Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Sony Corporation

Other

Hiroyuki Sugimoto

Toshiaki Tokita

Yasuyuki Takiguchi

Yumi Matsuki

Masanori Kobayashi

Kazuhiro Fujita

Shigeaki Nimura

Takanobu Osaka

Atsushi Takaura

Kazuya Miyagaki

Toshiharu Murai

Kenji Namie

Mitsuru Takahashi

Koh Fujimura

Kenji Kameyama

Yoshihiro Morioka

Ikuo Katoh

Yukiko Hirano

Nobuyuki Tamaoki

Hiroo Matsuda

Takashi Nakamura

Yohei Takano

Hiroyoshi Funato

Makoto Arai

Toshiaki Nonaka

Sensaburo Nakamura

Nobuyuki Minami

Masami Kadonaga

Chikatomo Nakasaka

Yoshishige Kida

Kyohji Tsutsui

Naoko Iwata

Haruki Amagawa

Miki Kai

An image projection device performing pixel shift in synchronization with sequential updating of image data is disclosed that is able to start and stop pixel shift operations within a period of updating the image frames while maintaining brightness of the image. The image projection device has an intermediate image formation optical system including a light valve able to update an image frame in a line-sequential manner, a pixel shift unit to shift the light path of a light beam from the light valve so as to shift a position of an image formed on the light valve, and an intermediate image formation unit arranged on the light path between the light valve and the pixel shift unit for forming an intermediate image of the image on the light valve at a position of the pixel shift unit.

Intermediate image formation optical system, image formation device, and methods thereof

A liquid crystal element comprising a pair of transparent substrates, a liquid crystal layer which fills in between the pair of substrates and can form a chiral smectic C phase in homeotropic orientation, and an electrode which generates, at least, an electric field (parallel electric field) in directions parallel to a principal face of the substrate for the liquid crystal layer is provided, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises, at least, a chiral compound of the following general formula (1-I) or a chiral compound of the following general formula (2-I) and a chiral compound of the following general formula (2 -II) in a base liquid crystal material which can provide a phase sequence of an isotropic liquid phase, a nematic phase, a smectic A phase and a smectic C phase from a higher temperature side, wherein R, A, Z, Z, m and 1 in formula (1-I), X, R, R, and * in formula (2-I), and X, R, R, R, and * in formula (2-II) are defined in the specification. 

Liquid crystal element, optical path deflecting element, and image displaying apparatus

An image display device is disclosed that has a simplified structure and is able to display a high quality image of high resolution at low cost. The image display device includes a light separation unit configured to extract a light beam having a predetermined wavelength band from light emitted from a light source; a light valve that controls a light beam incident thereon to form a plurality of sub frames of a target image; and a light path shift unit operable to shift a light path of an output light beam from the light valve having the predetermined wavelength band according to a frame period of the target image to locate one or more sub frame of the target image at different positions from other sub frames of the target image formed by the light valve.

Image display device and image projection device

An image processing apparatus that performs resolution conversion on image data to output to a display unit includes a resolution converting unit configured to perform resolution conversion on the image data to generate pixel data having a resolution &#x3b1; times as high as a resolution of the display unit, where &#x3b1;&#x3e;1; an image processing unit configured to perform an image processing on the pixel data; and a decimation unit configured to decimate the pixel data on which the image processing has been performed, to have a resolution equal to or lower than the resolution of the display unit, and to output decimated data to the display unit.

Image processing apparatus, image display apparatus, image processing method, and computer product

An image display apparatus acquires a high-quality image by suppressing positional fluctuation of projected dots due to a positional offset of an optical path deflecting element. A spatial light modulation element () displays an image by projecting a light from an illumination light source. A projection optical system () enlarges and projects the image formed on the spatial light modulation element (). An optical path deflecting element () is provided between the spatial light modulation element () and the image formed on a screen () so as to deflect an optical path in accordance with a screen frame period. The optical path deflecting element () shifts the optical path for the image projected on the screen () at a high rate so as to apparently increase a number of picture elements. The optical path deflecting element () is located within the projection optical system.

Image display apparatus and projection optical system

A light path shift device is disclosed that is able to divide an effective region of a light path and drive the divided regions independently. The light path shift device includes a liquid crystal layer held between at least two opposite transparent substrates, the liquid crystal layer being homeotropically aligned and being able to form a chiral smectic C phase; and plural electrodes for applying an electric field in the liquid crystal layer in a horizontal direction. An effective region of the liquid crystal layer through which a light path passes is divided into plural sub-regions, plural light path shift elements with the electrodes formed thereon are stacked only at positions corresponding to the sub-regions, and are arranged so that boundary lines of the sub-regions are in agreement when being viewed along the direction of light propagation.

