Three-dimensional image-viewing apparatus

Claim 1

A three-dimensional image viewing apparatus, comprising: a pair of light-emitting sources generating light-emitting images capable of forming a three-dimensional image for a viewer located at a viewing side distant from said sources; a respective field lens located directly in front of each source for producing respective optical rays resulting from each of said light-emitting images; respective sets of first folding mirrors assigned to each of said field lenses for reflecting said optical rays resulting from each of said light-emitting images generally toward said viewing side; respective objectives receiving optical rays from each of said sets of first folding mirrors for forming overlapping real intermediate images in an image plane located between said sources and said viewing side, each of said objectives having an edge forming a diaphragm and representing an edge of the respective intermediate image corresponding to an edge of an exit pupil for a corresponding final image formed in the eyes of the viewer at said viewing side; a positive optical system including a curved mirror and a lens system having a focal point located at said image plane and positioned between said sources and said image plane to project said intermediate images to the infinite and form said exit pupils at said exit side, said positive optical system having a focal length and said focal point being so chosen that said exit pupils each have a diameter substantially equal to an interaxial spacing of said exit pupils corresponding substantially to the centric spacing of the eyes of the viewer; and a second folding mirror between said image plane and said positive optical system for reflecting light from said image plane to said positive optical system.