JP2002328069A - Inspection apparatus for illumination optical element and inspection method for illumination optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide an inspection apparatus for an illumination optical element and a method for inspecting an illumination optical element, which can efficiently inspect an illumination optical element and can reduce a manufacturing cost. A lens array inspection apparatus includes a light source device that emits a parallel light beam, and a lens array as an inspection target that divides the parallel light beam into a plurality of partial light beams.
Lens holders 312 and 31 for holding 3115
3 and a ground glass 170 for projecting an optical image of a light beam emitted through the lens arrays 113 and 115, and a parting frame corresponding to a designed illumination area is formed on the ground glass 170. . Therefore, the quality of the lens arrays 113 and 115 can be determined based on whether the optical image projected on the ground glass 170 includes the range of the parting frame.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for an illumination optical element for inspecting optical characteristics of an illumination optical element constituting an illumination optical system for forming an optical image by condensing a light beam emitted from a light source lamp. The present invention relates to a method for inspecting a lens array as an illumination optical element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a light source lamp, an electro-optical device for modulating a light beam emitted from the light source lamp in accordance with image information, and a projection optical system for enlarging and projecting the light beam modulated by the electro-optical device are known. The provided projector is used for presentations and the like. In such a projector, in order to uniformly and uniformly illuminate the image forming area of the electro-optical device with the light flux emitted from the light source lamp,
An illumination optical system is often arranged between the light source lamp and the electro-optical device. As such an illumination optical system, a lens array as a light beam splitting element configured by arranging a plurality of planar semicircular (plano-convex) small lenses in a matrix in a plane orthogonal to the light emitting direction is used. The ones used are known. With this configuration, in the illumination optical system, the light beam emitted from the light source lamp is divided into a plurality of partial light beams by the plurality of small lenses forming the lens array, and each of the partial light beams is divided in the image forming area of the electro-optical device. It has a function of superimposing and uniformly illuminating the image forming area. Therefore, a clear projected image without luminance unevenness can be obtained. This lens array is manufactured as follows. First, a small lens is obtained by casting molten glass or a resin material into a mold corresponding to the shape of a plurality of small lenses constituting a lens array, or press-molding softened glass with a mold. Subsequently, the plurality of small lenses are arranged at predetermined positions, and are subjected to a heat treatment to manufacture a lens array in which the small lenses are integrated.

[0003]

However, in the lens array manufactured as described above, each small lens may be deformed by heat treatment, or the small lens may be misaligned due to a difference in thermal expansion and contraction. Therefore, the lens array may not have optical characteristics as specified, and a clear projected image may not be obtained. For this reason, at the time of manufacturing a projector, after mounting all parts as a projector to make a finished product, it is checked whether the lens array exhibits sufficient optical characteristics. However, in such an inspection process, when the function of the lens array is insufficient, the assembled product must be disassembled again and the lens array must be replaced. Was leading up. In addition, such a problem is not limited to the lens array,
For example, the same applies to other light beam splitting elements such as a rod, light collecting elements that convert light beams emitted from a light source lamp into parallel light beams, and other illumination optical elements such as a polarization conversion element.

An object of the present invention is to provide an illumination optical element inspection apparatus and an illumination optical element inspection method that can efficiently inspect an illumination optical element and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0005]

An illumination optical element inspection apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention detects a light beam emitted from a light source via an illumination optical element and inspects the optical characteristics of the illumination optical element. An illumination optical element inspection apparatus, comprising: a holder for holding an illumination optical element to be inspected; and a projection plate for projecting an optical image of a light beam emitted from the illumination optical element held by the holder. The projection plate is formed with a parting frame corresponding to the illumination area of the illumination optical element.

As the illumination optical element, various types of optical elements such as a condensing element that converts a light beam emitted from a light source lamp into a parallel light beam, a light beam splitting element such as a lens array and a rod, and a polarization conversion element can be considered. A combination of these optical elements is also conceivable. Also, as the optical characteristics of the illumination optical element to be inspected, for example, when inspecting a lens array as the illumination optical element, the focal length, the optical axis position, the shape, etc. of each small lens constituting the lens array are considered. Can be Further, when inspecting a light-collecting element as an illumination optical element, the degree of parallelism of the emitted light beam and the like can be considered. However, the optical characteristics of such an illumination optical element need only be such that the optical image finally formed by the illumination optical system including all the illumination optical elements is as specified, so that the optical image is within a predetermined range. Can be determined based on whether or not it has a predetermined luminance.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the parting frame corresponding to the illumination area is formed, if a part darker than the designed luminance is detected in the parting frame, it can be determined that the part is defective, so that it is easy. In addition, the optical characteristics of the illumination optical element can be inspected. For this reason, the optical characteristics of the illumination optical element can be inspected simply by attaching the illumination optical element to the holder, so that it is necessary to inspect the illumination optical element after assembling all the parts as a projector as conventionally performed. Since there is no inspection, the burden of inspection work can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0008] The illumination optical element inspection apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a light source device for supplying a light beam to the illumination optical element. According to such a configuration, since a constant light flux is always emitted from the light source device, it is not necessary to consider an error due to the light source device, and thus the illumination optical element as the inspection target can be inspected with high accuracy.

Preferably, the light source device is configured to emit a parallel light beam, and is capable of moving forward and backward with respect to an illumination optical axis of the emitted parallel light beam. According to such a configuration, even if the shape or size of the illumination optical element to be inspected changes, the light source device is easily moved in the direction of the illumination optical axis in accordance with the change, so that the optical distance can be easily adjusted. Can be adjusted,
It can handle a plurality of types of illumination optical elements.

The holder and the projection plate are configured as an integrated installation unit to be inspected, and a plurality of the installation units to be inspected are prepared in accordance with the type of optical equipment in which the illumination optical element to be inspected is used. Is preferred. In such a configuration, considering that the size and the arrangement of the illumination optical elements are different depending on the type of the optical device used, every time the type of the optical device changes, the arrangement of the illumination optical element and the like are bothersome. Since there is no need to change, the illumination optical element to be inspected can be easily arranged,
The burden of inspection work can be further reduced.

An image detecting device for detecting the optical image projected on the projection plate and the parting frame is provided. The image detecting device includes an image sensor and an image capturing device for capturing the optical image detected by the image sensor. And an image processing means for processing the optical image captured by the image capturing means. According to such a configuration, the projected optical image and the parting frame are detected by the image sensor, the detected optical image is captured by the image capturing unit, and the captured optical image is processed by the image processing unit. Is provided, the luminance of the optical image can be automatically measured. Therefore, the quality can be easily determined simply by comparing the detected parting frame with the processed optical image, and the burden of inspection work can be reduced.

It is preferable that the image processing means includes a luminance value judging section for judging a luminance value of the optical image taken from the image pickup device. According to such a configuration, it is possible to automatically determine whether or not the optical image projected in the parting frame has a predetermined luminance value or more, and it is possible to reduce the burden of inspection work.

The illumination optical element is preferably a light beam splitting element for splitting a light beam emitted from a light source into a plurality of partial light beams. According to such a configuration, among the illumination optical elements, considering that the yield of the light beam splitting element is not particularly good, only by inspecting the light beam splitting element, the yield of the finished product can be efficiently improved, and Inspection is easier.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a method of inspecting an illumination optical element, which detects a light beam emitted from a light source via the illumination optical element and inspects optical characteristics of the illumination optical element. A method, comprising: forming an optical image of a light beam emitted through the illumination optical element on a projection plate on which a parting frame corresponding to an illumination area of the illumination optical element is formed; and An image capturing procedure for capturing an optical image formed by the optical image forming procedure using an image sensor and an image capturing unit; a brightness value obtaining procedure for obtaining a brightness value of the captured optical image; A pass / fail judgment procedure for judging pass / fail of the illumination optical element based on the luminance value obtained in the step.

According to the second aspect, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained. In other words, simply place the illumination optical element to be inspected in the holder and start the inspection,
The illumination optical element can be inspected easily and automatically, and the burden of inspection work can be reduced.

The pass / fail judgment step includes the step of obtaining a luminance change position on a projection plate which changes from a predetermined luminance threshold among luminance values obtained on a scanning line along the parting frame. It is preferable that the method further includes an obtaining step and a luminance change position determining step of determining whether the obtained luminance change position is within the parting frame. By doing so, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the luminance change position is within the parting frame by simply determining in order along the scanning line,
Inspection time can be reduced.

