JP2006145998A - Virtual image display type information display system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a virtual image display type information display system with which a high-quality enlarged display image reduced in the influence of image deterioration due to image blurring or distortion and further reduced in the deviation of diopter in the display image can be obtained while the size of a reflecting surface of a transreflective optical element is maintained. <P>SOLUTION: The system is provided with an image display element 6 displaying image information and the transreflective optical element 7 reflecting the light emitted by the image display element 6 as a display device 4. The reflecting surface 7a of the transreflective optical element 7 is formed as a long reflecting surface shape having a longitudinal direction and a short side direction and the short side direction of the reflecting surface 7a is made approximately parallel to the virtual plane inclusive of an observation optical axis OA of the display device 4. The image display element 6 and the transreflective optical element 7 are so arranged that the angle α formed by a first virtual line L1 and a second virtual line L2 attains 45°<α<90° and the angle β formed by the first virtual line L1 and a third virtual line L3 attains 0°<β<45°. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a virtual image display type information display system.

The virtual image display type information display system uses a display device including an image display unit and a transflective optical element that reflects light emitted from the image display unit to display image information farther than the transflective optical element from the viewpoint of the user. A virtual image is displayed.
As such a virtual image display type information display system, for example, a portable information device with a display device described in Patent Document 1 described later is known.
This portable information device with a display device includes a display element and a hologram element that magnifies and projects a display image thereof. Further, this portable information device with a display device can observe a transmission image of a distant object superimposed on an enlarged display image on a display element.
JP 2001-308997 A (column 1, line 43 to line 50, column 2, line 41 to column 3, line 11, FIG. 1, etc.)

  However, in this case, the display image enlarged and displayed as a virtual image is blurred and distorted, and a high-quality enlarged display image cannot be obtained while maintaining the size of the reflective surface of the transflective optical element. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and maintains the size of the reflecting surface of the transflective optical element, is less affected by image blurring or distortion, and is further less visible in a display image. An object of the present invention is to provide a virtual image display type information display system capable of obtaining a high-quality enlarged display image with little deviation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The present invention provides a display device comprising: an image display unit; and a transflective optical element that has a reflection surface that reflects light from the image display unit and transmits light from a real field of view in a user's line of sight. A virtual image display type information display system for displaying a virtual image of image information displayed on the image display unit farther than the transflective optical element as seen from the user, wherein at least the reflection surface has a longitudinal direction and a short side. And the transverse direction of the reflective surface is substantially parallel to a virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the image display unit and the transflective type Provided is a virtual image display type information display system characterized in that the optical element can be arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2).
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)
Where α is a first virtual line connecting both ends of the reflecting surface of the effective optical path defined by the principal ray within the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the effective virtual line on the first virtual line. An angle formed by one end of the optical path on the image display unit side and a second virtual line connecting one end of the image display unit on the transflective optical element side, β is the first virtual line, In an imaginary plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, at an angle formed by one end on the transflective optical element side of the image display unit and a third imaginary line connecting the other end facing the one end. is there.

In the virtual image display type information display system configured as described above, the transflective optical element is configured to transmit light from the real field of view in the user's line-of-sight direction. You can see the scenery of the real field of view through.
On the other hand, the image display unit and the transflective optical element are arranged so as to reflect the light emitted from the image display unit toward the retina of the user by the reflecting surface of the transflective optical element. The image information to be displayed is enlarged and displayed as a virtual image farther in the viewing direction than the transflective optical element as viewed from the user. That is, in this virtual image display type information display system, the virtual image displayed by the display device is superimposed on the real field of view of the user.

Here, if the angle of view in a direction substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the observation optical axis is large, an optical power difference occurs in each part of the transflective optical element in the direction along the plane including the observation optical axis. The reflected light beam has asymmetric aberration in a direction along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis, and as a result, image blur and distortion may occur in the virtual image displayed by the display device (for example, When the display surface of the image display unit is a quadrangle, the virtual image is displayed in a substantially trapezoidal shape).
Further, if the deviation of the normal direction of the image display unit with respect to the direction of the observation optical axis is large, the display surface of the virtual image may be tilted from the plane orthogonal to the observation optical axis, resulting in a deviation of the diopter in the display image. is there.
Here, the observation optical axis of the display device is a light beam that is emitted from the center of the image display unit and reflected from the center of the transflective optical element to reach the center of the observation position (user's retina). It points to the trajectory.

