Illuminating system and projector thereof
By setting a refractive element between the lens array element and the digital micromirror element in the projector, a non-telecentric optical architecture lighting system is constructed, which solves the problems of high cost and large size of the lens in the prior art, and realizes the low cost of high-quality projected images.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421358405.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-18
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-06-14
AI Technical Summary
In existing projectors, the use of telecentric or near telecentric optical architectures leads to high cost of lens preparation, while the lighting system with non-telecentric optical architectures is large overall and it is difficult to achieve high-quality projected images at low cost.
By placing the refractive element between the lens array element and the digital micromirror element, a non-telecentric optical architecture lighting system is constructed, and uniformly shaping is used for lens array element. The digital micromirror element modulates the reflected light, and amplifies and guides the light through the refractive element to form a projected light beam.
It realizes reducing the volume of the lighting system and reducing lens costs while maintaining high-quality projected images.
Smart Images
Figure CN222636475U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to an illumination system and a projector thereof, in particular to an illumination system and a projector thereof which construct a non-telecentric optical structure. Background Art
[0002] In the projection system, high-quality projection images have a wide range of application values. In the prior art, the lighting system that can provide high-quality projection images is usually divided into telecentric optical architecture and non-telecentric optical architecture. Among them, the use of telecentric or near-telecentric optical architecture to design the lighting system will result in high lens preparation costs; while the use of non-telecentric optical architecture to design the lighting system, in order to ensure the quality of the projection image, the overall volume of the lighting system is usually large. As a result, the existing design cannot achieve high-quality projection images at a low cost.
[0003] Therefore, how to efficiently generate high-quality multi-color light while simultaneously meeting the requirements of reducing the size of the lighting system and lowering the cost of the lens has become an important issue in the configuration of optical components for projectors. Utility Model Content
[0004] Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a lighting system and a projector thereof in which a refractive element is disposed between a lens array element and a digital micromirror element to construct a non-telecentric optical architecture, so as to reduce the size of the lighting system and the cost of the lens.
[0005] To achieve the above object, the utility model provides a lighting system, which is suitable for providing a projection beam of a projector. The projector includes a light source module. The lighting system receives at least one color light provided by the light source module to form the projection beam. The lighting system includes:
[0006] A lens array element is arranged on the light output axis of the light source module to perform light homogenization and shaping on the at least one color light transmitted from the light source module;
[0007] A digital micromirror element having a micro-array reflective area for modulating and reflecting the at least one color light to form the projection light beam and emit it along the projection light axis;
[0008] A refractive element disposed between the lens array element and the digital micromirror element, for amplifying the at least one color light transmitted from the lens array element and guiding the at least one color light to be incident on the digital micromirror element and cover the micro-array reflective area; and
[0009] The projection lens is arranged on the projection optical axis and is used for receiving the projection light beam to perform image projection.
[0010] Preferably, the refractive element is a lens with positive refractive power, and the lighting system further includes a refractive element, which is arranged on the light output axis to reflect the at least one color light transmitted from the lens array element so that the at least one color light travels along the reflected optical axis; the refractive element is arranged on the reflected optical axis and is located between the refractive element and the digital micromirror element.
[0011] Further preferably, the relationship between the optical path distances of the refractive element, the dioptric element and the lens array element conforms to the following formula:
[0012] (B1+B2) / A=1-10;
[0013] Among them, B1 is the optical path distance of the at least one color light from the lens array element along the light output axis to the refractive element, B2 is the optical path distance of the at least one color light from the refractive element along the reflective optical axis to the refractive element, and A is the width of the lens array element relative to the light output axis.
[0014] Preferably, the diopter element is a concave mirror.
[0015] Further preferably, the optical path distance relationship between the refractive element and the lens array element conforms to the following formula:
[0016] B3 / A=1-10;
[0017] Among them, B3 is the optical path distance of the at least one color light from the lens array element along the light output axis to the refractive element, and A is the width of the lens array element relative to the light output axis.
