Display apparatus

• US 10,302,946 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Aiki, Kazuma
• Primary Examiner(s): Martinez, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Vipin
• Application Number:
  US14/901,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/00 Systems with reflecting surfaces, with or without refracting elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0152 involving arrangement aiming to get lighter or better balanced devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings

Abstract

A display apparatus includes: a frame 10 to be mounted on the head of a viewer; and an image display device 100 attached to the frame 10. The image display device 100 includes: an image forming device 111; and an optical device 120 that guides an image from the image forming device 111 to an eye of the viewer. The optical device 120 includes: a first deflecting unit 130 that deflects the image from the image forming device 111; and a second deflecting unit 140 that deflects the image deflected by the first deflecting unit 130, toward the eye 21 of the viewer. A light reflecting member 151 is further provided to face the image forming device 111, with the optical device 120 being interposed between the image forming device 111 and the light reflecting member 151. Light emitted from the image forming device 111 passes through the optical device 120, is reflected by the light reflecting member 151, reenters the optical device 120, and is deflected by the first deflecting unit 130.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

an image forming device; and

an optical device configured to guide an image from the image forming device to an eye of a viewer via a light reflecting member,

wherein the optical device includes;

a first deflecting unit configured to deflect the image from the image forming device; and

a second deflecting unit configured to deflect the image deflected by the first deflecting unit, toward the eye of the viewer,

wherein the light reflecting member is formed with an optical member including a first surface into and from which light from the image forming device is guided and emitted, and a second surface located on the opposite side from the first surface, a light reflecting layer being formed on the second surface,

wherein the first surface and the second surface are formed with adjustable surfaces and

wherein the adjustable surfaces are asymmetrical in an x-z plane and are symmetrical in a y-z plane, wherein an axis of the light reflecting member that extends through a light reflecting member incidence center point and is parallel to an axis of the optical device from the first deflecting unit to the second deflecting unit is an x-axis and a normal line of the light reflecting member that extends through the light reflecting member incidence center point is a z-axis, and

wherein interference fringes are formed in at least one of the first deflecting unit and the second deflecting unit.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical device includes:

(B-1) a light guide panel configured to cause incident light to propagate therein by total reflection, and emit the light;

(B-2) the first deflecting unit; and

(B-3) the second deflecting unit configured to deflect, more than once, the light having propagated inside the light guide panel by total reflection, and cause the light to exit the light guide panel,

the light reflecting member is placed to face the image forming device, with the light guide panel being interposed between the light reflecting member and the image forming device, and

light emitted from the image forming device passes through the light guide panel, is reflected by the light reflecting member, reenters the light guide panel, and is deflected by the first deflecting unit so as to be totally reflected inside the light guide panel.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light reflecting member is placed on the viewer side of the light guide panel.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming device is placed on the viewer side of the light guide panel.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming device is nonparallel to the light guide panel.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light reflecting member is nonparallel to the light guide panel.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the end portion of the light guide panel on the side of the first deflecting unit is subjected to quenching.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming device is formed with one of an organic electroluminescence display device and a light-emitting display device.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light reflecting member is configured to face the image forming device, with the optical device being interposed between the image forming device and the light reflecting member.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein light emitted from the image forming device passes through the optical device, is reflected by the light reflecting member, reenters the optical device, is deflected by the first deflecting unit to the second deflecting unit and is deflected by the second deflecting unit toward the eye of the viewer.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interference fringes have a tilt angle.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interference fringes satisfy a Bragg'"'"'s condition.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the Bragg'"'"'s condition satisfies an equation shown below:

m·

λ

=2·

d·

sin(θ

)

where m represents a positive integer, λ

represents a wavelength, d represents a pitch in a grating plane (the intervals in a virtual plane including the interference fringes in the normal direction), and θ

represents an angle complementary with an incident angle with respect to the interference fringes.