Image display device

• US 20010024326A1
• Filed: 03/15/2001
• Published: 09/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Susumu, Nakamura, Tomoyuki, Kobayashi, Hiroyoshi, Kubota, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,674,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/618
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/125 Details of the optical system between the polygonal mirror and the image plane G02B26/123, G02B26/127 take precedence; F-Theta lenses G02B13/0005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7441 the modulator being an array of liquid crystal cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3117 by using a sequential colour filter producing two or more colours simultaneously, e.g. by creating scrolling colour bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3138 using arrays of modulated light sources electroluminescent display devices G09G3/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

Three lines'"'"' worth of an image are displayed on a columnar display unit 11 comprising a plurality (for example, three) of one-dimensional display devices; this image light beam is made incident on perpendicular deflection means 14, and using the perpendicular deflection means 14, this image light beam is deflected and scanned at high speed in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the columnar display unit 11 to obtain a two-dimensional image. A plurality of one-dimensional display devices is used, so that compared with conventional devices in which only a single one-dimensional display device is used, even if the rewrite speed (scanning speed) per one-dimensional display device is slow, good image quality free of flicker can be obtained. By further extending this in a configuration using a plurality of columnar display units, a single image can be divided into a plurality of images and displayed in a row on a screen. In order to prevent seams in this juxtaposed display of a plurality of images from being conspicuous, when overlapping parts are provided in the scanned range of the plurality of images, a correction image capture member 47, correction computation member 48, and correction processing member 49 can be used to correct the brightness of the overlapping parts, enabling display of a single high-resolution, large-screen image.

Claims

1. An image display device for displaying images on a screen, comprising:

a columnar display unit, comprising a plurality of means, arranged in parallel, which emit one-dimensional images;

a control member which applies image signals to said columnar display unit;

a perpendicular deflection means, which deflects light emitted from said columnar display unit in directions perpendicular to the column direction, and scans said screen; and

an image-forming optical system which forms an image, from said perpendicular deflection means, on said screen, according to the change in the distance from said columnar display unit to said screen.

2. The image display device according to

claim 1

, wherein

said columnar display unit comprises columnar display subunits, each comprising a plurality of means, arranged in parallel, which emit one-dimensional images, there being a subunit for each color and there being a number of subunits to represent a plurality of colors;

and

said control member applies image signals appropriate to said columnar display subunit for each individual color.

3. The image display device according to

claim 1

, wherein

said columnar display unit modulates irradiated light, and said image display device further comprises a light source which irradiates said columnar display unit.

4. The image display device according to

claim 2

, wherein

said columnar display unit modulates irradiated light, and said image display device further comprises:

a light source, comprising a plurality of color components, and which irradiates said columnar display unit;

a color separation means which separates light emitted from said light source into each color component, for incidence on each respective columnar display subunit corresponding to each color component; and

optical combination means which combines light, of a plurality of colors and passed through the columnar display subunit corresponding to each color component, for incidence on said perpendicular deflection means.

5. The image display device according to

claim 1

, wherein

said columnar display unit comprises a plurality of one-dimensional emissive arrays, which correspond to a plurality of colors, arranged in parallel.

6. The image display device according to

claim 2

, wherein

said columnar display subunit comprises a plurality of one-dimensional emissive arrays, arranged in parallel.

7. The image display device according to

claim 1

, wherein

one part of said image-forming optical system is movable in order to adjust the focal point according to the deflection angle of said perpendicular deflection means.

8. The image display device according to

claim 7

, wherein

said image-forming optical system has a telecentric converter lens and movable mirror, the movable mirror being positioned at an intermediate image plane and movable in the depth direction.

9. The image display device according to

claim 1

, wherein

said means, which emits one-dimensional images, has a reflection-type element and an optical element to guide irradiated light to this reflection-type element from the light source.

10. The image display device according to

claim 1

, wherein

said means, which emits one-dimensional images, is a transmissive liquid crystal display element.

11. An image display device for displaying images on a screen, comprising:

a plurality of columnar display units, in which a plurality of means, which emit one-dimensional color images, are arranged in parallel to form one columnar display unit;

a control member which applies image signals to each of said columnar display units;

at least one perpendicular deflection means which deflects light emitted from each of said columnar display units in directions perpendicular to the column direction, and which scans said screen; and

a plurality of image-forming optical systems which form an image, from said perpendicular deflection means, on said screen, according to the change in the distance from each of said columnar display units to said screen.

12. The image display device according to

claim 11

, wherein

said columnar display unit comprises columnar display subunits, each comprising a plurality of means, arranged in parallel, which emit one-dimensional images, there being a subunit for each color and there being a number of subunits to represent a plurality of colors;

and

said control member applies image signals appropriate to each of said columnar display subunits for each color.

13. The image display device according to

claim 12

, wherein

said columnar display unit modulates irradiated light, and said image display device further comprises:

a light source, comprising a plurality of color components, and which irradiates said columnar display unit;

a color separation means which separates light emitted from said light source into each color component, for incidence on each respective columnar display subunit corresponding to each color component; and

optical combination means which combines light, of a plurality of colors and passed through the columnar display subunit corresponding to each color component, for incidence on said perpendicular deflection means.

14. The image display device according to

claim 11

, further comprising:

correction image capture means, which captures the image displayed on said screen;

correction computation means, which computes correction amounts from image data captured by said correction image capture means; and

correction processing means, which performs correction of image signals based on correction amounts from said correction computation means.

15. The image display device according to

claim 14

, wherein

a plurality of images are projected on said screen to display a single image.

16. The image display device according to

claim 15

, wherein

the plurality of images projected on said screen overlap in the areas that are mutually adjacent.

17. The image display device according to

claim 14

, further comprising:

a mirror, provided between said perpendicular deflection means and said screen, and which reflects light, deflected by said perpendicular deflection means, once before the light reaches the screen, to scan the screen.

18. The image display device according to

claim 14

, further comprising:

means for changing the deflection velocity of said perpendicular deflection means according to the display position, based on said computed correction amounts.

19. The image display device according to

claim 14

, further comprising:

means for performing modulation of brightness of said light source according to the timing of the display position deflection, based on said computed correction amounts.

20. The image display device according to

claim 11

, wherein

said means, which emits one-dimensional images, has a reflection-type element and an optical element to guide irradiated light to this reflection-type element from the light source.

21. The image display device according to

claim 11

, wherein

said means, which emits one-dimensional images, is a transmissive liquid crystal display element.