[0018] Preferably, the lens array element has two optical surfaces facing the light source module and the refractive element respectively, and a lens array is formed on at least one of the two optical surfaces.
[0019] Preferably, the refractive element is disposed at a position for guiding the at least one color light to be incident from the long side direction or the corner direction of the micro-array reflective area.
[0020] Preferably, a light cone angle of the projection light beam incident from the digital micromirror device to the projection lens is greater than 3 degrees.
[0021] Preferably, the lens array element and the refractive element are both disposed between the light source module and the digital micromirror element in a single-piece configuration.
[0022] Preferably, the light source module comprises:
[0023] A light guide lens assembly is disposed on the light output axis; and
[0024] At least one light source is arranged at a position corresponding to the light guide lens group to emit the at least one color light to the light guide lens group, so that the at least one color light is guided by the light guide lens group and incident on the lens array element along the light output axis; wherein the light source is a light emitting diode light source or a laser light source.
[0025] In order to achieve the above object, the utility model also provides a projector, comprising:
[0026] A light source module provides at least one color of light; and
[0027] The above-mentioned lighting system receives at least one color light provided by the light source module to form a projection light beam.
[0028] Compared with the prior art, the lighting system and projector provided by the utility model receive at least one color light provided by the light source module of the projector to form a projection beam. The lighting system includes: a lens array element, a digital micromirror element, a refractive element and a projection lens. The refractive element is arranged between the lens array element and the digital micromirror element to construct a non-telecentric optical architecture, thereby further reducing the volume occupied by the lighting system and reducing the lens cost of the lighting system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] Figure 1 A simplified side view of a projector according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the configuration relationship between the refractive element and the digital micromirror element;
[0031] Figure 3 It is a simplified side view of a projector according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] In order to provide a further understanding of the purpose, structure, features, and functions of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.
[0033] Certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those with ordinary knowledge in the field should understand that manufacturers may use different terms to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use differences in names as a way to distinguish components, but rather use differences in components' functions as the criteria for distinction. The term "including" mentioned throughout the specification and claims is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to".
[0034] The ordinal numbers used in the specification, such as "first", "second", "third", etc., are used to modify components. They do not imply or represent any previous ordinal number of the component, nor do they represent the order of one component and another component, or the order of manufacturing methods. The use of these ordinal numbers is only used to clearly distinguish a component with a certain name from another component with the same name.
[0035] See also Figure 1 , which is a simplified side view of a projector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 It can be seen that in this embodiment, the projector 10 may include a light source module 100A and an illumination system 12. The light source module 100A includes a light source 110 and a light guide lens group 140. The light guide lens group 140 includes a color separation plate 141, a color separation plate 142, a first lens 143, a second lens 144, and a third lens 145. Among them, the first lens 143 is arranged between the first light source 110A and the color separation plate 141, the second lens 144 is arranged between the second light source 110B and the color separation plate 141, and the third lens 145 is arranged between the third light source 110C and the color separation plate 142. The first lens 143, the second lens 144, and the third lens 145 generally refer to lenses with a light convergence function, which are used to change the color light characteristics of the light source 110.
[0036] The light source 110 is used to emit an illumination light beam L, and the illumination light beam L has at least two different colors. Figure 1 As shown, the light source 110 includes a first light source 110A for emitting a first color light LA; a second light source 110B for emitting a second color light LB different from the first color light LA; and a third light source 110C for emitting a third color light LC different from the first color light LA and the second color light LB. The first color light LA, the second color light LB, and the third color light LC are combined into an illumination light beam L.
[0037] In the present embodiment, the light source 110 includes three light sources that can emit light of different colors. In some embodiments, the first light source 110A, the second light source 110B, and the third light source 110C can be light sources of light-emitting diodes, and the first color light LA is red light, the second color light LB is green light, and the third color light LC is blue light. In some embodiments, the light source 110 can include light sources that emit more than two different color lights, for example, two, or more than three, depending on actual needs, and the utility model is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the illumination beam L includes more than two of red light, blue light, and green light. In addition, the utility model can also adopt a single light source design (that is, the light source 110 can only include a light source that emits a single color light) to provide a monochromatic light beam according to actual design requirements.
