Patent · US Expired

Illumination optical system and projector using same

US6429975B1 · kind B1 · utility

3Cited by
6References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 8, 2000
Grant dateAug 6, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 8, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N9/3167
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An illumination optical system has a lens array for dividing light from a light source into a plurality of beams of light; a polarized light conversion optical system having a separator and converter, wherein the separator has a prism array comprising a plurality of right angle prisms arranged consecutively with the same surface being an inclined surface for reflecting the plurality of beams of light by the inclined surface and separating the plurality of reflected beams of light into first and second linearly polarized light beams having mutually intersecting polarization directions, and the converter converts the polarization direction of one of the first and second linearly polarized light beams to the ot her polarization direction, wherein the lens cell width of the lens array is greater than the prism array pitch of the prism array viewed from the incidence side of the plurality of beams of light.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.