JP6955388B2 - Image display device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image display device.

Head-mounted displays are being developed for virtual reality (VR) or for the purpose of enjoying large-screen observation images alone. An image display device used for a head-mounted display or the like is desired to present an image with a wide angle of view in order to perform natural observation and increase the sense of presence. Further, it is desirable that the head-mounted image display device is small in size.

As a technology to achieve wide angle of view image presentation, by displaying observation images with different angles of view for the left and right eyes and making only some angles of view overlap with the left and right eyes, for the left and right eyes. An image display device has been proposed in which an image having a wider angle of view can be observed than when an observation image having the same angle of view is displayed.

Patent Documents 1, 2 and the like are disclosed as examples of such an image display device. Patent Document 1 is a technique for realizing a wide angle of view by displaying observation images having different angles of view for the left and right eyes by inverting an optical system having an outer angle of view wider than the inner angle of view. Is disclosed. In Patent Document 2, the display centers of the image display elements for the left eye and the right eye are shifted to the left and right, respectively, and the observation images displayed on the image display elements are also left and right when viewed from the observer. A technique has been disclosed that realizes a wide angle of view by displaying observation images with different angles of view for the left and right eyes by shifting in the direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-242794 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-38246

However, when displaying observation images with different angles of view for the left and right eyes so that only a part of the angles of view overlap with the left and right eyes, the angle of view range (monocular region) observed with a single eye and both eyes The boundary of the angle of view range (binocular region) to be observed becomes conspicuous, and natural observation cannot be performed. This phenomenon is caused by the visual field struggle between the left and right eyes because the image is displayed in one eye but the image is not displayed in the other eye and the black part such as the frame of the panel is visible.

The image display device described in Patent Document 1 does not take measures for the appearance of the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region. Therefore, the boundary portion is conspicuous and natural observation cannot be performed. In the image display device described in Patent Document 2, a visual field aperture is arranged near the image display element to blur the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region, but the image display device is located near the image display element being observed. Since there is a visual field aperture, the edges of the visual field aperture are observed, making natural observation impossible.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and even when observation images having different angles of view are presented to the left and right eyes, the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region is not conspicuous. Provide a technique for observing as a natural image.

The uniformity of the present invention is an image display element for the left eye of the observer, an optical system for the left eye for guiding an image of the image display element for the left eye to the left eye of the observer, and a right eye of the observer. An image display device comprising an image display element for the right eye and an optical system for the right eye for guiding the image of the image display element for the right eye to the right eye of the observer.
The observation image guided by one eye has a binocular region displaying the same angle of view as a part of the observation image guided by the other eye, and a monocular region different from the binocular region.
When the ray effective region, which is a region of light rays guided to the left eye on at least one surface of the left eye optical system, is viewed from the left eye, the right side is smaller than the left side with respect to the visual axis of the left eye. ,
When the ray effective region, which is a region of light rays guided to the right eye on at least one surface of the right eye optical system, is viewed from the right eye, the left side is smaller than the right side with respect to the visual axis of the right eye. nine,
When the observer observes the boundary portion or the front surface between the binocular region and the monocular region, a part of the luminous flux from the boundary portion incident on the pupil of the left eye of the observer is the left eye optics. A luminous flux in which the light effective region of at least one surface of the left eye optical system is guided from the left eye image display element to the left eye so as not to enter the system or emit from the left eye optical system. Narrower than the light flux effective area of
When the observer observes the boundary portion or the front surface, a part of the luminous flux from the boundary portion incident on the pupil of the right eye of the observer is incident on the right eye optical system or the right eye optics. so as not emitted from the system, the light beam effective area of at least one surface of the optical system for the right eye, the possible from the image display device for the right eye have narrower than the effective ray area of the light beam guided to the right eye It is characterized by.

According to the configuration of the present invention, even when observation images having different angles of view are presented to the left and right eyes, the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region can be observed as a natural image without being conspicuous. can.

The figure which shows the configuration example of an image display device. The figure explaining the optical system. The figure explaining the image which an observer perceives as having observed. The figure which shows the configuration example of an image display device. The figure which shows the configuration example of an image display device. The figure which shows the structural example of the optical system 303. The figure explaining the reflection surface of an optical system. The figure explaining the modification of the 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows the configuration example of an image display device. The figure which shows the structural example of the optical system 403. The figure which shows the configuration example of an image display device. The figure which shows the structural example of the optical system 503. The figure explaining the 5th Embodiment. The figure explaining the 5th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the embodiment described below shows an example when the present invention is concretely implemented, and is one of the specific examples of the configuration described in the claims.

[First Embodiment]
First, regarding the image display device according to the present embodiment, the display screen (image display element) and optical system (eyepiece optical system) in the image display device, and the eyes of an observer observing the display screen in the image display device. The relationship between the above will be described with reference to FIG.

The display screen 105 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's right eye 101, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 105 is an optical system (optical system for the right eye). It is guided to the right eye 101 via 103. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 105 is magnified by the optical system 103 and observed by the right eye 101. Further, the set of the display screen 105 and the optical system 103 is centered on the center of the entrance pupil of the right eye 101, and is 7 clockwise from the right eye visual axis 107 (the visual axis of the right eye 101 when observing the front). It is tilted by 0.5 degrees. Further, the angle of view of the image guided to the right eye 101 by the set of the display screen 105 and the optical system 103 is 50 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the right eye visual axis 107 around the center of the entrance pupil of the right eye 101. It is 35 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 105 and the optical system 103 will be referred to as a display unit for the right eye.

The display screen 106 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the left eye 102 of the observer, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 106 is the optical system 104 (optical system for the left eye). ) Is guided to the left eye 102. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 106 is magnified by the optical system 104 and observed by the left eye 102. Further, the set of the display screen 106 and the optical system 104 is centered on the center of the entrance pupil of the left eye 102, and is the left eye visual axis 108 (the visual axis of the left eye 102 when observing the front, and the right eye visual axis 107. (Parallel to) is tilted 7.5 degrees counterclockwise in the figure. Further, the angle of view of the image guided to the left eye 102 by the set of the display screen 106 and the optical system 104 is 35 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the left eye visual axis 108 centering on the center of the entrance pupil of the left eye 102. It is 50 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 106 and the optical system 104 will be referred to as a display unit for the left eye.

When the observer observes the image supplied by the left eye display unit and the right eye display unit, it is counterclockwise from the front direction of the observer (parallel to the right eye visual axis 107 and the left eye visual axis 108). The range of 50 to 35 degrees (monocular region) is observed only with the left eye 102. Further, the range (binocular region) of 35 degrees counterclockwise to 35 degrees clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed by both eyes of the right eye 101 and the left eye 102. Further, the range of 35 degrees to 50 degrees (monocular region) clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed only by the right eye 101. As a result, the observer's field of view (horizontal angle of view) becomes 100 degrees.

