Three-dimensional display

• US 20070070476A1
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Sunao, Yamada, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US11/520,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070476A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/9
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/004 based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0883 the refracting element being a prism
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0006 Arrays G02B3/02, G02B5/188 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0056 arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0081 having one or more elements with analytic function to create variable power variable magnification in general G02B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/24 involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays

Abstract

In the three-dimensional display, a two-dimensional display section generates a two-dimensional display image based on an image signal, and a lens array converts the wavefront of the display image light from the two-dimensional display section into a wavefront having a curvature which allows the display image light to focus upon a focal point where an optical path length from an observation point to the focal point is equal to an optical path length from the observation point to a virtual object point, so a viewer can obtain information about an appropriate focal length in addition to information about binocular parallax and a convergence angle. Therefore, consistency between the information about binocular parallax and a convergence angle and the information about an appropriate focal length can be ensured, and a desired stereoscopic image can be perceived without physiological discomfort.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional display, comprising:

a two-dimensional image generating means for generating a two-dimensional display image based on an image signal;

a wavefront conversion means for converting the wavefront of display image light emitted from the two-dimensional image generating means into a wavefront having a curvature which allows the display image light to focus upon a focal point, an optical path length from an observation point to the focal point being equal to an optical path length from an observation point to a virtual object point; and

a deflection means for deflecting the display image light, the wavefront of the display image light being converted by the wavefront conversion means.

2. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1 further comprising:

a light source; and

a light collimation means for collimating light emitted from the light source into parallel light to emit the parallel light to the two-dimensional image generating means.

3. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light collimation means for collimating each display image light from each of pixels constituting the two-dimensional image generating means into parallel light on a pixel-to-pixel basis to emit the parallel light to the wavefront conversion means.

4. The three dimensional display according to claim 3, wherein

the light collimatiion means includes positive lenses each arranged corresponding to each of pixels.

5. The three-dimensional display according to claim 3, wherein

the collimating means includes partition walls each arranged upright so as to be parallel to an optical axis, at least a surface portion of the partition wall being made of a material absorbing the display image light.

6. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1, wherein

the deflection means includes:

a horizontal deflection section deflecting display image light from the wavefront conversion means in a horizontal direction; and

a vertical deflection section deflecting the display image light in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

7. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1, wherein the wavefront conversion means includes a variable focal-length mirror.

8. The three-dimensional display according to claim 7, wherein

the variable focal-length mirror includes:

a rigid layer;

an elastic layer arranged so as to face the rigid layer;

a reflective layer being arranged on an outer surface of the elastic layer; and

a pair of electrode layers, one of them arranged on a surface of the rigid layer, and another arranged on a surface of the elastic layer, and the elastic layer has an elastic-constant distribution which is nonuniform in a direction along its plane.

9. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1, wherein

the wavefront conversion means is a variable focal-length lens.

10. The three-dimensional display according to claim 9, wherein

the variable focal-length lens includes:

a rigid layer made of a transparent material;

an elastic layer arranged so as to face the rigid layer, the elastic layer being made of a transparent material;

a filling layer filled between the rigid layer and the elastic layer, the filing layer being made of a transparent material; and

a pair of transparent electrode layers, one of then arranged on a surface of the rigid layer, and another arranged on a surface of the elastic layer, and

the elastic layer has an elastic-constant distribution which is nonuniform in a direction along its plane.

11. The three-dimensional display according to claim 9, wherein the variable focal-length lens includes:

a rigid layer made of a transparent material;

an elastic layer arranged so as to face the rigid layer, the elastic layer being made of a transparent material;

a filling layer filled between the rigid layer and the elastic layer, the filling layer being made of a transparent material; and

a pair of transparent electrode layers, one of them arranged on a surface of the rigid layer, and another arranged on a surface of the elastic layer, the pair of transparent electrode layers forming an electric-field-intensity distribution in a direction along their plane.

12. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1, wherein

the deflection means is a light deflection device including:

a fixed layer made of a transparent material;

a movable layer arranged so as to face the fixed layer, the movable layer being made of a transparent material;

a filling layer filled between the fixed layer and the movable layer, the filling layer being made of a transparent material;

a pair of transparent electrode layers, one of them arranged on a surface of the fixed layer, and another arranged on a surface of the movable layer, the pair of transparent electrode layers forming an electric-field-intensity distribution which is nonuniform in a direction along their plane.

13. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1, wherein

the two-dimensional image generating means and the deflection means are in syncronization with each other.

14. The three-dimensional display according to claim 1, wherein

the wavefront conversion means and the deflection means are in syncronization with each other.

15. The three-dimensional display according to claim 12, wherein

the deflection means includes a horizontal deflection means and a vertical deflection means.

16. A three-dimensional display, comprising:

a two-dimensional image generator generating a two-dimensional display image based on an image signal;

a wavefront convertor converting the wavefront of display image light emitted from the two-dimensional image generator into a wavefront having a curvature which allows the display image light to focus upon a focal point, an optical path length from an observation point to the focal point being equal to an optical path length from the observation point to a virtual object point; and

a deflector deflecting the display image light, the wavefront of the display image light being converted by the wavefront convertor.