Virtual image display device and optical unit

A virtual image display device comprising:

• a display that emits circularly polarized image light;
• and
• an optical member that folds back the image light twice by reflection to form a virtual image,
• wherein the optical member includes
• a lens member,
• a transmissive reflective optical element that is provided facing a first optical surface of the lens member that is close to the display,
• a reflective polarizing optical element that is provided facing a second optical surface of the lens member that is far from the display and reflects image light, that is linearly polarized light in a first polarization direction, and
• a wave plate that is provided between the transmissive reflective optical element and the reflective polarizing optical element, converts the image light having passed through the transmissive reflective optical element into linearly polarized light in the first polarization direction, and converts the image light, that is reflected by the transmissive reflective optical element to reciprocate, into linearly polarized light in a second polarization direction,
• wherein the wave plate comprises a first wave plate provided between the first optical surface and the transmissive reflective optical element, and a second wave plate provided between the second optical surface and the reflective polarizing optical element,
• wherein the first wave plate and the second wave plate are each formed in a layer shape on a curved optical surface of the lens member.

An optical unit comprising:

• a display that emits circularly polarized image light;
• and
• an optical member that folds back the image light twice by reflection to form a virtual image,
• wherein the optical member includes
• a lens member,
• a transmissive reflective optical element that is provided facing a first optical surface of the lens member that is close to the display,
• a reflective polarizing optical element that is provided facing a second optical surface of the lens member that is far from the display and reflects image light, that is linearly polarized light in a first polarization direction, and
• a wave plate that is provided between the transmissive reflective optical element and the reflective polarizing optical element, is formed of a liquid crystal material, converts the image light having passed through the transmissive reflective optical element into linearly polarized light in the first polarization direction, and converts the image light, that is reflected by the transmissive reflective optical element to reciprocate, into linearly polarized light in a second polarization direction,
• wherein the wave plate comprises a first wave plate provided between the first optical surface and the transmissive reflective optical element, and a second wave plate provided between the second optical surface and the reflective polarizing optical element.