# US 2018/0024360 A1 · Lens array and image display device incorporating the same

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- Number: US 2018/0024360 A1
- Document ID: US20180024360A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/722,314
- Filed: 2017-10-02
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-21
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Makoto Inamoto; Kenichiroh Saisho; Yasuhiro Satoh; Jun Watanabe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180024360A1

## CPC

- G02B 27/0101: {characterised by optical features (G02B27/0172 takes precedence)}
- 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 26/101: {with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners (colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129)}
- G02B 27/48: Laser speckle optics
- G02B 17/0605: {using two curved mirrors (G02B17/0668, G02B17/0694 take precedence)}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

An image display device includes a light source, an imaging element to form an image with a light beam from the light source, and a lens array illuminated with the light beam forming the image for image display, in which lenses are arranged closely to each other. In which in the lens array a curvature radius of a surface of a border of neighboring lenses is set to be smaller than a wavelength of the light beam.

## Claims

### Claim 1

(canceled)

### Claim at position 2

2: An image display device comprising:
a light source;
an imaging element to form an image with light from the light source; and
a lens array illuminated with light forming the image, in which lenses for spreading the light are arranged, wherein
a virtual image having a different angle of view in intersecting two directions by the light spread is formed by the light spread by the lenses,
the virtual image is formed such that an angle of view in a first direction is larger than that in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and
the lenses two dimensionally arranged in the lens array emit light such that a length in the first direction in a cross section is longer than that in the second direction.

### Claim at position 3 (depends on 2)

3: The device according to claim 2, wherein
the light source emits a light beam,
the imaging element is an optical deflector that two dimensionally deflects the light beam,
the lens array is disposed such that the lenses of the lens array and a border of adjacent lenses are sequentially scanned by a light beam deflected by the optical deflector, and
a curvature radius of a surface forming the border illuminated by the light beam is smaller than a wavelength of the light beam.

### Claim at position 4 (depends on 3)

4: The device according to claim 3, wherein
the light source includes a plurality of light sources that emits light beams each having a different wavelength, and
the curvature radius of the surface forming the border illuminated by the light beams is smaller than a wavelength of the light beam having a largest wavelength in the light beams emitted from the light sources.

### Claim at position 5 (depends on 2)

5: The device according to claim 2, wherein
the lenses two dimensionally arranged in the lens array are hexagonal lenses, and
a curvature radius of a surface forming a border of adjacent hexagonal lenses is smaller than a wavelength of the light emitted from the light source.

### Claim at position 6 (depends on 2)

6: A vehicle comprising the device according to claim 2 including a reflective element that reflects the light spread by the lens array to an observer.

### Claim at position 7 (depends on 6)

7: The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the reflective element is a windshield.