Head-mounted image display apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An image display apparatus including:
- an image display device having a screen for displaying an image,a semitransparent reflecting surface disposed at an angle of inclination to an optical axis which is determined by a bundle of rays emitted from said display screen, said optical axis is being defined as an image axis, anda magnifying reflecting mirror disposed so that an optical axis reflected by said semitransparent reflecting surface goes to and returns from said magnifying reflecting mirror to form a turn-back optical path,wherein the improvement is characterized in that;
said semitransparent reflecting surface is a surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions composed of transmitting and reflecting regions which are locally distinguished from each other;
a straight line that connects an eye point and a position where the optical axis reflected by said magnifying reflecting mirror is transmitted by said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions is defined as a visual axis; and
said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions is disposed at a tilt to said image axis to change the angle of inclination of said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions to said image axis so that an angle (φ
) made by intersection of said image axis extending from said image display device and said visual axis is extending from said eye point is larger than 90°
(φ
>
90°
), a space between said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions and said magnifying reflecting mirror being formed from a prism which is filled with a medium having a refractive index (n) larger than 1 (n>
1).
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Abstract
An image display apparatus designed so that the field angle for observation can be widened without causing the substrate of an image display device to interfere with the observer'"'"'s head and without increasing the overall size of the apparatus. The apparatus includes a two-dimensional image display device (6), an optical path splitting device (4), and a concave ocular mirror (5). The image display device (6) is used as an object point of the concave ocular mirror (5), and the object point is projected in the air as an enlarged image for an observer (1) without effecting image formation in the optical path. In the image display apparatus, either or both the optical path splitting device (4) and the concave ocular mirror (5) are decentered so that the display center (7) of the two-dimensional image display device (6) can be shifted away from the observer'"'"'s head with respect to a reference axis (8) which perpendicularly intersects the observer'"'"'s visual axis (3) lying when he or she sees forward.
42 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An image display apparatus including:
-
an image display device having a screen for displaying an image, a semitransparent reflecting surface disposed at an angle of inclination to an optical axis which is determined by a bundle of rays emitted from said display screen, said optical axis is being defined as an image axis, and a magnifying reflecting mirror disposed so that an optical axis reflected by said semitransparent reflecting surface goes to and returns from said magnifying reflecting mirror to form a turn-back optical path, wherein the improvement is characterized in that; said semitransparent reflecting surface is a surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions composed of transmitting and reflecting regions which are locally distinguished from each other; a straight line that connects an eye point and a position where the optical axis reflected by said magnifying reflecting mirror is transmitted by said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions is defined as a visual axis; and said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions is disposed at a tilt to said image axis to change the angle of inclination of said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions to said image axis so that an angle (φ
) made by intersection of said image axis extending from said image display device and said visual axis is extending from said eye point is larger than 90°
(φ
>
90°
), a space between said surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions and said magnifying reflecting mirror being formed from a prism which is filled with a medium having a refractive index (n) larger than 1 (n>
1). - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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2. An image display apparatus including:
-
an image display device having a screen for displaying an image, a semitransparent reflecting surface which is a surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions disposed at an angle of inclination to an optical axis which is determined by a bundle of rays emitted from said display screen, said optical axis being defined as an image axis, and a magnifying reflecting mirror disposed so that an optical axis reflected by said semitransparent reflecting surface goes to and returns from said magnifying reflecting mirror to form a turn-back optical path wherein the improvement is characterized in that; said magnifying reflecting mirror is a partially transmitting-reflecting surface composed of transmitting and reflecting regions which are locally distinguished from each other; a straight line that connects an eye point and a position where the optical axis reflected by said partially transmitting-reflecting surface is transmitted by said semitransparent reflecting surface is defined as a visual axis; and said partially transmitting-reflecting surface is disposed at a tilt to said image axis so that an angle (φ
) made by intersection of said image axis extending from said image display device and said visual axis extending from said eye point is larger than 90°
(φ
>
90°
), a space between said semitransparent reflecting surface and said magnifying reflecting mirror being formed from a prism which is filled with a medium having a refractive index (n) larger than 1 (n>
1).
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3. A face-mounted image display apparatus including
a face-mounted unit having an image display device with a screen for displaying an image, a semitransparent reflecting surface which is a surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions disposed at an angle of inclination to an optical axis which is determined by a bundle of rays emitted from said display screen, said optical axis is being defined as an image axis, and a magnifying reflecting mirror disposed so that an optical axis leaving said semitransparent reflecting surface goes to and returns from said magnifying reflecting mirror to form a turn-back optical path, and a support member for retaining said face-mounted unit on an observer'"'"'s head, wherein the improvement is characterized in that: -
a straight line that connects an eye point and a position where the optical axis reflected by said magnifying reflecting mirror is tangent to said semitransparent reflecting surface is defined as a visual axis; and at least one of said semitransparent reflecting surface and said magnifying reflecting mirror is decentered so that an angle (φ
) made by intersection of said image axis extending from said image display device and said visual axis extending from said eye point is larger than 90°
(φ
>
90), a space between said semitransparent reflecting surface and said magnifying reflecting mirror being formed from a prism which is filled with a medium having a refractive index (n) larger than 1 (n>
1).
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10. A head-mounted image display apparatus having an image display device, a semitransparent reflecting mirror, which is a surface having both reflecting and transmitting functions and a magnifying reflecting mirror, in which said image display device is used as an object point of said magnifying reflecting mirror, and the object point is projected in the air as an enlarged image for an observer without effecting image formation in an optical path,
wherein the improvement is characterized in that: at least one of said semitransparent reflecting mirror and said magnifying reflecting mirror are decentered so that a display center of said image display device is selectively shiftable away from the observer'"'"'s head with respect to a reference axis which perpendicularly intersects an observer'"'"'s visual axis laying when he or she sees forward, a space between said semitransparent reflecting surface and said magnifying reflecting mirror being formed from a prism which is filled with a medium having a refractive index (n) larger than 1 (n>
1).
Specification
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Current AssigneeTexas Instruments, Inc.
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Original AssigneeOlympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
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InventorsTogino, Takayoshi, Yasugaki, Masato
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Primary Examiner(s)Epps, Georgia Y.
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Assistant Examiner(s)MACK, RICKY LEVERN
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Application NumberUS08/633,499Time in Patent Office636 DaysField of Search359/630, 359/631, 359/633, 345/7, 345/8US Class Current359/630CPC Class CodesG02B 2027/011 comprising device for corre...G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass deta...G02B 27/017 Head mountedG02B 27/0172 characterised by optical fe...
