Light source apparatus and projector having light source apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9709882-B2
Application number	US-201514838443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

There is provided a light source apparatus and projector having the light source apparatus, said light source apparatus comprising: a laser module where first semiconductor laser(s) and second semiconductor laser(s) which emits a light of the wavelength different from that of said first semiconductor laser(s) are placed such that the emitting direction of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same and a short axis direction of a far field pattern of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same, and an optical multiplexing component which a light which exits from said laser module enters without being converged, wherein said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are placed in linear symmetry in said short axis direction at the exit surface of said laser module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light source apparatus comprising:
a laser module where first semiconductor laser(s) and second semiconductor laser(s) which emits a light of the wavelength different from that of said first semiconductor laser(s) are placed such that the emitting direction of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same and a short axis direction of a far field pattern of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same, and
an optical multiplexing component which a light which exits from said laser module enters without being converged,
wherein said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are placed in mirror symmetry in said short axis direction at the exit surface of said laser module.

2. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in each group of the semiconductor lasers divided by a center axis of said mirror symmetry, on the condition that if the semiconductor laser exists at the location of said center axis, such semiconductor laser is excluded from the group,
said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are placed in mirror symmetry in said short axis direction.

3. A light source apparatus comprising:
a laser module where first semiconductor laser(s) and second semiconductor laser(s) which emits a light of the wavelength different from that of said first semiconductor laser(s) are placed such that the emitting direction of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same and a short axis direction of a far field pattern of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same, and
an optical multiplexing component which a light which exits from said laser module enters without being converged,
wherein a plurality of lines where said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are aligned in said short axis direction are placed at the exit surface of said laser module,
wherein if only one semiconductor laser exists in the direction vertical to said lines, and said one semiconductor would be aligned in the same line of other semiconductor(s) by moving in the direction vertical to said lines, said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are placed in mirror symmetry in said short axis direction.

4. The light source apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein in each group of the semiconductor laser(s) divided by a center axis of said mirror symmetry, on the condition that if the semiconductor laser exists at the location of said center axis, such semiconductor laser is excluded from the group,
said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are placed in mirror symmetry in said short axis direction.

5. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are semiconductor laser(s) which emits a light in a green light range, and semiconductor laser(s) which emits a light in a blue light range.

6. The light source apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein at the exit surface of said laser module, a line where said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are aligned in said short axis direction, and a line where semiconductor laser(s) which emits a light in a red light range is aligned.

7. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wavelength ranges of said laser module include:
a red light range from 600 nm to 650 nm,
a green light range from 500 nm to 550 nm, and
a blue light range firm 440 nm to 490 nm.

8. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein said optical multiplexing component is a solid rod integrator or a hollow light pipe, and
said optical multiplexing component has a shape of a square pole whose light transmitting sectional surface is approximately vertical to an optical axis of the light which exists from said semiconductor laser, and an area of the sectional surface of said optical multiplexing component is larger than a luminescence area of the exit surface of said laser module.

9. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a width dimension which is a dimension of said optical multiplexing component in said short axis direction is smaller than
“a total luminance point length + (a minimum one of adjacent luminance point lengths ×4)”,
said total luminance point length being a distance of the optical axes of the semiconductor lasers located at the both ends in said short axis direction, and
said adjacent luminance point length being a distance of the optical axes of the semiconductor lasers located adjacently in said short axis direction.

10. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the plurality of semiconductor lasers, a maximum one of the adjacent luminance point lengths is smaller than (a minimum one of adjacent luminance point lengths ×3),
said adjacent luminance point length being a distance of the optical axes of the semiconductor lasers located adjacently in said short axis direction.

11. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein if a length dimension which is a dimension of said optical multiplexing component in a light transmitting direction being L, a width dimension which is a dimension of said optical multiplexing component in said short axis direction being D, a diverging angle in said short axis direction being θ x , and a refractive index being n,
the following formulas are fulfilled:

1
2

⁢
D
⁢

n
2

-

NA
2

NA
2

<
L
<

3
2

⁢
D
⁢

n
2

-

NA
2

NA
2

NA
=

sin
⁡

(

θ
x

)

.

12. The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein if a length dimension which is a dimension of said optical multiplexing component in a light transmitting direction being L, a width dimension which is a dimension of said optical multiplexing component in said short axis direction being D, the following formula is fulfilled:
L< 22× D.

13. A projector comprising:

Assignees

• Nichia Corp

Inventors

• Nagahara Seiji
• Sasamuro Takashi

Classifications

• G03B21/2013

  Plural light sources · CPC title

• G03B21/2033

  LED or laser light sources · CPC title

• G02B27/102

  for generating a colour image from monochromatic image signal sources · CPC title

• G03B33/06

  by additive-colour projection apparatus · CPC title

• G03B21/208 Primary

  Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light · CPC title