JPH09304738A - 3D image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A diffraction grating pattern used in a conventional stereoscopic image display device is composed of a group of curves in order to smooth an image. Such a diffraction grating pattern is complicated in manufacturing, and a composite image of a plurality of parallax images also has horizontal and vertical jumps, which causes a stereoscopic image jump. According to the present invention, a pattern of a diffraction grating is formed into a simple linear shape (quadrangle), and a composite image is created so that a jump does not occur at least in the horizontal direction on the composite image.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device for displaying a stereoscopic image, and more particularly to a stereoscopic image display device using a diffraction grating.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 14 shows a conventional stereoscopic image display device described in "Stereoscopic image display system using grating" described in a collection of three-dimensional image conference '95. Further, FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a diffraction grating used in the stereoscopic image display device of FIG. In the figure, 101 is an image, 102 is a computer, and 103.
Is a video recorder, 104 is a liquid crystal driving device, and 105 is a liquid crystal display provided with a diffraction grating. Also, 1
Reference numeral 06 is a light source, 107 is a viewpoint position, 108 is a diffraction grating cell, and 109 is a liquid crystal surface.

Next, the operation will be described. Four parallax images 101 (A1, A2, A
3, A4) is combined by the computer 102 and stored in the video recorder 103. Based on the signal from the video recorder 103, the drive device 104 drives the liquid crystal display 105 to display a combined image. The light emitted from the light source 106 passes through each pixel on the liquid crystal surface 109 whose liquid crystal transmittance is controlled as an image, and the light is polarized by the diffraction grating cell 105 and is formed as a stereoscopic image at the viewpoint position 107. To be done. That is, the diffraction grating cell 108 is arranged at a position corresponding to the pixel cell on the liquid crystal surface 109, and the parallax image is polarized to an independent position at the viewpoint position of 107. Therefore, at the viewpoint position, a stereo image can be seen and stereoscopic viewing is possible.

Display of a stereoscopic image using such a cell in which minute diffraction gratings are assembled is realized by displaying parallax images corresponding to different directions in different directions. That is, the parallax image observed from the left is displayed on the left side, the parallax image observed from the center is displayed on the center side, the parallax image observed from the right is displayed on the right side, and stereoscopic viewing is possible by observing different images on the left and right eyes. I have to.

In a stereoscopic image display device, as a diffraction grating for obtaining a continuous image, a diffraction grating having a pattern of curved lines is disclosed in JP-A-5-2148 and JP-A-6-82612. It is described in Kaihei 6-281804.

[0006]

Since the conventional stereoscopic image display device is configured as described above, it is necessary to prepare and display a large number of parallax images in order to perform natural stereoscopic vision. Therefore, when parallax images are formed, a missing portion occurs in each row or column (horizontal or vertical direction) of the array when a composite image is formed, and the resolution is insufficient to obtain a smooth stereoscopic image. On the other hand, a diffraction grating having a pattern of curved lines is used to smooth an image, but the grating pattern becomes complicated and the manufacturing of the grating pattern becomes complicated. This diffraction grating is manufactured, for example, by exposing Cr on a glass substrate to a desired pattern with an electron beam or the like. However, if the grating pattern is complicated or if the screen size becomes large, data indicating the irradiation position of the beam will be displayed. Becomes huge and requires a large memory.

Further, when stereoscopic display is performed using an existing display having RGB color pixels, it is necessary to manufacture a diffraction grating for each RGB in order to colorize a stereoscopic image. There has been a problem that a great amount of labor is required to perform alignment on RGB cells.

Since the conventional stereoscopic display device using the diffraction grating as described above uses a display device such as a liquid crystal for displaying an image, it is difficult to increase the size to obtain a realistic sensation.

The conventional stereoscopic image display apparatus using a diffraction grating has a problem that it is difficult to obtain a sense of reality because the area for displaying an image is narrow with respect to the viewing angle.

Further, in the conventional stereoscopic display device, it is necessary to express in advance an image in which a plurality of parallax images are combined on the diffraction grating, and there is a concern that the resolution may be lowered when the combined image is created.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and a specific composite image is formed from a parallax image composed of a plurality of pixels, which is simply composed of a plurality of quadrangles having parallel straight line groups. By using a diffraction grating with a different structure, the parallax image and the pair of grating cells for polarizing the parallax image to the viewpoint region are vertically distributed so that the periodic horizontal pixel rows of each parallax image are not lost. The present invention realizes a three-dimensional image display device which can be arranged at the same position to obtain a continuous (smooth) three-dimensional image without skipping. Also,
By using a diffraction grating coated with a phosphor, a color stereoscopic image can be easily obtained. Further, by adding an optical system, arranging the display surface of the composite image in an arc shape, or arranging a plurality of devices, it is possible to improve the realism. In addition, the configuration is such that a stereoscopic image is obtained by polarizing the laser light that is scanned in accordance with the image information, thereby achieving a large screen. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain a high-resolution stereoscopic image display device that does not need to create a composite image of a plurality of parallax images in advance.

[0012]

A stereoscopic image display device according to claim 1 of the present invention forms a composite image in which pixels constituting each image of a plurality of parallax images are sequentially displaced in the vertical direction. Display means and a plurality of rectangular diffraction gratings each having a pattern of parallel straight lines arranged so as to correspond to the pixels of the combined image displayed on the means for forming and displaying the combined image, and the combined image is polarized. A three-dimensional image display device including a diffraction grating cell for processing, wherein pixels of images of the same type among images polarized by the diffraction grating cell are sequentially arranged in a horizontal viewpoint region of a predetermined size. It is polarized and displayed to obtain a stereoscopic image.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the stereoscopic image display device according to the first aspect, an optical system having an enlarging or reducing function is arranged between the means for forming and displaying a composite image and the diffraction grating cell. It is a thing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the first aspect, the means for forming and displaying the synthetic image is synthesized by irradiating the phosphor screen coated with the phosphor with an electron beam. A means for displaying an image, wherein the phosphor screen has a structure in which a phosphor is coated on one surface of a diffraction grating cell, and polarizes light generated by irradiating the phosphor with an electron beam. is there.

A stereoscopic image display device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes means for storing and signal-processing information of a plurality of parallax images each composed of a plurality of pixels, and a signal from the signal-processing means. And means for displaying a plurality of parallax images in time series, and means for processing the diffraction grating pattern that sequentially polarizes each of the displayed images in a horizontal direction viewpoint area of a predetermined size. And a liquid crystal cell which is generated based on the signal from.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic image display device, which stores information of a plurality of parallax images each of which is composed of a plurality of pixels and performs signal processing, and stores information of the parallax image and performs signal processing. A laser oscillator driven by a signal emitted from the means, and a mirror driven by a signal emitted from the signal processing means for storing the information of the parallax image and scanning the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator. , A diffraction grating that polarizes the irradiated laser light, and the pixels of the plurality of parallax images are sequentially shifted in the vertical direction by the means that stores information of the parallax image and performs signal processing, and is arranged on the diffraction grating. And irradiate the diffraction grating with the laser light so that the pixels of the images of the same type among the images polarized by the diffraction grating cells have a horizontal viewpoint region of a predetermined size. Displays are sequentially polarized, thereby obtaining a stereoscopic image.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the stereoscopic image display device according to any one of the first, second, fourth, and fifth aspects, it is specified that at least the diffraction grating has an arc shape surrounding the viewpoint region. To do.

The stereoscopic image display device according to claim 7 of the present invention defines that a plurality of stereoscopic image display devices according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are arranged.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In (a) in the figure,
The parallax image 91 is obtained by photographing the target object 90 that is the target of stereoscopic display using the plurality of television cameras 5. In the obtained parallax image 91, the pixels of the respective parallax images are combined by the image combining device 4. A composite image is displayed on a display device 1 such as a CRT based on the information of the image composition device 4, and the image is polarized through a projection lens 2 by a diffraction grating 3 in which a desired pattern is formed, and a viewpoint of an observer. A stereoscopic image is obtained in the parallax region 8 corresponding to the position 9. In the figure, (b) shows the grating pattern of the diffraction grating 3, and one grating cell 3a is composed of a group of parallel straight lines.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a composite image of a plurality of parallax images according to the present embodiment and a stereoscopic image in the parallax region 8 when it is polarized by a diffraction grating. In the figure, (a) is an example in which the pixels of the four parallax images 91A, 91B, 91C, and 91D are arranged one by one in the vertical direction, and in the figure (b), the parallax images 91A, 91B, 91C, The individual gratings are composed of groups of parallel straight lines so that 91D is polarized to A, B, C, and D in the specific parallax region 8 respectively, and through the diffraction grating having a specific size and angle (shape). It is the obtained three-dimensional image.

Next, the operation will be described. In this embodiment, a stereoscopic display device using four parallax images will be described. Images from four different positions are taken using four TV cameras 5. These four images are parallax images. The position of the TV camera is set so that stereoscopic images can be perceived from a stereoscopic view if these images enter the left and right eyes separately. Four parallax images 91A, 91B, 9
The images 1C and 91D are combined by the image combining device 4. This composite image is the parallax images 91A, 91B, as shown in FIG.
The pixels 91C and 91D are arranged periodically, but they are combined so as to be arranged one by one in the vertical direction. Although the plurality of parallax images are evenly scattered, no significant loss of images occurs in any of the parallax images in the horizontal direction.
Even if the number of images to be combined increases, the parallax images are evenly scattered, so that locally large images are not lost, and a smooth image can be obtained when stereoscopically viewed.

Next, the magnification of the composite image is adjusted by the lens 2 and an image is formed on the lattice plane 3. The lattice plane 3 having the lattice cells corresponding to the pixels of the image polarizes the light to the position of the viewpoint region 8. At this time, the composite image arranged as described above is used to polarize as shown in FIG. That is, as a diffraction grating that polarizes, a diffraction grating in which square diffraction gratings having a diffraction grating pattern composed of parallel straight line groups are arranged in a matrix without using a diffraction grating pattern composed of a plurality of curved line groups as in the past Even if the cell is used, a stereoscopic image that does not give the observer a feeling of strangeness can be obtained. (A) in the figure
A, B, C, and D pixels of
This is an example in which polarization is performed as if condensed into B, C, and D, and the stereoscopic image formed by polarization in this manner can also suppress vertical component skipping. If the vertical gap is small, stereoscopic viewing can be performed without a sense of discomfort. It suffices to optimize the diffraction grating pattern so that the intervals are such that there is no discomfort.

In the above embodiment, the case of four parallax images has been described, but the larger the number of combined screens, the smoother the stereoscopic image. Further, the image synthesizing device may memorize all the images and synthesize them in real time, or may synthesize them in advance by a computer and output them.

As described above, even if the diffraction grating having a simple pattern is used, even if the number of parallax images increases, each parallax image is uniformly distributed on the composite image. Therefore, an image with no discomfort can be obtained, and a smooth image can be observed. Further, since the diffraction grating having a simple pattern composed of parallel straight lines is used, the amount of data when the grating pattern is manufactured by the electron beam exposure method can be reduced, which facilitates the manufacturing.

Embodiment 2 Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows another example of the composite image used in the first embodiment. In the figure, (a) shows parallax images 91A, 91B, 91C, 91D which are horizontally divided into strips, which are sequentially arranged in the horizontal direction. (B) is used in the first embodiment. It is an example of another three-dimensional image.

Next, the operation of polarizing the composite image (a) by the diffraction grating to form a stereoscopic image (b) will be described. The strip-shaped pixels of the parallax images 91A, 91B, 91C, and 91D are polarized as if condensed into A, B, C, and D in the parallax region 8, respectively. At this time, the stereoscopic image has vertical component jumps d with respect to the respective base parallax images. But,
If the vertical gap is small, stereoscopic viewing can be performed without a sense of discomfort. It suffices to optimize the diffraction grating pattern so that the intervals are such that there is no discomfort. As described above, the image is not missing in a certain cycle in the horizontal direction, but pixels are missing in the vertical direction when viewed from the original image, that is, the parallax in the vertical direction is larger than that in the horizontal direction. The pixels of the image are scattered. Generally, the human eye is more sensitive in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction, and feels uncomfortable and cheap. That is, when the image is skipped in the horizontal direction as compared with the vertical direction, a feeling of strangeness occurs. On the other hand, the vertical direction is more forgiving than the horizontal direction. A three-dimensional image becomes a smoother and more vivid image as the number of types of parallax images is larger, and as in the present invention, even if there are vertical pixel skips, the image quality is not significantly affected.

