Low-cost circular polarizing eyewear

• US 20080018851A1
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Real D
• Inventors: Lipton, Lenny, Archer, Rod
• Granted Patent: US 7,517,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/74
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/25 using polarisation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/12 Polarisers

Abstract

A method and system of providing circularly polarized eyewear is provided. The eyewear comprises substantially rigid material configured to maintain lensing material, such as card stock or plastic. The lensing material comprises polarizing lensing material located proximate the substantially rigid material, and retarder lensing material matched to the polarizing lensing material. The retarder lensing material is positioned adjacent to the polarizing lensing material such that each eye of a user sees an intended image, and an unintended image is blocked thereby when used in conjunction with suitably polarization encoded projected images. The polarizing lensing material and retarder lensing material are fixedly maintained in association with the substantially rigid material and are configured to be provided free of lamination.

Claims

1. A set of circularly polarized eyewear comprising:

substantially rigid material configured to maintain lensing material;

polarizing lensing material located proximate the substantially rigid material; and

retarder lensing material matched to the polarizing lensing material and positioned adjacent to the polarizing lensing material such that each eye of a user sees an intended image, and an unintended image is blocked thereby when used in conjunction with suitably polarization encoded projected images;

wherein the polarizing lensing material and retarder lensing material are fixedly maintained in association with the substantially rigid material and are configured to be provided free of lamination.

2. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the substantially rigid material comprises stock formed from at least one from a group comprising paper and cardboard, and wherein the substantially rigid material comprises two substantially matched pieces.

3. The eyewear of claim 2, wherein the polarizer lensing material is fixedly mounted to a first matched piece and the retarder lensing material is fixedly mounted to a second matched piece.

4. The eyewear of claim 3, further comprising additional material interposed between the polarizer lensing material and the retarder lensing material.

5. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the substantially rigid material is formed from plastic.

6. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein polarizing lensing material comprises a plurality of polarized pieces and each polarized piece is provided in a first polarization orientation, and retarder lensing material comprises a plurality of retarder pieces each oriented in a different orientation from each other and from the first polarization orientation.

7. The eyewear of claim 3, wherein polarizing lensing material and retarder lensing material are fixedly mounted to the substantially rigid material using adhesive.

8. A method for constructing circularly polarized eyewear comprising:

providing substantially rigid material; and

providing polarizing lensing material with retarder lensing material free of lamination by fixedly maintaining the polarizing lensing material and the retarder lensing material in association with said substantially rigid material;

wherein said polarizing lensing material and said retarder lensing material enable each eye of a user to receive an intended image and an unintended image is blocked when used in conjunction with suitably polarization encoded projected images.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the substantially rigid material comprises stock formed from at least one from a group comprising paper and cardboard, and wherein the substantially rigid material comprises two substantially matched pieces.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing lensing material comprises:

fixedly mounting the polarizing lensing material to a first matched piece; and

fixedly mounting the retarder lensing material to a second matched piece.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing additional material between the polarizer lensing material and the retarder lensing material.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the substantially rigid material is formed from plastic.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein polarizing lensing material comprises a plurality of polarized pieces and each polarized piece is provided in a first polarization orientation, and retarder lensing material comprises a plurality of retarder pieces each oriented in a different orientation from each other and from the first polarization orientation.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein polarizing lensing material and retarder lensing material are fixedly mounted to the substantially rigid material using adhesive.

15. An apparatus comprising:

substantially rigid material configured to receive and maintain lensing material;

polarizing lensing material located proximate the substantially rigid material; and

retarder lensing material matched to the polarizing lensing material and positioned adjacent to the polarizing lensing material;

wherein the polarizing lensing material and retarder lensing material are fixedly maintained in association with the substantially rigid material and are configured to be provided free of lamination to form circular polarizing eyewear.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the substantially rigid material comprises stock formed from at least one from a group comprising paper and cardboard, and wherein the substantially rigid material comprises two substantially matched pieces.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the polarizer lensing material is fixedly mounted to a first matched piece and the retarder lensing material is fixedly mounted to a second matched piece.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising additional material interposed between the polarizer lensing material and the retarder lensing material.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the substantially rigid material is formed from plastic.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein polarizing lensing material comprises a plurality of polarized pieces and each polarized piece is provided in a first polarization orientation, and retarder lensing material comprises a plurality of retarder pieces each oriented in a different orientation from each other and from the first polarization orientation.