Microlens array, method for manufacturing microlens array, electro-optical device and electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10007033-B2
Application number	US-201615284258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2016
Priority date	Jan 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A microlens array includes a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens. The first lens and the second lens are adjacent to each other and are arranged neighboring in a first direction. The first lens and the third lens are adjacent to each other and are arranged neighboring in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. A gap between an apex of the first lens and an apex of the second lens is different to a gap between the apex of the first lens and an apex of the third lens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microlens array that includes a first lens, a second lens and a third lens, wherein:
the first lens and the second lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in a first direction,
the first lens and the third lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction, and
a gap between an apex of the first lens and an apex of the second lens is different to a gap between the apex of the first lens and an apex of the third lens.

2. An electro-optical device, comprising the microlens array according to claim 1 .

3. A microlens array that includes a first lens, a second lens and a third lens, wherein:
the first lens and the second lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in a first direction,
the first lens and the third lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction, and
an inner product of a vector that connects an apex of the first lens and an apex of the second lens and a vector that connects the apex of the first lens and an apex of the third lens is a value different to 0.

4. An electro-optical device, comprising the microlens array according to claim 3 .

5. A microlens array including P lenses (where P is an integer of 4 or more), wherein:
a first lens and a second lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in a first direction,
the first lens and a third lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction,
the second lens and a fourth lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in the second direction,
the third lens and the fourth lens adjacent to each other are arranged neighboring in the first direction, and
apexes of the P lenses are arranged such that symmetry is at least partially broken, when viewed in plan view.

6. The microlens array according to claim 5 , wherein the apexes of the P lenses are disorderly arranged in a cell, when viewed in plan view.

7. An electro-optical device, comprising the microlens array according to claim 6 .

8. An electro-optical device, comprising the microlens array according to claim 5 .

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nimura Toru

Classifications

• G02B3/0056

  arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses (G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085) · CPC title

• G02F1/133526

  Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses · CPC title

• G03B21/006

  using LCD's · CPC title

• G02B3/0043 Primary

  Inhomogeneous or irregular arrays, e.g. varying shape, size, height · CPC title

• G02B3/0006

  Arrays (G02B3/02, G02B5/188 take precedence) · CPC title