Image display device and vehicle incorporating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9746669-B2
Application number	US-201514842501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2015
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

An image display device includes a lens array, and a scanner to two-dimensionally scan the lens array with a light beam for image display, in which each of lenses of the lens array includes a convex surface with different curvatures in two directions orthogonal to the optical axis of the lens and to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image display device comprising:
a lens array; and
a scanner to two-dimensionally scan the lens array with a light beam in a first direction and in a second direction for image display, the first direction being a direction in which the light beam is oscillated on one axis, the second direction being a direction in which the light beam is reciprocatively oscillated on another axis plural times while the light beam is reciprocatively oscillated in the first direction once, wherein
a cross section of the light beam emitted from each lens of the lens array forms a non-isotropic diffusion lens which is longer in a Y direction than in an X direction.

2. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein
a beam diameter of the light beam is vertically long.

3. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein:
a shape of each of the lenses of the lens array is vertically long; and
a diameter of each of the lenses is equal to or larger than the beam diameter of the light beam.

4. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein
a long side of the lens array is oriented in the transverse direction and a short side of the lens array is oriented in the longitudinal direction.

5. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the second direction matches the transverse direction of the lens array.

6. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein
a shape of each of the lenses of the lens array is a hexagon and the lenses are densely arranged.

7. The image display device according to claim 6 , wherein
the second direction is approximately parallel to a pair of opposing sides of the hexagon.

8. The image display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a light source which emits a vertically-long light beam to the lens array; and
an optical deflector which deflects the vertically-long light beam in the transverse direction to the lens array for display of a two-dimensional image.

9. The image display device according to claim 8 , wherein
the two-dimensional image is an image having a larger angle of view in the transverse direction.

10. An image display device comprising:
a lens array; and
a scanner to two-dimensionally scan the lens array with a light beam in a first direction and in a second direction for image display, the first direction being a direction in which the light beam is oscillated on one axis, the second direction being a direction in which the light beam is reciprocatively oscillated on another axis plural times while the light beam is reciprocatively oscillated in the first direction once, wherein
a cross section of the light beam emitted from each lens of the lens array forms a non-isotropic diffusion lens which is longer in a Y direction than in an X direction.

11. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein an aspect ratio satisfies the following equation:
X/Y< 1
where X is a distance from a center of a lens to a midpoint of a border line between two neighboring lenses, and Y is a distance from the center of the lens to a top side or bottom side of the lens.

12. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein each lens of the lens array is an aspheric lens.

13. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the lenses of the lens array are arranged in an armchair form in which parallel sides are aligned in the X direction.

14. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein a curvature of lenses of the lens array in a transverse direction is set to be larger than a curvature of the lenses in a longitudinal direction.

Assignees

• Saisho Kenichiroh
• Inamoto Makoto
• Satoh Yasuhiro
• Watanabe Jun
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saisho Kenichiroh
• Inamoto Makoto
• Satoh Yasuhiro
• Watanabe Jun

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

• G02B3/0006

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

• G02B26/101

  with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners (colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129) · CPC title

• G02B27/0101 Primary

  characterised by optical features (G02B27/0172 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B27/48

  Laser speckle optics · CPC title