Konica-minolta Holdings, Inc.

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.

Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc.

Yoshie Shimizu

Yasushi Tanijiri

Takeshi Endo

Tetsuya Noda

Akira Kosaka

Ichiro Kasai

Junichi Tanii

Soh Ohzawa

Shigeru Wada

Yasushi Kobayashi

Keiko Yamada

Hiroshi Yamaguchi

A video image display device () is provided with an ocular optical system () that guides video image light from a display element () to the pupil of an observer through an ocular prism () and at the same time guides ambient light to the pupil of the observer through the ocular prism (). The eyepiece optical system () has reflection planes set in the ocular prism () that are provided with three or more planes to fold down three or more times an optical path for the video image light from the display element (), wherein an HOE () is formed on at least one plane of the reflection planes. The video image display device () satisfies a conditional equation that properly prescribes the relationship between an incident range of the video image light incident on the HOE () formed plane in the ocular prism () and a display screen size of the display element (). Thus, the video image display device () can widely secure both a video image observation area and a see-through area with a small compact structure.

Image display device and head-mounted display

Light outputted from a laser light source () of an image generating section () is two-dimensionally deflected and permitted to perform scanning by means of a reflecting surface () of a deflecting device (), diffused by means of a diffusion unit (), and then diffracted and reflected by an HOE () of an eyepiece optical system (), and guided to an optical pupil (E). Deterioration of qualities of an observing image can be eliminated by setting the optical pupil (E) and the reflecting surface () of the deflecting device () to have an optically conjugated positional relationship. Furthermore, since a prescribed conditional equation is satisfied and the diffusion unit () has positive power, even when the optical pupil (E) and reflecting surface () of the deflecting device () are set to have the conjugated positional relationship, the distance between the reflecting surface () and the diffusion unit () can be short, and the image generation section () can be prevented from being large in size.

Image display device, head-mounted display and head-up display

The light directed from a light source to a concave mirror and the light directed from a display device to an eyepiece optical system are intersected by each other in a layout. This allows the light source, the concave mirror, and the display device to be arranged in compactness adjacent to the eyepiece optical system without increasing the optical power of an illumination optical system. As the result, the apparatus can easily be minimized in the thickness or the overall size. A hologram optical element is provided where the relationship between the wavelength range &#x394;&#x3bb;at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range &#x394;&#x3bb;at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source is defined by &#x394;&#x3bb;. Accordingly, a component at desired wavelengths of each of the R, G, and B colors of the light emitted from the light source can be diffracted by the action of the hologram optical element and then directed to the pupil of the viewer. This allows the image to be increased in the color reproduction area and improved in the quality regardless of the display device actuated in a time-division mode.

Image display apparatus and head mount display

A volume-phase reflection hologram optical element is fabricated by exposing a hologram photosensitive material to two coherent light beams. One exposure light beam has an axis-asymmetric wavefront, and the other exposure light beam has focus points different in the optical axis direction (Z-direction) between on a plane (ZX-plane) including one of two directions (X- and Y-directions) mutually perpendicular on a sectional plane perpendicular to that light beam and on a plane (YZ-plane) including the other of those two directions. Thus, an image display apparatus is realized in which at the time of reproduction, the component of a predetermined wavelength of the image light diffraction-reflected by the hologram optical element is focused at positions different in the optical axis direction between on the ZX-plane and on the YZ-plane, offering different image viewing characteristics between in the X- and Y-directions.

Hologram optical element, fabrication method thereof, and image display apparatus

Information light modulated and emitted by a modulation element is led to a recording medium through a Fourier transform optical system and an optical path shifter. An interference image is recorded on the recording medium by interference of the information light and reference light. A deflection unit of the optical path shifter has a pair of prisms. Optical path of information light transmitted through the respective prisms are shifted in parallel in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the Fourier transform optical system. By rotating the deflection unit around the optical axis, it is possible to shift the optical path of the information light around the optical axis while shifting the optical path in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis. Therefore, it is unnecessary to perform complicated control and it is possible to multiply record an interference image accurately with an information recording apparatus having a simple structure.