By displaying observation images with different angles of view for the left and right eyes in this way so that only some of the angles of view overlap with the left and right eyes, when the size of the left and right display screens is the same, the left and right An image with a wider angle of view can be observed than when an observation image having the same angle of view is displayed on the eye. That is, the observation image guided by one eye has a binocular region displaying the same angle of view as a part of the observation image guided by the other eye, and a monocular region different from the binocular region.

In the present embodiment, in the observation image observed by the right eye 101, the binocular region has an angle of view of 70 ° and the right eye region has an angle of view of 15 °. Therefore, the binocular region is observed by the following equation (1). The ratio R of the area of the observed image in the right eye region to the area of the image is about 35%.

R = (tan (50 °) -tan (35 °)) / (2 x tan (35 °))
= 0.35 ... (Equation 1)
It is desirable that this ratio R is 45% or less, and when the ratio R is larger than 45%, the boundary portion between the binocular region and the monocular region comes near the center of the observation image, so that the boundary portion becomes conspicuous. Further, when the ratio R is larger than 45%, the ratio of the binocular region is small, so that the region that can be stereoscopically viewed is narrow and natural stereoscopic observation cannot be performed. Further, this ratio R is preferably 5% or more, and when the ratio R is smaller than 5%, the monocular region is narrowed and the effect of widening the angle of view is small. The above description of the ratio R is the same for the observation image of the left eye.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the N side of the nose of the observer is notched in the optical system 103. Assuming that the optical system 103'without this notch is used instead of the optical system 103, as shown in FIG. 2, "the monocular region incident on the observer's right eye 101 when the observer observes the front and both. The luminous flux 198 "from the boundary portion of the eye region is incident on the optical system 103'. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical system 103 notched on the N side of the nose of the observer is used to prevent the luminous flux 198 from incident on the optical system 103. That is, when focusing on the effective ray range (effective ray region) in the optical system (the range through which the ray guided to the observer's pupil passes in the optical system), the effective ray range of the optical system 103'is from the right eye visual axis 107. The optical system 103 has a narrowed range on the left side.

Similarly, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the observer's nose N side is notched in the optical system 104. Assuming that the optical system 104'without this notch is used instead of the optical system 104, as shown in FIG. 2, "the monocular region incident on the observer's left eye 102 when the observer observes the front and both. The luminous flux 199 "from the boundary portion of the eye region is incident on the optical system 104'. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical system 104 notching the N side of the nose of the observer is used to prevent the luminous flux 199 from incident on the optical system 104. That is, when focusing on the effective light range in the optical system, the optical system 104 has a narrowed range on the right side of the left eye visual axis 108 in the effective light range of the optical system 104'.

Here, with respect to one image perceived by the observer who observed the image displayed on the display screen 105 and the image displayed on the display screen 106 with the right eye 101 and the left eye 102, respectively, in the configuration of FIG. , FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) will be described.

The image 1501 is an image displayed on the display screen 106, and the image 1502 is an image displayed on the display screen 105. When the image 1501 is presented to the observer's left eye 102 via the optical system 104'and the image 1502 is presented to the observer's right eye 101 via the optical system 103', the observer sees one image 1590. Is perceived as an observation. The left edge of the image 1501 corresponds to the left edge of the image 1590, and the right edge of the image 1501 corresponds to the boundary 1505b. Further, the left end of the image 1502 corresponds to the boundary 1505a, and the right end of the image 1502 corresponds to the right end of the image 1590. The left eye region, which is a region between the left end of the image 1590 and the boundary 1505a, is an image portion observable only by the left eye 102, and is a region between the right end of the image 1590 and the boundary 1505b, which is the right eye. The region is a partial image that can be observed only by the right eye 101. The binocular region, which is a region between the boundary 1505a and the boundary 1505b, is a partial image observable by both eyes of the right eye 101 and the left eye 102.

When the observer perceives that one image 1590 is observed, as shown in FIG. 3B, the image gradually becomes darker from the left end of the image 1590 toward the boundary 1505a, and the right end of the image 1590. It is gradually getting darker toward the boundary 1505b. This is because in the left eye region and the right eye region, the image is displayed in one eye, but the image is not displayed in the other eye, and as a result, the black part such as the frame of the panel is visible. It is due. As a result, by observing a sudden difference in brightness with one eye, it is caused by the visual field struggle between the left and right eyes.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, for each of the right eye and the left eye, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's pupil when the observer observes the front (the above luminous flux 198, 199) is prevented from entering the optical system. As a result, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary portion does not enter the optical system, and the luminous flux near the boundary portion is vignetting in the optical system, so that the boundary portion can be prevented from being observed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). .. At that time, as in the present embodiment, all of the light flux incident on the observer's pupil when the observer observes the front may not be incident on the optical system, or a part of the light flux may not be incident on the optical system. good. Desirably, when the ratio of the incident light flux corresponding to the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region during frontal observation is less than half the pupil diameter of the observer, the boundary portion becomes less noticeable.

In the present embodiment, instead of arranging a light-shielding member between the display screen and the optical system, the light beam effective range of the optical system is narrowed so that the light flux corresponding to the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region is optical. I try not to enter the system. When a light-shielding member is placed between the display screen and the optical system, the edge of the light-shielding member is observed because the light-shielding member is close to the position on the display screen where the observer is in focus. The effect will be reduced. However, by preventing the light flux from the boundary portion from being incident on the optical system as in the present embodiment, the edges of the optical system are observed with a large blur, and more natural image observation becomes possible. In addition, a light-shielding member is not required, and the number of parts can be reduced and the weight can be reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position of the observation image is enlarged by the optical system so as to be 1.4 m from the observer's eye, and the distance between the eye and the surface in the optical system where the effective range of light rays is narrowed is It is 20 mm, which is closer than 0.1 times the position of the observed image. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the optical system having a narrow effective range of light rays and the observed image is sufficiently large, and the edge of the optical system is largely blurred and the boundary portion becomes inconspicuous. More preferably, the interval is closer than 0.03 times the position of the observed image.

