Image display

1. An image display comprising:

a display panel for displaying images;

a light source for irradiating light toward said display panel;

light emission control means arranged between said light source and said display panel, provided with a transmissive portion and a shielding portion extending in a second direction intersecting with a first direction connecting the left and right eyes of an observer with each other for transmitting and blocking said light irradiated from said light source respectively, and capable of changing the length of said transmissive portion and said shielding portion in said first direction; and

a lens including at least one lens portion formed to advance said light received from said light source through said transmissive portion of said light emission control means in a prescribed direction and to extend in said second direction, wherein

said light emission control means is able to switch between a function of providing different planar images to observers located on different observational positions respectively and a function of providing stereoscopic images to a plurality of observers, by changing the length of said transmissive portion and said shielding portion of said light emission control means in said first direction thereby controlling an arrival position of said light received from said light source through said transmissive portion of said light emission control means;

said lens includes a lenticular lens having a substantially semicylindrical lens portion provided in correspondence to a set of said transmissive portion and said shielding portion to extend in said second direction;

providing said different planar images to said observers located on said different observational positions respectively by associating one said lens portion of said lenticular lens with said set of said transmissive portion and said shielding portion of said light emission control means thereby condensing light on regions where different said observers are located, and providing said stereoscopic images to said plurality of observers by associating one said lens portion of said lenticular lens with a plurality of sets of said transmissive portions and said shielding portions of said light emission control means thereby condensing light on the respective portions of the right and left eyes of said observers; and

said light emission control means includes a light emission control liquid crystal panel provided with a transmissive area and a shielding area extending in said second direction alternately in said first direction for transmitting and blocking said light irradiated from said light source respectively as well as a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate opposed to each other through said light emission control liquid crystal panel.

2. The image display according to claim 1 , wherein

said light emission control liquid crystal panel is constituted to be able to switch said transmissive area and said shielding area.

3. The image display according to claim 1 , wherein

said light emission control liquid crystal panel is provided with a plurality of electrodes for controlling said transmissive area and said shielding area of said light emission control liquid crystal panel adjacently in said first direction, and

said light emission control liquid crystal panel changes the length of said transmissive area and said shielding area in said first direction by controlling driving of said plurality of electrodes of said light emission control liquid crystal panel.

4. The image display according to claim 3 , wherein

said plurality of electrodes of said light emission control liquid crystal panel extend along said second direction respectively.

5. The image display according to claim 3 , wherein

said light emission control liquid crystal panel limits regions observable by said observers by controlling driving of said plurality of electrodes of said light emission control liquid crystal panel thereby controlling the length of said transmissive area in said first direction.

6. The image display according to claim 5 , wherein

said light emission control liquid crystal panel is constituted to be able to switch said transmissive area and said shielding area.

7. The image display according to claim 1 , controlling said transmissive portion and said shielding portion of said light emission control means to switch every 1/n frame period of said display panel, wherein n is a natural number of at least two; and

controlling said display panel to switch a first image and a second image displayed on said display panel in synchronization with switching between said transmission portion and said shielding portion of said light emission control means.

8. The image display according to claim 7 , wherein said 1/n frame period is a ½ frame period.

9. The image display according to claim 1 , wherein

said light emission control means includes a light emission control liquid crystal panel provided with a transmissive area and a shielding area extending in said second direction alternately in said first direction for transmitting and blocking said light irradiated from said light source respectively,

the image display further comprising:

position sensing means for sensing the positions of said observers, and

a control portion for moving said transmissive area and said shielding area of said light emission control liquid crystal panel in response to the positions of said observers sensed by said position sensing means.

10. The image display according to claim 1 , wherein

said lens portion of said lens formed to extend in said second direction is provided in a state inclined by a prescribed angle with respect to a pixel train of said display panel extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction.