Head-mounted stereoscopic image display apparatus

• US 5,754,344 A
• Filed: 10/09/1996
• Issued: 05/19/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujiyama, Yasutomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US08/727,916
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 359/463, 359/472, 359/626, 359/619, 359/620, 359/630, 359/631
• US Class Current: 359/631
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0136 with a single image source for both eyes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

This invention relates to a head-mounted stereoscopic image display apparatus to be mounted on the head portion of an observer, including display means for displaying a stripe image formed by dividing right and left parallax images that constitute a stereoscopic image into stripe pixels, and alternately arranging the right and left stripe pixels in a predetermined order, an image separation optical system disposed in front of the display means and adapted to separate light beams outgoing from the right and left stripe pixels, and a concave mirror adapted to reflect the light beams from the image separation optical system so as to allow the observer to observe virtual images of the parallax images.

Claims

1. A head-mounted stereoscopic image display apparatus to be mounted on a head portion of an observer, comprising:

display means for displaying a stripe image formed by dividing right and left parallax images that constitute a stereoscopic image into stripe pixels, and alternately arranging the right and left stripe pixels in a predetermined order;

an image separation optical system disposed in front of said display means and adapted to separate light beams outgoing from the right and left stripe pixels; and

a concave mirror adapted to reflect the light beams from said image separation optical system so as to allow the observer to observe virtual images of the parallax images,

wherein said image separation optical system comprises a lenticular lens or a parallax barrier corresponding to the right and left stripe pixels, and further wherein said image separation optical system comprises a toric lens on the light beam outgoing side.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image separation optical system is disposed outside observation optical paths of the virtual images.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said concave mirror comprises a total reflection mirror.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said concave mirror comprises a semitransparent mirror.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a region, crossing observation optical paths of the virtual images, of said concave mirror comprises a total reflection mirror, and the remaining region comprises a semitransparent mirror or a transparent mirror.

6. A head-mounted stereoscopic image display apparatus to be mounted on a head portion of an observer, comprising:

display means for displaying a stripe image formed by dividing right and left parallax images that constitute a stereoscopic image into stripe pixels, and alternately arranging the right and left stripe pixels in a predetermined order;

an image separation optical system disposed in front of said display means and adapted to separate light beams outgoing from the right and left stripe pixels;

a concave mirror adapted to reflect the light beams from said image separation optical system so as to allow the observer to observe virtual images of the parallax images; and

two mirrors adapted to reflect the light beams from said image separation optical system to guide the light beams toward said concave mirror and disposed in a V shape, and angle adjustment means for adjusting directions of the two light beams to be reflected by said two mirrors.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said two mirrors comprise plane mirrors or concave mirrors.

8. A head-mounted stereoscopic image display apparatus to be mounted on a head portion of an observer, comprising:

display means for displaying a stripe image formed by dividing right and left parallax images that constitute a stereoscopic image into stripe pixels, and alternately arranging the right and left stripe pixels in a predetermined order;

an image separation optical system disposed in front of said display means and adapted to separate light beams outgoing from the right and left stripe pixels; and

a first reflection member adapted to reflect the light beams from said image separation optical system so as to allow the observer to observe virtual images of the parallax images,

wherein said image separation optical system comprises a lenticular lens or a parallax barrier corresponding to the right and left stripe pixels, and further wherein said image separation optical system comprises a toric lens on the light beam outgoing side.

9. A head-mounted stereoscopic image display apparatus to be mounted on a head portion of an observer, comprising:

display means for displaying a stripe image formed by dividing right and left parallax images that constitute a stereoscopic image into stripe pixels, and alternately arranging the right and left stripe pixels in a predetermined order;

an image separation optical system disposed in front of said display means and adapted to separate light beams outgoing from the right and left stripe pixels;

a first reflection member adapted to reflect the light beams from said image separation optical system so as to allow the observer to observe virtual images of the parallax images;

a second resection member having two mirrors adapted to reflect the light beams from said image separation optical system to guide the light beams toward said first reflection member and disposed in a V shape; and

angle adjustment means for adjusting directions of the two light beams to be reflected by said two mirrors of said second reflection member.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said first reflection member comprises a plane mirror, and said second reflection member comprises a concave mirror.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said first reflection member comprises a concave mirror, and said second reflection member comprises a plane mirror or a concave mirror.

12. A head-mounted stereoscopic image display apparatus to be mounted on a head portion of an observer, comprising:

display means for displaying stripe images formed as a single image by respectively dividing right and left parallax images that constitute a stereoscopic image into stripe images and alternatively arranging the right and left stripe images in a predetermined order;

a lenticular lens or a parallax barrier provided over a surface of said display means for dividing light beams from said single image by each of light beams outgoing from left and right stripe pixels; and

a concave mirror for reflecting each of said light beams divided by said lenticular lens or said parallax barrier and directing said each of them to each of left and right eyes, wherein virtual images of said parallax images are made to be observed by way of said concave mirror by said observer.