3-D viewing system
First Claim
1. A 3-D viewing system with which multiple viewers can view electronic display images of an object while sharing an optical objective, and wherein at least one of said multiple viewers may change his position or head orientation while maintaining a moveable electronic display unit in position for viewing, said system comprising:
- an optical objective that is shared among operators of the 3-D viewing system;
an image detecting unit;
a moveable electronic image display unit that displays images which have been captured by the image-detecting unit; and
means to change images that are displayed by the moveable electronic image display unit in response to a change in location or orientation of the moveable electronic image display unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A 3-D viewing system is disclosed that enables multiple operators to share a common objective element while readily adjusting the orientation of images that are displayed to one or more moveable display units. The orientation of images that are displayed at a movable display unit can be made to automatically depend on the position/orientation of the display unit. Thus, greater freedom in viewing postures is provided than previously available in 3-D viewing systems that share a common objective element, and each operator may view a 3-D image with proper perspective for his position/orientation. In order to reduce the number of optical components, the need to adjust optical components, and reduce costs, images from at least two different optical perspectives may be time-division multiplexed onto a single optical detecting device. Moreover, wide-angle, electronic color displays are disclosed which demodulate time-multiplexed image signals having two different parallaxes in a manner that dispenses with the need for wearing polarized glasses in order to experience a wide-angle, 3-D viewing experience. An electronic image display unit demultiplexes image data using left and right LED sets that are energized in sequence to emit up to three color light beams toward the left and right eyes of a viewer, at a frequency higher than 30 times per second. The light beams are then modulated with the image data for that color component using one or more high-speed, image modulators. Such modulators may be formed of transmissive or reflective liquid crystals in a known manner, or by an array of DMD'"'"'s that are controlled in a binary fashion to reflect light for a given pixel within or outside an exit pupil of the display. If DMD'"'"'s are used as the modulator, the duty cycle for a given pixel may be controlled in order to provide gradation of the display brightness for that pixel.
25 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A 3-D viewing system with which multiple viewers can view electronic display images of an object while sharing an optical objective, and wherein at least one of said multiple viewers may change his position or head orientation while maintaining a moveable electronic display unit in position for viewing, said system comprising:
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an optical objective that is shared among operators of the 3-D viewing system;
an image detecting unit;
a moveable electronic image display unit that displays images which have been captured by the image-detecting unit; and
means to change images that are displayed by the moveable electronic image display unit in response to a change in location or orientation of the moveable electronic image display unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification