Projection display device

Abstract

A liquid crystal panel unit is provided on the light incident face of a prism combining body. The unit has a light valve frame plate for holding a liquid crystal panel and a fixing frame plate fixed onto the light incident face with an adhesive layer. The light valve frame plate is screwed onto the fixing frame plate with a medial frame therebetween. By using wedge members, by adjusting the position of the light valve frame plate on the light incident face, it is possible to precisely position and fix the liquid crystal panel which is held there so that it is possible to control the shifted amount of the pixel alignment and precisely adjust the focus. Thus, it is possible to easily improve the accuracy. Furthermore, the fixing frame plate and the light valve frame plate are composed of materials having linear expansion coefficients ranging from ¼ to four times that of the prism combining body and from ⅕ to five times that of the fixing frame plate, respectively.

We claim:  
     
       1. A projection display device, that includes a plurality of light valves that modulate a plurality of color lights in response to image information, and an optical combining device including a prism body that combines the modulated color lights, a projection system that enlarges and projects an image, said projection display comprising: 
       a fixing frame plate fixed onto a light incident face of said prism body, a light valve frame plate that holds said light valve, a fixing member that fixes the light valve frame plate onto said fixing frame plate, and a positioning member that fixes said light valve relative to the light incident face of said prism body;  
       said fixing frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one quarter to four times a linear expansion coefficient of said prism body; and  
       said light valve frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one-fifth to five times a linear expansion coefficient of said fixing frame plate.  
     
     
       2. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       linear expansion coefficients E1, E2, and E3, of said prism body, said fixing frame plate, and said light valve frame plate, respectively, satisfying the relationship E1<E2<E3.  
     
     
       3. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said fixing frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one half to two times the linear expansion coefficient of said prism body.  
     
     
       4. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said light valve frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one half to two times a linear expansion coefficient of said fixing frame plate.  
     
     
       5. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said fixing frame plate comprising a metal or a composite material comprising a metal.  
     
     
       6. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said light valve frame plate comprising a resin or a composite material comprising a resin.  
     
     
       7. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said projection display device further comprising a medial frame plate provided between said fixing frame plate and said light valve frame plate, said medial frame plate being fixed to said fixing frame plate by said fixing member and being bonded to said light valve frame plate after being positioned by said positioning member.  
     
     
       8. The projection display device of  claim 7 , 
       further comprising a temporary fixing member between said medial frame plate and said light valve frame plate to temporarily fix said medial frame plate and said light valve frame plate.  
     
     
       9. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said positioning member comprising a plurality of wedge members which are fixed with an adhesive.  
     
     
       10. The projection display device of  claim 9 , 
       said adhesive being a light-curable adhesive.  
     
     
       11. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said light valve frame plate comprising a first frame plate and a second frame plate, said light valve being held between said first frame plate and said second frame plate.  
     
     
       12. The projection display device of  claim 1 , 
       said light valve being a liquid crystal light valve.  
     
     
       13. A light valve unit for positioning a light valve relative to the light incident face of a prism body, the light valve unit comprising: 
       a fixing frame plate for being fixed to a portion of said prism body with an adhesive;  
       a light valve frame plate for holding said light valve;  
       a fixing member that fixes said light valve frame plate on said fixing frame plate; and  
       a positioning member that fixes said light valve relative to said prism body; said fixing frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one quarter to four times a linear expansion coefficient of said portion of said prism body.  
     
     
       14. The light valve unit of  claim 13 , said light valve frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one-fifth to five times that of a linear expansion coefficient of said fixing frame plate. 
     
     
       15. The light valve unit of  claim 14 , linear expansion coefficients E1, E2 and E3, of said portion of said prism body, said fixing frame plate and said light valve frame plate, respectively, satisfying the relationship of E3≧E2≧E1. 
     
     
       16. The light valve unit of  claim 13 , further comprising a medial frame plate between said fixing frame plate and said light valve frame plate, said medial frame plate fixed to said fixing frame plate by said fixing means  member and bonded to said light valve frame plate. 
     
     
       17. The light valve unit of  claim 16 , further comprising a temporary fixing member between said medial frame plate and said light valve frame plate, the temporary fixing member temporarily fixing said medial frame plate and said light valve frame plate. 
     
     
       18. The light valve unit of  claim 13 , said light valve frame plate comprising a first frame plate and a second frame plate holding said light valve between them. 
     
