Optical element, head-up display and method for producing optical element

• US 8,422,137 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Ikuya, Nomoto, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, James
• Application Number:
  US13/380,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20120218641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 359/619
• US Class Current: 359/619
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/48 Laser speckle optics
• 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: G02B 3/0068 arranged in a single integral body or plate, e.g. laminates or hybrid structures with other optical elements G02B5/1885, G02B17/002, G02B30/27 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An optical element includes first and second microlens array units on which microlenses are arranged. The microlenses are formed by lens contour having a polygonal shape in a plan view. The first and second microlens array units are arranged opposite to each other at a position where a distance between the first and second microlens array units is at least longer than a focal distance of the microlens, and are formed so that a direction of vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the first microlens array unit is different from a direction of vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the second microlens array unit. According to the above optical element, it is possible to appropriately suppress an influence of shift of the position between the first and second microlens array units, and it becomes possible to produce the optical element with ease.

Claims

1. An optical element comprising:

a first microlens array unit and a second microlens array unit on which plural microlenses are arranged,

wherein the plural microlenses are formed by a lens contour having a polygonal shape in a plan view, and

wherein the first and second microlens array units are arranged opposite to each other at a position where a distance between the first and second microlens array units is at least longer than a focal distance of a microlens in the plural microlenses, and are formed so that a direction of vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the first microlens array unit is different from a direction of vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the second microlens array unit.

2. The optical element according to claim 1,

wherein the microlenses of the first and second microlens array units are formed by the lens contour having the polygonal shape, and are arranged so that sides of the polygonal shape are adjacent to each other.

3. The optical element according to claim 1,

wherein the first and second microlens array units are arranged opposite to each other at a position where the distance between the first and second microlens array units is equal to or larger than 1.5 times the focal distance and equal to or smaller than 3 times the focal distance.

4. The optical element according to claim 1,

wherein the polygonal shape is a regular hexagonal shape, and

wherein an angle difference between the direction of the vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the first microlens array unit and the direction of the vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the second microlens array unit is substantially 30 degrees or substantially 90 degrees.

5. The optical element according to claim 1,

wherein the polygonal shape is a square shape, and

wherein an angle difference between the direction of the vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the first microlens array unit and the direction of the vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the second microlens array unit is substantially 45 degrees or substantially 135 degrees.

6. The optical element according to claim 1, further comprising a first lens array and a second lens array,

wherein the first lens array has the first microlens array unit on one side, and

wherein the second lens array has the second microlens array unit on one side.

7. The optical element according to claim 6,

wherein the first microlens array unit is formed on a side of the first lens array which faces the second lens array, and

wherein the second microlens array unit is formed on a side of the second lens array which faces to the first lens array.

8. The optical element according to claim 6,

wherein the first microlens array unit is formed on a side of the first lens array which does not face a side of the second lens array on which the second microlens array unit is formed.

9. The optical element according to claim 6,

wherein the first microlens array unit is formed on a side of the first lens array which does not face the second lens array, and

wherein the second microlens array unit is formed on a side of the second lens array which does not face the first lens array.

10. The optical element according to claim 1,

wherein the first microlens array unit is formed on one side of the optical element, and the second microlens array unit is formed on the other side of the optical element.

11. A head-up display which includes the optical element according to claim 1 and makes a user perceive an image formed by the optical element as a virtual image at an eye position of the user.

12. A method for producing an optical element including a first microlens array unit and a second microlens array unit on which plural microlenses are arranged, comprising:

a first process which forms the plural microlenses on one side, which are arranged in such a state that a polygonal shape being a lens contour of a microlens in the plural microlenses is rotated by half of a predetermined degrees, so as to produce the first and second microlens array units; and

a second process which arranges the first and second microlens array units produced in the first process so that the first and second microlens array units are positioned opposite to each other at a position where a distance between the first and second microlens array units is at least longer than a focal distance of the microlens, so as to produce the optical element.

13. A method for producing an optical element including a first microlens array unit and a second microlens array unit on which plural microlenses are arranged, comprising:

a first process which forms the plural microlenses on one side so as to produce the first and second microlens array units; and

a second process which arranges the first and second microlens array units opposite to each other at a position where a distance between the first and second microlens array units is at least longer than a focal distance of a microlens in the plural microlenses, and arranges the first and second microlens array units so that an angle difference between a direction of vertices of a polygonal shape being a lens contour of the microlens formed on the first microlens array unit and a direction of vertices of a polygonal shape being a lens contour of the microlens formed on the second microlens array unit becomes a predetermined angle, so as to produce the optical element.

14. An optical element comprising:

a first microlens array unit and a second microlens array unit on which plural microlenses are arranged,

wherein the plural microlenses are formed by a lens contour having a regular polygonal shape in a plan view, and

wherein the first and second microlens array units are arranged opposite to each other at a position where a distance between the first and second microlens array units is at least longer than a focal distance of a microlens in the plural microlenses, and are formed so that an angle difference between a direction of vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the first microlens array unit and a direction of vertices of the lens contour of the microlens arranged on the second microlens array unit becomes half of an internal angle of the regular polygonal shape.

15. An optical element comprising:

a first microlens array unit and a second microlens array unit on which plural microlenses are arranged at equal distances,

wherein the microlenses are arranged around one microlens and are adjacently arranged at each predetermined angle with respect to vertices of the one microlens,

wherein the first and second microlens array units are arranged opposite to each other at a position where a distance between the first and second microlens array units is at least longer than a focal distance of the microlens, and

wherein the microlens arranged on the first microlens array unit and the microlens arranged on the second microlens array unit are shifted by half of the predetermined angle with respect to the one microlens.

16. The optical element according to claim 15,

wherein a space between the microlenses formed on the first and second microlens array units is masked so that a light does not go through the space.