Image display device

Abstract

This invention provides an image display device that can display large 3D images with an extremely simple structure and can be implemented at low cost. [Solution] The image display device comprises: a mirror section that is rotatably supported around its central axis and has a conical or frustoconical shape, with a plurality of concave mirrors on its side surface; a drive unit that rotates the mirror section around the central axis; a control unit that outputs an image to be reflected by the mirror section, which corresponds to the shape of the mirror section while being synchronized with the rotation of the mirror section, and also controls the drive unit; and a display unit that is provided on or near the extension of the central axis, at a position closer than the focal point of the concave mirror, and is connected to the control unit to display the image.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to an image display device capable of displaying an image in a wide range and three-dimensionally.

Background Art

[0002] A 360-degree multi-vision 3D video device has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this device, a smartphone and a plurality of mirrors are configured to rotate on a rotating table, and a stereoscopic image can be displayed to surrounding viewers by reflecting the image projected onto the smartphone with the plurality of mirrors.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the conventional device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the size of the stereoscopic image is not sufficient. That is, if the number of mirrors is reduced, the image can be enlarged, but there is a problem that the smoothness of movement of a video or the like is reduced. On the other hand, if the number of mirrors is increased, there is a problem that the size of the stereoscopic image becomes small. Further, if the mirrors are enlarged, there is a problem that the overall configuration of the device becomes large, leading to an increase in cost.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image display device that can display a large stereoscopic image over a wide range with an extremely simple structure and can be realized at a low cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The above problems are solved by the following present invention. That is, the image display device of the present invention (1) is A mirror portion that is rotatably supported around its central axis and has a conical or frustoconical shape, and has a plurality of concave mirrors on its side surface, A drive unit that rotates the mirror portion around the central axis, A display unit provided near the mirror portion, which displays an image to be reflected by the mirror portion, and which rotates at the same rotational speed as the mirror portion and displays an image corresponding to the shape of the mirror portion; It is equipped with.

[0007] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (2) is A mirror portion that is rotatably supported around its central axis and has a conical or frustoconical shape, and has a plurality of concave mirrors on its side surface, A drive unit that rotates the mirror portion around the central axis, An image to be reflected by the mirror portion, which rotates at the same rotational speed as the mirror portion and outputs an image corresponding to the shape of the mirror portion, and a control unit that controls the drive unit, A display unit provided on or near the extension of the central axis, at a position closer than the focal point of the concave mirror, which is connected to the control unit and displays the image; It is equipped with.

[0008] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (3) is A mirror portion that is rotatably supported around its central axis and has a conical or frustoconical shape, and has a plurality of concave mirrors on its side surface, A drive unit that rotates the mirror portion around the central axis, A control unit that outputs an image to be reflected by the mirror portion, which corresponds to the shape of the mirror portion and rotates, and a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the image, A display unit provided on or near the extension of the central axis, at a position closer than the focal point of the concave mirror, which is connected to the control unit and displays the image and transmits the signal, A receiver provided near the display unit for reading the signal, A second control unit connected to the receiver controls the drive unit to rotate the mirror unit at the same rotational speed as the image based on the signal read by the receiver, It is equipped with.

[0009] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (4) is an image display device described in any one of (1) to (3), The concave mirror is curved such that it is convex toward the central axis with respect to the circumferential direction of the mirror portion.

[0010] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (5) is the image display device described in (4), The curvature of the mirror portion of the concave mirror increases as it approaches the display portion.

[0011] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (6) is an image display device described in any one of (1) to (5), The concave mirror is curved so as to be convex toward the central axis with respect to the central axis direction.

[0012] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (7) is an image display device described in any one of (1) to (6), The concave mirrors are arranged discretely with respect to the central axis direction.

[0013] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (8) is an image display device described in any one of (1) to (7), A cylindrical portion attached to the mirror portion and surrounding the mirror portion along its circumferential direction, having a plurality of slits at positions corresponding to the plurality of concave mirrors.

