Projector, optical engine, and pixel offset device

This application claims the priority benefit of China application serial no. 201810077906.1, filed on Jan. 26, 2018. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

The invention relates to an optical device and a component thereof, and more particularly, to a projector, an optical engine, and a pixel offset device.

The projector is a display device for generating a large screen. The imaging principle of a projector includes converting an illumination beam generated by a light source into an image beam via a light valve, and then projecting the image beam on a screen or a wall via a projection lens.

To increase the pixel quality (image resolution) of the projection image, a pixel offset device is disposed between the light valve and the projection lens of some projectors, and the pixels are suitable offset back and forth via the vibration of the pixel offset device. In the case of a non-telecentric optical system projector, the light generated by the light source module thereof reaches the light valve after passing through the pixel offset device, and after being reflected by the light valve, the light passes through the pixel offset device again and is transmitted toward the projection lens. Under such design method, a portion of the light generated by the light source module is directly reflected by the pixel offset device and enters the projection lens, and is projected via the projection lens as a stray light, thus affecting image quality.

The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Further, the information disclosed in the Background section does not mean that one or more problems to be resolved by one or more embodiments of the invention were acknowledged by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

The invention provides a projector, an optical engine, and a pixel offset device that can prevent the generation of stray light.

Other objects and advantages of the invention can be further understood from the technical features disclosed in the invention.

To achieve one or some or all of the objects above or other objects, an embodiment of the invention provides a projector including a light source module and an optical engine. The light source module is configured to provide an illumination beam, and the optical engine includes a light valve, a projection lens, and a pixel offset device. The light valve is disposed on a transmission path of the illumination beam, wherein the light valve has an active surface, and the active surface is configured to convert the illumination beam into an image beam and reflect the image beam. The projection lens is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam and is configured to project the image beam from the projector. The pixel offset device is located between the light valve and the projection lens, wherein the pixel offset device includes a frame and a transparent panel, the transparent panel includes a transparent surface, the frame has at least one carrying surface, the carrying surface of the frame carries at least a portion of the periphery of the transparent panel, the carrying surface is tilted with respect to the active surface such that the transparent surface is tilted with respect to the active surface, the transparent panel is disposed on the transmission path of the illumination beam and the transmission path of the image beam, and the frame is configured to drive the transparent panel to vibrate.

An optical engine configured for a projector is provided. The projector includes a light source module. The light source module is configured to provide an illumination beam, and the optical engine includes a light valve, a projection lens, and a pixel offset device. The light valve is disposed on a transmission path of the illumination beam, wherein the light valve has an active surface, and the active surface is configured to convert the illumination beam into an image beam and reflect the image beam. The projection lens is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam and is configured to project the image beam from the projector. The pixel offset device is located between the light valve and the projection lens, wherein the pixel offset device includes a frame and a transparent panel, the transparent panel is disposed in the frame and includes a transparent surface, the frame has at least one carrying surface, the carrying surface of the frame carries at least a portion of the periphery of the transparent panel, the carrying surface is tilted with respect to the active surface such that the transparent surface is tilted with respect to the active surface, the transparent panel is disposed on the transmission path of the illumination beam and the transmission path of the image beam, and the frame is configured to drive the transparent panel to vibrate.

A pixel offset device configured for a projector is provided. The pixel offset device includes a frame and a transparent panel. The frame includes a positioning surface and at least one carrying surface. The transparent panel includes a transparent surface, the carrying surface of the frame carries at least a portion of the periphery of the transparent panel, and the carrying surface is tilted to the positioning surface such that the transparent surface is tilted with respect to the positioning surface, wherein the frame is configured to drive the transparent panel to vibrate.

Based on the above, the embodiments of the invention have at least one of the following advantages or efficacies. The transparent surface of the transparent panel of the pixel offset device is tilted with respect to the active surface of the light valve, and therefore when a portion of the illumination beam from the light source module is reflected by the transparent surface of the transparent panel, the reflected illumination beam is not transmitted toward the projection lens to prevent the generation of stray light.

Other objectives, features and advantages of the invention will be further understood from the further technological features disclosed by the embodiments of the invention wherein there are shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of modes best suited to carry out the invention.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a projector of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the components of the optical engine of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view of the pixel offset device and base of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the light valve of FIG. 2 and the transparent panel of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view of the pixel offset device of FIG. 3 from another perspective.

FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional view of the base and frame of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional view of the base and frame of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view of the base of another embodiment of the invention.

