Optical device and HMD using said optical device

• US 5,966,242 A
• Filed: 04/15/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yamanaka, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lucas, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US08/843,352
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 359/618-640
• US Class Current: 359/618
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0116 comprising devices for correcting chromatic aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/286 for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00

Abstract

This invention is directed to provide a head-mounted display device (HMD) which is capable of providing a high-quality and impressive image with an improved S/N ratio through a super-wide-field-angle short-focus lens for obtaining wide-field-angle visual information. An optical device used for the HMD according to the present invention comprise: a reflecting and refracting means is made of copolymerized high-polymer material having positive and negative photoelastic coefficients against an internal stress; a first and second quarter-wave plates have refractive indexes in the direction of their thickness, which values are within the range from the minimal value and a maximal value of refractive indexes of respective quarter-wave plates; the quarter-wave plates are disposed so that their extension axes intersect each other at a right angle; first and second wideband-wave plates, each of which is prepared by bonding a half-wave plate to a quarter-wave plate at a suitable angle, are further provided; and optical elements are covered at their surfaces with anti-reflection coating or bonded to each other with optical adhesive.

Claims

1. An optical device including:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side;

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side; and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the reflecting-refracting device is prepared from a copolymer of high-molecular compounds having positive and negative photoelastic coefficients with respect to an inner stress, and wherein the optical components are coated on one side with an anti-reflection coating.

4. An optical device as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first polarizer plate, the reflecting-refracting device, the first quarter-wave plate, the half-mirror, the second quarter-wave plate and the second polarizer plate are disposed in order from the incident side.

5. An optical device as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first polarizer plate, the first quarter-wave plate, the reflecting-refracting device, the second quarter-wave plate, the half-mirror and the second polarizer plate are disposed in order from the incident side.

2. An optical device including:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side;

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side; and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter-wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate have refractive indicies in a thickness direction thereof and said refractive indicies lie between a minimal value and a maximal value of the refractive indices in a surface plane direction of the quarter wave-plates, and wherein the optical components are coated on one side with an anti-reflection coating.

3. An optical device including:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side;

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side; and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate are disposed with stretch-giving axes thereof being normal to each other, and wherein the optical components are coated on one side with an anti-reflection coating.

6. An optical device comprising:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side;

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side; and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first wide-band-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second wide-band-wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first wide-band-wave plate and the second wide-band-wave plate are each prepared from a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate with intersecting optical axes, bonded together.

8. An optical device as defined in claim 6 or 7, wherein an angle "p", formed between optical axes of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate, is larger than 50 degrees and smaller than 70 degrees.

9. An optical device as defined in claim 6 or 7, wherein the first polarizer plate, the reflecting-refracting device, the first wide-band-wave plate, the half-mirror, the second wide-band-wave plate and the second polarizer plate are disposed in order from the incident side.

10. An optical device as defined in claim 6 or 7, wherein the first polarizer plate, the first wide-band-wave plate, the reflecting-refracting device, the second wide-band-wave plate, the half-mirror and the second polarizer plate are disposed in order from the incident side.

17. The optical device defined in any one of claims 6 and 7, wherein the optical device is a head-mounted display device which further comprises a liquid crystal display.

18. A head-mounted display device as defined in claim 17, wherein a black-matrix of the liquid crystal display is provided with an anti-reflection coating.

7. An optical device comprising:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side;

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side; and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first wide-band-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second wide-band-wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizing plates, wherein the first wide-band-wave plate and the second wide-band-wave plate are each prepared from a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate with intersecting optical axes, bonded together and made of the same material, and wherein at least one of wave-plates satisfies a condition n_x >

n_z >

n_y, where n_x, n_z and n_y are refractive indicies in orthogonal directions and a thickness direction, respectively, in a plane of the wave-plate.

11. An optical device including:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side;

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side; and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the reflecting-refracting device is prepared from a copolymer of high-molecular compounds having positive and negative photoelastic coefficients with respect to an inner stress, and wherein one pair of the optical components is bonded together with an adhesive for optics.

12. A head-mounted display device comprising:

an optical device including,

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side,

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side, and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the reflecting-refracting device is prepared from a copolymer of high-molecular compounds having positive and negative photoelastic coefficients with respect to an inner stress;

an illuminating device; and

a liquid crystal display.

13. A head-mounted display device as defined in claim 12, wherein a black-matrix of the liquid crystal display is provided with an anti-reflection coating.

14. A head-mounted display device as defined in claim 12, wherein the illuminating device includes a substrate with a light-emitting diode chip, an electrode, and a fluorescent material applied on the substrate.

15. A head-mounted display device comprising:

an optical device including,

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side,

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side, and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the reflecting-refracting device is prepared from a copolymer of high-molecular compounds having positive and negative photoelastic coefficients with respect to an inner stress, and

an electroluminescent display.

16. A head-mounted display device as defined in claim 15, wherein a black-matrix of the electroluminescent display is provided with an antireflection coating.

19. An optical device including:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side;

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side; and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter-wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate have refractive indicies in a thickness direction thereof and said refractive indicies lie between a minimal value and a maximal value of the refractive indices in a surface plane direction of the quarter wave-plates, and wherein one pair of the optical components is bonded together with an adhesive for optics.

20. A head-mounted display device, comprising:

an optical device including,

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side,

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side, and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter-wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate have refractive indicies in a thickness direction thereof and said refractive indicies lie between a minimal value and a maximal value of the refractive indices in a surface plane direction of the quarter wave-plates;

an illuminating device; and

a liquid crystal display.

21. A head-mounted display device, comprising:

an optical device including,

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side,

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side, and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter-wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate have refractive indicies in a thickness direction thereof and said refractive indicies lie between a minimal value and a maximal value of the refractive indices in a surface plane direction of the quarter wave-plates, and wherein the reflecting-refracting device is prepared from a copolymer of high-molecular compounds having positive and negative photoelastic coefficients with respect to an inner stress; and

an electroluminescent display.

22. An optical device including:

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side,

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side, and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate are disposed with stretch-giving axes thereof being normal to each other, and wherein the optical components are coated on one side with an anti-reflection coating, wherein one pair of the optical components is bonded together with an adhesive for optics.

23. A head-mounted display device, comprising:

an optical device including,

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side,

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side, and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate are disposed with stretch-giving axes thereof being normal to each other, and wherein the optical components are coated on one side with an anti-reflection coating;

an illuminating device; and

a liquid crystal display.

24. A head-mounted display device, comprising:

an optical device including,

a first polarizer plate disposed at an incident side,

a second polarizer plate disposed at an outgoing side, and

a half-mirror-coated reflecting-refracting device, a first quarter-wave plate, a half-mirror, and a second quarter wave plate disposed between the first and second polarizer plates, wherein the first quarter-wave plate and the second quarter-wave plate are disposed with stretch-giving axes thereof being normal to each other, and wherein the optical components are coated on one side with an anti-reflection coating; and

an electroluminescent display.