In the above embodiment, an example of polarization from the composite image (a) to the stereoscopic image (b) in FIG. 3 is shown, but the composite image in FIG. 2 (a) to FIG. 3 (b). The polarized light may be a three-dimensional image. An example of polarized light at that time is as follows.
As shown in the figure, the pixel of (a) in FIG.
2, 3, 4, ..., Vertical direction is a, b, c, d, e ...
・ And give the address. For example, 1d, 2c, 3b, 5
Each pixel corresponding to the parallax image D of d, 6c ... Is polarized to the parallax region of D in the column a. Similarly, 1c, 2b, 4d,
Each pixel corresponding to the parallax image C of 5c ... Is polarized into the parallax region of C in the column a. When the light is polarized in such a manner that it is sequentially shifted in the vertical direction, the stereoscopic image shown in FIG. 3B is obtained.

Similarly, the polarized light from the synthetic image (a) in FIG. 3 to the stereoscopic image in (b) in FIG. 2 may be used.

Further, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the example using the diffraction grating formed by the electron beam exposure method as in the prior art is shown, but the diffraction grating can be formed by using a liquid crystal panel. In this case, the diffraction grating may be formed and driven so that when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal panel, a grating pattern similar to that used in the above embodiment appears.

Embodiment 3 Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 shows another example of the composite image used in the first and second embodiments.
As shown in FIG. 4, the grid pattern may be in the shape of a strip of pixels, and in this case, a horizontal gap occurs, but by reducing the gap between the gaps, it is possible to achieve stereoscopic viewing without discomfort. In addition, this pattern simplifies the polarization of the image in the diffraction grating, so that the memory required for producing the grating pattern with an electron beam can be reduced.

Embodiment 4 FIG. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 shows a part of an image display device similar to that of the first embodiment, in which an optical system for image enlargement / reduction is added as a configuration. In the figure, a Fresnel lens 1 is provided between the diffraction grating 3 and the lens 2.
1 is arranged. The pattern 12 of the diffraction grating 3 at this time has a strip shape as shown in FIG. By arranging the Fresnel lens 11 in front of the grating surface, the light can be made parallel to the axis. Therefore, if the screen is polarized only in the horizontal direction, unlike the above-described lattice patterns of FIGS. 1 and 2, the lattice pattern becomes constant in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. It is possible to further reduce the memory when manufacturing the lattice pattern.

In the first to fourth embodiments, R
By forming a composite image and a diffraction grating pattern corresponding to three pixels of GB as one group, a stereoscopic image can be displayed in color.

Embodiment 5 FIG. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 shows a composite image display unit used in the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation. The configuration of the other stereoscopic image display device is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the diffraction grating 3 of the first embodiment is incorporated in a part of the CRT. In the figure, the electrons 25 emitted from the electron gun 22 collide with the surface of the diffraction grating 21 on which a shadow mask is formed and which is coated with a phosphor, and emit light. The light is extracted to the outside through glass 24 having a thickness capable of maintaining the CRT in a vacuum. If the information of the parallax image is output to the CRT, a color stereoscopic image will be displayed on the screen.

Next, the operation will be described. Electron gun 22
The electron beam 25 emitted from is cut by a shadow mask and collides with RGB phosphors on the lattice plane to emit light. The diffraction grating is formed with a grating pattern that allows the light entering the grating surface to be polarized into a predetermined area according to the same principle as that of FIG. 1 described above with respect to the wavelength of each phosphor. Therefore, as shown in the first embodiment described above, the pixel (RGB pixel) has a diffraction grating cell distribution, and the CR has a grating surface coated with a phosphor.
By replacing the fluorescent substance of T and the glass surface, a three-dimensional image can be colored. Further, adjacent lights do not enter the grid pattern corresponding to RGB. That is, since light having a wavelength other than the incident wavelength used at the time of design does not enter each lattice cell, a color image with less noise can be obtained. Further, in this system, like the CRT, it is possible to perform digital control so that the electron beam is directly applied to the phosphor and emitted by the deflecting electromagnet, so that only the target color can be emitted, and RGB emission is erroneously generated. It is possible to obtain an image without color bleeding. Further, since all the light generated by direct irradiation of the phosphor with the electron beam can be made incident on the lattice plane, a brighter image than in the conventional case can be obtained in the viewpoint region.

In the above-described embodiment, it is possible to display a color stereoscopic image having a higher brightness than the conventional one and less RGB bleeding.

Sixth Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention. In the figure, a laser oscillator 30 and a laser beam 37 emitted from the laser oscillator 30 are driven by a mirror driving device 35 in synchronization with a signal output from an image signal generating device 36 such as a VTR which stores parallax image information. The polygon mirror 31 and the galvano mirror 32 are used to scan in the horizontal and vertical directions. The scanned laser beam 37 is polarized by the diffraction grating 33, and a stereoscopic image is displayed in the viewpoint area.

Next, the operation will be described. Laser light 37 is emitted from the laser oscillator 30 in synchronization with the signal output from the image signal generator 36. At the same time, the polygon mirror 31 is moved horizontally by the mirror driving device 35.
The galvano mirror 32 vertically diffracts the laser light into the diffraction grating 3
Scan on 3 sides. The signal output from the image signal generation device is information obtained by combining a plurality of parallax images in advance. That is, the integrated image display surface 1 and the diffraction grating 3 of the first embodiment described above are equivalent to the diffraction grating 33 of the present embodiment, and an electron gun included in a CRT as a combined image display device is provided. It corresponds to the laser oscillator 30. Diffraction grating 33
The light polarized through is viewed as a stereoscopic image in the viewing area 34.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to cope with a large screen by adjusting the mirror and the optical system around it. Further, the magnification may be changed by using the lens 2 of the first embodiment and passing the laser light irradiated to the diffraction grating 33 of the present embodiment through the lens. Furthermore, an example in which only one laser is used has been shown, but an optical system in which the beam diameter is reduced by using a plurality of lasers may be used. Further, a plurality of lasers corresponding to RGB colors may be used, or a single dye laser or one or more wavelength tunable lasers may be used. As a result, a color stereoscopic image can be obtained.

Although the diffraction angle becomes smaller as the pitch of the diffraction grating becomes larger, in the present embodiment, a large screen can be prepared by increasing the reflection angle of the laser light at the polygon mirror 31, so that a large screen can be prepared. By doing so, the distance from the screen to the viewpoint position can be made sufficiently large. The grating pitch of the diffraction grating 33 can be increased, and the diffraction grating can be printed by a laser printer or the like regardless of the electron beam or X-ray exposure method, and a large number of grating patterns can be manufactured at low cost. It will be possible.

Embodiment 7 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 shows a part of the configuration of the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention. In the figure, a diffraction grating 41 is arranged in front of the composite image display device 40, and a stereoscopic image is observed in a viewpoint region 42. In the present embodiment, these composite image display devices 40
Has a large screen and has an arc shape, and the diffraction grating also has an arc shape corresponding to the display surface, but the image synthesizing device and the like shown in the first embodiment is omitted. .
In the present embodiment, the first to fourth and sixth embodiments described above are used.
Any of the three-dimensional image display devices of the above-described composite image display device and diffraction grating may be used. In the case of the fifth embodiment using laser light, only the diffraction grating is required.

Next, the operation will be described. The composite image displayed on the arc-shaped large-screen composite image display device 40 is polarized by the arc-shaped diffraction grating 41, and a stereoscopic image is displayed in the viewpoint region. At this time, since the arc-shaped large screen is arranged so as to surround the observer's viewpoint position, a large viewing angle can be obtained from the viewpoint position. Therefore, the observer has an increased sense of realism peculiar to a stereoscopic image.

Embodiment 8 FIG. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 shows a part of the configuration of the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention. In the figure,
A plurality of composite image display devices 40 that display an image combined by an image combining device (not shown) from parallax image information are installed, and are arranged so as to surround the viewpoint region. Each composite image display device 40 is provided with the divided image information from the image composition device so that a plurality of composite image display devices 40 can display one composite image. Further, an arc-shaped diffraction grating 41 is arranged in front of the plurality of composite image display devices 40, and all the plurality of composite image display devices are imaged in the same viewpoint region 42. In the present embodiment, the composite image display device and the diffraction grating of the stereoscopic image display device according to any one of the first to fourth and sixth embodiments may be used. In the case of the fifth embodiment using laser light, only the diffraction grating is required.

