Abstract: A virtual image display device has a light guide device in which the half mirror layer (the semi-transmissive reflecting film) of the light guide member is formed on the partial area of the first junction surface, and the second junction surface of the light transmitting member is bonded to the first junction surface in at least the exceptional area. Therefore, it is possible to increase the bonding strength of the first junction surface and the second junction surface, namely the strength of the light guide device composed of the light guide member and the light transmitting member combined with each other even in the case in which the attachment force of the half mirror layer (the semi-transmissive reflecting film) with respect to the first junction surface is not sufficiently strong.

Abstract: In a virtual image display device, a mirror layer has a thickness of 50 nm or more to perform non-transparent reflection in a second ridge line vicinity area on a third reflection face side in a ridge line portion extending between the third reflection face and a second reflection face. Accordingly, reflectance of image light can be prevented from being decreased by the second ridge line vicinity area (that is, a peripheral portion on a light guide unit in the third reflection face), and thus stripe-shaped brightness unevenness extending in a longitudinal direction can be prevented from occurring on the viewed image. That is, in the image display device, it is possible to secure sufficient reflection even in the peripheral portion close to a boundary with the second reflection face with respect to the third reflection face, and also to display a bright image with little brightness unevenness.

Abstract: In fabrication of a light guiding unit, a half mirror layer as a reflection film for folding light is covered by a light transmission main body part as a coating member, i.e., a light transmission member, and a hard coating layer is deposited thereon. Therefore, even when the surfaces of a light guide main body part and the light transmission main body part forming the light guiding unit are cleansed as pre-processing of the deposition of the hard coating layer, the situations such that the half mirror layer is separated thereby may be avoided and optical properties of the half mirror layer may not be lost.

Abstract: An image relay optical system is provided with an optical coupling member before incidence of image light on a light guide member. Among a first light incident surface, a coupling member reflecting surface, and a first light emitting surface provided in the optical coupling member, the coupling member reflecting surface and the first light emitting surface are curved surfaces. Therefore, a large bright virtual image with reduced aberration can be displayed.

Abstract: A thickness of a tapered part provided at the deeper side (?X side) in a light guide direction of a light transmission member is smaller toward the deeper side, and thus, a reflection angle of ghost light that has passed through a fourth reflection surface provided with a half mirror layer and reached the light transmission member gradually becomes smaller within the tapered part and no longer satisfies a total reflection condition, and the light is ejected to the outside in the position diverging from an eye of an observer. That is, the tapered part may prevent the ghost light from reaching the eye and good see-through observation can be realized.

Abstract: In regard to a second direction (combination direction) that is turned back by a reflection at the time of light-guiding, a projective optical system has an emission opening width larger than an opening width of a third reflective surface, such that it is possible to prevent a partial deficiency of image light when the image light emitted from the projective optical system is incident to the third reflective surface from occurring, and thereby it is possible to prevent the occurrence of deficiency of an image or a large variation in brightness.

Abstract: A support frame includes a light transmissive portion that is combined with a light guide member to form a see-through portion. The support frame assembled with the light guide member for image light observation therefore allows see-through observation of an outside-world object through the see-through portion. Further, providing the light transmissive portion in the support frame can increase the strength of the support frame while reducing the weight of the light guide member.

Abstract: Image light reflected by a third reflective surface of a light incidence portion is propagated while being totally reflected by first and second reflective surfaces of a light guiding portion, is reflected by a fourth reflective surface of a light emission portion, and is incident to observer's eye as a virtual image. At this time, the number of times of reflection of first image light, which is emitted from a first partial region of an image display device, in the light guiding portion, and the number of times of reflection of second image light, which is emitted from a second partial region of the image display device in the light guiding portion are different from each other, such that it is possible to take in the image light beams from the different partial regions of the image display device with a relatively wide angle of view.

Abstract: A half mirror layer has an angle dependency in which when an angle of incidence becomes larger than the angle of incidence range of image light, reflectance increases, such that it is possible to prevent unintended light, which is emitted to a light transmitting member from a light guiding member and is reflected inside a light transmitting member, from being returned to a light emission portion of the light guiding member after passing through the half mirror layer as a reflective film at a relatively large angle of incidence. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the image light passed through the light transmitting member from becoming ghost light while mitigating the demand for increasing processing accuracy of the light transmitting member, and bonding accuracy between the light guiding member and the light transmitting member.

Abstract: The sizes of the respective reflecting units vary in the image take-out section along the Z direction in association with the state of the total reflection angle in the light guide section. Thus, it becomes possible to keep the sufficient effective light beam width of the image light input thereto in all of the reflecting units. Therefore, the deterioration in the image light caused by the reflection in the reflecting units can be avoided, and as a result, the degradation of the resolution of the image due to the virtual image light thus emitted can be prevented.

