Light source device and projector

Abstract

To provide a light source device that can emit light with high parallelism.SOLUTION: A light source device of the present invention comprises: a first light-emitting element that emits first light; a first transmissive optical element that has a first incidence surface on which the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element is incident, and a first emission surface emitting the first light incident from the first incidence surface; and a second transmissive optical element that has a second incidence surface on which the first light emitted from the first transmissive optical element is incident, and a second emission surface emitting the first light incident from the second incidence surface. The first transmissive optical element rotates centered on a first rotation axis extending along a second direction intersecting the first direction that is the incident direction of the first light with respect to the first transmissive optical element. The second transmissive optical element rotates centered on a second rotation axis extending along a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction. The first incidence surface and the first emission surface are parallel to each other, and the second incidence surface and the second emission surface are parallel to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light source device and a projector. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art As a light source device for use in a projector, a light source device has been proposed that illuminates a light modulation device such as a liquid crystal panel by scanning light emitted from a light emitting element on the light modulation device in time.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a projector including a light source device including a light source lamp, a liquid crystal light valve, a polygon mirror provided between the light source device and the liquid crystal light valve, and a projection lens. In this projector, the light source device emits light having an elliptical light beam cross section. The polygon mirror reflects the light emitted from the light source device and scans the light in the minor axis direction of the elliptical light beam cross section on the image forming area of ​​the liquid crystal light valve. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-225956 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when a polygon mirror is used for scanning light as in the projector of Patent Document 1, even if completely parallel light is incident on the polygon mirror, the parallelism of the light is lost due to the polygon mirror. That is, since the polygon mirror reflects light while rotating, the angle of incidence of the light on the reflecting surface of the polygon mirror changes over time, and the parallel light incident on the polygon mirror becomes light with a certain divergence angle and illuminates the liquid crystal light valve. As a result, various problems related to the image quality of the projector may occur, such as a decrease in brightness and contrast in the liquid crystal light valve, the occurrence of color unevenness, and light loss in the projection lens. Therefore, there is a demand for a light source device that can stably emit light with a high degree of parallelism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a light source device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first light emitting element that emits a first light in a first wavelength band, a first transmissive optical element that is made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member and has a first entrance surface on which the first light emitted from the first light emitting element is incident and a first exit surface that emits the first light incident from the first entrance surface, and a second transmissive optical element that is made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member and has a second entrance surface on which the first light emitted from the first transmissive optical element is incident and a second exit surface that emits the first light incident from the second entrance surface. The first transmissive optical element is rotatable about a first rotation axis that extends along a second direction that intersects with a first direction that is an incident direction of the first light to the first transmissive optical element. The second transmissive optical element is rotatable about a second rotation axis that extends along a third direction that intersects with each of the first direction and the second direction. The first entrance surface and the first exit surface are parallel to each other, and the second entrance surface and the second exit surface are parallel to each other.

[0007] A projector of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a light source device of one embodiment of the present invention, a light modulation device that modulates light emitted from the light source device in accordance with image information, and a projection optical device that projects the light modulated by the light modulation device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a light source device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2A] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams for explaining the behavior of light when a transmissive optical element rotates. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing a continuation of FIG. 2A. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram showing a continuation of FIG. 2B. [Figure 2D] FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram showing a continuation of FIG. 2C. [Figure 2E] FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing a continuation of FIG. 2D. [Figure 2F] FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing a continuation of FIG. 2E. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a transmissive optical element that is a model for a simulation. [Figure 4A] 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle and the displacement amount when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.5. [Figure 4B] 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle and the displacement amount when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.75. [Figure 4C] 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle and the displacement amount when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 2.0. [Figure 4D] 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle and the displacement amount when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 2.5. [Figure 4E] 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle and the displacement amount when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 3.0. [Diagram 5] 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a transmissive optical element and the refraction angle of light. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the angle θ1 of incidence of a light ray on a transmissive optical element and the angle θ2' between the optical axis and the light ray. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an illuminance distribution of light emitted from a light-emitting element. [Figure 7B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing trajectories of light rays emerging from a second transmissive optical element, showing a case where the trajectories are spaced widely apart. [Figure 8A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an illuminance distribution of light emitted from a light-emitting element. [Figure 8B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing trajectories of light rays emerging from a second transmissive optical element, illustrating a case where the interval between the trajectories is narrow. [Figure 8C] 13 is a diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light on an illuminated surface, in which the interval between scanning lines is narrow. FIG. [Figure 9A] 13 is a diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light when the refractive indexes of two transmissive optical elements are relatively low. FIG. [Figure 9B] 13 is a diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light when the refractive indexes of two transmissive optical elements are relatively high. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a hexagonal prism-shaped transmissive optical element and the amount of displacement of light. [Figure 11] 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing the relationship between the shape of a transmissive optical element and the maximum angle of incidence. [Figure 12A] 1 is a diagram showing ray trajectories when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.492 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular rectangular prism. [Figure 12B] 1 is a diagram showing ray trajectories when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 2.5 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular rectangular prism. [Figure 12C] 1 is a diagram showing ray trajectories when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.492 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular hexagonal prism. [Figure 12D] 1 is a diagram showing ray trajectories when the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.492 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular octagonal prism. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the illuminance distribution of light and the propagation distance. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a front view of the light modulation device. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector according to a third embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 18]FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [First embodiment] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The light source device of this embodiment is an example of a light source device that uses a laser diode as a light emitting element. In the drawings, the dimensions of the components may be shown on different scales in order to make the components easier to see.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a light source device 10 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a light source device 10 of this embodiment includes a first light emitting element 11, a first transmissive optical element 13, a second transmissive optical element 14, a first rotary drive device 15, and a second rotary drive device 16.

[0011] In the following, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system will be used in the drawings as necessary for explanation. The X-axis is an axis parallel to the optical axis of the first light-emitting element 11. The optical axis AX of the first light-emitting element 11 is defined as an axis along the principal ray of the first light L1 emitted from the first light-emitting element 11. The Y-axis is an axis perpendicular to the X-axis and along the first rotation axis C1 of the first transmissive optical element 13. The Z-axis is an axis perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis and along the second rotation axis C2 of the second transmissive optical element 14. The X-axis direction in this embodiment corresponds to the first direction in the claims. The Y-axis direction in this embodiment corresponds to the second direction in the claims. The Z-axis direction in this embodiment corresponds to the third direction in the claims.

[0012] The first light emitting element 11 emits a first light L1 in a first wavelength band toward the first transmissive optical element 13. The first light emitting element 11 is composed of a laser diode. Therefore, the first light L1 emitted from the first light emitting element 11 is a linearly polarized light having coherence, a narrow beam width, and a high degree of parallelism. The first wavelength band is not particularly limited as long as it is within the visible light wavelength band.

[0013] The first transmissive optical element 13 is provided between the first light-emitting element 11 and the second transmissive optical element 14 on the optical axis AX of the first light-emitting element 11. The first transmissive optical element 13 is made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member. The first transmissive optical element 13 is rotatable about a first rotation axis C1 extending along the Y-axis direction. The first rotation axis C1 is connected to a first rotation drive device 15 including a motor or the like. The first transmissive optical element 13 rotates about the first rotation axis C1 by being driven by the first rotation drive device 15.

[0014] As the glass material of the light-transmitting member constituting the first transmissive optical element 13, for example, optical glass such as BK7, quartz, resin, or other light-transmitting materials are used. The first transmissive optical element 13 has a first surface 13a and a second surface 13b intersecting the first rotation axis C1, and four first side surfaces 13c1, 13c2, 13c3, and 13c4 perpendicularly contacting the first surface 13a and the second surface 13b. That is, the shape of the first transmissive optical element 13 is a regular rectangular prism having six planes including the first surface 13a, the second surface 13b, and the four first side surfaces 13c1, 13c2, 13c3, and 13c4. The cross-sectional shape of the first transmissive optical element 13 cut along a plane perpendicular to the first rotation axis C1 is a square. That is, the four first side surfaces 13c1, 13c2, 13c3, and 13c4 have the same area, and two opposing first side surfaces are parallel to each other.

[0015] The first transmissive optical element 13 transmits the first light L1 emitted from the first light emitting element 11 while rotating around the first rotation axis C1. Therefore, the first side surface on which the first light L1 emitted from the first light emitting element 11 enters the first transmissive optical element 13 is not determined to be one, but changes over time. Similarly, the first side surface on which the first light L1 incident on the first transmissive optical element 13 is emitted to the external space is not determined to be one, but changes over time. In the first transmissive optical element 13, the first side surface on which the first light L1 emitted from the first light emitting element 11 enters is referred to as the first incident surface. The first side surface from which the first light L1 incident from the first incident surface is emitted is referred to as the first exit surface. In this case, the first incident surface and the first exit surface change over time and are either of two first side surfaces parallel to each other among the four first side surfaces 13c1, 13c2, 13c3, and 13c4.

[0016] In this specification, when two surfaces of a transmissive optical element are said to be parallel to each other, the angle between the two surfaces is said to be in the range of 0±5 degrees, taking into consideration the processing accuracy of the glass material that constitutes the light-transmitting member, the allowable range of parallelism of light, etc.

[0017] In this embodiment, the first transmissive optical element 13 has four first side surfaces 13c1, 13c2, 13c3, and 13c4, but the number of first side surfaces does not necessarily have to be four, and is preferably 2×m (m: a natural number equal to or greater than 2). That is, the number of first side surfaces is preferably an even number, such as six or eight. If the number of first side surfaces is an even number, each of the first side surfaces is parallel to the first side surface opposite the first side surface, and there is no first side surface that is not parallel. This reduces the generation of stray light in the first transmissive optical element 13, and can improve light utilization efficiency.

