Illumination apparatus provided with two laser light source units arranged to oppose each other

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10809539-B2
Application number	US-201916375079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2019
Priority date	Apr 9, 2018
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

An illumination apparatus includes first and second laser light source units, each of which is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of laser light sources in an array, and which are provided to oppose each other. The illumination apparatus further includes first and second reflecting members. The second reflecting member has a first gap and is divided into first and second reflecting portions, and the first reflecting member is disposed so as to pass through the first gap. A second outgoing light beam transmitted through a transmitting region of the first reflecting member and a fourth outgoing light beam transmitted through a transmitting region of the second reflecting member are reflected in an output light direction by a reflecting region of the second reflecting member and a reflecting region of the first reflecting member, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An illumination apparatus comprising:
first and second laser light source units, each of the first and second laser light source units being configured by juxtaposing a plurality of laser light sources in an array, the first and second laser light source units being provided so as to oppose each other;
a first reflecting member disposed so as to incline with respect to a plurality of outgoing light beams from the first and second laser light source units, the first reflecting member alternately having, in a juxtaposition direction, a reflecting region reflecting a first outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams in an output light direction and a transmitting region transmitting a second outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams; and
a second reflecting member disposed so as to be orthogonal to the first reflecting member, the second reflecting member alternately having, in the juxtaposition direction, a reflecting region reflecting a third outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams in the output light direction and a transmitting region transmitting a fourth outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams,
wherein the second reflecting member has a first gap and is divided into first and second reflecting portions,
wherein the first reflecting member is disposed so as to pass through the first gap,
wherein the second outgoing light beam transmitted through the transmitting region of the first reflecting member and the fourth outgoing light beam transmitted through the transmitting region of the second reflecting member are reflected in the output light direction by the reflecting region of the second reflecting member and the reflecting region of the first reflecting member, respectively, whereby the reflected light beams are emitted in the output light direction, and
wherein, when a plate thickness of the first reflecting portion is Mt and an effective width of the laser light beam from each of the laser light sources is Wld, a distance Md between the first reflecting portion and the first reflecting member is set to satisfy the following equation:

Md
≥

Mt
2

+

W
⁢

⁢
1
⁢

⁢
d

2

.

2. The illumination apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the second reflecting member is disposed such that the first gap is located in the reflecting region of the first reflecting member that reflects one outgoing light beam from the second laser light source unit.

3. The illumination apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein each of the reflecting regions of the first and second reflecting members extends in a vertical direction, and a plurality of the reflecting regions is formed so as to be juxtaposed in a horizontal direction.

4. The illumination apparatus as claimed in claim 3 ,
wherein the plurality of laser light sources is disposed such that a width of each laser light beam is larger in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction.

5. The illumination apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the effective width Wld of the laser light beam from each of the laser light sources is defined by a width at an intensity reduced to 1/e 2 with respect to a peak intensity of the laser light, where e is a Napier's constant.

6. An illumination system comprising:
an illumination apparatus; and
a third laser light source unit having a plurality of laser light sources arrayed and juxtaposed in a direction orthogonal to a juxtaposition direction of first and second laser light source units,
wherein the illumination apparatus comprises:
the first and second laser light source units, each of the first and second laser light source units being configured by juxtaposing a plurality of laser light sources in an array, the first and second laser light source units being provided so as to oppose each other;
a first reflecting member disposed so as to incline with respect to a plurality of outgoing light beams from the first and second laser light source units, the first reflecting member alternately having, in the juxtaposition direction, a reflecting region reflecting a first outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams in an output light direction and a transmitting region transmitting a second outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams; and
a second reflecting member disposed so as to be orthogonal to the first reflecting member, the second reflecting member alternately having, in the juxtaposition direction, a reflecting region reflecting a third outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams in the output light direction and a transmitting region transmitting a fourth outgoing light beam of the plurality of outgoing light beams,
wherein the second reflecting member has a predetermined first gap and is divided into first and second reflecting portions,
wherein the first reflecting member is disposed so as to pass through the first gap,
wherein the second outgoing light beam transmitted through the transmitting region of the first reflecting member and the fourth outgoing light beam transmitted through the transmitting region of the second reflecting member are reflected in the output light direction by the reflecting region of the second reflecting member and the reflecting region of the first reflecting member, respectively, whereby the reflected light beams are emitted in the output light direction,
wherein the first and second reflecting members further transmit outgoing light beams from the third laser light source unit through other transmitting regions different from the transmitting regions, and
wherein, when a plate thickness of the first reflecting portion is Mt and an effective width of the laser light beam from each of the laser light sources is Wld, a distance Md between the first reflecting portion and the first reflecting member is set to satisfy the following equation:

M
⁢
d

≥

M
⁢
t

2

+

W
⁢
1
⁢
d

2

.

7. The illumination system as claimed in claim 6 ,
wherein the different transmitting regions are formed to be spaced apart from each other at intervals in a vertical direction of the first and second reflecting members.

8. An illumination system comprising:
a first illumination apparatus; and
a second illu

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamagishi Shigekazu
• Yamagata Yuki

Classifications

• H04N9/3161

  using laser light sources (using laser beams scanning the display screen H04N9/3129) · CPC title

• G03B21/2013

  Plural light sources · CPC title

• H04N9/3164

  using multiple light sources · CPC title

• G03B21/2033

  LED or laser light sources · CPC title

• G02B27/149

  using crossed beamsplitting surfaces, e.g. cross-dichroic cubes or X-cubes · CPC title