[0014] Furthermore, the image display device of the present invention (9) is an image display device described in any one of (1) to (8), The mirror section has multiple partition plates that separate adjacent concave mirrors.

[0015] Moreover, the image display device of the present invention (10) is the image display device according to any one of (1) to (3), and the display unit has a shape corresponding to the side surface of a cone or a frustum of a cone.

[0016] Moreover, the image display device of the present invention (11) is a mirror unit that is rotatably supported around its central axis and has a conical or frustum shape, the mirror unit having a plurality of mirrors on its side surface, a drive unit that rotationally drives the mirror unit around the central axis, a display unit provided near the mirror unit, the display unit being an image for reflection by the mirror unit, and displaying an image corresponding to the shape of the mirror unit while rotating at the same rotational speed as the mirror unit, and the mirrors are discretely provided in the direction of the central axis.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image display device that can display a large three-dimensional image over a wide range with an extremely simple structure and can be realized at a low cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the image display device of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing the display unit, the device base, and the mirror unit of the image display device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view showing the mirror unit shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing the image and the individual images displayed on the display unit shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing the state after rotating by a predetermined angle after a predetermined time has elapsed for the image and the individual images shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram showing one 3DCG model in the virtual three-dimensional space α and separate viewpoint positions V evenly arranged annularly around it. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship between the mirror section and the virtual image of the image display device shown. [Figure 8] This figure shows a modified example of the image display device of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view showing the mirror portion and cylindrical portion of the image display device of the second embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the image display device, showing the mirror section with the cylindrical section removed. [Figure 11] Figure 9 is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship between the mirror section and the virtual image in the image display device of the second embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship between the mirror portion and the virtual image of the image display device of the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Embodiments of the image display device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The image display device of the present invention is capable of displaying a three-dimensional image over a wide area around it. [First Embodiment]

[0020] The image display device 11 comprises a central axis C (rotation axis), a mirror section 12 rotatably supported around the central axis C, a device base 13 that rotatably supports the central axis C, a drive unit 14 housed within the device base 13 that rotates the central axis C to rotate the mirror section 12 around the central axis C, a power transmission mechanism 15 that transmits the driving force of the drive unit 14 to the central axis C, a control unit 18 that controls the rotation of the drive unit 14 and outputs an image 17 reflected by the mirror section 12, a motor control device 21 that directly controls the drive unit 14, and a display unit 22 that displays the image 17 output from the control unit 18.

[0021] The central axis C extends, for example, in the vertical direction. However, it is not limited to this. The central axis C may also extend, for example, in the horizontal direction.

[0022] The device base 13 is formed in a box shape. As shown in Figure 2, the device base 13 has a plurality of support columns 13A for supporting the display unit 22. The method of fixing the display unit 22 is not limited to this, and for example, it may be fixed to support columns installed near the device. The drive unit 14 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor, but is not limited to this. The drive unit 14 may be composed of other motors such as a DC motor. As shown in Figure 1, the power transmission mechanism 15 has, for example, a pair of pulleys 23 and a belt 24 stretched between the pair of pulleys 23. The power transmission mechanism 15 may be composed of a reduction gear train. The rotational speed of the central axis C, which is rotationally driven by the drive unit 14, is preferably, for example, 0.5 to 5 revolutions per second.

[0023] The control unit 18 is composed of a general-purpose PC (personal computer). This PC has a CPU, various ROMs, RAM, an HDD, a display, etc. An operating system is installed on the PC, and in addition, dedicated software is installed to output the image 17 and to control the drive unit 14 via the motor control device 21.

[0024] The motor control device 21 can generate pulse signals to rotate the drive unit 14 under the control of the control unit 18. The control unit 18 can set the rotational speed of the central axis C, which is powered and rotated by the drive unit 14, to any rotational speed of 1 / T revolutions per second via the motor control device 21. In other words, the central axis C can be set to rotate once every T seconds. The set rotational speed is preferably, for example, 0.5 to 5 revolutions per second. The motor control device 21 can also detect the rotational position of the central axis C via the encoder and transmit it to the control unit 18 as needed.

