Electro-optical device and electronic apparatus

• US 9,354,467 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nimura, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Richard
• Application Number:
  US14/081,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20140152908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G02F 1/133526 Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133611 including means for improving the brightness uniformity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3197 using light modulating optical valves

Abstract

A microlens array substrate is provided on which a plurality of microlenses is arranged, and the collection efficiency of a first microlens is lower than the collection efficiency of a second microlens positioned further to the outside edge sides than the first microlens.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device comprising:

a pair of substrates;

a first microlens;

a second microlens positioned further to an outside edge side of one substrate of the pair of substrates than the first microlens in a display region of at least one substrate of the pair of substrates; and

a third microlens positioned further to the outside edge side of one substrate of the pair of substrates than the second microlens and the first microlens in the display region of at least one substrate of the pair of substrates,

wherein the collection efficiency of the first microlens is lower than the collection efficiency of the second microlens, and

the collection efficiency of the second microlens is lower than the collection efficiency of the third microlens.

2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the curvature of the first microlens is smaller than the curvature of the second microlens.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the first microlens is smaller than the diameter of the second microlens.

4. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle of with respect to one face of a peripheral edge portion of the first microlens is smaller than the inclination angle with respect to the one face of the peripheral edge portion of the second microlens.

5. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 further comprising a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates.

6. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising the third microlens arranged corresponding to a non-display region surrounding the display region,

wherein the shape of the third microlens is the same as the shape of the second microlens.

7. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein microlenses having the same collection efficiency as one another are arranged on the other substrate of the pair of substrates.

8. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein microlenses having the same collection efficiency as one another are arranged on one substrate of the pair of substrates.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.