Display illumination optics

An image generation apparatus for emitting image-bearing light, the image generation apparatus comprising:

• an image display device;
• and display illumination optics for illuminating the image display device, the display illumination optics comprising:
• an illumination waveguide having a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface in order to internally direct light along a main direction between the front surface and the back surface, wherein the illumination waveguide comprises a plurality of partially reflective surfaces extending between the front and the back surface in order to distribute the luminance of input illumination light launched into the illumination waveguide and propagating therein as waveguide-propagating illumination light along the main direction of the display illumination optics to obtain at the back surface, along the main direction, output illumination light of uniform or substantially uniform luminance distribution for uniformly or substantially uniformly illuminating the image display device in order to modulate the output illumination light to generate image-bearing light;
• wherein the light that is entering the waveguide is sequentially split by the plurality of partially reflective surfaces for directing first split light portions along the main direction and second split light portions towards the image display device;
• and in the image generation apparatus part of the image-bearing light reflected from the image display device is directed towards the back surface to reversely propagate through the partially reflective surfaces, which are inclined relative to the back surface and the front surface, to emanate from the front surface.

A method for illuminating an image display device of an image generation apparatus, the method comprising:

• emitting input illuminating light by a light source;
• introducing the input illuminating light into a source illumination distributor that includes an illumination waveguide having a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface and which internally directs light along a main direction;
• deflecting, with a plurality of partially reflective surfaces extending between the front and the back surface, portions of waveguide-propagating illuminating light towards the image display device as uniform or substantially uniform output illumination light such that the image display device is lit with uniform or substantially uniform illuminance by the output illumination light to responsively generate image-bearing light that is reflected from the image display device towards the back surface, wherein the light that is entering the waveguide is sequentially split by the plurality of partially reflective surfaces for directing first split light portions along the main direction and second split light portions towards the image display device;
• and wherein part of the reflected image-bearing light further propagates through the partially reflective surfaces, which are inclined relative to the back surface and the front surface, to emanate from the front surface of the illumination waveguide.