Next, the operation will be described. The composite image of the image composite display device 40 that displays each of the divided composite images is polarized by the diffraction grating 41 disposed in front of each of the image composite display device 40, and a stereoscopic image is displayed in the viewpoint region 42. The image on the surface of the diffraction grating 41 is a collection of images from a plurality of composite image display devices, but when the diffraction grating surface is observed from the viewpoint position, only one display surface is visible. At this time, in order to obtain a high sense of realism, it is necessary to increase the viewing angle, but since the screens of a plurality of image display devices are arranged so as to surround the observer's viewpoint position, a large field of view from the viewpoint position. The corner is obtained. Therefore, the observer has an increased sense of realism peculiar to a stereoscopic image.

Embodiment 9 Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 shows the seventh embodiment.
Although one diffraction grating is used in the above, the diffraction grating may be arranged in front of each image display device 40. Although the diffraction gratings are connected to each other as compared with the above-described embodiment, the device configurations used in the above-described first to fourth and sixth embodiments can be used as they are, and only divided image information can be generated at the time of image combination. Good. In the case of the fifth embodiment using laser light, only the diffraction grating is required. Also in the present embodiment, since a plurality of composite image display devices are arranged so as to surround the observer's viewpoint position, a large viewing angle is obtained from the viewpoint position, and the observer's sense of presence is increased.

Embodiment 10 FIG. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 12 shows the configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a parallax image is obtained by photographing a target object 90 that is a target of stereoscopic display using a plurality of television cameras 5. The obtained parallax images are stored in the signal generation unit 57, and the parallax images are sequentially displayed on the display device 50 such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display based on the information from the signal generation unit 57. A diffraction grating 51 is arranged in front of the display device 50 via a projection lens. There are a plurality of diffraction gratings 51 (51A, 51B, 51C, 51D in FIG. 13) and they are sandwiched between transparent substrates. The liquid crystal cells are formed in a matrix corresponding to the pixels of the display device 50. In synchronization with the information transmitted from the signal generator 57 to the display device 50, each cell of the diffraction grating 51 composed of a liquid crystal cell is driven by the drive device 56 and diffracted in synchronization with the parallax image of the display device 50. Form a grid pattern. Due to the image polarized by the diffraction grating 51, a stereoscopic image is obtained in the parallax region 55 corresponding to the viewpoint position 9 of the observer. Also, FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between a polarized image of the display device 50 and a diffraction grating 51 including a liquid crystal cell corresponding to the display device 50.

Next, the operation will be described. Display device 5
First, the parallax image A is displayed based on the information from the signal generator 57. In synchronization with this, a diffraction grating pattern 51A for polarizing the parallax image A is formed on the liquid crystal surface of the diffraction grating 51 in front of the display device 50 by the driving device 56. When parallax images are sequentially displayed in the order of B → C → D → A → ..., in synchronization with the parallax images, diffraction grating patterns 51B → 51C → 51D → 51A are formed on a plurality of liquid crystal surfaces.
→ ... is formed. With this diffraction grating pattern, in the parallax region 55, a stereoscopic image is obtained by polarizing each image to the ABCD region.

Next, driving of the liquid crystal surface will be described. A lattice pattern is formed so that when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal surfaces arranged in a matrix, the individual liquid crystal cells perform desired polarization corresponding to the pixels of the parallax image. When the voltage is turned on by the information from the signal generator 57, the liquid crystal transmits the light, and when the voltage is turned off, the liquid crystal blocks the light. Since the liquid crystal surface forming this diffraction grating is formed of a transparent substrate, only the one whose voltage is turned on forms a grating pattern, and the other liquid crystal surface transmits light. That is, only the ON-OFF control of the diffraction grating set so that the grating pattern corresponding to the specific parallax image is formed during driving is sufficient. When the image A is displayed on the display, a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal surface 51A in synchronization with the image A, and a diffraction grating pattern appears. As a result, the image A on the display is polarized in the viewing area A. In this case, the other liquid crystal surfaces 51B, 5
No voltage is applied to 1C and 51D, and the light as an image is set to pass as it is. Similarly, the images B, C, and D are sequentially displayed on the display.
Is displayed in synchronization with the liquid crystal surfaces 51B, 51C, 51
A diffraction grating pattern appears in D, B in the viewpoint region 55,
It is polarized to C and D. As a result, parallax images can be obtained by placing one's eyes in the viewpoint region, and stereoscopic viewing can be performed. The liquid crystal may be opaque when the voltage is ON, depending on the material used and the transmission filter used in combination.

