Stacked Lens Cover for Projector Miniaturization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional projectors require significant space for a light blocking member when opening the luminous flux passage, leading to increased size and design limitations.
Innovation Solution
A projector design with a lens cover that is smaller in the open state than the closed state, allowing for efficient storage and miniaturization, featuring a configuration with multiple members that stack and a pulling mechanism for easy operation, while maintaining protection of the projection lens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a light blocking member is provided to open and close the luminous flux passage opening, then the projection lens is protected when not in use, but the projector size increases and design flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The lens cover is divided into multiple members (first lens cover member and second lens cover member) that can move independently. This segmentation allows the lens cover to be configured in a compact manner when not in use while still providing effective protection, thereby reducing the overall projector volume without compromising lens protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The lens cover members are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to transition between open and closed states dynamically. The first lens cover member can slide along the optical axis and the second lens cover member can rotate about the optical axis, enabling compact storage when not needed while providing protection when required, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and size.
2Volume of stationary object
If a lens cover is designed to be compact in open state, then space for other components is improved, but the lens cover structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the lens cover into multiple members with independent movement capabilities, the structure achieves compactness in the open state while the complexity is managed through modular design. Each member has a specific function and movement pattern, making the overall structure more manageable despite the increased number of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple lens cover members are arranged in a nested configuration where they can be stacked or positioned within each other's paths when not in use. This nesting approach allows the lens cover to occupy minimal space in the open state, providing room for other components like air channels and additional functional elements.
3Volume of stationary object
If multiple members are used for the lens cover, then miniaturization is enabled, but the operation mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The operations for opening and closing the lens cover are merged into a single user action. When the user operates the lens cover mechanism, both the first lens cover member (sliding motion) and second lens cover member (rotating motion) respond in coordination, allowing the user to control the protection state without needing to manually position each member separately, thus simplifying operation despite the multi-member structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The lens cover members are designed with self-aligning and self-coordinating characteristics. The sliding and rotating motions are coupled such that operating one member automatically positions the other member correctly, reducing the operational burden on the user and simplifying the control mechanism while achieving compact miniaturization.
Data Source
AI summary
A projector modulates a luminous flux emitted from a light source in accordance with image information and projects the modulated light by a projection lens. The projector includes an exterior housing that houses the projection lens and has a projection opening through which the light exiting from the projection lens passes and a lens cover that opens and closes the projection opening, the lens cover has a first cover and a second cover, and the first cover and the second cover are configured so that they open and close the projection opening by being slid and are stacked and housed in an open state in which the projection opening is opened.