Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7210793?dq=5893120
Timestamp: 2014-03-13 08:22:36
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Patent US7210793 - Light source unit and projector - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsThe enclosed embodiments provide a light source unit and a projector with high light utilization efficiency. The unit has a light emitting part for emitting light from a planer emitting region, a reflecting metal electrode provided on one side of the light emitting part, a square pyramid prism on the...http://www.google.com/patents/US7210793?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7210793 - Light source unit and projectorAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7210793 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/951,784Publication dateMay 1, 2007Filing dateSep 29, 2004Priority dateOct 8, 2003Fee statusPaidAlso published asCN1605932A, CN100399189C, US20050111240Publication number10951784, 951784, US 7210793 B2, US 7210793B2, US-B2-7210793, US7210793 B2, US7210793B2InventorsMasatoshi YonekuboOriginal AssigneeSeiko Epson CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (8), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (2), Classifications (27), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetLight source unit and projectorUS 7210793 B2Abstract The enclosed embodiments provide a light source unit and a projector with high light utilization efficiency. The unit has a light emitting part for emitting light from a planer emitting region, a reflecting metal electrode provided on one side of the light emitting part, a square pyramid prism on the other side of the light emitting part, and a bottom surface of the prism that has substantially the same size and shape as the planer emitting region. The inclined surfaces of the square pyramid prism output light that has entered the square pyramid prism from the bottom surface in a specific direction. The reflecting metal electrode reflects the light that has been reflected by the inclined surfaces and transmitted through the bottom surface of the square pyramid prism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A solid-state surface emitting source can be used as a light source part of a projector. In this case, it is necessary to consider not only the luminous efficiency of the light source, but also utilization efficiency of light in an optical system including a spatial light modulator unit and a projection lens. In an optical system including a light source part and a spatial light modulator unit, such as a liquid crystal light bulb and a tilt mirror device, spatial extent in which effectively treatable luminous flux exists is expressed as a product of area and solid angle (hereinafter, �etendue�, Geometrical Extent). The product of area and solid angle is conserved in the optical system. Accordingly, the larger the spatial extent of the light source part becomes, the smaller the angle that can be taken by the spatial light modulator unit becomes. On this account, it is difficult to effectively use the luminous flux from the light source part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic of a light source unit of exemplary embodiment 1;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of a light source unit and a projector according to exemplary aspects of the invention will be described in detail according to the drawings. Note that the invention is not limited by the exemplary embodiments.
Exemplary Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic of a light source unit 100 according to exemplary embodiment 1 of the invention. The light source unit 100 is a surface emitting LED. Further, FIG. 2 shows the sectional constitution of the light source unit 100. In FIG. 2, a surface emitting part 101 is formed by allowing a crystal of Ga, In, N, or the like to grow on a sapphire substrate 102. On ends of the surface emitting part 101, bonding wires 103 are provided. The surface emitting part 101 emits light with substantially equal intensity in all directions from a planer emitting region 101 a. That is, the surface emitting part 101 functions as a so-called Lambertian surface. Additionally, on one surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a reflecting metal electrode 106 as a reflecting part is provided. Further, on the other surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a square pyramid prism 104 including an optical transparent member of high refractive index glass is fixed with an optical adhesive. On a bottom surface 104 a of the square pyramid prism 104, a diffusing plate 107 to scatter incident light is provided.
Exemplary Embodiment 2 FIG. 5 is a schematic of a light source unit 500 according to exemplary embodiment 2 of the invention. The square pyramid prism is used in exemplary embodiment 1, but exemplary embodiment 2 is different in the point where a conical prism is used. Other basic constitution is the same as in exemplary embodiment 1, and the same parts as in exemplary embodiment 1 are assigned with the same signs and overlapping description will be omitted. The light source unit 500 is a surface emitting LED. A circular surface emitting part 101 is formed by allowing a crystal of Ga, In, N, or the like to grow on a sapphire substrate 102. On ends of the circular surface emitting part 101, bonding wires 103 are provided. The surface emitting part 101 emits light with substantially equal intensity in all directions from a planer emitting region. That is, the surface emitting part 101 functions as a so-called Lambertian surface. Additionally, on one surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a reflecting metal electrode 106 (not shown) as a reflecting part is provided. Further, on the other surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a conical prism 504 including of an optical transparent member of high refractive index glass is fixed with an optical adhesive. On a bottom surface 104 a (not shown) of the conical prism 504, a diffusing plate 107 to scatter incident light is provided.
