Abstract: An image display apparatus has a light source, a reflective display device, an illumination optical system for guiding light from the light source to the display device to illuminate the display device, and a display optical system for guiding the light reflected by the display device to the pupil of an observer to allow the observer to observe an image displayed on the display panel. The illumination optical system and the display optical system have an optical element shared in part or are arranged so as not to interfere with each other, thereby providing the image display apparatus of compact structure. Particularly, where the display optical system is a thin optical system having a plurality of decentered, reflecting, curved surfaces, the appropriate illumination optical system is arranged, thereby providing the thin image display apparatus using the reflective display device.

Abstract: A mounting apparatus allows easy adjustment of the holding position after the apparatus is mounted. The mounting mechanism presses against, at least, two points of a target portion, e.g., the head portion of the user, with at least one holding means (3), so as to detachably mount an apparatus (1) connected to the holding means (3) on the target portion. The holding means (3) includes a roller (10) of which the moving (rotating) direction is limited by a one-way clutch or the like, thereby allowing easy position adjustment after the apparatus is mounted.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus uses a plurality of cameras point in a plurality of discrete azimuth directions so as to realize a walkthrough space. The apparatus stores, in video tapes, data frames of images generated by sequentially sensing an environment and time codes TC that respectively specify the data frames; acquires location information LOC associated with the image sensing location of each data frame, and stores the location information together with acquisition time information indicating an acquisition time TIM of the location information in a disk HD; and stores a pair of time code of the data frame and acquisition time information corresponding to the location information acquired at the time of generation of the data frame in the HD.

Abstract: An image observing apparatus is arranged to observe outside information from the outside and a display image displayed on an image display device via an optical combiner and via an eyepiece lens superimposed. The outside information and the display image are imaged so as to be superimposed on a surface of a spatial modulator having a two-dimensional pixel structure. Part or all of the outside information and display image is selected on an area basis by the spatial modulator. The outside information and image information thus selected is observed through the eyepiece lens.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image displaying method and stereoscopic image displaying apparatus for interchangeably displaying a stereoscopic image and a two-dimensional image or for displaying a mixed stereoscopic image and two-dimensional image. In accordance with the present invention, light from a surface illuminant is passed through a mask substrate in which a mask pattern comprised of a plurality of apertures is formed. The light then is guided through a cylindrical lens array and a light directivity control element of polymer distributed liquid crystal having a stripe pattern, and thereafter the light irradiates a transmissive display device for displaying a stripe image having a parallax, or a two-dimensional, image. Control region stripes of the light directivity control element are brought into a non-scattering state when the stripe image is displayed on the display device.

Abstract: A composite display apparatus has a display device for displaying image information, a display optical system for guiding light from the display device to the eye of an observer, and an image pickup optical system for focusing light from the outside on an image pickup device. An optical axis of the image pickup optical system is substantially aligned with an axis that is an extension of the eye-ball optical axis in an optical path of the display optical system. The apparatus further has an optical path separating element for separating an optical path of the image pickup optical system from the optical path of the display optical system. Each of the display optical system and the image pickup optical system has a plurality of decentered reflective surfaces having curvature. The light from the display device is alternately folded in directions along the eye-ball optical axis by the plurality of reflective surfaces of the display optical system to be guided to the eye.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus has an image display device for displaying image information, a lens array having a plurality of element lenses for focusing the image information displayed in the image display device, the element lenses being arrayed at a predetermined pitch, an image recording medium located at a focus plane of the lens array, and a beam controller for controlling a beam passing through an aperture for each element lens out of the plurality of element lenses. The image information displayed in the image display device for every element lens is successively recorded in the image recording medium by the beam controller.

Abstract: The present invention provides a stereoscopic image display apparatus comprising an illumination light source, an illuminating apparatus in which an optical system for guiding light from the illumination light source with directivity in predetermined regularity is housed in a housing, and a transmissive image sheet in which a stripe composite image produced by dividing a plurality of parallax images into stripes and arranging the stripes in a predetermined order is provided on a surface of a transparent sheet, wherein the transmissive image sheet is detachably mounted on the housing and the stripe composite image illuminated by the light from the illuminating apparatus is observed as a stereoscopic image, and wherein the transmissive image sheet is mounted on the housing so that a position of the transmissive image sheet can be adjusted by an adjusting device.

Abstract: An image observing apparatus is arranged to observe outside information from the outside and a display image displayed on an image display device via an optical combiner and via an eyepiece lens superimposed. The outside information and the display image are imaged so as to be superimposed on a surface of a spatial modulator having a two-dimensional pixel structure. Part or all of the outside information and display image is selected on an area basis by the spatial modulator. The outside information and image information thus selected is observed through the eyepiece lens.

Abstract: A stereoscopic image display apparatus has a light source for emitting patterned light in a predetermined shape, an optical system having horizontal optical action and vertical optical action different from each other, and a display device. The display device displays a stripe image obtained by alternating stripe pixels from a parallax image for the right eye and stripe pixels from a parallax image for the left eye in a predetermined order. The patterned light is provided with directivity by the optical system to irradiate the stripe image. The light is separated into two areas, so as to permit an observer to visually recognize the stripe image as a stereoscopic image. In the stereoscopic image display apparatus, a difference DH between a horizontal pitch Hi of the patterned light and a horizontal pixel pitch Hd of the display device is not less than a predetermined value.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a compact, composite display apparatus capable of simultaneously establishing a display optical system and an image-pickup optical system or a seethrough optical system without parallax, which has the following structure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image display apparatus suitable for a head mounted display which apparatus has been made compact as a whole by the use of a reflection type liquid crystal display element. The apparatus has a first optical element which has an incidence surface on which a light beam is incident, at least two curved reflecting surfaces made eccentric with respect to each other for reflecting the light beam incident from the incidence surface, and an emergence surface from which the light beam from the curved reflecting surfaces emerges. A reflection type image display device provided on the incidence surface side. A light beam from a light source is caused to enter from one of the two curved reflecting surfaces which comprises a half mirror surface, and emerge from the incidence surface and illuminate the image display device.