Stereoscopic image display method and stereoscopic image display apparatus using it

A stereoscopic image display apparatus for providing a stereoscopic image to an observer by guiding parallax image light for a left eye to a position which is in a vicinity of a left eye of the observer on a predetermined observation plane and guiding parallax image light for a right eye to a position which is in a vicinity of a right eye of the observer on the predetermined observation plane, comprising:

• an image display element in which right eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction and left eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction are alternately arranged in a vertical direction;
• a lateral lenticular lens for receiving light from said image display element, wherein said lateral lenticular lens comprises a plurality of lateral cylindrical lenses arranged in a vertical direction, the lateral cylindrical lenses having a refracting power in a vertical direction and substantially not having a refracting power in a horizontal direction;
• a second longitudinal lenticular lens for receiving light from said lateral lenticular lens, wherein said second longitudinal lenticular lens comprises a plurality of second longitudinal cylindrical lenses arranged in a horizontal direction, the second longitudinal cylindrical lenses having refracting power in a horizontal direction and substantially not having refracting power in a vertical direction;
• a mask member for receiving light from said second longitudinal lenticular lens, wherein said mask member has a plurality of openings and a plurality of shield portions arranged checkerwise;
• and
• a first longitudinal lenticular lens for receiving light from said mask member, wherein said first longitudinal lenticular lens comprises a plurality of first longitudinal cylindrical lenses arranged in a horizontal direction, the first longitudinal cylindrical lenses having refracting power in a horizontal direction and substantially not having refracting power in a vertical direction,
• wherein light from said first longitudinal lenticular lens is guided to the positions which are in the vicinity of the left eye and the vicinity of the right eye of the observer on the predetermined observation plane.

A stereoscopic image display apparatus for providing a stereoscopic image to an observer by guiding parallax image light for a left eye to a position which is in a vicinity of a left eye of the observer on a predetermined observation plane and guiding parallax image light for a right eye to a position which is in a vicinity of a right eye of the observer on the predetermined observation plane, comprising:

• an image display element in which right eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction and left eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction are arranged in a vertical direction;
• a micro lens array for receiving light from said image display element, wherein said micro lens array comprises toroidal lenses whose refracting power in a vertical direction and a refracting power in a horizontal direction are different;
• a mask member for receiving a light from said micro lens array, wherein said mask member has a plurality of openings and a plurality of shield portions arranged checkerwise;
• and
• a longitudinal lenticular lens for receiving light from said mask member, wherein said longitudinal lenticular lens comprises a plurality of longitudinal cylindrical lenses arranged in a horizontal direction, the longitudinal cylindrical lenses having refracting power in a horizontal direction and substantially not having refracting power in a vertical direction,
• wherein light from said longitudinal lenticular lens is guided to the positions which are in the vicinity of the left eye and the vicinity of the right eye of the observer on the predetermined observation plane.

A stereoscopic image display apparatus for providing a stereoscopic image to an observer by guiding parallax image light for a left eye to a position which is in a vicinity of a left eye of the observer on a predetermined observation plane and guiding parallax image light for a right eye to a position which is in a vicinity of a right eye of the observer on a predetermined observation plane, comprising:

• an image display element in which right eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction and left eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction are alternately arranged in a vertical direction;
• a lateral lenticular lens for receiving light from said image display element, wherein said lateral lenticular lens comprises a plurality of lateral cylindrical lenses arranged in a vertical direction, the lateral cylindrical lenses having refracting power in a vertical direction and substantially not having refracting power in a horizontal direction;
• a second longitudinal lenticular lens for receiving light from said lateral lenticular lens, wherein said second longitudinal lenticular lens comprises a plurality of second longitudinal cylindrical lenses arranged in a horizontal direction, the second longitudinal cylindrical lenses having refracting power in a horizontal direction and substantially not having refracting power in a vertical direction;
• a mask member for receiving light from said second longitudinal lenticular lens, wherein said mask member has a plurality of substantially rectangular openings and shield regions having a plurality of rectangular shields, wherein the rectangular openings are arranged so that the position of each of said plurality of rectangular openings is shifted with respect to a neighboring rectangular opening by a common distance in a common direction and the shield regions are arranged so that the position of each of said plurality of rectangular shields is shifted with respect to a neighboring rectangular shield by a common distance in the common direction;
• and
• a first longitudinal lenticular lens for receiving light from said mask member, wherein said first longitudinal lenticular lens comprises a plurality of first longitudinal cylindrical lenses arranged in a horizontal direction, the first longitudinal cylindrical lenses having refracting power in a horizontal direction and substantially not having refracting power in a vertical direction,
• wherein light from said first longitudinal lenticular lens is guided to the positions which are in the vicinity of the left eye and the vicinity of the right eye of the observer on the predetermined observation plane.

A stereoscopic image display apparatus for providing a stereoscopic image to an observer by guiding parallax image light for a left eye to a position which is a vicinity of a left eye of the observer on a predetermined observation plane and guiding parallax image light for a right eye to a position which is in a vicinity of a right eye of the observer on the predetermined observation plane, comprising:

• an image display element in which right eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction and left eye pixel lines in each of which pixels are arranged in a horizontal direction are alternately arranged in a vertical direction;
• a micro lens array for receiving light from said image display element, wherein said micro lens array comprises toroidal lenses whose refracting power in a vertical direction and refracting power in a horizontal direction are different;
• a mask member for receiving light from said micro lens array, wherein said mask member has a plurality of substantially rectangular openings and shield regions having a plurality of rectangular shields, wherein the rectangular openings are arranged so that the position of each of said plurality of rectangular openings is shifted with respect to a neighboring rectangular opening by a common distance in a common direction and the shield regions are arranged so that the position of each of said plurality of rectangular shields is shifted with respect to a neighboring rectangular shield by a common distance in the common direction;
• and
• a longitudinal lenticular lens for receiving light from said mask member, wherein said longitudinal lenticular lens comprises a plurality of longitudinal cylindrical lenses arranged in a horizontal direction, the longitudinal cylindrical lenses having refracting power in a horizontal direction and substantially not having refracting power in a vertical direction,
• wherein light from said longitudinal lenticular lens is guided to the positions which are in the vicinity of the left eye and the vicinity of the right eye of the observer on the predetermined observation plane.