Virtual image display device including first and second light guiding units and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520733-B2
Application number	US-201715710008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A virtual image display device includes a display light guiding unit, and an image forming unit that emits image light to the display light guiding unit, the display light guiding unit includes a first light guiding unit that guides image light corresponding to a first angle of view, and a second light guiding unit that guides image light corresponding to a second angle of view, among angles of view of image light emitted from the image forming unit, and the first light guiding unit and the second light guiding unit respectively include incident side diffraction elements that take the image light beams into the inside, and emission side diffraction elements that emit the image light beams to the outside.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A virtual image display device comprising:
a display light guiding unit; and
an image forming unit that emits image light to the display light guiding unit,
wherein the display light guiding unit includes a first light guiding unit that guides image light corresponding to a first angle of view, and a second light guiding unit that guides image light corresponding to a second angle of view, among angles of view of image light emitted from the image forming unit,
wherein the first light guiding unit and the second light guiding unit each include an incident side diffraction element that takes the image light inside, and an emission side diffraction element that emits the image light outside,
wherein the incident side diffraction elements of the first and second light guiding units are offset from one another in a direction in which light can propagate in the first and second light guiding units,
wherein a pair of the incident side diffraction elements of the first and second light guiding units, or a pair of the emission side diffraction elements of the first and second light guiding units have a common area for diffracting common image light, and
wherein an addition value of diffraction efficiencies of the pair of diffraction elements in the common area is adjusted so as to be approximately equal to a diffraction efficiency of a single one of the pair of diffraction elements in a non-common area.

2. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the display light guiding unit is formed of a single light guiding member, and
wherein in the single light guiding member, transmission type diffraction elements are provided as the incident side diffraction element and the emission side diffraction element of the first light guiding unit on an observer side, and reflection type diffraction elements are provided as the incident side diffraction element and the emission side diffraction element of the second light guiding unit on the outside.

3. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the display light guiding unit includes a first light guiding member provided with the first light guiding unit, and a second light guiding member provided with the second light guiding unit.

4. The virtual image display device according to claim 3 ,
wherein at least one of an air layer and a low refractive index layer is provided on surfaces of the first light guiding member and the second light guiding member.

5. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein in order to collectively input image light to both the first and second light guiding units, a single image forming unit as the image forming unit, and a single projection optical system corresponding to the single image forming unit are provided.

6. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein in order to individually input image light to each of the first and second light guiding units, a pair of image forming units as the image forming unit, and a pair of projection optical systems corresponding to the pair of image forming units are provided.

7. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein in order to input image light to each of the first and second light guiding units, a pair of image forming units as the image forming unit, and a single projection optical system corresponding to the pair of image forming units are provided.

8. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first and second angles of view are respectively set between 20° and 45°.

9. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first and second light guiding units separate the angle of view of image light of at least one of three colors of red, green, and blue into the first angle of view and the second angle of view, and guide the image light.

10. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the incident side diffraction element and the emission side diffraction element of each of the first and second light guiding units are holograms.

11. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the incident side diffraction element and the emission side diffraction element of each of the first and second light guiding units are diffraction gratings.

12. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein in order to individually input image light to each of the first and second light guiding units, a pair of image forming units as the image forming unit, and a pair of projection optical systems corresponding to the pair of image forming units are provided, and
wherein in the image forming unit, luminance of the image light of the common area is adjusted.

13. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein two diffraction elements in the common area have a substantially same angle of incidence.

14. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a light guiding unit for a left eye and a light guiding unit for a right eye which guide the image light to the left and right eyes of an observer are provided as the display light guiding unit, and
wherein diffraction efficiency is adjusted by the light guiding unit for the left eye and the light guiding unit for the right eye such that the diffraction efficiency in a case where the image light is observed by the observer becomes substantially uniform.

15. The virtual image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the incident side diffraction element and the emission side diffraction element of each light guiding unit are located on a same surface of the light guiding unit.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Takeda Takashi
• Komatsu Akira
• Takagi Masayuki
• Miyao Toshiaki

Classifications

• G02B27/0081

  with means for altering, e.g. enlarging, the entrance or exit pupil · CPC title

• G02B2027/0123

  comprising devices increasing the field of view · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B6/34

  utilising prism or grating {(G02B6/293 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G02B2027/0125

  Field-of-view increase by wavefront division · CPC title