IP Library Granted Patent US 11,422,359
Granted Patent B2
US 11,422,359 · App. 16/768,767 · Granted Aug 23, 2022

Projector, rotational phase control device, program for the rotational phase control device and wheel rotational speed control method

Inventor: Takeshi Kato (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SHARP NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
G02B26/008G02B27/0068G03B21/00G03B21/14G03B21/204G03B33/08
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,422,359
App. No.
16/768,767
Granted
Aug 23, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A projector, a rotational phase control device, a program for the rotational phase control device, and a wheel rotational speed control method include: a phosphor wheel that emits a plurality of different color lights at a cycle corresponding to a rotational speed when excitation light is irradiated; a color wheel into which the lights emitted from phosphor wheel enter; and a rotational phase control device that controls a rotational speed and a phase of color wheel in accordance with a rotational speed and a phase of phosphor wheel so that a phase relationship between phosphor wheel and color wheel is not changed and so that a rotational speed ratio between phosphor wheel and color wheel is equal to a rotational speed ratio between phosphor wheel and color wheel in a steady state.

Claims (40)

1. A projector comprising:

a phosphor wheel that emits a plurality of different color lights at a cycle corresponding to a rotational speed when excitation light is irradiated;

a color wheel into which the lights emitted from said phosphor wheel enter; and

a rotational phase control device that controls a rotational speed and a phase of said color wheel in accordance with a rotational speed and a phase of said phosphor wheel, wherein said rotational phase control device comprises a rotational phase control unit that, when the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel is changed, controls the rotational speed and the phase of said color wheel in accordance with the rotational speed and the phase of said phosphor wheel so that a phase relationship between said phosphor wheel and said color wheel is not changed and so that a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel is equal to a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel in a steady state in which said phosphor wheel rotates at a constant rotation speed without any change in its rotation speed.

2. The projector according to claim 1 , wherein said rotational phase control device comprises a mechanical element that connects said phosphor wheel and said color wheel.

3. The projector according to claim 1 , wherein the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel is equal to the rotational speed of said color wheel in the steady state.

4. The projector according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of said phosphor wheels, wherein said rotational phase control device further controls said plurality of phosphor wheels so as not to change the phase relationship with each other and so that the ratio of the rotational speeds is not different from the ratio of the rotational speeds with respect to each other in the steady state.

5. A projector comprising:

a phosphor wheel that emits a plurality of different color lights at a cycle corresponding to a rotational speed when excitation light is irradiated;

a color wheel into which the lights emitted from said phosphor wheel enter; and a rotational phase control device that controls a rotational speed and a phase of said color wheel in accordance with a rotational speed and a phase of said phosphor wheel so that a phase relationship between said phosphor wheel and said color wheel is not changed and so that a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel is equal to a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel in a steady state in which said phosphor wheel rotates at a constant rotation speed without any change in its rotation speed, wherein said rotational phase control device comprises:

a rotational phase control unit that detects the rotational speed and the phase of said phosphor wheel when the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel is changed and that transmits, as a color wheel control signal, a signal that corresponds to the rotational speed and the phase of said color wheel, in which the phase relationship between said phosphor wheel and said color wheel is not changed and in which the ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel is equal to the ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel in the steady state, based on the detected rotational speed and phase; and

a motor driver that receives the color wheel control signal and that changes the rotational speed and the phase of said color wheel based on the color wheel control signal.

6. A rotational phase control device comprising a rotational phase control unit that, when a rotational speed of a phosphor wheel is changed, controls a rotational speed and a phase of a color wheel in accordance with the rotational speed and a phase of said phosphor wheel so that a phase relationship between said phosphor wheel and said color wheel is not changed and so that a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel is equal to a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel in a steady state in which said phosphor wheel rotates at a constant rotation speed without any change in its rotation speed.

7. A method of controlling a rotational speed of a wheel, said method comprising:

emitting, by a phosphor wheel, a plurality of different color lights at a cycle corresponding to a rotational speed when excitation light is irradiated;

making light emitted from said phosphor wheel incident on a color wheel; and

controlling, by a rotational phase control unit, when a rotational speed of phosphor wheel is changed, a rotational speed and a phase of said color wheel in accordance with a rotational speed and a phase of said phosphor wheel so that a phase relationship between said phosphor wheel and said color wheel is not changed and so that a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel is equal to a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel in a steady state in which said phosphor wheel rotates at a constant rotation speed without any change in its rotation speed.

8. The method of controlling a rotational speed of a wheel according to claim 7 , further comprising:

receiving, by a motor driver, a color wheel control signal; and

changing, by the motor driver, the rotational speed and the phase of said color wheel based on the color wheel control signal.

9. A projector comprising;

a first wheel that includes a phosphor that emits a plurality of different color lights at a cycle corresponding to a rotational speed when excitation light is irradiated;

a second wheel that includes a color filter into which the lights emitted from said first wheel enter; and

a rotation phase control device that controls a rotational speed and a phase of a lighter wheel of said first wheel and said second wheel in accordance with a rotational speed and a phase of a heavier wheel of said first wheel and said second wheel so that a phase relationship between said first wheel and said second wheel is not changed and so that the rotational speed of said first wheel is equal to the rotational speed of said second wheel, wherein, of said first wheel and said second wheel, a wheel whose weight is heavier of said first wheel and said second wheel is set as a heavy-weight wheel and a wheel whose weight is lighter of said first wheel and said second wheel is set as a light-weight wheel.

10. A projector comprising;

a phosphor wheel that emits a plurality of different color lights at a cycle corresponding to a rotational speed when excitation light is irradiated;

a color wheel into which the lights emitted from said phosphor wheel enter; and

a rotational phase control device that controls a rotational speed and a phase of a light-weight wheel, which comprises a lighter wheel from among said phosphor wheel and said color wheel, according to a rotational speed and a phase of a weighted wheel, which comprises a heavier wheel from among said phosphor wheel and said color wheel.

11. The projector according to claim 10 , wherein, when the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel is changed, said rotational phase control device further controls the rotational speed and the phase of said weighted wheel in accordance with the rotational speed and the phase of said light-weight wheel so that the phase relationship between said light-weight wheel and said weighted wheel is not changed and so that the ratio of the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel and the rotational speed of said weighted wheel is equal to the ratio of the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel and the rotational speed of said weighted wheel in a steady state in which said light-weight wheel rotates at a constant rotation speed without any change in its rotation speed.

12. The projector according to claim 10 , wherein, when the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel is changed, said rotational phase control device further controls the rotational speed of said weighted wheel in accordance with the rotational speed and the phase of said light-weight wheel so that said light-weight wheel and said weighted wheel maintain the same rotational speed as each other.

13. The projector according to claim 10 , wherein the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel is equal to the rotational speed of said weighted wheel in a steady state in which said light-weight wheel rotates at a constant rotation speed without any change in its rotation speed.

14. The projector according to claim 10 , wherein said rotational phase control device comprises:

a rotational phase control unit that detects the rotational speed and the phase of said light-weight wheel when the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel is changed and that transmits, as a weighted wheel control signal, a signal that corresponds to the rotational speed and the phase of said weighted wheel, in which the phase relationship between said light-weight wheel and said weighted wheel is not changed and in which the ratio of the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel and the rotational speed of said weighted wheel is equal to the ratio of the rotational speed of said light-weight wheel and the rotational speed of said weighted wheel in a steady state in which said light-weight wheel rotates at a constant rotation speed without any change in its rotation speed, based on the detected rotational speed and phase.

15. The projector according to claim 10 , wherein said rotational phase control device comprises:

a motor driver that receives a weighted wheel control signal and that changes the rotational speed and the phase of said weighted wheel based on the weighted wheel control signal.

16. A method of controlling a rotational speed of a wheel, said method comprising:

emitting, by a phosphor wheel, a plurality of different color lights at a cycle corresponding to a rotational speed when excitation light is irradiated;

making light emitted from said phosphor wheel incident on a color wheel; and controlling a rotational speed and a phase of said color wheel in accordance with a rotational speed and a phase of said phosphor wheel so that a phase relationship between said phosphor wheel and said color wheel is not changed and so that a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel is equal to a ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel in a steady state in which said phosphor wheel rotates at a constant rotation sped without any change in its rotation;

detecting, by a rotational phase control unit, the rotational speed and the phase of said phosphor wheel when the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel is changed; and

transmitting, as a color wheel control signal, a signal that corresponds to the rotational speed and the phase of said color wheel, in which the phase relationship between said phosphor wheel and said color wheel is not changed and in which the ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel is equal to the ratio of the rotational speed of said phosphor wheel and the rotational speed of said color wheel in the steady state, based on the detected rotational speed and phase.

Assignments (3)
MERGER Recorded Jun 26, 2026
From: SHARP NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
To: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 075830/0213 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 11, 2022
From: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
To: SHARP NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 059953/0382 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 3, 2020
From: KATO, TAKESHI
To: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 052825/0891 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200319540A1 · Oct 8, 2020