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. On the other hand, the drawings are only schematic and the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Similarly, the terms “facing,” “faces” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect facing, and “adjacent to” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass directly and indirectly “adjacent to”. Therefore, the description of “A” component facing “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component directly faces “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Also, the description of “A” component “adjacent to” “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component is directly “adjacent to” “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a projector of an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , a projector 100 of the embodiment includes a light source module 110 and an optical engine 120 , and the optical engine 120 includes a light valve 122 and a projection lens 124 . The light source module 110 is configured to provide an illumination beam L 1 and the illumination beam L 1 is guided to the light valve 122 . The light valve 122 is, for instance, a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) disposed on the transmission path of the illumination beam L 1 and configured to convert the illumination beam L 1 into an image beam L 2 , and the light valve 122 reflects the image beam L 2 to the projection lens 124 . The projection lens 124 is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam L 2 and is configured to project the image beam L 2 from the projector 100 .

FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the components of the optical engine of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view of the pixel offset device and base of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the light valve of FIG. 2 and the transparent panel of FIG. 3 . Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 , the projector 100 of the embodiment is, for instance, a non-telecentric optical system, the optical engine 120 further includes a pixel offset device 126 and a base 128 , the base 128 is, for instance, a portion of the base or the shell of the optical engine 120 , the pixel offset device 126 is disposed on the base 128 and located between the light valve 122 and the projection lens 124 and configured to receive the image beam L 2 from the light valve 122 , and the pixel offset device 126 is configured to vibrate slightly back and forth such that offset occurs to the pixels of the projected screen.

Specifically, the light valve 122 has an active surface 122 a as shown in FIG. 4 , and the active surface 122 a is configured to modulate the illumination beam L 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and convert the illumination beam L 1 into the image beam L 2 and reflect the image beam L 2 . The active surface 122 a is, for instance, rectangular and formed by the reflective array of a plurality of digital micro mirror elements (not shown), and the micro mirror elements can convert the illumination beam L 1 incident on the micro mirror elements into the image beam L 2 and reflect the image beam L 2 to the projection lens 124 by controlling the deflection angle and deflection time of the reflector of each of the micro mirror elements. The pixel offset device 126 includes a frame 126 a and a transparent panel 126 b , the frame 126 a is disposed on the base 128 , and the transparent panel 126 b is, for instance, a flat glass and disposed in the frame 126 a and located on the transmission path of the illumination beam L 1 and the transmission path of the image beam L 2 . Since the pixel offset device 126 is disposed in front of the light valve 122 , the illumination beam L first obliquely passes through the transparent panel 126 b of the pixel offset device 126 via a condenser lens (not labeled), and then is incident on the light valve 122 . The image beam L 2 converted by the light valve 122 passes through the transparent panel 126 b of the pixel offset device 126 and the projection lens 124 in order. The frame 126 a can be driven by a suitable actuator (not shown) to vibrate slightly back and forth via a pivot shaft to drive the transparent panel 126 b to vibrate slightly back and forth such that the transmission direction of the image beam L 2 is rapidly offset back and forth at a small angle. As a result, offset occurs to the pixels of the screen projected from the projection lens 124 (as shown in FIG. 1 ) and image overlap is achieved via a persistence of vision effect, such that the function of increasing screen resolution is achieved. The pixel offset device 126 has a vibration state and a stationary state, wherein when the frame 126 a is driven by an actuator, the pixel offset device 126 is in vibration state, and when the frame 126 a is not driven by the actuator, the pixel offset device 126 is in a stationary state.

As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 , the transparent panel 126 b is disposed in the frame 126 a and includes a transparent surface S 1 and a transparent surface S 2 . The transparent surface S 1 and the transparent surface S 2 of the embodiment are, for instance, two planes opposite to each other and parallel to each other. A portion of the illumination beam L 1 passes through the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 in order and is then transmitted to the light valve 122 and converted by the active surface 122 a of the light valve 122 into the image beam L 2 . After the image beam L 2 is reflected by the active surface 122 a of the light valve 122 , the image beam L 2 passes through the transparent surfaces S 2 and S 1 in order and is transmitted to the projection lens 124 . The transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b are at least tilted with respect to active surface 122 a of the light valve 122 in the stationary state. That is, a tilt angle θ exists between the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b in the stationary state with respect to the active surface 122 a of the light valve 122 . Therefore, when the illumination beam L 1 from the light source module 110 is obliquely incident to the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b , a portion of the illumination beam (labeled L 1 ′ in FIG. 2 ) is reflected by the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 and is not transmitted to the light valve 122 . Due to the tilted design of the transparent surfaces S and S 2 , the reflected portion of the illumination beam L′ does not pass through the projection lens 124 , and therefore the projection of stray light affecting imaging quality can be prevented.

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view of the pixel offset device of FIG. 3 from another perspective. Referring to FIG. 5 , the frame 126 a of the pixel offset device 126 includes two opposite positioning portions P 1 and P 2 , and is positioned in the base 128 via the positioning portions P 1 and P 2 . The positioning portion P 1 has a positioning surface S 3 , the positioning portion P 2 has a positioning surface S 4 , and the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 are configured to lean against the base 128 . The positioning surface S 3 and the positioning surface S 4 are, for instance, parallel to the active surface 122 a of the light valve 122 (shown in FIG. 4 ). That is, the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b are tilted to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 of the frame 126 a.

In the embodiment, the tilt angle θ of the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b with respect to the active surface 122 a of the light valve 122 is, for instance, greater than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 5 degrees. That is, the tilt angle of the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b with respect to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 of the frame 126 a is, for instance, greater than 0 degrees and less than 5 degrees. If the tilt angle θ is greater than 5 degrees, then when the pixel offset device 126 vibrates, the function of increasing pixel resolution is lost. In other embodiments, the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b can be disposed to have other different tilt angles, and the invention is not limited in this regard.

Referring to FIG. 2 , in the embodiment, the optical engine 120 further includes a light-absorbing heat dissipation component 129 , and the illumination beam (labeled L 1 ′ in FIG. 2 ) reflected by the transparent surface S 1 or the transparent surface S 2 is, for instance, transmitted to the light-absorbing heat dissipation component 129 and absorbed to prevent the illumination beam from being unexpectedly reflected by other structures in the optical engine 120 and entering the projection lens 124 . Moreover, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 are, for instance, rotated toward the space above the active surface 122 a in FIG. 2 with the long axis of the active surface 122 a as the axis of rotation, or the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 are rotated toward the space above the active surface 122 a in FIG. 2 with the diagonal of the active surface 122 a as the axis of rotation to achieve the configuration in which the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 are tilted with respect to the active surface 122 a . As a result, the illumination beam (labeled L 1 ′ in FIG. 2 ) reflected by the transparent surface S or S 2 configured above can be guided to the light-absorbing heat dissipation component 129 .

FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional view of the base and frame of FIG. 3 . In the embodiment, the frame 126 a has at least one carrying surface S 5 as shown in FIG. 6 , and the carrying surface S 5 is shown as a continuous annular surface in the embodiment. In other embodiments, the carrying surface S 5 can be two surfaces at diagonally opposite corners on the frame to carry the transparent panel, but the invention is not limited thereto. The carrying surface S 5 carries at least a portion of the periphery of the transparent panel 126 b (shown in FIG. 4 ). The carrying surface S 5 is, for instance, tilted with respect to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 (shown in FIG. 5 ) and the active surface 122 a (shown in FIG. 4 ) of the light valve 122 such that the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b placed on the carrying surface S 5 are tilted with respect to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 and the active surface 122 a . In other embodiments, the transparent surfaces S and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b can be tilted with respect to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 and the active surface 122 a via other methods exemplified below.

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional view of the base and frame of another embodiment of the invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 are different in that a carrying surface S 5 ′ of the frame 126 b of FIG. 7 is not tilted with respect to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 (shown in FIG. 5 ) and the active surface 122 a (shown in FIG. 4 ), but is parallel to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 (shown in FIG. 5 ) and the active surface 122 a (shown in FIG. 4 ). Instead, the pixel offset device of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 further includes at least one gasket 126 c (shown as two), and the gasket 126 c is disposed between the carrying surface S 5 ′ and the transparent panel (same as the transparent panel 126 b shown in FIG. 3 ) such that the transparent surfaces S and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b are tilted with respect to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 and the active surface 122 a.

FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view of the base of another embodiment of the invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 are different in that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b are not tilted via the gasket 126 c shown in FIG. 7 . The pixel offset device of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 includes at least one gasket 126 d (shown as two), and the gasket 126 d is disposed between the base 128 and the positioning portions of the frame (such as the positioning portions P 1 and P 2 of the frame 126 a shown in FIG. 7 ) such that the transparent surfaces S 1 and S 2 of the transparent panel 126 b (such as the transparent panel 126 b shown in FIG. 3 ) are tilted with respect to the positioning surfaces S 3 and S 4 and the active surface 122 a.

Based on the above, the embodiments of the invention have at least one of the following advantages or efficacies. The transparent surface of the transparent panel of the pixel offset device is tilted with respect to the active surface of the light valve, and therefore when a portion of the illumination beam from the light source module is reflected by the transparent surface of the transparent panel, the reflected illumination beam is not transmitted toward the projection lens due to the tilted design of the transparent surface to prevent the generation of stray light.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiments disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its best mode practical application, thereby to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, the term “the invention”, “the present invention” or the like does not necessarily limit the claim scope to a specific embodiment, and the reference to particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Moreover, these claims may refer to use “first”, “second”, etc. following with noun or element. Such terms should be understood as a nomenclature and should not be construed as giving the limitation on the number of the elements modified by such nomenclature unless specific number has been given. The abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure of any patent issued from this disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiments described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Moreover, no element and component in the disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims.