Image display apparatus and head mount display

• US 7,405,881 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanijiri, Yasushi, Shimizu, Yoshie, Noda, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman; Scott J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINKNEY, DAWAYNE
• Application Number:
  US11/440,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 359630-639, 359/404, 359/407, 359409-410, 345 7- 9, 631/633, 631/640
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0112 comprising device for genereting colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2231 Reflection reconstruction

Abstract

The light directed from a light source to a concave mirror and the light directed from a display device to an eyepiece optical system are intersected by each other in a layout. This allows the light source, the concave mirror, and the display device to be arranged in compactness adjacent to the eyepiece optical system without increasing the optical power of an illumination optical system. As the result, the apparatus can easily be minimized in the thickness or the overall size. A hologram optical element is provided where the relationship between the wavelength range Δλ1 at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range Δλ2 at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source is defined by Δλ1<Δλ2. Accordingly, a component at desired wavelengths of each of the R, G, and B colors of the light emitted from the light source can be diffracted by the action of the hologram optical element and then directed to the pupil of the viewer. This allows the image to be increased in the color reproduction area and improved in the quality regardless of the display device actuated in a time-division mode.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus comprising:

a light source for emitting a light at different wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors;

a display device for displaying an image through modulating the light emitted from the light source at each pixel; and

an eyepiece optical system for directing the image received from the display device to the pupil of a viewer, wherein

each pixel in the display device is driven in a time-division mode in response to each of the three primary colors of the light emitted in a time-division sequence from the light source, and

the eyepiece optical system includes a hologram optical element for diffracting the light at difference wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors emitted from the light source, and

the displacement of the peak position of the intensity in the optical pupil formed by the eyepiece optical system is not greater than 1 mm between any two of the three primary colors; and

when the wavelength range at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source are Δ

λ

1 and Δ

λ

2 respectively, a relation of Δ

λ

1<

Δ

λ

2 is established for each of the three primary color.

2. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a relation of Δ

λ

1<

20 nm is established for each of the three primary colors.

3. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a relation of Δ

λ

1≦

10 nm is established for each of the three primary colors.

4. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the hologram optical element is fabricated by exposing a hologram photo-sensitive material coated on a substrate to light, and

the hologram photo-sensitive material is a single-layer color photo-polymer which is sensitive to all the three primary colors of the light.

5. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a relation of Δ

λ

1>

3 nm is established for each of the three primary colors.

6. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a relation of 1/10<

Δ

λ

1/Δ

λ

2<

1 is established for each of the three primary colors.

7. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the peak wavelength at the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors in the hologram optical element stays in the wavelength range at half of the intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

8. An image display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

when the peak wavelength at the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the peak wavelength at the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source are λ

1 and λ

2 respectively, λ

1 is in a range of λ

2±

20 nm.

9. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display device is a ferroelectric liquid crystal display device.

10. An image display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the ferroelectric liquid crystal device is of a reflective type.

11. An image display apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an optical-path bending member for bending the optical path which extends from the light source to the reflective type display device, wherein

the optical-path bending member is arranged so that the light directed from the light source to the optical-path bending member and the light directed from the reflective type display device to the eyepiece optical system are intersected by each other, and

when the angle of incidence is θ

at which the light received from the light source through the optical-path bending member enters the reflective type display device, a relation of 10°

<

θ

<

60°

is established.

12. An image display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the ferroelectric liquid crystal display device is of a transmissive type.

13. An image display apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the hologram optical element is fabricated by exposing a hologram photo-sensitive material coated on a substrate to light, and

the hologram photo-sensitive material is a three-layer color photo-polymer of which the three layers are sensitive to the three primary colors of the light respectively.

14. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the hologram optical element has a positive optical power at axially asymmetry.

15. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the diffraction efficiency for each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element is determined in response to the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source.

16. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the hologram optical element is a combiner for directing both the light of the image received from the display device and the ambient light at the same time to the pupil of the viewer.

17. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the eyepiece optical system includes a first transparent substrate for fully reflecting the light of the image received from the display device and passing the same across the hologram optical element to the pupil of the viewer while passing the ambient light directly to the pupil of the viewer.

18. An image display apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the eyepiece optical system includes a second transparent substrate for canceling the refraction of the ambient light at the first transparent substrate.

19. A head-mount display comprising:

an image display apparatus; and

a supporting member for supporting the image display apparatus at the front of a viewer, wherein

the image display apparatus includes;

a light source for emitting a light at different wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors;

a display device for displaying an image through modulating the light emitted from the light source at each pixel; and

an eyepiece optical system for directing the image received from the display device to the pupil of a viewer,

each pixel in the display device is driven in a time-division mode in response to each of the three primary colors of the light emitted in a time-division sequence from the light source,

the eyepiece optical system includes a hologram optical element for diffracting the light at difference wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors emitted from the light source, and

wherein the displacement of the peak position of the intensity in the optical pupil formed by the eyepiece optical system is not greater than 1 mm between any two of the three primary colors; and

when the wavelength range at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source are Δ

λ

1 and Δ

λ

2 respectively, a relation of Δ

λ

1<

Δ

λ

2 is established for each of the three primary color.

