US 7,452,087 B2Granted

Illumination apparatus and image projection apparatus

AssigneeOlympus Corporation

InventorShinichi Imade

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

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Abstract

An illumination apparatus illuminating an objective illumination region comprises a plurality of illuminants having light-emitting surfaces radiating diffused light, an illuminant substrate in which the illuminants are disposed so as to be set in array on the circumference, at least one optical member configured to guide the diffused light to the objective illumination region, a movable section configured to drive the optical member so as to be rotatable around the center of the circumference serving as a rotation center, and a lighting control section configured to control a light-emitting timing of the plurality of illuminants. The movable section and the lighting control section operate together such that the quantity of light per unit time of the diffused light guided to the objective illumination region is within a predetermined range.

Claims2

Dependent claims

An illumination apparatus illuminating an objective illumination region, comprising:

a plurality of illuminants having light-emitting surfaces arranged on a circumference of a circle and on one plane, and radiating diffused light along a center axis of the circle;
a light guiding portion configured to guide the diffused light;
and
a rotating drive portion configured to rotate the light guiding portion around a rotation axis passing through the center of the circle, wherein
the light guiding portion comprises:
an incident end surface which is configured to be rotated along the circumference by the rotating drive portion and on which the diffused light radiated from an at least one of the light-emitting surfaces opposing to the incident end surface is made incident by the rotation;
a reflecting surface configured to change the direction in which the diffused light incident from the incident end surface is guided;
and
an outgoing end surface configured to output the diffused light reflected by the reflecting surface along the rotation axis.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/642,163Filed 20 Dec 2006 · division
Priority: JP 2002-30596221 Oct 2002
Published: US 2007/0109501 A117 May 2007
Granted: 18 Nov 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification27 codes

G03B 21/20
Details: lamp housings
G02B 19/0019
Characterised by the optical means employed: having reflective surfaces only
G02B 19/0028
Characterised by the optical means employed: refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
G02B 19/0066
The light source comprising a LED: in the form of an LED array

Family

Application10/689,260Parent of this division · filed 20 Oct 2003
Application11/363,715Parent of this division · filed 28 Feb 2006
Application11/454,530Parent of this division · filed 16 Jun 2006
US 2007/0109501 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 May 2007
US 7,178,923 B2Parent of this division
US 7,213,929 B2Parent of this division
US 2004/0090602 A1Published application
US 2006/0152691 A1Published application
US 2006/0244931 A1Published application
US 7,452,087 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.