Lens array sheet and transmission screen and rear projection type display

• US 7,054,068 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abe, Takashi, Yoshida, Tsutomu, Takahashi, Susumu, Ebina, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTINEZ, JOSEPH P
• Application Number:
  US10/497,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20050018306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 359619-624, 359/626, 359453-457
• US Class Current: 359/624
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0031 Replication or moulding, e.g. hot embossing, UV-casting, injection moulding
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0037 characterized by the distribution or form of lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0056 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 Class Codes: G03B 21/625 Lenticular translucent screens

Abstract

A lens array sheet, a transparent screen using the same, and a rear-projection display device are provided in which it is possible to control a perspective angle for the image in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction without causing a problem in that a gain (brightness) of a light is reduced by an optical absorption and an S/N ratio is reduced by an increased white dispersion.

A first lens array 18 and a second lens array 20 which are formed by disposing a plurality of half-cylindrical lenses 17, 19 in parallel on a common plain (a surface of a base member layer 13a) such that longitudinal directions of the cylindrical lenses 17, 19 should be orthogonal to each other. Unified lens array layer 13b and a shading layer 16 in which a section through which a light does not transmit is formed on a focal plain of the lens array layer 13b form a lens array sheet. Furthermore, fresnel lens are combined so as to form a transparent screen.

Claims

1. A lens array sheet, comprising:

a lens array layer;

the lens array layer being formed by a unified lens layer having a first lens array and a second lens array;

the first and second lens arrays being formed by disposing a plurality of half-columnar cylindrical lenses in parallel on a common plane;

a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the first lens array and a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the second lens array crossing each other orthogonally on a common plane;

a plurality of the half-columnar cylindrical lenses being disposed in parallel with intervals therebetween in either one of the first or second lens arrays;

at least the first lens array or the second lens array having a group of a plurality of the half-columnar cylindrical lenses which are disposed without intervals therebetween; and

the group of cylindrical lenses being disposed in parallel.

2. A lens array sheet according to claim 1, wherein a valley section in the first lens array and a valley section in the second lens array are disposed so as to coincide with each other.

3. A transparent screen which is provided with the lens array sheet according to claim 1.

4. A transparent screen according to claim 3, further comprising a fresnel lens.

5. A rear-projection display device, comprising:

a transparent screen according to claim 4.

6. A rear-projection display device comprising the transparent screen according to claim 3.

7. A lens array sheet, comprising:

a lens array layer;

the lens array layer being formed by a unified lens layer having a first lens array and a second lens array;

the first and second lens array being formed by disposing a plurality of half-columnar cylindrical lenses in parallel on a common plane;

a longitudinal direction of half-columnar cylindrical lens in the first lens array and a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the second lens array crossing each other orthogonally on a common plane;

a plurality of the half-columnar cylindrical lenses being disposed in parallel with intervals therebetween in either one of the first or second lens arrays; and

a plurality of the half-columnar cylindrical lenses being disposed in parallel without intervals in the other one of the first or second lens arrays.

8. A lens array sheet, comprising:

a lens array layer;

the lens array layer being formed by a unified lens layer having a first lens array and a second lens array;

the first and second lens arrays being formed by disposing a plurality of half-columnar cylindrical lenses in parallel on a common plane without intervals therebetween;

a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the first lens array and a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the second lens array crossing each other approximately orthogonally;

a peak of unit lenses in the first lens array being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the first lens array;

a peak of unit lenses in the second lens array not being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the second lens array between peaks of the neighboring unit lenses in the first lens array; and

at least the first lens array or the second lens array, having plane sections, being disposed between the unit lenses.

9. A lens array sheet according to claim 8, wherein the peak of the unit lens in the first lens array is higher than the peak of the second lens array.

10. A lens array sheet according to claim 8, wherein

the lens layer of the lens array sheet and an opposite surface are plane surfaces, and

a shading layer is formed on the plane surface to which a light is not condensed by the lens layer.

11. A lens array sheet according to claim 8, wherein a ratio of the shading layer on the plane surface is between 30% and 90%.

12. A lens array sheet according to claim 8, wherein the lens layer which is formed by a hardened product of radiation curable resin is formed on a surface of a plane base material which is formed by a radiation transmittable base material.

13. A transparent projection screen, comprising:

a fresnel lens sheet for emitting an emitted light from a projector in an approximate parallel light; and

the lens array sheet of claim 8 that is disposed near an observing person,

wherein the fresnel lens sheet and the lens array sheet are assembled together.

14. A transparent projection screen according to claim 13, wherein an optical dispersing layer formed by dispersing an optical dispersing particle is formed on at least a part of the fresnel lens sheet and the lens array sheet.

15. A rear-projection display device, comprising:

a transparent projection screen according to claim 14.

16. A transparent projection screen according to claim 13, wherein a shading ratio of a black matrix is between 70% and 90%.

17. A rear-projection display device, comprising:

a transparent projection screen according to claim 16.

18. A rear-projection display device, comprising:

a transparent projection screen according to claim 13.

19. A lens array sheet, comprising:

a lens array layer;

the lens array layer being formed by a unified lens layer having a first lens array and a second lens array;

the first and second lens array being formed by disposing a plurality of half-columnar cylindrical lenses in parallel on a common plane without intervals therebetween;

a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the first lens array and a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the second lens array crossing each other approximately orthogonally;

a peak of unit lenses in the first lens array being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the first lens array;

a peak of unit lenses in the second lens array not being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the second lens array between peaks of the neighboring unit lenses in the first lens array;

the first lens array and the second lens array being disposed in parallel so as to have a plane section between the unit lenses; and

the unit lens in the second lens array being disposed in a continuous concave section of a border line in a non-linear manner corresponding to a valley section of the unit lens in the first lens array.

20. A lens array sheet according to claim 8 or 19, wherein dispersions as optical distribution characteristics in the unit lens are different between the first lens array and the second lens array.

21. A lens array sheet, comprising:

a lens array layer;

the lens array layer being formed by a unified lens layer having a first lens array and a second lens array;

the first and second lens arrays being formed by disposing a plurality of half-columnar cylindrical lenses in parallel on a common plane without intervals therebetween;

a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the first lens array and a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the second lens array crossing each other approximately orthogonally;

a peak of unit lenses in the first lens array being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the first lens array;

a peak of unit lenses in the second lens array not being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the second lens array between peaks of the neighboring unit lenses in the first lens array;

the first lens array being formed by a horizontal lenticular in which a group of the half-columnar cylindrical lenses are disposed in parallel and the second lens array being formed by a vertical lenticular in which a group of the half-columnar cylindrical lenses are disposed in parallel;

a relationship wherein optical distribution characteristics in the first lens array>

optical distribution characteristics in the second lens array is effective;

a half angle aV, defined as a measured angle in which a brightness of an emitted light which is measured orthogonally from a front surface to a lens array sheet is as a half as the half angle which is measured in an offset manner from the orthogonal condition, in the second lens array in a vertical direction being not fewer than 10 degrees, and

a perspective angle dV, defined as a measured angle in which a brightness of an emitted light which is measured orthogonally from a front surface to a lens array sheet is as a twentieth half as the perspective angle which is measured in an offset manner from the orthogonal condition in the second lens array in a vertical direction being not fewer than 35 degrees.

22. A lens array sheet, comprising:

a lens array layer;

the lens array layer formed by a unified lens layer having a first lens array and a second lens array;

the first and second lens arrays being formed by disposing a plurality of half-columnar cylindrical lenses in parallel on a common plane without intervals therebetween;

a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the first lens array and a longitudinal direction of the half-columnar cylindrical lens in the second lens array crossing each other approximately orthogonally;

a peak of unit lenses in the first lens array being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the first lens array;

a peak of unit lenses in the second lens array not being continuous over the longitudinal direction of the second lens array between peaks of the neighboring unit lenses in the first lens array; and

a shading layer being formed by an aperture section which is continuous in a stripe manner according to the first lens array and a non-continuous aperture section in an approximate spot manner according to the second lens array.