Abstract: A surface illumination apparatus has: a plurality of light sources (12a, 12b) which emit lights; a light guiding plate (15) which allows the lights emitted from the light sources to enter through one of the side faces and emits the lights through one principal plane; a polarizing filter (19) which transmits lights in a predetermined polarizing direction and reflects lights in a polarizing direction perpendicular to the predetermined polarizing direction; a polarizing modulation plate (18) which performs predetermined modulation on the polarizing characteristics of the incident lights; and a reflection sheet (17) which regularly reflects the incident light.

Abstract: A wavelength selection substrate 23 is configured with a wavelength selection section 23R which transmits only red laser light and reflects other light components, a wavelength selection section 23G which transmits only a green laser light and reflects other light components, and a wavelength selection section 23B which transmits only a blue laser light and reflects other light components. Of laser light 12 outputted from a light guide plate 14, a laser light component that corresponds to a color passing through one of the wavelength selection sections passes through the wavelength selection substrate 23 and enters a liquid crystal panel 22, whereas a laser light component that does not correspond to the color is reflected from the wavelength selection substrate 23 and returns the light guide plate 14. The laser light having returned the light guide plate 14 is reflected from the reflection plate 21 and again enters the wavelength selection substrate 23.

Abstract: The present invention comprises: a laser light source 101 operable to output a laser light; an optical component 114 operable to couple, to an optical fiber 126, the laser light outputted from the laser light source 101; an actuator 118 operable to hold the optical component 114; a photoreceiver 503 operable to monitor the laser light outputted from the optical fiber; and a control device 117 operable to drive the actuator 118 in accordance with a result of the monitoring by the photoreceiver 503, thereby controlling a position of the optical component 114.

Abstract: A wavelength conversion device includes a laser light source that emits a fundamental wave; a wavelength conversion element that converts the fundamental wave into a second harmonic wave; and an optical system including a wavelength selective mirror that reflects the fundamental wave transmitted through the wavelength conversion element without being converted into the second harmonic wave, while transmitting therethrough the second harmonic wave generated by wavelength conversion, wherein the optical system makes the fundamental wave transmitted through the wavelength conversion element without being converted into the second harmonic wave enter the wavelength conversion element again to be subjected to wavelength conversion once or more than once, while being focused by the wavelength selective mirror, and the conversion efficiency in at least one of the second stage and stages subsequent to the second stage is higher than the conversion efficiency in the first stage, where the conversion efficiency in each

Abstract: It is aimed to provide an LCD backlight device and liquid crystal display that can suppress light quantity loss and ensure uniform brightness. An LCD backlight device 101 has a laser light source 1 that emits laser light, and a light guiding plate 3 that transforms the laser light from the laser light source 1 into linear laser light, and transforms the linear laser light into a planar laser light, and emits the planar laser light, and the light guiding plate 3 has a third side face 6 that transforms the linear laser light into the planar laser light by reflecting the linear laser light by a plurality of reflection surfaces that are formed along the entrance direction of the linear laser light.

Abstract: A surface illumination apparatus is provided which includes a laser light source and a light guide plate upon which a laser beam emitted from the laser light source is incident through an end-surface portion and from which the laser beam is emitted through a main-surface portion on one side thereof. The laser beam is incident through an end-surface portion at an inclination angle to a main-surface portion on the other side which faces the one main-surface portion of the light guide plate, undergoes a change in the optical-path direction thereof by the other main-surface portion, is incident on the one main-surface portion and is emitted as a substantially parallel beam from the one main-surface portion.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus comprises: an image exposure portion that forms a latent image by optically exposing a recording medium based on entered image data; a thermal development portion that visualizes the latent image by heating the recording medium exposed by the image exposure portion; at least one counter each of which counts the number of a set of the image data whenever the image data is entered; and a data-processing portion that: rotates, through 180°, (i) images represented by those of the set of the image data with the counted number of even or (ii) images represented by those of the set of the image data with the counted number of odd; and then outputs the image data to the image exposure portion.

Abstract: An optical scanning device capable of stably and uniformly performing linear optical scanning by using a high-brightness light source is provided. The device includes: at least one laser light source (11) for emitting a laser light; a deflection section (15) for deflecting and scanning the laser light emitted from the at least one laser light source (11); and a light guide plate (17) of which a side surface is irradiated with the laser light deflected and scanned by the deflection section (15). The at least one laser light source (11) includes a multi-mode fiber light source, or a broad-stripe semiconductor laser light source arranged such that a vertical direction of a stripe structure is parallel to a scanning direction. An exit pupil in a thickness direction, which is perpendicular to the scanning direction, is formed at least in one area on the side surface of the light guide plate (17).

Abstract: A wavelength conversion laser is provided with a pair of fundamental wave reflecting surfaces for reflecting a fundamental wave to define a plurality of fundamental wave paths passing a wavelength conversion element at different angles, and a control unit for controlling wavelength conversion efficiencies so that the wavelength conversion efficiency on a specific one of the plurality of fundamental wave paths extending in different directions between the pair of fundamental wave reflecting surfaces is highest.

Abstract: A wavelength conversion apparatus capable of stably providing high output harmonic laser light is provided. The wavelength conversion apparatus comprises an end pump fiber laser 3 containing a laser activating substance, and including a reflecting surface at one end thereof and a fiber grating in the vicinity of the reflecting surface; an excitation laser light source 1 for outputting excitation laser light; an excitation laser light introduction section 4 for introducing the excitation laser light from the excitation laser light source to the fiber laser; a wavelength conversion element 5 for converting a fundamental wave generated by the fiber laser to a harmonic; and a rear reflecting surface 6 located outside the fiber laser and forming a laser cavity together with the fiber grating.

Abstract: Upon obtaining green light as wavelength converted light by causing infrared light to be incident on a wavelength conversion element, the absorption of the green light occurs due to the generation of ultraviolet light as sum-frequency light of the infrared light and the green light in the wavelength conversion element and the destruction of a crystal composing the wavelength conversion element occurs due to heat generated at this time. In a laser wavelength converter of the present invention, a condensed position of the infrared light in the wavelength conversion element is deviated from a position assumed to be optimal when the influence of the generated heat is ignored. Consequently, crystal destruction is suppressed, a high-efficiency wavelength conversion is enabled and high-output wavelength converted light exceeding several watts, which was difficult to attain in conventional wavelength conversion elements, is attained.

Abstract: A planar illumination device 10 is provided with a laser light source 11 for emitting laser light, a light source side bundle fiber 12 having one end surface thereof optically connected with the laser light source 11, a flat light guide plate 13, a plurality of connection side fibers 16 planarly arranged in parallel with each other at a side surface of the light guide plate 13, and a light guiding fiber 14 for guiding the laser light from the light source side bundle fiber 12 to the plurality of connection side fibers 16. The laser light is incident on the side surface of the light guide plate 13 from the plurality of connection side fibers 16 via a plurality of fiber collimators 17 and output light is uniformly emitted from one principal surface of the light guide plate 13.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a laser illuminating device and an image display device that enable to remove speckle noises in a diffraction field and an image field, uniformly illuminate an illumination plane, and realize miniaturization. A laser illuminating device 100 includes a laser light source 3, a first lens 1 including a plurality of microlenses 10 each having a predetermined numerical aperture in an in-plane direction, each of the microlenses 10 being adapted to expand laser light emitted from the laser light source 3 to thereby superimpose the laser light transmitted through each of the microlenses 10; and a second lens 2 having an effective diameter larger than an effective diameter of the first lens 1, and for compensating for a divergence angle of the laser light expanded by each of the plurality of the microlenses 10.

Abstract: Provided are a laser backside irradiation device and a liquid crystal display device capable of reducing the thickness of the device and improving the contrast while making the luminance distribution substantially uniform. A laser backside irradiation device 100 includes a laser light source 1; a splitting optical system 101 for splitting laser light emitted from the laser light source 1 into a plurality of laser beams; and a plurality of illumination optical systems 102 for illuminating a liquid crystal panel 5 for two-dimensionally modulating a light intensity from a backside thereof, wherein the illumination optical systems 102 expand the laser beams split by the splitting optical system 101 to illuminate divided regions on the liquid crystal panel 5, respectively.

Abstract: A laser light source (1) emits a beam. A collimator lens (2) converts the beam emitted from the laser light source (1) into first substantially parallel light. A lenticular lens (3) expands a beam of the first substantially parallel light converted by the collimator lens (2) into a linear shape in a first direction. A Fresnel lens (4) converts the beam expanded in the first direction by the lenticular lens (3) into second substantially parallel light. A free curved surface mirror (5) has a reflecting surface formed into a free curved surface, and expands a beam of the second substantially parallel light converted by the Fresnel lens (4) into a planar shape in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. This arrangement enables to provide a planar illumination device with a small thickness and high light use efficiency.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes plural laser light sources, a polygonal mirror that scans plural laser beams from the plural laser light sources, and a multiplexing member that combines the plural laser beams scanned by the polygonal mirror. The polygonal mirror is disposed above or below the multiplexing member, and the extension of the rotation axis of the polygonal mirror passes through the multiplexing member. When configured in this manner, it is possible to reduce the apparatus size and speckle noises caused by the plural laser beams.

Abstract: A wavelength converting laser includes: a fundamental-wave laser light source emitting a fundamental wave; and a wavelength conversion element converting the fundamental wave emitted from the fundamental-wave laser light source into a converted wave having a different wavelength from the fundamental wave, in which: a pair of fundamental-wave reflecting surfaces is arranged on both end sides of the wavelength conversion element in the directions of an optical axis thereof and reflects the fundamental wave to thereby pass the fundamental wave a plurality of times inside of the wavelength conversion element, and at least one of the fundamental-wave reflecting surfaces transmits the converted wave; and the pair of fundamental-wave reflecting surfaces allows the fundamental wave to cross inside of the wavelength conversion element and form a plurality of light-concentration points at places different from a cross point of the fundamental wave.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a fiber device capable of shifting an oscillation wavelength of a fundamental wave of a laser emitted therefrom, and is provided with a laser cavity including a fiber containing a laser active substance and having at least one fiber grating formed therein, and a laser light source for introducing an excitation light to the fiber. The laser cavity is constructed to be able to shift the oscillation wavelength of the fundamental wave of the laser emitted therefrom.

Abstract: A wavelength separator is provided with a reflective color filter arranged to intersect with an optical path of light emerging from a principal surface of a light guide plate, and a recycle portion arranged at a side of the light guide plate opposite to the reflective color filter. Out of light incident on the light guide plate, light reflected by the reflective color filter is returned to the reflected color filter again by being reflected by the recycle portion via the light guide plate.

Abstract: A wavelength conversion laser light source includes: an element temperature switching section that switches a temperature of the wavelength conversion element according to a harmonic wave output value as set in an output setting device, and the element temperature switching section for switching a temperature of a wavelength conversion element according to a harmonic wave output level as set in the output setting device, wherein the element temperature switch section includes an element temperature holding section that holds the wavelength conversion element at the temperature as switched by the element temperature switching section.