IP Library Granted Patent US 11,269,248
Granted Patent B2
US 11,269,248 · App. 17/024,758 · Granted Mar 8, 2022

Projector and method for controlling projector

Inventor: Hirotaka Mochizuki (Matsumoto, JP)
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
G03B21/2073G02B5/284G03B21/204G03B21/2013
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,269,248
App. No.
17/024,758
Granted
Mar 8, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a projector, an optical sensor including a wavelength variable interference filter is disposed in the vicinity of the optical path of illumination light that exits out of an illumination system and travels to a color separation system, and the optical sensor detects the amounts of blue light and fluorescence contained in the illumination light. A processor of the projector adjusts the amounts of blue light and fluorescence based on the result of the detection performed by the optical sensor.

Claims (41)

1. A projector comprising:

a light source section that outputs first light that is laser light and second light that is laser light and has a spectrum different from a spectrum of the first light;

a photodetector that includes a wavelength variable interference filter and detects an amount of the first light and an amount of the second light; and

a processor that adjusts the amount of the first light outputted by the light source section or the amounts of the first light and the second light outputted by the light source section based on a result of the detection performed by the photodetector,

wherein the processor sequentially changes a light transmission characteristic of the wavelength variable interference filter to a plurality of wavelengths around a first light wavelength of the first light, and adopts a maximum of sequentially detected amounts of light around the first light wavelength as the amount of the first light, and

wherein the processor sequentially changes the light transmission characteristic of the wavelength variable interference filter to a plurality of wavelengths around a second light wavelength of the second light, and adopts a maximum of sequentially detected amounts of light around the second light wavelength as the amount of the second light.

2. A projector comprising:

a light source section that outputs first light and second light;

wherein the second light contains third light having a spectrum different from a spectrum of the first light and fourth light having a spectrum different from the spectrum of the first light and the spectrum of the third light, the projector further comprising:

a light separator that separates the first light and the second light outputted from the light source section from each other and separates the separated second light into the third light and the fourth light;

a modulator that modulates the first light having been separated by the light separator, the third light having been separated by the light separator, and the fourth light having been separated by the light separator in accordance with a projection image to be projected on a projection surface;

a light combiner that combines the first light having been modulated by the modulator, the third light having been modulated by the modulator, and the fourth light having been modulated by the modulator with one another into fifth light;

a projection lens that projects the fifth light on the projection surface;

a photodetector that includes a wavelength variable interference filter and detects an amount of at least one of the first light, the second light, the third light, or the fourth light; and

a processor that adjusts the amount of at least one of the first light, the second light, the third light, or the fourth light based on a result of the detection performed by the photodetector.

3. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the photodetector detects an amount of light traveling along a first optical path from the light source section to the light separator and an amount of light traveling along a second optical path from the light combiner to the projection lens.

4. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the processor adjusts the amount of first light and the amount of second light based on the result of the detection performed by the photodetector.

5. The projector according to claim 4 , wherein the light source section includes

a solid-state light source that outputs the first light having a first polarization axis,

a retardation film that has an optical axis that intersects the first polarization axis and produces the first light having a second polarization axis that intersects the first polarization axis from the first light outputted from the solid-state light source, and

a wavelength converter that contains a phosphor on which the first light is incident and produces the second light from fluorescence emitted from the phosphor, and

the processor adjusts an angle between the first polarization axis and the optical axis based on the result of the detection performed by the photodetector.

6. The projector according to claim 4 , wherein the light source section includes

a first light source that outputs the first light having an amount according to first supplied electric power, and

a second light source that outputs the second light having an amount according to second supplied electric power, and

the processor adjusts a magnitude of the first supplied electric power and a magnitude of the second supplied electric power based on the result of the detection performed by the photodetector.

7. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the modulator includes

a first light modulator that transmits the first light in accordance with image information representing the projection image,

a third light modulator that transmits the third light in accordance with the image information representing the projection image, and

a fourth light modulator that transmits the fourth light in accordance with the image information representing the projection image, and

the processor adjusts transmittance at which at least one of the first light modulator, third light modulator, and the fourth light modulator transmits the corresponding light based on the result of the detection performed by the photodetector.

8. The projector according to claim 7 , wherein the photodetector detects the amount of light before passing through the modulator.

9. The projector according to claim 1 , wherein the wavelength variable interference filter includes

a first reflection film,

a second reflection film disposed with an inter-reflection-film gap interposed between the first reflection film and the second reflection film, and

an actuator that changes a size of the inter-reflection-film gap according to voltage applied to the wavelength variable interference filter.

10. A method for controlling a projector that projects an image by using first light that is laser light outputted from a light source and second light that is laser light outputted from the light source and has a spectrum different from a spectrum of the first light, the method comprising:

causing an optical sensor including a wavelength variable interference filter to detect an amount of the first light and an amount of the second light; and

adjusting the amount of the first light outputted by the light source section or the amounts of the first light and the second light outputted by the light source section based on a result of the detection,

wherein a light transmission characteristic of the wavelength variable interference filter is sequentially changed to a plurality of wavelengths around a first light wavelength of the first light, and a maximum of sequentially detected amounts of light around the first light wavelength is adopted as the amount of the first light, and

wherein the light transmission characteristic of the wavelength variable interference filter is sequentially changed to a plurality of wavelengths around a second light wavelength of the second light, and a maximum of sequentially detected amounts of light around the second light wavelength is adopted as the amount of the second light.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2020
From: MOCHIZUKI, HIROTAKA
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053810/0872 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2019-170224 · Sep 19, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210088890A1 · Mar 25, 2021