[0025] The display unit 22 is composed of a commercially available display or tablet device and can display images on its surface. The display unit 22 is installed on or near the extension line E of the central axis C. The display unit 22 is connected to the control unit 18 and can display the image 17. The frame rate of this display unit 22 is, for example, 60 to 1000 fps. Alternatively, the display unit 22 may be composed of the display of a notebook computer that constitutes the control unit 18.

[0026] The central axis C is made up of a typical metal rod. The central axis C is positioned, for example, to extend vertically.

[0027] The mirror portion 12 is rotatable in the horizontal plane about the central axis C. As shown in Figure 3, the mirror portion 12 has a mirror body 32 configured in the shape of a cone or frustoconstrictor, a disc-shaped disc portion 33 provided on the lower side of the mirror body 32, and an outer edge portion 34 provided in the shape of a flange on the outer edge of the lower end of the disc portion 33. The mirror portion 12 is integrally formed, for example, by applying a mirror coating to the surface of a resin material formed three-dimensionally using a 3D printer or the like. Alternatively, the mirror portion 12 may be formed, for example, by bonding a flexible mirror sheet to the surface of a resin material formed three-dimensionally using a 3D printer or the like.

[0028] In this embodiment, the mirror body 32 is configured in a roughly frustum-shaped form. The mirror body 32 has a plurality of concave mirrors 25 provided on its side surface and a plurality of partition plates 35 separating adjacent concave mirrors 25. The mirror body 32 is configured in a roughly frustum-shaped form that is n times symmetric, defined by an integer n of 2 or more. More specifically, the mirror body 32 is configured in a roughly frustum-shaped form that is 12 times rotationally symmetric, for example, a roughly dodecagonal frustum. Note that the mirror body 32 may be configured in a form other than a roughly dodecagonal frustum (roughly square frustum, roughly pentagonal frustum, roughly heptagonal frustum, roughly octagonal frustum, etc.). The configuration of the mirror body 32 is not limited to this. The mirror body 32 may be formed in a roughly pyramidal shape (roughly square pyramidal, roughly pentagonal pyramidal, roughly hexagonal pyramidal, roughly heptagonal pyramidal, roughly octagonal pyramidal, etc.).

[0029] In this embodiment, the mirror body 32 has 12 concave mirrors 25 on its side surface. Each of these concave mirrors 25 is configured as an inclined surface with respect to the central axis C such that the distance from the central axis C increases as it moves away from the display unit 22.

[0030] The concave mirror 25 is curved in an arc shape (parabola) that is convex toward the central axis C with respect to the circumferential direction R (lateral direction) of the mirror portion 12 at all height positions in the vertical direction. That is, when the concave mirror 25 is cut in a horizontal plane, its cross-section is an arc shape (parabola) that is convex toward the central axis C. Furthermore, the display portion 22 is located closer than the focal point of the concave mirror 25. Therefore, the concave mirror 25 can magnify the virtual image 30 visible to the viewer with respect to the circumferential direction R.

[0031] The concave mirror 25 is curved so as to be convex toward the central axis C (vertical direction) with respect to the direction of the central axis C. Therefore, the concave mirror 25 can magnify the virtual image 30 visible to the viewer in the vertical direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the curvature of the concave mirror 25 changes with respect to the circumferential radius R depending on its height position in the vertical direction. That is, the concave mirror 25 is formed such that the curvature increases (the radius of curvature decreases) as you move upwards in the vertical direction (closer to the display unit 22). On the other hand, the concave mirror 25 is formed such that the curvature decreases (the radius of curvature increases) as you move downwards in the vertical direction (away from the display unit 22).

[0033] The mirror portion 12 has a shape resembling Mount Fuji, with a frustum shape that widens towards the bottom. As shown in Figure 1, the angle θ1 between the extension line E of the central axis C and the upper end of the side surface (concave mirror 25) of the mirror portion 12 is, for example, 32 to 46°. Also, the angle θ2 between the extension line E of the central axis C and the lower end of the side surface (concave mirror 25) of the mirror portion 12 is, for example, 43 to 50°.

