Patent ID: 8902503

Claim:
A light-guide, compact imaging optical system, comprising: an optical device, composed of a light-waves transmitting material for collimating light waves, the optical device having at least one light-waves entrance surface, at least one light-waves exit surface and a plurality of external surfaces; at least one light-waves reflecting surface carried by the optical device at one of the external surfaces; at least one display light source for producing light-waves having a principal ray with input and output directions, the display light source being positioned adjacent to the entrance surface of the optical device; at least one retardation plate carried by the optical device on at least a portion of one of the plurality of external surfaces; at least one polarizing beamsplitter disposed at an angle to at least one of the light-waves entrance or exit surfaces; at least one light-waves collimating component covering at least a portion of at least one retardation plate; a light-transmitting substrate having at least two major surfaces parallel to each other, edges and an input aperture; an optical element for coupling light-waves from the optical device into the substrate by internal reflection; and at least one partially reflecting surface located in the substrate, the partially reflecting surface being non-parallel to the major surfaces of the substrate, the input aperture of the light-transmitting substrate being positioned adjacent to the exit surface of the optical device, wherein the output direction of the principal ray of the light-waves is substantially different than the input direction of the principal ray and substantially different than a normal to the input direction of the same principal ray.