JPH0212295A - Multi-display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To separate and display images which are obtained from a single video source in different spaces by switching optical paths in synchronism with the time-division display operation of the images and separating the images spatially, and viewing them as independent images. CONSTITUTION:A CRT image receiving machine 12 which displays two kinds of images in field units on a time-division basis is used as the video source, the two kinds of images are projected on the CRT image receiving machine and a reflecting mirror 13 arranged nearby alternately, and polarizing spectacles 14 which have the same plane of polarization for both eyes is put on. For example, images of even fields passed through a polarized light switch 15 in front of the CRT image receiving machine 12 and images of odd fields which are virtual images reflected on the reflecting mirror 13 after being passed through a 1/4-wavelength plate 16 are viewed in a single visual field at the same time. Thus, the images which are displayed on a time-division basis are separated spatially by switching the optical paths in synchronism with the time-division display operation and also viewed as independent images. Consequently, the images obtained from the single video source are displayed in the different spaces.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a multi-display device that can time-divisionally display images from a single image source in different spaces.

[Conventional technology] Today, as we enter the advanced information age, display devices that display information as images are indispensable for all daily activities, regardless of whether they are for office use, home use, industrial use, or consumer use. It is becoming an information terminal. There are a wide variety of display devices depending on their purpose and usage environment.For example, there are devices that use CRT receivers, liquid crystal displays, or EL light emitting panels, such as word processors, which are popular as document creation devices. There are a wide variety of devices, from small and lightweight ones that place emphasis on portability to large, stationary types.

By the way, in current word processors, when calling up an operation guide that is sometimes referred to in the process of creating a document from a built-in program, it is usually done using so-called inset synthesis, which uses +1 in the document display area to display various menus, etc.
The screen is being displayed.

In other words, a part of the main screen that displays the created document is used to insert and synthesize the child screen for displaying the menu code.

To the above-mentioned conventional display device capable of two-screen display:
Since the configuration is such that a sub-screen is inserted and displayed on both sides of the current screen, a part of the current screen is obstructed by the sub-screen and difficult to see, and furthermore, the sub-screen must be deleted or the screen is hidden when the entire current screen is displayed. Due to the display principle, it is impossible to view the parent and child screens at the same time, and it is difficult to shorten document creation time by viewing both the parent and child screens at the same time. On the other hand, attempts have been made to improve visibility by making the parent and child screens two independent screens in contrast to such a two-screen display based on inset composition.

The multi-display device 1 shown in FIG. A light emitting diode emits light. After the light is first reflected by the reflecting mirror 5, a semi-transparent reflecting mirror (half mirror) is fixed to the front window 6.
The vehicle speed is reflected and displayed at 7, and the vehicle speed is displayed at 3, which can be visually recognized from two locations: the meter box 2 and the front window 6. However, in this type of multi-display device I, the direct-view display device 3 and the projection display device 4 are
Each light source has a liquid crystal panel and a light emitting diode, which are based on the same light emitting principle, and each light source has a different drive method, so there are almost no circuits that can coexist even if they display the same vehicle speed, which makes the overall device configuration different. or it becomes complicated,
Moreover, it also had problems such as high manufacturing costs.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention solves the above problems, and includes a single video source that displays a plurality of videos in a time-division manner, and a plurality of videos that this video source displays in a time-division manner. It is characterized by comprising an optical separation means that spatially separates the images by switching the optical paths in synchronization with the time-division display operation and makes each image visible as an independent image.

[Operation] This invention spatially separates a plurality of time-divisionally displayed images by switching the optical path in synchronization with the time-division display operation, so that the separated images can be viewed as independent images. This allows multiple images obtained from a single image source to be displayed in different spaces.

[Examples] Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a multi-display device of the present invention.

