Relay Magnification Ratios for Illuminating Optical Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional illuminating optical systems face issues with light intensity and color fluctuations when combining light beams from multiple sources of different types, leading to inefficient utilization and size constraints in projection display apparatuses.
Innovation Solution
An illuminating optical system that combines light beams from multiple sources using relay optical component sets with varying magnification ratios to converge light beams uniformly at a single position, entering a rod integrator, which outputs a beam with balanced light intensity distribution, thereby suppressing fluctuations and improving efficiency without increasing apparatus size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If light beams from multiple light sources of different types are combined through a single rod integrator via relay lenses with magnification ratio of 1×, then the apparatus structure is simplified, but the quality of the illuminating light beam deteriorates due to light intensity fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different relay magnification ratios to different light sources based on their specific characteristics (emitting region size, spreading angle). Each light source receives customized optical treatment to ensure uniform convergence at the rod integrator input, rather than using a uniform 1× magnification for all sources. This localized optimization resolves the contradiction by maintaining structural simplicity while improving light beam quality through source-specific optimization.
2Ease of operation
If the spreading angles of light beams from light sources are small, then the light beams can be easily combined, but the converging angles in the rod integrator become small reducing the number of reflections and causing non-uniform light intensity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by adjusting the relay magnification ratio as a variable parameter to optimize the converging angle of light beams entering the rod integrator. By changing the magnification ratio from a fixed 1× to variable values tailored to each light source's spreading angle, the system maintains ease of combination while ensuring sufficient converging angles that produce uniform light intensity through increased internal reflections. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and manufacturing precision.
3Device complexity
If relay lenses with magnification ratio of 1× are used for all light sources, then the optical system is simplified, but light beams from sources with different emitting region sizes cannot be effectively utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by customizing relay magnification ratios for each light source according to its emitting region size and spreading angle characteristics. This source-specific optimization ensures that light beams from different types of light sources are effectively utilized and converged uniformly at the rod integrator input. The localized approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining relative system simplicity while significantly improving light source utilization efficiency through personalized optical parameters for each source.
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 system effectively suppresses light intensity and color fluctuations, enhancing the utilization efficiency of illuminating light beams and maintaining a compact apparatus size by adjusting relay magnification ratios to match optical images and converging angles, resulting in improved projection quality.
Implementation Method 1
relay optical component sets having different relay magnification ratios respectively relay the light beams output from the light sources
Implementation Method 2
rod integrator that uniformizes the light intensity distributions of the light beams which are converged at the single position that enter a first end thereof
Implementation Method 3
Rod integrators uniformize light intensity distributions by passing light beams that enter thereinto along a unidirectionally extending optical path while causing the light beams to reflect therein
Data Source
AI summary
An illuminating optical system suppresses deterioration in utilization efficiency of illuminating light and generation of fluctuations in light emission without increasing apparatus size. The illuminating optical system includes a plurality of light sources of different types, a light combining optical system that combines light beams output from each of the light sources such that they converge at a single position, and a rod integrator that uniformizes the light intensity distributions of the light beams which are converged at the single position that enter a first end thereof and outputs the light beams, of which the light intensity distribution has been uniformized, from a second end thereof. The light combining optical system includes relay optical component sets corresponding to each of the light sources, and the relay optical component sets have relay magnification ratios different from each other.