Systems and methods for producing narrowband images

• US 10,163,403 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2013
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Aiden, Erez Lieberman, Eckhoff, Philip A., Gates, William, Hagelstein, Peter L., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Langer, Robert, Leuthardt, Eric C., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Schnall-Levin, Michael, Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Jr., Lowell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahi, Towfiq
• Application Number:
  US14/083,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20150138053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,863 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3216 using a passive matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/334 using spectral multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/40 Privacy aspects, i.e. devices showing different images to different viewers, the images not being viewpoints of the same scene

Abstract

A system may produce images including narrow-bandwidth colors. One or more sets of the narrow-bandwidth colors may be selected to be interpreted as substantially a same color by a user. The system may include a light source configured to produce the narrow-bandwidth colors, and/or narrow-passband filters may create narrow-bandwidth colors from light emitted by broad-spectrum light sources or color sources. Spatial and/or time multiplexing may be used to create separate narrow-bandwidth colors interpreted as substantially a same color by the user. For example, the light source and/or the narrow-passband filter elements may be adjustable and may alternate between emission of two or more narrow-bandwidth colors. A viewing device may include filters allowing the user to selectively filter the narrow-bandwidth colors. The user may filter the narrow-bandwidth colors to separate a stereoscopic image pair, to view a user-specific image, to view desired content obfuscated by an obfuscating image, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A direct-view display system for producing images comprising narrow bandwidth colors, the system comprising:

a plurality of narrow-band light sources including a first light source configured to selectively emit light in a first narrow band and a second narrow band;

a plurality of pixels, each pixel in the plurality of pixels comprising a first liquid crystal element configured to selectively control transmission intensity of light received from the first light source; and

a control mechanism configured to display a first image during a first image frame and to display a second image during a second image frame by;

instructing the first light source to sequentially emit the light in the first narrow band during the first image frame and to emit the light in the second narrow band during the second image frame, and

selectively instructing the first liquid crystal element to pass a first intensity of the light from the first light source during the first frame and to pass a second intensity of the light during the second frame,

wherein each of the first narrow band and the second narrow band have a bandwidth that is less than or equal to 50 nanometers,

wherein the control mechanism operable to adjust a center frequency from being within an emission spectrum of a first narrow bandwidth color to being within another emission spectrum of a second narrow bandwidth color, the center frequency being associated with a center color,

wherein the first narrow band is associated with the first narrow bandwidth color and the second narrow band is associated with the second narrow bandwidth color, and

wherein the first narrow band and the second narrow band are selected so that the first narrow bandwidth color and the second narrow bandwidth color can be interpreted as substantially a same color by a user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control mechanism is configured to cause the plurality of pixels to display the first image using the light in the first narrow band and to display the second image using the light in the second narrow band.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first image and the second image form a stereoscopic pair when viewed by the user upon being passed through filters including a first lens configured to block at least the first narrow band and a second lens configured to block at least the second narrow band.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first image comprises a desired image and the second image comprises an obfuscating image.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the first image comprises an image for a first user and the second image comprises an image for a second user.