     
       19. A projector, that includes a plurality of modulators that modulate a plurality of color lights in response to image information, and a prism that combines modulated color lights, a projection system that enlarges and projects an image, said projector comprising: 
       
         a fixing frame plate fixed onto a light incident face of said prism, said fixing frame plate including a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one quarter to four times a linear expansion coefficient of said prism;  
       
         a modulator frame plate that holds said modulator, said modulator frame plate including a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one - fifth to five times a linear expansion coefficient of said fixing frame plate; and    
       
         a fixing member that fixes the modulator frame plate onto said fixing frame plate.  
       
     
     
       20. The projector of  claim 19 , 
         linear expansion coefficients E 1, E2, and E3, of said prism, said fixing frame plate, and said modulator frame plate, respectively, satisfying the relationship E1<E2<E3.  
     
     
       21. The projector of  claim 19 , 
       
         said fixing frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one half to two times the linear expansion coefficient of said prism.  
       
     
     
       22. The projector of  claim 19 , 
       
         said modulator frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one half to two times a linear expansion coefficient of said fixing frame plate.  
       
     
     
       23. The projector of  claim 19 , 
       
         said fixing frame plate comprising a metal or a composite material comprising a metal.  
       
     
     
       24. The projector of  claim 19 , 
       
         said modulator frame plate comprising a resin or a composite material comprising a resin.  
       
     
     
       25. The projector of  claim 19 , further comprising: 
       
         a positioning member that fixes said modulator relative to the light incident face of said prism; and  
       
       
         a medial frame plate provided between said fixing frame plate and said modulator frame plate, said medial frame plate being fixed to said fixing frame plate by said fixing member, and being bonded to said modulator frame plate after being positioned by said positioning member.  
       
     
     
       26. The projector of  claim 25 , 
       
         further comprising, a temporary fixing member between said medial frame plate and said modulator frame plate to temporarily fix said medial frame plate and said modulator frame plate.  
       
     
     
       27. The projector of  claim 25 , 
       
         said positioning member comprising a plurality of wedge members which are fixed with an adhesive.  
       
     
     
       28. The projector of  claim 27 , 
         said adhesive being a light - curable adhesive.    
     
     
       29. The projector of  claim 19 , 
       
         said modulator frame plate comprising a first frame plate and a second frame plate, said modulator being held between said first frame plate and said second frame plate.  
       
     
     
       30. The projector of  claim 19 , 
       
         said modulator being a liquid crystal modulator.  
       
     
     
       31. The projector of  claim 19 , further comprising: 
       
         a power supply;  
       
       
         an input/output interface circuit;  
       
       
         a video signal processing circuit;  
       
       
         a control circuit that drives and controls the projector; and  
       
         an outer casing that accommodates the modulators, the prism, the power supply, the input - output interface circuit, the video signal processing circuit, and the control circuit.    
     
     
       32. A modulator unit form positioning a modulator relative to the light incident face of a prism, the modulator unit comprising: 
       
         a fixing frame plate fixed onto a light incident face of said prism, said fixing frame plate including a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one quarter to four times a linear expansion coefficient of said prism;  
       
       
         a modulator frame plate that holds said modulator; and  
       
       
         a fixing member that fixes the modulator frame plate onto said fixing frame plate.  
       
     
     
       33. The modulator unit of  claim 32 , said modulator frame plate comprising a material having a linear expansion coefficient ranging from one- fifth to five times that of a linear expansion coefficient of said fixing frame plate.    
     
     
       34. The modulator unit of  claim 33 , linear expansion coefficients E 1 , E 2  and E 3 , of said portion of said prism, said fixing frame plate and said modulator frame plate, respectively, satisfying the relationship of E 3 ≧E 2 ≧E 1 .  
     
     
       35. The modulator unit of  claim 32 , further comprising a medial frame plate between said fixing frame plate and said modulator frame plate, said medial frame plate fixed to said fixing frame plate by said fixing member and bonded to said modulator frame plate.  
     
     
       36. The modulator unit of  claim 35 , further comprising a temporary fixing member between said medial frame plate and said modulator frame plate, the temporary fixing member temporarily fixing said medial frame plate and said modulator frame plate.  
     
     
       37. The modulator unit of  claim 32 , said modulator frame plate comprising a first frame plate and a second frame plate holding said modulator between them.