[0018] The second transmissive optical element 14 is provided on the light emission side of the first transmissive optical element 13 on the optical axis AX of the first light emitting element 11. The second transmissive optical element 14 is made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member. The second transmissive optical element 14 is rotatable about a second rotation axis C2 extending along the Z-axis direction. That is, the first rotation axis C1 and the second rotation axis C2 extend in directions perpendicular to each other in a virtual plane perpendicular to the optical axis AX. The second rotation axis C2 is connected to a second rotation drive device 16 consisting of a motor or the like. The second transmissive optical element 14 rotates about the second rotation axis C2 by being driven by the second rotation drive device 16.

[0019] The light-transmitting member constituting the second transmissive optical element 14 is substantially the same as the light-transmitting member constituting the first transmissive optical element 13. As the glass material of the light-transmitting member, for example, optical glass such as BK7, quartz, resin, or other light-transmitting materials are used. In particular, in the case of the second transmissive optical element 14, unlike the first transmissive optical element 13, the first light L1 is incident after being scanned in one direction by the first transmissive optical element 13, so that the light density is smaller than that of the first light L1 at the time of being incident on the first transmissive optical element 13. Therefore, there is a higher possibility that a resin material with low light resistance or heat resistance can be used than in the first transmissive optical element 13.

[0020] The second transmissive optical element 14 has a third surface 14a and a fourth surface 14b that intersect with the second rotation axis C2, and four second side surfaces 14c1, 14c2, 14c3, and 14c4 that are in contact with the third surface 14a and the fourth surface 14b perpendicularly. That is, the shape of the second transmissive optical element 14 is a regular rectangular prism having six planes including the third surface 14a, the fourth surface 14b, and the four second side surfaces 14c1, 14c2, 14c3, and 14c4. The cross-sectional shape of the second transmissive optical element 14 cut by a plane perpendicular to the second rotation axis C2 is a square. That is, the four second side surfaces 14c1, 14c2, 14c3, and 14c4 have the same area as each other, and the two second side surfaces that face each other are parallel to each other.

[0021] The second transmissive optical element 14 transmits the first light L1 emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 while rotating around the second rotation axis C2. Therefore, the second side surface through which the first light L1 emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 enters the second transmissive optical element 14 is not determined to be one, but changes over time. Similarly, the second side surface through which the first light L1 incident on the second transmissive optical element 14 is emitted to the external space is not determined to be one, but changes over time. In the second transmissive optical element 14, the second side surface through which the first light L1 emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 enters is referred to as the second entrance surface. The second side surface through which the first light L1 incident from the second entrance surface exits is referred to as the second exit surface. In this case, the second entrance surface and the second exit surface change over time and are any two of the four second side surfaces 14c1, 14c2, 14c3, and 14c4 that are parallel to each other.

[0022] In this embodiment, the second transmissive optical element 14 has four second side surfaces 14c1, 14c2, 14c3, and 14c4, but the number of second side surfaces does not necessarily have to be four, and is preferably 2×n (n: a natural number equal to or greater than 2). That is, the number of second side surfaces is preferably an even number, such as six or eight. If the number of second side surfaces is an even number, each of the second side surfaces is parallel to the second side surface opposite the second side surface, and there is no second side surface that is not parallel. This reduces the generation of stray light in the second transmissive optical element 14, and can improve the light utilization efficiency.

[0023] In this embodiment, the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 both have the shape of a regular rectangular prism, but as long as they have parallel entrance and exit surfaces, the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 may have different shapes.

[0024] In FIG. 1, the first transmitting optical element 13 is shown to be the same size as the second transmitting optical element 14, but since the first transmitting optical element 13 scans the first light L1 in the Z-axis direction but does not scan in the Y-axis direction, as described later, the length of the side in the Y-axis direction may be smaller than the lengths of the sides in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. That is, instead of the shape close to a cube shown in FIG. 1, the first transmitting optical element 13 may be a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the length of the side in the Y-axis direction is shorter than the lengths of the sides in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. This allows the first transmitting optical element 13 to be made thinner. In that case, the size of the second transmitting optical element 14 is larger than the size of the first transmitting optical element 13, but as described above, since the optical density of the incident light is low in the second transmitting optical element 14, a resin material can be used. If a resin material is used as the glass material of the light-transmitting member, the second transmitting optical element 14 becomes lightweight, and the second rotation drive device 16 can be made smaller in size.

[0025] At least one of the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 may be made of quartz. In the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14, as the amount of light transmitted through the light-transmitting member increases, the amount of light absorbed by the light-transmitting member increases, and thermal distortion may occur in the light-transmitting member. In this case, the polarization direction of the first light L1 emitted from the first light-emitting element 11 is disturbed, and the linearly polarized light incident on the light-transmitting member becomes elliptically polarized light and is emitted from the light-transmitting member. As a result, when the light source device 10 is applied to a projector, the effect of obtaining a predetermined contrast without providing an incident-side polarizing plate by using a laser diode for the first light-emitting element 11 cannot be obtained. That is, even though a laser diode is used for the first light-emitting element 11, it becomes necessary to use an incident-side polarizing plate to align the polarization direction. Therefore, in order to obtain the above effect, it is desirable to use a glass material with a small Young's modulus and a small thermal expansion coefficient as a glass material with little thermal distortion, and it is desirable to use quartz as an example.

[0026] The following describes the behavior of the first light L1 when it transmits through the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14. Note that the action of the first transmissive optical element 13 and the action of the second transmissive optical element 14 are similar and only differ in direction, so hereinafter, only the first transmissive optical element 13 will be illustrated and described.

[0027] 2A to 2F are schematic diagrams for explaining the behavior of the first light L1 when the first transmissive optical element 13 rotates. In this example, when viewed from the +Y side, the first transmissive optical element 13 rotates clockwise about the first rotation axis C1, and time passes from FIG. 2A to FIG. 2F.

[0028] 2A to 2F, the angle between the optical axis AX and a straight line M that passes through the first rotation axis C1 and is perpendicular to the first side surface 13c1 of the first transmissive optical element 13 is defined as the rotation angle ω of the first transmissive optical element 13. In reality, the first light L1 has a predetermined light flux width in the Z-axis direction, but here, attention is paid to the behavior of the light ray L1a traveling on the optical axis AX.

[0029] 2A shows the initial state of the first transmissive optical element 13. That is, the first transmissive optical element 13 is not rotated, the straight line M overlaps with the optical axis AX, and the rotation angle ω is 0 degrees. In this case, the light ray L1a is perpendicularly incident on the first side surface 13c1, and therefore travels along the optical axis AX inside the first transmissive optical element 13 without being refracted at the first side surface 13c1. Next, the light ray L1a is perpendicularly incident on the first side surface 13c3 that is parallel to the first side surface 13c1. Therefore, the light ray is emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 without being refracted at the first side surface 13c3 either, and travels along the optical axis AX.

[0030] Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the first transmissive optical element 13 rotates by the rotation angle ω, the light ray L1a is incident on the first side surface 13c1 at an incident angle equal to the rotation angle ω. Therefore, the light ray L1a is refracted in the direction shown in the figure (+Z side) and travels inside the first transmissive optical element 13. Next, the light ray L1a is also incident on the first side surface 13c3 at a predetermined incident angle, so it is refracted at the first side surface 13c3 and is emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13. At this time, since the first side surface 13c1 and the first side surface 13c3 are parallel to each other, the incident angle of the light ray L1a on the first side surface 13c1 and the incident angle of the light ray L1a on the first side surface 13c3 are equal, and the refraction angle of the light ray L1a incident on the first side surface 13c1 and the refraction angle of the light ray L1a emitted from the first side surface 13c3 have the same absolute value but are opposite in sign. This cancels out the refraction angle of the light ray L1a when it enters the first side surface 13c1 and the refraction angle when it emerges from the first side surface 13c3. As a result, the light ray L1a travels parallel to the optical axis AX at a position displaced by the displacement amount d from the optical axis AX to the +Z side.

[0031] Next, as shown in Fig. 2C, when the rotation angle ω of the first transmissive optical element 13 becomes larger than that of Fig. 2B, the angle of incidence of the light ray L1a becomes larger, and the angle of refraction becomes larger. Therefore, the displacement amount d of the light ray L1a from the optical axis AX becomes larger than that of Fig. 2B. In addition, the state in which the light ray L1a travels parallel to the optical axis AX is always maintained. When the rotation angle ω is between 0 degrees and 45 degrees, the displacement amount d increases monotonically as the rotation angle ω increases.

[0032] Next, as shown in FIG. 2D, when the rotation angle ω of the first transmissive optical element 13 exceeds 45 degrees, the incident surface of the light ray L1a changes from the first side surface 13c1 to the first side surface 13c2. At this time, the light ray L1a is refracted at the first side surface 13c2, but the refraction direction is different from that in the period up to FIG. 2C, and it is refracted in the direction shown in the figure (-Z side). In addition, the exit surface of the light ray L1a also changes from the first side surface 13c3 to the first side surface 13c4, but since the first side surface 13c2 and the first side surface 13c4 are parallel to each other, the refraction angle of the light ray L1a when it enters the first side surface 13c3 and the refraction angle when it exits from the first side surface 13c4 cancel each other out, which is the same as in the period up to FIG. 2C. As a result, the light ray L1a travels parallel to the optical axis AX at a position displaced from the optical axis AX to the -Z side by a displacement amount d.

[0033] Next, as shown in Fig. 2E, when the rotation angle ω of the first transmissive optical element 13 becomes larger than that of Fig. 2D, the incident angle of the light ray L1a becomes smaller, and the refraction angle becomes smaller. Therefore, the displacement amount d of the light ray L1a from the optical axis AX becomes smaller than that in Fig. 2D. Thus, when the rotation angle ω is between 45 degrees and 90 degrees, the displacement amount d decreases monotonically as the rotation angle ω increases.

