JP2021021878A - Projection display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a projection type display device in which deterioration of an electro-optical device due to light is suppressed. A projector 1 includes a liquid crystal device 343B as an electro-optical device having a microlens on an opposing substrate on the light incident side, and a light shielding member 50 that shields a central portion of incident light on the light incident side of the liquid crystal device 343B. , Equipped with. [Selection diagram] Fig. 2

Description

The present invention relates to a projection type display device.

Conventionally, a projector equipped with three liquid crystal devices, which are electro-optical devices, has been known as an optical modulation means. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a projection type display device provided with an ultraviolet absorbing filter on the light incident side of a blue liquid crystal panel. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a projector provided with a light-shielding means on the B light incident side of the liquid crystal panel for B. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a liquid crystal projector provided with a light-shielding plate on the light source side of the liquid crystal panel for B color light.

JP-A-2009-145911 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-226814 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-222002

However, the projectors of Patent Documents 1 to 3 have a problem that it is difficult to suppress deterioration of the liquid crystal due to incident light. Specifically, although a light-shielding means is provided on the incident side of the light, the intensity of the incident light is increased in the central portion of each pixel of the liquid crystal device. In particular, in a liquid crystal device having a microlens array on the light incident side, the incident light is collected by the microlens array, and the intensity of the incident light in the central portion is further increased. Therefore, when the projector is used for a long period of time, the deterioration of the liquid crystal tends to progress in the central portion of each pixel, and the display quality of the projector may be impaired. That is, there has been a demand for a projection type display device that suppresses deterioration of the electro-optical device due to light.

The projection type display device includes an electro-optical device having a microlens on a substrate on the light incident side, and a light-shielding member on the light-incident side of the electro-optical device to block a central portion of incident light.

The projection type display device includes a plurality of electro-optic devices, and the light-shielding member is preferably arranged in the electro-optic device in which the shortest wavelength incident light is incident among the plurality of electro-optic devices.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, it is preferable that the light-shielding member includes a light-shielding body, and the opening / closing of the light-shielding body is controlled so as to spread from the center to the outside.

The projection type display device preferably includes a drive unit that drives the opening and closing of the light-shielding body.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, the light-shielding member preferably has a tubular portion and a plurality of bone portions connected to the tubular portion and the light-shielding body.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, it is preferable that the drive unit has a slide portion for moving the tubular portion, and the light-shielding body is opened and closed by moving the tubular portion along the slide portion.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, it is preferable that the opening and closing of the light-shielding body is controlled according to the image information.

The perspective view which shows the appearance of the projector which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of a projector. The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the light source device. The schematic plan view which shows the structure of the liquid crystal apparatus. Schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a liquid crystal apparatus. The schematic cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the light-shielding member. The schematic cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the light-shielding member. The schematic plan view which shows the light-shielding region by a light-shielding member in an incident optical path. The schematic plan view which shows the region where the deterioration of the liquid crystal in a pixel is easy to progress. The graph which shows the intensity of the incident light in a pixel.

1. 1. First Embodiment In the present embodiment, as a projection type display device, a projector provided with three liquid crystal devices which are electro-optical devices will be exemplified.

1.1. Configuration of Projector FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the projector according to the first embodiment. The projector 1 of the present embodiment modulates the light emitted from the light source device with a liquid crystal device which is an optical modulation means to form an image according to the image information, and the formed image is displayed on a projected surface such as a screen. It is an image display device that magnifies and projects. As shown in FIG. 1, the projector 1 includes an exterior housing 2 that constitutes the exterior.

1.1.1. Structure of Exterior Housing The exterior housing 2 has a top surface portion 21, a bottom surface portion 22, a front surface portion 23, a back surface portion 24, a left side surface portion 25, and a right side surface portion 26, and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The bottom surface portion 22 has a plurality of leg portions 221 in contact with the installation surface on which the projector 1 is placed. The front portion 23 is located on the projection side of the image in the exterior housing 2. The front portion 23 has an opening 231 that exposes a part of the projection optical device 36 described later, and the image projected by the projection optical device 36 passes through the opening 231. Further, the front portion 23 has an exhaust port 232 in which the cooling gas that has cooled the inside of the projector 1 is discharged to the outside of the outer housing 2. The right side surface portion 26 has an introduction port 261 that introduces a gas such as air outside the outer housing 2 into the inside as a cooling gas.

1.1.2. Internal Configuration of the Projector FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the projector 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the projector 1 further includes an image projection device 3 housed in the outer housing 2. In addition, although not shown, the projector 1 is a control device for controlling the operation of the projector 1, a power supply device for supplying electric power to electronic components of the projector 1, and a cooling device for cooling a light source device in the projector 1. To be equipped. The operation of the projector 1 includes opening and closing a light-shielding body included in the light-shielding member described later. The power supply device also supplies electric power to a drive unit of a light-shielding member, which will be described later.

The image projection device 3 forms and projects an image according to the image information input from the control device. The image projection device 3 includes a light source device 4, a homogenization device 31, a color separation device 32, a relay device 33, an image forming device 34, an optical component housing 35, and a projection optical device 36. The light source device 4 emits illumination light. The configuration of the light source device 4 will be described later.

The homogenizing device 31 homogenizes the illumination light emitted from the light source device 4. The homogenized illumination light passes through the color separation device 32 and the relay device 33, and illuminates the modulation region of the liquid crystal device 343 described later in the image forming apparatus 34. The illumination light becomes incident light to the liquid crystal device 343, which will be described later.

The homogenizing device 31 includes two lens arrays 311, 312, a polarization converting element 313, and a superimposing lens 314. The color separator 32 separates the light incident from the homogenizer 31 into red, green, and blue color lights. The color separator 32 includes two dichroic mirrors 321 and 322 and a reflection mirror 323 that reflects blue light separated by the dichroic mirror 321.

The relay device 33 is provided in the optical path of red light, which is longer than the optical path of other colored light, and suppresses the loss of blue light. The relay device 33 includes an incident side lens 331, a relay lens 333, and reflection mirrors 332 and 334. In this embodiment, the relay device 33 is provided on the optical path of blue light. From the viewpoint of securing a space for arranging the light-shielding member 50 described later, it is preferable to provide the relay device 33 on the optical path of blue light.

The image forming apparatus 34 modulates the incident red, green, and blue colored lights, and synthesizes the modulated colored lights to form an image. The image forming apparatus 34 includes three field lenses 341, three incident-side polarizing plates 342, a plurality of liquid crystal devices 343 as electro-optical devices, one light-shielding member 50, and three viewing angles, which are provided according to the incident colored light. A compensation plate 344, three emitting side polarizing plates 345, and one color synthesizer 346 are provided.

The liquid crystal device 343 modulates the light emitted from the light source device 4 according to the image information. The liquid crystal device 343 includes a liquid crystal device 343R for red light, a liquid crystal device 343G for green light, and a liquid crystal device 343B for blue light. In the present embodiment, the liquid crystal device 343 is composed of a transmissive liquid crystal panel, and the liquid crystal light bulb is composed of the incident side polarizing plate 342, the liquid crystal device 343, and the outgoing side polarizing plate 345. Further, each of the three liquid crystal devices 343 has a microlens (not shown) on the light incident side, in other words, on the light incident surface. The light incident side of the liquid crystal device 343 means the area between the light source device 4 and the liquid crystal device 343 in the internal configuration of the projector 1.

Of the three liquid crystal devices 343, the light-shielding member 50 is arranged on the light incident side in the liquid crystal device 343B to which the incident light having the shortest wavelength is incident. Specifically, the light-shielding member 50 is arranged between the liquid crystal device 343B and the incident-side polarizing plate 342 for blue light. Here, the incident light having the shortest wavelength is, for example, blue light. The wavelength range to which the blue light belongs is not particularly limited, but is, for example, in the range of 430 nm to 495 nm. Further, the incident light having a wavelength longer than that of blue light is, for example, green light or red light. The wavelength range to which the green light belongs is not particularly limited, but is, for example, in the range of 495 nm to 570 nm. The wavelength range to which the red light belongs is not particularly limited, but is, for example, in the range of 610 nm to 750 nm.

The light-shielding member 50 may be arranged in the liquid crystal devices 343G and 343R, but is preferably arranged in the liquid crystal device 343B for blue light. Since the light having a short wavelength is more likely to induce the deterioration of the liquid crystal than the light having a long wavelength, the deterioration of the liquid crystal can be suppressed in the liquid crystal apparatus 343B. Further, the light shielding member 50 may be arranged in two or more of the three liquid crystal devices 343. Further, the light-shielding member 50 is not limited to being arranged between the liquid crystal device 343 and the incident side polarizing plate 342, and may be arranged in the middle of the optical path on the light incident side of the liquid crystal device 343. Details of the liquid crystal device 343 and the light-shielding member 50 will be described later.

The color synthesizer 346 synthesizes each color light modulated by the liquid crystal devices 343B, 343G, and 343R to form an image. In the present embodiment, the color synthesizer 346 is composed of a cross dichroic prism, but is not limited to this, and may be composed of, for example, a plurality of dichroic mirrors.

The housing 35 for optical components accommodates the image forming apparatus 34 from the homogenizing apparatus 31 described above. The image projection device 3 is set with an illumination optical axis Ax, which is a design optical axis, and the housing 35 for optical components is an image forming device from the homogenizing device 31 at a predetermined position on the illumination optical axis Ax. Holds 34. The light source device 4 and the projection optical device 36 are arranged at predetermined positions on the illumination optical axis Ax.

The projection optical device 36 magnifies and projects the image incident from the image forming device 34 onto the projected surface. That is, the projection optical device 36 projects the light modulated by the liquid crystal devices 343B, 343G, 343R. The projection optical device 36 is configured as, for example, a group lens in which a plurality of lenses are housed in a tubular lens barrel.

1.1.3. Configuration of Light Source Device FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the light source device 4. The light source device 4 emits the illumination light to the homogenizing device 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the light source device 4 includes a light source housing CA, a light source unit 41 housed in the light source housing CA, an afocal optical element 42, a homogenizer optical element 43, and a polarization separating element 44. It includes a first light source element 45, a wavelength conversion element 46, a first phase difference element 47, a second light source element 48, a diffusion reflection device 49, and a second phase difference element RP. The light source housing CA is configured as a closed housing in which dust and the like do not easily enter the inside.

The light source unit 41, the afocal optical element 42, the homogenizer optical element 43, the polarization separating element 44, the first retardation element 47, the second condensing element 48, and the diffuse reflection device 49 are set in the light source device 4. It is arranged on the illumination optical axis Ax1. The wavelength conversion element 46, the first condensing element 45, the polarization separating element 44, and the second retardation element RP are set in the light source device 4 and are arranged on the illumination optical axis Ax2 orthogonal to the illumination optical axis Ax1. ..

The light source unit 41 includes a light source 411 that emits light and a collimator lens 415. The light source 411 includes a plurality of first semiconductor lasers 412, a plurality of second semiconductor lasers 413, and a support member 414. The first semiconductor laser 412 emits s-polarized blue light L1s, which is excitation light. The blue light L1s is, for example, laser light having a peak wavelength of 440 nm. The blue light L1s emitted from the first semiconductor laser 412 is incident on the wavelength conversion element 46. The second semiconductor laser 413 emits p-polarized blue light L2p. The blue light L2p is, for example, laser light having a peak wavelength of 460 nm. The blue light L2p emitted from the second semiconductor laser 413 is incident on the diffuse reflector 49.

The support member 414 supports a plurality of first semiconductor lasers 412 and a plurality of second semiconductor lasers 413 arranged in an array on a plane orthogonal to the illumination optical axis Ax1. The support member 414 is a metal member having thermal conductivity. The support member 414 may be connected to the cooling device described above to cool the heat of each semiconductor laser 421,413, that is, the heat of the light source 411.

The blue light L1s emitted from the first semiconductor laser 412 and the blue light L2p emitted from the second semiconductor laser 413 are converted into parallel light beams by the collimator lens 415 and incident on the afocal optical element 42. In the present embodiment, the light source 411 is configured to emit s-polarized blue light L1s and p-polarized blue light L2p. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light source 411 may be configured to emit blue light which is linearly polarized light having the same polarization direction. In this case, a phase difference element that converts one type of incident linearly polarized light into light including s-polarized light and p-polarized light may be arranged between the light source unit 41 and the polarization separating element 44.

The afocal optical element 42 adjusts the luminous flux diameters of the blue light L1s and L2p incident from the light source unit 41 so that the afocal optical element 42 is incident on the homogenizer optical element 43. The afocal optical element 42 is composed of a lens 421 that collects incident light and a lens 422 that parallelizes the light flux collected by the lens 421. The homogenizer optical element 43 equalizes the illuminance distribution of blue light L1s and L2p. The homogenizer optical element 43 is composed of a pair of multi-lens arrays 431 and 432.

The blue light L1s and L2p that have passed through the homogenizer optical element 43 are incident on the polarization separating element 44. The polarization separation element 44 is a prism-type polarization beam splitter, which separates the s-polarization component and the p-polarization component contained in the incident light. Specifically, the polarization separating element 44 reflects the s polarization component and transmits the p polarization component. Further, the polarization separating element 44 has a color separation characteristic of transmitting light having a predetermined wavelength or more regardless of the polarization component of the s polarization component and the p polarization component. Therefore, the s-polarized blue light L1s is reflected by the polarization separating element 44 and is incident on the first condensing element 45. On the other hand, the p-polarized blue light L2p passes through the polarization separating element 44 and is incident on the first retardation element 47.

The first condensing element 45 condenses the blue light L1s reflected by the polarization separating element 44 on the wavelength conversion element 46. Further, the first condensing element 45 parallelizes the fluorescent light YL incident from the wavelength conversion element 46. In the example of FIG. 3, the first condensing element 45 is composed of two lenses 451 and 452, but the number of lenses constituting the first condensing element 45 does not matter.

The wavelength conversion element 46 is excited by the incident light to generate fluorescent light YL having a wavelength longer than that of the incident light, and emits the fluorescent light YL to the first condensing element 45. In other words, the wavelength conversion element 46 converts the wavelength of the incident light and emits the converted light. The fluorescent light YL generated by the wavelength conversion element 46 is, for example, light having a peak wavelength of 500 nm to 700 nm. The wavelength conversion element 46 includes a wavelength conversion unit 461 and a heat dissipation unit 462.

Although not shown, the wavelength conversion unit 461 has a wavelength conversion layer and a reflection layer. The wavelength conversion layer includes a phosphor that diffuses and emits fluorescent light YL, which is unpolarized light obtained by wavelength-converting incident blue light L1s. The reflective layer reflects the fluorescent light YL incident from the wavelength conversion layer toward the first condensing element 45. The heat radiating unit 462 is provided on the surface of the wavelength conversion unit 461 opposite to the light incident side, and releases the heat generated by the wavelength conversion unit 461.

The fluorescent light YL emitted from the wavelength conversion element 46 passes through the first condensing element 45 along the illumination optical axis Ax2 and then enters the polarization separation element 44 having the color separation characteristic. Then, the fluorescent light YL passes through the polarization separating element 44 along the illumination optical axis Ax2 and is incident on the second retardation element RP. The wavelength conversion element 46 may be configured to be rotated about a rotation axis parallel to the illumination optical axis Ax2 by a rotating device such as a motor.

The first retardation element 47 is arranged between the polarization separating element 44 and the second condensing element 48. The first retardation element 47 converts the blue light L2p that has passed through the polarization separating element 44 into circularly polarized blue light L2c. The blue light L2c is incident on the second condensing element 48. The second condensing element 48 condenses the blue light L2c incident from the first retardation element 47 on the diffuse reflector 49. Further, the second condensing element 48 parallelizes the blue light L2c incident from the diffuse reflection device 49. The number of lenses constituting the second condensing element 48 can be changed as appropriate.

The diffuse reflector 49 diffusely reflects the incident blue light L2c at a diffusion angle similar to that of the fluorescent light YL generated and emitted by the wavelength conversion element 46. As the configuration of the diffuse reflector 49, a configuration including a reflector for Lambertian reflecting the incident blue light L2c and a rotating device for rotating the reflector about a rotating axis parallel to the illumination optical axis Ax1 can be exemplified.

The blue light L2c diffusely reflected by the diffuse reflector 49 passes through the second condensing element 48 and then enters the first retardation element 47. When the blue light L2c is reflected by the diffuse reflector 49, it is converted into circularly polarized light whose rotation direction is opposite. Therefore, the blue light L2c incident on the first retardation element 47 via the second condensing element 48 is the p-polarized blue light L2c when it is incident on the first retardation element 47 from the polarization separation element 44. Instead, it is converted into s-polarized blue light L2s. Then, the blue light L2s is reflected by the polarization separating element 44 and is incident on the second retardation element RP. That is, the light incident on the second retardation element RP from the polarization separating element 44 is white light in which blue light L2s and fluorescent light YL are mixed.

The second retardation element RP converts the white light incident from the polarization separating element 44 into light in which s-polarized light and p-polarized light are mixed. The white illumination light WL thus converted is incident on the homogenizing device 31 described above.

In the present embodiment, the semiconductor laser is exemplified as the light source 411, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the light source of the projector 1, a light emitting diode, a discharge type light source, or the like may be adopted.

1.1.4. Configuration of Liquid Crystal Device In the present embodiment, as the liquid crystal device 343, an active drive type liquid crystal device provided with a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as a transistor for each pixel is illustrated. In each of the following figures, the XYZ axes are attached as coordinate axes orthogonal to each other as necessary, the direction pointed by each arrow is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is the-direction. It should be noted that the + Z direction may be upward and the −Z direction may be downward, and viewing from the + Z direction is also referred to as plan view or planar view. Further, in the following description, for example, the description "on the substrate" with respect to the substrate means that the substrate is arranged in contact with the substrate, or the substrate is arranged on the substrate via another structure. Alternatively, it represents one of the cases where a part is arranged in contact with the substrate and a part is arranged via another structure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the liquid crystal device. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the liquid crystal device. Note that FIG. 5 shows a cross section along the XZ plane including the AA'line of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the liquid crystal device 343 is arranged so as to face the element substrate 60 and the element substrate 60, the facing substrate 80 as the substrate on the light incident side, and the microlens arranged on the opposing substrate 80. The array substrate 70 and the liquid crystal layer 90 sandwiched between the element substrate 60 and the facing substrate 80 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the element substrate 60 is larger than the facing substrate 80. The element substrate 60 and the opposing substrate 80 are joined via a sealing material 92 arranged along the outer edge of the opposing substrate 80. Here, the element substrate 60 and the opposing substrate 80 may be referred to as a pair of substrates. A liquid crystal having positive or negative dielectric anisotropy is sealed in a gap between a pair of substrates to form a liquid crystal layer 90.

For the sealing material 92, for example, an adhesive such as a thermosetting or ultraviolet curable epoxy resin is adopted. In order to keep the distance between the pair of substrates constant in the sealing material 92. Spacers (not shown) are mixed.

Inside the sealing material 92, a display area E including a plurality of pixels P arranged in a matrix is provided. A parting portion 74 is provided between the sealing material 92 and the display area E so as to surround the display area E.

Although not shown, a dummy pixel area that does not contribute to the display is provided around the display area E. Further, the microlens array substrate 70 is a condensing means in the liquid crystal device 343. The microlens array substrate 70 is arranged in the display area E corresponding to each of the plurality of pixels P. The facing substrate 80 in the display area E may be provided with a black matrix as a light-shielding portion for dividing the plurality of pixels P.

The element substrate 60 is provided with a terminal portion in which a plurality of external connection terminals 54 are arranged. A data line drive circuit 51 is provided between the first side portion along the terminal portion and the sealing material 92. Further, an inspection circuit 53 is provided between the sealing material 92 and the display area E along the second side portion facing the first side portion.

A scanning line drive circuit 52 is provided between the sealing material 92 and the display area E along the third side portion and the fourth side portion that are orthogonal to the first side portion and face each other. Further, a plurality of wirings 55 connecting the two scanning line drive circuits 52 are provided between the sealing material 92 on the second side portion and the inspection circuit 53.

The wiring connected to the data line drive circuit 51 and the scanning line drive circuit 52 is connected to a plurality of external connection terminals 54 arranged along the first side portion. The arrangement of the inspection circuit 53 is not limited to this, and may be provided between the seal material 92 along the data line drive circuit 51 and the display area E.

Here, in the present specification, the direction along the first side portion is the ± X direction, and the direction along the third side portion and the fourth side portion that are orthogonal to the first side portion and face each other is ± Y. The direction. Further, the normal direction of the element substrate 60 and the facing substrate 80 is the ± Z direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the element substrate 60 includes a translucent substrate main body 61, a first light-shielding layer 62, an insulating film 63, a TFT 64, a first interlayer insulating film 65, and a second provided on the substrate main body 61. It includes a light-shielding layer 66, a second interlayer insulating film 67, a pixel electrode 68, and an alignment film 69. A translucent forming material such as glass or quartz is used for the substrate body 61.

A forming material having light-shielding property and conductivity is adopted for the first light-shielding layer 62 and the second light-shielding layer 66 so that the first light-shielding layer 62 and the upper second light-shielding layer 66 overlap in a plan view. It is provided in a grid pattern to form a light-shielding portion. The first light-shielding layer 62 and the second light-shielding layer 66 are arranged with the TFT 64 interposed therebetween in the thickness direction of the element substrate 60, that is, in the ± Z direction. The inside of the opening 62a, which is a region surrounded by the first light-shielding layer 62, and the inside of the opening 66a, which is a region surrounded by the second light-shielding layer 66, are opening regions through which light passes through the element substrate 60.

The insulating film 63 is provided by covering the substrate main body 61 and the first light-shielding layer 62. The insulating film 63 is made of, for example, a translucent inorganic material such as silicon oxide. The TFT 64 is provided on the insulating film 63. Although not shown, the TFT 64 has a semiconductor layer and a gate electrode.

The gate electrodes are arranged in the element substrate 60 so as to face each other in a plan view with a region overlapping the channel region of the semiconductor layer and a gate insulating film which is a part of the first interlayer insulating film 65. A part of the first light-shielding layer 62 functions as a scanning line of the liquid crystal device 343. The gate electrode is electrically connected to the first light-shielding layer 62 arranged on the lower layer side via a contact hole penetrating the gate insulating film and the insulating film 63.

The first interlayer insulating film 65 is provided by covering the insulating film 63 and the TFT 64. The first interlayer insulating film 65 is made of an inorganic material such as silicon oxide. The first interlayer insulating film 65 includes a gate insulating film that insulates between the semiconductor layer of the TFT 64 and the gate electrode.

