Patent ID: 6480337
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
An image display apparatus comprising:reflective display means; an illumination optical system for making light from light source means obliquely incident to a display surface of the display means; and a display optical system for guiding light from the display means to an observer to permit the observer to observe image information displayed on the display means, without forming an intermediate image of the image information displayed on the display means, wherein a principal ray emerging from a central part of the display means is emergent obliquely with respect to the display surface from the display means, the display optical system comprises a rotationally asymmetric surface which is decentered with respect to the light guided to the observer from said display means and which reflects the light guided to the observer from said display means, the illumination optical system and the display optical system share at least one optical element which does not include said rotationally asymmetric surface which is decentered with respect to the light guided to the observer from said display means and which reflects the light guided to the observer from said display means, and at least one surface of the optical element(s) shared is a curved surface.