20. A head-mount display comprising:

an image display apparatus; and

a supporting member for supporting the image display apparatus at the front of a viewer, wherein

the image display apparatus includes;

a light source for emitting a light at different wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors;

a display device for displaying an image through modulating the light emitted from the light source at each pixel; and

an eyepiece optical system for directing the image received from the display device to the pupil of a viewer,

each pixel in the display device is driven in a time-division mode in response to each of the three primary colors of the light emitted in a time-division sequence from the light source,

the eyepiece optical system includes a hologram optical element for diffracting the light at difference wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors emitted from the light source, wherein the eyepiece optical system includes a first transparent substrate for fully reflecting the light of the image received from the display device and passing the same across the hologram optical element to the pupil of the viewer while passing the ambient light directly to the pupil of the viewer, and

when the wavelength range at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source are Δ

λ

1 and Δ

λ

2 respectively, a relation of Δ

λ

1<

Δ

λ

2 is established for each of the three primary color.

21. An image display apparatus comprising:

a light source for emitting a light at different wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors;

a display device for displaying an image through modulating the light emitted from the light source at each pixel; and

an eyepiece optical system for directing the image received from the display device to the pupil of a viewer, wherein

each pixel in the display device is driven in a time-division mode in response to each of the three primary colors of the light emitted in a time-division sequence from the light source, and

the eyepiece optical system includes a hologram optical element for diffracting the light at difference wavelengths corresponding to the three primary colors emitted from the light source, and

the eyepiece optical system includes a first transparent substrate for fully reflecting the light of the image received from the display device and passing the same across the hologram optical element to the pupil of the viewer while passing the ambient light directly to the pupil of the viewer; and

when the wavelength range at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source are Δ

λ

1 and Δ

λ

2 respectively, a relation of Δ

λ

1<

Δ

λ

2 is established for each of the three primary color.

22. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

a relation of Δ

λ

1<

20 nm is established for each of the three primary colors.

23. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

a relation of Δ

λ

1≦

10 nm is established for each of the three primary colors.

24. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the hologram optical element is fabricated by exposing a hologram photo-sensitive material coated on a substrate to light, and

the hologram photo-sensitive material is a single-layer color photo-polymer which is sensitive to all the three primary colors of the light.

25. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

a relation of Δ

λ

1>

3 nm is established for each of the three primary colors.

26. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

a relation of 1/10>

Δ

λ

1/Δ

λ

2>

1 is established for each of the three primary colors.

27. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the peak wavelength at the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors in the hologram optical element stays in the wavelength range at half of the intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

28. An image display apparatus according to claim 27, wherein

when the peak wavelength at the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the peak wavelength at the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source are λ

1 and λ

2 respectively, λ

1 is in a range of λ

2±

20 nm.

29. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the display device is a ferroelectric liquid crystal display device.

30. An image display apparatus according to claim 29, wherein

the ferroelectric liquid crystal device is of a reflective type.

31. An image display apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising:

an optical-path bending member for bending the optical path which extends from the light source to the reflective type display device, wherein

the optical-path bending member is arranged so that the light directed from the light source to the optical-path bending member and the light directed from the reflective type display device to the eyepiece optical system are intersected by each other, and

when the angle of incidence is θ

at which the light received from the light source through the optical-path bending member enters the reflective type display device, a relation of 10°

<

θ

<

60°

is established.

32. An image display apparatus according to claim 29, wherein

the ferroelectric liquid crystal display device is of a transmissive type.

33. An image display apparatus according to claim 32, wherein

the hologram optical element is fabricated by exposing a hologram photo-sensitive material coated on a substrate to light, and

the hologram photo-sensitive material is a three-layer color photo-polymer of which the three layers are sensitive to the three primary colors of the light respectively.

34. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the hologram optical element has a positive optical power at axially asymmetry.

35. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the diffraction efficiency for each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element is determined in response to the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source.

36. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the displacement of the peak position of the intensity in the optical pupil formed by the eyepiece optical system is not greater than 1 mm between any two of the three primary colors.

37. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the hologram optical element is a combiner for directing both the light of the image received from the display device and the ambient light at the same time to the pupil of the viewer.

38. An image display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the eyepiece optical system includes a second transparent substrate for canceling the refraction of the ambient light at the first transparent substrate.