A second light-shielding layer 66 is provided on the first interlayer insulating film 65. The second light-shielding layer 66 is electrically connected to the TFT 64 and functions as any of a data line, a capacitance line, and a storage capacitance electrode (not shown). A second interlayer insulating film 67 made of an inorganic material is provided by covering the first interlayer insulating film 65 and the second light-shielding layer 66.

A pixel electrode 68 is provided on the second interlayer insulating film 67 corresponding to the pixel P. The pixel electrode 68 is arranged in a region that overlaps the opening 62a of the first light-shielding layer 62 and the opening 66a of the second light-shielding layer 66 in a plan view. Further, the outer edge of the pixel electrode 68 is arranged so as to overlap the second light-shielding layer 66 in a plan view. Examples of the material for forming the pixel electrode 68 include transparent conductive films such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) and IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide).

An alignment film 69 is provided by covering the pixel electrode 68. The alignment film 69 is selected based on the optical design of the liquid crystal apparatus 343. As the alignment film 69, a known inorganic alignment film or organic alignment film is adopted.

The liquid crystal contained in the liquid crystal layer 90 changes its orientation state according to the voltage level applied between the pixel electrode 68 and the common electrode 84. Therefore, by changing the orientation state of the liquid crystal, the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 90 is modulated and gradation display becomes possible. For example, in the case of the normally white mode, the transmittance for the incident light decreases according to the voltage applied in units of each pixel P. In the case of the normally black mode, the transmittance for the incident light increases according to the voltage applied in units of each pixel P. As a result, the liquid crystal device 343 emits light having a contrast corresponding to the image information. The liquid crystal device 343 is premised on the fact that light is incident from the facing substrate 80 side, passes through the liquid crystal layer 90, and is emitted from the element substrate 60 side.

The facing substrate 80 includes a microlens array substrate 70 having a plurality of microlens MLs, a common electrode 84, and an alignment film 85. The microlens array substrate 70 includes a transparent substrate 71, a microlens ML including a lens portion 75, a low refractive index film 77 m, a parting portion 74, and a pass layer 81. The microlens ML is arranged so as to be overlapped with the pixel P in a plan view, and a plurality of microlens MLs are provided in a matrix corresponding to the plurality of pixels P. The microlens array substrate 70 may be configured to include the common electrode 84, or may be configured to include the common electrode 84 and the alignment film 85.

As the transparent substrate 71, for example, a translucent forming material such as glass or quartz is used as in the substrate body 61. A plurality of lens portions 75 are arranged on the transparent substrate 71.

The lens portion 75 is made of a high refractive index film 75 m. The lens portion 75 projects on a hemispherical surface in the negative Z direction on a surface opposite to the surface in contact with the transparent substrate 71. A low refractive index film 77 m is provided so as to cover the lens portion 75. The low refractive index film 77m has a lower refractive index than the high refractive index film 75m.

The lens unit 75 forms a convex lens in the microlens ML. The refractive index described above depends on the wavelength of light transmitted through the microlens array substrate 70.

In the low refractive index film 77m, the parting portion 74 is provided on the flat surface 73a on the side opposite to the lens portion 75. The parting portion 74 is provided in a peripheral region surrounding the display region E provided with a plurality of microlens MLs.

A pass layer 81 is provided by covering the parting portion 74 and the low refractive index film 77 m. The pass layer 81 has a function of flattening the surface of the microlens array substrate 70 on the liquid crystal layer 90 side and adjusting the focal length of the microlens ML to a desired value. Therefore, the layer thickness of the pass layer 81 is appropriately set based on optical conditions such as the focal length of the microlens ML according to the wavelength of light. A translucent forming material is used for the pass layer 81.

A common electrode 84 is provided by covering the path layer 81. The common electrode 84 is a counter electrode facing the pixel electrode 68 with the liquid crystal layer 90 interposed therebetween, and is provided across the plurality of pixels P. Examples of the material for forming the common electrode 84 include transparent conductive films such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) and IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide).

An alignment film 85 is provided by covering the common electrode 84. The alignment film 85 is selected based on the optical design of the liquid crystal apparatus 343, similarly to the alignment film 69 of the element substrate 60. As the alignment film 85, the same forming material as that of the alignment film 69 can be adopted.

In the liquid crystal apparatus 343, the incident light, which is the illumination light, is incident from the opposite substrate 80 side provided with the microlens ML, and is condensed for each pixel P by the microlens ML. For example, of the incident light incident on the microlens ML from the surface 71b side of the transparent substrate 71, a linear component incident on the lens portion 75 from the + Z direction so as to pass through the planar center of the pixel P, that is, the central portion. The incident light a1 travels straight through the microlens ML, passes through the liquid crystal layer 90, and is emitted to the element substrate 60 side.

With respect to the incident light a1, the incident light incident on the peripheral edge of the lens portion 75 in a plan view is referred to as the incident light a2. The incident light a2 is refracted toward the central portion of the pixel P due to the difference in refractive index between the lens portion 75 and the low refractive index film 77m. Here, if the incident light a2 goes straight without being refracted, it may enter the second light-shielding layer 66 or the first light-shielding layer 62 of the element substrate 60 and be shielded from light.

That is, the incident light a2 is focused on the planar center side of the pixel P, in other words, the central portion of the pixel P by refracting. Therefore, in the liquid crystal device 343, the incident light a2 can be incident on the opening 66a and the opening 62a by the condensing action of the microlens ML. As a result, the amount of light emitted from the element substrate 60 increases, and the light utilization efficiency is improved. On the other hand, since the incident light incident on each pixel P is collected, the intensity of light increases in the central portion of each pixel P.

A known configuration can be adopted for the electric circuit in the element substrate 60 and the facing substrate 80.

1.1.5. Configuration of Light-shielding Member The light-shielding member 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. 6 and 7 are schematic cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the light-shielding member. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a light-shielding region by a light-shielding member in the incident optical path. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing a region in which the deterioration of the liquid crystal in the pixels is likely to proceed. Here, FIGS. 6 and 7 show a state in which the light-shielding member 50 is viewed from the side surface, and the incident light L described later travels from the + Z direction to the −Z direction. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the incident optical path is viewed from the + Z direction side, that is, the light incident side. FIG. 9 shows a state in which one pixel P is viewed from the light incident side.

As shown in FIG. 6, the light-shielding member 50 includes a light-shielding body 510, a plurality of bone portions 520, a tubular portion 530, a shaft portion 540, and a drive portion 580. Here, in the description of FIGS. 6 and 7, unless otherwise specified, the state viewed from the side in the −Y direction will be described. Further, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the light-shielding body 510 of the light-shielding member 50 is closed, and FIG. 7 shows a state in which the light-shielding body 510 is open. The light-shielding member 50 is held in the optical component housing 35 as a part of the image forming apparatus 34 shown in FIG. 2, and the illumination optical axis Ax is set.

The tubular portion 530 has a tubular portion main body 531 and a support portion 532. The tubular portion main body 531 is arranged along the ± Z direction. The end of the tubular portion main body 531 in the −Z direction is bent in the −X direction and connected to the support portion 532. The tubular portion main body 531 is a tubular member having an internal space. Openings (not shown) are provided at both ends of the tubular portion main body 531 in the ± Z direction. A forming material such as metal or resin is adopted for the tubular portion 530.

The shaft portion 540 is a rod-shaped member, and has a shaft portion main body 541 and a support portion 542. The shaft portion main body 541 is arranged along the ± Z direction. The end of the shaft portion main body 541 in the −Z direction is bent in the −X direction and connected to the support portion 542. The end of the support portion 542 in the −X direction is fixed to the base portion 590.

A part of the shaft portion main body 541 is housed in the internal space of the tubular portion main body 531 and a part of the shaft portion main body 531 protrudes from the openings at both ends of the tubular portion main body 531 in the ± Z direction. That is, the shaft portion main body 541 penetrates the tubular portion main body 531 and both ends in the ± Z direction protrude from the tubular portion main body 531. A forming material such as metal or resin is used for the shaft portion 540.

The shaft portion main body 541 can move in the ± Z direction relative to the tubular portion main body 531 while being partially housed in the tubular portion main body 531. In reality, since the support portion 542 is fixed to the base portion 590, it is the tubular portion main body 531 that moves in the ± Z direction.

A connecting portion 543 is provided at the end of the shaft portion main body 541 in the + Z direction. Further, at the end of the tubular portion main body 531 in the + Z direction, a plurality of connecting portions 533 are provided at positions that do not interfere with the shaft portion main body 541.

The light-shielding body 510 has a plurality of plate-shaped members, and is a substantially isosceles triangle in a side view. In the isosceles triangle, a plurality of plate-shaped members correspond to the equilateral sides, and the vertices are arranged in the + Z direction on the light incident side. In other words, the light-shielding body 510 forms the side surface of the rotationally symmetric regular polygonal pyramid by the plurality of plate-shaped members. A plurality of plate-shaped members of the light-shielding body 510, in other words, the side surfaces of the regular polygonal pyramid shield the central portion of the incident light. For the plurality of plate-shaped members, a forming material having a light-shielding property such as metal or resin is adopted.

The height direction of the regular polygonal pyramid coincides with the ± Z direction, and the vertices are arranged in the + Z direction. The regular polygonal pyramid has a space inside and has no bottom surface. Therefore, the space is open in the −Z direction. The rotation axis of the regular polygonal pyramid substantially coincides with the shaft portion main body 541.

The space side of the inside of the light-shielding body 510 that corresponds to the apex of the regular polygonal pyramid is connected to the connecting portion 543 of the shaft portion main body 541. The plurality of plate-shaped members of the light-shielding body 510 and the connecting portion 543 are connected so that the connection angle is variable.

A plurality of connecting portions 511 are provided on the internal space side of the light-shielding body 510. The plurality of connecting portions 511 are provided on each of the plurality of plate-shaped members. One end of each bone portion 520 is connected to each connection portion 511. The other end of each bone portion 520 is connected to each of the plurality of connecting portions 533. That is, the plurality of bone portions 520 are connected to the tubular portion main body 531 of the tubular portion 530 and the plurality of plate-shaped members of the light-shielding body 510. In other words, the plurality of plate-shaped members are connected to each connecting portion 533 of the tubular portion main body 531 via each bone portion 520. The connecting portion 511 and the bone portion 520, the bone portion 520 and the connecting portion 533 are connected so that the connection angle is variable.

The end portion of the support portion 532 of the tubular portion 530 in the −X direction is fixed to the drive portion 580. The drive unit 580 drives the opening and closing of the light-shielding body 510, which will be described later. The drive unit 580 has a slide unit 581. The slide portion 581 is arranged so as to be slidable relative to the base portion 590 in the ± Z direction. Therefore, due to the sliding of the slide portion 581, the tubular portion 530 connected to the drive portion 580 and the like are moved relative to the base portion 590 in the ± Z direction.

