Image display apparatus
First Claim
1. An image display apparatus comprising:
- reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for making light from light source means obliquely incident to a display surface of the display means; and
a display optical system for guiding light from the display means to an observer to permit the observer to observe image information displayed on the display means, wherein a principal ray emerging from a central part of the display means is emergent obliquely with respect to the display surface from the display means, the display optical system comprises a decentered, rotationally asymmetric, reflecting surface, the illumination optical system and the display optical system share at least one optical element, and at least one surface of the optical element(s) shared is a curved surface.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An image display apparatus has a light source, a reflective display device, an illumination optical system for guiding light from the light source to the display device to illuminate the display device, and a display optical system for guiding the light reflected by the display device to the pupil of an observer to allow the observer to observe an image displayed on the display panel. The illumination optical system and the display optical system have an optical element shared in part or are arranged so as not to interfere with each other, thereby providing the image display apparatus of compact structure. Particularly, where the display optical system is a thin optical system having a plurality of decentered, reflecting, curved surfaces, the appropriate illumination optical system is arranged, thereby providing the thin image display apparatus using the reflective display device.
49 Citations
50 Claims
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1. An image display apparatus comprising:
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reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for making light from light source means obliquely incident to a display surface of the display means; and
a display optical system for guiding light from the display means to an observer to permit the observer to observe image information displayed on the display means, wherein a principal ray emerging from a central part of the display means is emergent obliquely with respect to the display surface from the display means, the display optical system comprises a decentered, rotationally asymmetric, reflecting surface, the illumination optical system and the display optical system share at least one optical element, and at least one surface of the optical element(s) shared is a curved surface. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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2. An image display apparatus comprising:
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reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for guiding light from light source means to the display element; and
a display optical system for guiding the light reflected by the display element to the eye of an observer to allow the observer to observe an image, wherein at least one surface of the display optical system is a decentered, rotationally asymmetric, reflecting surface, a principal ray of display light at a center of a field of view from the display element is emergent at a predetermined angle relative to a normal to a display surface of the display element, the illumination optical system and the display optical system share at least one optical element, and at least one surface of the optical element(s) is a curved surface.
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- 8. An image display apparatus wherein light from light source means is guided via a first prism of a single medium having three or more optical surfaces comprising at least one decentered surface, to illuminate reflective display means obliquely, and light emerging obliquely from the display means is guided via part of the optical surfaces of the first prism and via a second prism of a single medium having three or more optical surfaces comprising at least one decentered surface to an observer, whereby the observer is allowed to observe image information displayed on the display means.
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12. An image display apparatus comprising:
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reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for making light from light source means incident to a display surface of the display means; and
a display optical system for guiding light from the display means to the pupil of an observer to allow the observer to observe image information displayed on the display means, wherein the illumination optical system guides the light from the light source means via a prism of a triangular prism shape making use of a totally reflecting surface to the display means, the display optical system guides the light from the display means through the totally reflecting surface of the prism to the observer, and an angle θ
between the totally reflecting surface and the display surface of the display means is set so as to satisfy the following condition;
(Dy/Ly)·
Wy°
<
θ
<
40°where Dy represents a diameter of the exit pupil formed by the display optical system in the y-direction, Ly represents an effective image display size of the display means in the y-direction, and Wy represents a field of view in the y-direction.
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14. An image display apparatus comprising:
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light source means;
reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for guiding light from the light source means to the display means;
a display optical system for guiding the light reflected by the display means to the pupil of an observer and making the observer recognize a virtual image formed thereby as an enlarged image of an image displayed on the display means; and
an optical member comprising surface acting to totally reflect light when guiding the light from the light source means to the display means and acting to transmit light when guiding the light reflected by the display means to the pupil, wherein an angle θ
between the surface and an image display surface of the display means is set to satisfy θ
<
45°
.
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25. An image display apparatus comprising:
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reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for making light from light source means incident to a display surface of the display means; and
a display optical system for guiding light from the display means to the pupil of an observer to allow the observer to observe image information displayed on the display means, wherein the illumination optical system guides the light from the light source means via an optical member making use of a totally reflecting surface to the display means and the display optical system guides the light from the display means through the totally reflecting surface of the optical member to the observer.
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36. An image display apparatus comprising:
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reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for making light from light source means incident to a display surface of the display means; and
a display optical system for guiding light from the display means to the pupil of an observer to allow the observer to observe image information displayed on the display means, wherein the display optical system is arranged so as not to interfere with an illumination optical path running from the light source means to the display means and the illumination optical system is arranged so as not to interfere with a display optical path running from the display means to the display optical system.
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44. An image display apparatus comprising:
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reflective display means;
an illumination optical system for making light from light source means incident to the display means; and
a display optical system for guiding light from the display means to an observation position of an observer, the display optical system comprising a plurality of decentered, reflecting surfaces each having an optical power, wherein a principal ray at a center of a field of view, passing a center of an exit pupil of the display optical system, is emergent at a predetermined angle relative to a normal to an image display surface of the display means. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification