Abstract: In a connection portion connecting a first reflective surface and a second reflective surface, the first reflective surface positioned relatively on an incidence side of video light is made to protrude toward an observer side beyond the second reflective surface positioned relatively on an emission side of video light, and a connection surface which is a surface of the connection portion is shaped to extend from a side close to the observer toward a side away from the observer between the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface.

Abstract: In a projection system, providing a stop that forms an opening that is symmetric with respect to a first flat plane including the projection system optical axis and a first axis that extends in parallel to the first direction and intersects the projection system optical axis but asymmetric with respect to a second flat surface including the projection system optical axis and a second axis that extends in parallel to the second direction and intersects the projection system optical axis allows appropriate light adjustment at the stop even when pencils of light from the points in a video device exit at different angles along a second direction, whereby high-quality video images can be provided with the size of an optical system further reduced and therefore the size of an overall virtual image display apparatus reduced.

Abstract: Principal rays of component lights output from a periphery side of respective positions of an image surface generated in an image generation unit forming an image display device are controlled in an intensity distribution control unit so that the principal rays may be inclined more largely toward a center optical axis side than principal rays of component lights output from a center side and output, control is performed so that lights are output in the strongest intensity distributions with respect to axial directions of the principal rays of the respective component lights of image lights output in the respective positions by the intensity distribution control unit, and further, the positions can be adjusted by adjustment of output angles of the respective component lights in response to an aspect ratio of the image surface.

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 Eight 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, to provide a high quality virtual image displayed by a virtual image display device.

Abstract: In a frame part, a center portion having a thick structure is provided between a first optical member as a first light guide unit and a second optical member as a second light guide unit to connect to both and fixes relative positions of the first optical member and the second optical member by the center portion, and thereby, reduction in weight and size of the frame part is realized.

Abstract: A light guide device that does not cause non-uniformity in image light and external light and does not cause ghosts, and a virtual image display apparatus provided with the light guide device. The light guide device includes a parallel light guide, an incident section, and an emission section. Here, the light guide device is set such that image light rays are reflected without reflecting from a boundary surface between the parallel light guide and the reflection unit and head for an observer. Thus, the image light rays only pass through half mirrors, which are positioned in positions where the image light rays are emitted from the reflection unit of the emission section or are positioned therearound. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent luminance non-uniformity or light reduction by reducing the number of times of the image light rays to be observed pass through the half mirrors.

Abstract: In a projection system, a nonaxisymmetric aspheric surface is used as a surface that is located in a position where in a pencil of light of video image light that exits from each of two points in different corner regions in an image plane that is a light exiting plane of an image display apparatus, light components that should reach a viewer's eyes do not intersect one another, whereby the size of an optical system can be further reduced and the size of an overall apparatus can therefore be reduced with a variety of types of optical precision, such as the resolution and angle of view, maintained.

Abstract: A light guide device includes an incident section, a parallel light guide body for light guide, and an emitting section. The emitting section includes a reflection unit formed by arraying a plurality of mirrors. The plurality of mirrors configuring the reflection unit are reflection elements having reflectance of P polarized light lower than reflectance of S polarized light. The plurality of mirrors configuring the reflection unit can be accompanied by wavelength plates to be adjacent to the mirrors.

Abstract: In a frame part, a center portion having a thick structure is provided between a first optical member as a first light guide unit and a second optical member as a second light guide unit to connect to both and fixes relative positions of the first optical member and the second optical member by the center portion, and thereby, reduction in weight and size of the frame part is realized.

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 projection system, a nonaxisymmetric aspheric surface is used as a surface that is located in a position where in a pencil of light of video image light that exits from each of two points in different corner regions in an image plane that is a light exiting plane of an image display apparatus, light components that should reach a viewer's eyes do not intersect one another, whereby the size of an optical system can be further reduced and the size of an overall apparatus can therefore be reduced with a variety of types of optical precision, such as the resolution and angle of view, maintained.

Abstract: An intermediate image is formed inside a first prism, and an image light, which is reflected on the order of a third surface, a first surface and a second surface, is transmitted through the first surface and reaches the eyes of the observer, therefore it is possible to make the entire optical system small and light in weight by making the first prism thin, and realize a high performance display device with a wide angle of view. Further, when an external light is passed through, for example, the first surface and the third surface and observed, a diopter scale is set to approximately zero, and thereby reducing the defocus or distortion of the external light when observed in a see-through manner. And, it is possible such that the shape of the first prism conforms to the face of the observer, the center is also close to the face.

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 light guide device, a step between optical surfaces connected to each other by a connection portion can be limited (e.g., to 1 mm or smaller) so that a large stepped portion is not allowed to be formed at the connection portion in a hard coat formation process, whereby a coating liquid that flows along portions that are to form the optical surfaces forms no liquid pool or causes no liquid sagging. The light guide device can thus maintain satisfactory light guiding performance at the light guide portion.

Abstract: An intermediate image is formed inside a light guide member by a projection lens or the like, whereby a small optical system having a wide viewing angle and high performance is provided. At least one curved surface among curved surfaces forming an optical system is an opposite-sign curvature curved surface having an opposite-sign curvature point different in curvature depending on direction, whereby the optical system is placed in a satisfactory aberration correction state.

Abstract: A light guide member includes three surfaces of a second surface, a fourth surface, and a fifth surface as two or more non-axisymmetric curved surfaces, and a projection lens includes a lens surface as a non-axisymmetric aspheric surface. With this, on the light guide member side, even when there is a shape constraint that the first surface or the third surface which is a surface contributing to light guide is a flat surface, and correction of asymmetric aberration is limited, it becomes possible to perform sufficient aberration correction as the whole of an optical system including the projection lens. Therefore, the virtual image display apparatus can have a wide viewing angle and high performance, and can be made small and lightweight.

Abstract: A light guide device may be incorporated into a virtual image display apparatus, and functionally includes a light-incident part for entrance of picture lights, a light guide part that guides the picture lights via the light-incident part, and a light-exiting part that outputs the picture lights from the light guide part to a position of an eye. In the light guide device, light guide that enables non-diffraction virtual image formation is performed with respect to lateral first directions and a pupil size is enlarged by first and second diffraction optical elements with respect to longitudinal second directions.

Abstract: A light guide member (10) includes three surfaces of a second surface (S12), a fourth surface (S14), and a fifth surface (S15) as two or more non-axisymmetric curved surfaces, and a projection lens (30) includes a lens surface (31a) as a non-axisymmetric aspheric surface. With this, on the light guide member side, even when there is a shape constraint that the first surface (S11) or the third surface (S13) which is a surface contributing to light guide is a flat surface, and correction of asymmetric aberration is limited, it becomes possible to perform sufficient aberration correction as the whole of an optical system including the projection lens. Therefore, the virtual image display apparatus can have a wide viewing angle and high performance, and can be made small and lightweight.

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 Eight 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, to provide a high quality virtual image displayed by a virtual image display device.

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.