IP Library Granted Patent US 12681294
Granted Patent B2
US 12681294 · App. 18/510,643 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Projection apparatus

Inventors: Soya Hatazaki (Kanagawa, JP); Naoto Nakamura (Kanagawa, JP); Hiroyuki Satoh (Kanagawa, JP); Yukio Kozaki (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
G02B26/101G02B26/0833
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12681294
App. No.
18/510,643
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A projection apparatus includes: multiple scanning optical systems each including: a light source to emit a light beam; a scanner to deflect the light beam from the light source to form a scanning light beam; a magnifier including: at least one positive lens; and at least one negative lens, to magnify a scanning angle of the scanning light beam from the scanner; and a board having: a mounting surface; and a perpendicular line perpendicular to the mounting surface, the board mounting multiple scanners including the scanner of the multiple scanning optical systems on the mounting surface. Multiple scanning light beams have the scanning light beam from the scanner are arranged in rotational symmetry with respect to the perpendicular line with different angles in a plane of the mounting surface of the board, and the multiple scanning optical systems project the multiple scanning light beams to different regions from each other.

Claims (64)

1 . A projection apparatus comprising:

multiple scanning optical systems each including:

a light source to emit a light beam;

a scanner to deflect the light beam from the light source to form a scanning light beam;

a magnifier including:

at least one positive lens; and

at least one negative lens,

to magnify a scanning angle of the scanning light beam from the scanner; and

a board having:

a mounting surface; and

a perpendicular line perpendicular to the mounting surface,

the board mounting multiple scanners including the scanner of the multiple scanning optical systems on the mounting surface,

wherein multiple scanning light beams having the scanning light beam from the scanner are arranged in rotational symmetry with respect to the perpendicular line with different angles in a plane of the mounting surface of the board, and

the multiple scanning optical systems project the multiple scanning light beams to different regions from each other.

2 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

multiple magnifiers including the magnifier,

wherein the multiple magnifiers respectively have multiple optical axes each intersecting the perpendicular line.

3 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

multiple magnifiers including the magnifier,

multiple light sources including the light source,

wherein the multiple magnifiers respectively emit multiple light beams from the multiple light sources, and

the multiple light beams from the multiple light sources to the multiple magnifiers intersect with each other.

4 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the light beam incident on the scanner from the light source includes a parallel light beam or a converging light beam.

5 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein;

the scanning optical system includes an intermediate image former in an optical path between the light source and the scanner to form an intermediate image.

6 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the scanning optical system includes:

a mirror in an optical path between the light source and the scanner; and

a lens adjacent to the scanner in the magnifier, and

wherein:

the mirror bends the light beam from the light source toward the scanner, and

the mirror is farther from the scanner than the lens in a direction extending the perpendicular line.

7 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a scanning optical system pair including a pair of scanning optical systems including the scanning optical system disposed across the perpendicular line,

wherein the pair of the scanning optical systems include a pair of mirrors to bend the light beam from the light source toward the scanner in an optical path between the light source and the scanner, and

the pair of mirrors are arranged at a height different from each other from the mounting surface of the board.

8 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein;

a total scanning angle of the scanning light beam via the magnifier has twice or more of an angle between an optical axis of the scanning optical system and the perpendicular line.

9 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein;

the multiple scanning optical systems are arranged around the perpendicular line at an equal interval.

10 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein;

the multiple scanning optical systems respectively include multiple magnifiers including the magnifier, and

the multiple scanning optical systems are disposed in rotational symmetry with respect to the perpendicular line.

11 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the multiple scanners are on and disposed around the perpendicular line, and

the multiple scanning optical systems project the multiple scanning light beams to different regions from each other to form one image.

12 . The projection apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:

the one image is projected onto an area above a stable visual field of an observer.

13 . The projection apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:

an optical axis of each of the multiple scanning optical systems intersects the perpendicular line at a single intersection point.

14 . The projection apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:

the multiple scanning optical systems are arranged at an equal distance from an intersection point where optical axes of the scanners intersect.

15 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

each scanner is a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) mirror.

16 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the light source includes a semiconductor laser and a collimator lens.

17 . The projection apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:

the one image includes at least one calling attention image projected onto an inattention area.

18 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the board is a single control board on which a microprocessor unit is mounted to control the multiple scanners.

19 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the scanner is configured to perform vector scanning.

20 . The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a battery to power the light source and the scanner.