In the virtual image display type information display system according to the present invention, at least the reflecting surface has an elongated reflecting surface shape having a longitudinal direction and a short direction, and when the display device is used, the reflecting surface has a short direction. Is substantially parallel to a virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the image display unit and the transflective optical element are arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2).
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)

  However, α is an image display of the effective light path on the first virtual line and the first virtual line connecting both ends of the reflection surface of the effective light path defined by the principal ray in the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device. Is an angle formed by one end on the part side and a second imaginary line connecting one end on the transflective optical element side in the image display unit, and β includes the first imaginary line and the observation optical axis of the display device. In the virtual plane, the angle is formed by one end of the image display unit on the transflective optical element side and a third virtual line connecting the other end opposite to the one end.

  As a result, while maintaining the size of the reflecting surface of the transflective optical element, the angle of view in a direction substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the observation optical axis is reduced, and each part in the direction along the virtual plane is reduced. The optical power difference can be reduced, and further, the deviation of the normal direction of the image display unit with respect to the direction of the observation optical axis can be reduced, thereby suppressing the occurrence of image blur, distortion, and diopter deviation in the display image. And a high-quality enlarged display image can be obtained.

In addition, the present invention provides a display device including an image display unit, and a transflective optical element that has a reflection surface that reflects light from the image display unit and transmits light from the real field of view of the user's line of sight The virtual image display type information display system for displaying a virtual image of the image information displayed on the image display unit farther than the transflective optical element as viewed from the user, wherein at least the reflection surface is in the longitudinal direction. And an elongated reflecting surface shape having a short direction, and the longitudinal direction of the reflecting surface is substantially perpendicular to a virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the image display unit and the semi-transmissive Provided is a virtual image display type information display system characterized in that it can be arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2).
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)
Where α is a first virtual line connecting both ends of the reflecting surface of the effective optical path defined by the principal ray within the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the effective virtual line on the first virtual line. An angle formed by one end of the optical path on the image display unit side and a second virtual line connecting one end of the image display unit on the transflective optical element side, β is the first virtual line, In an imaginary plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, at an angle formed by one end on the transflective optical element side of the image display unit and a third imaginary line connecting the other end facing the one end. is there.

In the virtual image display type information display system according to the present invention, at least the reflection surface has an elongated reflection surface shape having a longitudinal direction and a short direction, and when the display device is used, the longitudinal direction of the reflection surface is The image display unit and the transflective optical element are arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2), which are substantially perpendicular to the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device.
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)

  However, α is an image display of the effective light path on the first virtual line and the first virtual line connecting both ends of the reflection surface of the effective light path defined by the principal ray in the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device. Is an angle formed by one end on the part side and a second imaginary line connecting one end on the transflective optical element side in the image display unit, and β includes the first imaginary line and the observation optical axis of the display device. In the virtual plane, the angle is formed by one end of the image display unit on the transflective optical element side and a third virtual line connecting the other end opposite to the one end.

  As a result, while maintaining the size of the reflecting surface of the transflective optical element, the angle of view in a direction substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the observation optical axis is reduced, and each part in the direction along the virtual plane is reduced. The optical power difference can be reduced, and further, the deviation of the normal direction of the image display unit with respect to the direction of the observation optical axis can be reduced, thereby suppressing the occurrence of image blur, distortion, and diopter deviation in the display image. And a high-quality enlarged display image can be obtained.

  In the virtual image display type information display system configured as described above, the cross-sectional shape including the virtual plane of the reflection surface may have a curvature that gradually increases as the distance from the image display unit side increases.

