# US 2017/0285452 A1 · Illumination device and display unit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0285452 A1 - Document ID: US20170285452A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/511,024 - Filed: 2015-09-10 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-26 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Koji Miura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170285452A1 ## CPC - G03B 21/208: {Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light} - F21V 5/007: {Array of lenses or refractors for a cluster of light sources, e.g. for arrangement of multiple light sources in one plane (combination of two or more refractors F21V5/008)} - F21V 5/008: {Combination of two or more successive refractors along an optical axis} - G02B 3/00: Simple or compound lenses - G02B 19/0009: {having refractive surfaces only} - G03B 21/2033: {LED or laser light sources} - H04N 9/3111: {for displaying the colours sequentially, e.g. by using sequentially activated light sources (sequential projection in colour photography G03B33/08)} - H04N 9/3152: {for shaping the light beam (beam shaping per se G02B27/09)} - H04N 9/3161: {using laser light sources (using laser beams scanning the display screen H04N9/3129)} - H04N 9/3164: {using multiple light sources} - F21Y 2115/30: Semiconductor lasers - G03B 33/12: using beam-splitting or beam-combining systems, e.g. dichroic mirrors - 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) - F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED ## Abstract A first illumination device includes a light source that emits light having directivity, and a uniform illumination optical system including a first fly-eye lens that includes a plurality of lenses two-dimensionally arranged and allows light based on emitted light from the light source to pass through the first fly-eye lens. An illumination target region has a planar shape having a side extending along a direction substantially parallel to a long-axis direction or a short-axis direction of an intensity distribution shape of emitted light from the light source, and a periodic direction of an array of the lenses in the first fly-eye lens is inclined with respect to the long-axis direction or the short-axis direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An illumination device, comprising: a light source; and a uniform illumination optical system including a first fly-eye lens that includes a plurality of lenses two-dimensionally arranged and allows light based on emitted light from the light source to pass through the first fly-eye lens, wherein light entering the first fly-eye lens has directivity, a first reference direction in a planar shape of an illumination target region extends along a direction substantially parallel to a long-axis direction or a short-axis direction of an intensity distribution shape of the light entering the first fly-eye lens, and a periodic direction of an array of the lenses in the first fly-eye lens is inclined with respect to the long-axis direction or the short-axis direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the first fly-eye lens has an outer shape reference linearly extending along one direction in a portion of its outer edge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The illumination device according to claim 2, wherein the first fly-eye lens is disposed to allow a periodic direction of the lenses to be inclined with respect to an extending direction of the outer shape reference and to allow the extending direction of the outer shape reference to be substantially parallel to the long-axis direction or the short-axis direction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The illumination device according to claim 2, wherein the first fly-eye lens is disposed to allow a periodic direction of the lenses to be substantially parallel or substantially orthogonal to an extending direction of the outer shape reference and to allow the extending direction of the outer shape reference to be inclined with respect to the long-axis direction or the short-axis direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The illumination device according to claim 1, further comprising a second fly-eye lens in an optical path between the light source and the light valve, wherein the first fly-eye lens is disposed closer to the light source than the second fly-eye lens. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the first fly-eye lens includes the plurality of lenses on one of light entry side and light exit side or both, and when the plurality of lenses are included on the light entry side, a periodic direction of the lenses on the light entry side is inclined with respect to the long-axis direction or the short-axis direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The illumination device according to claim 1, further comprising a housing that is allowed to contain the light source and the first fly-eye lens, wherein a periodic direction of the lenses in the first fly-eye lens is inclined with respect to a mounting surface of the housing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of lenses in the first fly-eye lens each have a regular hexagonal planar shape in a plane where the lenses are disposed, and are arranged in a honeycomb fashion as a whole. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The illumination device according to claim 8, wherein an inclination angle between a periodic direction of the lenses in the first fly-eye lens and the long-axis direction or the short-axis direction is greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 30 degrees. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The illumination device according to claim 9, wherein the inclination angle is 15 degrees. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the light source includes one or more laser diodes that emit light of a same wavelength or a different wavelength. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the planar shape of the illumination target region is a rectangular shape, and the first reference direction is a direction along a side of the rectangular shape. ### Claim 13 An illumination device, comprising: a light source; and a uniform illumination optical system including a first fly-eye lens that includes a plurality of lenses two-dimensionally arranged and allows light based on emitted light from the light source to pass through the first fly-eye lens, wherein light entering the first fly-eye lens has directivity, and the first fly-eye lens has an outer shape reference linearly extending along one direction in a portion of its outer edge, and is disposed to allow a periodic direction of an array of the lenses to be inclined with respect to an extending direction of the outer shape reference and to allow the extending direction of the outer shape reference to be substantially parallel to a long-axis direction or a short-axis direction of an intensity distribution shape of the light entering the first fly-eye lens. ### Claim 14 An illumination device, comprising: a light source; and a uniform illumination optical system including a first fly-eye lens that includes a plurality of lenses two-dimensionally arranged and allows light based on emitted light from the light source to pass through the first fly-eye lens, wherein light entering the first fly-eye lens has directivity, and the first fly-eye lens has an outer shape reference linearly extending along one direction in a portion of its outer edge, and is disposed to allow a periodic direction of an array of the lenses to be substantially parallel or substantially orthogonal to an extending direction of the outer shape reference and to allow the extending direction of the outer shape reference to be inclined with respect to a long-axis direction or a short-axis direction of an intensity distribution shape of the light entering the first fly-eye lens. ### Claim 15 An illumination device, comprising: a light source; a uniform illumination optical system including a first fly-eye lens that includes a plurality of lenses two-dimensionally arranged and allows light based on emitted light from the light source to pass through the first fly-eye lens; and a housing that is allowed to contain the light source and the first fly-eye lens, wherein light entering the first fly-eye lens has directivity, and a periodic direction of an array of the lenses in the first fly-eye lens is inclined with respect to a mounting surface of the housing. ### Claim 16 A display unit provided with an illumination optical system, a light valve, and a projection lens, the light valve that modulates illumination light from the illumination optical system on a basis of an image signal to emit the thus-modulated light, the projection lens that projects the light from the light valve toward a projection surface, the illumination optical system comprising: a light source; and a uniform illumination optical system including a first fly-eye lens that includes a plurality of lenses two-dimensionally arranged and allows light based on emitted light from the light source to pass through the first fly-eye lens, wherein light entering the first fly-eye lens has directivity, a first reference direction in a planar shape of an illumination target region extends along a direction substantially parallel to a long-axis direction or a short-axis direction of an intensity distribution shape of the light entering the first fly-eye lens, and a periodic direction of an array of the lenses in the first fly-eye lens is inclined with respect to the long-axis direction or the short-axis direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The display unit according to claim 16, wherein the illumination target region is an effective region of the light valve. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The display unit according to claim 17, wherein a planar shape of the effective region is a rectangular shape, and the first reference direction is a direction along a side of the rectangular shape.