[0038] The color separation plate 141 can be relatively tilted and arranged at a position opposite to the first light source 110A and the second light source 110B (preferably, the relative tilt angle of the color separation plate 141 is equal to 45°, but not limited thereto), so as to reflect the second color light LB and allow the first color light LA to penetrate, so that the first color light LA and the second color light LB are combined and incident on the color separation plate 142. The color separation plate 142 can be relatively tilted and arranged at a position opposite to the third light source 110C (preferably, the relative tilt angle of the color separation plate 142 is equal to 45°, but not limited thereto), so as to reflect the first color light LA and the second color light LB and allow the third color light LC to penetrate, so that the third color light LC is combined with the first color light LA and the second color light LB along the light output axis O to form an illumination light beam L to be incident on the lens array element 14.
[0039] The lighting system 12 of the projector 10 is described in detail below. Figure 1 As shown, the illumination system 12 receives the illumination light beam L provided by the light source module 100A to form a projection light beam B. The illumination system 12 may include a lens array element 14, a refractive element 16, a dioptric element 18, a digital micromirror element 20, and a projection lens 22, wherein the lens array element 14, the refractive element 16, and the dioptric element 18 are all disposed between the light source module 100A and the digital micromirror element 20 in a single-piece configuration.
[0040] The lens array element 14 is disposed on the light output axis O of the light source module 100A to homogenize the illumination light beam L transmitted from the light source module 100A, thereby producing light beam splitting, beam shaping and light spot superposition effects. In this embodiment, the lens array element 14 is preferably a fly eye lens or one having other similar functions (but not limited thereto), and the lens array element 14 has two optical surfaces facing the light source module 100A and the refractive element 16 respectively, at least one of which is formed with a lens array 15 (on Figure 1 The optical surfaces of the lens array element 14 facing the light source module 100A and the refractive element 16 are both formed with lens arrays 15, but the invention is not limited thereto and a single-sided lens array design may also be adopted. As for the related description of the array structure design of the lens array element 14, it is common in the prior art and may vary according to the actual application of the projector 10, and will not be repeated here and will not be used in detail. Figure 1 For the limit.
[0041] The refractive element 16 is disposed between the lens array element 14 and the digital micromirror element 20. The digital micromirror element 20 is preferably a digital micromirror device (DMD) and has a micro-array reflection area 21, which is used to modulate the reflected illumination beam L to form a projection beam B emitted along the projection optical axis P. That is, after being homogenized and shaped by the lens array element 14, the illumination beam L emitted by the light source module 100A can be incident on the digital micromirror element 20 through the refractive element 16, and then the digital micromirror element 20 converts the illumination beam L into a projection beam B. Specifically, the refractive element 16 generally refers to a lens with a light converging function, so that the illumination beam L can be projected on the digital micromirror element 20. In some embodiments, the refractive element 16 is a lens with positive refractive power, which is used to amplify the illumination beam L transmitted from the lens array element 14, and guide the illumination beam L to be incident on the digital micromirror element 20 and cover the micro-array reflection area 21.
[0042] In this embodiment, the illumination light beam L emitted by the light source module 100A is incident on the refractive element 18 before being incident on the refractive element 16. The refractive element 16 is disposed on the reflection optical axis R and is located between the refractive element 18 and the digital micromirror element 20. The refractive element 18 is disposed on the light output axis O to reflect the illumination light beam L transmitted from the lens array element 14, so that the illumination light beam L travels along the reflection optical axis R. In some embodiments, the refractive element 18 can be a plane reflector or a curved reflector, or one having similar functions, and the utility model is not limited thereto. In this way, the illumination light beam L is reflected by the refractive element 18, passes through the refractive element 18, and is incident on the digital micromirror element 20.