That is, in the optical system for the left eye, the distance between the left eye and the surface whose light effective region is narrower than the light effective region of the luminous flux guided from the image display element for the left eye to the left eye is L1, and the distance between the left eye is L1. Let D1 be the distance between the left eye and the observation image in which the image of the image display element is magnified by the left eye optical system. At this time, L1 <D1 × 0.1 is satisfied. Further, in the optical system for the right eye, the distance between the right eye and the surface whose light effective region is narrower than the light effective region of the luminous flux guided from the image display element for the right eye to the right eye is L2, and for the right eye. Let D2 be the distance between the observation image of the image of the image display element magnified by the optical system for the right eye and the right eye. At this time, L2 <D2 × 0.1 is satisfied.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 1, in the optical system 103 and the optical system 104, the notch portion on the nose N side has a shape in which the lens is cut, and the optical system 103 and the optical system 104 are different from each other. This not only prevents black streaks from being observed by eclipsing the light flux near the boundary with the optical system, but also leads to a smaller and lighter optical system and avoids interference between the left and right optical systems inside. To do. Further, since the inner optical system can be made smaller, the image display device can be made so as not to hit the nose N of the observer, and comfortable observation becomes possible.

The optical system of the present embodiment is composed of a spherical single lens, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an aspherical lens or a plurality of lenses may be used to obtain a lens having higher optical performance. Further, the display screen according to the present embodiment uses a self-luminous organic EL, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a transmissive liquid crystal display, a reflective liquid crystal display, a DMD, or the like may be used as the display screen. In that case, a separate light source and illumination optical system are required.

[Second Embodiment]
First, regarding the image display device according to the present embodiment, the relationship between the display screen and the optical system in the image display device and the eyes of an observer observing the display screen in the image display device will be described with reference to FIG. do.

The display screen 205 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's right eye 201, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 205 is transmitted to the right eye 201 via the optical system 203. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 205 is magnified by the optical system 203 and observed by the right eye 201. Further, the center of the display screen 205 is located at a position shifted to the right by a specified amount with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 207 (the visual axis of the right eye 201 when observing the front). Further, the angle of view of the image guided to the right eye 201 by the set of the display screen 205 and the optical system 203 is 40 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the right eye visual axis 207 about the center of the entrance pupil of the right eye 201. It is 30 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 205 and the optical system 203 will be referred to as a display unit for the right eye.

The display screen 206 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's left eye 202, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 206 is emitted from the left eye 202 via the optical system 204. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 206 is magnified by the optical system 204 and observed by the left eye 202. Further, the center of the display screen 206 is shifted to the left by a specified amount with respect to the vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 208 (the visual axis of the left eye 202 when observing the front and parallel to the right eye visual axis 207). In position. Further, the angle of view of the image guided to the left eye 202 by the set of the display screen 206 and the optical system 204 is 30 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the left eye visual axis 208 centering on the center of the entrance pupil of the left eye 202. It is 40 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 206 and the optical system 204 will be referred to as a display unit for the left eye.

When the observer observes the image supplied by the left eye display unit and the right eye display unit, it is counterclockwise from the front direction of the observer (parallel to the right eye visual axis 207 and the left eye visual axis 208). The range of 40 to 30 degrees (monocular region) is observed only with the left eye 202. Further, the range (binocular region) of 30 degrees counterclockwise to 30 degrees clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed by both eyes of the right eye 201 and the left eye 202. Further, the range of 30 to 40 degrees (monocular region) clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed only by the right eye 201. As a result, the observer's field of view (horizontal angle of view) is 80 degrees.

By displaying observation images with different angles of view for the left and right eyes in this way so that only some of the angles of view overlap with the left and right eyes, when the size of the left and right display screens is the same, the left and right An image with a wider angle of view can be observed than when an observation image having the same angle of view is displayed on the eye.

In the present embodiment, in the observation image observed by the right eye 201, the binocular region has an angle of view of 60 ° and the right eye region has an angle of view of 10 °. Therefore, the binocular region is observed by the following equation (2). The ratio R of the area of the observed image in the right eye region to the area of the image is about 23%.

R = (tan (40 °) −tan (30 °)) / (2 × tan (30 °))
= 0.23 ... (Equation 2)
As described above, this ratio R is preferably 45% or less and 5% or more. Therefore, in the present embodiment as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the observer's nose N side is notched in the optical system 203 so that the luminous flux 198 does not enter the optical system 203. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the optical system 204, the nose N side of the observer is cut out so that the luminous flux 199 does not enter the optical system 204.

As described above, in the present embodiment, for each of the right eye and the left eye, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's pupil when the observer observes the front is applied to the optical system. Avoid incident. As a result, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary portion does not enter the optical system, and the luminous flux near the boundary portion is vignetting in the optical system, so that the boundary portion can be prevented from being observed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). .. At that time, as in the present embodiment, all of the light flux incident on the observer's pupil when the observer observes the front may not be incident on the optical system, or a part of the light flux may not be incident on the optical system. good. Desirably, when the ratio of the incident light flux corresponding to the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region during frontal observation is less than half the pupil diameter of the observer, the boundary portion becomes less noticeable.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position of the observed image is magnified by the optical system so as to be 1 m from the observer's eye, and the distance between the eye and the surface in the optical system where the effective light range is narrowed is It is 25 mm, which is closer than 0.1 times the position of the observed image. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the optical system having a narrow effective range of light rays and the observed image is sufficiently large, and the edge of the optical system is largely blurred and the boundary portion becomes inconspicuous.

Further, the surfaces of the optical system 203 and the optical system 204 on the observer side according to the present embodiment have a spherical shape with the same radius of curvature, and the surfaces of the optical system 203 and the optical system 204 on the display screen side also have a spherical shape with the same radius of curvature. be. Therefore, all the optical surfaces of the optical system 203 have the same optical power as the optical surfaces of the optical system 204 having the same positional relationship with the respective optical surfaces.

Further, the optical axis of the optical system 203 coincides with the right eye visual axis 207, and the shapes of all the optical surfaces are represented by shapes symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 207. Similarly, the optical axis of the optical system 204 also coincides with the left eye visual axis 208, and the shapes of all the optical surfaces are represented in a shape symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 208.

Therefore, when the same angle of view is observed with the right eye 201 and the left eye 202, the shape of the surface of the optical system through which the light rays of that angle of view pass is the same in the left and right optical systems, and aberrations generated in the optical system appear. The left and right are the same. Therefore, there is almost no difference in resolution and distortion shape between the left and right, and the image is easy to fuse with both eyes.

When observing an image having parallax on the left and right with the image display device of the present embodiment, the shape of the surface of the optical system through which the light rays pass when observing the same angle of view is not exactly the same in the left and right optical systems. However, since the difference in surface shape between the left and right is smaller than that in the image display device of FIG. 2, the difference in resolution and distortion shape between the left and right is small, and the image is easy to be fused with both eyes.

