# US 12,222,523 B2 · Prism lens, light deflection device, and LiDAR apparatus

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- Number: US 12,222,523 B2
- Document ID: US12222523B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/290,220
- Filed: 2019-10-17
- Published: 2022-06-02
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-30
- Assignees: National University Corporation Yokohama National University
- Applicants: National University Corporation YOKOHAMA National University
- Inventors: Toshihiko Baba; Hiroshi Abe; Daichi Akiyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222523B2

## CPC

- 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)}
- G02B 6/1225: {comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices}
- G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning}
- G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46)
- G02B 3/06: with cylindrical or toric faces
- G02B 6/124: Geodesic lenses or integrated gratings
- G02B 27/0087: {Phased arrays}
- G02B 27/30: Collimators
- G02B 5/04: Prisms
- G02B 6/32: having lens focusing means {positioned between opposed fibre ends (with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262)}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES

## Abstract

A prism lens includes a prism lens body and at least one cylindrical lens. The prism lens body has a set of facing planes a mutual distance of which decreases or increases from one end to another end. The cylindrical lens is integral to at least one plane of the set of planes. The cylindrical lens is formed such that a cross section shape thereof at a plane perpendicular to a direction of a slope of a plane of the prism lens body having the cylindrical lens thereon with respect to the other plane of the set of planes has a certain curved shape to be convex against the plane having the cylindrical lens thereon.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A light deflection device, comprising:
a prism lens; and
a waveguide having a diffraction grating formed by periodically arranging a low-refractive-index region on a high-refractive-index member,
wherein the prism lens comprises:
a prism lens body having a set of facing planes a mutual distance of which decreases or increases from one end to another end; and
two cylindrical lenses integral to the set of facing planes,
wherein the prism lens is configured such that light radiated from the waveguide enters from one facing plane of the set of facing planes and exits from another facing plane of the set of facing planes,
wherein the prism lens body is formed such that a distance between the set of facing planes is shorter toward a downstream side of the direction of incidence of light to the waveguide, and
wherein each of the two cylindrical lenses is formed such that, for a first cylindrical lens of the two cylindrical lenses, a cross section shape thereof at a first plane perpendicular to a direction of a slope of the one facing plane of the prism lens body having the first cylindrical lens thereon with respect to the other facing plane of the set of facing planes has a certain curved shape to be convex against the one facing plane having the first cylindrical lens thereon, and for a second cylindrical lens of the two cylindrical lenses, a cross section shape thereof at a second plane perpendicular to a direction of a slope of the other facing plane of the prism lens body having the second cylindrical lens thereon with respect to the one facing plane of the set of facing planes has a certain curved shape to be convex against the other facing plane having the second cylindrical lens thereon.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The light deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the prism lens body is a first prism lens body, and the light deflection device comprises a second prism lens body having a second set of facing planes and two further cylindrical lenses thereon, wherein the first prism lens body and the second prism lens body are integral to each other such that slope directions of each set of facing planes are symmetrical.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The light deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the prism lens body is formed such that a slope angle of the one facing plane of the set of facing planes with respect to the waveguide is smaller than a slope angle of the other facing plane of the set of facing planes with respect to the waveguide.