Illuminator and projector
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsWataru Yasumatsu, Takashi Endo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An illuminator includes a light source apparatus that outputs first light that belongs to a first wavelength band, an optical element including a dichroic film and a first retardation element, a reflection element, a light dividing element including a plurality of lenses, and a polarization conversion element. A first component of the first light outputted from the light source apparatus passes through the dichroic film and the first retardation element in this order, is reflected off the reflection element, passes through the first retardation element, and is further reflected off the dichroic film. The first component reflected off the dichroic film passes through the light dividing element and is incident on the polarization conversion element.
Claims14
An illuminator comprising:
- a light source apparatus that outputs first light that belongs to a first wavelength band;
- an optical element including a dichroic film having a function of separating polarized components of the first light from each other and a first retardation element and so configured that a first component of the first light outputted from the light source apparatus sequentially transmits the dichroic film and the first retardation element;
- a reflection element that reflects the first component having passed through the first retardation element in such a way that the first component passes through the first retardation element and is reflected off the dichroic film;
- a light dividing element provided in an optical path of the first component reflected off the dichroic film, the light dividing element including a plurality of lenses;
- a polarization conversion element including a plurality of polarization converters each including a polarization separation element, a reflection film, and a second retardation element, the polarization conversion element so provided that a plurality of light beam fluxes produced by the light dividing element are incident on the corresponding polarization converters;
- and
- a wavelength conversion element,
- wherein the wavelength conversion element is configured so that a part of the first light is incident on the wavelength conversion element and is converted by the wavelength conversion element into a second light that belongs to a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, and the second light having exited out of the wavelength conversion element is reflected off the dichroic film and is incident on the light dividing element.
An illuminator comprising:
- a light source apparatus that outputs first light that belongs to a first wavelength band;
- an optical element including a dichroic film having a function of separating polarized components of the first light from each other and a first retardation element and so configured that a first component of the first light outputted from the light source apparatus sequentially transmits the dichroic film and the first retardation element;
- a reflection element that reflects the first component having passed through the first retardation element in such a way that the first component passes through the first retardation element and is reflected off the dichroic film;
- a light dividing element provided in an optical path of the first component reflected off the dichroic film, the light dividing element including a plurality of lenses;
- a polarization conversion element including a plurality of polarization converters each including a polarization separation element, a reflection film, and a second retardation element, the polarization conversion element so provided that a plurality of light beam fluxes produced by the light dividing element are incident on the corresponding polarization converters;
- and
- a wavelength conversion element,
- wherein the first light further contains a second component to be converted by the wavelength conversion element into second light that belongs to a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, and
- the wavelength conversion element is configured so that the second component is reflected off the dichroic film and is incident on the wavelength conversion element and the second light having exited out of the wavelength conversion element passes through the dichroic film and is incident on the light dividing element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.