Patent ID: 7425951

Claim:
An apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image observable in a viewing zone having a reference plane, the apparatus comprising: a display unit including pixels which are arranged in a matrix form, the pixels comprising sub-pixels disposed at a constant sub-pixel pitch and grouped into first and second groups of sub-pixel arrays arranged along lines of sub-pixels, wherein each of the first groups of sub-pixel arrays has n number of sub-pixels, each of the second groups of sub-pixel arrays has (n+1) number of sub-pixels (n is a natural number), and the second groups of sub-pixel arrays are dispersedly allocated in an arrangement of the first groups of sub-pixel arrays along the lines of sub-pixels; a display driver configured to display elemental images on sub-pixel arrays in the first and second groups of sub-pixel arrays, wherein the elemental images displayed on the first groups of sub-pixel arrays are produced from n parallax images, the n parallax images being displayed on a respective one of the n sub-pixels, the elemental images displayed on the second groups of sub-pixel arrays are produced from (n+1) parallax images, the (n+1) parallax images being displayed on a respective one of the (n+1) sub-pixels, and the parallax images embody views of the three-dimensional image from different directions; and a transmission control panel having optical openings arranged at a constant opening pitch and facing the first and second groups of sub-pixel arrays, respectively, the transmission control panel being configured to control light rays emitted from the display unit so as to project the elemental images on the reference plane through the optical openings, respectively.