[0034] Next, as shown in FIG. 2F, when the rotation angle ω of the first transmissive optical element 13 becomes 90 degrees, the incident surface changes from the first side surface 13c1 in the initial state to the first side surface 13c2, but the behavior of the light ray L1a becomes the same as in the initial state shown in FIG. 2A.

[0035] In this way, if the first entrance surface and the first exit surface of the first transmission optical element 13 are parallel to each other, the traveling direction of the light ray L1a does not change regardless of the rotation angle ω of the first transmission optical element 13, and the light ray L1a translates in a direction parallel to the optical axis AX over time. When the rotation angle ω is 0 degrees, the displacement amount d of the light ray L1a is 0, and the displacement amount d increases to either the +Z side or the -Z side when the rotation angle ω is between 0 degrees and 45 degrees. At the moment when the rotation angle ω exceeds 45 degrees, the displacement direction is reversed while the absolute value of the displacement amount d remains the same, the displacement amount d decreases when the rotation angle ω is between 45 degrees and 90 degrees, and when the rotation angle ω becomes 90 degrees, the displacement amount d becomes 0. After 90 degrees, the above behavior is repeated. Therefore, when the first transmission optical element 13 rotates once, the displacement amount d of the light ray L1a repeats the above cycle four times. The amount of displacement of the light ray L1a can be appropriately set by adjusting the parameters of the first transmissive optical element 13, such as the refractive index and size.

[0036] Although only the displacement in one direction by the first transmissive optical element 13 has been described above, the light source device 10 includes the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 having mutually orthogonal rotation axes. Therefore, the first light L1 is displaced in two mutually orthogonal directions over time. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the first light L1 emitted from the first light emitting element 13 is scanned in the Z-axis direction by the first transmissive optical element 13, and is scanned in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction by the second transmissive optical element 14. That is, the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 scan the first light L1 within a two-dimensional illuminated region Q on the illuminated surface. The Z-axis direction in this embodiment corresponds to the first scanning direction in the claims, and the Y-axis direction in this embodiment corresponds to the second scanning direction in the claims.

[0037] [Effects of the first embodiment] The light source device 10 of the present embodiment includes a first light emitting element 11 that emits a first light L1, a first transmissive optical element 13 that is made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member and has a first incident surface on which the first light L1 emitted from the first light emitting element 11 is incident and a first exit surface from which the first light L1 incident from the first incident surface is emitted, and a second transmissive optical element 14 that is made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member and has a second incident surface on which the first light L1 emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 is incident and a second exit surface from which the first light incident from the second incident surface is emitted. The first transmissive optical element 13 is rotatable about a first rotation axis C1 that extends along a Y-axis direction that intersects with the X-axis direction, which is the incident direction of the first light L1 to the first transmissive optical element 13. The second transmissive optical element 14 is rotatable about a second rotation axis C2 that extends along a Z-axis direction that intersects with the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The first entrance surface and the first exit surface are parallel to each other, and the second entrance surface and the second exit surface are parallel to each other.

[0038] When a polygon mirror is used as a means for scanning light as in conventional light source devices, the polygon mirror rotates to reflect light, so the angle of incidence of light incident on the illuminated surface changes over time. Therefore, even if the light incident on the polygon mirror is parallel, the light emitted from the polygon mirror becomes divergent light, so it is extremely difficult to make the light always perpendicular to the illuminated surface. Therefore, in conventional projectors equipped with polygon mirrors, there is a risk of a decrease in brightness and contrast in the light modulation device, the occurrence of color unevenness, a loss of light in the projection optical device, etc., resulting in a decrease in the image quality of the projector.

[0039] In response to the above problem, according to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2F, the first light L1 is displaced in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the first light L1 while maintaining a state parallel to the optical axis AX of the first light emitting element 11 as the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 rotate. In addition, by providing the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 having mutually perpendicular rotation axes C1 and C2, the first light L1 can be scanned within a two-dimensional illuminated area Q on an arbitrary illuminated surface. As a result, when the light source device 10 of the present embodiment is adopted in a projector, the first light L1 can be always perpendicularly incident on the light modulation device. As a result, the decrease in brightness and contrast in the light modulation device, the occurrence of color unevenness, the loss of light in the projection optical device, and the like are suppressed, and a projector with excellent display quality can be realized.

[0040] [Simulation of various parameters of transmissive optical elements] The present inventors performed a simulation to investigate how various parameters such as the refractive index and shape of the transmissive optical element affect the illumination characteristics. The results of the simulation will be described below.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a transmissive optical element 18 serving as a model for the simulation. As shown in FIG. 3, the transmissive optical element 18 has a square cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis O and has four side surfaces, as in the above embodiment. The length l of one side of the square is 20 mm. The light ray L1a travels parallel to the optical axis AX, enters the transmissive optical element 18 at a point P1 at an incident angle θ1, is refracted at a refraction angle θ2, and then exits the transmissive optical element 18 at a point P2 and travels parallel to the optical axis AX. As the light ray L1a, a light ray traveling on the optical axis AX and a light ray traveling at a position separated by a distance s from the optical axis AX are assumed. Specifically, five types of distances s (mm) are set: -4, -2, 0, +2, and +4. That is, five light rays spaced 2 mm apart are set in the simulation.

[0042] The refractive index n1 of the external space (air) of the transmissive optical element 18 was set to 1.0, and the refractive index n2 of the transmissive optical element 18 was changed to five values ​​of 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0, and a simulation was performed regarding the correlation between the rotation angle of the transmissive optical element 18 and the displacement amount d.

[0043] The simulation results are shown in Figures 4A to 4E. Figure 4A shows the results when the refractive index n2 = 1.5. Figure 4B shows the results when the refractive index n2 = 1.75. Figure 4C shows the results when the refractive index n2 = 2.0. Figure 4D shows the results when the refractive index n2 = 2.5. Figure 4E shows the results when the refractive index n2 = 3.0. In Figures 4A to 4E, the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle (degrees), and the vertical axis indicates the displacement (mm). The graph with symbol A shows the light ray with s = -4. The graph with symbol B shows the light ray with s = -2. The graph with symbol C shows the light ray with s = 0 (on the optical axis). The graph with symbol D shows the light ray with s = +2. The graph with symbol E shows the light ray with s = +4.

[0044] For example, looking at the graph of symbol C (light ray on the optical axis) in FIG. 4A, as explained with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2F, the amount of displacement is 0 when the rotation angle is 0 degrees, and as the rotation angle increases from 0 degrees to 45 degrees, the amount of displacement increases to about +7 mm. When the rotation angle exceeds 45 degrees, the amount of displacement reverses to about -7 mm, and as the rotation angle increases from 45 degrees to 90 degrees, the amount of displacement decreases toward 0 mm. This cycle is repeated thereafter. Therefore, the overall shape of the graph is sawtooth. The other graphs A, B, D, and E also show the same tendency as graph C.

[0045] 4A to 4E, it is found that increasing the refractive index n2 of the transmissive optical element 18 from 1.5 to 3.0 increases the displacement d from approximately ±7 mm to approximately ±11 mm. As a result, even if the size of the transmissive optical element 18 is the same, the scanning range of the light beam L1a can be increased by increasing the refractive index n2 of the transmissive optical element 18 from 1.5 to 3.0.

[0046] It was also found that the linearity of the sawtooth graph increases when the refractive index n2 of the transmissive optical element 18 is increased from 1.5 to 3.0. For example, FIG. 4A shows that the graph is curved, particularly near the rotation angle at which the incident surface of the transmissive optical element 18 switches, i.e., near the sharp portion of the sawtooth shape. In contrast, FIG. 4E shows that the graph extends linearly even near the rotation angle at which the incident surface of the transmissive optical element 18 switches. Although a detailed description will be omitted, the present inventor has found that the higher the linearity of the sawtooth graph, the higher the illuminance distribution of light in the illuminated area.

[0047] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the relationship between the incident angle θ1 of the light ray L1a to the transmitting optical element 18 and the angle θ2' between the light ray L1a after it has entered the transmitting optical element 18 and the optical axis AX will be considered. The angle θ2' is expressed by the following equation (1), where θ2 is the refraction angle.

[0048]

number

[0049] From formula (1), it can be seen that as the refractive index n2 of the transmissive optical element 18 increases toward infinity, the angle θ2' approaches the incident angle θ1 infinitesimally.

[0050] Therefore, the following equation (2) can be derived from the above equation (1).

[0051]

number

[0052] FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the incident angle θ1 and the angle θ2' in equation (2). In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis is θ1 (degrees) and the vertical axis is θ2' (degrees). The graph with the symbol F shows the case where the refractive index n2 is 1.5. The graph with the symbol G shows the case where the refractive index n2 is 2.0. The graph with the symbol H shows the case where the refractive index n2 is 2.5. The graph with the symbol I shows the case where the refractive index n2 is 3.0. The graph with the symbol J shows the case where the refractive index n2 is 1000, which is the limit value for the refractive index n2.

[0053] 6, it can be seen that when the refractive index n2 of the transmitting optical element 18 is increased, the angle θ2' approaches the incident angle θ1. Therefore, by increasing the refractive index n2 of the transmitting optical element 18, the displacement amount of the light ray L1a can be increased.

[0054] Next, we consider the illuminance distribution when two transmissive optical elements are used to illuminate a two-dimensional illumination area when the refractive index n2 of the transmissive optical element is sufficiently large and the displacement is an ideal sawtooth shape.

[0055] In the above embodiment, it is possible to scan the light in a two-dimensional illuminated area by adjusting the rotational frequency of each of the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14. Since the first transmissive optical element 13 and the second transmissive optical element 14 scan the light in two directions perpendicular to each other, particularly when the displacement amount shows an ideal sawtooth shape, the light is scanned so as to draw a trajectory of multiple straight lines extending obliquely in the two-dimensional illuminated area, for example.