[0043] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the light cone angle of the projection light beam B incident from the digital micromirror device 20 to the projection lens 22 can preferably be greater than 3 degrees, and the relationship between the optical path distances of the refractive element 18, the dioptric element 16 and the lens array element 14 conforms to the following formula, thereby constructing a non-telecentric optical architecture in the projector 10.
[0044] (B1+B2) / A=1~10.
[0045] Among them, B1 is the optical path distance of the illumination light beam L from the lens array element 14 along the light-emitting axis O to the refractive element 18, B2 is the optical path distance of the illumination light beam L from the refractive element 18 along the reflection optical axis R to the refractive element 16, and A is the width of the lens array element 14 relative to the light-emitting axis O.
[0046] In a preferred embodiment, (B1+B2) / A=1-6, so as to further reduce the volume of the lighting system 12 and further reduce the cost of the lighting system 12.
[0047] Through the above-mentioned single-piece configuration of the refractive element 16 and the refracting element 18 and the optical path distance ratio restriction design, the present invention can ensure that the refractive element 16 and the refracting element 18 can be appropriately arranged at a position relatively close to the digital micromirror element 20 to construct a non-telecentric optical structure, thereby further reducing the volume occupied by the illumination system 12 and reducing the lens cost of the illumination system 12. At the same time, it can also avoid the refractive element 16 and the digital micromirror element 20 from having structural interference / collision that affects the projection imaging quality or damages the elements. It should be noted that, from practical experience, in this embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown in (a), the refractive element 16 can be preferably disposed at a position to guide the illumination light beam L to be incident from the long side direction e of the micro-array reflection area 21, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Figure 2 The design shown in (b) means that the refractive element 16 can be set at a position to guide the illumination light beam L to be incident from the corner direction c of the micro-array reflection area 21. As for which configuration to use, it depends on the actual manufacturing and application requirements of the illumination system 12.
[0048] The projection lens 22 is disposed on the projection optical axis P and is suitable for projecting the projection beam B onto a projection screen (not shown) to form an image for viewing by the user. In the present embodiment, the projection lens 22 may include a combination of one or more optical lenses with diopter, and the optical lenses may include various combinations of non-planar lenses such as biconcave lenses, biconvex lenses, concave-convex lenses, convex-concave lenses, plano-convex lenses, and plano-concave lenses. The present invention does not limit the form and type of the projection lens 22.
[0049] After the illumination beam L converges on the DMD 16, the DMD 16 can sequentially convert different color lights in the illumination beam L into corresponding projection beams B and transmit them to the projection lens 22. Therefore, the image screen projected by the projection beam B converted by the DMD 16 can be a color screen.
[0050] In some embodiments, the light source module configuration and the diopter design used in the projector of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. For example, see Figure 3 , which is a simplified side view of a projector 10' according to another embodiment of the present invention. The elements in this embodiment with the same numbers as those in the above embodiment represent the same or similar structures and functions, and the relevant descriptions can be deduced from the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here. Figure 3It can be seen that in this embodiment, the projector 10' comprises a light source module 100A' and an illumination system 12'. The light source module 100A' comprises a light source 110' and a light guide lens assembly 140'. The light source 110' is used to emit an illumination beam L'. The illumination beam L' has at least two different colors. Figure 3 As shown, the light source 110' includes a first light source 110A' for emitting a first color light LA'; a second light source 110B' for emitting a second color light LB' different from the first color light LA'; and a third light source 110C' for emitting a third color light LC' different from the first color light LA' and the second color light LB'. The first color light LA', the second color light LB', and the third color light LC' are combined into an illumination light beam L'.
