Image display apparatus with mechanism for modifying the appearance of the periphery of a display device

An image display apparatus comprising image display means that displays an image, and a projection optical system that projects said image, wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area, wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball and that includes a surface which has both transmitting and reflecting actions and which is tilted with respect to both said image display device and a visual axis so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display device;

• wherein said ocular optical system has a concave mirror having an action by which said image displayed by said image display means is projected as an enlarged image, said concave mirror having a focal length f satisfying a condition of 15≦f≦60 millimeters and being disposed to face said observer's eyeball such that an optical axis of said concave mirror intersects a line normal to said image display means, said ocular optical system further having a semitransparent mirror disposed between said observer's eyeball and said concave mirror to lead light beams emitted from said image display means to said concave mirror and to lead light beams reflected by said concave mirror into said observer's eyeball, and said concave mirror having a configuration in which a point of intersection between a line normal to a plane tangent to a peripheral area of said concave mirror and the optical axis of said concave mirror is closer to said concave mirror than a point of intersection between a line normal to a plane tangent to a principal area of said concave mirror and the optical axis of said concave mirror, so that a refracting power for light rays in said peripheral area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for light rays in said principal display area.

An image display apparatus comprising image display means that displays an image, and a projection optical system that projects said image, wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area, wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball and that includes a surface which has both transmitting and reflecting actions and which is tilted with respect to both said image display device and a visual axis so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display device;

• wherein said ocular optical system has a concave mirror disposed to face said image display means and having a focal length f satisfying a condition of 15≦f≦60 millimeters so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display means, said ocular optical system further having a cemented prism with a semitransparent portion disposed between said concave mirror and said image display means to light beams reflected by said concave mirror into said observer's eyeball, said concave mirror having a configuration in which a point of intersection between a line normal to a plane tangent to a peripheral area of said concave mirror and an optical axis of said concave mirror is closer to said concave mirror than a point of intersection between a line normal to a plane tangent to a principal area of said concave mirror and the optical axis of said concave mirror, so that a refracting power for light rays in said peripheral area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for light rays in said principal display area.

An image display apparatus comprising image display means that displays an image, and a projection optical system that projects said image, wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area, wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball and that includes a surface which has both transmitting and reflecting actions and which is tilted with respect to both said image display device and a visual axis so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display device;

• wherein said ocular optical system has a concave mirror having a focal length f satisfying a condition of 15≦f≦60 millimeters and disposed such that an optical axis of said concave mirror intersects a line normal to said image display means so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display means, said ocular optical system further having a cemented prism with a semitransparent portion disposed between said concave mirror and said image display means to lead light beams reflected by said concave mirror into said observer's eyeball, and said concave mirror having a configuration in which a point of intersection between a line normal to a plane tangent to a peripheral area of said concave mirror and the optical axis of said concave mirror is closer to said concave mirror than a point of intersection between a line normal to a plane tangent to a principal area of said concave mirror and the optical axis of said concave mirror, so that a refracting power for light rays in said peripheral area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for light rays in said principal display area.

An image display apparatus comprising:

• image display device that displays an image,
• a projection optical system that projects said image,
• wherein said projection optical system comprises at least a prism, said prism having at least an entrance surface through which light from said image display enters said prism, a reflecting surface that reflects the light in said prism, and an exit surface through which the light exits from said prism, wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area;
• and
• a periphery bending optical device placed near said prism, said periphery bending optical device being arranged to distribute part of light beams from a periphery of said image display device to inner and outer portions of an image display area in an image field, wherein said periphery bending optical device is placed closer to said projection optical system than said image display device,
• wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball,
• wherein said periphery bending optical device is disposed in an optical path extending between said observer's eyeball and an optical device having a principal refracting power, said periphery bending optical device being arranged such that a light beam-refracting power for the peripheral area of said image display area is larger in a positive direction than a light beam-refracting power for said principal display area, and
• wherein said ocular optical system has a concave mirror disposed to face said image display device and having a focal length f satisfying a condition of 15≦f≦60 millimeters so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display device, said ocular optical system further having a semitransparent mirror disposed between said concave mirror and said image display device so as to lead light beams reflected by said concave mirror into said observer's eyeball, and said ocular optical system further having a periphery bending optical device disposed in an optical path extending between said semitransparent mirror and said observer's eyeball, said periphery bending optical device being arranged such that a refracting power for a peripheral area of said image display device is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for the principal display area.

An image display apparatus comprising image display device that displays an image;

• a projection optical system that projects said image,
• wherein said projection optical system comprises at least a prism, said prism having at least an entrance surface through which light from said image display device enters said prism, a reflecting surface that reflects the light in said prism, and an exit surface through which the light exits from said prism, wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area;
• and
• a periphery bending optical device placed near said prism, said periphery bending optical device being arranged to distribute part of light beams from a periphery of said image display device to inner and outer portions of an image display area in an image field, wherein said periphery bending optical device is placed closer to said projection optical system than said image display device,
• wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball,
• wherein said ocular optical system has an aspherical surface provided on a principal refracting surface thereof, said aspherical surface having a positive refracting power that weakens at a periphery thereof, said ocular optical system further comprising a periphery bending optical device having a large refracting power in a positive direction to lead light beams subjected to an action at the periphery of said aspherical surface to a pupil of said observer's eyeball, and
• wherein said ocular optical system has an optical system including a surface which has both transmitting and reflecting actions and which is tilted with respect to both said image display device and a visual axis so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by the image display device.

An image display apparatus comprising:

• image display device that displays an image;
• and
• a projection optical system that projects said image;
• wherein said projection optical system comprises at least a prism, said prism having at least an entrance surface through which light from said image display enters said prism, a reflecting surface that reflects the light in said prism, and an exit surface through which the light exits from said prism, wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area;
• and
• a periphery bending optical device placed near said prism, said periphery bending optical device being arranged to distribute part of light beams from a periphery of said image display device to inner and outer portions of an image display area in an image field, wherein said periphery bending optical device is placed closer to said projection optical system than said image display device,
• wherein said edge portion is formed on an optical surface of said projection optical system that is closest to said image display device,
• wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball,
• wherein said ocular optical system is an optical system including a surface which has both transmitting and reflecting actions and which is tilted with respect to both said image display device and a visual axis so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display device.

An image display apparatus, comprising image display device that displays an image;

• a projection optical system that projects said image,
• wherein said projection optical system comprises at least a prism, said prism having at least an entrance surface through which light from said image display device enters said prism, a reflecting surface that reflects the light in said prism, and an exit surface through which the light exits from said prism, wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area;
• and
• a periphery bending optical device placed near said prism, said periphery bending optical device being arranged to distribute part of light beams from a periphery of said image display device to inner and outer portions of an image display area in an image field, wherein said periphery bending optical device is placed closer to said projection optical system than said image display device,
• wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball,
• wherein said periphery bending optical device is disposed in an optical path extending between said observer's eyeball and an optical device having a principal refracting power, said periphery bending optical device being arranged such that a light beam-refracting power for the peripheral area of said image display area is larger in a positive direction than a light beam-refracting power for said principal display area, and
• wherein said ocular optical system is an optical system including a surface which has both transmitting and reflecting actions and which is tilted with respect to both said image display device and a visual axis so as to project an enlarged image of said image displayed by said image display device.

An image display apparatus comprising

• image display device that displays an image;
• and
• a projection optical system that projects said image,
• wherein said projection optical system has an edge portion having a refracting or reflecting action, said edge portion being arranged such that a refracting power for a periphery of any image display area is larger in a positive direction than a refracting power for a principal display area, wherein said projection optical system is an ocular optical system that projects said image onto a retina in an observer's eyeball,
• wherein said ocular optical system includes a prism having at least three optical surfaces surrounding a medium that has a refractive index larger than 1, and wherein said prism has a third surface which is closest to said observer's eyeball and transmits light beams from said image display means toward said observer's eyeball;
• a second surface which is a reflecting surface titled with respect to a visual axis of said observer's eyeball to reflect light beams from said image display means toward said third surface;
• and a first surface which is a transmitting surface for leading light beams from said image display means into said prism
• wherein said first surface of said prism in said ocular optical system serves also as a periphery bending optical system in which a light beam-refracting power for a periphery of said image is larger in a positive direction than a light beam-refracting power for the principal display area.