In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for inspecting an illumination optical element, comprising detecting a light beam emitted from a light source via the illumination optical element and inspecting optical characteristics of the illumination optical element. A method, comprising: forming an optical image of a light beam emitted through the illumination optical element on a projection plate on which a parting frame corresponding to an illumination area of the illumination optical element is formed; and An image capturing step of capturing an optical image formed by the optical image forming procedure using an image sensor and an image capturing unit; a luminance value acquiring step of acquiring a luminance value of the captured optical image; Among the values, an illumination area acquisition procedure of acquiring an area having a luminance threshold value or more set in advance as an illumination area of the optical image, and an illumination margin obtained from the acquired illumination area and the illuminated area partitioned by the parting frame. An illumination margin calculation procedure of calculating,
A deviation amount calculating step of calculating a deviation amount of each center based on an illumination area center obtained from the illumination area obtaining step and an illuminated area center obtained from the parting frame; and a calculated illumination margin and center deviation amount. And a quality judgment procedure for judging the quality of the illumination optical element based on the above.

In the third aspect of the present invention, the illumination area of the optical image projected on the projection plate is acquired in the illumination area acquisition procedure,
In the illumination margin calculation procedure, an illumination margin is calculated based on the illumination area and the illuminated area partitioned by the parting frame,
Further, the center deviation amount is calculated based on the center of the illumination area and the center of the illuminated area. Then, based on these calculated illumination margin and center deviation amount in the pass / fail judgment procedure,
The quality of the illumination optical element is determined. With this determination, the illumination optical element can be easily and automatically inspected simply by arranging the illumination optical element to be inspected on the holder or the like and starting the inspection, and the burden of inspection work can be reduced.

Here, in the quality judgment procedure in the second invention, when the illumination optical element is not properly installed, the luminance change position of the optical image projected on the projection plate falls within the parting frame. In this case, even the illumination optical element that should be determined to be a good product is determined to be a defective product. On the other hand, in the third invention, for example, if predetermined values of the illumination margin and the center deviation amount, which are determined to be defective due to the displacement of the illumination optical element, are determined in advance, the quality is calculated in the pass / fail determination procedure. Based on the illumination margin and the central deviation amount, the illumination optical element determined to be defective due to the installation deviation can be reliably determined.
For this reason, what can be determined to be defective can be reliably determined to be non-defective, and the yield of the illumination optical element can be improved.

Here, it is preferable that the pass / fail judgment procedure judges that the illumination optical element is non-defective when the illumination margin is larger than a predetermined value and the center deviation is within a predetermined range value. With this configuration, for example, as described above, even in a case where a defective product is determined due to a displacement of the illumination optical element, only predetermined values of the illumination margin and the center deviation amount are determined in advance. Thus, the quality can be easily determined.

It is preferable that the pass / fail determination step determines that the illumination optical element is misaligned when the illumination margin is larger than a predetermined value and the center deviation is within a predetermined range. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably and easily determine whether or not the illumination optical element is simply displaced simply by setting the predetermined values of the illumination margin and the center deviation amount.

Here, in the method for inspecting an illumination optical element, an orthogonal coordinate system including an X axis and a Y axis is set in a plane orthogonal to the illumination optical axis of the light beam. Calculating an X-axis illumination margin based on the X-axis distance of the area and the X-axis distance of the illuminated area; and calculating the Y-axis distance of the illumination area and the Y-axis distance of the illuminated area. The Y-axis direction illumination margin may be calculated.

For example, when the illumination area and the illuminated area are rectangular, the X axis and the Y axis can be respectively set along sides orthogonal to each other in these rectangles. In addition, for example, as described above, when the XY coordinates are set along the sides of the rectangle as described above, the distances in each of the four sides along the respective axes in the rectangular illumination area And a plurality of points (pixels) constituting each side
Can be obtained for each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction based on the XY coordinates of the two opposing sides.

In such a case, the illumination margin in the X-axis direction is obtained, for example, as follows. That is, first, a distance in the X-axis direction in the illumination area is obtained from each X coordinate of two sides along the Y-axis direction and facing each other. Next, a difference between the distance in the X-axis direction of the illumination area and the distance in the X-axis direction of the illuminated area is determined. The illumination margin for each side, that is, the X-axis direction illumination margin, can be easily calculated only by reducing the obtained difference by half. Further, the illumination margin in the Y-axis direction can be easily calculated in the same manner.

In the illumination margin calculating step, the illumination margin may be calculated based on an area in the illumination area and the area to be illuminated. In such a case, the illumination margin can be easily calculated based on the difference between the areas of the illumination region and the illuminated region.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment <1> Structure of Projector Using Lens Array as Illumination Optical Element FIG. 1 shows an illumination optical element to be inspected by an illumination optical element inspection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a projector 100 in which a lens array is adopted. The projector 100 includes an integrator illumination optical system 110 as an illumination optical system, a color separation optical system 1
20, a relay optical system 130, an electro-optical device 140, a color combining optical system 150, and a projection optical system 160.

The integrator illumination optical system 110 includes a light source device 111 including a light source lamp 111A and a reflector 111B, a first lens array 113, a second lens array 115, a reflection mirror 117, and a superposition lens 119.
And

The light beam emitted from the light source lamp 111A is emitted as a parallel light beam whose emission direction is aligned by the reflector 111B, is divided into a plurality of partial light beams by the first lens array 113, and is emitted by the return reflecting mirror 117. Is bent by 90 °, and an image is formed in the vicinity of the second lens array 115. Each of the partial light beams emitted from the second lens array 115 is incident such that the central axis (principal ray) is perpendicular to the incident surface of the superimposing lens 119 at the subsequent stage, and furthermore, a plurality of partial light beams emitted from the superimposing lens 119. The luminous flux is applied to three liquid crystal panels 141R, 141G, 141 constituting an electro-optical device 140 described later.
Superimpose on B.

The color separation optical system 120 includes two dichroic mirrors 121 and 122 and a reflection mirror 123, and these mirrors 121, 122 and 123 convert a plurality of partial light beams emitted from the integrator illumination optical system 110. It has the function of separating into three color lights of red, green and blue. The relay optical system 130 includes the incident-side lens 13
1, a relay lens 133, and a reflection mirror 135,
37, and has a function of guiding the color light, for example, blue light B, separated by the color separation optical system 120 to the liquid crystal panel 141B.

The electro-optical device 140 includes three liquid crystal panels 141R, 141G, and 141B, each using, for example, a polysilicon TFT as a switching element, and each of the colors separated by the color separation optical system 120. Light is applied to these three liquid crystal panels 141R, 141G, and 14G.
By 1B, the light is modulated according to the image information to form an optical image. The color synthesizing optical system 150 includes a cross dichroic prism 151, and the three liquid crystal panels 141.
A color image is formed by combining images modulated for each color light emitted from R, 141G, and 141B. The cross dichroic prism 151 has
A dielectric multilayer film that reflects red light and a dielectric multilayer film that reflects blue light are formed in a substantially X shape along the interface of the four right-angle prisms, and these dielectric multilayer films form three color lights. Are synthesized. Then, the color image synthesized by the color synthesizing optical system 150 is emitted from the projection optical system 160 and is enlarged and projected on a screen.

<2> Structure of lens array to be inspected The first lens array 113 employed in the projector 100 has two types of small lenses 11 as shown in FIG.
A and 11B are arranged in M rows and N columns in a matrix in a plane orthogonal to the light emitting direction of each of the small lenses 11A and 11B. Specifically, a small lens 11A is arranged at the center of the first lens array 113, and a small lens 11B is arranged around the small lens 11A so as to surround the small lens 11A. Each small lens 11
A and 11B divide the parallel luminous flux emitted from the light source device 111 into a plurality of (M × N) partial luminous fluxes, and the divided partial luminous fluxes are divided into the second lens array 115 as described above.
Image in the vicinity of.

