Refractive/Reflective Optical Element for Ultra-Short Throw Projection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current refractive/reflective projection optical systems face limitations in providing a novel configuration that effectively projects images from an image display surface to a projection receiving surface while maintaining a compact form factor and high image quality.
Innovation Solution
A projection optical system comprising a refractive optical system with multiple lenses and a refractive/reflective optical element, where the refractive/reflective optical element includes a reflection surface member and a refractive medium portion with a curved reflection surface, allowing the image-forming light beam to be reflected and refracted for enhanced image projection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a refractive/reflective projection optical system is used to achieve ultra-short throw projection, then the projection distance is reduced, but the optical system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a reflection surface member and a refractive medium portion into a single integrated refractive/reflective optical element. The reflection surface is formed on the reflection surface member, and the refractive medium portion is in tight contact with it, creating a unified component that performs both reflection and refraction functions simultaneously. This merging reduces the number of separate optical components and simplifies the overall optical system structure while maintaining ultra-short throw projection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The refractive/reflective optical element serves multiple functions: it reflects light beams, refracts light beams, and forms projection images. The reflection surface member provides reflective functionality while the refractive medium portion provides refractive functionality, and together they create a multi-functional optical element that reduces system complexity by eliminating the need for separate reflection and refraction components.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple lenses are used in the refractive optical system to improve image quality, then the manufacturing precision increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the reflection surface member and refractive medium portion into a single optical element, reducing the total number of optical components. This merging maintains image quality by carefully designing the curved reflection surface and refractive medium configuration, while simultaneously reducing device complexity by eliminating the need for multiple separate lenses and optical elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a curved reflection surface on the reflection surface member, which allows for effective light beam control and image formation. The curved surface design enables the optical system to achieve high image quality through proper light path manipulation without requiring an excessive number of lenses, thus balancing manufacturing precision requirements with device complexity reduction.
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
This configuration enables a compact and high-performance projection optical system that projects images in an enlarged manner with improved optical aberration correction, suitable for ultra-short throw projectors, while maintaining a compact form factor.
Implementation Method 1
a refractive optical system (12) arranged closer to the image display surface (10A)
Implementation Method 2
a reflection surface member (140) including a reflection surface (14B)
Implementation Method 3
a refractive medium portion (141) that is in tight contact with the reflection surface (14B), and includes an incidence surface (14A) and an emergence surface (14C)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention aims to provide a projection optical system that projects an image displayed on an image display surface of an image display element in an enlarged manner on a projection receiving surface as a projection image, the projection optical system comprising: a refractive optical system and a refractive/reflective optical element arranged in sequence from near the image display surface toward the projection receiving surface, wherein the refractive optical system includes a plurality of lenses, wherein the refractive/reflective optical element includes an optical element unit that includes a reflection surface member including a reflection surface, and a refractive medium portion that is in tight contact with the reflection surface, the refractive medium portion includes an incidence surface and an emergence surface, and the reflection surface is a curved surface having refractive power, and wherein an image-forming light beam emerging from the refractive optical system is caused to enter the refractive/reflective optical element from the incidence surface of the refractive medium portion, reflected by the reflection surface, caused to emerge from the emergence surface of the refractive medium portion, and formed into an image on the projection receiving surface as the enlarged image.