Illumination – Housing – With adjustable light source
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-15
2004-01-13
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Housing
With adjustable light source
C362S269000, C362S271000, C362S287000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06676280
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection apparatus, and particularly to a projection apparatus which can efficiently replace a light source for projecting an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a projection apparatus, for example, three liquid crystal light valves for respectively controlling red, green and blue colors are used to synthesize the lights of these three components, and the synthesized light is enlarged and projected through a lens. This kind of liquid crystal projection apparatus is provided with a lamp as a light source to project and display an image. This lamp generates a large amount of heat and requires cooling.
In a conventional projection apparatus, a position where a light source is attached to an optical unit and a position of an opening used for taking in and out the light source at the replacement thereof are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The reason why the attachment position of the light source and the position of the opening used for taking in and out the light source are arranged at the same height position like this is that a housing of the projection apparatus is relatively large and the optical unit is disposed apart from a screen.
However, in recent years, by a demand for miniaturization of the projection apparatus, there is a tendency to dispose the optical unit more closely to the vicinity of the screen of the housing. Thus, the attachment position of the light source to the optical unit is naturally in the vicinity of the screen, and the attachment position of the light source to the optical unit and the opening used for taking in and out the light source are not arranged in the horizontal direction, so that it becomes impossible to simply pull the light source out in the horizontal direction to the outside of the housing and to replace the light source, as in the conventional apparatus.
The attachment position of the light source of the optical unit is located in an upper direction with respect to the position of the opening used for taking in and out the light source, and the attachment position of the light source of the optical unit is positioned at the inside of the housing with respect to the position of the opening used for taking in and out the light source, so that there is required such a mechanism that the light source is taken in from the opening used for taking in and out the light source, the light source is raised, and is positioned at the normal attachment position of the light source of the optical unit.
Therefore, the present invention has an object to solve the foregoing problem and to provide a projection apparatus which can easily replace a light source in a housing by mounting the light source and pushing up the light source to a normal position to make positioning.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a projection apparatus for projecting an image by using light of a light source contained in a housing, the projection apparatus is characterized by including a light source mounting device in which at the time of replacement of the light source in the housing, the light source is mounted and is raised from a position of an opening used for taking in and out a light source to a normal position to make positioning.
The light source mounting device is designed such that at the time of replacement of the light source in the housing, the light source is mounted, and is raised from the position of the opening used for taking in and out the light source to the normal position to make positioning.
By this, even if the normal position of the light source, that is, the attachment position of the light source to the optical unit is located above the opening used for taking in and out the light source, the light source can be easily replaced.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned projection apparatus, the light source mounting device includes a light source holder for holding the light source, a case for supporting the light source holder movably in the vertical direction, and a member having a cam for raising the light source holder when the case is inserted and for positioning the light source to the normal position.
The light source holder for holding the light source is supported movably in the vertical direction with respect to the case. The member having the cam raises the light source holder in the vertical direction when the case is inserted, and positions the light source to the normal position.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned projection apparatus, the light source mounting device includes a light source holder for holding the light source, and a link mechanism portion for raising the light source holder by moving the light source holder and for positioning the light source to the normal position.
The link mechanism portion moves the light source holder so that the light source holder is raised and the light source is positioned to the normal position.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned projection apparatus, the light source mounting device includes a light source holder for holding the light source, and a rotation operating portion for rotating the light source holder around an axis orthogonal to an optical axis of the light source to push up the light source to the normal position and to make positioning.
The rotation operating portion rotates the light source holder around the axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the light source to push up the light source to the normal position and to make positioning.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned projection apparatus, the light source mounting device includes a light source holder for holding the light source, and a rotation operating portion for rotating the light source holder around an axis parallel to an optical axis of the light source to push up the light source to the normal position and to make positioning.
The rotation operating portion rotates the light source holder around the axis parallel to the optical axis of the light source to push up the light source to the normal position and to make positioning.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned projection apparatus, the light source mounting device includes a light source holder for holding the light source, a case for supporting the light source holder movably in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and a member having a cam for raising the light source holder in the direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction when the case is inserted and for positioning the light source to the normal position.
The case supports the light source holder movably in the direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The member having the cam raises the light source holder in the direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction when the case is inserted and positions the light source to the normal position.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned projection apparatus, the member having the cam forms a duct of air, and the light source holder includes an air flow path for supplying cooling air through the member having the cam.
By supplying the cooling air through the member having the cam, cooling of the light source can be positively made.
As described above, according to the present invention, the light source is mounted and the light source is raised to the normal position to make positioning, so that the light source in the housing can be easily replaced.
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Ono Hiroyuki
Shinoda Makoto
Takatsuka Hiroshi
Yamada Susumu
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Husar Stephen
Lee Gui Young
Santisi Leonard J.
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