Here, the shape of the small lens 11A is a liquid crystal panel 141 constituting the electro-optical device 140 when viewed from the front.
R, 141G, and 141B are set to be substantially similar in shape to the image forming areas. For example, the liquid crystal panel 1
If the aspect ratios (ratio of vertical and horizontal dimensions) of 41R, 141G, and 141B are 4: 3, the aspect ratio of small lens 11A is also set to 4: 3. Also, a small lens 11A
Is formed in a plane semicircular shape, and as shown in FIG. 3A, the optical axis position is set at the center of the small lens 11A (dashed-dotted line A1 in the figure).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the shape of each small lens 11B is similar to that of the small lens 11A, and the liquid crystal panels 141R, 141
G and 141B are set to be substantially similar to the shape of the image forming area. Further, the small lens 11B is formed in a planar arc shape, and is an eccentric lens whose optical axis position is shifted from the geometric center of the small lens 11B as shown in FIG.

More specifically, the position of the optical axis is shifted from the geometric center by a predetermined dimension in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The focal position of the small lens 11B includes a geometric center line D passing through the geometric center position of the small lens 11B (the center position on the plane of each small lens 11B) and an optical axis A2 passing through the optical axis position. Of intersection Q2. Here, small lens 1
The geometric center position of 1B (the center position of each small lens 11B on the plane) is a half of L / L of the small lens 11B in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis A2.
This position is 2. Although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the decentering amount (distance between the geometric center line D and the optical axis A2) of the small lens 11B increases as the distance from the small lens 11A increases.

The second lens array 115 is also the first lens array described above.
As with the lens array 113, the two types of small lenses 11
A and 11B are arranged in a matrix of M rows and N columns. However, as described above, the second lens array 115 is provided to make the principal rays of the plurality of partial light beams split by the first lens array 113 perpendicularly enter the incident surface of the superimposing lens 119 at the subsequent stage. Therefore, it is not necessary to have the same configuration as the first lens array 113. In short, as long as a plurality of partial light beams can be perpendicularly incident on the incident surface of the superimposing lens 119, the shape of the small lens can be set to various shapes. That is, the small lenses constituting the second lens array 115 do not need to have a shape similar to the aspect ratio of the image forming areas of the liquid crystal panels 141R, 141G, and 141B as in the first lens array 113. Then, the small lenses 11A and 11A are
B is arranged in a matrix of M rows and N columns to form a second lens array 115.

The first lens array 113 and the second
The lens array 115 includes a plurality of small lenses 11A and 11B.
The molten glass or resin material is poured into a mold corresponding to the shape of the small lens 11A, and the softened glass is press-molded with a mold corresponding to the shape of the plurality of small lenses 11A and 11B, and then gradually cooled. Manufactured by Therefore, the first
Each of the small lenses 11A and 11B constituting the lens array 113 and the second lens array 115 is deformed, and the position of the small lenses 11A and 11B in the first and second lens arrays 113 and 115 is shifted. Therefore, the first lens array 113 and the second lens array 113
It is necessary to inspect using a test apparatus how much the change in the optical characteristics of the lens array 115 is different from the designed optical characteristics.

When inspecting the first lens array 113, a standard sample satisfying a predetermined specification is used for the second lens array 115. Conversely, when inspecting the second lens array 115, the first lens array 1
For 13, a standard sample satisfying a predetermined specification is used. Therefore, the first lens array 113 to be inspected is
The second lens array 115 has a standard sample satisfying a predetermined specification.

<3> Structure of Inspection Device for Lens Array FIG. 4 shows the first lens array 113 and the second lens array.
1 shows a lens array inspection apparatus 2 for inspecting a lens array 115. As shown in FIG. 4, a lens array inspection device 2 which is an illumination optical element inspection device has a detection device 310.
, A light source device 320, an image processing device 330, and a mounting table 500 that supports these devices.

As shown in FIG. 5, the detecting device 310 has a function as a dark box covered with a shielding plate, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having a cover 310T on which a handle 300A (FIG. 4) is formed. The case 311 and the inspection target installation unit 31 fixedly arranged on the lower surface 310B inside the case 311
7 is provided.

The case 311 has a left opening 31 into which the light source device 320 is inserted.
0L is formed on the right side (right side in the figure) of the right side opening 310 into which an image processing device 330 described later is inserted.
R is formed. The lid 310T is configured to be rotatable in a radial direction about a Z-axis direction by a hinge (not shown). Hold the handle 300A and hold the lid 310T.
By rotating, the upper side of the detection device 310 can be opened and closed, and the inspection target installation unit 317 housed therein can be easily replaced.

The inspection object installation unit 317 is a first unit to which the first lens array 113 as an inspection object is attached.
A lens array holder 312, a second lens array holder 313 to which the second lens array 115 to be inspected is attached, a superimposing lens 119, a superimposing lens holder 314 to which the superimposing lens 119 is attached, and ground glass as a projection plate 170, a ground glass holder 315 to which the ground glass 170 is mounted, and a rectangular parallelepiped holding base 316 to which these holders 312 to 315 are mounted are integrally formed. In addition, as the inspection target installation unit 317, a plurality of types of inspection target installation units having different sizes and arrangements of the holders 312 to 315 are prepared according to the type of the projector to be used.

The superimposing lens 119 is a general condensing lens that condenses the principal ray of the partial light beam emitted through the second lens array 115 and forms an optical image 600 ( 12).

The ground glass 170 is, as shown in FIG.
It is a predetermined rectangular frosted glass having a parting frame 171 formed in a scribble shape on the surface thereof, and an optical image projected on the surface can be seen through from the back side. The parting frame 171 is a frame indicating a designed illumination area of an optical image to be superimposed on the liquid crystal panels 141R, 141G, and 141B via the integrator illumination optical system 110 in the projector 100, and has a substantially rectangular shape. . That is, the range inside the parting frame 171 indicates the actually projected optical image. In addition,
The superimposing lens 119 includes a standard sample satisfying a predetermined specification, and the standard sample is used at the time of inspection.

Each of the holders 312 to 315 is provided with the light source device 32.
0, the first lens array holder 312, the second
A lens array holder 313, a superimposed lens holder 314,
The ground glass holders 315 are arranged on the holding table 316 in this order. Each of the holders 312 to 315 includes a first lens array 113 or a second lens array 115 to be inspected,
The superimposing lens 119 and the frosted glass 170 are opposed to each other, and the holding table 31 is aligned so that their central axes are aligned.
6 is attached.

More specifically, each of the holders 312 to 315
Are provided along the edges of the opening 21B formed in the frame main body 21A, and have a first lens array 113 and a second lens array, as shown in FIG. 115, superposition lens 11
9. Four holding projections 21 for holding ground glass 170
And a movable projection 21D for biasing the first lens array 113, the second lens array 115, the superimposing lens 119, and the ground glass 170 in a diagonal direction.

Although not shown, these projections 21
An elastic body is interposed between the first and second lens arrays 113 and 113 of C and 21D, and the contact portions with the superimposed lens 119 and the frosted glass 170.
The second lens array 115, the superimposing lens 119, and the frosted glass 170 are configured not to be damaged. Also,
The movable projection 21D includes a first lens array 113, a second lens array 115, a superimposed lens 119, a ground glass 170.
Can move in the diagonal direction of
Reference numeral 315 also corresponds to the first lens array 113, the second lens array 115, the superimposing lens 119, and the frosted glass 170 having different sizes.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light source device 320 has a function of emitting a parallel light beam, and has a box shape having a substantially T-shaped cross-section obtained by cutting out two corners of a rectangle. , A case 321 whose right edge 320R is opened
And a light source lamp 111A fixedly arranged inside the case 321 and a collimator lens 112 arranged on the right edge 320R of the case 321.

The case 321 includes a rail 50 whose lower end 320 B extends in the Z-axis direction on the upper surface of the mounting table 500.
1 and is slidable along the rail 501. In addition, the case 321 is
It can be fixed at any position along 01. In addition,
The position of the case 321 is automatically adjusted by a control from the main body 402 to be described later so that an appropriate optical distance is obtained according to various conditions such as the shapes of the lens arrays 113 and 115 before the start of the inspection. .

The light source lamp 111A is a halogen lamp having a function of emitting a light beam. The inspection light source lamp 111A employs a lamp that consumes less energy because it can secure detection accuracy even for a lamp that is considerably darker than a product lamp. The collimator lens 112 converts the light beam emitted from the light source lamp 111A into a parallel light beam, and emits this parallel light beam toward the first lens array 113. Light source lamp 111A and collimator lens 112
Are arranged to face each other so that their central axes are aligned.

