Air floating video display apparatus and light source

An air floating video display apparatus forming an air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion configured to transmit video light of a specific polarization wave forming the air floating video therethrough;
• a transparent member arranged at the opening portion and configured to transmit the video light therethrough;
• a display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source configured to supply light having specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• a plurality of reflection mirrors;
• and
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member,
• wherein the video light of the specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is once transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light transmitted through the polarization splitter is reflected by a first reflection mirror of the reflection mirrors toward the retroreflection optical member,
• the video light reflected by the first reflection mirror is converted in terms of light polarization by the retroreflection optical member to convert one polarization wave to another polarization wave,
• the converted video light is reflected again by the first reflection mirror,
• the video light reflected again by the first reflection mirror is reflected by the polarization splitter toward the opening portion,
• the air floating video that is an actual image based on the video light reflected by the polarization splitter is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion,
• a forming position of the air floating video is changed by a structure changing a distance from the video source to the retroreflection optical member,
• a surface roughness of a reflection surface of the retroreflection optical member is set so that a ratio of a blur amount of the air floating video to a pixel size of the video source is 40% or less,
• the light source includes:
• a point-type or surface-type light source;
• an optical member configured to reduce a divergence angle of light emitted from the light source;
• a polarization converter configured to unify the light emitted from the light source to be polarization light having specific directionality;
• and a light guiding body having a reflection surface configured to propagate light to the video source,
• the video light is adjusted by a shape and a surface roughness of a reflection surface arranged on the light source, and
• video luminous flux having a narrow divergence angle emitted from the video source is reflected by the retroreflection optical member to aerially form the air floating video.

An air floating video display apparatus forming an air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion configured to transmit video light of a specific polarization wave forming the air floating video therethrough;
• a transparent member arranged at the opening portion and configured to transmit the video light therethrough;
• a display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source configured to supply light having specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• a plurality of reflection mirrors;
• and
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member,
• wherein the video light of the specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is once transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light transmitted through the polarization splitter is reflected by a first reflection mirror of the reflection mirrors toward the retroreflection optical member,
• the video light reflected by the first reflection mirror is converted in terms of light polarization by the retroreflection optical member to convert one polarization wave to another polarization wave,
• the converted video light is reflected again by the first reflection mirror,
• the video light reflected again by the first reflection mirror is reflected by the polarization splitter toward the opening portion,
• the air floating video that is an actual image based on the video light reflected by the polarization splitter is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion,
• the apparatus includes a light block member configured to prevent video light having a divergence angle exceeding a specific angle emitted from the video source from entering the retroreflection optical member,
• a forming position of the air floating video is changed by a structure changing a distance from the video source to the retroreflection optical member,
• a surface roughness of a reflection surface of the retroreflection optical member is set so that a ratio of a blur amount of the air floating video to a pixel size of the video source is 40% or less,
• the light source includes:
• a point-type or surface-type light source;
• an optical member configured to reduce a divergence angle of light emitted from the light source;
• a polarization converter configured to unify the light emitted from the light source to be polarization light having specific directionality;
• and a light guiding body having a reflection surface configured to propagate light to the video source,
• the apparatus includes a reflection-type light polarizer,
• the light guiding body faces the video source, its inside or its surface has a reflection surface configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source toward the video source, and performs polarization conversion to convert light having specific polarization directionality reflected by the reflection-type light polarizer to a polarization wave allowed to be transmitted through the reflection-type light polarizer by transmitting the light through a surface connecting the adjacent reflection surfaces of the light guiding body, reflecting the light at a reflection plate arranged on a surface of the light guiding body opposite to a surface in contact with the video source, and transmitting the light twice through a waveplate arranged on an upper surface of the reflection plate, and transmits the converted light through the light guiding body to propagate the converted light toward the video source,
• the video source modulates light intensity in accordance with a video signal,
• in the light source, a part or all of a divergence angle of luminous flux emitted from the light source and entering the video source is adjusted by a shape and a surface roughness of the reflection surface arranged in the light source, and
• video luminous flux having a narrow divergence angle emitted from the video source is reflected by the retroreflection optical member to aerially form the air floating video.

