Shuttering eyewear for use with stereoscopic liquid crystal display

• US 20080062259A1
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Real D
• Inventors: Lipton, Lenny, Chiu, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,493,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing

Abstract

An active eyewear method and system for viewing stereoscopic images is provided. The eyewear comprises polarization altering elements, such as twisted nematics or super twisted nematics, configured to receive light energy and rotate the polarization of light energy passing therethrough, and linear polarizers having polarization axes oriented in substantially identical orientations orthogonal to the first axis of polarization. The linear polarizers receive light energy from the polarization altering elements. The method comprises transmitting light energy through a sheet polarizer having an first axis of polarization, receiving the light energy with two polarization altering elements, each polarization altering operating out of phase with the other and in synchrony with a video field rate associated with the transmitting, and passing the light energy through two linear polarizers having substantially identical axes of polarization orthogonal to the first axis of polarization.

Claims

1. An eyewear system for viewing stereoscopic images, comprising:

a display having a sheet polarizer associated therewith, said display configured to transmit light energy through the sheet polarizer, said sheet polarizer having a first axis of polarization; and

eyewear comprising;

polarization altering elements configured to receive light energy from the sheet polarizer and rotate the polarization of light energy received from the sheet polarizer passing therethrough; and

linear polarizers having polarization axes oriented in substantially identical orientations orthogonal to the first axis of polarization, wherein said linear polarizers receive light energy from the polarization altering elements.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise two polarization altering elements, each operating out of phase with the other and in synchrony with a video field rate associated with the display and sheet polarizer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise twisted nematics.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise super twisted nematics.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising additional linear polarizers interposed between the polarization altering elements and the linear polarizers, said additional linear polarizers having polarization axes substantially uniformly oriented and materially different from the substantially identical orientations of the linear polarizers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display further has a quarter wave retarder associated therewith, and wherein the polarization altering elements are configured to receive light energy from the sheet polarizer and the quarter wave retarder.

8. Eyewear for viewing stereoscopic images, comprising:

polarization altering elements configured to receive light energy and rotate the polarization of light energy passing therethrough; and

linear polarizers having polarization axes oriented in substantially identical orientations orthogonal to the first axis of polarization, wherein said linear polarizers receive light energy from the polarization altering elements.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise two polarization altering elements, each operating out of phase with the other and in synchrony with a video field rate associated with a display arrangement.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise twisted nematics.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise super twisted nematics.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising additional linear polarizers interposed between the polarization altering elements and the linear polarizers, said additional linear polarizers having polarization axes substantially uniformly oriented and materially different from the substantially identical orientations of the linear polarizers.

13. A method for viewing stereoscopic images, comprising:

transmitting light energy through a sheet polarizer having an first axis of polarization;

receiving the light energy with two polarization altering elements, each polarization altering operating out of phase with the other and in synchrony with a video field rate associated with the transmitting; and

passing the light energy through two linear polarizers having substantially identical axes of polarization orthogonal to the first axis of polarization.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise twisted nematics.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the polarization altering elements comprise super twisted nematics.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing light energy to additional linear polarizers interposed between the polarization altering elements and the linear polarizers, said providing occurring subsequent to said receiving, said additional linear polarizers having polarization axes substantially uniformly oriented and materially different from the substantially identical axes of orientation of the linear polarizers.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

passing light energy received from said transmitting through a quarter wave retarder; and

passing the light energy through front polarizers prior to receiving the light energy with two polarization altering elements.

18. A method for viewing field sequential stereoscopic images, comprising:

outputting linear polarized light on a liquid crystal display configured with a sheet polarizer to form field sequential stereoscopic images; and

observing left and right image information through a pair of optical shutters each configured with a linear polarizer and a twisted nematic part to form an active eyewear selection device;

wherein said images and optical shutters are synchronized at the field rate associated with the field sequential stereoscopic images.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a polarization axis of the linear polarizer is orthogonal to a polarization axis of the sheet polarizer.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising energizing the twisted nematic part by applying a voltage thereby occluding light from passing therethrough.