The image processing device 330 includes the image detecting device 33
1 and a personal computer (personal computer) 400 (FIG. 4) having a display 401 and a main body 402. The image detection device 331 has a box shape having a substantially L-shaped cross section in which one corner of a rectangle is cut off, and a case 331A whose left edge 330L is opened.
And an image detection device 332 fixedly arranged inside the case 331A.

The case 331A includes a rail 5 whose lower end 330B extends in the Z-axis direction on the upper surface of the mounting table 500.
02 and is slidable along the rail 502. Further, the case 331A can be fixed at an arbitrary position along the rail 502. The position of the case 331A is automatically adjusted by a control from the main body 402, which will be described later, such that an appropriate optical distance is obtained in accordance with various conditions such as the shape of the superimposing lens 119 before starting the inspection.

The image detecting device 332 includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera 333 as an area sensor,
The CCD camera 333 is supported from below, and a support 334 fixedly disposed at the lower portion inside the case 331A.
It is comprised including. The CCD camera 333 converts the optical image and the parting frame 171 projected from the light source device 320 onto the frosted glass 170 through the first lens array 113, the second lens array 115, and the superimposing lens 119 into a plurality of pieces from the back side of the frosted glass 170. CCD 333 as an image pickup device that detects by dividing into pixels and converts into electric signals
A (FIG. 8), and has a function of outputting this electric signal to the personal computer 400.

The CCD camera 333 is fixed so as not to move during the inspection.
The camera 333 is provided with a micrometer 335 capable of moving in the Z-axis direction and an adjustment knob 336 capable of rotating in the Y-axis direction. The micrometer 335 and the adjustment knob 336 are used, for example, as a support for sliding along the rail 502 of the image processing device 330, thereby enabling fine adjustment of the position of the CCD camera 333.

The personal computer 400 is a general personal computer as shown in FIG.
2 and is electrically connected to the CCD camera 333 by a predetermined connection cable (not shown). Display 4
Reference numeral 01 denotes a general liquid crystal display, on which results of various processes performed by the main body 402 are displayed as described later.

The main body 402 includes a predetermined motherboard (not shown) having a CPU, a memory, and the like, and a capture card (not shown) connected to the motherboard.
The motherboard and the capture card enable image processing of the optical image 600 and various controls. As shown in FIG. 8, the main body 402 includes the optical image 600 output from the CCD camera 333 and the parting frame 17.
Image capturing means 4 for capturing the electrical signal 1 as data
05 and image processing means 41 for processing the captured image
0.

The image processing means 410 compares the captured optical image 600 with the parting frame 171 to determine
A brightness value determination unit 420 that determines whether the brightness value of the optical image 600 in the image 71 is equal to or greater than a predetermined brightness value, and an image display unit 4 that displays the determined result on the display 401.
30. A specific processing procedure will be described later.

<4> Inspection of Lens Array by Inspection Apparatus The inspection of the first lens array 113 and the second lens array 115 by the above-described lens array inspection apparatus 2 is performed in advance by a projector using a lens array to be inspected. After registering various data according to the type, the light source device 3
20 position and image processing device 330 (CCD camera 33
3) After the position is automatically adjusted, the image detection device 33
2 and the PC 400 automatically. Specifically, the first lens array 113,
An inspection of the second lens array 115 is performed.

<4-1> Data Registration for Each Projector Type (Processing S1) This is a process of registering in advance data of various optical elements corresponding to the type of projector and data indicating a required luminance threshold. Different values are registered according to the values. In an automatic inspection (process S6) to be described later, the brightness value data of the projector 100 to be inspected is selected from a plurality of projectors registered in this process and is automatically inspected. As specific data, the liquid crystal panels 141R, 1
The sizes of the image forming areas of 41G and 141B and the luminance threshold data for each model are registered. The data for each projector model created in this way is stored as a text file and used by the main body 402 of the personal computer 400 as needed.

<4-2> Installation of Inspection Unit to be Installed (Process S2) Inspection unit 3 corresponding to projector 100
17 is prepared and the first lens array 113 to be inspected is prepared.
Is set in the first lens array holder 312, and the other holders 313, 314, and 315 set standard samples satisfying a predetermined standard with the corresponding second lens array 115, superimposing lens 119, and ground glass 170. . Subsequently, the handle 300A is grasped and the lid 310T is held.
Is turned to open the upper side of the case 311, the inspection target installation unit 317 is set at a predetermined position inside the case 311, and then the lid 310 T is turned again to return the upper side of the case 311. close. Thus, the lid 31
By closing 0T, light leakage from the inside of the case 311 and influence of disturbance light of the case 311 are prevented.

<4-3> Position Adjustment of Light Source Device and Image Detection Device Based on the model data of the projector 100 registered in the processing S1, the current illumination optical elements 113, 115, 119, and 1 are obtained.
The model data corresponding to the 70 combinations is called (process S3), and according to the called model data, the light source device 320 is set to have a distance corresponding to the designed optical distance.
Is adjusted, and furthermore, the position of the image detection device 331 including the CCD camera 333 is adjusted so that the parting frame 171 of the ground glass 170 becomes the center (Process S).
4). At this time, a luminance threshold corresponding to the selected model data is read into the memory of the main body 402.

<4-4> Specifying the Number of Scan Lines at Inspection (Process S
5) Next, the number of scanning lines 610 (FIG. 13) for inspecting the optical image 600 detected as a plurality of pixels is specified. The scanning line 610 is a set of pixels arranged in a predetermined direction. In FIG. 13, a vertical scanning line 611 composed of pixels arranged in a vertical direction and a horizontal scanning line 612 composed of pixels arranged in a horizontal direction. Are indicated by solid lines. Increasing the number of such scanning lines 610 increases the number of pixels to be inspected, so that inspection can be performed with higher accuracy. On the other hand, the scanning line 610
When the number of pixels is reduced, the number of pixels to be inspected decreases, so that inspection can be performed in a short time. That is, the number of these scanning lines may be set arbitrarily according to the inspection target.

<4-5> Automatic Inspection (Processing S6) After completing such settings, an inspection start button 700 (FIG. 1)
6) Click to automatically start the inspection. Such an automatic inspection is performed based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

<4-5-1> Formation of Optical Image (Processing S61: Optical Image Forming Procedure) The parallel luminous flux emitted from the light source device 320 is projected onto the ground glass 170 via the lens arrays 113 and 115 and the superimposing lens 119. Thus, an optical image 600 (FIG. 12) is formed.

<4-5-2> Capture of Optical Image (Processing S62: Image Capture Procedure) The projected optical image 600 is picked up by the CCD camera 333, and a signal adapted to the computer by the image capture means 405. And output to the image processing means 410.
The image display unit 430 displays the optical image 600 and the parting frame 171 on the display 401 based on this signal (FIG. 12). The optical image 600 has the highest luminance at a portion corresponding to the central axis, and decreases as the distance from the center increases. That is, the detected optical image 600 gradually becomes darker toward the outside, as schematically shown in FIG.

<4-5-3> Scan Line Inspection (a) Scan Line Inspection in the Lateral Direction (Processing S63) As shown in FIGS.
Image processing means 41 based on the image data
0 is the uppermost horizontal scanning line 61 among the horizontal scanning lines 612.
2A is selected (processing S631), and the luminance value of each pixel on the selected horizontal scanning line 612A is obtained (processing S63).
2: brightness value acquisition procedure).

The luminance value judging section 420 has a horizontal scanning line 612A.
The luminance value obtained for each pixel above is compared with a threshold value registered in advance. Then, in the pixels on the horizontal scanning line 612A, a range of pixels that is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold is detected,
A luminance change point is detected as a boundary position between a pixel that is equal to or larger than the threshold and a pixel that is smaller than the threshold (process S633: luminance change position acquisition step). Note that the image display unit 430 displays a “+” mark at a luminance change position on the display 401. For example, in the horizontal scanning line 612A, FIG.
Marks 602 and 603 of “+” in the drawing are luminance change points.

Next, the image processing means 410 determines whether or not such luminance detection of all the horizontal scanning lines 612 has been completed (process S634: scanning line inspection determination step). If it is determined that the inspection of all the horizontal scanning lines 612 has been completed, the image processing unit 410 ends (processing S63) and proceeds to the next processing (processing S64). On the other hand, when it is determined that the inspection of all the horizontal scanning lines 612 is not completed, the image processing unit 410 determines that the next horizontal scanning line 61
2 (process S635), and the aforementioned (process S63)
2), and finally the horizontal scanning line 612Z in FIG.
To be inspected. As described above, the inspection of the horizontal scanning line is performed.