In the above embodiment, since the diffraction grating pattern only needs to polarize the image in the horizontal direction, the diffraction grating pattern may be a simple straight line pattern which is constant in the vertical direction.

Further, a plurality of stereoscopic image display devices having the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment can be applied to the seventh to ninth embodiments to increase the sense of presence.

As described in the above embodiments, in the present invention, a lattice pattern is formed on the liquid crystal surface after the display, parallax images are displayed on the display in time series, and the liquid crystal is controlled in synchronization with the parallax image. Since the diffraction grating pattern can be made to appear or disappear, the composite image is not displayed on the display, so that the stereoscopic image can be displayed without lowering the resolution. Further, the diffraction grating pattern is also a simple pattern, which facilitates manufacturing.

[0051]

As described above, according to the three-dimensional image display device of the first aspect of the present invention, the pixels forming the respective images of the plurality of parallax images are sequentially displaced in the vertical direction. A plurality of rectangular diffraction gratings each having a pattern of parallel straight lines are arranged so as to correspond to the means for forming and displaying an image and the pixels of the composite image displayed on the means for forming and displaying the composite image, and the composite A stereoscopic device including a diffraction grating cell for polarization processing of an image, wherein pixels of images of the same type among the images polarized by the diffraction grating cell have a horizontal viewpoint region of a predetermined size. Since it is sequentially polarized and displayed, a stereoscopic image without jumps can be obtained,
This makes it possible to obtain a high-quality stereoscopic image display device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic image display device according to the first aspect, further comprising an optical system having an enlarging or reducing function between the means for forming and displaying a composite image and the diffraction grating cell. Since they are arranged, the light incident on the diffraction grating can be collimated, and the grating pattern can be simplified.

According to the three-dimensional image display device of the third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the means for forming and displaying the composite image is such that the phosphor screen coated with the phosphor is irradiated with the electron beam. , Means for displaying a composite image,
Since the phosphor screen has a structure in which a phosphor is coated on one surface of the diffraction grating cell and polarized the light generated when the phosphor was irradiated with an electron beam, a bright color image with high brightness and RGB. Can be obtained.

According to the stereoscopic image display device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, means for storing and signal-processing information of a plurality of parallax images each composed of a plurality of pixels, and a signal from the signal-processing means. Based on the above, the signal processing means for displaying a plurality of parallax images in time series, and a diffraction grating pattern for sequentially polarizing each of the displayed images into a horizontal viewpoint region of a predetermined size Since it is provided with a liquid crystal cell which is generated based on the signal from the means, it is not necessary to form a composite image of a plurality of parallax images.

According to the stereoscopic image display device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, means for storing and processing signal information of a plurality of parallax images each composed of a plurality of pixels, and information for the parallax images are stored. A laser oscillator driven by a signal emitted from a signal processing unit, and a laser beam driven by a signal emitted from a signal processing unit for storing the information of the parallax image and scanning the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator. A mirror and a diffraction grating that polarizes the emitted laser light are provided, and the pixels of the plurality of parallax images are sequentially shifted in the vertical direction by the means for storing information of the parallax image and performing signal processing, and are arranged on the diffraction grating As described above, the diffraction grating is irradiated with laser light so that the pixels of the images of the same type among the images polarized by the diffraction grating cells are viewed in the horizontal direction of a predetermined size. Having displayed sequentially polarized in the region,
Larger screen is possible. Further, the diffraction grating can be simplified.

According to the three-dimensional image display device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first, second, fourth, and fifth aspects, at least the diffraction grating has an arc shape surrounding the viewpoint region. An image can be displayed so as to surround the observer's viewpoint region, and a highly functional stereoscopic image display device that improves the sense of presence of the observer can be configured.

