Array-type display apparatus

Abstract

An array-type display apparatus includes display devices each including a display section and a non-display area located around the display section, and transparent plates disposed on the viewer side. Each transparent plate has: a light exit-side deflection portion, provided in a position corresponding to the non-display area, for allowing at least part of light from the display section to exit the transparent plate in the front direction of the display section; and corner deflection portions, provided at the corners of the viewer-side surface, for allowing at least part of light that has passed through the transparent plate to exit it in the front direction. The width of the light exit-side deflection portion is larger than the width of the non-display area.

1 . An array-type display apparatus comprising:
 display devices each including a display section capable of displaying an image, and a non-display area located around the display section and incapable of displaying an image;   and transparent plates each disposed nearer to the viewer than the display section of a corresponding display device and covering the display section and the non-display area of the corresponding display device,   wherein the display devices and the transparent plates each have a polygonal shape when viewed in a normal direction of a display surface of the display section,   wherein adjacent transparent plates are disposed in contact with each other,   wherein each transparent plate has:   a light exit-side deflection portion for inwardly bending a traveling direction of at least part of light that has exited the display section and passed through the transparent plate, said light exit-side deflection portion being provided at least in an area of a peripheral part of a viewer-side surface, the area facing the non-display area when viewed in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section; and   corner deflection portions, provided at the corners of the viewer-side surface, for inwardly bending a traveling direction of at least part of light that has exited the corresponding display section and passed through the transparent plate,   wherein the light exit-side deflection portion has a width larger than a width of the non-display area,   wherein the light exit-side deflection portion has a curved surface, curved surfaces arranged in an inner-outer direction, inclined surfaces arranged in the inner-outer direction, or at least one curved surface and at least one inclined surface arranged in the inner-outer direction, and   wherein in the light exit-side deflection portion, an angle formed between a tangent plane of a curved surface at a point on the deflection portion and a plane parallel to the display surface of the display section or an angle formed between an inclined surface at a point on the deflection portion and a plane parallel to the display surface of the display section increases as the point moves outward in the inner-outer direction.   
     
     
         2 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the corner deflection portions are each inclined with respect to the light exit-side deflection portion.   
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the following relation is satisfied:
   2 ×W≦W 1≦4 ×W  
   where W 1  represents the width of the light exit-side deflection portion, and W represents the width of the non-display area, as viewed in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section.   
     
     
         6 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein each transparent plate further has a light entrance-side deflection portion for outwardly bending a traveling direction of at least part of light that has exited the display section, said light entrance-side deflection portion being provided at least in an area of a peripheral part of a display device-side surface, the area facing the display section when viewed in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section.   
     
     
         7 . An array-type display apparatus comprising:
 display devices each including a display section capable of displaying an image, and a non-display area located around the display section and incapable of displaying an image; and   transparent plates each disposed nearer to the viewer than the display section of a corresponding display device and covering the display section and the non-display area of the corresponding display device,   wherein adjacent transparent plates are disposed in contact with each other, and   wherein each transparent plate has:   a light entrance-side deflection portion for outwardly bending a traveling direction of at least part of light that has exited the display section, said light entrance-side deflection portion being provided at least in an area of a peripheral part of a display device-side surface, the area facing the display section when viewed in the normal direction of a display surface of the display section; and   a light exit-side deflection portion for inwardly bending a traveling direction of at least part of light that has exited the display section and passed through the transparent plate, said light exit-side deflection portion being provided at least in an area of a peripheral part of a viewer-side surface, the area facing the non-display area when viewed in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section.   
     
     
         8 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the light exit-side deflection portion has a curved surface, curved surfaces arranged in an inner-outer direction, inclined surfaces arranged in the inner-outer direction, or at least one curved surface and at least one inclined surface arranged in the inner-outer direction,   wherein the outer side of the light exit-side deflection portion is located nearer to the display device than the inner side thereof in the thickness direction of the transparent plate, and an angle formed between a tangent plane of a curved surface at a point on the light exit-side deflection portion and a plane parallel to the display surface of the display section or an angle formed between an inclined surface at a point on the light exit-side deflection portion and a plane parallel to the display surface of the display section increases as the point moves outward in the inner-outer direction, and   wherein at least part of light that exits the light exit-side deflection portion travels in a direction perpendicular to the display surface of the display section.   
     
     
         9 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the light entrance-side deflection portion has a curved surface, curved surfaces arranged in an inner-outer direction, inclined surfaces arranged in the inner-outer direction, or at least one curved surface and at least one inclined surface arranged in the inner-outer direction, and   wherein the outer side of the light entrance-side deflection portion is located nearer to the display device than the inner side thereof in the thickness direction of the transparent plate, and an angle formed between a tangent plane of a curved surface at a point on the light entrance-side deflection portion and a plane parallel to the display surface of the display section or an angle formed between an inclined surface at a point on the light entrance-side deflection portion and a plane parallel to the display surface of the display section increases as the point moves outward in the inner-outer direction.   
     
     
         10 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein in each display device, an image formed on the display surface by light that exits that area of the display section which faces the light entrance-side deflection portion when viewed in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section, is reduced to W 2 /W 1  (W 1  is the width of the light exit-side deflection portion and W 2  is the width of the light entrance-side deflection portion) of an image formed on the display surface by light that exits the other area of the display section.   
     
     
         11 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the luminance of an image displayed on that area of the display section which faces the light entrance-side deflection portion is W 1 /W 2  times the luminance of an image displayed on the other area of the display section.   
     
     
         12 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein at least part of light that has entered the light entrance-side deflection portion in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section passes through the transparent plate and exits it through the light exit-side deflection portion in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section.   
     
     
         13 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein light that has entered the light entrance-side deflection portion at an outermost point in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section passes through the transparent plate and exits it at a point lying nearest to the display device, on the light exit-side deflection portion in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section. 
     
     
         14 . The array-type display apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the following relation is satisfied in a cross-section perpendicular to a side surface of the transparent plate and to the display surface of the display section:
     H=W× tan θ
   
       where H represents the distance between a point T 1  and a point T 3 , and W represents the distance between a point T 2  and the point T 3 , the point T 1  being a point lying nearest to the display device in the thickness direction of the transparent plate, on the light exit-side deflection portion, the point T 2  being a outermost point on the light entrance-side deflection portion, and the point T 3  being the point of intersection between the plane passing through the point T 2  and parallel to the display surface of the display section, and the straight line passing through the point T 1  and perpendicular to the display surface of the display section; and θ (0°≦θ≦90°) represents the angle of the traveling direction of light in the transparent plate with respect to a plane parallel to the display surface, when the light enters the transparent plate at the point T 2 , passes through the transparent plate and exits it at the point T 1  in the normal direction of the display surface of the display section.