Light path shift device and image display device

The present invention provides an image switching apparatus allowing a operator to easily operate a plurality of special effect apparatuses through different interfaces by using a common operation. The image switching apparatus includes a first image output interface, a first image input interface, a second image output interface, a second image input interface, a type storage section, a routing instruction section, one or more image synthesis/switching section, a synthesis/switching operation input section, and an assignment management section which refers to the type storage section in response to an instruction from the routing instruction section and outputs the image in the image synthesis/switching section to the first image output interface as well as acquires the image from the first image input interface to input the acquired image to the image synthesis/switching section when the setting is the first path, whereas outputs the image in the image synthesis/switching section to the second image output interface as well as acquires the image from the second image input interface to input the acquired image to the image synthesis/switching section when the setting is the second path, and refers to the type storage section in response to an input image selection instruction from the synthesis/switching operation input section and selects an image to be directed to the first image output interface when the setting is the first path, whereas selects an image to be directed to the second image output interface when the setting is the second path.

Image switching apparatus, image switching method, and program recording medium

An optical element, an optical device, and a display device are disclosed that are able to change a polarization state in time order and to produce polarized light with little wavelength dependence and superior in polarization purity, and able to perform pixel shift easily and accurately to realize high resolution image display. The optical element has a translucent surface parallel to the rotational axis of the optical element, and at least a portion of the translucent surface is formed from an optically anisotropic medium. A polarization state of a light beam transmitting through the translucent surface is switched in time order along with rotation of the optical element.

Optical device, display device, and three-dimension image display device for changing a polarization state of a light beam in time

An optical axis deflecting element is provided with a pair of transparent substrates, a liquid crystal layer disposed between substrate surfaces of the pair of transparent substrates and having a chiral smectic C-phase forming a homeotropic orientation, and a plurality of electrode pairs each defining one of a plurality of divided regions into which an effective region of the liquid crystal layer is divided, wherein an electric field is independently applicable to each divided region defined by a corresponding electrode pair in a direction parallel to the substrate surfaces.

Optical axis deflecting method, optical axis deflecting element, optical path deflecting unit, method of driving optical axis deflecting element, and image display apparatus

A light deflection element has a pair of transparent substrates; a chiral smectic C phase liquid crystalwith a homeotropic alignment filled between the pair of transparent substrates; and at least an electric field applying devicefor activating an electric field in the liquid crystal. Because a chiral smectic C phase liquid crystal is used, the problems of the conventional light deflection element, such as high cost, light loss, large size, and optical noise etc. due to its complicated structure, can be greatly improved. The conventional low response time due to the smectic A phase or the nematic liquid crystal is improved, thereby the high-speed response is possible.

Light deflection element, light deflection device and image display device

A spatial light modulator is disclosed that can be fabricated easily and is able to prevent degradation of a contrast ratio by suppressing a fringe effect. The spatial light modulator includes a light transmission substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a pixel array, and a phase difference generation unit provided between the light transmission substrate and the liquid crystal layer. A lens array is formed on the light transmission substrate, and the lens array has the same pitch as that of the pixel array.

Spatial light modulator and display device

An optical deflection device includes an optical deflection element having a pair of transparent boards arranged in a mutually opposing manner. A liquid crystal layer is filled between the boards and forms a chiral smectic C phase. An orientation film orients liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer in a substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the liquid crystal layer. Electrodes generate an electric field in a substantially parallel direction with respect to the liquid crystal layer. A first voltage application part applies, to the electrodes, an ac voltage of a deflection frequency switching the optical deflection direction of the optical deflection element. A second voltage application part applies, to the electrodes, an ac voltage of a higher frequency than the deflection frequency. A stop process part causes the second voltage application part to apply the ac voltage of the higher frequency than the deflection frequency after causing the first voltage application part to apply the ac voltage of the deflection frequency, when stopping an operation of switching the optical deflection direction of the optical deflection element.

Optical deflection device and optical deflection method that control occurrence of alignment defect

An imaging unit images light on a light receiving element, and includes an optical path shifting element, and a lens arranged on an input side or an output side of the optical path shifting element. The optical path shifting element includes a liquid crystal layer which is applied with an electrical field in a direction approximately parallel to an in-plane direction. The liquid crystal layer is made of a chiral smectic C phase ferroelectric liquid crystal having a homeotropic alignment. The optical path shifting element shifts an optical path of the light input thereto in an optical path shifting direction.

Imaging unit, optical write unit, optical read unit and image forming apparatus

In a method for displaying a three-dimensional stereo image, a left-eye image defined by multiple left-eye strip pixels and a right-eye image defined by multiple right-eye strip pixels are displayed such that the left-eye pixels and the right-eye pixels are arranged alternately from the left to the right in a width direction. The left-eye image and the right-eye image are guided separately to the left eye and the right eye of an observer. Then, the left-eye image and the right-eye image are shifted by one pixel in an oscillating manner, and the left-eye image and the right-eye image are deflected synchronized with the one-pixel shifting operation.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Hiroyuki Sugimoto