[Third Embodiment]
First, regarding the image display device according to the present embodiment, the relationship between the display screen and the optical system in the image display device and the eyes of an observer observing the display screen in the image display device will be described with reference to FIG. do.

The display screen 305 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's right eye 301, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 305 is transmitted to the right eye 301 via the optical system 303. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 305 is magnified by the optical system 303 and observed by the right eye 301. Further, the center of the display screen 305 is located at a position shifted to the right by a specified amount with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 307 (the visual axis of the right eye 301 when the observer looks at infinity in front of the front). Further, the angle of view of the image guided to the right eye 301 by the set of the display screen 305 and the optical system 303 is 40 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the right eye visual axis 307 centering on the center of the entrance pupil of the right eye 301. It is 25 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 305 and the optical system 303 will be referred to as a display unit for the right eye.

The display screen 306 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's left eye 302, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 306 is emitted from the left eye 302 via the optical system 304. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 306 is magnified by the optical system 304 and observed by the left eye 302. Further, the center of the display screen 306 is a vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 308 (the visual axis of the left eye 302 when the observer looks at infinity in front and parallel to the right eye visual axis 307). It is in a position shifted to the left by the specified amount. The angle of view of the image guided to the left eye 302 by the set of the display screen 306 and the optical system 304 is 25 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the left eye visual axis 308 centering on the center of the entrance pupil of the left eye 302. It is 40 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 306 and the optical system 304 will be referred to as a display unit for the left eye.

When the observer observes the image supplied by the left eye display unit and the right eye display unit, it is counterclockwise from the front direction of the observer (parallel to the right eye visual axis 307 and the left eye visual axis 308). The range of 40 to 25 degrees (monocular region) is observed only with the left eye 302. Further, the range (binocular region) of 25 degrees counterclockwise to 25 degrees clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed by both eyes of the right eye 301 and the left eye 302. Further, the range of 25 to 40 degrees (monocular region) clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed only by the right eye 301. As a result, the observer's field of view (horizontal angle of view) is 80 degrees.

By displaying observation images with different angles of view for the left and right eyes in this way so that only some of the angles of view overlap with the left and right eyes, when the size of the left and right display screens is the same, the left and right An image with a wider angle of view can be observed than when an observation image having the same angle of view is displayed on the eye.

In the present embodiment, in the observation image observed by the right eye 301, the binocular region has an angle of view of 50 ° and the right eye region has an angle of view of 15 °. Therefore, the binocular region is observed by the following equation (4). The ratio R of the area of the observed image in the right eye region to the area of the image is about 40%.

R = (tan (40 °) −tan (25 °)) / (2 × tan (25 °))
= 0.40 ... (Equation 3)
As described above, this ratio R is preferably 45% or less and 5% or more. Therefore, in this embodiment as well as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the observer's nose N side is notched in the optical system 303. As a result, "the luminous flux 398 from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region that is incident on the observer's right eye 301 when the observer observes the front" is prevented from incident on the optical system 303. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the observer's nose N side is notched in the optical system 304. As a result, "the luminous flux 399 from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's left eye 302 when the observer observes the front" is prevented from incident on the optical system 304. With such an optical system configuration, the luminous flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's eyes when the observer observes the front is prevented from entering the observer's eyes.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical system 303 according to the present embodiment reflects the light flux from the display screen 305 on the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 303, and the optical path of the light beam is reflected in the optical system 303. It is configured to guide the luminous flux to the observer's right eye 301 by folding. In FIG. 6, the luminous flux from the display screen 305 is reflected twice in the optical system 303 and then guided to the right eye 301. Since the exit surface to the eyeball in the optical system 303 is a surface having the action of reflection and transmission, it is desirable that the reflection is internal total reflection in order to eliminate the loss of the amount of light. Similarly, for the optical system 304, the luminous flux from the display screen 306 is reflected by the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 304, and the optical path of the luminous flux is folded in the optical system 304 to obtain the luminous flux in the observer's left eye. It is configured to lead to 302. Since the exit surface to the eyeball in the optical system 304 is a surface having a reflection action and a transmission action, it is desirable that the reflection is internal total reflection in order to eliminate the loss of the amount of light.

With such an optical system configuration, the thickness of the optical system is reduced. The optical system 303 and the optical system 304 are made of a transparent material filled with an optical medium such as glass or plastic having a refractive index of more than 1.

The surface on the observer side of the optical system 303 and the optical system 304 according to the present embodiment has a free curved shape expressed by the same function, and the surface on the display screen side and the reflective surface are also the optical system 303 and the optical system 304. It is a free-form surface shape expressed by the same function in. Therefore, all the optical surfaces of the optical system 303 have the same optical power as the optical surfaces of the optical system 304 having the same positional relationship with the respective optical surfaces.

Further, the shapes of all the optical surfaces of the optical system 303 are represented by shapes symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 307. Similarly, the shapes of all the optical surfaces of the optical system 304 are represented as symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 308.

Therefore, when the same angle of view is observed with the right eye 301 and the left eye 302, the shape of the surface of the optical system through which the light rays of that angle of view pass is the same in the left and right optical systems, so that the aberrations generated in the optical system are affected. The way out is the same on the left and right. As a result, there is almost no difference in resolution and distortion shape between the left and right, and the image is easy to fuse with both eyes. Further, by forming the optical system 303 and the surface constituting the optical system 304 into a free curved surface shape, the degree of freedom of eccentric aberration correction is increased, and an image can be displayed with good image quality.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the emission angle of the luminous flux from the display screen 305 of the luminous flux guided to the center of the exit pupil of the optical system 303 so as to coincide with the right eye visual axis 307 is 10 ° and is displayed. It is different from the direction of the normal of screen 305. This also applies to the optical system 304. By doing so, the degree of freedom in design is improved, and it becomes possible to realize an optical system having higher optical performance.

As described above, in the present embodiment, for each of the right eye and the left eye, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's pupil when the observer observes the front is generated by the observer. I try not to get it in my eyes. As a result, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary portion is not emitted from the optical system, and the luminous flux near the boundary portion is vignetting in the optical system, so that the boundary portion can be prevented from being observed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). .. At that time, as in the present embodiment, when the observer observes the front surface, all the light flux incident on the observer's pupil may not be emitted from the optical system, or a part thereof may not be emitted. good. Desirably, when the ratio of the incident light flux corresponding to the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region during frontal observation is less than half the pupil diameter of the observer, the boundary portion becomes less noticeable.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position of the observation image is enlarged by the optical system so as to be 1.4 m from the observer's eye, and the light ray effective range is narrowed in the optical system between the surface and the eye. The spacing is 18 mm, which is closer than 0.1 times the position of the observed image. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the optical system having a narrow effective range of light rays and the observed image is sufficiently large, and the edge of the optical system is largely blurred and the boundary portion becomes inconspicuous.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 5, both the notch portion of the optical system 303 and the notch portion of the optical system 304 of the present embodiment have a shape obtained by cutting a prism, and the optical system 303 and the optical system 304 have a shape obtained by cutting a prism. It's different. This is to eliminate the optical system outside the effective range of the light beam, which leads to the miniaturization and weight reduction of the optical system and to prevent the left and right optical systems from interfering with each other inside. Further, since the inner optical system can be made smaller, the image display device can be made so as not to hit the nose of the observer, and comfortable observation becomes possible.

Here, the ray effective range of the surface of the optical system on the display screen side is equivalent to the size of the display screen, and the ray effective range of this surface includes the ray effective range of the optical system 303 and the ray effective range of the optical system 304. However, it does not affect the size of the optical system. Therefore, the effective range of light rays on the surface of the optical system 303 and the surface of the optical system 304 on the display screen side may be the same. By doing so, surfaces having the same shape and effective light range can be formed in the left and right optical systems, and processing and manufacturing can be facilitated.

Further, the reflective surfaces of the optical system 303 and the optical system 304 are vapor-deposited so that the reflectances of the reflective films are equal as shown in FIG. 7A. This reflective film is subjected to a gradation so as to reduce the reflectance of the portion where the light beam from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region is reflected, as in the optical system 311 and the optical system 312 of FIG. 7 (b). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the surface shape of the optical system itself does not have to be narrower than the effective light range. By doing so, the light flux from the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region is less likely to be reflected by the reflecting surface, so that the boundary portion becomes less noticeable.

At this time, the surface of the optical system in which the effective range of light rays is narrow is the surface on which the reflective film is formed, and the distance between the surface and the eye is 40 mm. Even at that time, it is closer than 0.1 times the position of the observed image. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the optical system having a narrow effective range of light rays and the observed image is sufficiently large, and the edge of the optical system is largely blurred and the boundary portion becomes inconspicuous.

[Fourth Embodiment]
First, regarding the image display device according to the present embodiment, the relationship between the display screen and the optical system in the image display device and the eyes of an observer observing the display screen in the image display device will be described with reference to FIG. do.

The display screen 405 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's right eye 401, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 405 is transmitted to the right eye 401 via the optical system 403. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 405 is magnified by the optical system 403 and observed by the right eye 401. Further, the center of the display screen 405 is located at a position shifted to the right by a specified amount with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 407 (the visual axis of the right eye 401 when the observer looks at infinity in front). The angle of view of the image guided to the right eye 401 by the set of the display screen 405 and the optical system 403 is 45 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the right eye visual axis 407 centered on the center of the entrance pupil of the right eye 401. It is 30 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 405 and the optical system 403 will be referred to as a display unit for the right eye.

The display screen 406 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's left eye 402, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 406 is emitted from the left eye 402 via the optical system 404. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 406 is magnified by the optical system 404 and observed by the left eye 402. Further, the center of the display screen 406 is a vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 408 (the visual axis of the left eye 402 when the observer looks at infinity in front of the viewer, which is parallel to the right eye visual axis 407). It is in a position shifted to the left by the specified amount. The angle of view of the image guided to the left eye 402 by the set of the display screen 406 and the optical system 404 is 30 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the left eye visual axis 408 centered on the center of the entrance pupil of the left eye 402. It is 45 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 406 and the optical system 404 will be referred to as a display unit for the left eye.

When the observer observes the image supplied by the left eye display unit and the right eye display unit, it is counterclockwise from the front direction of the observer (parallel to the right eye visual axis 407 and the left eye visual axis 408). The range of 45 to 30 degrees (monocular region) is observed only with the left eye 402. Further, the range (binocular region) of 30 degrees counterclockwise to 30 degrees clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed by both eyes of the right eye 401 and the left eye 402. Further, the range of 30 degrees to 45 degrees (monocular region) clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed only by the right eye 401. As a result, the observer's field of view (horizontal angle of view) is 90 degrees.

By displaying observation images with different image angles to the left and right eyes in this way so that only some of the image angles overlap with the left and right eyes, when the size of the left and right display screens is the same, the left and right An image with a wider angle of view can be observed than when an observation image with the same angle of view is displayed on the eye.

In the present embodiment, in the observation image observed by the right eye 401, the binocular region has an angle of view of 60 ° and the right eye region has an angle of view of 15 °. Therefore, the binocular region is observed by the following equation (4). The ratio R of the area of the observed image in the right eye region to the area of the image is about 37%.

R = (tan (45 °) -tan (30 °)) / (2 x tan (30 °))
= 0.37 ... (Equation 4)
The ratio R is preferably 45% or less and 10% or more, and the reason is the same as the reason why the ratio R is preferably 45% or less and 5% or more. Therefore, in this embodiment as well as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the N side of the nose of the observer is notched in the optical system 403. As a result, "the luminous flux 498 from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region that is incident on the observer's right eye 401 when the observer observes the front" is prevented from incident on the optical system 403. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in the optical system 404, the N side of the nose of the observer is notched. As a result, "the luminous flux 499 from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's left eye 402 when the observer observes the front" is prevented from incident on the optical system 404. With such an optical system configuration, the luminous flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's eyes when the observer observes the front is prevented from entering the observer's eyes.

Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the optical system 403 according to the present embodiment reflects the luminous flux from the display screen 405 on the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 403, and the optical path of the luminous flux is reflected in the optical system 403. It is configured to guide the luminous flux to the observer's right eye 401 by folding. In FIG. 10A, the light flux from the display screen 405 is reflected four times by the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 403 and then guided to the right eye 401. Since the exit surface to the eyeball in the optical system 403 is a surface having the action of reflection and transmission, it is desirable that the reflection is internal total reflection in order to eliminate the loss of the amount of light. Similarly, for the optical system 404, the luminous flux from the display screen 406 is reflected by the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 404, and the optical path of the luminous flux is folded in the optical system 404 to obtain the luminous flux in the observer's left eye. It is configured to lead to 402. Since the exit surface to the eyeball in the optical system 404 is a surface having a reflection action and a transmission action, it is desirable that the reflection is internal total reflection in order to eliminate the loss of the amount of light.

With such an optical system configuration, the thickness of the optical system is reduced. The optical system 403 and the optical system 404 are made of a transparent material filled with an optical medium such as glass or plastic having a refractive index of more than 1.

As can be seen from FIG. 10A, the optical system 403 (optical system 404) has an intermediate image plane inside the optical system. By using an optical system having an intermediate image plane, the focal length can be shortened and the display angle of view can be increased.

The surface of the optical system 403 and the optical system 404 according to the present embodiment has a free curved shape expressed by the same function, and the surface on the display screen side and the reflective surface are also the optical system 403 and the optical system 404. It is a free-form surface shape expressed by the same function in. Therefore, all the optical surfaces of the optical system 403 have the same optical power as the optical surfaces of the optical system 404, which have the same positional relationship with the respective optical surfaces.

Further, the shapes of all the optical surfaces of the optical system 403 are represented by shapes symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 407. Similarly, the shapes of all the optical surfaces of the optical system 404 are represented as symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 408. Therefore, when the same angle of view is observed with the right eye 401 and the left eye 402, the shape of the surface of the optical system through which the light rays of that angle of view pass is the same in the left and right optical systems, so that the aberrations generated in the optical system are affected. The way out is the same on the left and right. As a result, there is almost no difference in resolution and distortion shape between the left and right, and the image is easy to fuse with both eyes. Further, by forming the surfaces forming the optical system 403 and the optical system 404 into a free curved surface shape, the degree of freedom of eccentric aberration correction is increased, and an image can be displayed with good image quality.

As shown in FIG. 10A, in the present embodiment, the emission angle of the luminous flux guided to the center of the exit pupil of the optical system 403 from the display screen 405 so as to coincide with the right eye visual axis 407 is 15 °. It is different from the direction of the normal line of the display screen 405. This also applies to the optical system 404. By doing so, the degree of freedom in design is improved, and it becomes possible to realize an optical system having higher optical performance.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the light ray effective range of the fourth reflection surface and the exit surface of the optical system 403 is narrower than the light beam effective range of the light flux guided from the display screen 405 to the right eye 401. .. As a result, when the observer observes the front, the light flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region that is incident on the observer's eyes is prevented from being incident on the observer's eyes. Similarly, when the light beam effective range of the fourth reflection surface and the exit surface of the optical system 404 is narrower than the light beam effective range of the luminous flux guided from the display screen 406 to the left eye 402, when the observer observes the front. The luminous flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's eyes is prevented from entering the observer's eyes.

As described above, in the present embodiment, for each of the right eye and the left eye, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's pupil when the observer observes the front is emitted from the optical system. Do not emit. As a result, since the luminous flux near the boundary portion is vignetting in the optical system, it is possible to prevent the boundary portion from being observed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). At that time, as in the present embodiment, when the observer observes the front surface, all of the light flux incident on the observer's pupil may not be emitted from the optical system, or a part of the light flux may not be emitted from the optical system. good. Desirably, when the ratio of the incident light flux corresponding to the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region during frontal observation is less than half the pupil diameter of the observer, the boundary portion becomes less noticeable.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position of the observation image is enlarged by the optical system so as to be 1.4 m from the observer's eye, and the light ray effective range is narrowed in the optical system between the surface and the eye. The interval is 15 mm, which is closer than 0.1 times the position of the observed image. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the optical system having a narrow effective range of light rays and the observed image is sufficiently large, and the edge of the optical system is largely blurred and the boundary portion becomes inconspicuous.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 9, both the notch portion of the optical system 403 and the notch portion of the optical system 404 of the present embodiment have a shape obtained by cutting a prism, and the optical system 403 and the optical system 404 have a shape obtained by cutting a prism. It's different. This is to eliminate the optical system outside the effective range of the light beam, which leads to the miniaturization and weight reduction of the optical system and to prevent the left and right optical systems from interfering with each other inside. Further, since the inner optical system can be made smaller, the image display device can be made so as not to hit the nose of the observer, and comfortable observation becomes possible.

Here, the ray effective range of the surface of the optical system on the display screen side is equivalent to the size of the display screen, and the ray effective range of this surface includes the ray effective range of the optical system 403 and the ray effective range of the optical system 404. However, it does not affect the size of the optical system. Therefore, the effective range of light rays on the surface of the optical system 403 and the optical system 404 on the display screen side may be the same. By doing so, surfaces having the same shape and effective light range can be formed in the left and right optical systems, and processing and manufacturing can be facilitated.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 10B, the surface on which the light flux from the display screen 405 is incident on the optical system 403 and reflected for the first time and the surface for which the light flux is reflected for the second time are on the pupil imaging surface of the optical system 403. close. Therefore, if the effective range of light rays on these two surfaces is narrowed, the luminous flux other than the luminous flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region is also vignetting. Therefore, it is desirable not to narrow the effective range of light rays on these two surfaces. ..

[Fifth Embodiment]
First, regarding the image display device according to the present embodiment, the relationship between the display screen and the optical system in the image display device and the eyes of an observer observing the display screen in the image display device will be described with reference to FIG. do.

The display screen 505 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's right eye 501, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 505 is the right eye 501 via the optical system 503. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 505 is magnified by the optical system 503 and observed by the right eye 501. Further, the center of the display screen 505 is located at a position shifted to the left by a specified amount with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 507 (the visual axis of the right eye 501 when the observer looks at infinity in front of the front). Further, the angle of view of the image guided to the right eye 501 by the set of the display screen 505 and the optical system 503 is 32 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the right eye visual axis 507 centering on the center of the entrance pupil of the right eye 501. It is 36 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 505 and the optical system 503 will be referred to as a display unit for the right eye.

The display screen 506 is a screen for displaying an image generated for presentation to the observer's left eye 502, and the luminous flux from the image displayed on the display screen 506 is transmitted to the left eye 502 via the optical system 504. Guided to. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 506 is magnified by the optical system 504 and observed by the left eye 502. Further, the center of the display screen 506 is a vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 508 (the visual axis of the left eye 502 when the observer looks at infinity in front and parallel to the right eye visual axis 507). It is in a position shifted to the right by the specified amount. The angle of view of the image guided to the left eye 502 by the set of the display screen 506 and the optical system 504 is 36 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the left eye visual axis 508 centering on the center of the entrance pupil of the left eye 502. It is 32 degrees. Hereinafter, the set of the display screen 506 and the optical system 504 will be referred to as a display unit for the left eye.