The multi-display device 11 shown in FIG. 1 uses a CRT receiver 2 as an image source that displays two types of images in a time-division manner on a field-by-field basis. By wearing polarized glasses 14 with the same polarization plane for both eyes, for example, even field images are transmitted through the polarization switch I5 of the CRT receiver 12, and odd field images are transmitted through the polarization switch I5 of the CRT receiver 12. The virtual image reflected on the reflecting mirror 13 is configured so that both can be viewed simultaneously within a single field of view through the 1/4 wavelength plate I6. A video output circuit 17 that sends a video signal to the CRT receiver 12 has two video signal sources 19 and 20 connected to it via a changeover switch 18 that switches at field intervals.
is connected. In addition, the polarization switch 15 disposed on the front side of the CRT receiver 12 uses a liquid crystal plate having optical rotation which switches the plane of polarization according to the polarity of the applied voltage.
1, it is connected to positive and negative power supply terminals E and -E alternately with a field period. 22 is a changeover switch 18
．． This is a switching circuit for interlocking switching of 21 with a field period, and uses a T-flipflop circuit or the like triggered by a vertical synchronization signal separated from the video signal source 19.

The 1/4 wavelength plate 16 placed on the front side of the reflecting mirror 13 is
It shifts the phase of the polarization plane of light by 90 degrees, and here, including this 1/4 wavelength plate 16, the polarization switch I5, the reflector 13, and the polarized glasses 14 spatially separate the images of the direct viewing system and the reflective system. constitutes an optical separation means for separating the two.

By the way, when the two types of images displayed on the CRT receiver 12 pass through the polarization switch 15, the plane of polarization is 90 degrees.
``They are considered to be different polarizations. For this reason, the polarization switch 15
An image (an even field image) when the polarization plane switched by matches the polarization plane of the polarized glasses 14 passes through the polarized glasses 14 and is imaged on the retina in the eyeball. on the other hand,
When the polarization plane switched by the polarization switch 15 does not match the polarization plane of the polarized glasses 14 (odd field image), the polarization plane is changed to 90° by the 1/4 wavelength plate 16.
As a result of the phase shift, the light passes through the polarizing glasses 14 as a virtual image formed by the reflecting mirror 13 and is imaged on the retina within the eyeball. In other words,
By wearing polarized glasses 14 that serve as shutters, left and right images in a small field of view are seen in a field period, and with the help of the afterimage effect, it is possible to view two types of images at the same time.

In this way, the multi-display device 11 has m-
A plurality of images obtained from the CRT receiver 12, which is an image source, can be separated from each other and displayed in different spaces, and the plurality of spatially separated images can be individually viewed from any position. , various usage forms are possible depending on the purpose of use or usage environment. Furthermore, since two types of images, odd field and even field, can be displayed separately and simultaneously without loss of clarity, simple two-screen display is possible without incurring any cost.

In addition, the polarization switch ■5, which has the property (optical rotation) of rotating two orthogonal vibration planes (polarization planes) of light, is installed on a CRT.
Since a specific polarization is obtained by switching in conjunction with the time-division operation of the receiver 12, it is possible to easily separate light by driving only the polarization switch 15, and at the same time, the plane of polarization can be changed by electrical means. Since it can be switched, it is easy to drive in synchronization with the CRT receiver I2, which also electrically switches and displays a plurality of images in a time-division manner.

Further, since the configuration is such that a detour optical path is branched from a side optical path formed in front of the CRT receiver 12 using a reflecting mirror 13 having an incident optical path obliquely intersecting with the side optical path, the CRT receiver 12
The real image displayed by the mirror 2 and the virtual image by the reflecting mirror 13 can be displayed separately in any space.

Furthermore, since the above-mentioned side optical path and detour optical path are formed adjacent to each other in a single field of view, by displaying image information, etc. that an individual wants to simultaneously view in close proximity, multiple pieces of information related to each other can be displayed in parallel. Or, information that changes from moment to moment, such as stock price information, can be displayed simultaneously for as many brands as possible, or even more, such as product information, where consumers have more options to choose from, information that stimulates their desire to purchase. , - can be comprehensively displayed.

In the above embodiment, the image source is not limited to the CRT receiver 12, but may also be an ELP display device called a flat display that uses electroluminescence, or plasma generated by gas discharge. PDP display devices, and even light emitting diodes
■, ED display device or fluorescent display tube (vaccum Florescent T)
It is also possible to use a VFD display device, etc. using In addition, the polarization switch I5 is not limited to an optically rotating liquid crystal plate, but may be a PLZ T (Plumbum Lanthanum) that rotates the plane of polarization according to an applied voltage.
A translucent ceramic plate such as Zirconate Titanate may also be used.