[0051] In the present embodiment, the light source 110' includes three light sources that can emit different colored lights. In some embodiments, the first light source 110A', the second light source 110B', and the third light source 110C' can be laser light sources, and the first colored light LA' is red light, the second colored light LB' is green light, and the third colored light LC' is blue light. For example, the first light source 110A' can include a plurality of red laser diodes arranged in an array, the second light source 110B' can include a plurality of green laser diodes arranged in an array, and the third light source 110C' can include a plurality of blue laser diodes arranged in an array, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the light source 110' can include light sources that emit more than two different colored lights, such as two, or more than three, depending on actual needs, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the illumination beam L' includes more than two of red light, blue light, and green light. In addition, the present invention can also adopt a single light source design (that is, the light source 110' can only include a light source that emits a single color light) to provide a monochromatic light beam according to actual design needs.
[0052] The light guide lens assembly 140' includes a dichroic sheet 146, a dichroic sheet 147, and a dichroic sheet 148. The dichroic sheet 148 can be relatively tilted and disposed at a position opposite to the third light source 110C' (preferably, the relative tilt angle of the dichroic sheet 148 is equal to 45°, but not limited thereto) to reflect the third color light LC', and the dichroic sheet 147 can be relatively tilted and disposed at a position opposite to the second light source 110B' (preferably, the relative tilt angle of the dichroic sheet 147 is equal to 45°, but not limited thereto) to reflect the second color light LB' and allow the third color light LC' to penetrate, so that the second color light LB' and the third color light LC' are combined. The color separation plate 146 can be relatively tiltedly arranged at a position opposite to the first light source 110A' (preferably, the relative tilt angle of the color separation plate 146 is equal to 45°, but not limited to this) to reflect the first color light LA' and allow the second color light LB' and the third color light LC' to penetrate, so that the first color light LA' is combined with the second color light LB' and the third color light LC' to form an illumination light beam L' which is incident on the lens array element 14.
[0053] like Figure 3 As shown, the illumination system 12' receives the illumination beam L' provided by the light source module 100A' to form a projection beam B'. The illumination system 12' may include a lens array element 14, a diopter element 16', a digital micromirror element 20, and a projection lens 22, wherein the lens array element 14 and the diopter element 16' are disposed between the light source module 100A' and the digital micromirror element 20 in a single-piece configuration. In this embodiment, the diopter element 16' may be a concave mirror to reflect the illumination beam L' to the digital micromirror element 20 and cover the micro-array reflection area 21, that is, after being homogenized and shaped by the lens array element 14, the illumination beam L' emitted by the light source module 100A' may be incident on the digital micromirror element 20 through the diopter element 16', and then the digital micromirror element 20 converts the illumination beam L' into a projection beam B'.
[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the optical path distance relationship between the refractive element 16 ′ and the lens array element 14 complies with the following formula, so as to construct a non-telecentric optical architecture in the projector 10 ′.
[0055] B3 / A=1~10.
[0056] B3 is the optical path distance of the illumination light beam L′ from the lens array element 14 along the light-emitting axis O to the refractive element 16 ′, and A is the width of the lens array element 14 relative to the light-emitting axis O.
[0057] In a preferred embodiment, B3 / A=1-6, so as to further reduce the volume of the lighting system 12 and further reduce the cost of the lighting system 12.
[0058] By means of the above-mentioned single-piece configuration of the refractive element 16' and the design of limiting the ratio of the optical path distance, the present invention can ensure that the refractive element 16' can be appropriately disposed at a position relatively close to the digital micromirror element 20 to construct a non-telecentric optical structure, thereby further reducing the volume occupied by the illumination system 12' and reducing the lens cost of the illumination system 12'. At the same time, it can also avoid the refractive element 16' and the digital micromirror element 20 from having structural interference / collision that affects the projection imaging quality or damages the element.
[0059] In this way, after the illumination light beam L' is converged on the digital micromirror element 16 through the refractive element 16', the digital micromirror element 16 can sequentially convert different color lights in the illumination light beam L' into corresponding projection light beams B' and transmit them to the projection lens 22. Therefore, the image screen projected by the projection light beam B' converted by the digital micromirror element 16 can be a color screen. As for other designs of the projector 10' (such as the design of the incident direction of the refractive element relative to the micro-array reflective area, etc.), the relevant description can be referred to the above embodiment by analogy, and will not be repeated here.
