Air floating video display apparatus and light source

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

• an opening portion transmitting video light of a specific polarization wave forming the air floating video therethrough;
• a transparent member arranged in the opening portion and transmitting the video light;
• a liquid crystal display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source supplying light of a specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member;
• and
• an optical element arranged at a position near the opening portion as a position through which video luminous flux emitted for each pixel of the video source is transmitted,
• wherein video light of one specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light having been transmitted through the polarization splitter is caused to enter the retroreflection optical member and the waveplate to be converted in terms of light polarization,
• the light-polarized video light of the other polarization wave is reflected toward the opening portion by the polarization splitter,
• the air floating video that is an actual image is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion, based on the video light having been reflected by the polarization splitter,
• a light entering surface of the retroreflection optical member is provided with a video-light control film in which a light transmitting member and a light absorbing member are alternately arranged along the light entering surface, and
• scattered light of the video light due to surface roughness of the retroreflection optical member or external light entering the retroreflection optical member among external light entering the air floating video display apparatus through the opening portion is absorbed by the light absorbing member.

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

• an opening portion transmitting video light of a specific polarization wave forming the air floating video therethrough;
• a transparent member arranged in the opening portion and transmitting the video light;
• a liquid crystal display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source supplying light of a specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• and
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member,
• wherein video light of one specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light having been transmitted through the polarization splitter is caused to enter the retroreflection optical member and the waveplate to be converted in terms of light polarization,
• the light-polarized video light of the other polarization wave is reflected toward the opening portion by the polarization splitter,
• the air floating video that is an actual image is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion, based on the video light having been reflected by the polarization splitter,
• the liquid crystal display panel emits the video light of the specific polarization wave from a display surface so as to emit the video light of the specific polarization wave from the other region of the display surface in a state in which the display surface is divided into a plurality of regions by arranging a λ/2 plate onto one region of the display surface and so as to emit video light of polarization wave different from the specific polarization wave from the one region through the λ/2 plate,
• the retroreflection optical member including the waveplate is arranged for each region corresponding to the plurality of regions of the video source,
• the polarization splitter is arranged in a space connecting the region and the retroreflection optical member,
• the video light of the one polarization wave emitted from a first region of the video source is converted in terms of light polarization by a first retroreflection optical member and a first waveplate after being reflected by a first polarization splitter and being transmitted through a second polarization splitter while the light-polarized video light of the other polarization wave is reflected by the second polarization splitter so that a first air floating video is formed,
• the video light of the other polarization wave emitted from a second region of the video source is converted in terms of light polarization by a second retroreflection optical member and a second waveplate after being reflected by the second polarization splitter and being transmitted through the first polarization splitter while the light-polarized video light of the one polarization wave is reflected by the first polarization splitter so that a second air floating video is formed, and
• the air floating video is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion by composing the first air floating video and the second air floating video corresponding to the plurality of regions of the video source.

An air floating video display apparatus forming a three-dimensional air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion transmitting video light of a specific polarization wave forming the three-dimensional air floating video therethrough;
• a liquid crystal display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source supplying light of a specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• and
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting an imaging position of the air floating video and the retroreflection optical member,
• wherein video light of one specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is transmitted through or reflected by the polarization splitter,
• the video light having been transmitted through or reflected by the polarization splitter is converted in terms of light polarization by the retroreflection optical member,
• the light-polarized video light of the other polarization wave is reflected by or transmitted through the polarization splitter, and
• the three-dimensional air floating video that is an actual image is displayed outside the opening portion, based on the video light having been reflected by or transmitted through the polarization splitter.

An air floating video display apparatus forming a three-dimensional air floating video comprising:

• a liquid crystal display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source supplying light to the video source;
• an opening portion transmitting video luminous flux emitted from each pixel of a display video of the video source therethrough;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• and
• an optical element arranged at a position near the opening portion,
• wherein the video luminous flux emitted from each pixel of the display video of the video source is reflected by the retroreflection optical member,
• the video luminous flux having been reflected by the retroreflection optical member is transmitted through the optical element to form the three-dimensional air floating video that is an actual image to be displayed outside the opening portion,
• an imaging position of the three-dimensional air floating video corresponds to a virtual plane having an area resulted from enlarging of a lens surface of the optical element substantially in parallel to the lens surface,
• the optical element has a function of controlling an emission direction of the video luminous flux transmitted through the lens surface in accordance with tilt of the lens surface, and
• the three-dimensional air floating video is formed by adding coordinate information of the three-dimensional air floating video in a height direction determined by a distance between the video source and the retroreflection optical element information in the virtual plane to planar coordinate corresponding to a region of the optical element through which the video luminous flux is transmitted so that a thickness of the optical element in the region is set.