[0034] Image 17 is an image output from the control unit 18, input to the display unit 22, and reflected by the mirror body 32 of the rotating mirror unit 12. The control unit 18 can display image 17 on its display unit 18A (display). Therefore, the operator can recognize the state of image 17 via the display unit 18A.

[0035] Image 17 includes multiple individual images 17A (for example, six in Figure 4), which are arranged evenly on the circumference. Preferably, the number of individual images 17A is the same as the number of concave mirrors 25 in the mirror section 12. Therefore, Image 17 may have 12 individual images 17A, corresponding to the number of concave mirrors 25.

[0036] Each of the individual images 17A consists of images of a single 3DCG model X placed in the virtual three-dimensional space α shown in Figure 6, viewed from separate viewpoint positions V arranged evenly in a circular pattern around it. The 3DCG model X may be stationary or in motion. In this embodiment, the 3DCG model X is stationary. As shown in Figure 4, the individual images 17A correspond to the front, left front side, left rear side, back, right rear side, and right front side of the character's 3DCG model X, respectively.

[0037] Image 17 rotates at a rate of 1 / T rotations per second. The viewpoint position V, set to compose the individual images 17A, also rotates at a rate of 1 / T rotations per second around the 3DCG model X. Figure 5 shows the state of Image 17 after a predetermined time has elapsed (T / 12 seconds) from the point in Figure 4. Image 17 in Figure 5 rotates 30 degrees around the center point of the circumference set to arrange the individual images 17A, compared to the state in Figure 4. At this time, the viewpoint position V, set to compose the individual images 17A, also rotates 30 degrees around the 3DCG model X.

[0038] Next, the operation of the image display device 11 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The image display device 11 of this embodiment can, for example, display three-dimensional images (three-dimensional videos) of popular characters to the audience in a shopping mall or the like.

[0039] The operator sets the rotation speed of the central axis C and the rotation speed and rotation position of the image 17 via dedicated software installed on the control unit 18. At this time, the rotation speed of the image 17 is set to be the same as the rotation speed of the central axis C. In addition, the rotation position of the individual images 17A of the image 17 is set to correspond to the position of the concave mirror 25 of the mirror unit 12. The individual images 17A of the image 17 displayed on the display unit 22 are reflected by the concave mirror 25 of the mirror unit 12. As shown in Figure 7, the individual images 17A reflected in the concave mirror can be seen by the viewer as a virtual image 30 that is magnified in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0040] At this time, the spectator's right and left eyes will perceive different virtual images 30 corresponding to their respective positions. As a result, the spectator can perceive the displayed virtual images 30 as three-dimensional images. In addition, although the virtual images 30 are tilted with respect to the central axis C, this tilt becomes less noticeable.

[0041] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 outputs an image 17 to the display unit 22 and sends a control signal to the drive unit 14, thereby rotating the image 17 and the mirror unit 12 at corresponding rotational speeds and positions. However, this method is not the only one. For example, the following modifications are useful when using a personal smartphone or tablet as the display unit 22. Figure 8 shows a modified example. The display unit 22 incorporates a control unit (not shown). This control unit consists of a CPU, various ROMs, RAM, an HDD, and various software installed on the HDD. The image display device 11 further has a control unit 18 independent of the display unit 22. The control unit 18 is composed of a general-purpose microcomputer. The microcomputer has a dedicated program installed that controls the drive unit 14 via the motor control device 21. The image display device 11 has a receiver 19 (photosensor) connected to the control unit 18. The image display device 11 can output signals corresponding to the rotational speed and position of the image 17 along with the rotating image 17 in the display unit 22. The signal can be easily generated, for example, by flashing a portion of image 17 in sync with the rotation. The receiver 19 is composed of, for example, a sensor (photosensor).

