IP Library Granted Patent US 11,537,035
Granted Patent B2
US 11,537,035 · App. 17/196,142 · Granted Dec 27, 2022

Light source apparatus and projection-type image display apparatus

Inventors: Takaaki Tanaka (Osaka, JP); Manabu Okuno (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
G03B21/2013G03B21/006G03B21/008G03B21/204G03B21/2066G03B33/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,537,035
App. No.
17/196,142
Granted
Dec 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A light source apparatus includes a plurality of light emitting apparatuses. Each of the light emitting apparatuses includes a plurality of light emitting devices each of which has a light emitting area and a non-light emitting area on an emission surface thereof that emits light. At least two light emitting apparatuses of the light emitting apparatuses constitute a light emitting apparatus group disposed such that the emission surfaces of the respective light emitting apparatuses are parallel to each other with a predetermined distance, and that a distance between light emitting areas of the respective light emitting apparatuses when viewed along a direction perpendicular to the emission surfaces of the at least two of the light emitting apparatuses is shorter than a distance between the light emitting areas of the respective light emitting apparatuses when the emission surfaces of the respective light emitting apparatuses are on the same plane.

Claims (30)

1. A light source apparatus comprising a plurality of light emitting apparatuses, wherein

each of the light emitting apparatuses includes:

a substrate;

a plurality of light emitting devices arranged on the substrate, and

a plurality of lenses; and

each of the light emitting apparatuses has an emission surface including a light emitting area and non-light emitting area, and

at least two light emitting apparatuses of the plurality of light emitting apparatuses constitute a light emitting apparatus group disposed such that the emission surfaces of the respective light emitting apparatuses are parallel to each other while being spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the emission surfaces, and such that, when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the emission surfaces, portions of the non-light emitting areas of the respective light emitting apparatuses overlap each other.

2. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the light emitting apparatuses of the light emitting apparatus group is disposed such that a distance between the light emitting area of each of the light emitting apparatuses is minimized when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the emission surfaces, without any of the light emitting apparatuses covering the light emitting area of another of the light emitting apparatuses.

3. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising first and second mirrors, wherein

the plurality of light emitting apparatuses include first and second light emitting apparatuses that constitute a first light emitting apparatus group, and third and fourth light emitting apparatuses that constitute a second light emitting apparatus group,

the first and second light emitting apparatuses are disposed so as to generate light fluxes included in a first quadrant and a third quadrant, respectively, on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the light source apparatus, and

the third and fourth light emitting apparatuses and the first and second mirrors are disposed so as to generate light fluxes included in a second quadrant and a fourth quadrant, respectively, on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the light source apparatus, by the first and second mirrors reflecting light emitted from an emission surface of each of the third and fourth light emitting apparatuses.

4. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 , the light source apparatus further comprising first and second mirrors, wherein

the plurality of light emitting apparatuses include first and second light emitting apparatuses that constitute a first light emitting apparatus group, and third and fourth light emitting apparatuses that constitute a second light emitting apparatus group,

the first and second light emitting apparatuses and the first mirror are disposed so as to generate light fluxes included in a first quadrant and a second quadrant, respectively, on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the light source apparatus, by the first mirror reflecting light emitted from an emission surface of each of the first and second light emitting apparatuses, and

the third and fourth light emitting apparatuses and the second mirror are disposed so as to generate light fluxes included in a third quadrant and a fourth quadrant, respectively, on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the light source apparatus, by the second mirror reflecting light emitted from an emission surface of each of the third and fourth light emitting apparatuses.

5. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the light emitting devices is a semiconductor laser device configured to generate blue light.

6. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the light emitting apparatuses is configured to emit linearly polarized light.

7. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:

a dichroic mirror on which light from each of the light emitting apparatuses is incident, the dichroic mirror being configured to separate and combine first color component light and second color component light different from each other;

a phosphor wheel apparatus configured to generate fluorescence by being excited by the first color component light; and

a phase difference plate configured to convert the second color component light from linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light.

8. The light source apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the phosphor wheel apparatus is formed on the circular substrate configured to rotate, and includes a phosphor layer formed from a Ce-activated YAG yellow phosphor.

9. A projection-type image display apparatus comprising:

the light source apparatus according to claim 1 ;

an illumination optical system configured to transmit light from the light source apparatus;

a light modulation device configured to spatially modulate light incident through the illumination optical system according to an image signal; and

a projection optical system configured to project light modulated by the light modulation device.

10. The projection-type image display apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the light modulation device is a liquid crystal panel.

11. The projection-type image display apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the light modulation device is a digital micromirror device.

Assignments (3)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Feb 24, 2026
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC PROJECTOR & DISPLAY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 074988/0945 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Feb 24, 2026
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 074984/0429 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 28, 2021
From: TANAKA, TAKAAKI; OKUNO, MANABU
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 056997/0278 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2018-169064 · Sep 10, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2019033504 · Aug 27, 2019
Related Publication 20210191243A1 · Jun 24, 2021