Abstract: An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a virtual image display apparatus in which occurrence of luminance spots is suppressed to improve efficiency of use of illumination light. In the virtual image display apparatus of the invention, an optical-directivity changing section forms a non-uniform distribution concerning the directivity of image lights GL emitted from an image display device. Therefore, even when an angle of a light beam emitted from the image display device and effectively captured into the eye EY of an observer is substantially different depending on a position of the image display device, it is possible to form the image lights GL having directivity corresponding to such an angle characteristic of light beam capturing. It is possible to suppress occurrence of luminance spots to improve efficiency of use of illumination light.

Abstract: The invention is directed to provide a virtual image display device capable of setting the aspect ratio of the image light entering the eyes of the observer as a virtual image to a desired state while fulfilling the design limitations. In the invention, the aspect ratio of the virtual image can be converted to the aspect ratio (16:9) laterally longer than the aspect ratio (4:3) of the image area due to the conversion in the aspect ratio conversion optical system. Thus, the aspect ratio of the image light to be recognized by the eye of the observer as a virtual image can be adjusted to a desired state even in the case in which, for example, the lateral width of the image forming device with respect to the whole of the virtual image display device is limited by a design requirement.

Abstract: Since a distance from an image extraction part to a light exiting surface is shorter downstream in an optical path than upstream in the optical path in relation to Z direction that is an arraying direction of reflection units, image light that propagates to pass between the image extraction part and the light exiting surface without becoming incident on the reflection units and therefore cannot be extracted to outside can be reduced. That is, since image light having a large total reflection angle in a light guide plate can be securely made incident on the image extraction part and efficiently extracted from the light exiting surface, light use efficiency in image formation can be enhanced. Thus, a virtual image display apparatus with brightness and high performance can be provided.

Abstract: The image light entering the image take-out section is reflected by the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface in a two-stage manner. It is not only possible to make the light beam with a small total reflection angle out of the image light directly enter the side near to the light entrance section out of each of the reflecting units, but also to make the light beam with a large total reflection angle directly enter the side far from the light entrance section out of each of the reflecting units to thereby make it possible to take out the image light to the outside. Therefore, the image light is emitted as the effective virtual image light for the observer in the condition in which the brightness variation and the picture variation are prevented and a high light efficiency can be obtained.

Abstract: A hologram element that forms a predetermined illumination pattern on an irradiated surface by diffracting incident light is disclosed. The illumination pattern is formed by making light in a first wavelength region diffracted in a first region, and the illumination pattern is formed by making light in a second wavelength region different from the first wavelength region diffracted in a second region on the same plane as the first region.

Abstract: A liquid crystal projector device of the present invention includes, on an optical axis of a lamp unit, first and second integrator lenses having a plurality of cells arranged in the form of a matrix, a polarization beam splitter, and a slit plate having a plurality of slit apertures that allow light incidence on the polarization beam splitter. A concave lens for collimating light emitted from the lamp unit is arranged on a front of the lamp unit. The concave lens has a light incidence surface thereof formed with a concavity. The concavity is formed such that the slit apertures of the slit plate allow passage of a larger amount of light than that in the case of using a concave lens without any concavity formed thereon.

Abstract: A hologram element that forms a predetermined illumination pattern on an irradiated surface by diffracting incident light is disclosed. The illumination pattern is formed by making light in a first wavelength region diffracted in a first region, and the illumination pattern is formed by making light in a second wavelength region different from the first wavelength region diffracted in a second region on the same plane as the first region.

Abstract: A video signal processing circuit inputs a video signal to perform processing such as frequency conversion as well as processing for generating data representing the APL (Average Picture Level) of a frame video for each frame period. A microcomputer functions as a dimmer arithmetic block to perform processing for generating dimmer data upon receipt of APL data, and functions as a lamp driver control block to perform processing for sending out a dimmer command to a lamp driver. The lamp driver receives the dimmer command, to control an amount of light emitted from a light source (a lamp).

Abstract: A liquid crystal projector device of the present invention includes, on an optical axis of a lamp unit, first and second integrator lenses having a plurality of cells arranged in the form of a matrix, a polarization beam splitter, and a slit plate having a plurality of slit apertures that allow light incidence on the polarization beam splitter. A concave lens for collimating light emitted from the lamp unit is arranged on a front of the lamp unit. The concave lens has a light incidence surface thereof formed with a concavity. The concavity is formed such that the slit apertures of the slit plate allow passage of a larger amount of light than that in the case of using a concave lens without any concavity formed thereon.

Abstract: A video signal processing circuit inputs a video signal to perform processing such as frequency conversion as well as processing for generating data representing the APL (Average Picture Level) of a frame video for each frame period. A microcomputer functions as a dimmer arithmetic block to perform processing for generating dimmer data upon receipt of APL data, and functions as a lamp driver control block to perform processing for sending out a dimmer command to a lamp driver. The lamp driver receives the dimmer command, to control an amount of light emitted from a light source (a lamp).