IP Library Granted Patent US 12,572,013
Granted Patent B2
US 12,572,013 · App. 18/103,762 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Optical device

Inventors: Kenji Nagatomi (Osaka, JP); Norihiro Imamura (Osaka, JP); Hirofumi Hoshida (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
G02B27/0101G02B7/182G02B27/01G02B27/017G02B27/0172B32B15/016B32B2551/00B60R1/26B60R2300/10B60R2300/205
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,572,013
App. No.
18/103,762
Granted
Mar 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An optical device includes: a display; an optical element that includes a first face and a second face facing the first face, the optical element receiving light from the display through the first face, reflecting the received light on the second face, and emitting the reflected light through the first face; a housing that accommodates the display and the optical element; and a fixing structure that fixes the optical element by holding the optical element from different sides of the optical element.

Claims (77)

1 . An optical device comprising:

a display;

an optical element that includes a first face and a second face facing the first face, the optical element receiving light from the display through the first face, reflecting the received light on the second face, and transmitting the reflected light through the first face;

a housing that accommodates the display and the optical element; and

a fixing structure that fixes the optical element, wherein:

the optical element includes a side face that links the first face and the second face, the side face includes a first side portion and a second side portion that faces the first side portion,

the second side portion is inclined with respect to the first side portion to be away from the first side portion as the second side portion is closer to the first face than the second face,

the fixing structure includes:

a first face presser provided to the housing, the first face presser pressing an edge portion of the first face of the optical element,

a first side portion presser that presses the first side portion of the optical element, and

a second side portion presser that presses the second side portion of the optical element,

the first face presser and the second side portion presser have surfaces that are unitarily formed with the housing, and

the first side portion presser presses the first side portion of the optical element such that the optical element is pressed against the first face presser and the second side portion presser.

2 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first side portion is an upper face portion of the optical element when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies, and

the first side portion presser presses the first side portion from above the optical element when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies.

3 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first side portion is an upper face portion of the optical element when the optical element is viewed from the side where first face lies,

the side face includes a third side portion and a fourth side portion, the third side portion being connected to a left end of the first side portion and located further leftward as the third side portion is closer to the second side portion when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies, the fourth side portion being connected to a right end of the first side portion and located further rightward as the fourth side portion is closer to the second side portion when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies, and

the side face presser includes at least one of a third side portion presser that presses the third side portion from above the optical element when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies or a fourth side portion presser that presses the fourth side portion from above the optical element when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies.

4 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the fixing structure includes the second face presser, and

the second face presser is in surface contact with the second face to press the second face.

5 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first face presser includes three or more edge pressers each pressing an edge portion of the first face.

6 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first face presser presses an edge portion of the first face around an entire circumference of the first face.

7 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the fixing structure includes the second face presser, and

the first face presser and the second face presser mutually hold the optical element in directions in which the first face and the second face face each other.

8 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

at least one of the second face presser or the side face presser has flexibility.

9 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the fixing structure includes

the second face presser,

a member with a screw hole, and

a screw that presses the second face presser toward the optical element while fitted in the screw hole, and

the second face presser presses the optical element by being pressed toward the optical element by the screw.

10 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the housing includes

a body that accommodates the optical element and

a cover that is attached to the body and covers the second face of the optical element, and

at least one of the second face presser or the side face presser is provided for the cover.

11 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the fixing structure includes the side face presser, and

the side face presser includes an upper presser and at least one of a left presser or a right presser, the upper presser pressing the optical element using an elastic force from above, the left presser pressing the optical element using an elastic force from a left, the right presser pressing the optical element using an elastic force from a right, when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies.

12 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first face includes a curved portion and a flat portion connected to an edge portion of the curved portion, and

the first face presser presses the flat portion.

13 . The optical device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a protecting member provided at at least one of a point between the first face and the first face presser, a point between the second face and the second face presser, or a point between the side face and the side face presser.

14 . The optical device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a light absorbing member provided at least in a part of the side face.

15 . The optical device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a metallic multilayer including a plurality of laminated metallic layers and disposed on the second face.

16 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the optical element is pressed against the first face presser in a first direction, and

the optical element is pressed against the second side portion presser in a second direction different from the first direction.

17 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the first side portion is inclined at an angle smaller than a right angle with respect to the first face that is pressed by the first face presser.

18 . An optical device comprising:

a display;

an optical element that includes a first face and a second face facing the first face, the optical element receiving light from the display through the first face, reflecting the received light on the second face, and transmitting the reflected light through the first face;

a housing that accommodates the display and the optical element; and

a fixing structure that fixes the optical element by holding the optical element from different sides of the optical element, wherein:

the optical element includes a side face that links the first face and the second face, and the optical element includes a first recess provided at an edge portion of the first face and a first protrusion provided at the edge portion of the first face,

the fixing structure includes a first face presser provided for the housing and at least one of a second face presser or a side face presser, the first face presser pressing an edge portion of the optical element from a side where the first face lies when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies, the second face presser pressing the optical element from a side where the second face lies, the side face presser pressing the optical element from a side where the side face lies,

the first recess and the first protrusion are alternately arranged along an edge portion of the first face when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies, and

the housing includes a second protrusion that engages with the first recess and a second recess that engages with the first protrusion.

19 . An optical device comprising:

a display;

an optical element that includes a first face formed by a concave surface and a second face formed by a convex surface facing the first face, the optical element receiving light from the display through the first face, reflecting the received light on the second face, and transmitting the reflected light through the first face;

a housing that accommodates the display and the optical element; and

a fixing structure that fixes the optical element by holding the optical element from different sides of the optical element, wherein:

the optical element includes a side face that links the first face and the second face,

the fixing structure includes a first face presser provided for the housing and a second face presser, the first face presser pressing an edge portion of the optical element from a side where the first face lies when the optical element is viewed from the side where the first face lies, the second face presser pressing the optical element from a side where the second face lies, and

the second face presser includes one edge presser that presses one edge portion of the second face, an other edge presser that presses an other edge portion of the second face, and a covering presser that presses the entire second face and covers the entire second face between the one edge presser and the other edge presser.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066709/0752 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 25, 2023
From: NAGATOMI, KENJI; IMAMURA, NORIHIRO; HOSHIDA, HIROFUMI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 064380/0879 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2022-042245 · Mar 17, 2022 · national
JP 2022-135020 · Aug 26, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230296890A1 · Sep 21, 2023
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