DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20130003176A1
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yang, Yingbao, Hamagishi, Goro
• Granted Patent: US 9,081,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/463
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0076 Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/32 using arrays of controllable light sources; using moving apertures or moving light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/354 for displaying sequentially

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display unit that time-divisionally displays a plurality of view point images in N divisions, N being an integer equal to or more than 2, a backlight that irradiates the display unit with image display light, and a separation unit that separates M view point images displayed in the same time slot in the display unit, M being an integer equal to or more than 2. The backlight controllably switches the exit direction of light time-divisionally in synch with the timing of time division display by the display unit, the backlight controllably switching the exit direction of light between N directions.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display unit that time-divisionally displays a plurality of view point images in N divisions, N being an integer equal to or more than 2;

a backlight that irradiates the display unit with image display light; and

a separation unit that separates M view point images displayed in the same time slot in the display unit, M being an integer equal to or more than 2;

wherein

the backlight controllably switches the exit direction of light time-divisionally in synch with the timing of time division display by the display unit, the backlight controllably switching the exit direction of light between N directions.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separation unit forms the M view point images in each of N observation areas.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the backlight controllably switches the exit direction of light between the N directions corresponding to the N observation areas.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a different view point image in each of the N divisions of time division display.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the display unit time-divisionally displays the plurality of view point images in two divisions,

the separation unit forms the M view point images in each of two observation areas,

a border between the two observation areas corresponds to the middle of the display unit, and

the backlight controllably switches the exit direction of light between two directions with respect to the border between the two observation areas.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the display unit time-divisionally displays the plurality of view point images in three or more divisions,

the separation unit forms the M view point images in each of three or more observation areas, and

the backlight controllably switches the exit direction of light between three or more directions with respect to both ends of each of the observation areas.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backlight includes

a light source,

an optical modulation device that has an opening through which light from the light source passes and a shield unit that shields the light and controllably switches the position of the opening between N different positions time-divisionally, and

a lenticular lens that focuses the light having passed through the opening.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backlight includes

a plurality of optical waveguides that are arranged so as to face each other, the optical waveguides having different exit directions of light from each other, and

a prism sheet that has a plurality of prisms formed therein and are arranged so as to face the plurality of optical waveguides,

wherein the exit direction of light is controllably switched by time-divisionally driving the plurality of optical waveguides.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of the prisms is an inverted prism having a first vertex facing the plurality of optical waveguides, each of the prisms having an inverted-triangle-shaped section, and the angles of a second vertex and a third vertex on the bottom of each of the inverted prisms are different from each other.