[0060] In summary, the utility model provides an illumination system and a projector, wherein the illumination system receives at least one color light provided by the light source module of the projector to form a projection beam. The illumination system includes: a lens array element, a digital micromirror element, a refractive element, and a projection lens. The lens array element is arranged on the light output axis of the light source module to perform uniform light shaping on the color light transmitted from the light source module. The digital micromirror element has a micro-array reflection area, which is used to modulate the reflected color light to form a projection beam emitted along the projection optical axis. The refractive element is arranged between the lens array element and the digital micromirror element to construct a non-telecentric optical structure, which is used to amplify the color light transmitted from the lens array element, and guide the color light to be incident on the digital micromirror element and cover the micro-array reflection area. The projection lens is arranged on the projection optical axis to receive the projection beam for image projection. In this way, the volume occupied by the illumination system is further reduced and the lens cost of the illumination system is reduced.
[0061] The present invention has been described by the above-mentioned relevant embodiments, however, the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples for implementing the present invention. It must be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. On the contrary, any changes and modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention are within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. An illumination system, which is suitable for providing a projection beam of a projector, characterized in that: The projector includes a light source module, the lighting system receives at least one color light provided by the light source module to form the projection light beam, and the lighting system includes: A lens array element is arranged on the light output axis of the light source module to perform light homogenization and shaping on the at least one color light transmitted from the light source module; A digital micromirror element having a micro-array reflective area for modulating and reflecting the at least one color light to form the projection light beam and emit it along the projection light axis; A refractive element, disposed between the lens array element and the digital micromirror element, for amplifying the at least one color light transmitted from the lens array element and guiding the at least one color light to be incident on the digital micromirror element and cover the micro-array reflective area; as well as The projection lens is arranged on the projection optical axis and is used for receiving the projection light beam to perform image projection.
2. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The refractive element is a lens with positive refractive power. The lighting system also includes a refracting element, which is arranged on the light output axis to reflect the at least one color light transmitted from the lens array element so that the at least one color light travels along the reflected optical axis; the refractive element is arranged on the reflected optical axis and is located between the refracting element and the digital micromirror element.
3. The lighting system according to claim 2, characterized in that The optical path distance relationship between the refractive element, the dioptric element and the lens array element conforms to the following formula: (B1+B2) / A=1-10; Among them, B1 is the optical path distance of the at least one color light from the lens array element along the light output axis to the refractive element, B2 is the optical path distance of the at least one color light from the refractive element along the reflective optical axis to the refractive element, and A is the width of the lens array element relative to the light output axis.
4. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The refractive element is a concave mirror.
5. The lighting system according to claim 4, characterized in that The optical path distance relationship between the refractive element and the lens array element conforms to the following formula: B3 / A=1-10; Among them, B3 is the optical path distance of the at least one color light from the lens array element along the light output axis to the refractive element, and A is the width of the lens array element relative to the light output axis.
6. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The lens array element has two optical surfaces facing the light source module and the refractive element respectively, and a lens array is formed on at least one of the two optical surfaces.
7. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The refractive element is arranged at a position for guiding the at least one color light to be incident from the long side direction or the corner direction of the micro array reflection area.
8. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The light cone angle of the projection light beam incident from the digital micromirror element to the projection lens is greater than 3 degrees.
9. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The lens array element and the refractive element are both arranged between the light source module and the digital micromirror element in a single-piece configuration.
10. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The light source module includes: A light guide lens assembly is arranged on the light output axis; as well as At least one light source is arranged at a position corresponding to the light guide lens group to emit the at least one color light to the light guide lens group, so that the at least one color light is guided by the light guide lens group and incident on the lens array element along the light output axis; wherein the light source is a light emitting diode light source or a laser light source.
11. A projector, characterized in that: Include: A light source module provides at least one color of light; and The lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the lighting system receives at least one color light provided by the light source module to form a projection light beam.