Patent ID: 7517090

Claim:
A real image projection device, comprising: a) a plastic curved mirror, with an optical axis at a tilted angle relative to an imaging axis of the image projection system; b) a target object, positioned below the plastic curved mirror, facing toward a front of the image projection system, wherein a target object is selected from a group consisting of a real object, a graphic image, a video image, and any object that reflects, transmits, or emits a light beam; c) a flat fold mirror or a reflector, positioned below a viewing window of the image projection system, wherein a reflective surface of the flat fold mirror or the reflector faces towards the plastic curved mirror and toward the target object, the flat fold mirror or the reflector is positioned at an angle such that a target beampath is reflected at a complimentary angle from the target object to the fold mirror to the plastic curved mirror, and a center or a vertex of the plastic curved mirror is struck at an angle equal to twice the tilted angle of the plastic curved mirror relative to the imaging axis; d) a transparent reflective substrate, selected from a group consisting of glass, plastic, mylar, and any transparent material that has a reflectivity of between about 3% and 5% on a front surface thereof, and having a rear surface coated with an anti-reflective coating resulting in between about 0.5% and 1% reflectivity, the transparent reflective substrate being positioned at an inclined angle with the front surface facing an observer, a top edge of the transparent substrate being nearest to the fold mirror and a bottom edge of the substrate being located directly over the fold mirror, such that a beamsplitter does not intersect the target beampath from the target object to the fold mirror to the plastic curved mirror; e) a secondary image source, comprising a monitor, video images, static images, or the real object, positioned vertically above the transparent reflective substrate, such that light beam from the secondary image source is reflected along an image path, forming a virtual image directly behind a real image; and a neutral density window or a circular polarizer window, positioned along an imaging axis of the system, wherein the neutral density window comprises a neutral density material, or a neutral density coating, wherein light transmitting through the neutral density window is partially absorbed in near equal amounts across a visible light spectrum.