IP Library Granted Patent US 12687739
Granted Patent B2
US 12687739 · App. 18/031,362 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Space floating video display apparatus and light source apparatus

Inventors: Koji Hirata (Kyoto, JP); Koji Fujita (Kyoto, JP); Toshinori Sugiyama (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
G02B30/56G02F1/133528G09G3/36H04N13/302
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12687739
App. No.
18/031,362
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure enables a space floating video having few ghosts to be obtained, and a space floating video apparatus suitable for inputting without causing fewer erroneous operations. The space floating video display apparatus includes: a display panel for displaying a video; a light source apparatus that supplies light of a specific polarization direction to the display panel; a retroreflection plate for reflecting video light from the display panel and displaying a space floating video of real image in air by means of the reflected light; and a light-shielding member that, among a plurality of space floating videos which are formed by the video light from the display panel, blocks a portion of the video light that is likely to form a space floating video other than desired space floating videos.

Claims (45)

1 . A space floating video display apparatus comprising:

a display panel that displays a video;

a light source apparatus that supplies light in a specific polarization direction to the display panel;

a retroreflection plate that reflects the video light from the display panel and displays a space floating video as a real image in air by the reflected light;

a light-shielding member that blocks a video light capable of forming a space floating video other than a desired space floating video among a plurality of space floating videos capable of being formed by the video light from the display panel; and

a polarization separation member that reflects video light having a specific polarization from the display panel toward the retroreflection plate, wherein the light-shielding member is arranged between the display panel and the polarization separation member.

2 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light-shielding member has a frame shape surrounding a region through which a light flux of the video light forming the desired space floating video passes.

3 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light-shielding member includes a frame surrounding a region through which a light flux of video light forming the desired space floating video passes, and

a plurality of plate-shaped beams are arranged toward a region through which a light flux of video light forming the desired space video passes.

4 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an inner diameter of the light-shielding member defines an area that is 110% or less of an area of a region through which a normal video light flux forming the desired space floating video passes.

5 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the inner diameter of the light-shielding member defines an area that is 104% or less of the area of the region through which the normal video light flux passes.

6 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light source apparatus includes a light guide body and a light source, and an end face of the light guide body has a lens shape configured to convert a divergent light from the light source into a substantially parallel light flux.

7 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light source apparatus comprises an LED collimator having a conical-convex outer peripheral surface obtained by rotating a parabolic cross-section.

8 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an absorption type polarizer provided on a video display surface of the display panel.

9 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a transparent member through which the space floating video is displayed, wherein an absorption type polarizer is provided on a surface of the transparent member.

10 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the retroreflection plate has a concave surface or a convex surface having a curvature radius of 200 mm or more.

11 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a pitch of the retroreflection plate is set to a non-integral multiple of a pixel pitch of the display panel to suppress moiré.

12 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light source apparatus includes a reflective polarizer and a phase difference plate configured to convert a polarization of light reflected by the reflective polarizer to a specific polarization direction supplied to the display panel.

13 . A space floating video display apparatus comprising:

a display panel that displays a video;

a light source apparatus that supplies light in a specific polarization direction to the display panel;

a retroreflection plate that reflects the video light from the display panel and displays a space floating video as a real image in air by the reflected light;

a light-shielding member that blocks a video light capable of forming a space floating video other than a desired space floating video among a plurality of space floating videos capable of being formed by the video light from the display panel; and

a polarization separation member that reflects video light having a specific polarization from the display panel toward the retroreflection plate, wherein the light-shielding member is arranged between the polarization separation member and the retroreflection plate.

14 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 13 ,

wherein the light-shielding member has a frame shape surrounding a region through which a light flux of the video light forming the desired space floating video passes.

15 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 13 ,

wherein the light-shielding member includes a frame surrounding a region through which a light flux of video light forming the desired space floating video passes, and

a plurality of plate-shaped beams are arranged toward a region through which a light flux of video light forming the desired space video passes.

16 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein a distance between the light-shielding member and the retroreflection plate is 50% or less with respect to a distance between the retroreflection plate and the polarization separation member.

17 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the distance between the light-shielding member and the retroreflection plate is 30% or less with respect to the distance between the retroreflection plate and the polarization separation member.

18 . A space floating video display apparatus comprising:

a display panel that displays a video;

a light source apparatus that supplies light in a specific polarization direction to the display panel;

a retroreflection plate that reflects the video light from the display panel and displays a space floating video as a real image in air by the reflected light;

a light-shielding member that blocks a video light capable of forming a space floating video other than a desired space floating video among a plurality of space floating videos capable of being formed by the video light from the display panel; and

a polarization separation member that reflects video light of a specific polarization from the display panel toward the retroreflection plate,

the light-shielding member comprises a plurality of light-shielding members, and the plurality of the light-shielding members include a light-shielding member arranged between the display panel and the polarization separation member, and the light-shielding member arranged between the polarization separation member and the retroreflection plate.

19 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 18 ,

wherein the light-shielding member has a frame shape surrounding a region through which a light flux of the video light forming the desired space floating video passes.

20 . The space floating video display apparatus according to claim 18 ,

wherein the light-shielding member includes a frame surrounding a region through which a light flux of video light forming the desired space floating video passes, and

a plurality of plate-shaped beams are arranged toward a region through which a light flux of video light forming the desired space video passes.