Furthermore, instead of using the polarized glasses 14, a polarizing plate 32 spanning the side optical path and the reflected optical path may be used, as in a multi-display device 31 shown in FIG.

Furthermore, the multi-display device 41 shown in FIG.
As shown, a semi-transparent reflecting mirror 42 can be used instead of the reflecting mirror 13. In this case, a projection type CRT receiver 43 is used as an image source, and an image enlarged by a magnifying lens 44 disposed in front of the image source is sent via a deflection switch 15 to a translucent reflection m
42, the light transmitted through the translucent reflecting mirror 42 and the reflected light are passed through reflecting mirrors 45 and 46, respectively, to a pair of screens 47 and 48 with polarizing plates installed side by side in the same direction.
This is the structure that leads to. Therefore, the side light path and detour light path are
They are spaced apart in positions that provide multiple viewing angles, and can therefore be used in places such as theaters, auditoriums, and multi-person audiovisual classrooms, where the installation space for the image source is limited to ensure sufficient capacity. It can be placed compactly in a narrow space without taking up much space overall.

Furthermore, instead of the screens 46 and 47 installed in the same direction as in the above embodiment, the screens 52 and 53 are placed separately on a pair of screens 52 and 53 orthogonal to each other, as in the multi-display device 151 shown in FIG. It is also possible to have a configuration in which images are displayed on the screen.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention spatially separates a plurality of time-divisionally displayed images by switching the optical path in synchronization with the time-division display operation, and displays each of the separated images. Since it is configured so that it can be viewed as an independent image, multiple images obtained from a single image source can be separated from each other and displayed in different spaces, and multiple images that are spatially separated can be viewed individually. Since it can be viewed from any position, it can be used in a variety of ways depending on the purpose of use or the usage environment.In particular, the video source can display two types of video in a time-division manner on a field-by-field basis, dividing them into odd and even fields. By displaying, two types of images can be displayed separately and at the same time without deteriorating the sharpness, resulting in excellent effects such as simple two-screen display being possible without incurring any cost.

In addition, by using a CRT receiver as an image source,
It is possible to display stable color images using video processing technology developed from the past, and although space is limited by the length of the electron gun, there is no problem in terms of cost, and it is currently available. It is possible to display images with an extremely high level of resolution, and even if the images are thinned out by time-division driving, they can be provided to multiple screens without any problems in practice.

In addition, by using an ELP display device that uses electroluminescence as an image source, an EL display device that emits light by applying an electric field to the phosphor can be used.
Taking advantage of this phenomenon, it is possible to create a flat display using an EL matrix panel in which pixels are arranged vertically and horizontally.
Since it does not require the depth of a receiver, it has advantages such as a compact device configuration.

In addition, by using a PDP display device that uses plasma generated by gas discharge as a video source, it can be used as a depthless character display or image display, and an indirect gas discharge type with an internal memory function is used. It is possible to select according to the application, such as by using a direct gas discharge type that can easily display intermediate tones.

Furthermore, by using an LED display device that utilizes the light emitted from a light emitting diode as a video source, it is possible to clearly display numbers, letters, etc. using a light emitting diode that is excellent in monochromatic expression. From this point of view, by using a VFD display device using a fluorescent display tube as an image source, it is possible to produce a display suitable for a specific application.

Further, the present invention includes a polarization switch which is arranged opposite to the single video source and switches the polarization plane of light in synchronization with the time-division operation of the video source; an optical path branching means that guides the polarized light to a detour optical path that detours around the original optical path; The property of rotating two orthogonal vibration planes (polarization planes) of light by configuring the structure (optical rotation)
By switching the polarization switcher in conjunction with the time-division operation of the image source, a specific polarized light is obtained, and the obtained polarized light is optically separated and then transmitted through an analyzer that matches the polarized light. As a result, it is possible to perform partial light separation in which only the polarization switch is the driving target.

In addition, as a polarization switch, an optically rotating liquid crystal plate that rotates the plane of polarization of light according to the applied voltage, or a translucent ceramic plate that rotates the plane of polarization according to the applied voltage can be used. It is possible to switch the plane of polarization by means of the means, and there are also effects such as easy synchronization driving with a video source that electrically switches and displays a plurality of video images in a time-division manner.