Although not shown, the drive unit 580 has an actuator for sliding the slide unit 581 with respect to the base unit 590. The drive method of the actuator is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a piezoelectric element, an electromagnetic motor, a voice coil motor, and a solenoid actuator. These actuators may be provided in two directions, one for the + Z direction and the other for the −Z direction, and may be in the form of a combination of one of them and an elastic member or the like. As described above, the electric power for driving the actuator is supplied from the power supply device included in the projector 1.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the drive unit 580 moves in the + Z direction relative to the base portion 590, the support portion 532 of the tubular portion 530 moves in the + Z direction along the slide portion 581, and the tubular portion main body. 531 also moves in the + Z direction relative to the base 590. Therefore, the shaft portion main body 541 of the shaft portion 540 moves in the −Z direction relative to the tubular portion main body 531.

At this time, the connection angles of each connection portion 533 and each bone portion 520, and each bone portion 520 and each connection portion 511 change. Therefore, the connection angle between the plurality of plate-shaped members of the light-shielding body 510 and the shaft portion main body 541 also changes. As a result, the apex angle of the isosceles triangle formed by the plurality of plate-shaped members becomes larger than that in FIG. 6, and the light-shielding body 510 is opened. That is, the light-shielding body 510 is opened and closed by the drive unit 580 moving in the ± Z direction relative to the base unit 590. In this way, the light-shielding body 510 can be expanded or contracted in the area where the incident light L is shielded by opening and closing like an umbrella.

When the light-shielding body 510 is opened, it spreads outward with respect to the shaft portion main body 541 which is the center when viewed from the + Z direction on the light incident side. Therefore, the region where the incident light L is shielded changes by opening and closing the light-shielding body 510. That is, when the light-shielding body 510 is opened, the area where the incident light L is blocked is expanded, and when the light-shielding body 510 is closed, the area where the incident light L is blocked is reduced.

Specifically, the incident light L is focused for each pixel P by the microlens ML. Therefore, when a part of the light flux of the incident light L is blocked, the unevenness of the light intensity of the incident light L incident on each pixel P becomes small. In the present embodiment, when viewed from the + Z direction, the central portion of the incident light L, that is, the substantially central portion of the light flux of the incident light L and the shaft portion main body 541 are arranged to substantially coincide with each other. The arrangement of the shaft portion main body 541 with respect to the luminous flux of the incident light L is not limited to the above.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the light-shielding body 510 is closed, a substantially circular region Jc is shielded from light at substantially the center of the optical path of the incident light L, which is the incident light path. On the other hand, when the light-shielding body 510 is opened, a substantially circular region Jo, which is wider than the region Jc, is shielded from light. As a result, the linear components of the incident light L corresponding to the regions Jc and Jo are blocked.

As described above, the incident light L focused by the microlens ML is incident on the pixel P. Therefore, in the absence of the light-shielding body 510, the intensity of the incident light L in the region J including the central portion of the pixel P shown in FIG. 9 becomes high. Further, in the conventional projector, when projecting an image or the like, the incident light L is always incident on the pixel P regardless of the brightness and color tone of the projected image. Therefore, conventionally, the deterioration of the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer 90 tends to proceed in the portion corresponding to the region J in the pixel P. As the deterioration of the liquid crystal progresses, the deteriorated or modified products of the liquid crystal may be accumulated or accumulated in the above-mentioned portion, and the display quality of the projector may be deteriorated.

On the other hand, in the projector 1, the light-shielding body 510 opens and closes to block the linear component of the incident light L in the region Jc at the minimum and the region Jo at the maximum.

As a result, in the projector 1, the intensity of the incident light L in the central portion of the pixel P is suppressed as compared with the conventional projector. Hereinafter, the effect of shading in the projector 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the intensity of incident light in the pixels.

In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis is the position of the pixel P shown in FIG. 9 on the BB'line, and the vertical axis is the intensity of the incident light L. Further, in FIG. 10, line l1 is data of a conventional projector not provided with a light-shielding mechanism, line l2 is data of a conventional projector provided with an optical filter for incident light, and line l3 is data of a conventional projector not provided with a light-shielding mechanism. 510 is the data in the open state.

As shown in FIG. 10, when an optical filter is provided as compared with a conventional projector which does not have a light blocking function, the intensity of the incident light L is reduced in the entire BB'line. That is, although the optical filter has the effect of reducing the intensity of the incident light L, the intensity is reduced in areas other than the region J, so that the projected image may be darkened.

On the other hand, in the line l3 of the projector 1, the incident light L in the range corresponding to the region J is reduced as compared with the line l2. At the same time, on the outside of the region J, the same strength as that of a conventional projector without a light shielding mechanism is obtained. That is, the projector 1 does not reduce the intensity of the incident light L over the entire pixel P as in the optical filter, but reduces only the incident light L in the range corresponding to the region J.

It is preferable that the opening and closing of the light-shielding body 510 is controlled according to the image information that is the base of the image projected by the projector 1. That is, in the blue light emitted from the liquid crystal device 343B, the light-shielding body 510 is controlled to be closed when a large intensity is required, and the light-shielding body 510 is controlled to be opened when a large intensity is not required. The control device of the projector 1 is responsible for controlling the opening and closing of the light-shielding body 510. The opening and closing of the light-shielding body 510 may be set to a half-open state or a half-closed state to finely control the region where the linear component of the incident light L is shaded.

According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

Deterioration of the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal device 343B due to the incident light L can be suppressed. Specifically, the central portion of the light flux of the incident light L is shielded by the light-shielding body 510 of the light-shielding member 50. Therefore, in the liquid crystal apparatus 343B, the linear component of the incident light L incident on the central portion of each pixel P is reduced. Therefore, even if the incident light L is condensed by the microlens ML, the intensity of the incident light L in the central portion is suppressed. That is, it is possible to provide the projector 1 in which the deterioration of the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal device 343B due to light is suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce the unevenness of the light intensity of the incident light L incident on each pixel P after passing through the microlens ML.

Since the liquid crystal device 343B is provided with the light-shielding member 50, the central portion of the blue light is shielded from the short-wavelength blue light in which deterioration of the liquid crystal is likely to be induced. Therefore, deterioration of the liquid crystal due to light can be further suppressed.

