Illuminator and display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021168340-A1
Application number	US-201917267111-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 8, 2019
Priority date	Aug 31, 2018
Publication date	Jun 3, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An illuminator according to the present disclosure includes a light source section and an optical phase modulator. The light source section emits light including first and second polarization components. The optical phase modulator generates and emits first illumination light (SDR illumination light) and second illumination light (HDR illumination light) The first illumination light is used in a light intensity modulator to generate an image in a first luminance region. The second illumination light is used in the light intensity modulator to generate an image in a second luminance region The optical phase modulator emits, as the first illumination light, light of the first polarization component without performing phase modulation. The optical phase modulator performs phase modulation on light of the second polarization component on the basis of the image in the second luminance region, and emits the phase-modulated light as the second illumination light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An illuminator comprising:
a light source section that emits light including a first polarization component and a second polarization component, the first polarization component and the second polarization component being different from each other in polarization direction; and an optical phase modulator that generates first illumination light and second illumination light on a basis of the light emitted from the light source section and emits the first illumination light and the second illumination light, the first illumination light being used in a light intensity modulator to generate an image in a first luminance region, the second illumination light being used in the light intensity modulator to generate an image in a second luminance region, the second luminance region having a luminance higher than that of the first luminance region, wherein the optical phase modulator emits, as the first illumination light, light of the first polarization component of the light emitted from the light source section without performing phase modulation, and the optical phase modulator performs phase modulation on light of the second polarization component of the light emitted from the light source section on a basis of the image in the second luminance region, and emits the phase-modulated light as the second illumination light.

2 . The illuminator according to claim 1 , wherein the light source section has a configuration in which a polarization ratio between the first polarization component and the second polarization component is variable.

3 . The illuminator according to claim 2 , wherein
the light source section includes
a light source,
a first half-wave retarder which the light emitted from the light source enters, and
a half-wave retarder rotation mechanism that rotates the first half-wave retarder.

4 . The illuminator according to claim 2 , wherein
the light source section includes
a light source, and
a light source rotation mechanism that rotates the light source.

5 . The illuminator according to claim 2 , further comprising a calculating section that determines the polarization ratio of the light source section on a basis of an image signal.

6 . The illuminator according to claim 5 , wherein the calculating section determines the polarization ratio to cause a light amount of the first illumination light to be a light amount corresponding to a ratio of the image in the first luminance region included in the image signal and to cause a light amount of the second illumination light to be a light amount corresponding to a ratio of the image in the second luminance region included in the image signal.

7 . The illuminator according to claim 6 , wherein the calculating section determines the polarization ratio to cause a light amount ratio between the light amount of the first illumination light and the light amount of the second illumination light to be a value based on a shooting mode used upon generation of the image signal.

8 . The illuminator according to claim 6 , wherein the calculating section determines the polarization ratio to cause a light amount ratio between the light amount of the first illumination light and the light amount of the second illumination light to be a value based on a light amount loss caused upon phase modulation performed by the optical phase modulator.

9 . The illuminator according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical phase modulator comprises a transmissive or reflective optical phase modulator, and the light intensity modulator comprises a digital micromirror device.

10 . The illuminator according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical phase modulator comprises a transmissive or reflective optical phase modulator, and the light intensity modulator comprises a transmissive or reflective liquid crystal display device.

11 . The illuminator according to claim 10 , further comprising:
an optical path separator that separates an optical path of the first illumination light emitted from the optical phase modulator and an optical path of the second illumination light emitted from the optical phase modulator; and a second half-wave retarder that is disposed on one of the optical path of the first illumination light and the optical path of the second illumination light.

12 . A display apparatus comprising:
an illuminator; and a light intensity modulator that performs intensity modulation on illumination light from the illuminator to generate an image, the illuminator including
a light source section that emits light including a first polarization component and a second polarization component, the first polarization component and the second polarization component being different from each other in polarization direction, and
an optical phase modulator that generates first illumination light and second illumination light on a basis of the light emitted from the light source section and emits the first illumination light and the second illumination light, the first illumination light being used in a light intensity modulator to generate an image in a first luminance region, the second illumination light being used in the light intensity modulator to generate an image in a second luminance region, the second luminance region having a luminance higher than that of the first luminance region, wherein
the optical phase modulator emits, as the first illumination light, light of the first polarization component of the light emitted from the light source section without performing phase modulation, and the optical phase modulator performs phase modulation on light of the second polarization component of the light emitted from the light source section on a basis of the image in the second luminance region, and emits the phase-modulated light as the second illumination light.

13 . The display apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising a projection optical system that projects the image generated by the light intensity modulator.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Mochizuki Takahiro

Classifications

• H04N9/3161

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

• H04N9/3126 Primary

  for spatial light modulators in series · CPC title

• H04N9/3164

  using multiple light sources · CPC title

• H04N9/3167 Primary

  for polarizing the light beam (polarizing optical systems per se G02B27/28) · CPC title

• G09G3/36

  using liquid crystals · CPC title