In the virtual image display type information display system configured as described above, the difference in distance to the display surface of the image display unit between the units along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the transflective optical element is eliminated or As a result, the aberration generated in the light beam reflected by the reflecting surface is reduced.
Here, the magnitude of the curvature in each part of the reflecting surface is proportional to the size of the reflecting surface in the direction along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis. For this reason, when the dimension of the reflecting surface in the direction along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis becomes long, it becomes difficult to maintain the shape accuracy of the reflecting surface, and it becomes difficult to eliminate or reduce the aberration.

In this virtual image display type information display system, as described above, the size of the reflecting surface in the direction along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis is reduced while maintaining the size of the reflecting surface of the transflective optical element. The curvature change of the reflecting surface can be made gentle while maintaining the size of the display area of the display device.
Thereby, it becomes easy to maintain the shape accuracy of the reflecting surface, and the aberration can be effectively eliminated or reduced.

  Further, in this virtual image display type information display system, the transflective optical element is folded in a state where the transflective optical element is opened with respect to the surface of the housing in a housing held by the user and along the surface. The connected state may be selectably connected.

In this virtual image display type information display system, when a display device is used, the transflective optical element is opened with respect to the surface of the casing (by making it non-parallel to the surface of the casing), thereby being transflective Image information displayed on the display device can be satisfactorily viewed with the reflective surface of the optical element facing the user.
On the other hand, when the display device is not used, folding the transflective optical element along the surface of the housing reduces the external dimensions of the virtual image display type information display system and improves handling and storage. be able to.

  Furthermore, in this virtual image display type information display system, as described above, the reflective surface has a short dimension in the direction in which the curvature is given in order to eliminate the aberration, so that the transflective optical element is substantially flat. For this reason, when the transflective optical element is folded along the surface of the casing, the external dimensions of the virtual image display type information display system become smaller.

  In the virtual image display type information display system according to the present invention, while maintaining the size of the reflective surface of the transflective optical element, the field angle in a direction substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the observation optical axis is reduced, and this virtual The optical power difference in each part in the direction along the plane can be reduced, and further, the deviation of the normal direction of the image display unit relative to the direction of the observation optical axis can be reduced, so image blur, distortion and diopter in the display image Can be suppressed, and a high-quality enlarged display image can be obtained.

[First embodiment]
A virtual image display type information display system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a portable information terminal that superimposes image information on a user's actual field of view is shown.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the virtual image display type information display system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 2 in which components (for example, an electronic circuit) of the virtual image display type information display system 1 are built, And a display device 4 that superimposes the image information on the user's actual field of view.

  The housing 2 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and an opening 2a penetrating the housing 2 in the thickness direction is provided on one end side thereof. Hereinafter, of the peripheral surfaces of the housing 2, the peripheral surface on which one opening end of the opening 2 a is formed is referred to as a front surface 2 b, the other is referred to as a back surface 2 c (see FIG. 2), and the remaining peripheral surfaces (substantially in the thickness direction). Parallel side surfaces) are defined as side surfaces 2d and 2e.

The other end side of the housing 2 constitutes a handle of the virtual image display type information display system 1. In this virtual image display type information display system 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the user holds the other end side with one hand so that the side surface 2d side of the housing 2 is positioned forward in the line-of-sight direction. used. Here, the virtual image display type information display system 1 can be positioned with respect to its own head by bringing the side surface 2e side of the front surface 2b into contact with its own temporal head and the like, thereby realizing stable holding. it can.
Further, an operation unit (not shown) for operating the virtual image display type information display system 1 is provided on the other end side of the housing 2, and the user holds the virtual image display type information display system 1. The virtual image display type information display system 1 can be operated with a hand.

The display device 4 is provided on one end side of the housing 2 and includes an image display unit 6 provided on the back surface 2c side of the housing 2 and a front surface 2b side of the housing 2 through the opening 2a. It has a semi-transmissive optical element 7 that reflects light incident from the image display unit 6 toward the other end side and transmits light from a real field of view in the user's line of sight.
The display device 4 is semi-transparent in the line-of-sight direction (the direction in which the side surface 2d of the housing 2 is directed) as viewed from the user having the side surface 2e side of the front surface 2b of the housing 2 in contact with the temporal region. A virtual image of image information is displayed farther than the mold optical element 7.

