Optics: image projectors – Housing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-21
2004-06-29
Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)
Optics: image projectors
Housing
C353S087000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06755541
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projector having a light source and an exterior case for accommodating the light source, which modulates a light beam irradiated by the light source and subsequently enlarges and projects the light beam to form a projection image.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a projector has been used for presentation in a conference, academic seminar, exhibition etc. The projector modulates a light beam irradiated by a light source in accordance with image information to form an optical image, and projects the optical image on a screen etc. in an enlarged manner.
Recently, projectors have come to be used in wider area such as presentation in office meeting and business trip. Further, projectors are now used in technical review session in research and development section by fetching and projecting CAD/CAM/CAE data, various seminars and workshops, and school classroom during audio-visual education. Further, projectors are used for reviewing remedy and medical guidance by projecting medical image and data such as CT scan and MRI and for effectively staging exhibitions and events attracting a lot of people.
Some of such projectors are known to have a light source and an exterior case for accommodating the light source, which modulates a light beam irradiated by the light source and subsequently enlarges and projects the light beam to form a projection image.
An opening is formed on the projector corresponding to the position of the light source for taking out and exchanging the light source when the life of the light source is expired. Ordinarily, such opening is closed with a lamp cover attachably/detachably provided to the exterior case, which can be detached from the exterior case in exchanging the light source.
The lamp cover is usually attached to the exterior case with a screw. Though such screw-fitting type is extremely simple in its attachment structure, a troublesome work of unscrewing a plurality of screws is required for detaching the lamp cover from the exterior case.
On the other hand, in some arrangements, the lamp cover is provided on the top surface of the exterior case and is attachable/detachable to the exterior case by being slid along the top surface. In such slide type, a slide guide is formed on the exterior case for slidably supporting the lamp cover, so that it is not necessary to turn a multiple of screws. However, in order to slidably open and close the lamp cover, an anti slip or a notch (similar to anti slip or notch formed on cell cover of a table clock or a remote controller) has to be formed on the surface of the lamp cover, which worsens appearance thereof.
An object of the present invention is to provide a projector capable of improving workability for exchanging a light source and appearance thereof.
On the other hand, the above-described lamp cover is usually attached to the bottom surface of the exterior case.
However, when the lamp cover is disposed on the bottom surface of the exterior case, the projector has to be turned upside down in exchanging the light source. Accordingly, after completion of exchanging work, the attitude of the projector relative to a screen has to be re-adjusted and exchanging work becomes so troublesome.
Especially, when the projector is used in audio-visual room etc., the projector is often installed on ceiling in a manner that the ceiling surface and the bottom side of the exterior case are opposed. Accordingly, the projector has to be once detached from the ceiling in order to exchange the light source, thereby making exchange work so troublesome.
On the other hand, some of the lamp cover is disposed from top surface to a side of a projector.
According to such arrangement, though the light source can be easily exchanged, the attachment structure of the lamp cover can interfere with the other arrangement. Specifically, for instance, in slide type, the surface of the exterior case has to be cut to form a guide for a lamp cover to be slid. When such guide is formed continuously along the surface of the exterior case, the guide can interfere with the other components disposed on the side of the exterior case (such as an exhaust hole for discharging exhaust air from a cooling fan toward the outside and a handle used for carrying the projector), thereby lowering freedom of design.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a projector capable of facilitating exchange work of a light source and improving freedom of design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A projector according to an aspect of the present invention has a light source and an exterior case that accommodates the light source, the projector modulating, enlarging and projecting a light beam irradiated by the light source to form a projection image, the projector including: an opening formed on the exterior case at a position corresponding to the light source; a slidable lamp cover that closes the opening, the lamp cover being capable of being attached to and detached from the exterior case; a first biasing mechanism that biases the lamp cover along slide direction thereof toward outside of the exterior case; an engagement structure that fixes the lamp cover to the exterior case; and an operating portion that is operated to release engagement of the engagement structure by being operated.
According to the above aspect of the present invention, when the operating portion is operated to release the engagement of the lamp cover with the exterior case, the lamp cover is slid along the slide direction toward outside of the exterior case by the first biasing mechanism, thereby unfixing the lamp cover from the exterior case.
Therefore, unlike conventional screw-fitting, the lamp cover can be unfixed from the exterior case with one action of operating the operating portion for detaching the lamp cover from the exterior case, workability can be improved in exchanging the light source. The operating portion is not restricted to the operation switch etc. but may be arranged in different manner as long as the engagement of the lamp cover with the exterior case can be released.
Since the lamp cover is slid toward outside of the exterior case by the first biasing mechanism when the engagement is released, anti-slip, notch etc. for an operator to slide the lamp cover by hand is not required on the surface of the lamp cover, thereby improving appearance thereof.
In the projector of the present invention, the lamp cover may preferably be disposed on a top surface of the exterior case.
In the conventional arrangement, the lamp cover is usually disposed on the bottom side of the exterior case and the projector has to be turned upside down in order to detach the lamp cover. Accordingly, the attitude of the projector relative to a screen has to be re-adjusted after detaching the lamp cover and completing exchange work of the light source, so that exchange work can be troublesome. Especially, when a projector is used in an audio-visual room etc., the projector is often attached on ceiling with the ceiling surface and the bottom side of the exterior case being opposed. Accordingly, in order to exchange the light source, the projector has to be once detached from the ceiling before exchanging work, thus making the work very troublesome.
In the present invention, since the lamp cover is disposed on the top surface of the exterior case, when the light source is exchanged, exchange work can be conducted while the top surface of the projector is facing upward (i.e. in an ordinary attitude for a projector to be used in, for instance, installing the projector on a table) and it is not necessary to turn the projector upside down. Accordingly, re-adjustment of the attitude and position of the projector is not necessary after exchanging the light source, thereby further enhancing the workability in exchanging the light source.
Further, when the projector is attached on a ceiling, the lamp cover can be detached from the top surface facing downward, so that it is not necessary to detach the projector from
Arai Tsuyoshi
Nakano Hirohisa
Nakano Kiyotaka
Sakurai Teruo
Adams Russell
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Seiko Epson Corporation
Sever Andrew
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