[0056] When considering a case where the frequency for drawing the screen is fixed, if the rotational frequency of each of the two transmissive optical elements is relatively low, in other words, if the rotational speed of each of the two transmissive optical elements is relatively slow, the distance between two adjacent loci will be relatively wide. Fig. 7A is a conceptual diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light emitted from a light emitting element, and Fig. 7B is a conceptual diagram showing the trajectories of light rays emitted from a second transmissive optical element.

[0057] In this case, as shown in Fig. 7B, the trajectory of each light ray extends obliquely from the upper left to the lower right of the figure, and the interval between two adjacent trajectories is relatively wide. As shown in Fig. 7A, when the illuminance distribution of the light emitted from the light-emitting element shows a horizontally elongated elliptical distribution, the illuminance distribution of the light on the illuminated surface has uneven illuminance between bright and dark along the direction intersecting with the trajectories.

[0058] On the other hand, when the rotational frequencies of the two transmissive optical elements are relatively high, in other words, when the rotational speeds of the two transmissive optical elements are relatively fast, the distance between two adjacent loci becomes relatively narrow. Fig. 8A is a conceptual diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light emitted from a light emitting element, Fig. 8B is a conceptual diagram showing the trajectories of light rays emitted from a second transmissive optical element, and Fig. 8C is a conceptual diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light on an illuminated surface.

[0059] In this case, as shown in Fig. 8B, the trajectory of each light ray extends obliquely from the upper left to the lower right of the figure, and the interval between two adjacent trajectories is sufficiently narrower than that of Fig. 7B. When the illuminance distribution of the light emitted from the light-emitting element shows an elliptical distribution as shown in Fig. 8A, the illuminance distribution of the light on the illuminated surface shows a substantially uniform illuminance distribution over the entire illuminated area as shown in Fig. 8C. Note that the illuminance blur seen at the periphery of the illuminated area depends on the illuminance distribution of the light emitted from the light-emitting element.

[0060] From the above, when the light source device of the present invention is applied to a projector, an image with less uneven brightness can be obtained by relatively increasing the rotational frequencies of the two transmissive optical elements.

[0061] Next, we consider the illuminance distribution when two transmissive optical elements are used to illuminate a two-dimensional illuminated area when the refractive index n2 of the transmissive optical element is not very large and the displacement is not an ideal sawtooth shape.

[0062] If the displacement is not an ideal sawtooth shape, the trajectory of the light scanning in the illuminated area will be curved, unlike that shown in Fig. 7B or 8B. Therefore, unevenness in the illuminance distribution will occur depending on the density of the trajectory in the illuminated area, that is, the density of the light beam's residence time. There are two possible methods for improving the unevenness in the illuminance distribution: increasing the refractive index of the transmissive optical element, or changing the shape of the transmissive optical element to use a regular polygonal prism with a large number of sides.

[0063] First, a method for increasing the refractive index of a transmissive optical element will be considered. Fig. 9A is a diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light when the refractive index of each of the two transmissive optical elements is relatively low. Fig. 9B is a diagram showing the illuminance distribution of light when the refractive index of each of the two transmissive optical elements is relatively high. Specifically, in Fig. 9A, the refractive index of the first transmissive optical element is 1.5, and the refractive index of the second transmissive optical element is 1.8. In Fig. 9B, the refractive index of the first transmissive optical element is 2.5, and the refractive index of the second transmissive optical element is 2.5. Figs. 9A and 9B show isolux curves that connect points showing the same illuminance with curved lines.

[0064] 9A and 9B, when the refractive index of each transmissive optical element is relatively low, the number of isolux curves is large and the change in illuminance is large, whereas when the refractive index of each transmissive optical element is relatively high, the number of isolux curves is small and the change in illuminance is small. From this, it was found that the illuminance distribution can be made more uniform by making the refractive index of the two transmissive optical elements relatively high.

[0065] Next, we consider a method using a regular polygonal prism with a large number of sides. Although a regular square prism having four side faces has been given as an example of the shape of the transmissive optical element in the above, an example of a regular hexagonal prism having six side faces will be given here.

[0066] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a regular hexagonal prism-shaped transmissive optical element 19 and the displacement of light. As shown in Fig. 10, in the case of the regular hexagonal prism-shaped transmissive optical element 19, the width l of one side surface in the rotation direction is shorter than the width l of one side surface of the regular rectangular prism-shaped transmissive optical element 18 shown in Fig. 3, assuming that the volume of the transmissive optical element is the same. Therefore, the maximum incidence angle of the light ray L1a passing along the optical axis AX in the regular hexagonal prism-shaped transmissive optical element 19 is smaller than the maximum incidence angle of the light ray L1a passing along the optical axis AX in the regular rectangular prism-shaped transmissive optical element 18.

[0067] Generally, when the shape of a transmissive optical element is a regular (2×m) prism (m: natural number equal to or greater than 2), the maximum angle of incidence of a light ray passing along the optical axis can be expressed as 90 / m (degrees). Specifically, the maximum angle of incidence is 45 degrees in the case of a regular square prism, and 30 degrees in the case of a regular hexagonal prism. That is, the relationship between the shape of a transmissive optical element and the maximum angle of incidence is as shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis indicates the shape of the transmissive optical element, and the vertical axis indicates the maximum angle of incidence (degrees).

[0068] As shown in FIG. 11, the more the number of side surfaces of the regular polygonal prism constituting the transmitting optical element, the smaller the maximum angle of incidence. Therefore, the more the number of side surfaces of the regular polygonal prism, the smaller the maximum displacement of the light ray. Therefore, in order to secure the maximum displacement of the light ray while increasing the number of side surfaces of the regular polygonal prism, it is necessary to increase the volume of the regular polygonal prism and increase the width l of one side surface in the rotation direction. As a result, there is a drawback that the transmitting optical element becomes large. On the other hand, when the number of side surfaces of the regular polygonal prism is increased, the maximum displacement of the light ray becomes smaller, which means that the curved portion near the apex of the sawtooth graph shown in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E becomes smaller. Therefore, increasing the number of side surfaces of the regular polygonal prism has the advantage of making the illuminance distribution uniform.

[0069] From the above considerations, the refractive index of the transmissive optical element and the shape of the regular polygonal prism were changed, and a simulation of the trajectory of the light ray in the illuminated area was performed, and the following results shown in Figs. 12A to 12D were obtained.

[0070] Fig. 12A shows a case where the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.492 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular square prism. Fig. 12B shows a case where the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 2.5 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular square prism. Fig. 12C shows a case where the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.492 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular hexagonal prism. Fig. 12D shows a case where the refractive index of the transmissive optical element is 1.492 and the shape of the transmissive optical element is a regular octagonal prism.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 12A, when the refractive index of the transmitting optical element is 1.492 and the shape of the transmitting optical element is a regular square prism, it can be seen that the trajectory of the light ray is curved as a whole. In this case, there is a risk of illuminance unevenness occurring in the illuminated area. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 12B, even if the shape of the transmitting optical element is the same, if the refractive index of the transmitting optical element is increased to 2.5, the linearity of the trajectory of the light ray becomes higher. This makes it possible to suppress the illuminance unevenness in the illuminated area. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12C, even if the refractive index of the transmitting optical element is the same, if the shape of the transmitting optical element is a regular hexagonal prism, the linearity of the trajectory of the light ray becomes higher. This makes it possible to suppress the illuminance unevenness in the illuminated area. As shown in FIG. 12D, if the shape of the transmitting optical element is a regular octagonal prism, the linearity of the trajectory of the light ray becomes even higher. This makes it possible to further suppress the illuminance unevenness in the illuminated area.

[0072] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the change in illuminance distribution when light emitted from five light sources propagates a certain distance. In Fig. 13, the horizontal axis indicates the position of the light source in a direction perpendicular to the light propagation direction, and the vertical axis indicates the propagation distance. As shown in Figure 13, when the light emitted from the light sources is an ideal Gaussian beam, if five equally spaced light sources are turned on, the combined illuminance distribution, which is the combination of the illuminance distributions of all five lights, gradually averages out and becomes smooth as the light propagates. Furthermore, when the light emitted from each light source has propagated a certain distance, the combined illuminance distribution becomes flat with almost no irregularities.

[0073] The above-mentioned concept can also be applied to the light source device of the present invention. That is, since the light source device of the present invention is a scanning illumination system that performs illumination by scanning light, for example, in the simulation results of Fig. 12A to Fig. 12D, when considering the illuminance distribution in a cross section obtained by cutting the illuminated area in the horizontal direction (the lateral direction of the figure), it can be considered that a plurality of light sources are arranged in the horizontal direction with the positions of a plurality of loci as the illuminance peaks. Therefore, after adjusting the interval between the loci, the distance from the light source to the illuminated surface, or the distance from the light source to the light modulation device in the case of a projector, may be set so as to match the distance at which the composite illuminance distribution of the plurality of lights becomes flat. The interval between the loci can be adjusted by the rotation speed of the transmission optical element. This makes it possible to obtain a uniform illuminance distribution in the light modulation device. In the above explanation, the horizontal cross section is focused on as an example, but the same holds true in all directions.

[0074] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The projector of this embodiment includes the light source device of the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector 20 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 14, components common to those in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 14, a projector 20 includes a light source device 10, a light modulation device 21, an exit side polarizing plate 22, and a projection optical device .

[0076] The light modulation device 21 is provided on the light emission side of the light source device 10 on the optical axis AX. The light modulation device 21 modulates the first light L1 emitted from the light source device 10 according to image information to form image light. A transmissive liquid crystal panel is used for the light modulation device 21. The liquid crystal panel may or may not include a color filter. When the liquid crystal panel includes a color filter, a projector 20 capable of color display can be realized. When the liquid crystal panel does not include a color filter, a projector 20 capable of monochrome display can be realized. As a driving method for the liquid crystal panel, a twisted nematic (TN) method, a vertical alignment (VA) method, an in-plane switching (IPS) method, or the like is used, and is not particularly limited.

