Back to results
US 8,801,195 B2Granted
Projector having a light shield unit with a countoured leading edge
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsHirotaka Mochizuki, Kanji Yoshida
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In at least one embodiment of the disclosure, a projector includes a light shield unit that shields a portion of a light emitted from a light source. The light shield unit is driven by a drive mechanism and rotates around a predetermined rotation axis to change a size of a light shield area. The light shield unit includes a leading edge having a contour defined by a plurality of first edges and a second edge disposed between the first edges. The second edge configured so as to be shifted toward the light source and away from the first edges during rotation of the light shield unit.
Claims11
A projector comprising:
- an illumination system having a light source, a light shield unit that shields a portion of a light emitted from the light source, and a drive mechanism which drives the light shield unit;
- and
- a light modulation device illuminated by an illumination light received from the illumination system,
- wherein the light shield unit driven by the drive mechanism rotates around a predetermined rotation axis to change a size of a light shield area,
- the light shield unit having a leading edge defining a boundary between the light shield area and a non light shield area during the rotation,
- the leading edge having a contour defined by a plurality of first edges and a second edge disposed between the first edges, the second edge configured to be contoured toward the light source and projecting away from the first edges during rotation of the light shield unit,
- a reference plane contains a center axis of the light emitted from the light source and extends in parallel with the rotation axis, and a difference between a maximum distance from the first edges to the reference plane and a maximum distance from the second edge to the reference plane gradually and constantly decreases as the light shield area gradually increases by rotation of the light shield unit toward a fully closed condition, and
- when the light shield unit is in the fully closed condition, the maximum distance from the first edges to the reference plane and the maximum distance from the second edge to the reference plane become equivalent to each other.
5 more elements
A projector comprising:
- an illumination system having a light source, a light shield unit which shields a portion of a light emitted from the light source, and a drive mechanism which drives the light shield unit;
- and
- a light modulation device illuminated by an illumination light received from the illumination system, wherein
- the light shield unit driven by the drive mechanism rotates around a predetermined rotation axis to change a size of a light shield area,
- when not in a maximum light shield condition, a shape of a first leading edge of the light shield unit, as viewed in a direction from a center axis of the light emitted from the light source, is concaved, and a shape of a second leading edge of the light shield unit, as viewed in the direction from the center axis of the light emitted from the light source, is convexed, and
- when in a maximum light shield condition, a shape of the first leading edge, as viewed in the direction from the center axis of the light emitted from the light source, is linear, and a shape of the second leading edge, as viewed in the direction from the center axis of the light emitted from the light source, is linear.
3 more elements
A projector comprising:
- an illumination system having a light source, a light shield unit which shields a portion of a light emitted from the light source, and a drive mechanism which drives the light shield unit;
- and
- a light modulation device illuminated by an illumination light received from the illumination system, wherein
- the light shield unit has a first light shield section driven by the drive mechanism and rotatable around a predetermined first rotation axis, and a second light shield section rotatable around a second rotation axis different from the first rotation axis,
- the first light shield section having a first leading edge containing a first edge and a second edge,
- the second light shield section having a second leading edge containing a third edge opposed to the first edge and a fourth edge opposed to the second edge, the first and second leading edges forming a boundary between a light shield area and a non light shield area during the rotation,
- when not in a maximum light shield condition, a shape of the first leading edge and a shape of the second leading edge are such that when projected in a center axis direction of the light emitted from the light source, a first distance between the projected first edge and third edge is shorter than a second distance between the projected second edge and fourth edge, and
- a difference between the first distance and the second distance varies in accordance with the rotation of the first light shield section and the second light shield section.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.