Aerial image display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10338462-B2
Application number	US-201615755387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2015
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

An aerial image display device is capable of changing a depth of a virtual image viewed by an observer without changing a distance between at least one display device and an optical element forming the virtual image. The aerial image display device includes a display device, optical elements, and a reflecting member. The optical elements are installed corresponding to different display regions of a display surface of the display device and sequentially arranged along the display surface in an observation direction of an observer. The optical element is installed obliquely with an angle of about 45° in a −X direction when viewed from the display surface of the display device. The optical element is installed obliquely with an angle of about 45° in an X direction when viewed from the display surface of the display device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aerial image display device, comprising:
a display device;
a first optical element on which light emitted from the display device is incident, the first optical element transmitting part of incident light and reflecting part of the incident light;
a second optical element on which the light emitted from the display device is incident, the second optical element reflecting the light which is emitted from the display device and passes through the first optical element toward a reflecting surface of the first optical element, and
a third optical element on which the light emitted from the display device is incident, the third optical element reflecting the light emitted from the display device toward a transmitting surface of the first optical element,
wherein the light which is emitted from the display device, reflected by the second optical element, and reflected by the reflecting surface of the first optical element forms a first virtual image corresponding to a first display image displayed on the display device,
wherein the light which is emitted from the display device and reflected by the third optical element forms a second virtual image corresponding to a second display image displayed on the display device, and
the second optical element is installed so that an optical path length until the light emitted from the display device is reflected is larger than an optical path length until the third optical element reflects the light emitted from the display device.

2. The aerial image display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more fourth optical elements on which the light emitted from the display device is incident, the one or more fourth optical elements being arranged between the first optical element and the third optical element, transmitting part of the incident light, and reflecting part of the incidence light; and
one or more fifth optical elements on which the light emitted from the display device is incident, the one or more fifth optical elements reflecting the light which is emitted from the display device and passes through the one or more fourth optical elements toward reflecting surfaces of the one or more fourth optical elements,
wherein the light which is emitted from the display device, reflected by the one or more fifth optical elements, and reflected toward the transmitting surface of the first optical element by the reflecting surfaces of the one or more fourth optical elements forms one or more third virtual images corresponding to one or more third display images displayed on the display device, and
the second optical element and the one or more fifth optical elements are installed so that the first optical element, the one or more fourth optical elements, and the third optical element are in a descending order of optical path lengths until the light emitted from the display device is reflected.

3. The aerial image display device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first and second display images and the one or more third display images are in a descending order of sizes in accordance with an arrangement order of a corresponding optical element from the first display image.

4. The aerial image display device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first optical element, the one or more fourth optical elements, the third optical element are in a descending order of heights of positions of upper ends thereof in accordance with an arrangement order from the first optical element.

5. The aerial image display device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the third optical element has higher reflectance than the first optical element and the one or more fourth optical elements, and
the second optical element is installed so that when an observer views the first and second virtual images from the first optical element side, the first virtual image is formed on the back side further than the second virtual image.

6. The aerial image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the third optical element has higher reflectance than the first optical element and the one or more second optical elements, and
the second optical element is installed so that when an observer views the first and second virtual images from the first optical element side, the first virtual image is formed on the back side further than the second virtual image.

7. The aerial image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second optical element includes a plurality of optical elements, and reflects the light passing through the first optical element multiple times through the plurality of optical elements and emits the reflected light to the first optical element.

8. The aerial image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an angle formed by the first optical element and the second optical element is about 45°, and an angle formed by the first optical element and the display surface of the display device is greater than 0° and less than 90°.

9. The aerial image display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second optical element is installed substantially parallel to the display surface of the display device, an angle formed by the second optical element and the first optical element deviates from 45° by a predetermined angle, and an angle formed by the first optical element and the display surface is greater than 0° and less than 90°, and
the display image of the display surface is corrected in accordance with the predetermined angle.

10. The aerial image display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first lens that forms a first portion of the first virtual image; and
a second lens that forms a second portion of the first virtual image.

11. An aerial image display device, comprising:
a display device;
a first optical element on which light emitted from the display device is incident, the first optical element transmitting part of incident light and reflecting part of the incident light; and
a second optical element on which the light emitted from the display device is incident, the second optical element reflecting the light which is emitted from the display device and passes through the first optical element toward a reflecting surface of the first optical element,
wherein the light which is emitted from the display device, reflected by the second optical element, and reflected by the reflecting surface of the first optical element forms a first virtual image corresponding to a first display image displayed on the display device,
wherein the display device includes a first display device and a second display device installed to face the first display device with the first and second optical elements interposed therebetween,
the second optical element includes a reflecting surface that reflects the light which is emitted from the first display device and passes through the first optical element toward the reflecting surface of the first optical element and a transmitting surface that transmits the light emitted from the second display device and faces the reflecting surface of the second optical element,
the light emitted from the first display device passes through the transmitting surface of the first optical element and is incident on the reflecting surface of the second optical element,
the light emitted from the second display device passes through the transmitting surface of the second optical element and is incident on the reflecting surface of the first optical element, and
the light which is emitted from the first display device, reflected by the second optical element, and reflected by the reflecting surface of the first optical element forms a second virtual image corresponding to a s

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Makiguchi Motohiro
• Niijima Arinobu
• Matsumura Narimune
• Hidaka Kota

Classifications

• G02B30/35

  using reflective optical elements in the optical path between the images and the observer · CPC title

• G02B30/40

  giving the observer of a single two-dimensional [2D] image a perception of depth · CPC title

• G02B5/12

  Reflex reflectors · CPC title

• G02B30/25

  using polarisation techniques · CPC title

• G02B27/14

  operating by reflection only · CPC title