(B) Scanning line inspection in the vertical direction (process S64) This is substantially the same as the scanning line inspection in the horizontal direction described above, and is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. Whether the direction is horizontal or vertical.
Specifically, in FIG. 14, the leftmost vertical scanning line 611A is selected from the vertical scanning lines 611 (step S64).
1) The luminance value of each pixel of the selected vertical scanning line 611A is obtained (processing S642), and a luminance change point on the vertical scanning line 611A is detected (processing S643). Such detection is performed by changing the leftmost vertical scanning line 611A to the rightmost vertical scanning line 611A.
The same operation is performed up to 11Z (process S644). A more specific procedure is the same as that described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

<4-5-4> Determination of Position of Luminance Change Point As described above, when inspection of all the scanning lines 610 is performed, the luminance value determination unit 420 determines “+” indicating these luminance change points. Is determined in the range inside the parting frame 171 (processing S65: luminance change position determination step). That is, the parting frame 17 requiring a predetermined luminance
If it is determined that there is a portion having insufficient luminance in the first lens array 1, the first lens array 113 to be inspected is defective (processing S66), and if not, the first lens array 113 is inspected. Indicates that the first lens array 113 is a non-defective product (step S67).

When the luminance value judging section 420 judges that there is no “+” sign indicating a luminance change point in the range inside the parting frame 171 as shown in FIG.
0 indicates “O” on the display 401 as shown in FIG.
“K701” is displayed, indicating that the first lens array 113 to be inspected is a non-defective product. On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When it is determined that there is a “+” mark indicating a luminance change point in the range inside (for example, “+” mark 606 in the figure), the image display unit 430 displays the display 40 as shown in FIG.
"NG702" is displayed in 1 to indicate that the first lens array 113 to be inspected is defective. When the range of the “+” mark indicating the luminance change point is largely shifted with respect to the parting frame 171 and is determined to be NG, the shift amount is calculated, and how much movement is required to display a non-defective item is displayed. . Further, by determining whether or not this value is within a specified value and displaying the value, it is possible to rescue an adjustable lens in the optical axis adjustment step, thereby achieving cost reduction.

<4-6> Storage of Inspection Data (Processing S7) When the above-described automatic inspection is completed, the obtained inspection data,
The inspection result is stored in a storage device or the like of the main body 402 as a predetermined data file as needed. Note that the stored inspection data and the like can be displayed in a list format or output to a printer as necessary.

<5> Effects of Embodiment According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since the parting frame 171 corresponding to the illumination area is formed,
If a portion darker than the designed luminance in the parting frame 171 is detected, it can be determined that the product is defective, and the optical characteristics of the first lens array 113 can be easily inspected. For this reason, the optical characteristics of the first lens array 113 can be inspected only by attaching the first lens array 113 to the first lens array holder 312. Therefore, as is conventionally done, all the parts are assembled as a projector. Since there is no need to inspect the first lens array 113, the burden of inspection work can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(2) Since the light source device 320 is provided, a constant luminous flux is always emitted from the light source device 320. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider an error caused by the light source device 320.
For this reason, the first lens array 113 to be inspected can be inspected with high accuracy.

(3) Since a plurality of inspection target installation units are prepared according to the type of the projector 100, the lens arrays 113 and 1 are set according to the type of the projector to be used.
15 Considering that the size and arrangement of the illumination optical elements such as the frosted glass 170 are different, it is not necessary to change the arrangement of the illumination optical elements every time the type of the projector changes. And inspection work can be further reduced.

(4) Optical image 6 detected by CCD 333A
00 and an optical image 60
Since the apparatus is provided with the image processing means for processing 0, the luminance value of the optical image 600 can be automatically measured. For this reason,
Only by comparing the detected parting frame 171 with the processed optical image 600, pass / fail can be easily determined, and the burden of inspection work can be reduced.

(5) Since the apparatus is provided with the luminance value judging section 420, it can be automatically determined whether or not the luminance value in the parting frame 171 of the optical image 600 is equal to or higher than a predetermined luminance, and the inspection work can be reduced.

(6) Since the light source device 320 is configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the illumination optical axis of the emitted parallel light beam, the shape and size of the illumination optical elements such as the first lens array 113 and the second lens array 115 Even if the height or the like changes, the optical distance can be easily adjusted by moving the light source device 320 in the direction of the illumination optical axis in accordance with the change, and it is possible to cope with a plurality of types of illumination optical elements.

(7) Since the inspection target is the lens array 113, 115 as a light beam splitting element, considering that the lens array 113, 115 has a particularly low yield among illumination optical elements, this lens array is considered. 11
Only by inspecting 3,115, the yield of the projector 100 as a finished product can be improved, and the inspection can be performed efficiently.

(8) Since the inspection result and the optical image 600 are displayed on the display 401, the inspection of the first lens array 113 can be easily performed while visually checking the display 401.

(9) Since the number of scanning lines 610 can be selected, the number can be changed according to the inspection object, and the inspection accuracy and inspection time can be adjusted.

(10) Since the inspection can be performed simply by registering various data corresponding to the type of the projector in advance, for example, even if a new type increases, it can be easily dealt with only by inputting data corresponding to the type. . In this case, the inspection target installation unit 317 may be prepared according to the type.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a lens array inspection apparatus 3 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The lens array inspection apparatus 3 according to the second embodiment is different from the lens array inspection apparatus 2 according to the first embodiment in the method of automatic inspection, that is, the method of determining the quality of the first lens array 113. . Therefore, the image processing unit 410
Is provided with a program having a new configuration according to a change in the pass / fail determination method. For other configurations,
This is the same as the first embodiment, and the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted or simplified.

Image processing means 410 constituting main body 402
As shown in FIG. 17, the optical image 600 includes the luminance value determination unit 420 and the image display unit 430. Referring to FIG. The illumination area acquisition unit 451 that acquires the area LA, the illumination area LA and the parting frame 171
Margin calculating section 452 for calculating an illumination margin from the illuminated area PLA partitioned by the following formula, and a center deviation between these centers CA and CL based on the center CA of the illuminated area LA and the center CL of the illuminated area PLA. A deviation amount calculation unit 453 for calculating the amount and a quality judgment unit 454 for judging the quality of the first lens array 113 based on the illumination margin and the center deviation amount are provided. A specific processing procedure will be described later.

<6> Inspection of Lens Array by Inspection Apparatus In the inspection apparatus 3 of the lens array, the inspection of the first lens array 113 is performed according to the procedure shown in FIGS. Since the procedure shown in FIG. 9 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description is omitted. Also, in FIG.
Steps S61 to S67 are substantially the same as the processing shown in FIG. 10 in the first embodiment. However, the first
In the embodiment, only the defective product is determined in the process 66. However, in the present embodiment, the process 66 in FIG.
According to the procedure shown in FIG. 9, from among the first lens arrays 113 determined to be defective in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the first lens array 113 is determined to be defective due to a mere displacement of the first lens array 113. The quality of one lens array 113 is determined.

Next, based on the flowchart of FIG. 19, FIG.
This pass / fail judgment (step S6)
Step 6) will be described. FIG. 20 shows the light source device 32.
The parallel light flux emitted from the lens array 113,1
15 is a diagram in which an optical image 600 projected on a ground glass 170 on which a parting frame 171 is formed via a superimposing lens 119 is displayed on a display 401. FIG. As shown in FIG. 20, in the plane of the ground glass 170 orthogonal to the illumination optical axis of the parallel light flux, a rectangular parting frame 1 is formed.
An orthogonal coordinate system including an X axis and a Y axis is set along two orthogonal sides 71.

