APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING A MULTI-VIEW 3D IMAGE

• US 20120019908A1
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Yoon-sun, Lee, Hong-seok, Song, Hoon, Choi, Kyu-hwan
• Granted Patent: US 8,947,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/463
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/36 using refractive optical elements, e.g. prisms, in the optical path between the images and the observer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/312 the parallax barriers being placed behind the display panel, e.g. between backlight and spatial light modulator [SLM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/315 the parallax barriers being time-variant

Abstract

An apparatus for displaying a 3-dimensional (3D) image, which is capable of providing a super multi-view, is provided. The apparatus includes: at least one image projector for projecting light including an image; an active optical element for adjusting a path of at least one light within a range of a predetermined angle; and a relay optical system for transmitting the at least one light to a pupil of a viewer. The apparatus provides a plurality of images in different views to the pupil using a time division method, by using the active optical element for adjusting the path of the at least one light.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional (3D) image, the apparatus comprising:

at least one image projector for projecting light comprising an image;

an active optical element for adjusting a path of at least one light projected from the at least one image projector by refracting each of the at least one light; and

a relay optical system for transmitting the at least one refracted light to a pupil of a viewer,

wherein a plurality of images in different views are provided to the pupil in a time division method.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the active optical element is configured to refract each of the at least one light at different angles.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the active optical element is an electro-wetting prism having a slope of a refractive surface that changes according to an electrical control.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one active optical element is disposed for each of the at least one image projectors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one image projector projects lights comprising images in different views.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one image projector is configured to sequentially project images in different views according to chronological order, and

the active optical element is configured to refract lights comprising the plurality of images in different views at different angles by synchronizing with a light projecting time of the at least one image projector.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relay optical system comprises:

a first lens for focusing the at least one light refracted by the active optical element;

a barrier comprising a plurality of pin holes; and

a second lens for transmitting the at least one light to the pupil of the viewer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a distance between at least one of the active optical element and the first lens, a distance between the first lens and the barrier, a distance between the barrier and the second lens, and a distance between the first lens and the second lens is adjusted in such a way that the light projected from the at least one image projected is incident within a size of the pupil.

9. An apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional (3D) image, the apparatus comprising:

a display panel comprising an array of pixels and generating light comprising an image;

an active optical element for adjusting a path of the light incident from the display panel by refracting the light; and

a relay optical system for transmitting the light refracted by the active optical element to a pupil of a viewer,

wherein a plurality of images in different views are provided to the pupil in a time division method.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a backlight unit for providing parallel light to the display panel, wherein the display panel is a non-emissive display panel.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the active optical element is configured to refract the light at a plurality of different angles.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the active optical element is an electro-wetting prism having a slope of a refractive surface that changes according to an electrical control.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a plurality of the active optical elements are disposed in an array in an one to one correspondence with the plurality of pixels of the display panel or in correspondence with pixels in one column of the display panel.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display panel is configured in such a way that at least two adjacent pixels display images in different views.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display panel is configured to sequentially display the plurality of images in different views according to chronological order, and

the active optical element is configured to refract light comprising the image in different views at different angles by synchronizing with a time of the display panel displaying an image of a certain view.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the relay optical system comprises:

a first lens for focusing the light refracted by the active optical element;

a barrier comprising a plurality of pin holes; and

a second lens for transmitting the refracted light to the pupil of the viewer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and second lenses are each formed of a lens array sheet having an array of minute unit lenses.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of the minute unit lenses is a plano-convex cylinder lens.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a convex surface of each of the minute unit lenses of the first lens is disposed facing the display panel, and a convex surface of each of the minute unit lenses of the second lens is disposed facing the viewer.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a width of each of the minute unit lenses is configured to correspond to a width of at least one pixel array.

21. An apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional (3D) image, the apparatus comprising:

a display panel comprising an array of pixels;

a backlight unit disposed on a rear surface of the display panel, and providing a parallel light to the display panel;

an active optical element disposed between the backlight unit and the display panel, and providing a light incident from the backlight unit after changing a path of the light by refracting the light; and

a relay optical system disposed on a front surface of the display panel and transmitting the light passed through the display panel to a pupil of a viewer,

wherein a plurality of images in different views are provided to the pupil in a time division method.

22. A three-dimensional (3D) image display apparatus, comprising:

an active optical element configured to adjust the path of at least two light beams projected from an image projector by refracting the at least two light beams; and

a relay optical system configured to generate a 3D image by transmitting the refracted at least two light beams towards a pupil of a viewer such that at least two different images based on the at least two light beams are simultaneously provided to the pupil of the viewer.

23. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 22, wherein the relay optical system is further configured to generate a 3D image by transmitting at least two different images towards different respective edges of the pupil of the viewer and such that the at least two images are simultaneously incident within the pupil of the viewer.