Aperture correction for lenticular screens

• US 20080186573A1
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Real D
• Inventors: Lipton, Lenny
• Granted Patent: US 7,808,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/463
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0012 characterised by the manufacturing method
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/005 arranged along a single direction only, e.g. lenticular sheets G02B3/0043 takes 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 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/29 characterised by the geometry of the lenticular array, e.g. slanted arrays, irregular arrays or arrays of varying shape or size

Abstract

An apparatus including an autostereoscopic image selection device and an overcoat opaque material applied to the autostereoscopic image selection device. The autostereoscopic image selection device and overcoat opaque material operate together to provide a self-locating aperture in association with the autostereoscopic selection device. The associated method entails applying an opaque overcoat material to an image selection device comprising a plurality of lenticules and removing selected portions of the opaque overcoat material from the image selection device. The applying and removing operate together with the image selection device to reduce a numerical aperture for at least one lenticule.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an autostereoscopic image selection device; and

an overcoat opaque material applied to the autostereoscopic image selection device;

wherein the autostereoscopic image selection device and overcoat opaque material operate together to provide a self-locating aperture in association with the autostereoscopic selection device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the autostereoscopic image selection device is a lenticular screen.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the autostereoscopic image selection device is a fly eye lens.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the opaque material is applied to individual elements formed on the autostereoscopic image selection device and subsequently partially removed from the individual elements by cleaning off excess opaque material from the autostereoscopic image selection device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overcoat opaque material is formed from a waxy material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overcoat opaque material is formed from an International Ink Company (INX) pigment material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the opaque material is applied to individual elements formed on the autostereoscopic image selection device and subsequently partially removed from the individual elements.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises reduced available transparent lens surface area by application of the overcoat opaque material.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein partial removal comprises buffing the opaque material to enable the lens surface area to render aperture-corrected autostereoscopic images.

10. A method for providing an enhanced autostereoscopic image selection device, comprising:

applying an opaque overcoat material to an image selection device comprising a plurality of lenticules;

said image selection device comprising an autostereoscopic image selection device configured to be positioned in juxtaposition with a display configured to provide stereoscopic images; and

removing selected portions of the opaque overcoat material from the image selection device;

wherein the applying and removing operate together with the image selection device to reduce a numerical aperture for at least one lenticule.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the image selection device is a Winnek lens sheet.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the image selection device is a fly eye lens.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the reduced numerical aperture enables image forming rays to be arranged in a nearly parallel orientation for rendering secondary, tertiary and additional off-axis viewing zones.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein removing comprises buffing a portion of the overcoat opaque material to configure the lens surface area for rendering aperture-corrected autostereoscopic images.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein removing comprises applying pressure while polishing overcoat opaque material on the lenticular screen to reveal a top lenticule surface, thereby forming a reduced section of a cylinder for aperture correction.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein removing comprises applying pressure while polishing overcoat opaque material on the fly eye lens to reveal a top lenticule surface, thereby forming a substantially circular opening on at least one fly lens element.

17. A method for constructing a self-locating aperture correcting device configured for use with a display configured to provide stereoscopic images, comprising:

providing an image selection device comprising a plurality of lenticules;

applying an overcoat material to the image selection device, said image selection device comprising an autostereoscopic image selection device configured to be positioned in juxtaposition with the display; and

removing a portion of the overcoat material from at least one lenticule, wherein said applying and removing increase a number of viewing zones for the image selection device used for rendering autostereoscopic images.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said providing, applying, and removing increase a parallax budget associated with the image selection device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the image selection device comprises a lenticular screen.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the image selection device comprises a fly eye lens.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the providing and applying reduce numerical aperture for at least one lenticule and cause image forming rays to be arranged in a nearly parallel orientation.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein removing comprises buffing the overcoat material to configure surface area of at least one lenticule for rendering aperture-corrected autostereoscopic images.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein removing comprises applying pressure while buffing the lenticular screen to reveal top lenticule surfaces, thereby forming a reduced cylindrical section of the lenticule for aperture correction.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein said method increases a number of viewing zones for a viewer viewing images projected from the display via the image selection device, and said method further enhances sharpness and a parallax budget for the display and image selection device.