Image display apparatus

• US 6,333,820 B1
• Filed: 06/11/1998
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Koichi, Togino, Takayoshi, Hayakawa, Kazuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lucas, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US09/095,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 359/630, 359/631, 359/633, 359/727, 359/728, 359/729, 359/731, 359/732
• US Class Current: 359/633
• 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 17/0856 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 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00

Abstract

A compact, lightweight and bright image display apparatus which uses a non-telecentric optical system, or a decentered optical system and a reflection-type image display device, such as a reflection-type LCD, to have high optical performance. The image display apparatus comprises an image display device, and an ocular optical system which leads an image formed by the image display device to an eye point of an observer without forming an intermediate image so that the image can be observed as a virtual image. The ocular optical system comprises a decentered optical system having at least one decentered back-coated reflecting surface. The image display device is a reflection-type image display device which displays an image by reflection of illumination light. An illumination means for forming the illumination light is arranged outside an optical path between the reflection-type image display device and the eye point of the observer.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device comprising a reflection-type image display device which displays an image by reflection of illumination light;

an ocular optical system which leads an image formed by the image display device to an eye point of an observer without forming an intermediate image so that the image can be observed as a virtual image, the ocular optical system comprising a decentered optical system; and

illumination means, arranged outside an optical path between the reflection-type image display device and the eye point of the observer, for forming the illumination light,

wherein the decentered optical system comprises at least one reflecting surface which is a rotationally asymmetric surface having no axis of rotational symmetry,

wherein the rotationally asymmetric surface is a plane-symmetry three-dimensional surface having only one plane of symmetry.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decentered optical system has at least an entrance surface, said reflecting surface and an exit surface which surround a medium having a refractive index larger than 1, and wherein said reflecting surface is a decentered curved surface of a back-coated reflecting mirror.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflection-type image display device has a display surface, and wherein the illumination means is arranged such that an incident angle of the illumination light with respect to the display surface of the reflection-type image display device equals approximately an exit angle of a principal ray that is display light which exits from said reflection-type image display device.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination means is arranged at a position which is approximately conjugate with a position of an entrance pupil of the decentered optical system.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination means is arranged at a position in at least one of a first space between the reflection-type image display device and the decentered optical system, and a second space surrounding the first space, the position being outside the optical path so that the display light is not blocked.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflection-type image display device has a display surface, and wherein the illumination means is arranged at a position such that the display surface of the reflection-type image display device can be illuminated by the illumination light transmitted in at least one of the following ways:

(a) through a part of the decentered optical system and (b) in a direction within the decentered optical system, where the display light from the reflection-type image display device will not pass.

7. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a numerical aperture reducing member is arranged between said illuminating means and said decentered optical system to prevent a ghost.

8. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a pair of the image display devices for right and left eyes, and a pair of the ocular optical systems for right and left eyes.

9. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising supporting means for supporting the image display apparatus via a head of the observer so that the image display apparatus is positioned in front of a face of the observer.

10. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device; and

an ocular optical system which leads an image formed by the image display device to an eye point of an observer without forming an intermediate image so that the image can be observed as a virtual image,

the ocular optical system comprising a decentered optical system having at least one decentered back-coated reflecting surface, and the decentered optical system being a non-telecentric optical system,

wherein the image display device comprises a scanning member for at least one of one-dimensional scanning and two-dimensional scanning, and illuminating means formed so that a two-dimensional image is formed by the scanning of said scanning member, and

wherein a numerical aperture reducing member is arranged between the illuminating means and the decentered optical system to prevent a ghost.

11. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device; and

an ocular optical system which leads an image formed by the image display device to an eye point of an observer without forming an intermediate image so that the image can be observed as a virtual image, the ocular optical system comprising a decentered optical system,

wherein the decentered optical system has at least an entrance surface, a reflecting surface and an exit surface which surround a medium having a refractive index larger than 1, and wherein said reflecting surface is a decentered curved surface of a back-coated reflecting mirror,

wherein the image display device comprises a scanning member for at least one of one-dimensional scanning and two-dimensional scanning, and illuminating means formed so that a two-dimensional image is formed by the scanning of said scanning member, and

wherein a numerical aperture reducing member is arranged between the illuminating means and the decentered optical system to prevent a ghost.

12. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device; and

an ocular optical system which leads an image formed by the image display device to an eye point of an observer without forming an intermediate image so that the image can be observed as a virtual image,

the ocular optical system comprising a decentered optical system having at least one decentered back-coated reflecting surface, and the decentered optical system being a non-telecentric optical system,

wherein the image display device comprises a reflection-type image display device which displays an image by reflection of illumination light, and wherein illumination means for forming the illumination light is arranged outside an optical path between the reflection-type image display device and the eye point of the observer, and

wherein a numerical aperture reducing member is arranged between said illuminating means and said decentered optical system to prevent a ghost.

13. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device; and

an ocular optical system which leads an image formed by the image display device to an eye point of an observer without forming an intermediate image so that the image can be observed as a virtual image, the ocular optical system comprising a decentered optical system,

wherein the decentered optical system has at least an entrance surface, a reflecting surface and an exit surface which surround a medium having a refractive index larger than 1, and wherein said reflecting surface is a decentered curved surface of a back-coated reflecting mirror,

wherein the image display device comprises a reflection-type image display device which displays an image by reflection of illumination light, and wherein illumination means for forming the illumination light is arranged outside an optical path between the reflection-type image display device and the eye point of the observer, and

wherein a numerical aperture reducing member is arranged between said illuminating means and said decentered optical system to prevent a ghost.

14. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image display device comprising a reflection-type image display device which displays an image by reflection of illumination light;

an ocular optical system which leads an image formed by the image display device to an eye point of an observer without forming an intermediate image so that the image can be observed as a virtual image, the ocular optical system comprising a decentered optical system; and

an illuminator arranged outside an optical path between the reflection-type image display device and the eye point of the observer,

wherein the decentered optical system comprises at least one reflecting surface which is a rotationally asymmetric surface having no axis of rotational symmetry,

wherein the rotationally asymmetric surface is a plane-symmetry three-dimensional surface having only one plane of symmetry.

15. The image display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the decentered optical system has at least an entrance surface, said reflecting surface and an exit surface which surround a medium having a refractive index larger than 1, and wherein said reflecting surface is a decentered curved surface of a back-coated reflecting mirror.

16. The image display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the reflection-type image display device has a display surface, and wherein the illuminator is arranged such that an incident angle of the illumination light with respect to the display surface of the reflection-type image display device equals approximately to an exit angle of a principal ray in display light which exits from said reflection-type image display device.

17. The image display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the illuminator is arranged at a position which is approximately conjugate with a position of an entrance pupil of the decentered optical system.

18. The image display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the illuminator is arranged at a position in at least one of a first space between the reflection-type image display device and the decentered optical system, and a second space surrounding the first space, the position being outside the optical path so that the display light is not blocked.

19. The image display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the reflection-type image display device has a display surface, and wherein the illuminator is arranged at a position such that the display surface of the reflection-type image display device can be illuminated by a illumination light emitted from the illuminator and transmitted in at least one of the following ways:

(a) through a part of the decentered optical system and (b) in a direction within the decentered optical system, where the display light from the reflection-type image display device will not pass.

20. The image display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a numerical aperture reducing member is arranged between said illuminator and said decentered optical system to prevent a ghost.

21. The image display apparatus according to claim 14 comprising a pair of the image display device for right and left eyes, and a pair of the ocular optical system for right and left eyes.

22. The image display apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a supporting member for supporting the image display apparatus via a head of the observer so that the image display apparatus is positioned in front of a face of the observer.