An air floating video display apparatus forming a three-dimensional air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion transmitting video light of a specific polarization wave forming the three-dimensional air floating video therethrough;
• a transparent member arranged in the opening portion and transmitting the video light;
• a liquid crystal display panel serving as a video source for a planar video;
• a light source supplying light of a specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting the video source and the retroreflection optical member;
• and
• an optical element arranged at a position near the opening portion as a position through which video luminous flux emitted for each pixel of the video source is transmitted,
• wherein video light of one specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light having been transmitted through the polarization splitter is caused to enter the retroreflection optical member and the waveplate to be converted in terms of light polarization,
• the light-polarized video light of the other polarization wave is reflected toward the opening portion by the polarization splitter,
• video luminous flux emitted from each pixel of the display video of the video source is transmitted through the optical element to form the three-dimensional air floating video that is an actual image to be displayed outside the opening portion, based on the video light having been reflected by the polarization splitter,
• an imaging position of the three-dimensional air floating video corresponds to a virtual plane having an area resulted from enlarging of a lens surface of the optical element substantially in parallel to the lens surface,
• the three-dimensional air floating video is formed by adding coordinate information of the three-dimensional air floating video in a height direction determined by a distance between the video source and the retroreflection optical element to planar coordinate information the virtual plane in corresponding to a region of the optical element through which the video luminous flux is transmitted so that a thickness of the optical element in the region is set,
• the liquid crystal display panel emits the video light of the specific polarization wave from a display surface so as to emit the video light of the specific polarization wave from the other region of the display surface in a state in which the display surface is divided into a plurality of regions by arranging a λ/2 plate onto one region of the display surface and so as to emit video light of a polarization wave different from the specific polarization wave from the one region through the λ/2 plate,
• the retroreflection optical member including the waveplate is arranged for each region corresponding to the plurality of regions of the video source,
• the polarization splitter is arranged in a space connecting the region and the retroreflection optical member,
• the video light of the one polarization wave emitted from a first region of the video source is converted in terms of light polarization by a first retroreflection optical member and a first waveplate after being reflected by a first polarization splitter and being transmitted through a second polarization splitter while the light-polarized video light of the other polarization wave is reflected by the second polarization splitter so that a first air floating video is formed,
• the video light of the other polarization wave emitted from a second region of the video source is converted in terms of light polarization by a second retroreflection optical member and a second waveplate after being reflected by the second polarization splitter and being transmitted through the first polarization splitter while the light-polarized video light of the one polarization wave is reflected by the first polarization splitter so that a second air floating video is formed, and
• the three-dimensional air floating video is displayed outside the transparent of the opening portion by composing the first air floating video and the second air floating video corresponding to the plurality of regions of the video source.

An air floating video display apparatus forming a three-dimensional air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion transmitting video light of a specific polarization wave forming the three-dimensional air floating video therethrough;
• a liquid crystal display panel serving as a video source;
• a light source supplying light of a specific polarization directionality to the video source;
• a retroreflection optical member having a retroreflection surface provided with a waveplate;
• a polarization splitter arranged in a space connecting an imaging position of the air floating video and the retroreflection optical member;
• and
• an optical element arranged at a position near the opening portion as a position through which video luminous flux emitted for each pixel of the video source is transmitted,
• wherein an imaging position of the three-dimensional air floating video corresponds to a virtual plane having an area resulted from enlarging of a lens surface of the optical element substantially in parallel to the lens surface,
• the optical element has a function of controlling an emission direction of the video luminous flux transmitted through the lens surface in accordance with tilt of the lens surface,
• the three-dimensional air floating video is formed at the imaging position determined by adding coordinate information of the three-dimensional air floating video in a height direction determined by a distance between the video source and the retroreflection optical element to planar coordinate information in the virtual plane corresponding to a region of the optical element through which the video luminous flux is transmitted,
• video light of one specific polarization wave emitted from the video source is transmitted through the polarization splitter,
• the video light having been transmitted through the polarization splitter is converted in terms of light polarization by the retroreflection optical member and the waveplate, and
• the three-dimensional air floating video that is an actual image is displayed outside the transparent member of the opening portion, based on the light-polarized video light of the other polarization wave.

An air floating video display apparatus forming a three-dimensional air floating video comprising:

• an opening portion transmitting video light forming the three-dimensional air floating video therethrough;
• A transparent member arranged in the opening portion and transmitting the video light therethrough;
• a retroreflection optical member;
• and
• a video-light control film which is arranged on a light entering surface of the retroreflection optical member and in which a light transmitting member and a light absorbing member are alternately arranged along the light entering surface,
• wherein the video light emitted from the video source is caused to enter the retroreflection optical member, and is reflected toward the opening portion by the retroreflection optical member so that the three-dimensional air floating video that is an actual image is displayed outside the transparent member, and
• scattered light of the video light due to surface roughness of the retroreflection optical member or external light entering the retroreflection optical member among external light entering the air floating video display apparatus through the opening portion is absorbed by the light absorbing member.