Patent ID: 7133207

Claim:
A non-immersive virtual image display for combining image light and ambient light comprising: a housing; a backlit image source and a reflective focusing optic supported by the housing and aligned along a common optical axis; a viewing aperture and an ambient-light-admitting aperture formed in the housing and aligned along a viewing axis that is inclined to the common optical axis; a beamsplitter supported by the housing at an intersection of the common optical axis and the viewing axis; the beamsplitter being positioned for: (a) transmitting image light between the backlit image source and the reflective focusing optic along the common optical axis, (b) reflecting the transmitted image light between the reflective focusing optic and the viewing aperture along the viewing axis, and (c) transmitting ambient light between the ambient-light-admitting aperture and the viewing aperture along the viewing axis superimposed upon the transmitted image light that is reflected along the viewing axis, wherein the beamsplitter is polarization sensitive and further comprising a phase adjuster for rotating polarization of the image light transmitted through the polarization-sensitive beamsplitter en route to and from the reflective focusing optic.