Personal liquid crystal image display

• US 4,636,866 A
• Filed: 12/22/1983
• Issued: 01/13/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Epson Company Limited (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hattori, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Application Number:
  US06/564,521
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 358/236, 358/237, 358/83, 358/103, 358/104, 358/105, 358/230, 358/254, 358/88, 358/60, 358/89, 358/231, 358/91, 358/92, 358/250, 358/225, 340/784, 340/705
• US Class Current: 348/794
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers

Abstract

A personal liquid crystal image display includes a housing to be worn on a user'"'"'s head, a light-transmission-type liquid crystal display panel for displaying video signals and a lens positioned between the display panel and a user'"'"'s eye to enlarge the image. The housing may include earphones. The display and earphones are coupled to a tuner for receiving signal and driving the display and earphones. A portion of the drive circuit for driving the display may be disposed in the housing.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal image display device to be worn on a user'"'"'s head, comprising:

holding means for holding elements of the display adapted to surround the eyes of the user and be worn on the user'"'"'s head and formed with at least one opening to permit incident light to enter the holding means in the region in front of the user'"'"'s eyes;

at least one light-transmission-type liquid crystal display panel disposed in the holding member along the line of sight of said at least one opening for displaying an image;

lens means disposed in the holding means along the line of sight between said liquid crystal display panel and the user'"'"'s eyes for enlarging the size of said image displayed on the display panel; and

signal means coupled to the display panel for generating liquid crystal drive signals for driving said liquid crystal display panel, said display panel being positioned a distance from the lens means which is within the focal length of said lens means.

2. The ersonal liquid crystal image display, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one display panel includes two light-transmission-type liquid crystal display panels disposed side-by-side in the opening of the holding means, each display panel disposed along the line of sight of and associated with one of the user'"'"'s eyes, said lens means including an associated lens means for each display panel disposed in the holding means between the associated panel and eye.

3. The personal liquid crystal image display, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening on said holding means further comprises a light collecting window on the side of said display panel opposite from said lens means for admitting light to be transmitted through said display panel.

4. The personal liquid crystal image display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal means includes driver circuit means for driving said display panel.

5. The personal liquid crystal image display, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said driver circuit means includes a circuit which is at least partly mounted in said holding means.

6. The personal liquid crystal image display as claimed in claim 1, further including a prism and a reflecting mirror mounted in said holding means between said lens means and the user'"'"'s eye for directing light transmitted through said display to the user'"'"'s eye.

7. The personal liquid crystal image display as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lens means is a plastic lens.

8. The personal liquid crystal image display of claim 1, wherein said signal means includes at least video signal receiving means.

9. The personal liquid crystal image display of claim 1, wherein the signal means includes video and audio signal receiving means.

10. The personal liquid crystal image display of claim 9, wherein the holding means further includes earphones disposed adjacent to the user'"'"'s ears to receive signals generated by said video and audio signal receiving means.

11. The personal liquid crystal image display as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said signal means is disposed in said holding means.

12. A personal liquid crystal image display to be worn on a user'"'"'s head, comprising:

holding means for holding elements of the display device adapted to surround the eyes of the user and to be worn on the user'"'"'s head and formed with at least one opening to permit incident light to enter the holding means in the region in front of the user'"'"'s eyes;

output circuit means for generating video and audio signals;

at least one light-transmission-type liquid crystal display panel disposed in the holding member along the line of sight of the opening and coupled to the output circuit means to receive the video signals, said display panel displaying an image;

lens means disposed along the line of sight between said liquid crystal display panel and the user'"'"'s eyes, said liquid crystal display panel being located within the focal length of said lens means; and

at least one earphone for producing sound in response to the audio signals generated by said output circuit means.

13. A personal liquid crystal image display to be worn on the user'"'"'s head, comprising:

holding means for holding elements of the display device adapted to surround the eyes of the user and to be worn on the user'"'"'s head and formed with at least one opening to permit incident light to enter the holding member in the region in front of the user'"'"'s eyes;

at least one light-transmission-type liquid crystal display panel disposed in the opening in the holding member, said display panel displaying an image;

television tuner receiving means coupled to said holding means and said display panel, for receiving video and audio television signals, said video television signals being adapted for driving the liquid crystal display panel; and

lens means disposed along the line of sight between said liquid crystal display panel and the user'"'"'s eyes, said liquid crystal display means being located within the focal length of said lens means.

14. The personal liquid crystal image display of claim 13, wherein the holding means further includes earphones disposed adjacent to the user'"'"'s ears to receive signals generated by said video and audio signal receiving means.

15. The personal liquid crystal image display of claim 13, wherein the television tuner receiving means is separate from the holding means.

16. A liquid crystal image display device to be worn on a user'"'"'s head, comprising:

holding means for holding elements of the display device adapted to surround the eyes of the user and be worn on the user'"'"'s head and formed with at least one opening to permit incident light to enter the holding means in the region in front of the user'"'"'s eyes;

at least one light transmission type liquid crystal display panel disposed in the holding means along the line of sight of the opening for displaying an image;

lens means disposed in the holding means along the line of sight between said liquid crystal display panel and the user'"'"'s eyes for enlarging the size of the image displayed on the display panel, said display panel being positioned a distance from said lens means which is within the focal length of said lens;

signal means coupled to the display panel for generating liquid crystal drive signals for driving said liquid crystal display panel including right and left images of a three-dimensional display;

prism means and reflecting means mounted in said holding means between said lens means and the user'"'"'s eyes for directing light transmitted through said display panel to the user'"'"'s eyes; and

shutter means disposed proximate to said prism means for selectively gating the images transmitted to the user'"'"'s left and right eyes, synchronized with the right and left images, so that when right and left images are alternately displayed on said liquid crystal display panel a three-dimensional image display is achieved with the use of one liquid crystal display panel.