroic film 24 is larger than the angle of incidence (such as 45 degrees) formed by the green light beam impinging on the second dichroic film 26, and the angle of incidence (such as 45 degrees) formed by the green light beam impinging on the second dichroic film 26 is larger than the angle of incidence (such as 35 degrees) formed by the blue light beam impinging on the third dichroic film 28.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the condenser lens 44 is disposed in the light path of the illumination light beam I and between the light-homogenizing element 42 and the light valve 14. A central axis N of the condenser lens 44 is away from an optical axis M of the projection apparatus 10. For example, as shown in
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiments disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its best mode practical application, thereby to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, the term “the invention”, “the present invention” or the like does not necessarily limit the claim scope to a specific embodiment, and the reference to particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure of any patent issued from this disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiments described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Moreover, no element and component in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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098136411 | Oct 2009 | TW | national |