[0077] FIG. 15 is a front view of the light modulation device 21 as viewed from the direction of the optical axis AX. As shown in Fig. 15, the light modulation device 21 has a light modulation region 21c and a light shielding region 21d. The light modulation region 21c is a region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix, and modulates and emits the first light L1 incident on the light modulation device 21. The light shielding region 21d is located around the light modulation region 21c, and blocks light that does not contribute to modulation among the first light L1 incident on the light modulation device 21. The region in which the first light L1 emitted from the second transmissive optical element 14 of the light source device 10 is two-dimensionally scanned corresponds to the light modulation region 21c. Parameters such as the size and refractive index of each of the transmissive optical elements 13 and 14 of the light source device 10 are designed according to the size and aspect ratio of the light modulation region 21c.

[0078] The exit-side polarizing plate 22 is provided on the optical axis AX between the light modulation device 21 and the projection optical device 23. The exit-side polarizing plate 22 transmits linearly polarized light in a specific direction exiting from the light modulation device 21 toward the projection optical device 23. In the case of this embodiment, since a laser diode is used for the first light-emitting element 11, linearly polarized light is emitted from the light source device 10. Therefore, an entrance-side polarizing plate provided on the light entrance side of the light modulation device 21 is not necessary.

[0079] The projection optical device 23 is composed of a plurality of projection lenses. The projection optical device 23 enlarges and projects the image light modulated by the light modulation device 21 onto a projection surface such as a screen. As a result, an image is displayed on the projection surface.

[0080] [Effects of the second embodiment] Since the projector 20 of the present embodiment includes the light source device 10 of the first embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, the first light L1 emitted from the light source device 10 can always be perpendicularly incident on the light modulation device 21. As a result, it is possible to suppress the decrease in brightness and contrast in the light modulation device 21, the occurrence of color unevenness, the loss of light in the projection optical device 23, and the like, and to realize a projector 20 with excellent display quality.

[0081] Even if the first light L1 emitted from the first light emitting element 11 is a coherent laser light, the first light L1 is scanned two-dimensionally at high speed on the light modulation device 21, so that the first light L1 is superimposed in time. This makes it possible to suppress unevenness in illuminance caused by using a coherent light source. In addition, by making the trajectory of the first light L1 dense, it is possible to create a state in which a plurality of first lights L1 overlap each other in a pseudo manner. This action also makes it possible to suppress unevenness in illuminance caused by using a coherent light source.

[0082] According to the light source device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to illuminate in a substantially rectangular shape without using an optical system for shaping light into a rectangular shape, such as a multi-lens. Therefore, it is possible to relatively shorten the overall optical path length, and by reducing the number of optical components, it is possible to reduce the number of interfaces between the optical system and air, thereby reducing the loss of light due to interface reflection and improving the light utilization efficiency.

[0083] Since the light source device 10 of this embodiment is a scanning type illumination device, it is also possible to turn off the first light emitting element 11 when the first light L1 reaches an area in the light modulation area 21c where black is to be displayed. This enables a method of illuminating only areas other than the black display area, that is, so-called area illumination, and can sufficiently improve the efficiency of the emitted light intensity relative to the input power compared to the conventional non-scanning type illumination method. Accordingly, the light absorbed by the emission side polarizing plate 22 during black display is reduced, and the load on the emission side polarizing plate 22 can be reduced. This can be expected to have effects such as improved reliability of the emission side polarizing plate 22 and improved contrast by adopting a polarizing plate made of an organic material.

[0084] [Third embodiment] Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector 30 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 16, components common to those in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 16, the projector 30 includes a light source device 40, a first reflecting mirror 41, a second reflecting mirror 42, a green light optical modulation device 43G, an exit side polarizing plate 44G, a blue light optical modulation device 43B, an exit side polarizing plate 44B, a 1 / 2 wavelength plate 46B, a red light optical modulation device 43R, an exit side polarizing plate 44R, a 1 / 2 wavelength plate 46R, an image light combining element 45, and a projection optical device 23.

[0086] The light source device of this embodiment includes a first light-emitting element 47, a second light-emitting element 48, a third light-emitting element 49, a first wavelength-selective reflecting element 51, a second wavelength-selective reflecting element 52, a first transmissive optical element 13, a second transmissive optical element 14, a third transmissive optical element 53, and a fourth transmissive optical element 54.

[0087] The first light emitting element 47 emits the first light LG in the first wavelength band toward the first transmissive optical element 13. The first light emitting element 47 is composed of a laser diode. Therefore, the first light LG emitted from the first light emitting element 47 is linearly polarized light having coherence, and is light with a narrow beam width and high parallelism. The first wavelength band is, for example, a green wavelength band of 530 nm±5 nm. That is, the first light LG is green light. Hereinafter, the first light LG is referred to as green light LG. The first light LG emits the green light LG toward the +X side.

[0088] The second light emitting element 48 emits the second light LB in the second wavelength band toward the first transmissive optical element 13. The second light LB is composed of a laser diode. Therefore, the second light LB emitted from the second light emitting element 48 is linearly polarized light having coherence, a narrow beam width, and a high degree of parallelism. The second wavelength band is, for example, a blue wavelength band of 450 nm±5 nm. That is, the second light LB is blue light. Hereinafter, the second light LB will be referred to as blue light LB.

[0089] The third light emitting element 49 emits the third light LR of the third wavelength band toward the first transmissive optical element 13. The third light emitting element 49 is composed of a laser diode. Therefore, the third light LR emitted from the third light emitting element 49 is a linearly polarized light having coherence, a narrow beam width, and a high degree of parallelism. The third wavelength band is, for example, a red wavelength band of 650 nm±5 nm. That is, the third light LR is red light. Hereinafter, the third light LR will be referred to as red light LR.

[0090] The optical axis AX1 of the first light-emitting element 47 is defined as an axis along the main ray of the green light LG emitted from the first light-emitting element 47. The optical axis AX2 of the second light-emitting element 48 is defined as an axis along the main ray of the blue light LB emitted from the second light-emitting element 48. The optical axis AX3 of the third light-emitting element 49 is defined as an axis along the main ray of the red light LR emitted from the third light-emitting element 49. The optical axis AX2 and the optical axis AX3 are located on the same axis and are perpendicular to the optical axis AX1. The first light-emitting element 47 emits the green light LG toward the +X side. The second light-emitting element 48 and the third light-emitting element 49 emit light in opposite directions to each other. That is, the second light-emitting element 48 emits the blue light LB toward the -Z side. The third light-emitting element 49 emits the red light LR toward the +Z side.

[0091] The first wavelength-selective reflecting element 51 is provided on the optical path of the red light LR emitted from the third light-emitting element 49 between the third light-emitting element 49 and the first transmitting optical element 13. The first wavelength-selective reflecting element 51 is composed of a dichroic mirror that reflects blue light and transmits red light.

[0092] The second wavelength-selective reflecting element 52 is provided on the optical path of the blue light LB emitted from the second light-emitting element 48 between the second light-emitting element 48 and the first transmitting optical element 13. The second wavelength-selective reflecting element 52 is composed of a dichroic mirror that transmits blue light and reflects red light.

[0093] The configuration of the first transmissive optical element 13 is the same as that of the first transmissive optical element 13 of the first embodiment. In the case of the present embodiment, a plurality of color lights having different wavelength bands are incident on the first transmissive optical element 13. In this case, it is preferable to use a glass material having a small wavelength dispersion, that is, a glass material having a large Abbe number, as the glass material of the light-transmitting member. The green light LG, the blue light LB, and the red light LR are emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13.

[0094] The configuration of the second transmissive optical element 14 is similar to that of the second transmissive optical element 14 of the first embodiment. The green light LG emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 is incident on the second transmissive optical element 14. The blue light LB emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 and reflected by the first wavelength selective reflecting element 51 is incident on the third transmissive optical element 53. The red light LR emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 and reflected by the second wavelength selective reflecting element 52 is incident on the fourth transmissive optical element 54.

[0095] The third transmissive optical element 53 is provided on the optical path of the blue light LB reflected by the first wavelength selective reflecting element 51. The third transmissive optical element 53 is composed of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member. The third transmissive optical element 53 is rotatable about a third rotation axis C3 extending along the Z-axis direction. The shape and size of the third transmissive optical element 53 are the same as the shape and size of the second transmissive optical element 14.

[0096] The third transmissive optical element 53 has a fifth surface 53a and a sixth surface 53b that intersect with the third rotation axis C3, and four third side surfaces 53c1, 53c2, 53c3, and 53c4 that are perpendicular to the fifth surface 53a and the sixth surface 53b. That is, the shape of the third transmissive optical element 53 is a regular rectangular prism having six planes including the fifth surface 53a, the sixth surface 53b, and the four third side surfaces 53c1, 53c2, 53c3, and 53c4.

[0097] The third transmissive optical element 53 transmits the blue light LB emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 and reflected by the first wavelength selective reflecting element 51 while rotating around the third rotation axis C3. In the third transmissive optical element 53, the third side surface on which the blue light LB emitted from the first transmissive optical element 13 is incident is referred to as the third incident surface. The third side surface from which the blue light LB incident from the third incident surface is emitted is referred to as the third exit surface. The third incident surface and the third exit surface change over time and are either of two third side surfaces parallel to each other among the four third side surfaces 53c1, 53c2, 53c3, and 53c4. That is, the third incident surface and the third exit surface are parallel to each other.

