Optical system and image display apparatus

• US 6,128,136 A
• Filed: 03/05/1998
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Togino, Takayoshi, Nakaoka, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): MACK, RICKY LEVERN
• Application Number:
  US09/035,206
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 359/630, 359/631, 359/633, 359/637, 359/640, 345/7, 345/8
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/08 Catadioptric systems used in non-imaging applications G02B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0816 off-axis or unobscured systems in which not all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry, e.g. at least one of the mirrors is warped, tilted or decentered with respect to the other elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0832 off-axis or unobscured systems in which not all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry, e.g. at least one of the mirrors is warped, tilted or decentered with respect to the other elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0848 off-axis or unobscured systems in which not all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry, e.g. at least one of the mirrors is warped, tilted or decentered with respect to the other elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0856 comprising a refractive element with a reflective surface, the reflection taking place inside the element, e.g. Mangin mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/086 wherein the system is made of a single block of optical material, e.g. solid catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/011 comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/001 Eyepieces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features

Abstract

An optical system which is compact, lightweight and satisfactorily corrected for aberrations and may be suitably used as an imaging optical system or an ocular optical system for a head- or face-mounted image display apparatus which forms no intermediate image. The optical system includes an optical member (7) and a diffraction optical element (8), which are decentered with respect to each other. The optical member (7) has at least three adjacent optical surfaces, at least one of which is a curved surface. At least two reflections take place between the optical surfaces. The space between the optical surfaces is filled with a medium having a refractive index larger than 1. Light rays emitted from an image display device (6) enter the optical member (7) through a first transmitting surface (5) disposed to face the image display device (6) and are reflected by a first reflecting surface (3). The reflected light rays are reflected by a second reflecting surface (4) and led to an observer'"'"'s eyeball through a second transmitting surface (3).

Claims

1. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device constructed and arranged to display an image;

an ocular optical system constructed and arranged to lead the image displayed by said image display device to an observer'"'"'s eyeball without forming an intermediate real image; and

a retainer, said retainer retaining both said image display device and said ocular optical system on an observer'"'"'s head or face,

said image display device being a transmission type liquid crystal having an illumination unit at a back of it, said image display apparatus satisfying the following condition;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Sb>

d>

1 mm (24)

wherein Sb is a length of said illumination unit, and d is a distance between said illumination unit and said image display device.

2. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, which satisfies the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Sb>

d>

2 mm.

3. An image display apparatus according to claim 2, which satisfies the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Sb>

d>

3 mm.

4. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ocular optical system has two to four optical surfaces, and an area surrounded by said optical surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index larger than 1, said optical surfaces including a first surface disposed to face said image display device, a second surface disposed on an observer'"'"'s visual axis to face an observer'"'"'s pupil, and a third surface disposed on said observer'"'"'s visual axis between said second surface and said observer'"'"'s pupil.

5. An image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said second surface is a reflecting surface.

6. An image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein light rays emitted from said image display device enter said ocular optical system through said first surface and are led to said observer'"'"'s eyeball through said third surface.

7. An image display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said third surface is identical with said first surface.

8. An image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein light rays emitted from said image display device enter said ocular optical system through said first surface and are reflected by a fourth surface and said second surface in the mentioned order before being led to said observer'"'"'s eyeball through said third surface.

9. An image display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said fourth surface is identical with said third surface.

10. An image display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the reflection at said fourth surface is total reflection.

11. An image display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said fourth surface is identical with said first surface.

12. An image display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said second surface is identical with said first surface.

13. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device constructed and arranged to display an image;

an ocular-optical system constructed and arranged to lead the image displayed by said image display device to an observer'"'"'s eyeball without forming an intermediate real image; and

a retainer, said retainer retaining both said image display device and said ocular optical system on an observer'"'"'s head or face,

said image display device being a transmission type liquid crystal display device having an illumination unit at a back of it, said illumination unit and said image display device being tilted relative to each other such that said illumination unit and said image display device diverge from each other at ends thereof which are remote from said observer'"'"'s eyeball.

14. An image display apparatus according to claim 13, which satisfies the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Sb>

d.sub.s >

1 mm (25)

where Sb is a length of said illumination unit, and d_s is a distance between said illumination unit and said image display device at their respective ends where said illumination unit and said image display device diverge from each other.

15. An image display apparatus according to claim 13, which satisfies the following conditions:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Sb>

d.sub.s >

2 mm (25'"'"')

where Sb is a length of said illumination unit, and d_s is a distance between said illumination unit and said image display device at their respective ends where said illumination unit and said image display device diverge from each other.

16. An image display apparatus according to claim 13, which satisfies the following conditions:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Sb>

d.sub.s >

3 mm (25")

where Sb is a length of said illumination unit, and d_s is a distance between said illumination unit and said image display device at their respective ends where said illumination unit and said image display device diverge from each other.