Image display device, portable terminal, display panel, and lens

1. An image display device comprising:

a display panel which has a plurality of pixel sections each of which includes n (n is a natural number equal to or more than two) types of pixels to display images for n viewpoints, said pixel sections being arrayed in a matrix in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to said first direction;

an optical unit for sorting lights emitted from pixels arrayed in said first direction into mutually different directions along said first direction; and

wherein each pixel comprises a display area having first exterior parallel sides parallel to said first direction and second exterior parallel sides which intersect said first direction, and for each first pixel and second pixel forming a pair of pixels adjacent in said second direction:

a display area of said first pixel is line-symmetric to a display area of said second pixel, with respect to an axis extending in said first direction, and

said second exterior parallel sides of said first pixel and said second exterior parallel sides of said second pixel are tilted at equal angles, in opposite directions, with respect to said second direction.

2. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein optical axes of said optical unit are parallel to said second direction.

3. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein each display area in a plurality of said pixels arrayed along said second direction intersects with one straight line extending in said second direction.

4. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein said display area is quadrangular, and directions in which sides of said display area which intersect with straight lines extending in said first direction are not parallel to said second direction.

5. An image display device comprising:

a display panel which has a plurality of pixel sections each of which includes n (n is a natural number equal to or more than two) types of pixels to display images for n viewpoints, said pixel sections being arrayed in a matrix in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to said first direction;

an optical unit for sorting lights emitted from pixels arrayed in said first direction into mutually different directions along said first direction;

wherein each pixel comprises a display area having first exterior parallel sides parallel to said first direction and second exterior sides having a stepped shape, and for each first pixel and second pixel forming a pair of pixels adjacent in said second direction:

a display area of said first pixel is line-symmetric to a display area of said second pixel, with respect to an axis extending in said first direction.

6. An image display device comprising:

a display panel which has a plurality of pixel sections each of which includes n (n is a natural number equal to or more than two) types of pixels to display images for n viewpoints, said pixel sections being arrayed in a matrix in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to said first direction;

an optical unit for sorting lights emitted from pixels arrayed in said first direction into mutually different directions along said first direction; and

wherein each pixel comprises a display area having first exterior parallel sides parallel to said first direction and second exterior sides composed of curved lines, and for each first pixel and second pixel forming a pair or pixels adjacent in said second direction:

a display area of said first pixel is line-symmetric to a display area of said second pixel with respect to an axis extending in said first direction.

7. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of display areas are provided in each pixel.

8. The image display device according to claim 7 , wherein said display panel is a liquid crystal display panel, which operates in an In-Plane Switching mode.

9. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein a distance between both ends in said second direction of said display area is fixed irrespective of a position in said first direction.

10. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein wiring is provided between display areas of a pair of pixels mutually adjacent in said first direction, and position of a middle point between both ends in said first direction of said wiring varies in said first direction depending on a position in said second direction.

11. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein said image display device is a three-dimensional image display device, and whose horizontal direction is said first direction.

12. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein said image display device is a planar image display device, and whose vertical direction is said first direction.

13. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein said optical unit is a lenticular lens.

14. The image display device according to claim 2 , wherein said optical unit is a parallax barrier.

15. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein said optical unit is a lenticular lens, and directions in which optical axes of cylindrical lenses of said lenticular lens extend vary depending on a direction orthogonal to a direction in which said cylindrical lenses are arrayed.

16. A portable terminal device, comprising the image display device according to claim 1 .

17. The portable terminal device according to claim 16 , which is a portable telephone, Personal Digital Assistant, a game machine, a digital camera, or a digital video camera.

18. The image display device according to claim 5 , wherein, for each pixel, said second sides of said display area are composed of straight lines parallel to said second direction and straight lines vertical to said second direction.

19. An image display device comprising:

a display panel which has a plurality of pixel sections each of which includes n (n is a natural number equal to or more than two) types of pixels to display images for n viewpoints, said pixel sections being arrayed in a matrix in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to said first direction;

an optical unit for sorting lights emitted from pixels arrayed in said first direction into mutually different directions along said first direction;

wherein each pixel comprises a display area having first exterior parallel sides parallel to said first direction and second exterior sides having a zigzag shape, and for each first pixel and second pixel forming a pair of pixels adjacent in said second direction:

a display area of said first pixel is line-symmetric to a display area of said second pixel, with respect to an axis extending in said first direction.

20. The image display device according to claim 19 , wherein each of said second exterior sides having a zigzag shape have at least one peak point and at least one bottom point.