  Here, the data of the image information displayed by the image display unit 6 is stored in a storage device (not shown). Image information displayed by the image display unit 6 is appropriately selected by the user or automatically selected based on preset conditions.

  The image display unit 6 is configured by a so-called thin display such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL display panel, and is attached to the housing 2 via a hinge 11. In the present embodiment, the image display unit 6 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and one side thereof is a substantially rectangular display surface 6a on which image information is displayed. Further, the display surface 6a is oriented in a direction in which the long side is substantially orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2 (in other words, the display surface 6a is oriented in a direction in which the short side is substantially parallel to the paper surface in FIG. )

As shown in FIG. 2, the image display unit 6 has one long side connected to the edge on the side surface 2 e side of the opening 2 a of the housing 2 via a hinge 11. , And can swing around a swing axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 2.
In the virtual image display type information display system 1, the posture of the image display unit 6 with respect to the housing 2 can be changed by swinging the image display unit 6 with respect to the housing 2.

  When the display device 4 is used, the display surface 6a of the image display unit 6 is directed toward the side surface 2d on the front surface 2b side of the housing 2 (in other words, toward the front surface 2b on the side surface 2d side of the housing 2). By making the image display unit 6 substantially parallel to the semi-transmissive optical element 7, light emitted from the image display unit 6 is input to the reflecting surface 7a of the semi-transmissive optical element 7 through the opening 2a. Further, when the display device 4 is not used, the image display unit 6 is accommodated in the opening 2a of the housing 2 so that the external dimensions of the virtual image display type information display system 1 are reduced, and the handling and storage properties are improved. Can be improved.

The transflective optical element 7 is a member having a concave curved reflecting surface 7a, and reflects light from the image display unit 6 toward the other end side of the housing 2 through the opening 2a. By doing so, a virtual image of the image information is displayed farther than the transflective optical element 7 when viewed from the user with the other end in contact with the head side.
Here, the observation optical axis OA of the display device 4 (the light emitted from the center of the image display unit 6 is reflected at the center of the transflective optical element 7 and reaches the center of the observation position (user's retina)). (Trajectory) is located on a virtual plane substantially parallel to the paper surface of FIG.

In the transflective optical element 7, the region where the reflecting surface 7 a is formed is configured to transmit light from the user's real field of view, and the user can distant the line of sight through the transflective optical element 7. You can also see the scenery.
In this embodiment, the transflective optical element 7 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member made of a transparent material such as acrylic or polycarbonate, and a reflective layer such as a metal film is formed on one side thereof. Acts as a mirror. The surface of the reflective layer is a substantially rectangular reflective surface 7a that reflects light incident from the image display unit 6 on the surface.

  The transflective optical element 7 has one long side connected to the vicinity of the side surface 2d of the housing 2 via a hinge 16, and swings about a swing axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 2. Can be done. That is, the reflective surface 7a is oriented in a direction in which the long side is substantially orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2 (in other words, the reflective surface 7a is oriented in a direction in which the short side is substantially parallel to the paper surface in FIG. )

When the display device 4 is used, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the display device 4 is opened with respect to the front surface 2 b of the housing 2 so that the reflecting surface 7 a faces the user (not on the surface of the housing). By being parallel, the light emitted from the image display unit 6 is reflected toward the user. In the present embodiment, when the display device 4 is used, the image display unit 6 and the transflective optical element 7 are arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2).
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)

  Is a first virtual line L1 that connects both ends of the reflecting surface 7a of the effective optical path E defined by the principal ray PR in the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA of the display device 4, and the first virtual line The angle formed by one end on the image display unit 6 side of the effective optical path E on L1 and the second virtual line L2 connecting one end on the transflective optical element 7 side in the image display unit 6, and β is the first And a third virtual line L1 connecting the one end of the image display unit 6 on the transflective optical element 7 side and the other end facing the one end in the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA of the display device 4. The angle formed by the line L3.

  When the display device 4 is not used, the external dimensions of the virtual image display type information display system 1 can be reduced by folding the transflective optical element 7 along the front surface 2b of the housing 2 to facilitate handling. Storability can be improved.