According to the stereoscopic image display device of claim 7 of the present invention, since the stereoscopic devices of any one of claims 1 to 5 are arranged, the stereoscopic image display device surrounds the observer's viewpoint region. It is possible to configure a highly functional stereoscopic image display device capable of displaying an image and improving the sense of presence of the observer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, (a) is an overall configuration diagram,
(B) is the figure which showed the grating pattern of a diffraction grating.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a composite image (a) used in the stereoscopic image display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a stereoscopic image (b) obtained.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a composite image (a) used in a stereoscopic image display device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention and a stereoscopic image (b) obtained.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a composite image used in a stereoscopic image display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a partial configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, (a) shows a partial configuration of the apparatus and (b) shows a diffraction grating pattern.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a composite image display unit used in a stereoscopic image display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how an electron beam passes through a synthetic image display unit used in a stereoscopic image display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a partial configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a partial configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a partial configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the diffraction grating formed of the liquid crystal cell used in the stereoscopic image display device according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional stereoscopic image display device.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a diffraction grating used in a conventional stereoscopic image display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 display device (CRT), 2 projection lens, 3 diffraction grating, 3a grating cell, 4 image compositing device, 5
TV camera, 8 parallax area, 9 observer's viewpoint position, 11 Fresnel lens, 20 shadow mask,
21 diffraction grating coated with phosphor, 22 electron gun,
23 lattice pattern (phosphor), 24 glass, 25
Electrons (beams), 30 laser oscillators, 31 polygon mirrors, 32 galvano mirrors, 33 diffraction gratings, 34 viewpoint regions, 35 mirror drive devices, 36
Image signal generator, 37 laser light, 40 composite image display device, 41 diffraction grating, 42 viewpoint region, 5
0 display device, 51, 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D
Diffraction grating, 55 parallax region, 56 liquid crystal driving device,
57 signal generator, 90 object, 91, 91
A, 92B, 93C, 93D Parallax image

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A means for forming and displaying a composite image in which pixels constituting each image of a plurality of parallax images are sequentially displaced in the vertical direction, and a means for forming and displaying the composite image. A stereoscopic image display device comprising a plurality of rectangular diffraction gratings each composed of a pattern of parallel straight lines arranged so as to correspond to the pixels of the combined image, and a diffraction grating cell that performs polarization processing on the combined image, A stereoscopic image characterized by obtaining a stereoscopic image by sequentially polarizing and displaying the pixels of the same type of image among the images polarized by the diffraction grating cell in a horizontal direction viewpoint region of a predetermined size. Display device. 2. The stereoscopic image display device according to claim 1, wherein an optical system having a magnifying or reducing function is arranged between the means for forming and displaying a composite image and the diffraction grating cell. 3. The means for forming and displaying a composite image is a means for displaying a composite image by irradiating a phosphor screen coated with a phosphor with an electron beam, wherein the phosphor screen is a diffraction grating cell. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional image display device has a structure in which a phosphor is coated on one surface and polarizes light generated by irradiating the phosphor with an electron beam. 4. A plurality of parallax images are displayed in time series on the basis of a signal from a unit for storing and processing information of a plurality of parallax images each composed of a plurality of pixels, and a signal from the signal processing unit. And a liquid crystal cell for generating a diffraction grating pattern that sequentially polarizes each of the displayed images in a horizontal direction viewpoint area of a predetermined size based on the signal from the signal processing means. A stereoscopic image display device comprising: 5. A means for storing and processing signal information of a plurality of parallax images each composed of a plurality of pixels, and a laser driven by a signal emitted from the means for storing information of the parallax image and signal processing. An oscillator, a mirror that scans the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator and is driven by a signal emitted from the means for storing and processing the information of the parallax image, and a diffraction grating that polarizes the emitted laser light. And irradiating the diffraction grating with laser light so that the pixels of the plurality of parallax images are sequentially shifted in the vertical direction by the means for storing the information of the parallax image and performing signal processing, Obtaining stereoscopic images by sequentially polarizing and displaying the pixels of the same type of image among the images polarized by the diffraction grating cell in a horizontal viewpoint region of a predetermined size A stereoscopic image display device. 6. The diffraction grating is formed in an arc shape so as to surround at least a viewpoint region.
The stereoscopic image display device according to any one of items 4 and 5. 7. A stereoscopic image display device, wherein a plurality of stereoscopic image display devices according to claim 1 are arranged so that the viewpoint regions are coincident with each other.