Light flux diameter expanding element and image display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017248789-A1
Application number	US-201715433618-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 15, 2017
Priority date	Feb 29, 2016
Publication date	Aug 31, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A light flux diameter expanding element includes a light guiding plate with a light input face and a light output face, and with a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm; a diffraction grating on the input side; and a diffraction grating on the output side, and is provided so as to have the same grating period as that of the diffraction grating on the input side, in which a forming region of the diffraction grating on the input side is smaller than that of the output side, and a grating period of the diffraction grating on the input side is a period in which a small diffraction angle in diffraction angles of +1-st order diffracted light and −1-st order diffracted light, which are diffracted in the diffraction grating on the input side, in the light guiding plate becomes larger than a critical angle of the light guiding plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A light flux diameter expanding element comprising:
a light guiding plate with a light input face and a light output face, and with a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm; a diffraction grating on an input side which is provided on the light input face; and a diffraction grating on an output side which is provided on the light output face, and is provided so as to have the same grating period as that of the diffraction grating on the input side, wherein the diffraction grating on the input side is smaller than the diffraction grating on the output side, and wherein a grating period of the diffraction grating on the input side is a period in which a small diffraction angle in diffraction angles of +1-st order diffracted light and −1-st order diffracted light, which are diffracted in the diffraction grating on the input side, in the light guiding plate becomes larger than a critical angle of the light guiding plate.

2 . The light flux diameter expanding element according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when a shortest wavelength in wavelength bands of input light which is input to the light input face is set to λ min , an absolute value of a maximum angle of an input angle of the input light with respect to the light input face is set to |θ max , and a grating period of the light input face is set to P, a grating period of the light input face satisfies P≦λ min /(sin|θ max |+1).

3 . The light flux diameter expanding element according to claim 1 ,
wherein a height of a grating of the diffraction grating on the output side is lower than a height of a grating of the diffraction grating on the input side.

4 . An image display device comprising:
an image light generation unit which outputs image light; and an image light expanding element which is configured of the light flux diameter expanding element according to claim 1 .

5 . An image display device comprising:
an image light generation unit which outputs image light; and an image light expanding element which is configured of the light flux diameter expanding element according to claim 2 .

6 . An image display device comprising:
an image light generation unit which outputs image light; and an image light expanding element which is configured of the light flux diameter expanding element according to claim 3 .

7 . The image display device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the image light includes light with different wavelength bands, wherein a plurality of the image light expanding elements are provided, and wherein grating periods of each of the diffraction gratings on input side of the plurality of image light expanding elements are different from each other.

8 . The image display device according to claim 7 ,
wherein each of the light guiding plates of the plurality of image light expanding elements is provided so as to have the same thickness as each other.

9 . The image display device according to claim 7 ,
wherein a grating period of the diffraction grating on the input side of each of the plurality of image light expanding elements becomes large while being separated from the image light generation unit.

10 . The image display device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the plurality of image light expanding elements include a first image light expanding element, a second image light expanding element, and a third image light expanding element, wherein a grating period of the diffraction grating on the input side of each of the first image light expanding element, the second image light expanding element, and the third image light expanding element is a period in which a diffraction angle of diffracted light which is diffracted in each of the diffraction gratings on input side becomes the same angle, and wherein the image light includes light in a first wavelength band corresponding to the first image light expanding element, light in a second wavelength band corresponding to the second image light expanding element, and light in a third wavelength band corresponding to the third image light expanding element.

11 . The image display device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
an ocular optical system to which light output from the plurality of image light expanding elements is input, wherein the ocular optical system has light transmitting properties.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Yokoyama Osamu

Classifications

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/011

  comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion · CPC title

• G02B26/105

  with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors (G02B26/101 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B5/1866

  Transmission gratings characterised by their structure, e.g. step profile, contours of substrate or grooves, pitch variations, materials (G02B5/1809, G02B5/1828, G02B5/1833, G02B5/1838 and G02B5/1847 take precedence) · CPC title