Projector Illuminator Lens Array Layout for Uniform Illuminance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing projectors suffer from lattice-shaped dark portions due to uneven illuminance distribution in the image formation region, leading to decreased image quality.
Innovation Solution
An illuminator design with a first lens array and a second lens array, where the focal plane of the second lenslets is positioned upstream from the contact points of adjacent first lenslets, combined with a light condenser to focus light uniformly across the illuminated region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If region segmentation illumination is applied using multiple lens arrays, then heat dissipation is improved and temperature uniformity is enhanced, but lattice-shaped dark portions appear and illuminance uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the positional parameter of the focal plane of the second lens array relative to the first lens array. By positioning the focal plane at a specific location in the optical path, the patent achieves both effective heat dissipation through region segmentation and uniform illuminance distribution, resolving the contradiction between temperature uniformity and illuminance uniformity
2Temperature
If focal plane of second lens array is positioned downstream to improve heat dissipation, then temperature uniformity is enhanced, but illuminance in dark portions decreases and image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the positional parameter of the focal plane by placing it upstream from the contact points of adjacent first lenslets. This parameter adjustment ensures that light fluxes overlap appropriately in the illuminated region, maintaining high illuminance while still allowing the downstream regions to benefit from heat dissipation through the lattice structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design corrects optical intensity and illuminance unevenness, enhancing image quality by ensuring uniform illumination and minimizing lattice-shaped dark portions in the projection image.
Implementation Method 1
a collimator configured to parallelize the light emitted from the light source
Implementation Method 2
a first lens array configured to receive the light parallelized by the collimator and including multiple first lenslets
Implementation Method 3
a second lens array configured to receive light output from the first lens array and including multiple second lenslets
Implementation Method 4
a light condenser configured to focus light emitted from the second lens array at an illuminated region
Data Source
AI summary
An illuminator includes a light source that emits light; a collimator that parallelizes the light emitted from the light source; a first lens array that receives the light parallelized by the collimator and includes multiple first lenslets; a second lens array that receives light emitted from the first lens array and includes multiple second lenslets; and a light condenser that focuses light emitted from the second lens array at an illuminated region. The light emitted from each of at least two of the first lenslets is incident on one of the second lenslets. A focal plane of the multiple second lenslets is located in an optical path along which the light travels and located upstream from an imaginary plane containing multiple contact points where the first lenslets adjacent to each other in the first lens array are in contact with each other.