Optics: image projectors – Temperature control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-16
2002-12-03
Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)
Optics: image projectors
Temperature control
C353S058000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06488378
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and specifically the present invention relates to an imaging apparatus having an exhaust section which exhausts air used by a cooling section for cooling a projection section to the outside of an exterior cabinet.
BACKGROUND ART
A cooling device for a conventional projection-type imaging apparatus will now be described with reference to the drawings.
In reference to
FIGS. 21 and 22
, a projection-type imaging apparatus
2100
includes a projection section
2202
for projecting an image onto a screen, a cooling section
2203
for cooling the projection section
2202
using air, and an exterior cabinet
1
for housing the projection section
2202
and the cooling section
2203
. The projection section
2202
includes a light source-lamp unit
7
, a mirror box
31
, an emission optical unit
9
, an imaging element unit
10
, a projection lens unit
2201
, a circuit unit
13
, a power supply unit
14
, and a light source lamp power supply unit
15
. The cooling section
2203
includes a lamp cooling fan
19
, a mirror cooling fan
20
, a first cooling fan
16
, a second cooling fan
17
, and a third cooling fan
18
.
The light source lamp unit
7
includes a light source lamp
5
and an oval reflection mirror
6
. The projection lens unit
2201
includes a projection lens
12
and a lens moving device
11
. The mirror box
31
includes a reflection mirror
8
.
The exterior cabinet
1
has a front cabinet
21
, a first side cabinet
22
, a second side cabinet
23
, a rear cabinet
24
, an upper cabinet
25
and a lower cabinet
26
. The front cabinet
21
has a first air intake
2
, the first side cabinet
22
has a. second air intake
3
, the second side cabinet
23
has a third air intake
27
, and the upper cabinet
25
has an exhaust port
4
. The rear cabinet
24
has a first exhaust port
28
, a second exhaust port
29
, and a third exhaust port
30
.
The exterior cabinet
1
is formed of metal or resin, and has a six-faceted structure. The first intake
2
and the second intake
3
take in air, with which the cooling section
2203
cools down the projection section
2202
, from outside the cabinet
1
. The exhaust port
4
and the first to third exhaust ports
28
to
30
exhaust air which the cooling section
2203
has used for cooling, to the outside of the cabinet
1
. As shown by arrows
2101
to
2105
, the noise caused by the cooling section
2203
leaks to the outside of the cabinet
1
, from the first air intake
2
, the second air intake
3
, the exhaust port
4
, and the exhaust ports
28
to
30
.
As the light source lamp
5
, a xenon lamp or the like is used for a large output. The light emitted from the light source lamp
5
is reflected against the oval reflection mirror
6
, and is optically reflected by the reflection mirror
8
, thereby guided to the emission optical unit
9
. The emission optical unit
9
is comprised of a condenser lens (not shown) and the like, for guiding light effectively to the imaging element unit
10
. The imaging element unit
10
is a light valve for optically modulating image signals, and is a transmission type element such as liquid crystal or a reflection type element comprised of micro mirrors, etc., so as to generate optical picture information using light from the emission optical unit
9
.
The optical picture information from the imaging element unit
10
is enlarged and projected through the projection lens
12
. The projection lens
12
is capable of moving upward, downward, rightward, and leftward, by means of the lens moving device
11
, for focus adjustments and angle of view adjustments.
The circuit unit
13
controls the imaging element unit
10
. The power supply unit
14
drives the circuit unit
13
and the like. The light source lamp power supply unit
15
starts the light source lamp
5
. The first cooling fan
16
, the second cooling fan
17
, and the third cooling fan
18
cool down the circuit unit
13
, the power supply unit
14
, and the light source lamp power supply unit
15
, respectively.
The large-size lamp cooling fan
19
cools down the light source lamp
5
. The mirror cooling fan
20
cools down the emission optical unit
9
.
The first air intake
2
provided on the front cabinet
21
, the second air intake
3
provided on the first side cabinet
22
, and the third air intake
27
provided on the second side cabinet
23
take in exterior air as indicated by arrows
2204
,
2205
, and
2206
. The first exhaust port
28
provided on the rear cabinet
24
exhausts air used for the cooling of the light source lamp power supply unit
15
as indicated by an arrow
2207
. The second exhaust port
29
exhausts air used for the cooling of the light source lamp box
7
as indicated by an arrow
2208
. The third exhaust port
30
exhausts air used for the cooling of the emission optical unit
9
, from the mirror box
31
as indicated by an arrow
2209
.
In order to obtain an image with a higher luminance, it is necessary to employ a light source lamp unit
7
and a light source lamp power supply unit
15
having a greater output. With such a structure, the quantity of the generated heat increases as the output increases, and therefore it is necessary to employ a large cooling fan so as to improve the cooling performance. Using a large cooling fan, however, results in a problem of increasing the cooling noise.
Furthermore, the use of projection-type imaging apparatuses is not only for presentations in conference rooms and the like but also includes viewing of images in halls, and therefore the market expects viewing of high quality images in quieter environments. With the structure described with reference to
FIGS. 21 and 22
, in which the air intakes
2
,
3
, and
27
are provided on the cabinet
1
so as to take in air, the noise of the cooling fans
16
,
17
,
18
,
19
, and
20
cutting the air is naturally radiated from the air intakes
2
,
3
, and
27
, which results in a problem of increasing the noise from the imaging apparatus
2100
.
In addition, the light emitted from the light source lamp
5
leaks outside the cabinet
1
from the air intakes
2
,
3
, and
27
. This particularly poses a problem of not being able to obtain a high quality image when the image is projected in a dark environment such as in a movie theater, since the leaked light illuminates places other than the screen, which leads to not only worsening of the image viewing atmosphere but also deterioration of the image quality.
One object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus which is capable of controlling emission of the noise caused by the cooling section so as to suppress the noise leaving the device, even in the case where a large cooling section is used for cooling a projection section with a high output needed for obtaining by images with higher luminance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus which is capable of preventing light emitted from the light source lamp unit from illuminating places other than the screen.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, an imaging apparatus includes: a projection section for projecting an image onto a screen; a cooling section for cooling the projection section by means of air; an exterior cabinet for housing the projection section and the cooling section; and an exhaust section for exhausting air used for the cooling of the projection section by the cooling section, from the exterior cabinet wherein the exhaust section has a function for attenuating a noise caused by the cooling section.
The exhaust section may include an exhaust duct having a ventilation path for guiding the noise and air from the projection section to the exterior of the exterior cabinet; and the ventilation path is formed so that the noise strikes an interior surface of the ventilation path and changes its direction of movement.
The ventilation path may be formed so that the moving path of the noise contains at least one L shape.
The exhaust duct may include
Ishinaga Hideki
Kakuhari Isao
Tabuchi Toshiaki
Terai Kenichi
Ueda Toshiyuki
Adams Russell
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Sever Andrew
Snell & Wilmer LLP
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