An air floating video display apparatus forming an air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion configured to transmit video light of a specific polarization wave forming the air floating video therethrough;
• a transparent member arranged at the opening portion and configured to transmit the video light therethrough;
• a display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source configured to supply light having specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• a plurality of reflection mirrors;
• and
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member,
• wherein the video light of the specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is once transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light transmitted through the polarization splitter is reflected by a first reflection mirror of the reflection mirrors toward the retroreflection optical member,
• the video light reflected by the first reflection mirror is converted in terms of light polarization by the retroreflection optical member to convert one polarization wave to another polarization wave,
• the converted video light is reflected again by the first reflection mirror,
• the video light reflected again by the first reflection mirror is reflected by the polarization splitter toward the opening portion,
• the air floating video that is an actual image based on the video light reflected by the polarization splitter is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion,
• a light block member configured to prevent video light having a divergence angle exceeding a specific angle emitted from the video source from entering the retroreflection optical member is arranged in the space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member,
• a surface roughness of a reflection surface of the retroreflection optical member is set so that a ratio of a blur amount of the air floating video to a pixel size of the video source is 40% or less,
• the light source includes:
• a point-type or surface-type light source;
• an optical member configured to reduce a divergence angle of light emitted from the light source;
• a light guiding body having a reflection surface configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source to propagate the light to the video source;
• and a waveplate and a reflection surface facing another surface of the light guiding body to be sequentially arranged in order from the light guiding body,
• the reflection surface of the light guiding body is arranged so as to reflect the light emitted from the light source and propagate the light to the video source facing the light guiding body,
• the apparatus includes a reflection-type light polarizer arranged between the reflection surface of the light guiding body and the video source,
• light having specific polarization directionality reflected by the reflection-type light polarizer is reflected by the reflection surface facing and being close to the another surface of the light guiding body, the reflected light is transmitted twice through the waveplate arranged between the light guiding body and the reflection surface to perform polarization conversion, and the converted light is transmitted through the reflection-type light polarizer to propagate light having specific polarization directionality to the video source,
• the video source modulates light intensity in accordance with a video signal,
• in the light source, a part or all of a divergence angle of luminous flux emitted from the light source and entering the video source is adjusted by a shape and a surface roughness of the reflection surface arranged in the light source, and
• video luminous flux having a narrow divergence angle emitted from the video source is reflected by the retroreflection optical member to aerially form the air floating video.

An air floating video display apparatus forming an air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion configured to transmit video light of a specific polarization wave forming the air floating video therethrough;
• a transparent member arranged at the opening portion and configured to transmit the video light therethrough;
• a display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source configured to supply light having specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• a reflection mirror;
• and
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member,
• wherein the video light of the specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is once transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light transmitted through the polarization splitter is reflected by the reflection mirror toward the retroreflection optical member,
• the video light reflected by the reflection mirror is converted in terms of light polarization by the retroreflection optical member to convert one polarization wave to another polarization wave,
• the converted video light is reflected again by the polarization splitter,
• the video light reflected by the polarization splitter is reflected by the reflection mirror toward the opening portion,
• the air floating video that is an actual image based on the video light reflected by the reflection mirror is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion,
• the light source includes:
• a point-type or surface-type light source;
• an optical member configured to reduce a divergence angle of light emitted from the light source;
• a polarization converter configured to unify the light emitted from the light source to be polarization light having specific directionality;
• and a light guiding body having a reflection surface configured to propagate light to the video source,
• a surface roughness of a reflection surface of the retroreflection optical member is set so that a ratio of a blur amount of the air floating video to a pixel size of the video source is 40% or less,
• the light guiding body faces the video source, its inside or its surface has a reflection surface configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source toward the video source,
• light is propagated toward the video source by the reflection surface,
• the video source modulates light intensity in accordance with a video signal,
• a part or all of a divergence angle of luminous flux emitted from the light source and entering the video source is adjusted by a shape and a surface roughness of the reflection surface arranged in the light source,
• video luminous flux having a narrow divergence angle emitted from the video source is reflected by the retroreflection optical member to aerially form the air floating video, and
• a shape of the retroreflection optical member is a concave or convex shape having a curvature radius of 200 mm or more relative to the video source.