Patent ID: 6907183

Claim:
A display device comprising: a light transmitting member comprising first and second surfaces; a cantilever disposed on the light transmitting member; a plate-like transparent elastic member which faces the second surface with a gap therebetween and comprises a first end supported by the cantilever and a second end; a light source that irradiates the first surface of said light transmitting member with light; and a control mechanism configured to change a contact state of said plate-like transparent elastic member with respect to the second surface of said light transmitting member on an optical path of the light, wherein said display device is configured to cause at least a portion of the light emitted by said light source and irradiating said light transmitting member to be output as a light component having directivity from said light transmitting member onto a scattering surface without scattering said light component, said scattering surface spaced apart from said light transmitting member and said control mechanism, and said light component is used to display images, and wherein the display device switches the contact state of the plate-like transparent elastic member with respect to the second surface among at least first, second, and third states according to a grayscale image to be displayed, the first state being a state in which the plate-like transparent elastic member is spaced apart from the second surface, the second state being a state in which the plate-like transparent elastic member is deformed such that a portion of the plate-like transparent elastic member on a side of the second end is in contact with the second surface, and the third state being a state in which the plate-like transparent elastic member is further deformed such that a surface area of the plate-like transparent elastic member which is in contact with the second surface is larger than that in the second state.