[0042] The control unit 18 can read the signal output from the display unit 22 via the receiver 19 and determine the rotation speed and rotation position of the image 17 displayed on the display unit 22. The method by which the display unit 22 outputs a signal and the control unit 18 receives it is not limited to this; for example, signals may be sent and received wirelessly. The control unit 18 can determine the rotation speed and rotation position of the image 17 using the receiver 19, and rotate the mirror unit 12 at a rotation speed and rotation position corresponding to the rotation speed and rotation position of the image 17. This will produce the same effects as described above.

[0043] Alternatively, in this embodiment and its modifications, the cylindrical portion 16 may be placed on the outer edge portion 34, as described in the second embodiment. In this case, the image 17 is reflected by the concave mirror 25 at the corresponding position and reaches the viewer's eye through the slit 31 provided on the cylindrical portion 16 corresponding to the position of the concave mirror 25. When the image 17 is shown without passing through the slit 31, the image 17 and the concave mirror 25 rotate in sync with the rotation of the mirror section 12. Therefore, each time the concave mirror 25 passes over the image 17, it is perceived by the viewer as a blurred image. However, by showing the image through the slit 31, which scans the cylindrical section 16 in sync with the rotation of the mirror section 12, each time the concave mirror 25 (and the slit 31) passes over the image, it is possible to make the viewer perceive a blur-free image (afterimage).

[0044] According to this embodiment, the following can be said: The image display device 11 comprises a mirror portion 12 that is rotatably supported around its central axis C and has a conical or frustoconical shape, and has a plurality of concave mirrors 25 on its side surface; a drive unit 14 that rotates the mirror portion 12 around the central axis C; and a display unit 22 provided near the mirror portion 12, which displays an image 17 to be reflected by the mirror portion 12, and rotates at the same rotational speed as the mirror portion 12, and displays an image corresponding to the shape of the mirror portion 12.

[0045] Furthermore, the image display device 11 includes a mirror section 12 that is rotatably supported around its central axis C and has a conical or frustoconical shape, with a plurality of concave mirrors 25 on its side surface; a drive unit 14 that rotates the mirror section 12 around the central axis C; an image 17 to be reflected by the mirror section 12, which rotates at the same rotational speed as the mirror section 12 and outputs an image 17 corresponding to the shape of the mirror section 12, as well as a control unit 18 that controls the drive unit; and a display unit 22 that is located on or near the extension of the central axis C, closer than the focal point of the concave mirrors 25, and is connected to the control unit 18 to display the image 17.

[0046] Furthermore, the image display device 11 includes a mirror section 12 that is rotatably supported around its central axis C and has a conical or frustoconical shape, with a plurality of concave mirrors 25 on its side surface; a drive unit 14 that rotates the mirror section 12 around the central axis C; an image 17 to be reflected by the mirror section 12, which corresponds to the shape of the mirror section 12 and rotates; a control unit 18 that outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the image 17; a display unit 22 that is located on or near the extension of the central axis C and closer than the focal point of the concave mirrors 25, which is connected to the control unit 18 and displays the image 17 and transmits a signal; a receiver 19 located near the display unit 22 that reads the signal; and a second control unit 18 connected to the receiver 19 that controls the drive unit 14 based on the signal read by the receiver 19 to rotate the mirror section 12 at the same rotation speed as the rotation speed of the image 17.

[0047] Generally, reducing the number of mirrors allows for a larger size per unit mirror, thereby enabling a larger image to be shown to the audience. According to the above configuration, the concave mirror 25 makes the virtual image 30 reflected in the mirror section 12 appear larger. This allows a large image to be shown to the audience using a compact mirror section 12. This makes it possible to show a large image (virtual image 30) to the audience without reducing the number of individual mirrors.

[0048] In this case, the concave mirror 25 is curved so as to be convex toward the central axis C with respect to the circumferential radius R of the mirror portion 12.

