Patent ID: 7609445

Claim:
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.