The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 03, 2002
Filed:
Mar. 21, 2001
Atsushi Okuyama, Tokorozawa, JP;
Tatsuo Chigira, Utsunomiya, JP;
Junko Kuramochi, Ninomiya-machi, JP;
Takashi Sudo, Utsunomiya, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image display apparatus includes a light source for supplying illumination light, a reflective display element for reflecting and modulating the illumination light into image light, a first optical system for guiding the illumination light to the reflective display element, and a second optical system for guiding the image light to an observer. Particularly, the first optical system has an optical element including a first surface on which the illumination light is incident, a second surface for totally reflecting the light incident on the first surface, and a third surface from which the light totally reflected by the second surface emerges toward the reflective display element. The first optical system is arranged so that the image light is again incident through the third surface on the optical element and emerges from the second surface toward the second optical system. The optical element has a function of preventing unnecessary light from being guided to the observer, by making a side surface of the optical element as a diffusing surface, or by providing a side surface of the optical element with a light absorbing film or with an antireflection coating.