Display apparatus

• US 5,089,903 A
• Filed: 06/01/1989
• Issued: 02/18/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuwayama, Tetsuro, Kushibiki, Nobuo, Taniguchi, Naosato, Yoshinaga, Yoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ryan, J.
• Application Number:
  US07/359,561
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 350/3.61, 350/3.7, 350/3.72, 350/162.17, 350/162.18, 350/162.2, 350/162.23, 350/171, 350/174
• US Class Current: 359/15
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0109 comprising details concerning the making of holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0116 comprising devices for correcting chromatic aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements

Abstract

A display apparatus comprises a display, a first diffraction grating for diffracting light from the display, and a second diffraction grating for diffracting diffracted light from the first diffraction grating, so that a half-width of the first diffraction grating is set to be larger than that of the second diffraction grating.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display;

a first diffraction grating for diffracting light emitted from said display, said first diffraction grating having a diffraction efficiency with a first wavelength spectrum and the diffracted light having a center wavelength; and

a second diffraction grating for diffracting diffracted light from said first diffraction grating toward a pupil of an observer, with a half-width of the first wavelength spectrum of said first diffraction grating being larger than a sum of a half-width of a second wavelength spectrum of a diffraction efficiency of said second diffraction grating and a variation amount of the center wavelength of the diffracted light directed toward the pupil, wherein the variation amount varies in accordance with variation of the position of the pupil.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first diffraction grating reflectively diffracts light from said display toward said second diffraction grating.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first diffraction grating comprises a hologram.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first diffraction grating comprises a relief grating.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second diffraction grating comprises a hologram.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first diffraction grating exhibits color dispersion opposite to that caused by said hologram.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical path length between said display and said first diffraction grating is set to be smaller than that between said first and second diffraction gratings.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a size of said second diffraction grating is set to be larger than that of said first diffraction grating.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said second diffraction grating reflectively diffracts the diffracted light from said first diffraction grating toward a pupil and allows other light components to pass therethrough toward said pupil.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second diffraction grating comprises a volume-type hologram.

11. A display apparatus comprising:

a display;

a beam combiner having a diffraction grating for diffracting light emitted from said display toward a pupil; and

diffracting means, arranged in an optical path between said display and said beam combiner and having a diffraction efficiency with a first wavelength spectrum, for directing the light from said display toward said beam combiner, wherein said diffracting means exhibits color dispersion opposite to that caused by said diffraction grating, and a half-width of the first wavelength spectrum of said diffracting means is larger than a sum of a half-width of a second wavelength spectrum of a diffraction efficiency of said diffraction grating and a variation amount of a center wavelength of the diffracted light directed toward the pupil, wherein the variation amount varies in accordance with variation of the position of the pupil.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said diffracting means comprises a hologram.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said diffracting means comprises a relief diffraction grating.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said diffraction grating comprises a hologram.

15. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein light-receiving surfaces of said diffraction grating and said diffracting means are arranged in a non-parallel state.

16. A display apparatus comprising:

a display;

a first diffraction grating having a smaller half-width of a wavelength spectrum of a diffraction efficiency than a wavelength spectrum of light emitted from said display, with said first diffraction grating diffracting light from said display toward a pupil; and

a second diffraction grating for diffracting the light emitted from said display toward said first diffraction grating, said second diffraction grating having a larger half-width of the wavelength spectrum of a diffraction efficiency than a sum of a half-width of the wavelength spectrum of said first diffraction grating and a variation amount of a center wavelength of the light directed toward said pupil, wherein the variation amount varies in accordance with variation of the position of the pupil.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said second diffraction grating exhibits color dispersion opposite to that caused by said first diffraction grating.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein each of said first and second diffraction gratings comprises a hologram.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said first diffraction grating comprises a hologram, and said second diffraction grating comprises a relief diffraction grating.

20. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein an optical path length between said display and said second diffraction grating is set to be smaller than that between said first and second diffraction gratings.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said first diffraction grating reflectively diffracts the diffracted light from said second diffraction grating toward a pupil and allows other light components to pass therethrough toward said pupil.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a size of said first diffraction grating is set to be larger than that of said diffraction grating.

23. A head-up display apparatus comprising:

a display;

a beam combiner having a hologram for reflectively diffracting light from said display toward a pupil; and

a diffraction grating, arranged in an optical path between said display and said beam combiner and having a diffraction efficiency with a first wavelength spectrum, for reflectively diffracting the light from said display toward said beam combiner, said diffraction grating having a larger half-width of the first wavelength spectrum of a diffraction efficiency than a sum of a half-width of a second wavelength spectrum of a diffraction efficiency of said hologram and a variation amount of a center wavelength of said light toward said pupil, wherein the variation amount varies in accordance with variation of the position of the pupil.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said hologram has a refracting power.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said hologram comprises a volume-type hologram.

26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said diffraction grating comprises a relief grating.

27. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said relief grating is formed on a surface of a transparent plate opposite to a surface thereof on a light-incidence side, and a refractive index of said plate is set to be not less than 1.3.

28. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said diffraction grating comprises a volume-type hologram.

29. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said diffraction grating corrects color dispersion caused by said hologram.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, wherein an optical path length between said display and said diffraction grating is set to be smaller than that between said diffraction grating and said hologram.

31. An apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the size of said hologram is set to be larger than that of said diffraction grating.

32. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein a said hologram is provided to a front window glass of a vehicle.

33. A display apparatus for displaying an image on a front glass of a vehicle, comprising:

a display for emitting light;

a first diffraction grating for diffracting light emitted from said display, with said first diffraction grating having a diffraction efficiency with a first wavelength spectrum and the diffracted light having a center wavelength; and

a second diffraction grating for diffracting diffracted light from said first diffraction grating toward a pupil of a driver, said second diffraction grating toward a pupil of a driver, said second diffraction grating being arranged near the front glass, wherein a half-width of the first wavelength spectrum of said first diffraction grating is larger than a sum of a half-width of a second wavelength spectrum of a diffraction efficiency of said second diffraction grating and a variation amount of the center wavelength of said diffracted light toward the pupil, wherein the variation amount varies in accordance with variation of the position of the pupil.