Direct viewing picture image display apparatus

Claim 2

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,67) supplies a horizontal scanning signal and a vertical scanning signal, and said scanning means (5,66,43,21,26,91,92) includes horizontal scanning means (21,43,68,91) for horizontally scanning the laser beam received from said modulating means (3,13,62,63) in response to the horizontal scanning signal received from said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,67) and vertical scanning means (26,69,92) for vertically scanning the horizontally scanned laser beam from said horizontal scanning means (21,43,68,91) in response to the vertical scanning signal received from said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,67).

Claim 3

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,27) supplies a horizontal scanning signal and a vertical scanning signal, and said scanning means includes vertical scanning means (26,69,92) for vertically scanning the laser beam received from said modulating means in response to the vertical scanning signal received from said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,67) and horizontal scanning means (21,43,68, 91) for horizontally scanning the vertically scanned laser beam from said vertical scanning means (26,69,92) in response to the horizontal scanning signal received from said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,67).

Claim 4

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said modulating means (3,13,62,63) includes an audio optical modulator for intensity modulating the laser beam emitted from said light source in response to the video signal supplied from said video signal supplying means (2,63).

Claim 5

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 further comprising means (16) for attenuating the laser beam to an intensity at which an eye to which the laser beam is introduced is not damaged by the laser beam.

Claim 6

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 wherein said scanning means (5,66,43,21,26,91,92) includes an audio optical deflector (21) or a polygonal mirror (43,91) for horizontally scanning the laser beam from said modulating means in response to the scanning signal supplied from said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,67).

Claim 7

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 wherein said scanning means (5,66,43,21,26,91,92) includes a galvanometric mirror (26) for vertically scanning the laser beam from said modulating means in response to the scanning signal supplied from said scanning signal supplying means (4,22,27,67).

Claim 8

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a 1/4 wavelength polarizing plate (25) for converting the laser beam from linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light.

Claim 9

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising means for shaping the laser beam so as to have a predetermined circular transverse section.

Claim 10

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said light source includes three lasers (11R,11G,11B) for emitting laser beams of different wavelengths and said modulating means (13 R,G,B) optically modulate the laser beams emitted from said lasers (11R,11G,11B) individually in response to the video signal supplied from said video signal supplying means (2,63), and further comprising means (41RGB) for combining the modulated laser beams from said modulating means (13RGB) into a single laser beam and introducing the single laser beam to said scanning means (26,43).

Claim 11

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said light source (81) emits a laser beam including components of three different wavelengths, and further comprising means (82 RGB) for separating the components of the laser beam from said light source (81) into separate beams, said modulating means (84,85 RGB) optically modulating the beams from said separating means (82 RGB) individually in response to the video signal supplied from said video signal supplying means (2,63) and means (87 RGB) for combining the modulated beams from said modulating means (84 RGB,85 RGB) into a single beam and introducing the single beam to said scanning means (91,92).

Claim 12

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus, according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or 11, further comprising: depth signal supplying means (65,90) for supplying depth information; a variable focus optical system (64,89) for providing the depth information supplied from said depth signal supplying means to the modulated laser beam received from said modulating means (62,84 RGB) and supplying the resulting beam to the scanning means (66,68,69,91,92).

Claim 13

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus, according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or 11, further comprising: depth signal supplying means (65,90) for supplying depth information; and in which the said scanning means (66) include a variable focus optical system (64) for providing the depth information supplied from said depth signal supplying means (65) to the laser beam received from said modulating means (62).

Claim 14

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus, according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or 11, further comprising: depth signal supplying means (65) for supplying depth information; and wherein said projecting optical system (70) includes a variable focus optical system (64) for providing the depth information supplied from said depth signal supplying means (65) to the laser beam received from said scanning means (66).

Claim 15

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein said variable focus optical system (64) includes a variable focus lens having a focal length which is varied in response to the depth information from said depth signal supplying means (65).

Claim 16

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus, comprising: a light source (131) for emitting a linearly polarized laser beam; means (132) for dividing the laser beam from said light source (131) into first and second laser beams; first and second video signal supplying means (63,149a,b) for supplying first and second video signals, respectively; first and second modulating means (62,135a,b) for optically modulating the first and second laser beams from said dividing means (132) in response to the first and second video signals supplied from first and second said video signal supplying means (63,149a,b), respectively; first and second depth signal supplying means (65,139a,b) for supplying first and second depth information; first and second variable focus optical systems (64,138a,b) for providing the first and second depth information supplied from said first and second depth signal supplying means (65,139a,b) to the modulated laser beams received from said first and second modulating means (62,135a,b), respectively; means (140) for rotating the laser beam from said second variable focus optical system (138b) to produce a laser beam having a polarization plane perpendicular to that of the output laser beam of said first variable focus optical system (138a); means (141) for combining the laser beams from said first variable focus optical system (138a) and said rotating means (140) into a single laser beam; scanning signal supplying means (67,150) for supplying a scanning signal; scanning means (68,69,142,143) for scanning the laser beam received from said combining means (141) in response to the scanning signal supplied from said scanning signal supplying means (67,150); and a projecting optical system (70,144,145,146,147a,b) for dividing the scanned laser beam received from said scanning means (68,69,142,143) into two beams having perpendicular polarization planes relative to each other and projecting the two beams to form images of the beams on the retinae of a pair of eyes (71,148a,b) of an observer of said direct viewing picture image display apparatus.

Claim 17

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said combining means (140) includes a 1/2 wavelength plate.

Claim 18

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said projecting optical system includes a polarizing beam splitter (146) which divides the laser beam from said scanning means (68,69,142,143) into two beams having perpendicular polarization planes relative to each other.

Claim 19

A direct viewing picture image display apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said light source (131) emits a laser beam including components of three different wavelengths, and each of said first and second modulating means (62,63) includes means (133a,b,RGB) for separating the components of the laser beam from said dividing beams (132) into separate beams, means (135aRGB,135bRGB) for optically modulating the beams from said separating means (137a,b,RGB) for combining the modulated beams into a single beam and introducing the single beam to the first or second variable focus optical system (64,138a,b).