[0098] The fourth transmissive optical element 54 is provided on the optical path of the red light LR reflected by the second wavelength selective reflecting element 52. The fourth transmissive optical element 54 is composed of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member. The fourth transmissive optical element 54 is rotatable about a fourth rotation axis C4 extending along the Z-axis direction. The shape and size of the fourth transmissive optical element 54 are the same as the shape and size of the second transmissive optical element 14.

[0099] The fourth transmissive optical element 54 has a seventh surface 54a and an eighth surface 54b that intersect with the fourth rotation axis C4, and four fourth side surfaces 54c1, 54c2, 54c3, and 54c4 that are in contact with the seventh surface 54a and the eighth surface 54b perpendicularly. That is, the shape of the fourth transmissive optical element 54 is a regular rectangular prism having six planes including the seventh surface 54a, the eighth surface 54b, and the four fourth side surfaces 54c1, 54c2, 54c3, and 54c4.

[0100] The fourth transmitting optical element 54 transmits the red light LR emitted from the first transmitting optical element 13 and reflected by the second wavelength selective reflecting element 52 while rotating around the fourth rotation axis C4. In the fourth transmitting optical element 54, the fourth side surface into which the red light LR emitted from the first transmitting optical element 13 is incident is called the fourth incident surface. The fourth side surface from which the red light LR incident from the fourth incident surface is emitted is called the fourth exit surface. The fourth incident surface and the fourth exit surface change over time and are either of two fourth side surfaces parallel to each other among the four fourth side surfaces 54c1, 54c2, 54c3, and 54c4. That is, the fourth incident surface and the fourth exit surface are parallel to each other.

[0101] The second rotation axis C2 of the second transmitting optical element 14, the third rotation axis C3 of the third transmitting optical element 53, and the fourth rotation axis C4 of the fourth transmitting optical element 54 are located on the same axis. In the case of this embodiment, the second transmitting optical element 14, the third transmitting optical element 53, and the fourth transmitting optical element 54 are connected to the second rotation drive device 56 via a common shaft. With this configuration, the number of rotation drive devices can be reduced compared to the case where a rotation drive device is provided for each transmitting optical element, and the device configuration can be simplified. In addition, there is no need to synchronize conditions such as the rotation speed and phase of the three transmitting optical elements 14, 53, and 54, making it easier to control the rotation. In addition, it is possible to reduce scroll noise that occurs due to a deviation in synchronization of the rotation.

[0102] In the example of Fig. 16, the transmissive optical elements 14, 53, and 54 are each made of a separate light-transmitting member, but instead of this configuration, the second transmissive optical element 14, the third transmissive optical element 53, and the fourth transmissive optical element 54 may be made of an integrated light-transmitting member. With this configuration, the gap between adjacent transmissive optical elements can be eliminated, so that the transmissive optical elements can be made smaller. In addition, the above-mentioned effects of facilitating control of rotation and reducing scroll noise can be obtained.

[0103] The first reflecting mirror 41 reflects the blue light LB emitted from the third transmissive optical element 53 toward the blue light optical modulation device 43B. In this manner, the first reflecting mirror 41 bends the optical path of the blue light LB emitted from the third transmissive optical element 53 from the +X direction to the -Z direction.

[0104] The second reflecting mirror 42 reflects the red light LR emitted from the fourth transmissive optical element 54 toward the red light optical modulation device 43R. In this manner, the second reflecting mirror 42 bends the optical path of the red light LR emitted from the fourth transmissive optical element 54 from the +X direction to the +Z direction.

[0105] The green light optical modulation device 43G modulates the green light LG emitted from the second transmissive optical element 14 of the light source device 40 according to image information to form green image light. The blue light optical modulation device 43B modulates the blue light LB emitted from the third transmissive optical element 53 of the light source device 40 according to image information to form blue image light. The red light optical modulation device 43R modulates the red light LR emitted from the fourth transmissive optical element 54 of the light source device 40 according to image information to form red image light. A transmissive liquid crystal panel is used for each of the optical modulation devices 43G, 43B, and 43R.

[0106] On the light exit side of each of the optical modulation devices 43G, 43B, and 43R, exit side polarizing plates 44G, 44B, and 44R are provided. The exit side polarizing plates 44G, 44B, and 44R transmit linearly polarized light in a specific direction.

[0107] The image light combining element 45 receives the image light of each color emitted from the green light optical modulator 43G, the blue light optical modulator 43B, and the red light optical modulator 43R, combines the image light corresponding to the red light LR, the green light LG, and the blue light LB, and emits the combined image light toward the projection optical device 23. The image light combining element 45 may be, for example, a cross dichroic prism.

[0108] Half-wave plates 46B, 46R are provided between the blue light optical modulation device 43B and the image light combiner 45, and between the red light optical modulation device 43R and the image light combiner 45, respectively. The half-wave plates 46B, 46R impart a phase difference of half a wavelength to the incident colored light and rotate the polarization direction of linearly polarized light by 90 degrees. This makes it possible to make the polarization direction of the green light LG incident on the image light combiner 45 different from the polarization directions of the blue light LB and the red light LR incident on the image light combiner 45. This configuration makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the image light combiner 45.

[0109] The projection optical device 23 is composed of a plurality of projection lenses. The projection optical device 23 enlarges and projects the image light emitted from the image light combining element 45 onto a projection surface such as a screen. As a result, an image is displayed on the projection surface.

[0110] [Effects of the third embodiment] In this embodiment, problems such as a decrease in brightness and contrast in the optical modulation devices 43G, 43B, and 43R, the occurrence of color unevenness, light loss in the projection optical device 23, and uneven illuminance due to the use of a coherent light source can be improved, and by reducing the number of optical components, the number of interfaces between the optical system and the air can be reduced, thereby reducing light loss due to interfacial reflection. This provides the same effects as the second embodiment, and makes it possible to realize a projector 30 capable of displaying color images.

[0111] [Fourth embodiment] Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector 60 according to the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 17, components common to the drawings of the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 17, the projector 60 includes a light source device 70, a color separation optical system 71, a green light optical modulation device 43G, an exit side polarizing plate 44G, a blue light optical modulation device 43B, an exit side polarizing plate 44B, a 1 / 2 wavelength plate 46B, a red light optical modulation device 43R, an exit side polarizing plate 44R, a 1 / 2 wavelength plate 46R, an image light combining element 45, and a projection optical device 23.

[0113] The light source device 70 of this embodiment includes a first light-emitting element 47, a second light-emitting element 48, a third light-emitting element 49, a light combining optical system 72, a first transmissive optical element 13, a second transmissive optical element 14, and a light beam width adjustment optical system 73.

[0114] The second light-emitting element 48 is disposed such that the optical axis AX2 of the second light-emitting element 48 is perpendicular to the optical axis AX1 of the first light-emitting element 47. The third light-emitting element 49 is disposed such that the optical axis AX3 of the third light-emitting element 49 is perpendicular to the optical axis AX1 of the first light-emitting element 47.

[0115] The light combining optical system 72 includes a first light combining element 75 and a second light combining element 76. The first light combining element 75 is provided at a position where the optical axis AX1 and the optical axis AX2 intersect. The first light combining element 75 is composed of a dichroic mirror that transmits green light and reflects blue light. The second light combining element 76 is provided at a position where the optical axis AX1 and the optical axis AX3 intersect. The second light combining element 76 is composed of a dichroic mirror that transmits green light and blue light and reflects red light. The light combining optical system 72 combines the green light LG emitted from the first light emitting element 47, the blue light LB emitted from the second light emitting element 48, and the red light LR emitted from the third light emitting element 49 to generate a white combined light LW. The combined light LW is incident on the first transmitting optical element 13.

[0116] The light beam width adjustment optical system 73 is provided between the second transmitting optical element 14 and the color separation optical system 71. The light beam width adjustment optical system 73 is composed of one concave lens 77 and one convex lens 78, but the type and number of lenses are not particularly limited. The light beam width adjustment optical system 73 adjusts the light beam width of the combined light LW emitted from the second transmitting optical element 14. The light beam width adjustment optical system 73 of this embodiment is an optical system that emits parallel light incident on the light beam width adjustment optical system 73 as parallel light with an adjusted light beam width, that is, a so-called afocal optical system.

[0117] The color separation optical system 71 includes a first dichroic mirror 81, a second dichroic mirror 82, a first reflecting mirror 83, a second reflecting mirror 84, and a third reflecting mirror 85. The color separation optical system 71 separates the combined light LW emitted from the light beam width adjustment optical system 73 into red light LR, green light LG, and blue light LB, and guides the red light LR to the red light optical modulation device 43R, the green light LG to the green light optical modulation device 43G, and the blue light LB to the blue light optical modulation device 43B.

[0118] The first dichroic mirror 81 transmits the blue light LB and reflects the green light LG and the red light LR. The second dichroic mirror 82 reflects the green light LG and transmits the red light LR. The first reflecting mirror 83 reflects the blue light LB. The second reflecting mirror 84 and the third reflecting mirror 85 each reflect the red light LR.

[0119] The blue light LB transmitted through the first dichroic mirror 81 is reflected by the first reflecting mirror 83 and enters the light modulation region of the blue light optical modulator 43B. The green light LG reflected by the first dichroic mirror 81 is further reflected by the second dichroic mirror 82 and enters the light modulation region of the green light optical modulator 43G. The red light LR reflected by the first dichroic mirror 81 and transmitted through the second dichroic mirror 82 is reflected by the second reflecting mirror 84 and the third reflecting mirror 85, respectively, and enters the light modulation region of the red light optical modulator 43R. The other configurations of the projector 60 are similar to those of the projector 30 of the third embodiment.

[0120] [Effects of the fourth embodiment] In this embodiment, problems such as a decrease in brightness and contrast in the optical modulation devices 43G, 43B, and 43R, the occurrence of color unevenness, light loss in the projection optical device 23, and uneven illuminance due to the use of a coherent light source can be improved, and by reducing the number of optical components, the number of interfaces between the optical system and the air can be reduced, thereby reducing light loss due to interfacial reflection. This provides the same effects as the second embodiment, and makes it possible to realize a projector 60 capable of displaying color images.

[0121] Particularly in the case of this embodiment, the illuminated area of ​​the combined light LW can be matched to the light modulation areas of the light modulation devices 43G, 43B, and 43R simply by adjusting the size of each of the transmissive optical elements 13 and 14 of the light source device 70 or the magnification of the light beam width adjustment optical system 73. In addition, since the white combined light LW having a rectangular cross-sectional shape is emitted in parallel from the light source device 70, the existing optical system of the projector can be used as the optical system subsequent to the light source device 70, and there is no need to design a new optical system.

[0122] [Fifth embodiment] Hereinafter, the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projector 80 according to the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 18, components common to the drawings of the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 18, the projector 80 includes a light source device 90, a color separation optical system 71, a green light optical modulation device 43G, an exit side polarizing plate 44G, a blue light optical modulation device 43B, an exit side polarizing plate 44B, a 1 / 2 wavelength plate 46B, a red light optical modulation device 43R, an exit side polarizing plate 44R, a 1 / 2 wavelength plate 46R, an image light combining element 45, and a projection optical device 23.

[0124] The light source device 90 of this embodiment includes a first light-emitting element 47, a second light-emitting element 48, a third light-emitting element 49, a light-combining optical system 72, a first transmissive optical element 13, a second transmissive optical element 14, and a light beam width adjustment optical system 91.

[0125] The basic configurations of the projector 80 and light source device 90 of this embodiment are similar to those of the projector 60 and light source device 70 of the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the light beam width adjustment optical system 73 includes one concave lens 77 and one convex lens 78. In contrast, in this embodiment, the light beam width adjustment optical system 91 includes one concave lens 77 and one light path bending element 92. That is, the light source device 90 of this embodiment differs from the light source device 70 of the fourth embodiment in that the light beam width adjustment optical system 91 includes the light path bending element 92.

[0126] The optical path bending element 92 is composed of a concave mirror, and reflects the combined light LW emitted from the second transmissive optical element 14, and bends the optical path of the combined light LW by 90 degrees from the +Z side to the +X side. The concave mirror has a positive power equivalent to that of the convex lens 78 in the fourth embodiment, and collimates the divergent light emitted from the concave lens 77, and emits it toward the color separation optical system 71.

[0127] [Effects of the fifth embodiment] In this embodiment, problems such as a decrease in brightness and contrast in the light modulation devices 43G, 43B, and 43R, the occurrence of color unevenness, light loss in the projection optical device 23, and uneven illuminance due to the use of a light source having coherence can be improved, and by reducing the number of interfaces between the optical system and air, the number of optical components can be reduced, thereby reducing light loss due to interface reflection. This provides the same effects as in the second embodiment, and a projector 80 capable of displaying color images can be realized. In addition, the same effects as in the fourth embodiment can be obtained, such as the ability to use an existing optical system for the optical system subsequent to the light source device 90.

[0128] Furthermore, according to the light source device 90 of this embodiment, the composite light LW can be emitted in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis AX1 of the first light-emitting element 47, so that the optical components of the projector 80 can be arranged efficiently and the projector 80 can be made more compact.

[0129] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, one aspect of the present invention can be a configuration in which the characteristic portions of the above-described embodiments are appropriately combined.

[0130] In the light source device of the above embodiment, the shape of each transmissive optical element is an example of a polygonal prism with an even number of side faces. From the viewpoint of generating less stray light and having high light utilization efficiency, a polygonal prism with an even number of side faces is desirable. However, as long as it has a pair of parallel entrance and exit surfaces, the shape may be other than a polygonal prism with an even number of side faces. In addition, the "rotation" in the present embodiment may also include swinging the transmissive optical element to perform a similar scan.

[0131] In addition, the specific description of the shape, number, arrangement, material, etc. of each component of the light source device and the projector is not limited to the above embodiment and can be changed as appropriate. Also, in the above embodiment, an example in which the light source device according to the present invention is mounted on a projector using a liquid crystal panel is shown, but this is not limiting. The light source device according to the present invention may be applied to a projector using a digital micromirror device as a light modulation device.

[0132] In the above embodiment, the light source device of the present invention is applied to a projector, but the present invention is not limited to this. The light source device of the present invention can also be applied to lighting fixtures, automobile headlights, and the like.

[0133] [Summary of this disclosure] The following is a summary of this disclosure.

[0134] (Appendix 1) a first light emitting element that emits a first light in a first wavelength band; a first transmissive optical element made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member, the first transmissive optical element having a first entrance surface into which the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element is incident, and a first exit surface from which the first light incident from the first entrance surface exits; a second transmissive optical element made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member, the second transmissive optical element having a second entrance surface into which the first light emitted from the first transmissive optical element is incident, and a second exit surface from which the first light incident from the second entrance surface exits; Equipped with the first transmissive optical element rotates about a first rotation axis extending along a second direction intersecting a first direction that is an incident direction of the first light to the first transmissive optical element; the second transmissive optical element rotates about a second rotation axis extending along a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, the first entrance surface and the first exit surface are parallel to each other, The second entrance surface and the second exit surface are parallel to each other.

[0135] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 1, the first light is displaced in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the first light while maintaining a state parallel to the optical axis of the first light emitting element, in accordance with the rotation of the first transmissive optical element and the second transmissive optical element, thereby making it possible to make the first light always perpendicularly incident on the illuminated surface.

[0136] (Appendix 2) the first transmissive optical element rotates about the first rotation axis to scan the first light emitted from the first light emitting element in one scanning direction; the second transmissive optical element rotates about the second rotation axis to scan the first light emitted from the first transmissive optical element in a second scanning direction intersecting the first scanning direction; 2. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the first light is two-dimensionally scanned by the first transmissive optical element and the second transmissive optical element.

[0137] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 2, the first light scanned two-dimensionally can always be incident perpendicularly on a desired illuminated region.

[0138] (Appendix 3) the first transmissive optical element has a first surface and a second surface intersecting the first rotation axis, and 2×m (m: a natural number equal to or greater than 2) first side surfaces in contact with the first surface and the second surface, the first entrance surface and the first exit surface are two of the 2×m first side surfaces that are parallel to each other, the second transmissive optical element has a third surface and a fourth surface intersecting the second rotation axis, and 2×n (n: a natural number equal to or greater than 2) second side surfaces in contact with the third surface and the fourth surface, The light source device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second entrance surface and the second exit surface are two of the 2×n second side surfaces that are parallel to each other.

[0139] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 3, since no light is incident on the first side surface or the second side surface that are not parallel to each other, the generation of stray light in each transmissive optical element is reduced, and the light utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0140] (Appendix 4) 4. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first transmissive optical element and the second transmissive optical element is made of quartz.

[0141] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 4, since the Young's modulus and the thermal expansion coefficient of quartz are small, the thermal distortion of each transmissive optical element is small, and disturbance of the polarization direction of the first light can be suppressed.

[0142] (Appendix 5) 5. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the first light emitting element is a laser diode that emits laser light.

[0143] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 5, it is possible to emit the first light which is linearly polarized and has a narrow beam width and a high degree of parallelism.

[0144] (Appendix 6) a second light emitting element that emits a second light in a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band; a third light emitting element that emits a third light in a third wavelength band different from the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band; Further equipped with The light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element, the second light emitted from the second light-emitting element, and the third light emitted from the third light-emitting element are incident on the first transmissive optical element.

[0145] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 6, it is possible to realize a light source device capable of scanning each of the first light, the second light, and the third light having different wavelength bands.

[0146] (Appendix 7) 7. The light source device according to claim 6, wherein each of the second light emitting element and the third light emitting element is a laser diode that emits laser light.

[0147] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 7, the second and third light beams can be emitted as linearly polarized light beams having a narrow beam width and high parallelism.

[0148] (Appendix 8) 8. The light source device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first light is green light, the second light is blue light, and the third light is red light.

[0149] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 8, when the light source device is used in a projector, a projector capable of color display can be realized.

[0150] (Appendix 9) a first wavelength-selective reflecting element that reflects the second light and transmits the third light; a second wavelength selective reflecting element that transmits the second light and reflects the third light; a third transmissive optical element that is made of a rotatable light-transmitting member and has a third entrance surface into which the second light is incident and a third exit surface from which the second light incident from the third entrance surface exits; a fourth transmissive optical element that is made of a rotatable light-transmitting member and has a fourth entrance surface into which the third light is incident and a fourth exit surface from which the third light incident from the fourth entrance surface exits; Further equipped with the first wavelength-selective reflecting element is provided on an optical path of the third light emitted from the third light-emitting element between the third light-emitting element and the first transmissive optical element, the second wavelength selective reflecting element is provided on an optical path of the second light emitted from the second light emitting element between the second light emitting element and the first transmissive optical element, the third transmissive optical element rotates about a third rotation axis extending along the third direction; the fourth transmissive optical element rotates about a fourth rotation axis extending along the third direction; the third entrance surface and the third exit surface are parallel to each other, the fourth entrance surface and the fourth exit surface are parallel to each other, the second light emitted from the first transmissive optical element and reflected by the first wavelength selective reflecting element is incident on the third transmissive optical element; 9. The light source device according to claim 6, wherein the third light emitted from the first transmissive optical element and reflected by the second wavelength selective reflecting element is incident on the fourth transmissive optical element.

[0151] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 9, it is possible to realize a light source device that causes the first light, the second light, and the third light to exit from each transmissive optical element along individual optical paths.

[0152] (Appendix 10) 10. The light source device according to claim 9, wherein the second rotation axis, the third rotation axis, and the fourth rotation axis are positioned on the same axis.