Information recording apparatus and information reproducing apparatus

Variation of the wavelength of the light emitted from a light source is reduced by a wavelength variation reduction mechanism. Hence, wavelength deviation of the intensity peak of the light emitted from the light source from the diffraction-efficiency peak of a hologram optical element is reduced. Thus, even when a high-brightness light source is used, the light emitted therefrom can be diffracted with the hologram optical element efficiently. Moreover, the heat generated by the light source is efficiently rejected through the surface of a land portion of a flexible printed circuit, is then, via an insulating layer of the flexible printed circuit, efficiently absorbed through the surface of a heat absorbing member, and is then, via a shield conductor, led out of a casing, so as to be thereby expelled.

Image display apparatus and head-mounted display

A hologram optical element is formed on a substrate so as to make an optical device. The hologram optical element is formed in an area smaller than an irradiation area of a beam for reproduction such as image light or object light on the substrate. Supposing that the beam for reproduction is made of a center beam having intensity higher than 50% of center intensity and other peripheral beam, the hologram optical element is formed on the substrate in a size for diffracting only the center beam so that a flare or a ghost can be relieved without using additional optical elements such as a shading plate.

Optical holographic device with a hologram optical element on an area smaller than an irradiation area, holographic image display device and head mounted display with a hologram optical element on an area smaller than an irradiation area

An arrangement of the invention includes a base block, a cylindrical cam, as a rotary member, which is rotatably supported on the base block, and includes a contact portion on an outer periphery thereof for outputting a rotating force, a drive gear, as an oscillatory ring, which includes a contact portion on an inner periphery thereof, and is oscillated on a plane perpendicular to a rotation axis of the cylindrical camin contact with the contact portion of the cylindrical cam, parallel springsthrough, as a position retainer, for retaining the position of the drive gear, and three or more shape metal alloy actuators (SMA) wiresthrough, as expandable and contractible actuators, with both ends of the each SMA wire being fixed to the base blockfor contact with the drive gear

Motor, motor device, and lens drive mechanism using the same

A drive for operating a movable part with respect to a fixed part includes: a driving member having a linear shape and being made of a shape-memory alloy; and a crimp terminal for holding one end of the driving member at the fixed part or the movable part. At least a part to which the driving member is crimped in the crimp terminal is made of stainless steel.

Drive

In an image display apparatus, two light sources emit illumination light having different wavelengths, with which a liquid crystal display device is illuminated. By modulating the illumination light, the liquid crystal display device produces a first and a second image light having different wavelengths. Two holographic optical elements respectively reflect the first and second image lights and direct them to the user's eye so that virtual images of the images represented by the first and second image lights are formed at different positions. As the light source from which to obtain the illumination light is switched between the two, the dioptric power with which to present an image is changed.

Image display apparatus

An I image display apparatus has a display portion that displays an optical image, a combiner that reflects light from said display portion to thereby enlarge an optical image represented by the light, and transmits light from an ambient object; and a display unit including a transparent plate-form holding member that holds said combiner. The image display apparatus is used with the combiner situated in front of a user's eye, and provides an enlargement of the optical image displayed by the display portion, so as to be superimposed on an optical image of the ambient object. And the transparent plate-form diopter adjusting member is provided that has an optical power and is attached to the display unit so as to be situated between the eye and the holding member.

Head-mounted image display apparatus

An image display apparatus has a reflective display element for displaying a two-dimensional image on a display plane, a light source for emitting illuminating light for illuminating said display plane, a magnifier optical system for magnifying and projecting said two-dimensional image, and an optical member which is composed of a medium having a refractive index greater than or equal to unity and has at least three optical planes of a first plane, a second plane, and a third plane. The magnifier optical system is substantially in concentricity with said display plane; the illuminating light from said light source passes through said first plane and then through said second plane, thereby illuminating said display plane; and the reflected light from said display plane passes through said second plane and is then reflected in said first plane, thereby passing through said third plane and being incident on said magnifier optical system.

A bilaterally conjugate telecentric optical system has, sequentially from one conjugate side, a first lens unit in the form of an afocal optical system including sequentially from one conjugate side a first subunit having positive optical power and a second subunit having positive optical power, and having an aperture stop fixed in the optical axis direction at the focal position on the back side of the first subunit; and a second lens unit in the form of an afocal optical system that is movable in the optical axis direction to adjust the focus while maintaining a telecentric state.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Yoshie Shimizu