  Further, the reflecting surface 7a is formed in a concave curved surface shape having a curvature in each of a short side direction (a direction substantially parallel to the paper surface in FIG. 2) and a long side direction (a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2). The device 4 functions as a concave mirror that reflects the light beam emitted from the image display unit 6 toward the user and enables observation of a virtual image.

  Further, the reflecting surface 7a has a curvature that gradually increases as the distance from the connection end with the hinge 16 in the short direction (the curvature gradually increases as the distance from the connection end with the hinge 16 in the short direction). As a result, the aberration caused by the difference in distance to the display surface 6a of the image display unit 6 in each part in the short direction of the reflection surface 7a is eliminated, and a virtual image of image information without distortion is formed. It has become.

  Here, as described above, since the reflecting surface 7a has a short dimension in a direction in which a curvature is given in order to eliminate aberration, the transflective optical element 7 is substantially flat. For this reason, when the transflective optical element 7 is folded along the front surface 2 b of the housing 2, the external dimensions of the virtual image display type information display system 1 become smaller.

  The transflective optical element 7 has a uniform thickness in the region where the reflecting surface 7a is formed. As a result, the light beam that is incident on the transflective optical element 7 toward the user from a distance in the line of sight is incident on the user's pupil without being refracted by the transflective optical element 7. It is possible to visually recognize a distant view far away without distortion.

  In the virtual image display type information display system 1 configured as described above, the image display unit 6 is pulled out to the back surface 2c side of the housing 2 and the transflective optical element 7 is opened with respect to the front surface 2b (that is, the display device). 4 in the state of use 4). As described above, the user can visually recognize the virtual image displayed on the display device 4 by holding the housing 2 with one hand and the temporal region.

  In the present embodiment, since the transflective optical element 7 transmits light from the user's real field of view, the user can also visually recognize the scenery of the real field of view in addition to the virtual image displayed by the display device 4. . That is, in this virtual image display type information display system 1, the virtual image displayed by the display device 4 is superimposed on the real field of view of the user.

  In the virtual image display type information display system 1, the transflective optical element 7 has a reflecting surface 7 a having a concave curved surface, and the reflecting surface 7 a functions as a concave mirror in the display device 4. The image information to be displayed is enlarged and displayed as a virtual image farther in the visual line direction than the transflective optical element 7 as viewed from the user.

Here, for example, when the angle α formed by the first virtual line L1 and the second virtual line L2 exceeds 90 °, the viewing angle when the virtual image is observed from the user's pupil becomes narrow. Therefore, the size of the image that can be observed by the user cannot be increased. Further, it becomes difficult to properly enlarge and observe the character information and image information displayed on the image display unit 6.
On the other hand, when the angle α is less than 45 °, the position of the user's pupil is too close to the housing 2 of the virtual image display type information display system 1 and is difficult to observe.

  On the other hand, in the virtual image display type information display system 1 shown in the present embodiment, as described above, when the display device 4 is used, the image display unit 6 and the transflective optical element 7 are 45 ° <α <. Since it is arranged so as to satisfy 90 °, the viewing angle when observing a virtual image from the pupil of the user is wide while the reflecting surface 7a has the same area. Therefore, the size of the image that can be observed by the user can be increased.

Further, when the angle of view in a direction substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA is large, an optical power difference occurs in each part of the transflective optical element 7 along the plane including the observation optical axis OA, and reflection occurs. In the light beam reflected by the surface 7a, an asymmetrical aberration occurs in a direction along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA, and as a result, image blur and distortion occur in the virtual image displayed by the display device 4. In some cases (for example, when the display surface 6a of the image display unit 6 is a square as in the present embodiment, the virtual image is displayed in a substantially trapezoidal shape).
Furthermore, if the deviation of the direction of the normal line of the image display unit 6 with respect to the direction of the observation optical axis OA is large, the display surface of the virtual image is tilted from the plane orthogonal to the observation optical axis OA, resulting in a deviation of the diopter in the display image. It may end up.

Hereinafter, this phenomenon will be specifically described. On the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA, a light beam emitted from the image display unit 6 and reaches one end of the reflection surface 7a, a light beam reaching the center of the reflection surface 7a, and the other end of the reflection surface 7a. The optical path length differs for each ray. When the curvature of the reflection surface on the effective optical path surface is constant, the image formation position of the virtual image varies greatly from the user's pupil according to the difference in the optical path length, and in the direction of the user's line of sight. The inclination of the virtual image with respect to the vertical plane increases.
When the inclination of the virtual image is large, the magnification is different for each imaging position, and the distortion is increased. Further, since an image having a depth is displayed with respect to the user's pupil, it is difficult for the user to focus on all positions of the virtual image.

By the way, as a condition indicating the relationship between the subject surface, the main surface of the lens, and the image plane, the Scheinproof condition is known.
As shown in FIG. 3, the Scheimpflug condition is a condition that the entire image plane is in focus when the subject plane, the main surface of the lens, and the extended surface of the image plane meet at one place P. It is. In FIG. 3, the optical path length incident on the lens main surface is different between the point A and the point B on the subject surface, so that the points A ′ and B corresponding to the points A and B on the image surface are the same. 'The magnification differs depending on the point, and the subject appears distorted.

  When the positions shown in FIG. 3 are applied to FIG. 2, points A and B on the subject surface in FIG. 3 correspond to the ends of the display surface 6a of the image display unit 6 in FIG. The lens main surface corresponds to the effective optical path surface of the transflective optical element 7 in FIG. Further, in FIG. 2, the positions at which the subject surface, the main surface of the lens, and the surface obtained by extending the image surface cross each other in FIG. 3 are the positions of the first virtual line L1, the second virtual line L2, and the image F. This is the intersection P ′ with the extension line.

For this reason, the display surface 6a of the image display unit 6 and the reflection surface 7a of the transflective optical element 7 are arranged so as to be substantially parallel, so that the light is emitted from the image display unit 6 and reaches one end of the reflection surface 7a. The optical path lengths of the light beam that reaches the center of the reflecting surface 7a and the light beam that reaches the other end of the reflecting surface 7a are substantially equal.
On the other hand, when the angle β formed by the first virtual line L1 and the third virtual line L3 exceeds 45 °, the inclination of the virtual image becomes too large, as described above, the distortion is large, and all of the virtual images Since it becomes difficult to focus on the position, observation of the virtual image becomes difficult.

In the virtual image display type information display system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the display device 4 is used, the image display unit 6 and the transflective optical element 7 are arranged so that 0 ° <β <45 °. An image that can be observed by the user can be made sufficiently large.
That is, while maintaining the size of the reflecting surface of the transflective optical element 7, the angle of view in the direction substantially parallel to the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA is reduced, and each part in the direction along the virtual plane is reduced. The optical power difference of the image display unit 6 can be reduced, and further, the deviation of the normal direction of the image display unit 6 with respect to the direction of the observation optical axis OA can be reduced, thereby suppressing the occurrence of image blur, distortion, and diopter deviation in the display image. And an enlarged display image with high image quality can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the reflection surface 7a gradually increases as the distance from the connection end with the hinge 16 in the short direction is reduced so that the aberration generated in the light beam reflected by the reflection surface 7a is reduced. Has a curvature to
The magnitude of the curvature of each portion of the reflecting surface 7a in the short direction is proportional to the size of the reflecting surface 7a in the direction along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA. In the present embodiment, as described above, the size of the reflecting surface 7a in the direction along the virtual plane including the observation optical axis OA is reduced while maintaining the size of the reflecting surface 7a of the transflective optical element 7. The curvature change of the reflective surface 7a can be made gentle while maintaining the size of the display area of the display device 4.
Thereby, it becomes easy to maintain the shape accuracy of the reflecting surface 7a, and the aberration can be effectively eliminated or reduced.

  Thus, in this virtual image display type information display system 1, the light beam reflected by the reflection surface 7a is maintained while maintaining the display range of the display device 4 while maintaining the size of the reflection surface 7a of the transflective optical element 7. Since the distortion generated in the display device 4 can be reduced by reducing the aberration generated in the display device 4, the user can view the image information satisfactorily.

  Here, in this embodiment, the virtual image display type information display system 1 has been shown as being used with the longitudinal direction of the housing 2 being substantially vertical as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the casing 2 may be used in a state where the longitudinal direction of the casing 2 is substantially horizontal. In any of these cases, the user looks into the transflective optical element 7 from the side surface 2e side of the housing 2 and uses the virtual image display type information display system 1.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the image display unit 6 is disposed in a direction in which the longitudinal direction of the display surface 6a is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the housing 2, and the transflective optical element 7 is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the reflective surface 7a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a virtual image display type information display system 30 shown in FIG. 5 may be used.

In the virtual image display type information display system 30, the image display unit 6 is arranged with the longitudinal direction of the display surface 6a being substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 2, and the transflective optical element 7 is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the reflective surface 7a. Are arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 2.
In this case, the virtual image display type information display system 1 is configured such that the user holds the other end side with one hand so that one end side of the housing 2 is positioned forward in the line-of-sight direction and the other end side of the front surface 2b. Can be positioned against the head of the virtual image display type information display system 1 to achieve stable holding.

  Here, in the virtual image display type information display system 30, a cheek rest 31 is provided on a portion of the housing 2 that corresponds to the cheek of the user (for example, in the vicinity of the boundary between one end side and the other end side in the front surface 2b). Providing the ear pads 32 at the ear-appearing part (for example, the part near the other end in the front surface 2b) stabilizes the support by the user and makes it difficult to get tired even if used for a long time.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a virtual image display type information display system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the virtual image display type information display system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the attachment site of the transflective optical element 7 in the first embodiment to the housing 2 is on the long side of the transflective optical element 7. It is not limited, and includes those attached with short sides.

That is, the virtual image display type information display system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is
A display device having an image display unit and a transflective optical element that has a reflection surface that reflects light from the image display unit and transmits light from the real field of view of the user's line of sight;
A virtual image display type information display for displaying a virtual image of the image information displayed on the image display unit farther than the transflective optical element as viewed from the user. A system,
The image display unit and the transflective optical element can be arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2). Furthermore, the image display unit, the transflective optical element, and the imaging A virtual image display type information display system in which the apparatus has the following configuration.
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)
Where α is a first virtual line connecting both ends of the reflecting surface of the effective optical path defined by the principal ray within the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the effective virtual line on the first virtual line. An angle formed by one end of the optical path on the image display unit side and a second virtual line connecting one end of the image display unit on the transflective optical element side, β is the first virtual line, In an imaginary plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, at an angle formed by one end on the transflective optical element side of the image display unit and a third imaginary line connecting the other end facing the one end. is there.

In the virtual image display type information display system according to the present embodiment, the image display unit and the transflective optical element are connected to the casing so that the conditional expressions are satisfied.
The image display unit has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and one side thereof is a substantially rectangular display surface for displaying image information.

  The transflective optical element has a substantially rectangular plate shape corresponding to the shape of the image display unit. The transflective optical element is connected to the casing so as to correspond to the image display unit. That is, when the image display unit is connected to the casing on the short side thereof, the short side of the transflective optical element is also connected to the casing.

The image pickup apparatus converts an image picked up through a photographing optical system combining various lenses and the like into image information of digital data through a semiconductor element (image pickup means) such as a CCD or CMOS, and the image information is flash memory. It is configured to be stored and stored in a storage medium such as.
In addition, various operation switches such as a shutter switch, a zoom operation unit, and a power switch for operating the imaging device are disposed in the housing.

Hereinafter, the positional relationship among the image display unit 6, the transflective optical element 7, and the imaging device 8 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6.
As a positional relationship in the direction of the observation optical axis OA between the focal position G of the imaging device 8 and the position F of the virtual image display surface on which the virtual image is displayed by the display device including the image display unit 6 and the transflective optical element 7. Is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the virtual image display surface F is configured so that the position of the virtual image display surface F is located on the user side with respect to the focal position G. For example, a configuration in which the position and the focal position G are substantially matched with each other can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the positional relationship between the observation optical axis OA of the display device 4 and the optical axis OB (hereinafter referred to as “imaging optical axis”) of the imaging optical system of the imaging device 8 is not particularly limited. However, for example, the mounting position of the imaging device 8 to the housing and the orientation of the imaging optical axis OB are configured to be variable with respect to the observation optical axis OA. It is preferable that the direction and direction of the imaging optical axis OB be appropriately changed (variable in parallax).