By expanding the light-shielding body 510, in addition to the central portion of the incident light L, the peripheral portion of the central portion is also shielded from light. That is, by opening and closing the light-shielding body 510, the linear component of the incident light L incident on the central portion of each pixel P of the liquid crystal device 343B can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing.

The light-shielding body 510 can be supported by the tubular portion 530 via the plurality of bone portions 520. The drive unit 580 can actively open and close the light-shielding body 510. The tubular portion main body 531 of the tubular portion 530 is guided by the slide portion 581 to move, and the light-shielding body 510 can be opened and closed.

In the image projected by the projector 1, it is possible to open the light-shielding body 510 in the case of a dark image and close the light-shielding body 510 in the case of a bright image. That is, the light-shielding body 510 is opened and closed on demand with respect to the image information. Therefore, since the incident light L having an excessive intensity is not incident on the projector 1, the deterioration of the liquid crystal device 343B due to the light can be further suppressed.

2. 2. Second Embodiment Also in the present embodiment, as a projection type display device, a projector provided with three liquid crystal devices which are electro-optical devices will be exemplified. The projector is different from the projector 1 of the first embodiment in that it is provided with three light source devices, and is similar in that the liquid crystal device 343B is provided with a light shielding member 50. Therefore, for the same constituent parts as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used and duplicate description will be omitted.

The projector according to this embodiment includes three light source devices. The three light source devices include a light source device including a light source unit that emits blue light, a light source device that includes a light source unit that emits red light, and a light source device that includes a light source unit that emits green light. The light source of each light source unit is, for example, a semiconductor laser.

Each color light corresponding to the three liquid crystal devices 343B, 343G, and 343R is emitted from each light source device of the present embodiment. Therefore, the configuration corresponding to the color separating device 32 and the like of the first embodiment is omitted.

According to the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

The contents derived from the embodiment are described below.

The projection type display device includes an electro-optical device having a microlens on a substrate on the light incident side, and a light-shielding member on the light-incident side of the electro-optical device to block a central portion of incident light.

According to this configuration, deterioration of the electro-optical device due to incident light can be suppressed. Specifically, the central portion of the incident light is shielded by the light-shielding member. Therefore, in the electro-optical device, the linear component of the incident light incident on the central portion of each pixel is reduced. Therefore, even if the incident light is focused by the microlens, the intensity of the incident light in the central portion is suppressed. That is, it is possible to provide a projection type display device that suppresses deterioration of the electro-optical device due to light.

The projection type display device includes a plurality of electro-optic devices, and the light-shielding member is preferably arranged in the electro-optic device in which the shortest wavelength incident light is incident among the plurality of electro-optic devices.

According to this configuration, in the incident light having a short wavelength in which deterioration of the electro-optical device is likely to be induced, the central portion of the incident light is shielded. Therefore, deterioration of the electro-optical device due to light can be further suppressed.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, it is preferable that the light-shielding member includes a light-shielding body, and the opening / closing of the light-shielding body is controlled so as to spread from the center to the outside.

According to this configuration, by expanding the light-shielding body, not only the central portion of the incident light but also the peripheral portion of the central portion is shielded. That is, by opening and closing the light-shielding body, the linear component of the incident light incident on the central portion of each pixel of the electro-optical device can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing.

The projection type display device preferably includes a drive unit that drives the opening and closing of the light-shielding body.

According to this configuration, the light-shielding body can be actively opened and closed by the drive unit.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, the light-shielding member preferably has a tubular portion and a plurality of bone portions connected to the tubular portion and the light-shielding body.

According to this configuration, the light-shielding body can be supported by the tubular portion via the plurality of bone portions.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, it is preferable that the drive unit has a slide portion for moving the tubular portion, and the light-shielding body is opened and closed by moving the tubular portion along the slide portion.

According to this configuration, the tubular portion is guided by the slide portion to move, and the light-shielding body can be opened and closed.

In the above-mentioned projection type display device, it is preferable that the opening and closing of the light-shielding body is controlled according to the image information.

According to this configuration, in the image projected by the projection type display device, it is possible to open the light-shielding body in the case of a dark image and close the light-shielding body in the case of a bright image. That is, the light-shielding body is opened and closed on demand for the image information. Therefore, since the incident light of excessive intensity does not enter the electro-optical device, deterioration due to the light of the electro-optic device can be further suppressed.

1 ... Projector, 50 ... Shading member, 80 ... Facing substrate as a substrate, 343, 343B, 343G, 343R ... Liquid crystal device as an electro-optical device 510 ... Shading body, 520 ... Bone part, 530 ... Cylindrical part, 580 ... drive unit, 581 ... slide unit, L ... incident light, ML ... microlens.

Claims (7)

An electro-optic device having a microlens on the substrate on the light incident side,
A projection type display device including a light-shielding member that blocks a central portion of incident light on the light-incident side of the electro-optical device. With a plurality of the electro-optic devices,
The projection type display device according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding member is arranged in the electro-optical device to which incident light having the shortest wavelength is incident among the plurality of electro-optical devices. The light-shielding member includes a light-shielding body and has a light-shielding body.
The projection type display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light-shielding body is controlled to open and close so as to spread outward from the center. The projection type display device according to claim 3, further comprising a drive unit that drives the opening and closing of the light-shielding body. The projection type display device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the light-shielding member has a tubular portion, the tubular portion, and a plurality of bone portions connected to the light-shielding body. The drive unit has a slide unit for moving the tubular portion.
The projection type display device according to claim 5, wherein the light-shielding body is opened and closed by moving the tubular portion along the slide portion. The projection type display device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein opening and closing of the light-shielding body is controlled according to image information.

Images