Light source apparatus that irradiates a phosphor layer with excitation light and projector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9423680-B2
Application number	US-201414335223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2014
Priority date	Jul 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A light source apparatus includes a light emitting device that has a first light emitting region outputting first excitation light and a second light emitting region outputting second excitation light, a phosphor layer that is so provided that the phosphor layer coincides with the first light emitting region in a plan view and emits fluorescence light, a reflector that is provided on the opposite side of the phosphor layer to the light emitting device, transmits the fluorescence light, and reflects the excitation light, and a light guide section that is disposed on an optical path between the phosphor layer and the reflector, and guides the second excitation light reflected off the reflector such that at least part of the reflected second excitation light enters the phosphor layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light source apparatus comprising:
a light emitting device that has a first light emitting region and a second light emitting region and outputs excitation light of a first wavelength band;
a phosphor layer that coincides with the first light emitting region in a plan view and emits light of a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band when irradiated with first excitation light outputted from the first light emitting region;
a reflection element that is provided on the opposite side of the phosphor layer to the light emitting device, transmits light of the second wavelength band, and reflects light of the first wavelength band; and
a light guide section that is disposed on an optical path between the phosphor layer and the reflection element, transmits second excitation light outputted from the second light emitting region and light outputted from the phosphor layer, and guides the second excitation light reflected off the reflection element such that at least part of the reflected second excitation light is incident on the phosphor layer.

2. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reflection element includes an inclined portion so as to reflect at least part of the second excitation light in such a manner that the at least part of the second excitation light enter the phosphor layer, the inclined portion being inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to a principal ray of the light emitted from the phosphor layer, and the second excitation light being outputted from the second light emitting region.

3. The light source apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the inclined portion has a curved surface concave toward the phosphor layer.

4. The light source apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the phosphor layer is in thermally contact with the light emitting device.

5. A projector comprising:
the light source apparatus according to claim 2 ;
a light modulator that modulates light having exited out of the light source apparatus in accordance with image information; and
a projection lens that projects modulated light from the light modulator.

6. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light guide section is formed of a light collection system.

7. The light source apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first light emitting region is provided in a portion of one side of the light emitting region of the light emitting device, and
the second light emitting region is provided in the rest of the light emitting region.

8. A projector comprising:
the light source apparatus according to claim 7 ;
a light modulator that modulates light having exited out of the light source apparatus in accordance with image information; and
a projection lens that projects modulated light from the light modulator.

9. The light source apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the phosphor layer is so provided that the phosphor layer includes a region symmetrical to the second light emitting region with respect to the optical axis of the light collection system.

10. The light source apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a correction section that corrects the traveling direction of the light of the second wavelength band having passed through the reflection element.

11. The light source apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the first light emitting region is provided in a portion of one side of the light emitting region of the light emitting device,
the second light emitting region is provided in the rest of the light emitting region, and
the correction section has a wedge-like shape so configured that a portion thereof facing the phosphor layer is thicker than a portion thereof facing the second light emitting region.

12. The light source apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a first lens array that is disposed on an optical path of the light of the second wavelength band having passed through the reflection element and has a plurality of first lenses; and
a second lens array that is disposed on the light exiting side of the first lens array and has a plurality of second lenses provided in correspondence with the plurality of first lenses,
wherein the first light emitting region is provided in a portion of one side of the light emitting region of the light emitting device,
the second light emitting region is provided in the rest of the light emitting region,
the optical axis of each of the plurality of first lenses is shifted from the optical axis of the corresponding second lens, and
the first lenses serve as the correction section.

13. The light source apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the shapes of the first light emitting region and the second light emitting region in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the light collection system are similar to each other.

14. A projector comprising:
the light source apparatus according to claim 6 ;
a light modulator that modulates light having exited out of the light source apparatus in accordance with image information; and
a projection lens that projects modulated light from the light modulator.

15. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the area of the phosphor layer is smaller than the area of the light emitting device.

16. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first light emitting region and the second light emitting region are rectangular when viewed in a direction along the optical axis of the light collection system.

17. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the areas of the first light emitting region and the second light emitting region in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the light collection system are equal to each other.

18. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light emitting device has a light emitting diode or a semiconductor laser that outputs the excitation light.

19. A projector comprising:
the light source apparatus according to claim 1 ;
a light modulator that modulates light having exited out of the light source apparatus in accordance with image information; and
a projection lens that projects modulated light from the light modulator.

20. The projector according to claim 19 ,
wherein the following expression is satisfied:
Ω a≦Sb×Ωb/Sa

where Ωa is the solid angle corresponding to the reflection element viewed from the center of the light emitting device,
Sa is the area of the light emitting device,
Sb is the area of the light modulator, and
Ωb is the solid angle defined by one-half the collection angle of the projection lens.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Sakata Hidefumi
• Hashizume Toshiaki
• Yasumatsu Wataru

Classifications

• F21Y2101/00

  Point-like light sources · CPC title

• G03B21/204 Primary

  using secondary light emission, e.g. luminescence or fluorescence (using different colours G03B33/00; if related to video signals H04N9/3197) · CPC title

• F21Y2115/30

  Semiconductor lasers · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• H01S5/1092

  Multi-wavelength lasing · CPC title