Multiple mode display device

• US 20070177007A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Real D
• Inventors: Greer, Josh, Lipton, Lenny
• Granted Patent: US 7,760,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a selection device and a multiple mode display device is disclosed. The multiple mode display device comprises a lens sheet comprising a plurality of individual lenticules forming a lenticular surface, an electro-optical modulator positioned adjacent the lens sheet, and a display device comprising a display surface. Alternatively, a multiple mode display arrangement is disclosed, comprising a lens sheet comprising a plurality of individual lenticules forming a lenticular surface and a display device comprising a display surface. The display device is positioned behind the lens sheet, thereby enabling viewing images transmitted in at least a planar mode and a stereoscopic mode.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a selection device; and

a multiple mode display device, comprising;

a lens sheet comprising a plurality of individual lenticules forming a lenticular surface;

an electro-optical modulator positioned adjacent the lens sheet; and

a display device comprising a display surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection device comprises passive eyewear.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection device comprises active shuttering eyewear.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the passive eyewear comprises polarizing analyzing spectacles.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lenticular surface of the lens sheet is facing outward away from the display surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lenticular surface of the lens sheet is facing inward towards the display surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electro-optical modulator is a pi-cell configured to follow the scanning or pixel location of the display device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lens sheet may be bonded to forward facing lenticules of the electro-optical modulator, thereby forming an integral unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lens sheet is bonded to the electro-optical modulator'"'"'s reward facing lenticules, thereby forming an integral unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display surface is cycled on and off, thereby operating in a field-sequential stereoscopic mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display device operates in a planar pass-through mode.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display surface presents alternating left and right lines of image information operating in a line-sequential mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electro-optical modulator comprises parallel glass plates filled with liquid crystal material retained by edge seals.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communications link between the display device and the selection device.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a multiple mode display unit configured to operate in;

a planar image mode configured to present two-dimensional images to a viewer;

a plano-stereoscopic mode for presenting three-dimensional images to the viewer; and

an autostereoscopic mode for presenting three-dimensional images to the viewer.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an active shuttering eyewear selection device employable by the user to view three-dimensional images provided in the plano-stereoscopic mode.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a selection device alternately occludes and passes through left and right images to the observer.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the autostereoscopic mode formats an image comprising a plurality of columns.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein each column comprises a plurality of stripes.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the autostereoscopic mode comprises interdigitating the image in conjunction with orchestrating the columns and the stripes.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plano-stereoscopic image comprises a planar pass-through mode combined with a field-sequential mode.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plano-stereoscopic image comprises a planar pass-through mode combined with a line-sequential mode.

23. A multiple mode display arrangement comprising:

a lens sheet comprising a plurality of individual lenticules forming a lenticular surface; and

a display device comprising a display surface;

wherein the display device is positioned behind the lens sheet, thereby enabling viewing images transmitted in at least a planar mode and a stereoscopic mode.

24. The multiple mode display arrangement of claim 23, further comprising a selection device employable by a user to view images transmitted in a plano-stereoscopic mode.

25. The multiple mode display arrangement of claim 23, wherein the display surface comprises:

a plurality of polarization strips configured such that scan lines of the display surface are coupled with the polarization strips.

26. The multiple mode display arrangement of claim 25, wherein the polarization strips comprise alternating characteristics covering the scan lines.

27. The multiple mode display arrangement of claim 23, wherein the display device comprises a liquid crystal display and a plurality of retarder strips are aligned on the top of an outer polarization surface of the liquid crystal display.

28. The multiple mode display arrangement of claim 23, wherein the display device comprises a plasma display and wherein a plurality of polarizer strips overlay the plasma display.

29. The multiple mode display arrangement of claim 26, wherein the display arrangement is configured to operate in an interlaced mode, wherein odd and even scanning lines representing left and right perspectives in correct juxtaposition with the polarization strips render a plano-stereoscopic image.