There is provided a lens array and an lens array capable of suitably preventing irregular brightness without reducing resolution. A micro lens array of a screen includes upper-level microlenses and lower-level microlenses which are formed on the incidence surface of the screen, which have the same effective diameter, and which have a structure that generates an optical path length difference Δ in transmission light. By disposing the upper-level microlenses and the lower-level microlenses at an interval based on the effective diameter, the basic periodic structure of a lens period is formed. Further, the upper-level microlenses and the lower-level microlenses form a basic block comprising a combination of the lenses having a structure that generates the optical path length difference. A concave-and-convex period PC based on the basic block is an integer multiple of the lens period.

An illumination apparatus includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a light modulation element; a plurality of light source units each including a fluorescent member, at least one light source, and a light-guiding optical system; and an optical-path combining system. A predetermined region in an area where light source images are formed by the illumination optical system using light beams from the optical-path combining system is defined as an effective region, and the number of the light source units is denoted by N. In this case, the light source images and N subregions obtained by dividing the effective region by N along a first side direction of the effective region or a second side direction orthogonal to the first side direction satisfy a predetermined relation.

An electro-optical device includes a mirror being positioned above a surface of a substrate and modulating light, a torsion hinge being positioned between the mirror and the substrate, and supporting the mirror via a mirror support post such that the mirror is pivotable about an axis, and address electrodes being positioned between the mirror and the substrate, and supplying electrostatic forces between the address electrodes and the mirror. Each of the address electrodes includes a first address electrode that is positioned on a side of the axis in plan view, and a second address electrode that is positioned on the opposite side of the axis with respect to the first address electrode in plan view. The first address electrode and the second address electrode are driven independently of each other.

A projector control apparatus that causes plural projectors to collectively project an image by individually projecting a different one of segment images into which the image is divided, the apparatus including: a spatial distribution information obtaining unit which obtains information indicating a distribution of one or more viewers that view the image in a space where the projectors are mounted; a mode selecting unit which selects, using the information indicating the distribution of the one or more viewers, one of modes including (i) a first mode in which a width of a projection area is a first width and (ii) a second mode in which the width of the projection area is a second width larger than the first width; and a projector control unit which changes arrangement of the segment images by controlling each of projection directions according to the mode selected.

A light-source module includes a light-source unit, a first projection lens, a first lens, a mirror wheel, a first light-guiding unit, a second light-guiding unit, and a second projection lens. The first projection lens has an entrance pupil. The light beam provided by the light-source unit can pass through the first projection lens via the entrance pupil and then is guided to the mirror wheel. With the rotation of the mirror wheel, when the light beam passes through the mirror wheel, it becomes a transmission light beam. At different time, when the light beam is reflected by the mirror wheel, it becomes a reflection light beam. The second projection lens has a first exit pupil and a second exit pupil, in which the transmission light beam and the reflection light beam pass through the second projection lens via the first exit pupil and the second exit pupil, respectively.

An optical element includes a prism and a light blocking member. The prism has a first surface, a second surface and a third surface. The first surface is connected to the second surface. The third surface is connected between the first and second surfaces and opposite to a light valve of a projection device. The first surface reflects an image light beam from the light valve to allow the image light beam to pass through the second surface. The light blocking member is disposed on the prism and includes a first light blocking portion and a second light blocking portion adjacent to each other. The first light blocking portion shields a part of the first surface adjacent to the second surface, and the second light blocking portion shields a part of the second surface adjacent to the first surface. A projection device using the optical element is also provided.

A projector includes an illumination system, a biaxially-tilted digital micromirror device (DMD), a first prism, a second prism and a lens. The illumination system provides an incident light. The biaxially-tilted DMD having two opposite first long sides and two opposite first short sides receives the incident light and converts the incident light into an image light. The first prism is disposed between the illumination system and the DMD, and includes a first face and a second face connected and adjacent to the first face. The second prism is disposed between the first prism and the DMD and includes a third face, a fourth face and a fifth face; and the third face is connected and adjacent to the fourth face and fifth face. The fourth face has two opposite second long sides and two opposite second short sides. The lens receives and projects the image light.

A volumetric display capable of high-speed image presentation includes a resonance-type liquid lens having a focal length that is periodically adjusted using resonance of a liquid. An image projector projects an image toward a viewpoint position of a user via the resonance-type liquid lens. Further, the image projector projects an image toward the viewpoint position within a shorter time period than one-tenth of a variation cycle of the focal length. The image projector includes an LED and a DMD, for example.

A projection apparatus comprising a prism assembly 7 including an input sub-prism 1 possessing a first interface surface and an output sub-prism 2 adjacent to the input sub-prism possessing a second interface surface. The second interface surface is spaced from the first interface surface immediately proximate to it and extends over it to receive display light 12 transmitted through the first interface surface. A panel 8 comprising a plurality of selectively adjustable reflecting elements is arranged to receive from the input sub-prism an illumination light totally internally reflected from the first interface surface and selectively to reflect received illumination light back through the input sub-prism for transmission through the first interface surface for receipt as display light 13 by the output prism at said second interface surface.

The method for controlling an angular position of a MEMS mirror, includes: applying a first driving moment to the MEMS mirror to generate a rotational scanning movement of the mirror; and, at a zooming instant, applying a second driving moment to the MEMS mirror, wherein the second driving moment is equal to the first driving moment plus an extra moment. The extra moment may be a DC offset. After a transient period of time from zooming instant, a third driving moment M.sub.2=k{dot over (θ)}.sub.2t is applied. The first and third driving moment are variable linearly with time. The driving moments are applied to torsional springs of the mirror.