[0153] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 10, the second transmissive optical element, the third transmissive optical element, and the fourth transmissive optical element can be rotated by a common rotary drive device, and the device configuration can be simplified. Also, it becomes easy to synchronize the rotation of each transmissive optical element.

[0154] (Appendix 11) 11. The light source device according to claim 10, wherein the second transmissive optical element, the third transmissive optical element, and the fourth transmissive optical element are configured from a single light-transmitting member.

[0155] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 11, since it is possible to eliminate gaps between adjacent transmissive optical elements, it is possible to reduce the size of the transmissive optical elements.

[0156] (Appendix 12) a light combining optical system that combines the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element, the second light emitted from the second light-emitting element, and the third light emitted from the third light-emitting element, the combined light generated by the light combining optical system is incident on the first transmissive optical element, 9. The light source device according to claim 6, wherein the combined light emitted from the first transmissive optical element is incident on the second transmissive optical element.

[0157] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 12, by simply using two transmissive optical elements, it is possible to realize a light source device that emits a combined light, which is a combination of the first light, the second light, and the third light, from the second transmissive optical element.

[0158] (Appendix 13) 13. The light source device according to claim 12, further comprising a beam width adjusting optical system that adjusts a beam width of the light emitted from the second transmissive optical element.

[0159] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 13, it is possible to emit light having a desired beam width by the beam width adjusting optical system.

[0160] (Appendix 14) The light source device according to claim 13, wherein the light beam width adjusting optical system includes an optical path bending element that bends an optical path of the light emitted from the second transmissive optical element.

[0161] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 14, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the optical components that constitute the light source device.

[0162] (Appendix 15) A light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, a light modulation device that modulates the light emitted from the light source device in accordance with image information; a projection optical device that projects the light modulated by the light modulation device; A projector equipped with

[0163] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 15, it is possible to suppress the decrease in brightness and contrast in the light modulation device, the occurrence of color unevenness, the loss of light in the projection optical device, etc., and to realize a projector with excellent display quality.

[0164] (Appendix 16) The optical modulation device includes: a light modulation area that modulates light incident on the light modulation device and outputs the modulated light; a light-shielding region located around the light-modulating region and blocking light incident on the light-modulating device; having The projector described in Appendix 15, wherein an outer shape of a region where the light emitted from the second transmissive optical element is scanned corresponds to an outer shape of the light modulation region.

[0165] According to the configuration of Supplementary Note 16, the light modulation area that substantially contributes to display can be efficiently illuminated, and the light utilization efficiency can be improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] Reference Signs List 10, 40, 70, 90... light source device, 11, 47... first light emitting element, 13... first transmissive optical element, 13a... first surface, 13b... second surface, 13c1, 13c2, 13c3, 13c4... first side surface, 14... second transmissive optical element, 14a... third surface, 14b... fourth surface, 14c1, 14c2, 14c3, 14c4... second side surface, 20, 30, 60, 80... projector, 21, 43G, 43B, 43R... light modulation device, 23... projection optical device , 48...second light-emitting element, 49...third light-emitting element, 51...first wavelength-selective reflecting element, 52...second wavelength-selective reflecting element, 53...third transmissive optical element, 54...fourth transmissive optical element, 72...light combining optical system, 73, 91...light beam width adjusting optical system, 92...optical path bending element, C1...first rotation axis, C2...second rotation axis, C3...third rotation axis, C4...fourth rotation axis, L1...first light, LG...green light (first light), LB...blue light (second light), LR...red light (third light).

Claims

1. A first light emitting element that emits a first light in a first wavelength band; a first transmissive optical element made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member, the first transmissive optical element having a first entrance surface into which the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element is incident, and a first exit surface from which the first light incident from the first entrance surface exits; a second transmissive optical element made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member, the second transmissive optical element having a second entrance surface into which the first light emitted from the first transmissive optical element is incident, and a second exit surface from which the first light incident from the second entrance surface is exited; Equipped with the first transmissive optical element rotates about a first rotation axis extending along a second direction intersecting a first direction that is an incident direction of the first light to the first transmissive optical element; the second transmissive optical element rotates about a second rotation axis extending along a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, the first entrance surface and the first exit surface are parallel to each other, the second entrance surface and the second exit surface are parallel to each other, A second light emitting element that emits a second light in a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band; a third light emitting element that emits a third light in a third wavelength band different from the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band; Further equipped with the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element, the second light emitted from the second light-emitting element, and the third light emitted from the third light-emitting element are incident on the first transmissive optical element.

2. the first transmissive optical element rotates about the first rotation axis to scan the first light emitted from the first light emitting element in a first scanning direction; the second transmissive optical element rotates about the second rotation axis to scan the first light emitted from the first transmissive optical element in a second scanning direction intersecting the first scanning direction; The light source device according to claim 1 , wherein the first light is two-dimensionally scanned by the first transmissive optical element and the second transmissive optical element.

3. the first transmissive optical element has a first surface and a second surface intersecting the first rotation axis, and 2×m (m: a natural number equal to or greater than 2) first side surfaces tangent to the first surface and the second surface, the first entrance surface and the first exit surface are two of the 2×m first side surfaces that are parallel to each other, the second transmissive optical element has a third surface and a fourth surface intersecting the second rotation axis, and 2×n (n: a natural number equal to or greater than 2) second side surfaces tangent to the third surface and the fourth surface, 3 . The light source device according to claim 1 , wherein the second entrance surface and the second exit surface are two of the 2×n second side surfaces that are parallel to each other.

4. 3. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first transmissive optical element and the second transmissive optical element is made of quartz.

5. 3. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the first light emitting element is a laser diode that emits laser light.

6. The light source device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the second light emitting element and the third light emitting element is a laser diode that emits laser light.

7. The light source device according to claim 1 , wherein the first light is green light, the second light is blue light, and the third light is red light.

8. a first wavelength-selective reflecting element that reflects the second light and transmits the third light; a second wavelength-selective reflecting element that transmits the second light and reflects the third light; a third transmissive optical element including a third entrance surface into which the second light is incident and a third exit surface from which the second light incident from the third entrance surface exits; a fourth transmissive optical element that is made of a rotatable light-transmitting member and has a fourth entrance surface into which the third light is incident and a fourth exit surface from which the third light incident from the fourth entrance surface exits; Further equipped with the first wavelength-selective reflecting element is provided on an optical path of the third light emitted from the third light-emitting element between the third light-emitting element and the first transmissive optical element, the second wavelength selective reflecting element is provided on an optical path of the second light emitted from the second light emitting element between the second light emitting element and the first transmissive optical element, the third transmissive optical element rotates about a third rotation axis extending along the third direction; the fourth transmissive optical element rotates about a fourth rotation axis extending along the third direction; the third entrance surface and the third exit surface are parallel to each other, the fourth entrance surface and the fourth exit surface are parallel to each other, the second light emitted from the first transmissive optical element and reflected by the first wavelength selective reflecting element is incident on the third transmissive optical element; The light source device according to claim 1 , wherein the third light emitted from the first transmissive optical element and reflected by the second wavelength selective reflecting element is incident on the fourth transmissive optical element.

9. The light source device according to claim 8 , wherein the second rotation axis, the third rotation axis, and the fourth rotation axis are positioned on a same axis.

10. The light source device according to claim 9 , wherein the second transmissive optical element, the third transmissive optical element, and the fourth transmissive optical element are formed of an integrated light-transmitting member.

11. a light combining optical system that combines the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element, the second light emitted from the second light-emitting element, and the third light emitted from the third light-emitting element; The combined light combined by the light combining optical system is incident on the first transmissive optical element, The light source device according to claim 1 , wherein the combined light emitted from the first transmissive optical element is incident on the second transmissive optical element.

12. The light source device according to claim 11 , further comprising a beam width adjusting optical system that adjusts a beam width of the light emitted from the second transmissive optical element.

13. The light source device according to claim 12 , wherein the light beam width adjusting optical system includes a light path bending element that bends an optical path of the light emitted from the second transmissive optical element.

14. The light source device according to claim 1 or 2, a light modulation device that modulates the light emitted from the light source device in accordance with image information; a projection optical device that projects the light modulated by the light modulation device; A projector equipped with

15. The optical modulation device includes: a light modulation area that modulates light incident on the light modulation device and outputs the modulated light; a light-shielding region located around the light-modulating region and blocking light incident on the light-modulating device; having The projector according to claim 14 , wherein an outer shape of a region where the light emitted from the second transmissive optical element is scanned corresponds to an outer shape of the light modulation region.

16. A first light-emitting element that emits a first light in a first wavelength band; a first transmissive optical element made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member, the first transmissive optical element having a first entrance surface into which the first light emitted from the first light-emitting element is incident, and a first exit surface from which the first light incident from the first entrance surface exits; a second transmissive optical element that is made of a rotatably supported light-transmitting member and has a second entrance surface into which the first light emitted from the first transmissive optical element is incident, and a second exit surface from which the first light incident from the second entrance surface exits; the first transmissive optical element rotates about a first rotation axis extending along a second direction intersecting a first direction that is an incident direction of the first light to the first transmissive optical element; the second transmissive optical element rotates about a second rotation axis extending along a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, the first entrance surface and the first exit surface are parallel to each other, a light source device, the second entrance surface and the second exit surface being parallel to each other; a light modulation device that modulates the light emitted from the light source device in accordance with image information; a projection optical device that projects the light modulated by the light modulation device, The optical modulation device includes: a light modulation area that modulates light incident on the light modulation device and outputs the modulated light; a light-shielding region located around the light-modulating region and blocking light incident on the light-modulating device; having A projector, wherein an outer shape of a region where the light emitted from the second transmissive optical element is scanned corresponds to an outer shape of the light modulation region.

Images