POLARIZATION SEPARATION DEVICE AND DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20130135722A1
• Filed: 11/12/2012
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 9,007,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/465
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/25 using polarisation techniques

Abstract

A polarization separation device includes a first end surface on which incident light is incident, a polarization separation surface that reflects an s-polarized light component and transmits a p-polarized light component, a second end surface that is arranged to be opposed to the first end surface, converts the p-polarized light component transmitted through the polarization separation surface to the s-polarized light component, and reflects the converted light component to an optical axis direction which is the same as the incident light, a third end surface from which the s-polarized light component reflected by the polarization separation surface without transmitting through the polarization separation surface is output, and a fourth end surface that is arranged to be opposed to the third end surface and from which the s-polarized light component reflected by the second end surface and the polarization separation surface is output.

Claims

1. A polarization separation device comprising:

a first end surface on which incident light is incident;

a polarization separation surface that reflects an s-polarized light component and transmits a p-polarized light component;

a second end surface that is arranged to be opposed to the first end surface, converts the p-polarized light component transmitted through the polarization separation surface to the s-polarized light component, and reflects the converted light component to an optical axis direction which is the same as the incident light;

a third end surface from which the s-polarized light component reflected by the polarization separation surface without transmitting through the polarization separation surface is output, and

a fourth end surface that is arranged to be opposed to the third end surface and from which the s-polarized light component reflected by the second end surface and the polarization separation surface is output.

2. The polarization separation device according to claim 1, further including an optical path length adjusting member that converts an optical path length of light transmitted through the third end surface.

3. The polarization separation device according to claim 2,

wherein a member from the polarization separation surface to the third end surface is formed integrally with the optical path length adjusting member.

4. The polarization separation device according to claim 2, further including a transmissivity adjusting filter that changes transmissivity of light to be output from the optical path adjusting member.

5. The polarization separation device according to claim 2,

wherein an optical path length of light which transmits through the polarization separation surface, is reflected by the second end surface and the polarization separation surface, and reaches the fourth end surface and an optical path length of light which is reflected by the polarization separation surface, transmits through the optical path adjusting member, and reaches an output surface are equal to each other.

6. The polarization separation device according to claim 2,

wherein a member from the first end surface to the polarization separation surface, a member from the polarization separation surface to the second end surface, and the optical path length adjusting member are formed by the same member, and a length of the optical path adjusting member in an optical axis direction is twice as a distance from the polarization separation surface to the second end surface.

7. A display apparatus including the polarization separation device according to claim 1, comprising:

a display unit that makes a video image constituted by any one or both of a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component incident on the first end surface as the incident light, and

a left-eye light guiding optical system and a right-eye light guiding optical system that enable an observer to observe enlarged virtual images of video images output from the third and fourth end surfaces with right and left eyes, respectively.

8. A display apparatus including the polarization separation device according to claim 2, comprising:

a display unit that makes a video image constituted by any one or both of a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component incident on the first end surface as the incident light, and

a left-eye light guiding optical system and a right-eye light guiding optical system that enable an observer to observe enlarged virtual images of video images output from the third and fourth end surfaces with right and left eyes, respectively.

9. A display apparatus including the polarization separation device according to claim 3, comprising:

a display unit that makes a video image constituted by any one or both of a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component incident on the first end surface as the incident light, and

a left-eye light guiding optical system and a right-eye light guiding optical system that enable an observer to observe enlarged virtual images of video images output from the third and fourth end surfaces with right and left eyes, respectively.

10. A display apparatus including the polarization separation device according to claim 4, comprising:

a display unit that makes a video image constituted by any one or both of a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component incident on the first end surface as the incident light, and

a left-eye light guiding optical system and a right-eye light guiding optical system that enable an observer to observe enlarged virtual images of video images output from the third and fourth end surfaces with right and left eyes, respectively.

11. A display apparatus including the polarization separation device according to claim 5, comprising:

a display unit that makes a video image constituted by any one or both of a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component incident on the first end surface as the incident light, and

a left-eye light guiding optical system and a right-eye light guiding optical system that enable an observer to observe enlarged virtual images of video images output from the third and fourth end surfaces with right and left eyes, respectively.

12. A display apparatus including the polarization separation device according to claim 6, comprising:

a display unit that makes a video image constituted by any one or both of a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component incident on the first end surface as the incident light, and

a left-eye light guiding optical system and a right-eye light guiding optical system that enable an observer to observe enlarged virtual images of video images output from the third and fourth end surfaces with right and left eyes, respectively.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the left-eye light guiding optical system and the right-eye light guiding optical system are constituted by the same optical elements.

14. The display apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the left-eye light guiding optical system and the right-eye light guiding optical system are constituted by the same optical elements.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the left-eye light guiding optical system and the right-eye light guiding optical system are constituted by the same optical elements.

16. The display apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the left-eye light guiding optical system and the right-eye light guiding optical system are constituted by the same optical elements.

17. The display apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the left-eye light guiding optical system and the right-eye light guiding optical system are constituted by the same optical elements.

18. The display apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the left-eye light guiding optical system and the right-eye light guiding optical system are constituted by the same optical elements.

19. The display apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein a center position of the display unit is eccentric with respect to a center position between both of the eyes of the observer.

20. The display apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein a center position of the display unit is eccentric with respect to a center position between both of the eyes of the observer.