IP Library Granted Patent US 7,455,410
Granted Patent B2
US 7,455,410 · App. 11/428,482 · Granted Nov 25, 2008

Illuminating apparatus and projector

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,455,410
App. No.
11/428,482
Granted
Nov 25, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

An illuminating apparatus includes: a light source that emits a source light; and a light guiding module that has an overlap rod portion which can pass luminous fluxes traveling in different directions therethrough and has a returning member which returns the luminous fluxes having passed through the overlap rod portion at least once so that the luminous fluxes enter the overlap rod portion in directions different from the previous time, whereby the source light is made uniform.

Claims (20)

1. An illuminating apparatus comprising:

a light source that emits a source light; and

a light guiding module that uniformize the source light, the light guiding module having an overlap rod portion and a returning member,

the overlap rod portion can pass luminous fluxes traveling in different directions therethrough, and

the returning member returns the luminous fluxes having passed through the overlap rod portion at least once so that the luminous fluxes enter the overlap rod portion in directions different from the previous time.

2. The illuminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the returning member includes a mirror that bends an optical path.

3. The illuminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light guiding module has an extension rod part that is jointed to at least one end face not jointed to the returning member among a plurality of end faces disposed on the overlap rod portion.

4. The illuminating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the overlap rod portion and the extension rod part are each formed of a solid transparent member, and are jointed to each other with an adhesive that has a refractive index lower than that of the overlap rod portion and the extension rod part.

5. The illuminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the returning member is formed of a solid transparent member, and is jointed to the overlap rod portion and the returning member with an adhesive that has a refractive index lower than that of the overlap rod portion and the returning member.

6. The illuminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the overlap rod portion and the returning member perform wavefront splitting and superimposition of the luminous fluxes by internal reflection.

7. The illuminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light source includes a solid light source, and the apparatus further includes a polarization conversion member that converts a source light from the light source to a polarized light in a particular direction.

8. A projector comprising:

a plurality of illuminating apparatuses according to claim 1 for individual colors that generates a color light as a luminous light;

a plurality of optical modulating devices for individual colors that modulates each of color lights from the illuminating apparatuses for individual colors in accordance with image information;

a light combining optical system that combines and emits the light of an image in each color modulated by the optical modulating devices for individual colors; and

a projection optical system that projects the light of the image combined through the light combining optical system.

9. A projector comprising:

an illuminating apparatus according to claim 1 ;

an optical modulating device that modulates a luminous light from the illuminating apparatus in accordance with image information; and

a projection optical system that projects the light of an image formed by the light at the optical modulating device.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 2, 2022
From: SEIKO EPSON CORP.
To: COLUMBIA PEAK VENTURES, LLC
Reel/Frame 058952/0475 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 3, 2006
From: FURUSAWA, MAKOTO; HASHIMOTO, AKIRA
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 017881/0966 →