Vibrating Optical Device for Laser Illumination Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current projector technologies face challenges in reducing luminance unevenness in illumination light, which affects the quality of displayed images, particularly in microprojectors using LED light sources and emerging laser light sources.
Innovation Solution
An illumination device and display unit configuration that includes a laser light source, a pair of uniformization optical members, and an optical device on the optical path, where the optical device vibrates to move interference fringes and average brightness, reducing luminance unevenness and improving image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If uniformization optical members (fly-eye lenses) are used to uniformize light amount, then illumination uniformity is improved, but interference fringes are produced causing luminance unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration by vibrating the optical device (such as a fly-eye lens or diffuser) at a specific frequency to move the interference fringes temporally. This vibration causes the fringes to shift positions rapidly, and when the human eye or detector integrates the light over time, the fringes are averaged out, reducing visible luminance unevenness while preserving the uniformization effect of the optical member
2Use of energy by moving object
If laser light sources are used to achieve wide color reproduction and low power consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but luminance unevenness and interference patterns are exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses mechanical vibration of the optical device to temporalize the laser light's interference patterns. By vibrating the optical component, the coherent laser light's interference fringes are moved rapidly in time, and the human visual system's temporal integration averages these moving fringes, reducing visible luminance unevenness while maintaining the energy-efficient laser light source
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic action through oscillating or vibrating the optical device at a specific frequency range (typically 10-1000 Hz). This periodic motion creates time-varying interference patterns that are averaged by temporal integration, effectively reducing luminance unevenness caused by the periodic nature of laser coherence while maintaining continuous illumination
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 solution effectively reduces luminance unevenness and enhances display image quality by averaging interference fringes caused by uniformization optical members, resulting in a more uniform illumination and improved projector performance.
Implementation Method 1
even if interference fringes are produced in illumination light by the first and second uniformization optical members
Implementation Method 2
a drive section vibrating the optical device
Data Source
AI summary
An illumination device includes: a light source section including a laser light source; a first uniformization optical member receiving light from the light source section; a second uniformization optical member receiving light from the first uniformization optical member; an optical device disposed on an optical path of outgoing light from the light source section; and a drive section vibrating the optical device.