U.S. patent application number 12/078246 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-02 for apparatus including freezing unit and projector including freezing unit.
This patent application is currently assigned to SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Toshikazu Ishihara, Takahiro Nakamura, Masaki Tsuchiya.
Application Number | 20080236190 12/078246 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39643083 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080236190 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsuchiya; Masaki ; et
al. |
October 2, 2008 |
Apparatus including freezing unit and projector including freezing
unit
Abstract
There is disclosed an apparatus including a freezing unit in
which the freezing unit can be operated without any trouble even
when a main body rotates. A liquid crystal display projector (an
apparatus) including a freezing unit having a refrigerant circuit
constituted of a compressor, a radiator, a capillary tube (a
pressure reducing unit), an evaporator and the like includes a
rotator as a posture adjustment unit for adjusting the main body to
a basic posture to maintain at least a lubricating performance of
the compressor in accordance with a posture change of the main
body. The rotator rotates to adjust the basic posture of the whole
freezing unit, and a rotary shaft of this rotator is arranged in
parallel with an optical axis of a light source on the same
plane.
Inventors: |
Tsuchiya; Masaki; (Gunma,
JP) ; Ishihara; Toshikazu; (Saitama, JP) ;
Nakamura; Takahiro; (Gunma, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP
600 13TH STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005-3096
US
|
Assignee: |
SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
|
Family ID: |
39643083 |
Appl. No.: |
12/078246 |
Filed: |
March 28, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/468 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B 31/002 20130101;
G03B 21/16 20130101; F25D 19/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/468 |
International
Class: |
F25B 41/00 20060101
F25B041/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 29, 2007 |
JP |
2007-88318 |
Claims
1. An apparatus including a freezing unit which has a main body
provided with the freezing unit having a refrigerant circuit
constituted of at least a compressor, a radiator, a pressure
reducing unit and an evaporator, the apparatus being provided with
posture adjustment means for adjusting the main body to a basic
posture to maintain at least a lubricating performance of the
compressor in accordance with a posture change of the main
body.
2. The apparatus including the freezing unit according to claim 1,
wherein the posture adjustment means adjusts a basic posture to
maintain a flow of a refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit.
3. The apparatus including the freezing unit according to claim 2,
wherein the posture adjustment means rotates to adjust the basic
posture of the whole freezing unit, and the compressor, the
radiator and the evaporator are arranged around a rotary shaft of
the posture adjustment means.
4. The apparatus including the freezing unit according to claim 3,
wherein an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe of the evaporator are
arranged along the rotary shaft of the posture adjustment means and
arranged away from each other.
5. The apparatus including the freezing unit according to claim 1,
wherein the posture adjustment means adjusts the basic posture of
the compressor only, and a refrigerant discharge pipe and a
refrigerant suction pipe of the compressor are made of pipes having
flexibility.
6. A projector including a freezing unit, which is the apparatus
according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a main body
including a light source, an optical element which processes light
emitted from the light source in accordance with image information,
and a projection lens which projects a projected image of the
processed light onto a screen, wherein the posture adjustment means
rotates to adjust a basic posture of the whole freezing unit or a
compressor only, and a rotary shaft of the posture adjustment means
is arranged in parallel with an optical axis of the light source on
the same plane.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus in which a
main body includes a freezing unit having a refrigerant circuit
constituted of a compressor, a radiator, a pressure reducing unit,
an evaporator and the like, and it also relates to a projector
including the freezing unit.
[0002] Heretofore, a freezing unit having a refrigerant circuit
constituted of a compressor, a radiator, a pressure reducing unit,
an evaporator and the like is mounted on various apparatus such as
a refrigerator, a freezer and an air conditioner. Such an apparatus
is usually stationary, so that an oil reservoir is formed in a
lower part of a container in the compressor of the freezing unit to
receive oil owing to gravity, and the oil is pumped up from the oil
reservoir and supplied to a frictional portion (a sliding portion)
(e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-129977).
[0003] Moreover, in a case where the freezing unit is used as a car
air conditioner for conditioning air in a car, the freezing unit is
mounted on the car, so that the installation position of the
freezing unit tilts owing to a posture of the car. Therefore, it
has been devised that a special oil supply mechanism is attached
inside and outside the compressor to pump up the oil (e.g.,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-256709).
[0004] In addition, the applicant has previously developed a
projector including this freezing unit mounted thereon so that an
optical element of the projector is cooled in the cold air through
the evaporator. The optical element of the projector is cooled in
the freezing unit in this manner, whereby a temperature of the
optical element can be held at a suitable temperature. Moreover,
various effects such as reducing of amount of air flows,
improvement of an energy efficiency and reducing of an installation
space can be obtained.
[0005] On the other hand, such a projector is provided rotatably
around a burner axis (an optical axis) of a light source lamp, and
hence the freezing unit needs to correspond to this constitution.
That is, in a case where the freezing unit is fixedly installed in
the main body, the freezing unit rotates owing to the rotation of
the projector. Therefore, in particular, it becomes difficult to
pump up the oil from the oil reservoir of the compressor, and a
problem occurs that the oil cannot smoothly be supplied to a
frictional portion (the sliding portion).
[0006] In particular, when the freezing unit is mounted on the car
as described above, a tilt angle can be estimated to a certain
degree, so that it is possible to solve a problem of the oil owing
to the above-mentioned oil supply mechanism. However, the freezing
unit needs to be attached to the projector in consideration of even
a case where the unit is vertically (head and tail) reversed around
the burner axis as the rotation center. That is, when the freezing
unit is mounted on the projector, it is a requirement that the
freezing unit can be operated without any trouble even at any
rotation angle, but the conventional constitution cannot meet this
requirement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention has been developed in order to solve a
conventional technical problem, and an object thereof is to provide
an apparatus including a freezing unit in which the freezing unit
can be operated without any trouble even in a case where a main
body rotates.
[0008] An apparatus including a freezing unit according to a first
aspect of the invention is characterized by having a main body
provided with the freezing unit having a refrigerant circuit
constituted of at least a compressor, a radiator, a pressure
reducing unit and an evaporator; and the apparatus is provided with
posture adjustment means for adjusting the main body to a basic
posture to maintain at least a lubricating performance of the
compressor in accordance with a posture change of the main
body.
[0009] An apparatus including a freezing unit according to a second
aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the first
aspect of the invention, the posture adjustment means adjusts a
basic posture to maintain a flow of a refrigerant in the
refrigerant circuit.
[0010] An apparatus including a freezing unit according to a third
aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the second
aspect of the invention, the posture adjustment means rotates to
adjust the basic posture of the whole freezing unit, and the
compressor, the radiator and the evaporator are arranged around a
rotary shaft of this posture adjustment means.
[0011] An apparatus including a freezing unit according to a fourth
aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the third
aspect of the invention, an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe of the
evaporator are arranged along the rotary shaft of the posture
adjustment means and arranged away from each other.
[0012] An apparatus including a freezing unit according to a fifth
aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the first
aspect of the invention, the posture adjustment means adjusts the
basic posture of the compressor only, and a refrigerant discharge
pipe and a refrigerant suction pipe of the compressor are made of
pipes having flexibility.
[0013] A projector including a freezing unit according to a sixth
aspect of the invention which is the apparatus according to any one
of the first to fifth aspects of the invention is characterized by
comprising a main body including a light source, an optical element
which processes light emitted from this light source in accordance
with image information, and a projection lens which projects a
projected image of the processed light onto a screen, wherein the
posture adjustment means rotates to adjust a basic posture of the
whole freezing unit or a compressor only, and a rotary shaft of the
posture adjustment means is arranged in parallel with an optical
axis of the light source on the same plane.
[0014] According to the first aspect of the invention, the
apparatus including the main body provided with the freezing unit
having the refrigerant circuit constituted of at least the
compressor, the radiator, the pressure reducing unit and the
evaporator is provided with the posture adjustment means for
adjusting a basic posture to maintain at least the lubricating
performance of the compressor in accordance with the posture change
of the main body. Therefore, even when the posture of the main body
changes, the freezing unit can be operated without any trouble.
[0015] In particular, the posture adjustment means can maintain at
least the basic posture of the compressor, so that even when the
main body changes to any posture, the lubricating performance of
the compressor can be maintained. A disadvantage that the
compressor is running short of oil supply can be eliminated.
[0016] In consequence, oil can smoothly be supplied to a frictional
portion (a sliding portion) without constituting any special oil
supply mechanism in the compressor, so that enlargement of the
compressor and steep rise of manufacturing cost can be
minimized.
[0017] Moreover, as in the second aspect of the invention, the
posture adjustment means can adjust a basic posture to maintain the
flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. In consequence,
the basic posture to maintain the flow of the refrigerant in the
refrigerant circuit is adjusted by the posture adjustment means,
whereby even when the main body changes to any posture, the flow of
the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit can be maintained.
[0018] Furthermore, in the second aspect of the invention, the
posture adjustment means rotates to adjust the basic posture of the
whole freezing unit, and the compressor, the radiator and the
evaporator are arranged around the rotary shaft of this posture
adjustment means as in the third aspect of the invention, whereby
the freezing unit can smoothly be rotated by the posture adjustment
means.
[0019] In addition, in the third aspect of the invention, the inlet
pipe and the outlet pipe of the evaporator are arranged along the
rotary shaft of the posture adjustment means and arranged away from
each other as in the fourth aspect of the invention. In
consequence, while the posture adjustment means smoothly rotates
the evaporator, the refrigerant flowing through pipes between an
inlet pipe and an outlet pipe performs heat exchange between the
refrigerant and the evaporator, whereby a disadvantage that a heat
absorbing function of the evaporator lowers can be eliminated.
[0020] According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in the first
aspect of the invention, the posture adjustment means can adjust
the basic posture of the compressor only, and the refrigerant
discharge pipe and the refrigerant suction pipe of the compressor
are constituted of the pipes having flexibility. Therefore, even
when the main body (head and tail) is vertically reversed, a
connected state to the refrigerant discharge pipe and the
refrigerant suction pipe is secured, and smooth flow of the
refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit can be maintained. In
consequence, even when the main body is rotated to any posture,
while the basic posture of the compressor is maintained to realize
smooth oil supply, the freezing unit can be operated without any
trouble.
[0021] In consequence, as in the sixth aspect of the invention, the
apparatus including the freezing unit according to any one of the
first to fifth aspects of the invention is the projector, the above
inventions are applied to the projector, the posture adjustment
means rotates to adjust the basic posture of the whole freezing
unit or the compressor only, and the rotary shaft of the posture
adjustment means is arranged in parallel with the optical axis of
the light source on the same plane. In this case, even when the
freezing unit is mounted on the projector, the freezing unit can be
operated without any trouble.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic
constitution of a liquid crystal display projector as one
embodiment of an apparatus including a freezing unit to which the
present invention is applied (Embodiment 1);
[0023] FIG. 2 is an arrangement diagram viewed from a front surface
of the freezing unit of the liquid crystal display projector shown
in FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 3 is an arrangement diagram viewed from one side
surface of the freezing unit of the liquid crystal display
projector shown in FIG. 1;
[0025] FIG. 4 is an arrangement diagram viewed from a plane of the
freezing unit of the liquid crystal display projector shown in FIG.
1;
[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a duct of the liquid crystal
display projector shown in FIG. 1, and a flow of air flowing
through the duct;
[0027] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the freezing unit in a case
where a main body of the liquid crystal display projector shown in
FIG. 1 rotates.
[0028] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a freezing
unit according to another embodiment of a liquid crystal display
projector to which the present invention is applied; and
[0029] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a freezing
unit in a case where a main body of the liquid crystal display
projector shown in FIG. 7 rotates as much as 180 degrees.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0030] Embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be
described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1
[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a projector
as one embodiment of an apparatus including a freezing unit
according to the present invention. The projector according to the
present embodiment is a liquid crystal display projector P
constituted by providing, in a main body 1, a light source 2, an
optical path changing member 3, a uniform illumination optical
system (not shown), a color separation optical system (not shown),
an optical element 5, a projection lens 9 and a freezing unit 10 of
the optical element 5. The main body 1 is a flat housing
constituted of a material having an excellent heat release
property, for example, magnesium. It is to be noted that for the
sake of description of each unit provided in the main body 1, the
main body 1 is shown in a flat section in which an upper part of
the main body is cut.
[0032] The light source 2 includes a lamp 20 such as an extra-high
pressure mercury lamp, and a reflector 21 for emitting forwards
light (divergent light) diverging from the lamp. In the light
source 2 of the embodiment, a plurality of (four) lamps 20 are
provided with the reflectors 21, respectively, and are received in
lamp boxes 22 provided in the main body 1.
[0033] The uniform illumination optical system converts the light
emitted from the light source 2 into a parallel luminous flux
having a uniform luminance distribution, and includes an integrator
lens, a condenser lens and the like. Moreover, the color separation
optical system separates the parallel luminous flux from the
uniform illumination optical system into light of colors R, G and
B, and includes a dichroic mirror (not shown) and a mirror 4 for
reflection (not shown in FIG. 1, and shown in FIG. 4 as described
later) which separates the parallel luminous flux from the uniform
illumination optical system into the respective colors and the
like.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 4 or 5, the optical element 5 includes
three liquid crystal display panels (LCD panels) 6, incident-side
sheet polarizers 8A each disposed with a space from each liquid
crystal panel 6 on an incidence side of the panel, outgoing-side
sheet polarizers 8B (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as described later)
each disposed with a space from each liquid crystal panel 6 on an
emission side, a cross dichroic cross dichroic prism 25 and the
like. The liquid crystal display panels 6 process (modulate) light
separated by the color separation optical system and guided to the
liquid crystal display panels 6 in accordance with image
information. The cross dichroic prism 25 synthesizes each color
light to form a projected light image. This cross dichroic cross
dichroic prism 25 includes a reflective surface including X-like
dielectric multilayer films, and the light from each liquid crystal
panel 6 is formed into a single luminous flux via the reflective
surface. It is to be noted that the projection lens 9 enlarges and
projects the projected light image from the cross dichroic cross
dichroic prism 25 onto the screen, and is detachably attached to a
hole (not shown) formed in a wall surface of the main body 1.
Further in FIG. 1, reference numeral 27 is a box member which
covers an optical path for guiding the light emitted from the light
source 2 to the liquid crystal display panels 6, the incident-side
sheet polarizers 8A, 8B and the like, 1T is a leg portion provided
on a bottom part of the main body 1, and 18M is a motor of a fan
18F described later. That is, a path (an optical path) through
which the light passes from the light source 2 to the incident-side
sheet polarizers 8A on the incidence side of the liquid crystal
display panels 6 is formed in the box member 27.
[0035] An operation of the above constitution will be described.
The light emitted from the light source 2 is converted into the
parallel luminous fluxes having a uniform luminance distribution
via the uniform illumination optical system, separated into the
light of the colors R, G and B in the color separation optical
system, and guided into the liquid crystal display panels 6 which
function as corresponding light bulbs via the incidence-side
incident-side sheet polarizers 8A. The luminous fluxes guided into
the liquid crystal display panels 6 are modulated in accordance
with the image information in the panels, converted into a
projected image of the single luminous flux by the cross dichroic
prism 25 through the emission-side outgoing-side sheet polarizers
8B, and enlarged and projected on the screen by the projection lens
9.
[0036] Next, a freezing unit 10 of the present invention will be
described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams
showing arrangements of the freezing unit 10 of the present
invention as viewed from a front surface (a projection lens 9
side), a side surface and a plane. The liquid crystal display
projector P of the present invention includes the freezing unit 10
in the main body 1. This freezing unit 10 cools the optical element
5 including the liquid crystal display panels 6, the incident-side
sheet polarizers 8A, 8B, the cross dichroic prism 25 and the like,
and a refrigerant circuit is constituted of a compressor 12, a
radiator 14, a capillary tube 16 (a pressure reducing unit of the
present invention) and an evaporator 18 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.
That is, a refrigerant discharge tube 13 of the compressor 12 is
connected to an inlet of the radiator 14, and an outlet of the
radiator 14 is connected to a refrigerant pipe 15 extending to the
capillary tube 16. An outlet of the capillary tube 16 is connected
to an inlet of the evaporator 18 via a refrigerant pipe 17 (an
inlet pipe of the evaporator 18), and an outlet of the evaporator
18 is connected to a refrigerant suction tube 11 (an outlet pipe of
the evaporator 18) of the compressor 12 to constitute an annular
refrigerant circuit.
[0037] The compressor 12 of the present embodiment is constituted
by disposing, in a sealed container 12A having a vertically long
cylindrical shape, a compression element and an electromotive
element (a driving element) for driving this compression element.
The radiator 14 for use in the embodiment is a heat exchanger of an
air cooling type, and hence a fan 14F as blowing means is installed
in the vicinity of (on the side of) the radiator 14. It is to be
noted that in the present embodiment, the capillary tube 16 is used
as a unit to reduce a pressure of the refrigerant, but the pressure
reducing unit is not limited to the capillary tube, and any type of
unit, for example, an expansion valve may be used as long as the
pressure of the refrigerant can be reduced to a predetermined
pressure.
[0038] The freezing unit 10 of the present embodiment is
constituted so that a basic posture thereof can be maintained in
accordance with a posture change of the main body 1 of the liquid
crystal display projector P by posture adjustment means. In the
present embodiment, the basic posture is such a posture of the
satisfactorily reliable freezing unit 10 that oil can smoothly be
supplied to at least a frictional portion (a sliding portion) of
the compressor 12 (a lubricating performance can be maintained) and
that a flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit can be
maintained. The posture adjustment means of the present embodiment
is constituted of a basket-like rotator 40, and the freezing unit
10 is installed rotatably around a rotary shaft B arranged in
parallel with a burner axis A (an optical axis) of the light source
2 on the same plane. Specifically, in this rotator 40, the
compressor 12, the radiator 14 and the fan 14F of the radiator 14
are received, and the evaporator 18 is disposed in a duct 50
described later. The capillary tube 16 is disposed in a space
between the rotator 40 and the duct 50.
[0039] An outer side surface of the rotator 40 is a disc-like panel
42, and this panel is rotatably disposed in a circular hole 43
formed in a side wall 1A of the main body 1 of the liquid crystal
display projector P. That is, the rotator 40 of the present
embodiment is rotatably supported on the side wall 1A of the main
body 1 by the hole 43 of the main body 1. The panel surface 42
exposed to the outer surface of the main body 1 is provided with a
dial 45 for adjusting a position of the rotator 40. That is, the
rotator 40 of the present embodiment is constituted so that the
dial 45 can be operated to adjust the posture of the rotator
40.
[0040] Then, in the rotator 40, the compressor 12, the radiator 14
and the fan 14F are arranged around the rotary shaft B of the
rotator 40. Specifically, the compressor 12, the fan 14F and the
radiator 14 are arranged in order of the compressor 12, the fan 14F
and the radiator 14 in a diametric direction of the rotator 40
crossing an axial center direction of the rotary shaft B at right
angles, and they are arranged in parallel on the same plane. That
is, as shown in FIG. 3, the compressor 12 is disposed along one
side surface of the fan 14F, and the radiator 14 is disposed along
the other side surface of the fan 14F. In particular, according to
the present embodiment, in a position corresponding to the rotation
center of the rotator 40, the compressor 12 is disposed in the
rotator 40 with the basic posture in a position where a vertically
long cylindrical axis (a vertical axis) of the compressor 12
crosses the rotary shaft B of the rotator 40 at right angles. In
addition, the basic posture is not necessarily limited to the
position where the axis crosses the rotary shaft at right angles as
long as the lubricating performance of the compressor 12 is
maintained.
[0041] Moreover, the capillary tube 16 and the evaporator 18 are
similarly arranged around the rotary shaft B of the rotator 40. In
the present embodiment, the capillary tube 16 and the evaporator 18
are positioned linearly with the units (the compressor 12, the fan
14F and the radiator 14) arranged in the diametric direction
crossing the axial center direction at right angles in the rotator
40.
[0042] The compressor 12, the radiator 14 and the evaporator 18 are
arranged around the rotary shaft B in this manner, whereby the
freezing unit 10 can smoothly be rotated by the rotator 40.
Especially, the units constituting the freezing unit 10 (the
compressor 12, the radiator 14, the fan 14F, the capillary tube 16
and the evaporator 18) are linearly arranged, and a diameter of the
freezing unit 10 rotated by the rotator 40 is set to be smaller
than that of the rotator 40, whereby the freezing unit 10 can be
received in a diametric region of the rotator 40. Therefore, a
rotation radius of the freezing unit 10 can be reduced, whereby
smoother rotation can be achieved owing to the rotator 40, and
excessive enlargement of the rotator 40 can be prevented.
[0043] On the other hand, the duct 50 is disposed around the
optical element 5 including the liquid crystal display panels 6,
the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B, the cross dichroic prism
25 and the like, and cold air subjected to the heat exchange
between the air and the evaporator 18 is supplied to the liquid
crystal display panels 6, the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B
and the cross dichroic prism 25 via the duct 50. That is, in the
liquid crystal display projector P of the present embodiment, the
optical element 5 is disposed in a cooling air path constituted of
the duct 50, and the optical element is locally cooled by the cold
air circulated through the duct 50.
[0044] This duct 50 is constituted of an insulating material.
Examples of the usable insulating material include rubber/plastic
materials such as hard vinyl chloride, a silicon resin, a fluorine
resin, a phenol resin, a polycarbonate resin and a polystyrene
resin having a thermal conductivity of about 0.1 W/(mK) to 0.3
W/(mK), glass materials such as quartz glass and glass ceramic
having a thermal conductivity of about 1 W/(mK) to 4 W/(mK), fiber
insulating materials such as glass wool, rock wool and carbide cork
having a thermal conductivity of about 0.0045 W/(mK) or less, foam
styrol, and insulating materials for construction and vacuum
insulating materials constituted of these materials. In addition,
as the insulating material, a material having a thermal
conductivity of 1 W/(mK) or less may be used.
[0045] Moreover, in the present embodiment, as described above, the
evaporator 18 of the freezing unit 10 is disposed in the duct 50,
and the cold air subjected to the heat exchange between the air and
the evaporator 18 can be circulated. As shown in FIG. 5, the duct
50 is formed around the liquid crystal display panels 6 and the
cross dichroic prism 25, and is constituted of a cylindrical sealed
path 50A having a substantially U-shape, and communication tubes
50B which connect blowout ports 52 formed in one end of the sealed
path 50A positioned above the liquid crystal display panels 6 and
suction ports 53 formed in the other end of the sealed path 50A
positioned under the liquid crystal display panels 6. In the sealed
path 50A, the evaporator 18 and the fan 18F are arranged.
[0046] Furthermore, in the communication tubes 50B, the liquid
crystal display panels 6 (one of the three liquid crystal display
panels 6 is installed in one communication tube 50B) and the
incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B are installed. Each liquid
crystal panel 6 and the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B are
arranged with a space therebetween in the communication tube 50B.
The polarization plate 8A is disposed with a space from one wall
surface of the communication tube 50B, and the polarization plate
8B is similarly disposed with a space from the other wall surface
of the communication tube 50B. Furthermore, the communication tubes
50B are constituted so that the liquid crystal display panels 6,
the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B, light to be radiated,
and the image information modulated by the liquid crystal display
panels 6 and then sent to the cross dichroic prism 25 are not
disturbed and that the cold air subjected to the heat exchange
between the air and the evaporator 18 are supplied to the liquid
crystal display panels 6, the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B
and the cross dichroic prism 25.
[0047] The evaporator 18 disposed in this duct 50 is connected to
the refrigerant pipe (the inlet pipe) 17 from the capillary tube 16
on an inlet side, and connected to the refrigerant suction tube
(the outlet pipe) 11 of the compressor 12 on an outlet side. In the
present embodiment, the evaporator 18 is disposed rotatably by the
rotator 40 in the duct 50. That is, a hole 19 extending through the
duct 50 is formed in a side wall of the sealed path 50A of the duct
50 corresponding to the rotary shaft B of the rotator 40, and in
the hole 19, the refrigerant pipe 17 and the refrigerant suction
tube 11 are arranged apart from each other along the rotary shaft B
of the rotator 40 in an insulating manner. Both the pipes 11, 17
are wound with an insulating material, whereby an amount of heat
exchange between the pipes and atmospheric air is reduced, and the
more effective freezing unit 10 can be achieved.
[0048] Thus, the refrigerant pipe 17 connected to the inlet side of
the evaporator 18 and the refrigerant suction tube 11 connected to
the outlet side of the evaporator 18 are arranged along the rotary
shaft B of the rotator 40, whereby the evaporator 18 can be
disposed rotatably by the rotator 40 in the duct 50. Furthermore,
the refrigerant pipe 17 and the refrigerant suction tube 11 are
arranged apart from each other in the insulating manner, whereby it
is possible to prevent a disadvantage that the refrigerant flowing
through the refrigerant pipe 17 extending from the capillary tube
16 to the evaporator 18 and the refrigerant flowing through the
refrigerant suction tube 11 extending from the evaporator 18 to the
compressor 12 perform heat exchange therebetween. That is, the
refrigerant having the pressure thereof reduced by the capillary
tube 16 absorbs heat from the refrigerant flowing through the
refrigerant suction tube 11 to evaporate, whereby it is possible to
eliminate a disadvantage that a heat absorbing function in the
evaporator 18 lowers and that the air circulated through the
evaporator 18 is not easily cooled.
[0049] A cooling operation of the liquid crystal display panels 6
having the above constitution according to the present embodiment
will be described. When the compressor 12 in the rotator 40 is
driven, a low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant is sucked from
the refrigerant suction tube 11 into a compression element (not
shown), and compressed in the element. The compressed
high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant is discharged to the
refrigerant discharge tube 13, and flows into the radiator 14. The
refrigerant which has flowed into the radiator 14 performs heat
exchange between the refrigerant and the air blown by the fan 14F
in the radiator to radiate heat. The refrigerant which has radiated
the heat in the radiator 14 enters the capillary tube 16 disposed
between the rotator 40 and the duct 50 through the refrigerant pipe
15. While the refrigerant passes through the capillary tube 16, the
pressure thereof is reduced. In this state, the refrigerant flows
into the evaporator 18 in the duct 50 through the refrigerant pipe
17. It is to be noted that the refrigerant pipe 17 is disposed
apart from the refrigerant suction tube 11 connected to the outlet
side of the evaporator 18 in the insulating manner as described
above, so that the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe
17 as described above is not influenced by the refrigerant flowing
through the refrigerant suction tube 11, that is, the refrigerant
does not absorb any heat from the refrigerant flowing through the
refrigerant suction tube 11, does not evaporate, and flows into the
evaporator 18.
[0050] The refrigerant which has flowed into the evaporator 18
takes the heat from the air circulated through the duct 50 to
evaporate in the evaporator. Then, the refrigerant which has
received the heat (i.e., the heat of the optical element 5) of the
air circulated through the duct 50 flows into the refrigerant
suction tube 11, flows from the duct 50 via the hole 19, is sucked
into the reflector 21 disposed in the rotator 40, is compressed,
flows into the radiator 14, and releases the heat to the air blown
in the radiator 14. Thus, the refrigerant repeats this cycle.
[0051] On the other hand, the air cooled by taking the heat from
the air by the refrigerant in the evaporator 18 is discharged into
the communication tube 50B from the blowout ports 52 formed right
above the liquid crystal display panels 6 and the incident-side
sheet polarizers 8A, 8B by the fan 18F installed in the sealed path
50A of the duct 50, and supplied to the liquid crystal display
panels 6, the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B and the cross
dichroic prism 25. That is, the air which has flows into the
communication tube 50B from the blowout ports 52 passes through
gaps formed between the liquid crystal display panels 6 and the
incident-side sheet polarizers 8A provided in the communication
tubes 50B, between the liquid crystal display panels 6 and the
outgoing-side sheet polarizers 8B, between the polarization plate
8A and one wall surface of the communication tube 50B (i.e., a hole
connected to an opening of the box member 27) and between the
polarization plate 8B and the other wall surface of the
communication tube 50B (i.e., the cross dichroic prism 25). In
consequence, the liquid crystal display panels 6, the incident-side
sheet polarizers 8A, 8B and the cross dichroic prism 25 release the
heat to the air (cold air), and are cooled.
[0052] Then, the air heated by receiving the heat from the liquid
crystal display panels 6, the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B
and the cross dichroic prism 25 is sucked into the sealed path 50A
from the suction ports 53 formed right under the liquid crystal
display panels 6 and the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B to
reach the evaporator 18. In the evaporator, the air is cooled by
the heat exchange performed between the air and the refrigerant
flowing through the evaporator 18, and is supplied to the liquid
crystal display panels 6, the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B
and the cross dichroic prism 25 from the blowout ports 52 via the
fan 18F again, thereby repeating the cycle.
[0053] Thus, the duct 50 for supplying the cold air subjected to
the heat exchange between the air and the evaporator 18 of the
freezing unit 10 to the liquid crystal display panels 6, the
incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B and the cross dichroic prism
25 is formed around the liquid crystal display panels 6, the
incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B and the cross dichroic prism
25, whereby the air subjected to the heat exchange between the air
and the evaporator 18 of the freezing unit 10 can be supplied to
the liquid crystal display panels 6, the incident-side sheet
polarizers 8A, 8B, the cross dichroic prism 25 and the like and can
be cooled by the fan 18F. In consequence, the liquid crystal
display panels 6, the incident-side sheet polarizers 8A, 8B, the
cross dichroic prism 25 and the like can be cooled without being
influenced by an outside air temperature, and the optical element 5
including the liquid crystal display panels 6, the incident-side
sheet polarizers 8A, 8B, the cross dichroic prism 25 and the like
can constantly be maintained at an optimum constant
temperature.
[0054] In particular, the cold air subjected to the heat exchange
between the air and the evaporator 18 can constantly be supplied to
the liquid crystal display panels 6, the incident-side sheet
polarizers 8A, 8B and the cross dichroic prism 25 as described
above, so that an amount of the heat to be released is remarkably
increased as compared with a case where outside air is supplied to
the liquid crystal display panels as in a conventional example.
Therefore, the fan is miniaturized to reduce an installation space,
and an amount of the air to be blown by the fan can be reduced to
reduce noise. Furthermore, as compared with conventional electronic
cooling, an energy efficiency can remarkably be improved.
[0055] Furthermore, the air heated by the heat generated by the
liquid crystal display panels 6 and the refrigerant flowing through
the evaporator 18 of the freezing unit 10 perform heat exchange
therebetween, whereby the heat of the liquid crystal display panels
6 can be conveyed by the refrigerant, and released to the outside
air blown in the radiator 14. Therefore, unlike a case where the
optical element is cooled by the electronic cooling, a degree of
freedom in spatial layout design (in the main body 1) improves.
[0056] On the other hand, in a case where the liquid crystal
display projector P is rotated around the burner axis A of the
light source 2 as described above, the dial 45 attached to the
panel 42 on the side of the outer surface of the rotator 40 is
operated, whereby the freezing unit 10 can maintain its basic
posture as shown in FIG. 6.
[0057] Thus, when the main body 1 rotates, the dial 45 is operated
to adjust the posture of the freezing unit 10. In consequence, even
when the main body 1 rotates to any posture, for example, even when
the main body 1 is vertically (head and tail) reversed around the
burner axis A of the light source 2, the basic posture of the
freezing unit 10 can be maintained, so that the freezing unit 10
can be operated without any trouble. In consequence, without
constituting any special oil supply mechanism in the compressor 12,
the oil can smoothly be supplied to a frictional part, so that
enlargement of the compressor 12 and steep rise of manufacturing
cost can be minimized.
[0058] It is to be noted that in the present embodiment, the panel
is rotatably supported on the side wall 1A of the main body 1 by
the hole 43 of the main body 1, but the present invention is not
limited to this embodiment, and the panel 42 on the outer surface
of the rotator 40 and an edge of the duct 50 may rotatably be
supported on the duct. In this case, the capillary tube 16 is
disposed in the rotator 40.
[0059] Moreover, in the present embodiment, the dial 45 for
adjusting the position of the rotator 40 is attached to the panel
surface 42 exposed to the outer surface of the main body 1, and the
dial 45 is operated to adjust the posture of the rotator 40,
whereby the basic posture of the freezing unit 10 is maintained.
However, for example, the posture of the rotator 40 may
automatically be adjusted in accordance with the gravity and
gravity center position, or the posture of the freezing unit 10 may
automatically be adjusted with a posture sensor, an encoder or the
like. Even in this case, the present invention is effective.
Embodiment 2
[0060] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1 described above, the whole
freezing unit 10 is rotatably installed, but in the present
invention, the whole unit does not have to be rotated as long as
posture adjustment means can maintain at least a basic posture of a
compressor 12. To solve the problem, in the present embodiment, an
embodiment will be described in a case where the posture adjustment
means adjusts the basic posture of the compressor 12 only so that
the basic posture is maintained in accordance with a posture change
of a main body. It is to be noted that in the present embodiment,
basic constitution and operation and the like are similar to those
of a liquid crystal display projector P of the above embodiment
described in detail. Therefore, description thereof is omitted, and
an only different constitution will be described.
[0061] The posture adjustment means of the present embodiment is
constituted of a rotary shaft 60 arranged in parallel with a burner
axis A (an optical axis) of a light source 2 on the same plane, and
a compressor 12 is installed around the rotary shaft 60 so as to be
rotatable around the rotary shaft 60. Specifically, the rotary
shaft 60 extends through and is connected to a sealed container 12A
of the compressor 12 in a diametric direction (a horizontal
direction) crossing an axial center direction (a vertical
direction) of the compressor 12 at right angles, and the rotary
shaft is rotatably supported in a hole (not shown) formed in a side
wall 1A. In the present embodiment, oil can smoothly be supplied to
a frictional part (a sliding part) of the compressor 12 owing to
the rotary shaft 60 (a lubricating characteristic can be
maintained), and the rotary shaft extends through the compressor 12
and is connected to a position of the compressor 12 close to the
center thereof in a longitudinal direction, corresponding to the
gravity center of the compressor.
[0062] Moreover, a dial 55 for adjusting a posture of the
compressor 12 is disposed on one end of the rotary shaft 60 exposed
from an outer surface of a main body 1, and the dial is connected
to the rotary shaft 60. That is, in the present embodiment, the
dial 55 is operated to rotate the rotary shaft 60, and the
compressor 12 connected to this rotary shaft can rotate with the
rotation of the rotary shaft 60. In the present embodiment, the
dial 55 is operated to rotate the compressor 12 as much as 180
degrees in clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the
rotary shaft 60.
[0063] It is to be noted that in the present embodiment, a radiator
14, a fan 14F and a capillary tube 16 constituting a freezing unit
10 except the compressor 12 are fixed onto the main body 1, and an
evaporator 18 is fixedly disposed in a sealed path 50A of a duct 50
installed on the main body 1. In this case, a refrigerant discharge
pipe 63 and a refrigerant suction pipe 61 of the compressor 12 are
constituted of a pipe having flexibility, for example, a flexible
tube. The flexible tube is constituted of a metal tube, a rubber
tube or the like which can bend in accordance with contraction of a
pipe of a piping system in an axial direction, displacement in a
horizontal direction, bend displacement or the like.
[0064] Then, when a liquid crystal display projector P is rotated
around the burner axis A of the light source 2, for example, head
and tail of the main body are reversed (rotated as much as 180
degrees), the dial 55 attached to one end of the rotary shaft 60 is
operated, whereby a basic posture of the compressor 12 can be
maintained as shown in FIG. 8.
[0065] In particular, a rotation angle of the compressor 12 is set
to +180 degrees, whereby even when the head and tail of the main
body 1 is reversed (rotated as much as 180 degrees) as shown in
FIG. 8, the pipes 61, 63 only intersect with each other, and are
not mutually twisted. A connected state is secured, and a smooth
flow of a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit can be maintained.
Therefore, even with the constitution of the present embodiment, an
effect similar to that of the above embodiment can be obtained.
[0066] It is to be noted that in the present embodiment, the rotary
shaft 60 extends through the compressor 12, and is connected to the
position of the compressor close to the center thereof in the
longitudinal direction, corresponding to the gravity center of the
compressor 12. However, the present invention is not limited to
this embodiment, and the rotary shaft may be attached to a position
higher than the center of the compressor 12 in the longitudinal
direction or the gravity center of the compressor 12. In a case
where this gravity center position is considerably away from the
center position, a weight is preferably attached to the compressor
12 so that the gravity center of the compressor 12 is brought close
to the center of the compressor 12 in the longitudinal direction.
In consequence, the compressor 12 can smoothly be rotated around
the rotary shaft 60. It is to be noted that it is most preferable
to connect the rotary shaft 60 to a position which matches a
geometric center of the compressor 12 and which is close to the
gravity center position of the compressor 12 and which is above the
gravity center thereof. In a case where the position where the
rotary shaft 60 is attached comes close to the geometric center of
the compressor 12 in this manner, a rotation radius of the rotary
shaft 60 is reduced, and satisfactory rotation of the compressor 12
can be realized.
[0067] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the dial 55 for
adjusting the position of the rotary shaft 60 is attached, and the
dial 55 is operated to adjust the posture of the rotary shaft 60,
whereby the basic posture of the compressor 12 is maintained.
However, for example, the posture of the compressor 12 may
automatically be adjusted in accordance with the gravity and
gravity center position, or the posture of the compressor 12 may
automatically be adjusted with a posture sensor, an encoder or the
like. Even in this case, the present invention is effective.
[0068] Moreover, in the above embodiments, as one embodiment of the
apparatus including the freezing unit 10, the liquid crystal
display projector has been described, but the projector is not
limited to this example. There is not any special restriction on
the projector as long as a main body of the projector is
constituted of a light source, an optical element for processing
the light emitted from the light source in accordance with image
information, and a projection lens for projecting the processed
image of the projected light onto a screen. For example, the
present invention is effectively applied to, for example, DLP
projector (DLP (registered trademark)). Furthermore, in first to
fifth aspects of the invention, the apparatus including the
freezing unit 10 is not limited to the projector, and the invention
may be applied to an apparatus such as a conveyable refrigerator or
freezer, a car air conditioner or a personal computer.
* * * * *