  Further, the positional relationship between the image display unit 6 and the imaging device 8 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, the imaging device 8 may be disposed between the transflective optical element 7 and the image display unit 6 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 6, and the image display unit 6 side as shown by a broken line in FIG. The imaging device 8 may be disposed on the side, and the imaging device 8 may be disposed on the semi-transmissive optical element 7 side as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  Further, the arrangement position of the imaging device 8 in the direction of the observation optical axis OA is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. It may be disposed on the virtual image display surface side in the axis OA direction, or may be disposed between the transflective optical element 7 and the image display unit 4.

  Further, the distance in the observation optical axis OA direction from the observer's observation position to the reflecting surface of the transflective optical element 7 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, but is 100 mm or more. It is preferable to do.

  About the other structure of the virtual image display type information display system which concerns on 2nd embodiment demonstrated above, since it can be set as the structure similar to the virtual image display type information display system which concerns on 1st embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted. .

1 is a perspective view showing a virtual image display type information display system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the virtual image display type information display system shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the conditions of Shineproof. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of a virtual image display type information display system which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of a virtual image display type information display system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows roughly the virtual image display type information display system which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1,30 Virtual image display type information display system 4 Display device 6 Image display unit 7 Transflective optical element 7a Reflecting surface OA Observation optical axis L1 First virtual line L2 Second virtual line L3 Third virtual line

Claims (4)

From the user, the display device includes an image display unit and a transflective optical element that has a reflection surface that reflects light from the image display unit and transmits light from the real field of view of the user's line of sight. A virtual image display type information display system for displaying a virtual image of image information displayed on the image display unit farther than the transflective optical element,
At least the reflection surface has an elongated reflection surface shape having a longitudinal direction and a short direction, and the short direction of the reflection surface is substantially parallel to a virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device. And
A virtual image display type information display system, wherein the image display unit and the transflective optical element can be arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2).
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)
Where α is a first virtual line connecting both ends of the reflecting surface of the effective optical path defined by the principal ray within the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the effective virtual line on the first virtual line. An angle formed by one end of the optical path on the image display unit side and a second virtual line connecting one end of the image display unit on the transflective optical element side, β is the first virtual line, In an imaginary plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, at an angle formed by one end on the transflective optical element side of the image display unit and a third imaginary line connecting the other end facing the one end. is there. From the user, the display device includes an image display unit and a transflective optical element that has a reflection surface that reflects light from the image display unit and transmits light from the real field of view of the user's line of sight. A virtual image display type information display system for displaying a virtual image of image information displayed on the image display unit farther than the transflective optical element,
At least the reflection surface has an elongated reflection surface shape having a longitudinal direction and a short direction, and the longitudinal direction of the reflection surface is substantially perpendicular to a virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device. ,
A virtual image display type information display system, wherein the image display unit and the transflective optical element can be arranged so as to satisfy the following conditional expressions (1) and (2).
45 ° <α <90 ° (1)
0 ° <β <45 ° (2)
Where α is a first virtual line connecting both ends of the reflecting surface of the effective optical path defined by the principal ray within the virtual plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, and the effective virtual line on the first virtual line. An angle formed by one end of the optical path on the image display unit side and a second virtual line connecting one end of the image display unit on the transflective optical element side, β is the first virtual line, In an imaginary plane including the observation optical axis of the display device, at an angle formed by one end on the transflective optical element side of the image display unit and a third imaginary line connecting the other end facing the one end. is there.   3. The virtual image display type information display system according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape including the virtual plane of the reflecting surface has a curvature that gradually increases as the distance from the image display unit side increases.   The transflective optical element is connected to the housing held by the user so that the state opened to the surface of the housing and the state folded along the surface can be selected. The virtual image display type information display system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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