Projection lens system and image projection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12292552-B2
Application number	US-202017637453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2020
Priority date	Nov 18, 2019
Publication date	May 6, 2025
Grant date	May 6, 2025

Abstract

A projection lens system (G 1 , G 2 ) includes a front group (G 1 ) disposed on a projection-plane (SC) side, a rear group (G 2 ) disposed on a display-surface (SF) side of an image display element inclined with reference to the projection plane (SC), and an aperture stop (S) disposed on the display-surface (SF) side with reference to the front group (G 1 ). The rear-group optical axis is tilted on the shared plane at a tilt angle ξ with reference to the display-surface normal. In projection lens system (G 1 , G 2 ), when the amount of shift Δ is zero, the tilt angle ξ satisfies a conditional expression 0<ξ/ξs<1, where ξs denotes a tilt angle when Scheimpflug principle is satisfied with reference to the display surface (SF) and the projection plane (SC).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A projection lens system, comprising:
a front group disposed on a projection-plane side;
a rear group disposed on a display-surface side of an image display element inclined with reference to the projection plane; and
an aperture stop disposed on the display-surface side with reference to the front group, wherein
the front group having a front-group optical axis, the rear group having a rear-group optical axis parallel to the front-group optical axis, the front-group optical axis and the rear-group optical axis being shifted by an amount of shift Δ relative to each other, in a direction perpendicular to the front-group optical axis and the rear-group optical axis,
the front-group optical axis and the rear-group optical axis being on a shared plane shared by a display-surface normal assumed on the display surface and a projection-plane normal line assumed on the projection plane to intersect with the display-surface normal,
the rear-group optical axis being tilted on the shared plane at a tilt angle ξ with reference to the display-surface normal,
when the amount of shift Δ is zero, the tilt angle ξ satisfies a first conditional expression as follows:
0<ξ/ξ s< 1,

where ξs denotes a tilt angle when Scheimpflug principle is satisfied with reference to the display surface and the projection plane,
assuming that a straight line connecting a center of the projection plane and a center of the display surface is a reference line, the front-group optical axis is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the rear-group optical axis by an amount of shift Δ, where Δ≠0, with reference to a tilt-reference state where a common optical axis of the front group and the rear group is tilted around a point of intersection of the reference line and a lens surface of the front group on the projection-plane side by the tilt angle ξ with reference to a non-shifted reference state in which the common optical axis matches the reference line,
the front-group optical axis is shifted by an amount of shift Δ1 with reference to the rear-group optical axis, and
a second conditional expression as follows is satisfied:
0.000047 (/mm)<|Δ1/ f 1|/ f< 0.001 (/mm), where

f1 denotes focal length of the front group, and
f denotes focal length of the front group and the rear group.

2. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture stop is disposed between the front group and the rear group.

3. The projection lens system according to claim 2 , wherein the aperture stop is independently shifted on the shared plane in a direction perpendicular to the rear-group optical axis.

4. The projection lens system according to claim 2 , wherein the aperture stop is independently shifted on the shared plane in a direction perpendicular to the rear-group optical axis.

5. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture stop is disposed within the rear group.

6. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein
the front group has a positive or negative refractive power, and
the rear group has a positive refractive power.

7. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the first group and the second group includes a plurality of lenses, and
at least one of the plurality of lenses is an aspherical lens.

8. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the first group and the second group includes a plurality of lenses,
at least one of the plurality of lenses is an aspherical lens, and
the aspherical lens is a plastic lens or a lens molded of glass.

9. An image projection apparatus, comprising:
the projection lens system according to claim 1 .

10. The image projection apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a prism disposed between the image display element and the rear group, the prism being configured to guide illumination light to the display surface of the image display element, wherein
the image display element is a digital micromirror device.

11. The image projection apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein an object-light incident plane of the prism faces the display surface and is parallel to the display surface.

12. The image projection apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the display-surface normal is tilted on the shared plane with reference to an object-light incident plane of the prism.

13. The image projection apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the image projection apparatus is mounted on a mobile object.

14. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture stop is disposed between the front group and the rear group.

15. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture stop is disposed within the rear group.

16. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein
the front group has a positive or negative refractive power, and
the rear group has a positive refractive power.

17. The projection lens system according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the first group and the second group includes a plurality of lenses, and
at least one of the plurality of lenses is an aspherical lens.

18. A projection lens system, comprising:
a front group disposed on a projection-plane side;
a rear group disposed on a display-surface side of an image display element inclined with reference to the projection plane; and
an aperture stop disposed on the display-surface side with reference to the front group, wherein
the front group having a front-group optical axis, the rear group having a rear-group optical axis parallel to the front-group optical axis, the front-group optical axis and the rear-group optical axis being shifted by an amount of shift Δ relative to each other, in a direction perpendicular to the front-group optical axis and the rear-group optical axis,
the front-group optical axis and the rear-group optical axis being on a shared plane shared by a display-surface normal assumed on the display surface and a projection-plane normal line assumed on the projection plane to intersect with the display-surface normal,
the rear-group optical axis being tilted on the shared plane at a tilt angle ξ with reference to the display-surface normal,
when the amount of shift Δ is zero, the tilt angle ξ satisfies a first conditional expression as follows:
0<ξ/ξ s< 1,

where ξs denotes a tilt angle when Scheimpflug principle is satisfied with reference to the display surface and the projection plane,
assuming that a straight line connecting a center of the projection plane and a center of the display surface is a reference line, the rear-group optical axis is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the front-group optical axis, by an amount of shift Δ, where Δ≠0, with reference to a tilt-reference state where a common optical axis of the front group and the rear group is tilted around a point of intersection of the reference line and a lens surface of the front group on the projection-plane side by the tilt angle ξ with reference to a non-shifted reference state in which the common optical axis matches the reference line,
the front-group optical axis and the rear-group optical axis are shifted as a whole in a direction perpendicular to the front-group optical axis while maintaining the tilt angle ξ and the amount of shift Δ,
the front-group optical axis is shifted by an amount of shift Δ1 with reference to the rear-group optical axis, and
a second conditional expression as follows is satisfied:
0.000047 (/mm)<|Δ1/ f 1|/ f< 0.001 (/mm), where

f1 denotes focal le

Assignees

• Kamitakahara Takashi
• Shirasaki Ken
• Tanifuji Mutsumi
• Yoshida Hayato
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kamitakahara Takashi
• Shirasaki Ken
• Tanifuji Mutsumi
• Yoshida Hayato

Classifications

• G02B9/08

  arranged about a stop · CPC title

• H04N9/3141

  Constructional details thereof (details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14) · CPC title

• H04N9/317

  Convergence or focusing systems (electronic adjustment of convergence H04N9/3185; convergence or focusing arrangements for cathode ray tubes H04N9/28; means for automatic focusing of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/53) · CPC title

• G02B17/0852

  having a field corrector only · CPC title

• G02B13/22

  Telecentric objectives or lens systems · CPC title