Light guiding member, optical unit, and projector

Abstract

When guiding diffused light to an optical member that has optical surfaces parallel to the optical axis, illumination unevenness is efficiently uniformized at the light emitting surface without an overall increase in length. There is provided a light guiding member, wherein a plurality of tapered rod sections which abut along a central axis direction passing substantially through the centers of an incident end disposed on a light source side and an emitting end disposed on an optical member side are provided between the incident end and the emitting end, and each tapered rod section is shaped to widen gradually from the incident end side towards the emitting end side at a constant taper angle, and a taper angle of each tapered rod section is set smaller than a taper angle of the adjacent tapered rod section on the incident end side.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a projector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the illumination area of an optical unit according to the present embodiment used in the projector in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the illumination area of an optical unit according to the present embodiment used in the projector in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the illumination area of an optical unit according to the present embodiment used in the projector in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of the illumination area of a comparative example of the optical unit in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the illumination area of a comparative example of the optical unit in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the illumination area of a comparative example of the optical unit in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a graph comparing the light intensity distribution in the illumination area of the optical units in FIG. 2 through FIG. 4, and the optical units in FIG. 5 through FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of the second tapered rod section of the light guiding member used in the projector in FIG. 1, and the quantity of effective light.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of the second tapered rod section of the light guiding member used in the projector in FIG. 1, and the amount of illumination unevenness.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of the second tapered rod section of the light guiding member used in the projector in FIG. 1, and the product of the quantity of effective light and the illumination unevenness.

FIG. 12 shows a front view of the illumination area of a modification of the optical unit shown in FIG. 2 through FIG. 4.

FIG. 13 shows a side view of the illumination area of a modification of the optical unit shown in FIG. 2 through FIG. 4.

FIG. 14 shows a side view of another modification of the optical unit shown in FIG. 2 through FIG. 4.

FIG. 15 shows a side view of a modification of the projector in FIG. 1.

FIG. 16 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of the second tapered rod section of the light guiding member used in the projector in FIG. 1, and the quantity of effective light weighted by a coefficient α.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of the second tapered rod section of the light guiding member used in the projector in FIG. 1, and the product of the quantity of effective light and illumination unevenness weighted by the coefficient α.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram describing the illumination unevenness produced when a tapered rod section and a parallel rod section abut, in a case where diffused illumination light emitted from a light source is guided by the tapered rod section to a transmissive LCD panel.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram describing the illumination unevenness produced when a tapered rod section and a parallel rod section abut, in a case where a parallel rod section is provided at the emitting side of the tapered rod section.

FIG. 20 is a detail drawing of section P in FIG. 19.

Claims

1. A light guiding member which guides diffused light emitted from a light source to an optical member having optical surfaces parallel to the optical axis, wherein a plurality of tapered rod sections which abut along a central axis direction passing substantially through the centers of an incident end disposed on the light source side and an emitting end disposed on the optical member side are provided between the incident end and the emitting end, andeach tapered rod section is shaped to widen gradually from the incident end side towards the emitting end side at a constant taper angle, anda taper angle of each tapered rod section is set smaller than a taper angle of the adjacent tapered rod section on the incident end side.

2. A light guiding member according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of tapered rod sections are bonded to each other.

3. A light guiding member according to claim 1, comprising two tapered rod sections, such that a length along a central axis of a first tapered rod section disposed on an incident end side is shorter than a length along a central axis of a second tapered rod section disposed on an emitting end side.

4. A light guiding member according to claim 1, wherein surfaces constituting each tapered rod section are flat surfaces.

5. An optical unit comprising; an optical member having optical surfaces parallel to an optical axis, anda light guiding member which guides diffused light emitted from a light source to the optical member, whereinthe light guiding member comprises a plurality of tapered rod sections abutting in an optical axis direction between an incident end disposed on the light source side and an emitting end disposed on the optical member side, andeach tapered rod section is shaped to widen gradually from an incident end side towards an emitting end side at a constant taper angle, anda taper angle of each tapered rod section is set smaller than a taper angle of the adjacent tapered rod section on the incident end side.

6. An optical unit according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of tapered rod sections and the optical member are bonded to each other.

7. An optical unit according to claim 5, wherein the optical member is any one of a triangular prism, a polarizing beam splitter, and a dichroic prism.

8. An optical unit according to claim 5, wherein the light guiding member comprises two tapered rod sections, and a length along a central axis of a first tapered rod section disposed on an incident end side is shorter than a length along a central axis of a second tapered rod section disposed on an emitting end side.

9. An optical unit according to claim 5, wherein the emitting end of the light guiding member is approximately the same size and shape as the incident end of the optical member.

10. An optical unit according to claim 5, wherein the emitting end of the light guiding member is smaller than the incident end of the optical member.

11. An optical unit according to claim 5, wherein surfaces constituting the light guiding member are flat surfaces.

12. A projector comprising; an optical unit,a light source which emits diffused light serving as illumination light,a modulation device which modulates an illumination light, which is a light emitted from an optical member of the optical unit onto which the illumination light from the light source is made incident, anda projection optical device which projects the illumination light modulated by the modulation device onto a screen, andthe optical unit comprises;an optical member having optical surfaces parallel to an optical axis, anda light guiding member which guides diffused light emitted from a light source to the optical member, whereinthe light guiding member comprises a plurality of tapered rod sections abutting in an optical axis direction between an incident end disposed on the light source side and an emitting end disposed on the optical member side, andeach tapered rod section is shaped to widen gradually from an incident end side towards an emitting end side at a constant taper angle, anda taper angle of each tapered rod section is set smaller than a taper angle of the adjacent tapered rod section on the incident end side.

13. A projector according to claim 12, wherein in each tapered rod section, a ratio of a taper angle to a length along a central axis is set such that a maximum value is realized for a product of a quantity of effective light (the total quantity of light rays within a predetermined numerical aperture permitted as illumination light by the modulation device) and an illumination unevenness obtained by dividing a minimum quantity of light rays within the predetermined numerical aperture by a maximum.