In addition, the optical path branching means is constituted by a reflecting mirror having an incident optical path obliquely intersecting the original optical path, or a semi-transparent reflecting mirror that separates the incident polarized light into transmitted light traveling along the original optical path and reflected light traveling along the detour optical path. By doing so, the real image displayed by the image source and the virtual image by the reflecting mirror can be separated into an arbitrary space. In particular, the translucent reflecting mirror forms a branch point between the original optical path and the detour optical path, so the mirror object The present invention is suitable for cases where images are separately projected at positions such as .

In addition, by configuring the optical path branching means to form the original optical path and the detour optical path adjacent to each other at a position within a single field of view, image information, etc. that an individual wants to view simultaneously can be displayed on two or three display devices. By displaying them in close proximity, you can display multiple pieces of mutually related information in parallel, display constantly changing information such as stock price information for as many stocks as possible, and even display consumer information such as product information. The more options a person can select from, the more information that stimulates the consumer's desire to purchase can be comprehensively displayed.

In addition, by configuring the optical path branching means to separate the original optical path and the detour optical path at a position where multiple fields of view can be seen, the optical path branching means is configured to separate the original optical path and the detour optical path at a position where they can be viewed at the same time. It can be used in places such as audio-visual classrooms, and can be placed compactly without taking up much overall space in relatively narrow spaces where installation space for video sources is limited to ensure sufficient capacity. It has the following effects.

In addition, by using polarized glasses as an analyzer, an individual wearing the glasses can see multiple images from a single field of view, and if a polarizing plate is used, This has effects such as allowing multiple people to view the image transmitted through the polarizing plate at the same time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of one embodiment of the multi-display device of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic configuration diagrams showing other embodiments of the multi-display device of the present invention, respectively. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional multi-display device. 11.3+, 41, 51. , ,Multi-display device, 12. ,, CRT receiver, 13° reflector, 14. ,,
Polarized glasses, 15. ,, polarization switcher, 22. ,, switching circuit, 32° polarizing plate, 42. ,,Semi-transparent reflector.

Claims (15)

[Claims] (1) A single video source that displays multiple videos in a time-division manner and multiple videos that this video source displays in a time-division manner are spatially separated by switching the optical path in synchronization with the time-division display operation. , a multi-display device consisting of optical separation means that allows each to be viewed as an independent image. (2) The multi-display device according to claim 1, wherein the video source is a CRT receiver. (3) The multi-display device according to claim 1, wherein the video source is an ELP display device that utilizes electroluminescence. (4) The multi-display device according to claim 1, wherein the image source is a PDP display device that utilizes plasma generated by gas discharge. (5) The multi-display device according to claim 1, wherein the video source is an LED display device that utilizes light emission from a light emitting diode. (6) The multi-display device according to claim 1, wherein the video source is a VFD display device using a fluorescent display tube. (7) The optical separation means includes a polarization switch that is disposed opposite to the single video source and switches the polarization plane of light in synchronization with the time-division operation of the video source, and a polarization switch that passes through the polarization switch. an optical path branching means for guiding the light to a detour optical path that detours from the original optical path; and an optical path branching means provided in each of the original optical path and the detour optical path,
2. The multi-display device according to claim 1, further comprising an analyzer that selectively transmits only polarized light having a specific plane of polarization. (8) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the polarization switch is an optically active liquid crystal plate that rotates the polarization plane of light according to an applied voltage. (9) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the polarization switch is a translucent ceramic plate that rotates the plane of polarization according to an applied voltage. (10) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the optical path branching means is a reflecting mirror having an incident optical path obliquely intersecting the original optical path. (11) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the optical path branching means is a semi-transparent reflecting mirror that separates the incident polarized light into transmitted light that travels on an original optical path and reflected light that travels on a detour optical path. (12) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the optical path branching means is configured to form an original optical path and a detour optical path adjacent to each other at a position within a single field of view. (13) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the optical path branching means is configured to separate the original optical path and the detour optical path at positions that include multiple fields of view. (14) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the analyzer is polarized glasses. (15) The multi-display device according to claim 7, wherein the analyzer is a polarizing plate.