In inspecting the first lens array 113, first, the illuminated area PLA defined by the parting frame 171 is specified (step S661). Subsequently, in the specified illuminated area PLA, the X-axis distance LX of the illuminated area PLA which is the length dimension in the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis of the illuminated area PLA which is the length dimension in the Y-axis direction. Direction distance L
Y and the illuminated area center C which is the center of the illuminated area PLA
L is obtained (step S662).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, first,
In the rectangular illuminated area PLA, the XY coordinates of all the pixels constituting the four sides PLA1 to PLA4 which are the ends are obtained. Next, two sides PLA1, PLA parallel to the Y-axis direction
In A2, X of each pixel on each side PLA1, PLA2
An average X coordinate obtained by averaging the coordinates is obtained. On the other hand, X
In two sides PLA3 and PLA4 parallel to the axial direction, each side PL
An average Y coordinate is obtained by averaging the Y coordinates of each pixel in A3 and PLA4. Note that these average X coordinates,
The average Y coordinate may be obtained based on design position coordinate data for each projector model stored in the main body 402 of the personal computer 400 in advance. In this case, the average Y coordinate may be retrieved from a storage unit or the like (not shown) of the main body 402. .

Then, the two opposing sides PLA1, PLA2
Average X coordinates at each other or two sides PLA facing each other
3. The distance LX in the X-axis direction and the distance LY in the Y-axis direction of the illuminated area PLA are obtained based on the average Y coordinates in PLA4. Further, based on the XY coordinates and the like of the four vertices in the rectangular illuminated area PLA, the illuminated area PLA
To obtain the illuminated area center CL, which is the center XY coordinate of.

Next, in the projected optical image 600,
A substantially rectangular illumination region L which is a region having a luminance threshold value or more that is set in advance, that is, a region surrounded by “+” marks 602 and 603 (see FIG. 14) indicating the luminance change point.
A is specified by the illumination area acquisition unit 451 (processing S66)
3: Lighting area acquisition procedure). The illumination area LA is specified by the XY coordinates of each pixel that is configured.

Here, in specifying the illumination area LA, depending on the timing of the image pickup by the CCD camera 333, each of the sides LA1 to LA1 which is the end of the rectangular illumination area LA
The position of LA4 may change, and the XY coordinates of the end may vary. Therefore, in order to eliminate such variations and to reliably specify the illumination area LA, the image processing means 41
In the case of 0, the imaging by the CCD camera 333 is performed a plurality of times, and the averaging process using the plurality of captured images is performed.

Subsequently, in the illumination area LA specified in this manner, the illumination area L having a length dimension in the X-axis direction is used.
A distance AX in the X-axis direction of A, a distance AY in the Y-axis direction of the illumination area LA, which is a length dimension in the Y-axis direction, and an illumination area center CA, which is the center of the illumination area LA, are obtained (step S66).
4). Specifically, first, in the rectangular illumination area LA, the XY coordinates of all the pixels on the four sides LA1 to LA4 which are the ends are obtained. Next, two sides LA parallel to the Y-axis direction
Among the XY coordinates of all the pixels constituting the left side LA1, the X coordinate having the largest value (the rightmost X coordinate in the figure) is obtained for the left side LA1 on the left side in FIG. On the other hand, on the right side LA2 on the right side in the drawing, the right side LA2
Among the XY coordinates of all the pixels constituting the pixel 2, the X coordinate having the smallest value (the X coordinate on the leftmost side in the figure) is obtained.

Similarly, two sides LA3 and L2 parallel to the X-axis direction
In A4, the upper side LA3 in the upper part of the figure
Among the XY coordinates of all the pixels that make up No. 3, the smallest Y coordinate (the lowest Y coordinate in the figure) is determined.
On the other hand, in the lower side LA4 on the lower side in the drawing, Y which is the largest value among the XY coordinates of all the pixels constituting the lower side LA4 is used.
The coordinates (the uppermost Y coordinate in the figure) are obtained.

Then, the X-axis direction distance AX of the illumination area LA, which is the length in the X-axis direction, is obtained based on the respective X coordinates on the two opposing sides LA1 and LA2. Further, based on each Y coordinate on the two opposite sides LA3 and LA4, Y
Distance A in the Y-axis direction of the illumination area LA, which is the length in the axial direction.
Find Y. Furthermore, 4 in the rectangular illumination area LA
An illumination area center CA, which is the center XY coordinate of the illumination area LA, is acquired based on the XY coordinates of the two vertices.

Next, the illumination margin calculation section 452 shifts the illumination area LA with respect to the illumination area PLA based on the X-axis distance LX of the illumination area PLA and the X-axis distance AX of the illumination area LA. An X-axis direction illumination margin (apportioned value) indicating how much room is left in the X-axis direction is calculated (process S665: illumination margin calculation procedure). Specifically, it is calculated based on the following Equation 1.

[0095]

(Equation 1)

Here, about 30 first lens arrays 113 are prepared as standard samples previously determined to be non-defective, and the X-axis direction illumination margin is calculated for each of these first lens arrays 113 in advance. And
The average value of about 30 X-axis direction illumination margins calculated in this way is specified as a standard value of the X-axis direction illumination margin. Note that the X-axis direction illumination margin varies depending on the model of the projector, but is usually 0.5 mm to 1.0 m.
It is a value of about m. Further, the number of non-defective first lens arrays 113 to be prepared is not limited to 30, and may be any as long as a standard value can be specified. Such a standard value may be specified in advance before the automatic inspection, and may be called up at the time of the automatic inspection as needed.

Next, the pass / fail determination unit 454 compares the calculated X-axis direction illumination margin with the standard value to determine whether the calculated X-axis direction illumination margin is equal to or greater than the standard value (processing). S666: pass / fail judgment procedure). As a result of the determination, if the calculated X-axis direction illumination margin is smaller than the standard value, it is determined to be “defective” (step S67).
2). On the other hand, if the calculated X-axis direction illumination margin is equal to or larger than the standard value, the process proceeds to the next process S667.

Next, in the illumination margin calculation section 452, the distance LY in the Y-axis direction of the illuminated area PLA is
And the Y-axis direction distance AY of the illumination area LA, the Y-axis direction illumination margin (proportion value) indicating how much the illumination area LA has in the Y-axis direction with respect to the illumination area PLA is calculated. (Processing S667: illumination margin calculation procedure). Specifically, it is calculated based on the following equation (2).

[0099]

(Equation 2)

Here, the standard value of the Y-axis direction illumination margin is specified in advance as in the case of the X-axis direction illumination margin. The illumination margin in the Y-axis direction also differs depending on the type of projector, similarly to the illumination margin in the X-axis direction, but is usually about 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm.

Next, the pass / fail determination unit 454 compares the calculated Y-axis direction illumination margin with the standard value, and determines whether the calculated Y-axis direction illumination margin is equal to or larger than the standard value (step S668). : Pass / fail judgment procedure). As a result of the determination, if the calculated Y-axis direction illumination margin is smaller than the standard value, it is determined to be “defective” (step S67).
2). If the calculated Y-axis direction illumination margin is equal to or larger than the standard value, the process proceeds to the next process S669.

Next, the deviation calculating section 453 calculates the central deviation between the centers CA and CL in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction based on the calculated illumination area center CA and illumination area center CL. (Step S669: deviation amount calculation procedure). At this time, the central deviation amount in the X-axis direction is GX, and the central deviation amount in the Y-axis direction is GY. Thus, the center C
The central deviation amount between A and CL is expressed as (GX, GY).

Next, an X-axis direction deviation LXN is calculated from the X coordinates of the left side PLA1 of the illuminated area PLA and the left side LA1 of the illuminated area LA.
The Y-axis direction deviation amount LYN is calculated from the respective Y coordinates of the upper side PLA3 and the upper side LA3 of the illumination area LA (Step S).
670). In addition, these axial deviation amounts LXN, LY
N may be obtained in advance when obtaining each of the above-mentioned illumination margins. As a result, these axial deviation amounts LXN and LYN are obtained based on the respective illumination margins.

Next, the pass / fail determination unit 454 determines whether the calculated central deviation GX is greater than or equal to the X-axis deviation LXN and whether the calculated central deviation GY is greater than or equal to the Y-axis deviation LYN. (Process S671: Good / No good judgment procedure).
As a result of the determination, when the calculated center deviation amount GX is equal to or larger than the X-axis direction deviation amount LXN and the center deviation amount GY is equal to or larger than the Y-axis direction deviation amount LYN, the process proceeds to step S673. On the other hand, at other times, that is, the calculated center deviation amount G
When at least one of the case where X is smaller than the X-axis direction deviation amount LXN and the case where the center deviation amount GY is smaller than the Y-axis direction deviation amount LYN are satisfied, a "defective product"
Is determined (step S672).

Next, a standard value of the center deviation amount is set in advance, and the pass / fail determination unit 454 determines the calculated center deviation amount (G
X, GY) are equal to or smaller than a standard value (processing S673: pass / fail determination procedure). The standard value of the center deviation amount can be set by inspecting about 30 non-defective products as described above. The standard value of the center deviation amount may be the standard value of each illumination margin or the first lens array 1 to be inspected.
The setting can also be made in consideration of, for example, how much the installation shift may be caused when 13 is installed in the holder 312. The standard value of the center deviation amount is usually 0.1 m
m.

As a result of the determination, the calculated center deviation (G
"X, GY) is larger than the standard value," installation deviation "
Is determined (step S674). When the calculated center deviation amount (GX, GY) is equal to or less than the standard value,
It is determined to be "good" (process S675). Therefore, the central deviation amount GX is equal to or greater than the X-axis direction deviation amount LXN and within a predetermined standard value, and the central deviation amount GY is equal to the Y-axis direction deviation amount LY.
When N is equal to or more than a predetermined standard value, that is, when the respective center deviation amounts GX and GY are within a predetermined range value,
It will be determined to be "good".

As described above, pass / fail judgment (step S6)
6) is performed. At this time, if it is determined as “non-defective” in the process S66, as described above, as shown in FIG.
“OK 701” is displayed on the display 401, and “NG 702” is displayed on the display 401 when it is determined to be “defective”.

If it is determined that the first lens array 113 is misplaced, the first lens array 113 is re-installed on the holder 312, and the inspection is performed again to confirm whether the first lens array 113 is truly “non-defective”. May be. Thus, the pass / fail judgment (process S66) ends, and the automatic inspection ends.

When the above-described automatic inspection is completed, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the calculated X-axis direction illumination margin (AX
-LX) / 2, Y-axis direction illumination margin (AY-LY) /
2. The data of the central deviation amounts (GX, GY) and the axial deviation amounts LXN, LYN are stored in the main body 40 of the personal computer 400.
2 is stored in the hard disk or the like (process S7). In addition,
Every time the stored data reaches 1 Mbyte, a message indicating that the data has reached 1 Mbyte is displayed on the display 401. Thus, the inspection of the first lens array 113 is completed.

<7> Effects of the Embodiment According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (2) to (10) in the first embodiment. (11) Since the determination is automatically made based on the calculation of each illumination margin and the amount of center deviation GX, GY, the optical characteristics of the first lens array 113 can be easily inspected. For this reason, the optical characteristics of the first lens array 113 can be inspected only by attaching the first lens array 113 to the first lens array holder 312. Therefore, as is conventionally done, all the parts are assembled as a projector. Since there is no need to inspect the first lens array 113, the burden of inspection work can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(12) Since the X-axis direction illumination margin, the Y-axis direction illumination margin, and the standard deviation amount, which are determined to be defective due to the displacement of the first lens array 113, are determined, the pass / fail status is determined. Determination Procedure (Process S66)
6, processing S668, processing S670), based on the calculated X-axis illumination margin, Y-axis illumination margin, and the amount of center deviation, the first lens array 113 determined to be defective due to installation deviation is also reliably determined. it can. For this reason, a defective product can be surely made a good product, so that the yield of the first lens array 113 can be improved.

(13) In the case where the luminance side change point falls within the parting frame 171, in the pass / fail judgment procedure (process S666, process S668, process S671, process S673), X
If the illumination margins in the axial direction and the Y-axis direction are larger than the standard value and the center deviation amounts GX and GY are within a predetermined range value, the first lens array 113 is determined to be non-defective (step S673). For this reason, the pass / fail can be easily determined only by setting each standard value in advance.

(14) In the case where the luminance side change point falls within the parting frame 171, in the pass / fail judgment procedure (process S666, process S668, process S671, process S673), X
The respective illumination margins in the axial direction and the Y-axis direction are larger than the standard value, the central deviation GX is greater than or equal to the X-axis deviation LXN, the central deviation GY is greater than or equal to the Y-axis deviation LYN, If the amounts GX and GY are larger than the predetermined standard value, it is determined that the first lens array 113 is misplaced (step S674). Therefore, it is possible to reliably and easily determine whether or not the first lens array 113 is simply misaligned by simply setting each standard value in advance.

(15) Illumination area LA and illumination area PLA
The X-axis and the Y-axis are set along two orthogonal sides in the above, and the illumination margin in each axis direction is calculated along the X-axis and the Y-axis. These illumination margins can be easily calculated.

(16) Each side LA1 to L1 of the illumination area LA
In A4, the distance AX in the X-axis direction and the distance AY in the Y-axis direction are set from the XY coordinates at which the illumination area LA becomes the smallest, so that the illumination area LA having a predetermined luminance value can be specified with certainty. The illumination margin can be calculated accurately.

(17) In imaging the illumination area LA, the averaging process is performed after performing the imaging multiple times, so that the variation in the XY coordinates of the specified illumination area LA can be suppressed. Thereby, the accuracy of the inspection result can be improved.

(18) Each standard value of each illumination margin and the amount of center deviation can be easily obtained, for example, by preparing and inspecting about 30 non-defective first lens arrays 113. For this reason, these standard values are stored in the first lens array 1.
13 or the basic data when the design of the projector 100 is changed.

<8> Modifications of Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes other configurations that can achieve the object of the present invention. Included in the present invention. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the parting frame 171 is
Although it was formed in the shape of a scribe, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is set so that a parting frame 171 is displayed on the display 401 in accordance with what is written on the ground glass 170 with a pen or the like and the type of the selected projector. May be. However, each of the above embodiments has an advantage that a setting error or the like is less likely to occur, and the range can be reliably specified. In addition, although the frosted glass 170 was employed as the projection plate, the invention is not limited thereto.
It may be made of various plastics such as acryl, resin, or other materials such as a commercially available transmission screen.

In each of the above embodiments, the image processing device 330
However, these need not be particularly provided, and in other words, any configuration may be used as long as the luminance value in the parting frame 171 can be confirmed to determine the quality. However, each of the embodiments has an advantage that the quality can be automatically and easily determined.

In the above embodiments, the light source lamp 111A
Is a halogen lamp, but the present invention is not limited to this, and another lamp may be used. Although the light source device 320 does not include a reflector, the light source device 320 may include a reflector. Furthermore, although the collimator lens 112 and the light source lamp 111A are integrated to constitute the light source device 320, the light source device 320 may not be particularly integrated. However, each of the above-described embodiments has an advantage of saving time and effort since each can be arranged at a time. In addition, the light source device 320 is configured to be able to move back and forth with respect to the illumination optical axis. However, the light source device 320 may be configured so as not to advance and retreat in order to improve model switchability. For example, the light source device itself may be replaced depending on the model.

In the above embodiments, each of the holders 312-3
Although the inspection object installation unit 317 in which the lens 15 is integrated is configured, in particular, it is not necessary to integrate as described above. For example, some holders such as only the lens array holders 312 and 313 are integrated. It is good also as an integrated configuration. However, each of the above embodiments has an advantage that the inspection can be performed without labor.

In each of the above embodiments, the object to be inspected is the first lens array 113. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the second lens array 115 may be used. Should be used. Also,
Lens arrays 113 and 115 and collimator lens 1
12 may be used as a standard sample, and the superimposing lens 119 may be used as an inspection target. By doing so, inspection of not only the first lens array 113 but also other illumination optical elements can be easily performed, and high manufacturing costs due to inspection work can be suppressed.

In each of the above embodiments, the number of scanning lines 610 is selectable. However, the number of scanning lines 610 may be specified. However, each of the embodiments has an advantage that it can be changed depending on the inspection target. In the above embodiments, the scanning line inspection is performed from the horizontal scanning line 612, but the inspection may be performed from the vertical scanning line 611. In the above embodiments, the lens array 11 to be inspected is
Reference numerals 3 and 115 denote optical elements constituting the integrator illumination optical system 110 of the projector 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and lens arrays used for other purposes are also inspected by the inspection apparatus according to the present invention. You may.

Here, in the second embodiment, in the illumination margin calculation procedure (steps S665 and S667), the calculation is performed based on the X-axis distance AX and the Y-axis distance AY in the illuminated area PLA and the illumination area LA. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the illumination margin is calculated based on the number of pixels of the illumination area LA as the area of the illumination area LA and the number of pixels of the illumination area PLA as the area of the illumination area PLA. You may. In such a case, based on the difference between the areas of the illumination area LA and the illuminated area PLA,
There is an advantage that the illumination margin can be easily calculated.