[0049] This configuration allows the virtual image 30 reflected in the mirror section 12 to appear larger in the circumferential radius (R) of the mirror section 12. This makes it possible to show the audience a larger image in the circumferential radius (R) of the mirror section 12 without reducing the number of individual mirrors (concave mirrors 25). This allows for the display of a larger image to the audience while maintaining the smoothness of motion in videos and other media.

[0050] In this case, the curvature of the mirror portion 12 of the concave mirror 25 with respect to the circumferential radius increases as it approaches the display portion 22.

[0051] Generally, with a concave mirror 25, the size of the virtual image 30 increases as the distance from the concave mirror 25 increases, and decreases as the distance from the concave mirror 25 decreases. With the above configuration, the virtual image 30 can be sufficiently magnified in the circumferential direction R at a position close to the display unit 22. As a result, a sufficiently magnified virtual image 30 can be projected onto the mirror unit 12 regardless of the distance from the display unit 22.

[0052] In this case, the concave mirror 25 is curved so as to be convex toward the central axis C with respect to the direction of the central axis C.

[0053] With this configuration, the virtual image 30 reflected in the mirror section 12 can also be enlarged in the direction of the central axis C.

[0054] In this case, the mirror section 12 has a partition plate 35 that separates adjacent concave mirrors 25. With this configuration, the virtual image 30 from adjacent concave mirrors 25 can be hidden, and it can be made to appear as if a single character (3DCG model X) is inside the image display device 11. [Second Embodiment]

[0055] Referring to Figures 9 to 11, the image display device 11 of the second embodiment will be described. Here, we will mainly describe the parts that differ from the first embodiment, and omit the explanation of parts that are common to the first embodiment.

[0056] The image display device 11 has a cylindrical portion 16 placed on the outer edge of the mirror portion 12. As shown in Figure 9, the cylindrical portion 16 surrounds the periphery of the mirror portion 12. The cylindrical portion 16 is placed on the outer edge 34 of the mirror portion 12. The cylindrical portion 16 is cylindrical in shape and has a plurality of slits 31. The slits 31 are provided at regular intervals with respect to the circumferential radius R of the cylindrical portion 16. The slits 31 are configured as through holes penetrating the cylindrical portion 16, but may also be formed as windows covered with a light-transmitting resin. The cylindrical portion 16 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may also be a polygonal (square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, etc.) cylindrical shape.

[0057] In this embodiment, the number of slits 31 corresponds to the number of concave mirrors 25 on the side surface of the mirror portion 12 (six in this embodiment), which will be described later. The slits of the cylindrical portion 16 are positioned in front of the concave mirrors 25. Each of the multiple slits 31 is formed to be elongated in the direction of the central axis C (vertical direction). The length of the slit 31 in the direction of the central axis C is approximately equal to the height of the mirror portion 12, which will be described later. The cylindrical portion 16 is formed of, for example, a black synthetic resin material.

[0058] The mirror portion 12 is integrally formed, for example, by applying a mirror-like coating to the surface of a resin material that has been three-dimensionally formed using a 3D printer or the like. Alternatively, the mirror portion 12 may be formed, for example, by bonding a flexible mirror-like sheet to the surface of a resin material that has been three-dimensionally formed using a 3D printer or the like.

[0059] As shown in Figure 10, the mirror body 32 of the mirror section 12 is configured in a roughly truncated pyramidal shape. The mirror body 32 has a plurality of concave mirrors 25 provided on its side surface and partition plates 35 that separate the concave mirrors 25 from each other.

[0060] The mirror body 32 has six concave mirrors 25 on its side. Each of these concave mirrors 25 is configured as an inclined surface with respect to the central axis C such that the distance from the central axis C increases as it moves away from the display unit 22.

[0061] The concave mirror 25 has a portion 25A capable of forming a virtual image and a plurality of spacer portions 25B provided at a constant pitch along the central axis C direction (vertical direction). Each of the spacer portions 25B is formed in a strip shape extending in the lateral direction (circumferential direction R of the mirror portion 12). The spacer portions 25B cannot form a virtual image 30 at an appropriate angle toward the audience. The spacer portions 25B are formed in a stepped shape so as to make the portion 25A capable of forming a virtual image discontinuous. Therefore, in this embodiment, it can be said that the concave mirror 25 (the portion 25A capable of forming a virtual image) is provided discretely at a constant pitch with respect to the central axis C direction.