When the observer observes the image supplied by the left eye display unit and the right eye display unit, it is counterclockwise from the front direction of the observer (parallel to the right eye visual axis 507 and the left eye visual axis 508). The range of 36 degrees to 32 degrees (monocular region) is observed only with the left eye 502. Further, the range (binocular region) of 32 degrees counterclockwise to 32 degrees clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed by both eyes of the right eye 501 and the left eye 502. Further, the range of 36 degrees to 32 degrees (monocular region) clockwise from the front direction of the observer is observed only by the right eye 501. As a result, the observer's field of view (horizontal angle of view) is 72 degrees.

By displaying observation images with different angles of view for the left and right eyes in this way so that only some of the angles of view overlap with the left and right eyes, when the size of the left and right display screens is the same, the left and right An image with a wider angle of view can be observed than when an observation image having the same angle of view is displayed on the eye.

In the present embodiment, unlike the first to fourth embodiments, the monocular region is provided not on the ear side of the observer but on the nasal side to widen the angle of view. In the first to fourth embodiments, the display angle of view on the right side of the optical system for the right eye is larger than the display angle of view on the right side of the optical system for the left eye, and the display angle of view on the left side of the optical system for the left eye. Is larger than the display angle of view on the left side of the optical system for the right eye. Therefore, the observation image of the right eye and the observation image of the left eye do not overlap 100%.

However, in the present embodiment, the display angle of view on the right side of the optical system for the right eye is smaller than the display angle of view on the right side of the optical system for the left eye, and the display angle of view on the left side of the optical system for the left eye is the right eye. It is smaller than the display angle of view on the left side of the optical system for. Therefore, assuming that the image observed with the left eye and the image observed with the right eye overlap 100% at a certain distance and the distance between the right eye and the left eye is 63 mm, the display angle of the present embodiment is about 0.6 m. At this distance, the image observed with the left eye and the image observed with the right eye overlap 100%. Therefore, when the observation distance is a short distance of about 0.6 m, the boundary between the binocular region and the monocular region is less conspicuous than in the first to fourth embodiments.

In the present embodiment, in the observation image observed by the right eye 501, the binocular region has an angle of view of 64 ° and the right eye region has an angle of view of 4 °. Therefore, the binocular region is observed by the following equation (5). The ratio R of the area of the observed image in the right eye region to the area of the image is about 8%.

R = (tan (36 °) -tan (32 °)) / (2 x tan (32 °))
= 0.08 ... (Equation 5)
As described above, this ratio R is preferably 45% or less and 5% or more. Therefore, in the present embodiment as well as in the first embodiment, the nose N side of the observer is notched in the optical system 503. As a result, "the luminous flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region that is incident on the observer's right eye 501 when the observer observes the front" is prevented from incident on the optical system 503. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the observer's nose N side is notched in the optical system 504. As a result, "the luminous flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's left eye 502 when the observer observes the front" is prevented from incident on the optical system 504. With such an optical system configuration, the luminous flux from the boundary between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's eyes when the observer observes the front is prevented from entering the observer's eyes.

Here, as shown in FIG. 12, the optical system 503 according to the present embodiment reflects the luminous flux from the display screen 505 on the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 503, and the optical path of the luminous flux is reflected in the optical system 503. It is configured to guide the luminous flux to the observer's right eye 501 by folding. In FIG. 12, the luminous flux from the display screen 505 is reflected twice by the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 503 and then guided to the right eye 501. Since the exit surface to the eyeball in the optical system 503 is a surface having the action of reflection and transmission, it is desirable that the reflection is internal total reflection in order to eliminate the loss of the amount of light. Similarly, for the optical system 504, the luminous flux from the display screen 506 is reflected by the eccentric reflection curved surface in the optical system 504, and the optical path of the luminous flux is folded in the optical system 504 to obtain the luminous flux in the left eye of the observer. It is configured to lead to 502. Since the exit surface to the eyeball in the optical system 504 is a surface having a reflection action and a transmission action, it is desirable that the reflection is internal total reflection in order to eliminate the loss of the amount of light.

With such an optical system configuration, the thickness of the optical system is reduced. The optical system 503 and the optical system 504 are composed of a transparent material filled with an optical medium such as glass or plastic having a refractive index of more than 1.

The surface on the observer side of the optical system 503 and the optical system 504 according to the present embodiment has a free curved shape expressed by the same function, and the surface on the display screen side and the reflective surface are also the optical system 503 and the optical system 504. It is a free-form surface shape expressed by the same function in. Therefore, all the optical surfaces of the optical system 503 have the same optical power as the optical surfaces of the optical system 504 which have the same positional relationship with the respective optical surfaces.

Further, the shapes of all the optical surfaces of the optical system 503 are represented by shapes symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the right eye visual axis 507. Similarly, the shapes of all the optical surfaces of the optical system 504 are represented as symmetrical with respect to the vertical cross section including the left eye visual axis 508. Therefore, when the same angle of view is observed with the right eye 501 and the left eye 502, the shape of the surface of the optical system through which the light rays of that angle of view pass is the same in the left and right optical systems, so that the aberrations generated in the optical system are affected. The way out is the same on the left and right. As a result, there is almost no difference in resolution and distortion shape between the left and right, and the image is easy to fuse with both eyes. Further, by forming the surfaces constituting the optical system 503 and the optical system 504 into a free curved surface shape, the degree of freedom of eccentric aberration correction is increased, and an image can be displayed with good image quality.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the present embodiment, the emission angle of the luminous flux guided to the center of the exit pupil of the optical system 503 so as to coincide with the right eye visual axis 507 is 8 ° from the display screen 505, and the display screen 505. It is different from the direction of the normal. This also applies to the optical system 504. By doing so, the degree of freedom in design is improved, and it becomes possible to realize an optical system having higher optical performance.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, in the optical system 503, the left side of the right eye visual axis 507 is on the left side of the right eye visual axis 507 in the light effective range of the luminous flux guided from the display screen 505 to the right eye 501. It is narrower than the range. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the observer observes the direction of 36 ° to the left side of the optical system 503, the luminous flux does not enter the observer's eyes. Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the observer observes the direction of 32 ° on the left side, which is the boundary between the binocular region and the monocular region, about 40% of the luminous flux is incident on the observer's eye. do. This also applies to the left eye 502.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the observer observes the boundary portion between the binocular region and the monocular region, the luminous flux corresponding to the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region incident on the observer's pupil is the optical system. Since it is eclipsed, it is possible to prevent the boundary portion from being observed as shown in FIG. 3 (b). At that time, 40% of the luminous flux incident on the observer's pupil when the observer observes the boundary portion as in the present embodiment may not be emitted from the optical system, or all of the light flux may not be emitted. May be good. Desirably, when the ratio of the incident light flux corresponding to the boundary portion between the monocular region and the binocular region when observing the boundary portion is less than half of the observer's pupil diameter, the boundary portion becomes less noticeable.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position of the observation image is enlarged by the optical system so as to be 1.4 m from the observer's eye, and the light ray effective range is narrowed in the optical system between the surface and the eye. The spacing is 18 mm, which is closer than 0.1 times the position of the observed image. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the optical system having a narrow effective range of light rays and the observed image is sufficiently large, and the edge of the optical system is largely blurred and the boundary portion becomes inconspicuous.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 14, both the notch portion of the optical system 503 and the notch portion of the optical system 504 of the present embodiment have a shape obtained by cutting a prism, and the optical system 503 and the optical system 504 have a shape obtained by cutting a prism. It's different. This is to eliminate the optical system outside the effective range of the light beam, which leads to the miniaturization and weight reduction of the optical system and to prevent the left and right optical systems from interfering with each other inside. Further, since the inner optical system can be made smaller, the image display device can be made so as not to hit the nose of the observer, and comfortable observation becomes possible.

Here, the effective ray range of the surface of the optical system on the display screen side is equivalent to the size of the display screen, and the effective ray range of this surface includes the effective ray range of the optical system 503 and the effective ray range of the optical system 504. However, it does not affect the size of the optical system. Therefore, the effective range of light rays on the surface of the optical system 503 and the optical system 504 on the display screen side may be the same. By doing so, surfaces having the same shape and effective light range can be formed in the left and right optical systems, and processing and manufacturing can be facilitated.

When observing an image having parallax on the left and right with the image display device of the present embodiment, the shape of the surface of the optical system through which the light rays pass when observing the same angle of view is not exactly the same in the left and right optical systems. However, since the difference in surface shape between the left and right is small, the difference in resolution and distortion shape between the left and right is small, and the image is easy to fuse with both eyes.

Here, assuming that the area of the monocular region of the observation image guided to one eye is A and the area of the binocular region is B, 0.05 ≦ A / B ≦ 0.45 is satisfied. It should be noted that some or all of the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate, and some or all of the above-described embodiments may be selectively used.

(Other Examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

103: Optical system 104: Optical system 105: Display screen 106: Display screen

Claims (8)

An image display element for the left eye of the observer, an optical system for the left eye for guiding the image of the image display element for the left eye to the left eye of the observer, an image display element for the right eye of the observer, and the like. An image display device including an optical system for the right eye for guiding an image of an image display element for the right eye to the right eye of an observer.
The observation image guided by one eye has a binocular region displaying the same angle of view as a part of the observation image guided by the other eye, and a monocular region different from the binocular region.
When the ray effective region, which is a region of light rays guided to the left eye on at least one surface of the left eye optical system, is viewed from the left eye, the right side is smaller than the left side with respect to the visual axis of the left eye. ,
When the ray effective region, which is a region of light rays guided to the right eye on at least one surface of the right eye optical system, is viewed from the right eye, the left side is smaller than the right side with respect to the visual axis of the right eye. nine,
When the observer observes the boundary portion or the front surface between the binocular region and the monocular region, a part of the luminous flux from the boundary portion incident on the pupil of the left eye of the observer is the left eye optics. A luminous flux in which the light effective region of at least one surface of the left eye optical system is guided from the left eye image display element to the left eye so as not to enter the system or emit from the left eye optical system. Narrower than the light flux effective area of
When the observer observes the boundary portion or the front surface, a part of the luminous flux from the boundary portion incident on the pupil of the right eye of the observer is incident on the right eye optical system or the right eye optics. so as not emitted from the system, the light beam effective area of at least one surface of the optical system for the right eye, the possible from the image display device for the right eye have narrower than the effective ray area of the light beam guided to the right eye An image display device characterized by. The center of the image display element for the left eye is shifted to the left with respect to the vertical cross section including the visual axis of the left eye when viewed from the left eye.
The image according to claim 1 , wherein the center of the image display element for the right eye is shifted to the right with respect to the vertical cross section including the visual axis of the right eye when viewed from the right eye. Display device. In the left eye optical system, L1, which is the distance between the left eye and a surface having a light ray effective region narrower than the ray effective region of the light beam guided from the image display element for the left eye to the left eye, said. The image of the image display element for the left eye is D1, which is the distance between the observation image magnified by the optical system for the left eye and the left eye, and L1 <D1 × 0.1 is satisfied.
In the right eye optical system, L2, which is the distance between the right eye and a surface having a light ray effective region narrower than the ray effective region of the light beam guided from the image display element for the right eye to the right eye, said. The image of the image display element for the right eye is characterized in that D2, which is the distance between the observation image magnified by the optical system for the right eye and the right eye, satisfies L2 <D2 × 0.1. The image display device according to claim 1 or 2. Any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the left eye optical system and the right eye optical system are prisms having an optical surface having a transmitting action and a reflecting action and at least one reflecting surface. The image display device according to the section. The emission angle of the light beam guided to the center of the exit pupil of the right eye optical system from the image display element for the right eye so as to coincide with the visual axis of the right eye when observing infinity is for the right eye. Unlike the normal line of the image display element of
The emission angle of the light beam guided to the center of the exit pupil of the left eye optical system from the image display element for the left eye so as to coincide with the visual axis of the left eye when observing infinity is for the left eye. The image display device according to claim 4 , wherein the image display element is different from the normal line of the image display element. The reflectance of at least one reflective surface of the left eye optical system is smaller on the right side than on the left side when viewed from the left eye, and the reflectance of at least one reflective surface of the right eye optical system is said. The image display device according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the left side is smaller than the right side when viewed from the right eye. When the observer observes the boundary portion or the front surface between the binocular region and the monocular region, the ratio of the luminous flux from the boundary portion incident on the pupil of the left eye of the observer is half or less of the pupil diameter. As described above, the ray effective region of at least one optical surface of the left eye optical system is narrower than the ray effective region of the luminous flux guided from the image display element for the left eye to the left eye.
The optical system for the right eye so that the ratio of the luminous flux from the boundary portion incident on the pupil of the right eye of the observer when the observer observes the boundary portion or the front surface is less than half of the pupil diameter. At least one of the light beam effective area of the optical surface, either from an image display device for the right eye of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that narrower than the effective ray area of the light beam guided to the right eye of 1 The image display device according to the section. Claims 1 to 7 , wherein if the area of the monocular region of the observation image guided to one eye is A and the area of the binocular region is B, 0.05 ≦ A / B ≦ 0.45 is satisfied. The image display device according to any one of the items.

Images