# US 9,753,275 B2 · Illumination apparatus

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- Number: US 9,753,275 B2
- Document ID: US9753275B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/532,390
- Filed: 2014-11-04
- Published: 2015-05-07
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-11-05
- Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Atsushi Motoya; Kentaro Yamauchi; Ryo Kawamura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9753275B2

## CPC

- G02B 26/008: {in the form of devices for effecting sequential colour changes, e.g. colour wheels}
- G02B 27/09: Beam shaping, e.g. changing the cross-sectional area, not otherwise provided for {(adapting the beam shape of a laser diode G02B19/0052; adapting the beam shape of an LED G02B19/0061; coupling into light guides using intermediate optical elements G02B6/4204; beam shaping specially adapted for lasers H01S3/005)}
- G02B 27/1026: {for use with reflective spatial light modulators}
- G03B 21/2013: {Plural light sources}
- G03B 21/204: {using secondary light emission, e.g. luminescence or fluorescence (using different colours G03B33/00; if related to video signals H04N9/3197)}
- G03B 21/208: {Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light}
- G03B 33/08: Sequential recording or projection (G03B33/02, G03B33/04, G03B33/06 take precedence)
- H04N 9/3114: {by using a sequential colour filter producing one colour at a time}
- H04N 9/3158: {for controlling the spectrum}
- G03B 21/2066: {Reflectors in illumination beam (in projection beam G03B21/28)}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

An illumination apparatus includes a first unit, a second unit, and a third unit. The first unit includes an excitation light source that produces excitation light. The second unit includes a light-for-illumination phosphor. The light-for-illumination phosphor produces and outputs light for illumination when the light-for-illumination phosphor receives excitation light. Furthermore, the second unit produces and outputs light for projection. The light for illumination and the light for projection are outputted in a time division manner. The third unit includes a light shaping member. The third unit shapes the light for illumination by the light shaping member and guides the shaped light for illumination to the outside as illumination light, and shapes the light for projection by the light shaping member and guides the shaped light for projection to the outside as projection light.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An illumination apparatus comprising:
a first unit including an excitation light source that produces excitation light;
a second unit including a light-for-illumination phosphor and a light-for-projection phosphor, the second unit being configured to produce and output light for illumination and to produce and output light for projection when the light-for-illumination phosphor receives the excitation light, the light for illumination and the light for projection being output in a time division manner; and
a third unit including a light shaper, the third unit being configured to shape the light for illumination by the light shaper and to guide the shaped light for illumination outside as illumination light, and to shape the light for projection by the light shaping member and to guide the shaped light for projection outside as projection light,
wherein, the second unit further includes a dichroic mirror, the dichroic mirror allowing the excitation light from the first unit to pass through the dichromic mirror, and also reflecting light having a wavelength longer than a wavelength of the excitation light from the first unit,
the produced light for illumination and the produced light for projection are emitted toward the dichromic mirror, and then reflected on the dichromic mirror to be guided to the third unit, and
switching between the illumination light and the projection light to be output is performed at a speed higher than a speed that a user's eyes can perceive.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the second unit further includes a fluorescence emitter that includes the light-for-illumination phosphor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the fluorescence emitter further includes the light-for-projection phosphor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein the fluorescence emitter is a phosphor wheel having a rotating plate,
the light-for-illumination phosphor and the light-for-projection phosphor are respectively provided at different positions on the rotating plate, and
the excitation light is incident on the light-for-illumination phosphor and the light-for-projection phosphor in the time division manner.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein the rotating plate includes: a light-for-illumination emitting region provided with the light-for-illumination phosphor; a light-for-projection emitting region provided with the light-for-projection phosphor; and a transmission region through which the excitation light passes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 5,
wherein the excitation light is blue light,
the light-for-projection phosphor includes a red phosphor and a green phosphor, the red phosphor performing fluorescence emission of red light when the red phosphor receives the blue light, and the green phosphor performing fluorescence emission of green light when the green phosphor receives the blue light, and
the light-for-projection emitting region includes a red fluorescence emitting region and a green fluorescence emitting region, the red fluorescence emitting region being provided with the red phosphor, and the green fluorescence emitting region being provided with the green phosphor.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein the light-for-illumination phosphor and the light-for-projection phosphor are provided in regions which are obtained by dividing the rotating plate in a rotation direction of the rotating plate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein the light-for-illumination phosphor and the light-for-projection phosphor are provided in regions which are obtained by concentrically dividing the rotating plate in a radial direction of the rotating plate.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 8,
wherein the second unit further includes a light path switcher that switches between: a light path of the excitation light to cause the excitation light to be incident on the light-for-illumination phosphor; and a light path of the excitation light to cause the excitation light to be incident on the light-for-projection phosphor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the second unit further includes a color selector, the color selector having a color filter portion and a transmission portion, the color filter portion selectively allowing light of a predetermined color, included in the light for illumination, which is produced by the fluorescence emitting member, to pass through the color filter portion, and the transmission portion allowing the light for illumination to pass through the transmission portion.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 10,
wherein the fluorescence emitting member is a phosphor wheel having a rotating plate, and
the color selector rotates in synchronization with the phosphor wheel.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 11,
wherein the color filter portion and the transmission portion are provided in regions which are obtained by dividing the color selection member in the rotation direction of the color selection member.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 12,
wherein the color filter portion includes a red filter, a green filter, and a blue filter, the red filter selectively allowing red light included in the light for illumination to pass through the red filter, the green filter selectively allowing green light included in the light for illumination to pass through the green filter, and the blue filter selectively allowing blue light included in the light for illumination to pass through the blue filter, and
the red filter, the green filter, and the blue filter are provided in the regions which are obtained by dividing the color selection member in the rotation direction of the color selection member.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the second unit further includes a light source that emits the light for projection.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 14,
wherein the light source includes: a red light source that emits red light; a green light source that emits green light; and a blue light source that emits blue light, and
each of the red light, the green light, and the blue light is guided to the third unit as the light for projection.

### Claim 16 (depends on 2)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the fluorescence emitter produces plural kinds of the light for illumination having different colors.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein a spectrum of the illumination light includes a peak wavelength having a half width that is greater than a half width of a peak wavelength in a spectrum of the projection light.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light for illumination is incident on a predetermined region external to the illumination apparatus and improves color rendering properties of an illuminated object.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light for projection is displayed on a predetermined region external of the illumination apparatus and improves color reproduction capability.