[0062] The concave mirror 25 is curved in an arc shape (parabola) that is convex toward the central axis C with respect to the circumferential direction R (lateral direction) of the mirror portion 12 at all height positions in the vertical direction. That is, when the concave mirror 25 is cut in a horizontal plane, its cross-section is an arc shape (parabola) that is convex toward the central axis C. Therefore, the concave mirror 25 can magnify the virtual image visible to the viewer with respect to the circumferential direction R.

[0063] Furthermore, the curvature of the concave mirror 25 changes with respect to the circumferential radius R depending on its height position in the vertical direction. That is, the concave mirror 25 is formed such that the curvature increases (the radius of curvature decreases) as you move upwards in the vertical direction (closer to the display unit 22). On the other hand, the concave mirror 25 is formed such that the curvature decreases (the radius of curvature increases) as you move downwards in the vertical direction (away from the display unit 22). In this embodiment, the mirror body 32 has a concave mirror 25 on its side, but a normal flat mirror may be installed instead of the concave mirror 25. In this modified case, the flat mirror has a portion capable of forming a virtual image and a plurality of spacer portions provided at a constant pitch along the central axis C direction (vertical direction), as in the above embodiment. Therefore, in this modified case as well, the mirror (the portion capable of forming a virtual image) can be said to be discretely provided at a constant pitch with respect to the central axis C direction.

[0064] Next, with reference to Figure 11, the operation of the image display device 11 of this embodiment will be described.

[0065] The operator sets the rotation speed of the central axis C and the rotation speed and rotation position of the image 17 via dedicated software installed on the control unit 18. At this time, the rotation speed of the image 17 is set to be the same as the rotation speed of the central axis C. In addition, the rotation position of the individual images 17A of the image 17 is set to correspond to the position of the concave mirror 25 of the mirror unit 12. The individual images 17A of the image 17 displayed on the display unit 22 are reflected by the concave mirror 25 of the mirror unit 12. As shown in Figure 11, the individual images 17A reflected in the concave mirror 25 can be seen by the viewer as a virtual image 30 that is magnified in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0066] In this embodiment, the concave mirrors 25 are provided discretely with respect to the central axis C. Therefore, in the virtual image 30, each part of the image can be magnified uniformly (linearly) with respect to the central axis C. Furthermore, even when the viewer's viewpoint is lowered, it is less likely that problems such as the virtual image 30 appearing unevenly distorted will occur.

[0067] In this embodiment as well, similar to the modification in the first embodiment, the signal from the display unit 22 may be read via the receiver 19, and the mirror unit 12 may be rotated at the same rotational speed as the rotational speed of the image 19.

[0068] According to this embodiment, the following can be said: The concave mirrors 25 are provided discretely with respect to the direction of the central axis C.

[0069] According to the above configuration, the virtual image 30 reflected in the concave mirror 25 can be magnified uniformly (linearly) with respect to each part of the image in the direction of the central axis C. Furthermore, even if the viewer's viewpoint is lowered in the direction of the central axis C, it is possible to prevent problems such as only a part of the image being greatly magnified and the virtual image 30 becoming unevenly distorted.

[0070] In this case, the image display device 11 is a cylindrical portion 16 attached to the mirror portion 12 and surrounding the mirror portion 12 along its circumferential direction, and the cylindrical portion 16 has a plurality of slits 31 at positions corresponding to the plurality of concave mirrors 25. With this configuration, the image 17 (virtual image 30) reflected by the concave mirrors 25 can be shown to the audience as a high-quality image with little blur by showing it through the slits 31 that scan the cylindrical portion 16. [Third Embodiment]

[0071] Referring to Figure 12, the image display device 11 of the third embodiment will be described. Here, we will mainly describe the parts that differ from the second embodiment described above, and we will omit the explanation of the parts that are common to the second embodiment.

[0072] In this embodiment, the display unit 22 is formed in a shape corresponding to the side surface of a cone, such as an umbrella shape. Such a display unit 22 can be realized, for example, with a flexible sheet-like organic EL display. Alternatively, the display unit 22 may have a shape corresponding to the side surface of a frustocone.

[0073] Next, with reference to Figure 12, the operation of the image display device 11 of this embodiment will be described.

[0074] The operator sets the rotation speed of the central axis C and the rotation speed and rotation position of the image 17 via dedicated software installed on the control unit 18. At this time, the rotation speed of the image 17 is set to be the same as the rotation speed of the central axis C. In addition, the rotation position of the individual images 17A of the image 17 is set to correspond to the position of the concave mirror 25 of the mirror unit 12. The individual images 17A of the image 17 displayed on the display unit 22 are reflected by the concave mirror 25 of the mirror unit 12. As shown in Figure 12, the individual images 17A reflected in the concave mirror 25 can be seen by the viewer as a virtual image 30 that is magnified in the vertical and horizontal directions. At this time, the angle of the virtual image 30 can be made closer to the direction parallel to the central axis C than the angle of the virtual image 30 in the second embodiment.

[0075] In this embodiment, the concave mirrors 25 are provided discretely with respect to the central axis C. Therefore, as shown in Figure 12, each part of the image in the virtual image 30 can be magnified uniformly (linearly) with respect to the central axis C. Furthermore, because the virtual image 30 is formed in a direction nearly parallel to the central axis C by the display section 22, which has a shape corresponding to the side surface of the cone, problems such as the virtual image 30 appearing unnaturally stretched or compressed with respect to the central axis C can be suppressed even when the viewer's viewpoint is lowered.

[0076] In this embodiment as well, similar to the modification in the first embodiment, the signal from the display unit 22 may be read via the receiver 19, and the mirror unit 12 may be rotated at the same rotational speed as the rotational speed of the image 19.

[0077] According to this embodiment, the following can be said: The display unit 22 has a shape corresponding to the side surface of a cone.

[0078] This configuration allows the angle of the virtual image 30 reflected in the mirror 12 to be brought closer to the direction parallel to the central axis C. This suppresses the problem of the virtual image 30 appearing unnaturally stretched or compressed when the viewer's viewpoint is lowered in the direction of the central axis C.

[0079] The embodiments described above can be implemented with various further substitutions and modifications. Naturally, it is also possible to combine the different embodiments described above as appropriate to constitute a single invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 11 Image display device 12 Mirror section 14 Drive Unit 16 Cylinder 17 images 18 Control Unit 22 Display section 25 concave mirror 25A Part capable of forming a virtual image 25B Spacer section C center axis R circumferential direction 30 Illusion 31 slits 35 partition plates

Claims

1. A mirror portion that is rotatably supported around its central axis and has a conical or frustoconical shape, and has a plurality of concave mirrors on its side surface, A drive unit that rotates the mirror portion around the central axis, A display unit provided near the mirror portion, which displays an image to be reflected by the mirror portion, and which rotates at the same rotational speed as the mirror portion and displays an image corresponding to the shape of the mirror portion; An image display device equipped with the following features.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the concave mirror is curved so as to be convex toward the central axis with respect to the circumferential direction of the mirror portion.

3. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the curvature of the mirror portion of the concave mirror increases as it approaches the display portion.

4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the concave mirror is curved so as to be convex toward the central axis with respect to the central axis direction.

5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the concave mirrors are provided discretely with respect to the central axis direction.

6. The image display device according to claim 1, comprising a cylindrical portion attached to the mirror portion and surrounding the mirror portion along its circumferential direction, the cylindrical portion having a plurality of slits at positions corresponding to the plurality of concave mirrors.

7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror portion has a plurality of partition plates that separate adjacent concave mirrors.

8. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit has a shape corresponding to the side surface of a cone or a frustocone.

Images