Image display device, semiconductor device and optical equipment

Abstract

An optical apparatus comprises at least image display device, a light source for illuminating the image display device, light-receiving device for receiving the light reflected from the eye of an observer, and calculation device for calculating the line of sight of the observer based on the output of the light-receiving means. At least, a part of the illuminating light from the light source is utilized as the illuminating light for illuminating the eye of the observer.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An optical equipment comprising at least image display means, a light source for illuminating said image display means, light-receiving means for receiving the reflected light from the eye of an observer, and calculation means for calculating the line of sight of said observer based on the output of said light-receiving means, wherein at least a part of the illuminating light from said light source is utilized as the illuminating light for illuminating the eye of said observer.  
     
     
         2 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said light source is a rear light source for illuminating said image display means from the rear side thereof.  
     
     
         3 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the illuminating light for illuminating the eye of said observer includes infrared or near-infrared light.  
     
     
         4 . An optical equipment according to  claim 3 , wherein said infrared or near-infrared light is obtained through a filter.  
     
     
         5 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the illuminating light for illuminating the eye of said observer is obtained through a filter provided in said image display means.  
     
     
         6 . An optical equipment according to  claim 5 , wherein said filter is provided in an area, other than the pixel portions, of said image display device.  
     
     
         7 . An optical equipment according to  claim 6 , wherein said area other than the pixel portions is an area including space between the pixels.  
     
     
         8 . An optical equipment according to  claim 5 , wherein said filter is adapted to transmit a desired visible light region and the infrared or near-infrared light.  
     
     
         9 . An optical equipment according to  claim 8 , wherein said desired visible light region is at least a visible light region selected from a group consisting of red light, green light and blue light.  
     
     
         10 . An optical equipment according to  claim 5 , wherein said area other than the pixel portions has a configuration substantially same as that of the pixel said image display device.  
     
     
         11 . An optical equipment according to  claim 5 , wherein said area other than the pixel portions is included in an image display area of said image display device.  
     
     
         12 . An optical equipment according to  claim 11 , wherein said area other than the pixel portions is divided into plural areas.  
     
     
         13 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said light source includes a visible light region component and a wavelength component longer than said visible light region component.  
     
     
         14 . An optical equipment according to  claim 13 , wherein said longer wavelength component includes the infrared or near-infrared light.  
     
     
         15 . An optical equipment according to  claim 13 , wherein said light source at least includes a lst light source for emitting light principally containing a visible light region component, and a 2nd light source for emitting light principally containing a component longer in wavelength than said visible light region component.  
     
     
         16 . An optical equipment according to claim  1 , wherein said light source is at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorescent lamp, a photodiode, a light source by the electron beam of the cathode ray tube, a plasma display tube and an electroluminescent tube.  
     
     
         17 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said light source is a fluorescent lamp having fluorescent materials emitting red light, green light, blue light and infrared and/or near-infrared light.  
     
     
         18 . An optical equipment according to  claim 17 , wherein said red light, green light, blue light and infrared and/or near-infrared light are generated by at least a fluorescent lamp.  
     
     
         19 . An optical equipment according to  claim 2 , wherein said infrared or near-infrared light contains light of a wavelength of 850-950 nm.  
     
     
         20 . An optical equipment according to  claim 13 , wherein said longer wavelength component contains a component of a wavelength of 850-950 nm.  
     
     
         21 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said image display means includes a liquid crystal display device.  
     
     
         22 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said light-receiving means is a photoelectric converting element.  
     
     
         23 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said light-receiving means is included in said image display means.  
     
     
         24 . An optical equipment according to  claim 23 , wherein said light-receiving means is included in an image display area of said image display means.  
     
     
         25 . An optical equipment according to  claim 23 , wherein said light-receiving means includes plural photoelectric converting elements.  
     
     
         26 . An optical equipment according to any of  claims 22  to  25 , wherein said image display means includes a liquid crystal display device.  
     
     
         27 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , further comprising an optical system for condensing the reflected light from the eye of said observer.  
     
     
         28 . An optical equipment according to claim  1 , wherein said image display means is driven by a shift register.  
     
     
         29 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said light-receiving means is driven by a shift register.  
     
     
         30 . An optical equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein said image display means and said light-receiving means are driven by a common shift register.  
     
     
         31 . An image display device provided with a rear light source, and image display means for effecting display by passing the light of said rear light source through plural pixels, wherein the light from said light source includes a visible region component and a longer wavelength component outside the visible region.  
     
     
         32 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , wherein the longer wavelength component outside the visible region contains a component of 850-950 nm.  
     
     
         33 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , further comprising a filter transmitting at least said longer wavelength component outside the visible region.  
     
     
         34 . An image display device according to  claim 33 , wherein said filter substantially does not transmit the visible region component.  
     
     
         35 . An image display device according to  claim 33 , wherein said filter further transmits light of a wavelength of the visible region component.  
     
     
         36 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , wherein said visible region component is colored light selected from red light, green light and blue light.  
     
     
         37 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , wherein said light source includes a 1st light source principally emitting said visible region component and a 2nd light source principally emitting said longer wavelength component outside the visible region.  
     
     
         38 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , wherein said visible region component and said longer wavelength component outside the visible region are generated by at least a fluorescent lamp.  
     
     
         39 . An image display device according to  claim 38 , wherein said fluorescent lamp includes fluorescent materials emitting red light, green light, blue light and infrared and/or near-infrared light.  
     
     
         40 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , wherein said light source includes a semiconductor.  
     
     
         41 . An image display device according to  claim 33 , wherein said filter is provided at least in an area between the pixels.  
     
     
         42 . An image display device according to  claim 33 , wherein said filter is provided at least within an image display area of the image display means.  
     
     
         43 . An image display device according to  claim 32 , wherein said filter has a configuration substantially same as that of the pixel.  
     
     
         44 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , wherein said image display means further includes a light-receiving unit.  
     
     
         45 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , further comprising a light-receiving unit.  
     
     
         46 . An image display device according to  claim 31 , wherein said image display means is liquid crystal display means.  
     
     
         47 . An image display device provided with a rear light source and image display means for effecting display by passing the light from said rear light source through plural pixels, wherein said image display means includes a light-receiving unit.  
     
     
         48 . An image display device according to  claim 47 , wherein said light-receiving unit is a photoelectric converting element.  
     
     
         49 . An image display device according to  claim 47 , wherein said light-receiving unit is provided in an area between the pixels of said image display means.  
     
     
         50 . An image display device according to  claim 47 , wherein said image display means is liquid crystal display means.  
     
     
         51 . A semiconductor device, wherein a Si-containing light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are formed on a same silicon chip.  
     
     
         52 . A semiconductor device according to  claim 51 , wherein said Si-containing light-emitting is an element utilizing the light-emitting phenomenon in the crystal defects in monocrystalline silicon, in amorphous silicon, at the polysilicon-monocrystalline silicon interface or in porous silicon.  
     
     
         53 . A semiconductor device according to  claim 51 , wherein plural light-emitting elements and/or plural light-receiving elements are arranged in an array.  
     
     
         54 . A semiconductor device according to  claim 51 , wherein an on-chip lens are provided on the light-emitting element and/or the light-receiving element.  
     
     
         55 . An optical equipment provided with a semiconductor device according to  claim 51 .  
     
     
         56 . An image display device provided with a semiconductor device according to claim  51 .