In the second embodiment, after determining whether or not the X-axis illumination margin is good or not (step S666), whether or not the Y-axis direction illumination margin is good or not is determined (step S667).
Thereafter, the quality determination of the center deviation amount is performed.
669), the order of these pass / fail judgments is not particularly limited. In short, all these three good / bad judgments need only be made.

In the second embodiment, each pass / fail judgment is made after the position judgment of the luminance change point (step S65) (steps S666, S668, S67).
0), the order is not particularly limited.

Further, in the second embodiment, the X axis and the Y axis are defined by two rectangular sides PLA1 to PLA4, which are orthogonal to each other in the rectangular parting frame 171 and the rectangular illumination area LA.
Although set along LA1 to LA4, the rectangular coordinate system may be set not only in this direction but also in other directions. However, the embodiment has an advantage that the arithmetic processing can be simplified.

[0128]

As described above, according to the illumination optical element inspection apparatus and the illumination optical element inspection method according to the present invention, since the parting frame corresponding to the illumination area is formed, the design within the parting frame is performed. If a portion darker than the above luminance is detected, it can be determined that the product is defective, and the optical characteristics of the illumination optical element can be easily inspected. For this reason, the optical characteristics of the illumination optical element can be inspected simply by attaching the illumination optical element to the holder, so that it is necessary to inspect the illumination optical element after assembling all the parts as a projector as conventionally performed. Since there is no inspection, the burden of inspection work can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a projector employing an illumination optical element to be inspected by an inspection apparatus according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view and a side view showing a structure of an illumination optical element in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing a focal position of an illumination optical element in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the appearance of the inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the structure of the inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a projection plate in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a structure of a holder in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an inspection device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an inspection procedure by an inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an inspection procedure by the inspection device in the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an inspection procedure by an inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the contents displayed on the display screen of the inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the content displayed on the display screen of the inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing contents displayed on a display screen of the inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing contents displayed on a display screen of the inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the content displayed on the display screen of the inspection device in each of the embodiments.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an inspection device in the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic inspection in the second embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a procedure of quality judgment in the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing an illuminated area and an illuminated area in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Inspection Device for Illumination Optical Element 100 Projector 111A as Optical Equipment Light Source Lamp as Light Source 113 First Lens Array as Illumination Optical Element 115 Second Lens Array as Illumination Optical Element 119 Superposition Lens as Illumination Optical Element 170 Projection Plate Frosted glass 171 parting frame 300 inspection device main body 310 detection device 312 first lens array holder 313 second lens array holder 314 superimposed lens holder 315 ground glass holder 317 inspection target installation unit 320 light source device 330 image processing device 332 image detection device 333 CCD Camera 333A CCD 405 serving as an image sensor 405 Image capturing unit 410 Image processing unit 420 Brightness value determining unit 430 Image display unit 600 Optical image 610 Scanning line AX X-axis distance of illumination area AY Y of illumination area Axial distance CA Center of illumination area CL Center of illumination area LA Illumination area LX Distance in X axis direction of illumination area LY Distance in Y axis direction of illumination area PLA Illumination area

Claims (14)

[Claims] An illumination optical element inspection apparatus for inspecting optical characteristics of an illumination optical element by detecting a light beam emitted from a light source via the illumination optical element, the illumination optical element being an inspection object. A holder for holding, and a projection plate for projecting an optical image of a light beam emitted from the illumination optical element held by the holder, wherein a projection frame corresponding to an illumination area of the illumination optical element is formed on the projection plate. An inspection device for an illumination optical element, comprising: 2. The inspection apparatus for an illumination optical element according to claim 1, further comprising a light source device for supplying a light beam to the illumination optical element. 3. The inspection device for an illumination optical element according to claim 2, wherein the light source device is configured to emit a parallel light beam.
An inspection apparatus for an illumination optical element, wherein the inspection apparatus is capable of moving back and forth with respect to an illumination optical axis of the emitted parallel light beam. 4. The inspection apparatus for an illumination optical element according to claim 1, wherein the holder and the projection plate are configured as an integrated inspection object installation unit, and the inspection object installation is performed. An inspection apparatus for an illumination optical element, wherein a plurality of units are prepared according to the type of optical equipment in which the illumination optical element to be inspected is used. 5. The inspection device for an illumination optical element according to claim 1, further comprising: an image detection device that detects the optical image projected on the projection plate and the parting frame. The detection device is an image sensor, image capturing means for capturing an optical image detected by the image sensor, image processing means for processing the optical image captured by the image capturing means,
An inspection device for an illumination optical element, comprising: 6. The illumination optical element inspection device according to claim 5, wherein the image processing unit includes a luminance value determination unit that determines a luminance value of an optical image captured from the image pickup device. Inspection device for illumination optical elements. 7. The illumination optical element inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination optical element is a light beam splitting element that splits a light beam emitted from a light source into a plurality of partial light beams. An inspection apparatus for an illumination optical element. 8. An illumination optical element inspection method for inspecting optical characteristics of the illumination optical element by detecting a light beam emitted from a light source via the illumination optical element, the illumination optical element including: An optical image forming procedure of forming an optical image of a light beam emitted through the illumination optical element on a projection plate on which a corresponding parting frame is formed, and capturing an optical image formed by the optical image forming procedure An image capturing procedure for capturing using the element and the image capturing means, a brightness value obtaining procedure for obtaining a brightness value of the captured optical image, and the illumination based on the brightness value obtained in the brightness value obtaining procedure. A quality determination procedure for determining the quality of the optical element. 9. The method for inspecting an illumination optical element according to claim 8, wherein the pass / fail judgment step is performed by setting a predetermined luminance threshold value among luminance values acquired on a scanning line along the parting frame. And a luminance change position determining step of determining whether the obtained luminance change position is within the parting frame. Inspection method of illumination optical element. 10. An illumination optical element inspection method for inspecting optical characteristics of the illumination optical element by detecting a light beam emitted from a light source via the illumination optical element, the illumination optical element including: An optical image forming procedure of forming an optical image of a light beam emitted through the illumination optical element on a projection plate on which a corresponding parting frame is formed, and capturing an optical image formed by the optical image forming procedure An image capturing procedure for capturing using the element and the image capturing means, a brightness value obtaining procedure for obtaining a brightness value of the captured optical image, and a brightness threshold value which is equal to or greater than a preset brightness threshold among the obtained brightness values. An illumination area acquisition procedure for acquiring an area as an illumination area of the optical image; an illumination margin calculation procedure for calculating an illumination margin from the acquired illumination area and an illuminated area partitioned by the parting frame; A deviation amount calculating step of calculating a deviation amount of each center based on the illumination area center obtained from the bright area obtaining procedure and the illuminated area center obtained from the parting frame; On the basis of,
An inspection method of the illumination optical element, comprising: a quality judgment procedure for judging the quality of the illumination optical element. 11. The method for inspecting an illumination optical element according to claim 10, wherein the pass / fail determination step is performed when the illumination margin is larger than a predetermined value and the center deviation amount is within a predetermined range value. A method for inspecting an illumination optical element, wherein the illumination optical element is determined to be non-defective. 12. The method for inspecting an illumination optical element according to claim 10, wherein the pass / fail determination step is performed when the illumination margin is larger than a predetermined value and the center deviation is within a predetermined range value. In some cases, it is determined that the installation of the illumination optical element is misaligned. 13. The method for inspecting an illumination optical element according to claim 10, wherein an orthogonal coordinate system including an X axis and a Y axis is set in a plane orthogonal to an illumination optical axis of the light flux. The illumination margin calculation step calculates an X-axis illumination margin based on the X-axis distance of the illumination area and the X-axis distance of the illuminated area, and calculates the Y-axis distance of the illumination area and the A method for inspecting an illumination optical element, comprising calculating a Y-axis direction illumination margin based on a Y-axis direction distance of a region to be illuminated. 14. The method for inspecting an illumination optical element according to claim 10, wherein the illumination margin calculation step is performed based on an area of the illumination area and an area of the illumination target area. The method for inspecting an illumination optical element, wherein: