# US 12,007,661 B2 · Display apparatus

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- Number: US 12,007,661 B2
- Document ID: US12007661B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/000,922
- Filed: 2021-06-07
- Published: 2023-07-13
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2020-06-15
- Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
- Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
- Inventors: Tadakuni Narabu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007661B2

## CPC

- G02F 1/29: for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
- G02B 26/08: for controlling the direction of light (in light guides G02B6/35)
- G02B 26/10: Scanning systems
- G02B 27/02: Viewing or reading apparatus (stereoscopic systems G02B30/00)
- G03B 21/2013: {Plural light sources}
- G03B 21/2033: {LED or laser light sources}
- H04N 9/3129: {scanning a light beam on the display screen (scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161)}
- H04N 9/3138: {using arrays of modulated light sources (electroluminescent display devices G09G3/30)}
- H04N 9/3173: {wherein the projection device is specially adapted for enhanced portability}
- H10K 59/879: {comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses}
- G02F 2201/44: Arrangements combining different electro-active layers, e.g. electrochromic, liquid crystal or electroluminescent layers
- G02F 2203/24: beam steering
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES

## Abstract

[Object] To provide a display apparatus that displays a projection image with an improved resolution. [Solving Means] A display apparatus (10) includes a light-emitting device (13), a micro-lens array (5), and a scanning mechanism (54). The light-emitting device (13) includes a plurality of first light-emitting pixels and a plurality of second light-emitting pixels. The micro-lens array (5) includes a plurality of lenses (53) that projects the diffuse light rays emitted respectively from the first light-emitting pixel and the second light-emitting pixel, which have been made incident, to a first reaching position and a second reaching position located at desired different positions of a projection target object (3), respectively, the plurality of lenses being arranged at a pitch larger than a pixel pitch of the light-emitting pixels. The scanning mechanism (54) projects the diffuse light ray emitted from the first light-emitting pixel to the first reaching position via the micro-lens array (5) and then projects the diffuse light ray emitted from the second light-emitting pixel to the second reaching position via the micro-lens array (5).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A display apparatus, comprising:
a light-emitting device including a plurality of light-emitting pixels, wherein the plurality of light-emitting pixels comprises a plurality of first light-emitting pixels and a plurality of second light-emitting pixels;
a micro-lens array including a plurality of lenses configured to project diffuse light rays emitted respectively from the plurality of first light-emitting pixels and the plurality of second light-emitting pixels to a first reaching position and a second reaching position located at desired different positions of a projection target object, respectively, wherein
the diffuse light rays are made incident on the plurality of lenses, and
the plurality of lenses is at a pitch larger than a pixel pitch of the plurality of light-emitting pixels; and
a scanning mechanism configured to:
project, at a first time instant, the diffuse light rays emitted from the plurality of first light-emitting pixels to the first reaching position via the micro-lens array; and
project, at a second time instant, the diffuse light rays emitted from the plurality of second light-emitting pixels to the second reaching position via the micro-lens array, wherein
an amount of shift by the scanning mechanism from the plurality of first light-emitting pixels at the first time instant to the plurality of second light-emitting pixels at the second time instant corresponds to the pixel pitch of the plurality of light-emitting pixels.

### Claim 2

A display apparatus, comprising:
a light-emitting device including a plurality of light-emitting pixels;
a micro-lens array including a plurality of lenses configured to project light rays respectively emitted from a first light-emitting pixel group and a second light-emitting pixel group to a first reaching position and a second reaching position located at desired different positions of a projection target object, respectively, wherein
the first light-emitting pixel group comprises a first set of light-emitting pixels selected from the plurality of light-emitting pixels,
the second light-emitting pixel group comprises a second set of light-emitting pixels selected from the plurality of light-emitting pixels,
the light rays are made incident on the plurality of lenses, and
the plurality of lenses is at a pitch larger than a pixel pitch of the plurality of light-emitting pixels; and
a scanning mechanism configured to:
project, at a first time instant, light rays emitted from the first set of light-emitting pixels, that emits the light rays of identical information, to the first reaching position via the micro-lens array; and
project, at a second time instant, the light rays emitted from the second set of light-emitting pixels, that emits the light rays of the identical information to the second reaching position via the micro-lens array, wherein
an amount of shift by the scanning mechanism from the first set of light-emitting pixels at the first time instant to the second set of light-emitting pixels at the second time instant corresponds to the pixel pitch of the plurality of light-emitting pixels.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first set of light-emitting pixels that constitutes the first light-emitting pixel group is partially different from the second set of light-emitting pixels that constitutes the second light-emitting pixel group.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the micro-lens array comprises one of a plurality of convex lenses, a plurality of concave lenses, or a liquid-crystal micro-lens array that includes a plurality of liquid-crystal lenses.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
the micro-lens array includes the liquid-crystal micro-lens array, and
the liquid-crystal micro-lens array serves as the scanning mechanism.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection target object includes a screen.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection target object includes a retina of an eye.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the light-emitting device is configured to emit light rays such that information of the light rays to be projected is different at a region of a fovea centralis of the retina and a peripheral portion of the fovea centralis.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
in a case where the projection target object includes a screen, the pitch of the plurality of lenses of the micro-lens array is more than 50 times and less than 120 times the pixel pitch of the plurality of light-emitting pixels, and
in a case where the projection target object includes a retina of an eye, the pitch of the plurality of lenses of the micro-lens array is more than 240 times and less than 322 times the pixel pitch of the plurality of light-emitting pixels.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
one of a concave lens or a plano-convex lens between the micro-lens array and the projection target object; and
a plurality of shielding walls between the plurality of light-emitting pixels.