Light converging optical system for converging light onto a reflecting optical-spatial modulator element and image displaying apparatus for displaying an image formed by light reflected by the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element

An image displaying apparatus, in which converged light is incident on a reflecting optical-spatial modulator element having a plurality of micro-mirrors respectively inclined at an inclination angle to display an image, comprising:

• a converging lens changing light emitted from a light source into a first light flux corresponding to a first F-number;
• a light-intensity distribution uniformizing element changing the first light flux received from the converging lens into a plurality of second light fluxes respectively corresponding to the first F-number, equalizing intensities of the second light fluxes in an outgoing end plane and outputting the second light fluxes having a uniform intensity distribution;
• a relay optical system changing each second light flux output from the light-intensity distribution uniformizing element into a third light flux having a second diverging angle larger than the inclination angle of each micro-mirror of the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element and relaying the third light flux of the second diverging angle to the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element;
• a projecting optical system projecting the third light fluxes which are output from the relay optical system and receive image information in the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element;
• and
• a screen for forming an image from the third light fluxes projected by the projecting optical system according to the image information included in the third light fluxes projected by the projecting optical system, wherein the relay optical system comprises:
• a first group of lenses producing a Fourier transformation plane in which position information indicating positions of rays of the second light fluxes in the outgoing end plane of the light-intensity distribution uniformizing element is transformed into diverging angle information indicating diverging angles of rays of light relative to an optical axis of the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element;
• a relay deformed diaphragm, disposed proximate the Fourier transformation plane produced by the first group of lenses, receiving the rays of light having the diverging angle information from the first group of lenses, intercepting a portion of the rays of light as an interference component in reflection by a micro-mirror set to an “on” state in the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element, according to the diverging angle information;
• and
• a second group of lenses changing the rays of light passing through the relay deformed diaphragm to the third light fluxes of the second diverging angle and outputting the third light fluxes to the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element.

An image displaying apparatus, in which converged light is incident on a reflecting optical-spatial modulator element having a plurality of micro-mirrors respectively inclined at an inclination angle to display an image, comprising:

• a light source emitting light;
• light changing means for changing width of the light emitted from the light source to a first width in a first co-ordinate axial direction perpendicular to a propagation direction of the light and changing the width of the light emitted from the light source to a second width, larger than the first width, in a second co-ordinate axial direction, perpendicular to both the propagation direction of the light and the first co-ordinate axial direction;
• a converging lens converging the light changed by the light changing means into a first light flux in which a diverging angle in the second co-ordinate axial direction is larger than that in the first co-ordinate axial direction;
• a light-intensity distribution uniformizing element changing the first light flux converged by the converging lens into a plurality of second light fluxes, equalizing intensities of the second light fluxes in an outgoing end plane and outputting each second light flux in which a diverging angle in the second co-ordinate axial direction is larger than that in the first co-ordinate axial direction;
• a relay optical system changing each second light flux output from the light-intensity distribution uniformizing element into a third light flux, in which a diverging angle in the second co-ordinate axial direction is larger than that in the first co-ordinate axial direction and is larger than the inclination angle of the corresponding micro-mirror of the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element, and relaying the third light fluxes to the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element while making the second co-ordinate axial direction parallel to a rotation axis of each micro-mirror of the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element;
• a projecting optical system projecting the third light fluxes which are output from the relay optical system and receive image information in the reflecting optical-spatial modulator element;
• and
• a screen for forming an image from the third light fluxes projected by the projecting optical system according to the image information included in the third light fluxes projected by the projecting optical system.