Exemplary Embodiment 3 FIG. 6-1 is a schematic of a light source unit 600 according to the exemplary embodiment 3 of the invention. The exemplary embodiment is different from exemplary embodiment 1 in the point where polarized light in a specific vibrating direction is output in a specific direction. The same parts as in the above described exemplary embodiment 1 are assigned with the same signs and overlapping description will be omitted. The light source unit 600 is a surface emitting LED. Further, FIG. 6-2 is a view of the light source unit 600 seen from the direction of an apex angle θ of a square pyramid prism 604 (z axis direction). The apex angle θ is 90�. In FIG. 2, a surface emitting part 101 is formed by allowing a crystal of Ga, In, N, or the like to grow on a sapphire substrate 102. On ends of the surface emitting part 101, bonding wires 103 are provided. The surface emitting part 101 emits light with substantially equal intensity in all directions from a planer emitting region. That is, the surface emitting part 101 functions as a so-called Lambertian surface. Additionally, on one surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a reflecting metal electrode 106 (see FIGS. 7-1 and 7-2) as a reflecting part is provided. Further, on the other surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a square pyramid prism 604 including an optical transparent member of high refractive index glass is fixed with an optical adhesive. On a bottom surface 604 a (not shown) of the square pyramid prism 604, a quarter wavelength plate 607 is provided.
Exemplary Embodiment 4 FIG. 8 shows the sectional constitution of a light source unit 800 according to exemplary embodiment 4 of the invention. The same parts as in the above described exemplary embodiment 1 are assigned with the same signs and overlapping description will be omitted. A surface emitting part 101 is formed by allowing a crystal of Ga, In, N, or the like to grow on a sapphire substrate 102. On ends of the surface emitting part 101, bonding wires 103 are provided. The surface emitting part 101 emits light with substantially equal intensity in all directions from a planer emitting region. That is, the surface emitting part 101 functions as a so-called Lambertian surface. Additionally, on one surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a reflecting metal electrode 106 as a reflecting part is provided. Further, on the other surface side of the surface emitting part 101, a square pyramid prism 104 including of an optical transparent member of high refractive index glass is fixed with an optical adhesive.
Exemplary Embodiment 5 FIG. 9 shows the general constitution of a projector according to exemplary embodiment 5 of the invention. A projector 900 has a first light source unit 901R to supply R light as first color light, a second light source unit 901G to supply G light as second color light, and a third light source unit 901B to supply B light as third color light. The first light source unit 901R, the second light source unit 901G, and the third light source unit 901B are surface emitting LEDs as light source units as described in exemplary embodiment 3 and exemplary embodiment 4, respectively.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS6177761 *Dec 14, 1998Jan 23, 2001Teledyne Lighting And Display Products, Inc.LED with light extractorUS6578982 *Jul 3, 2002Jun 17, 2003Thomas Paul LynchStrap-like apparel having lighted studsUS6829089 *Mar 26, 2004Dec 7, 2004Eastman Kodak CompanyMonocentric autostereoscopic optical apparatus using a scanned linear electromechanical modulatorUS6877859 *Mar 30, 2004Apr 12, 2005Eastman Kodak CompanyProjection apparatus using telecentric opticsUS20030133079 *Jan 16, 2002Jul 17, 2003Eastman Kodak CompanyProjection apparatus using spatial light modulatorUS20040047150 *Mar 11, 2003Mar 11, 2004Alan HewsonInfinariumUS20040207997 *Apr 19, 2004Oct 21, 2004Stewart Jay DuncanEdge-illuminating pyramidJP2003282255A Title not available* Cited by examinerNon-Patent CitationsReference1Tsunemasa Taguchi, "Technologies for High-Intensity, High-Efficiency, and Long-Life White LED Illumination System," Technical Information Institute Co., Ltd. (English translation, pp. 1-8).Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7390117May 2, 2006Jun 24, 20083M Innovative Properties CompanyLED package with compound converging optical elementUS7525126May 2, 2006Apr 28, 20093M Innovative Properties CompanyLED package with converging optical elementClassifications U.S. Classification353/81, 348/E09.027International ClassificationG02F1/13, G02F1/13357, G02B5/08, H04N9/31, G02F1/1335, G03B21/00, G03B21/28, G02B27/28, G02B5/04, G02B5/02, G03B21/14, G03B21/20, G02B27/14Cooperative ClassificationG02B27/149, H04N9/3197, G02B5/04, G02B27/1046, H04N9/315, G02B27/144European ClassificationG02B27/14X, H04N9/31R5, G02B27/10A3T, G02B27/14H, G02B5/04, H04N9/31VLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 30, 2010FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jan 18, 2005ASAssignmentOwner name: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:YONEKUBO, MASATOSHI;REEL/FRAME:015605/0572Effective date: 20041220RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google