3D LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 20130215343A1
• Filed: 03/20/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3D Media Ltd.
• Original Assignee: 3DV Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LO, Kwok Wah Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,629,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/15
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133526 Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/315 the parallax barriers being time-variant
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking

Abstract

A viewing system has a parallax separation device placed in front of a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid display panel can be used to display a composite image that has many display segments, with each segment having two or more elongated image sections of different images. Each image section may occupy one or more columns of color pixels. The parallax separation device has a plurality of parallax separation elements, each aligned with a display segment for separating the different image sections as seen in a viewer'"'"'s eyes. The parallax separation device has a barrier axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated image sections. The color sub-pixels in each pixel are arranged along a direction parallel to the barrier axis. A tracking device and a processor are used to determine the locations of image sections under the parallax separation elements based on positions of a viewer.

Claims

1. A viewing system comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel comprising a plurality of color pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns, the rows arranged along a first direction and the columns arranged along a second direction different from the first direction, each pixel comprising a plurality of color sub-pixels;

wherein each pixel has a pixel area and each color sub-pixel has a sub-pixel area and wherein the sub-pixel areas in a pixel are arranged in the pixel area along the second direction;

a parallax separation device disposed in relationship to the liquid crystal display panel, the parallax separation device comprising a plurality of parallax separation elements, each parallax separation element having a longitudinal axis defining a parallax barrier axis of the parallax separation device, wherein the parallax barrier axis is substantially parallel to the second direction; and

a tracking device configured to determine a position of a viewer viewing the liquid crystal display panel through the parallax separation device.

2. The viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display panel is configured for displaying a composite image comprising a plurality of composite image segments substantially parallel to the parallax barrier axis.

3. The viewing system according to claim 2, wherein each composite image segment comprises a plurality of displayed sections of different images, wherein each displayed section is displayed in one or more columns.

4. The viewing system according to claim 2, wherein each of the composite image segments has a segment width, and two adjacent parallax separation elements define a pitch, wherein the pitch is adjustable to match the segment width.

5. The viewing system according to claim 4, wherein the pitch is also adjustable in accordance with a viewing distance.

6. The viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the parallax separation device comprises a lenticular screen having a plurality of lenticules, each lenticule forming a parallax separation element.

7. The viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the parallax separation device comprises a parallax barrier panel, the parallax barrier panel comprising a plurality of obscure sections and clear sections alternately arranged such that an obscure section and an adjacent clear section form a parallax separation element.

8. The viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction and the second direction is a vertical direction.

9. The viewing system according to claim 7, wherein the parallax barrier panel comprises a different liquid crystal panel for forming the obscure and clear sections.

10. The viewing system according to claim 9, wherein the parallax separation element formed by the obscure section and the adjacent clear section has an element width and wherein the obscure section has a barrier section width, wherein the barrier section width is adjustable while maintaining the same element width.

11. The viewing system according to claim 9, wherein the different liquid crystal panel operable in a first state and a second state, wherein when the different liquid crystal panel is operated in the first state, the parallax barrier axis is substantially parallel to the second direction, and when the different liquid crystal panel is operated in the second state, the parallax barrier axis substantially parallel to the first direction.

12. The viewing system according to claim 3, wherein the different images comprises images of a scene taken at different angles.

13. The viewing system according to claim 3, wherein different images comprise images of different scenes.

14. A method for use in a viewing system, the viewing system comprising

a liquid crystal display panel comprising a plurality of color pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns, the rows arranged along a first direction and the columns arranged along a second direction different from the first direction, each pixel comprising a plurality of color sub-pixels;

wherein each pixel has a pixel area and each color sub-pixel has a sub-pixel area, said method comprising;

arranging the sub-pixel areas in the pixel area along the second direction;

providing a parallax separation device in relationship to the liquid crystal display panel, the parallax separation device comprising a plurality of parallax separator elements, each parallax separator element having a longitudinal axis defining a parallax barrier axis of the parallax separation device, wherein the parallax barrier axis is substantially parallel to the second direction; and

determining a position of a viewer viewing the liquid crystal display panel through the parallax separation device so as to arrange a displayed image in the liquid crystal display panel in relationship to the parallax separator elements at least partly based on the position of the viewer.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the liquid crystal display panel is configured for displaying a composite image comprising a plurality of composite image segments substantially parallel to the parallax barrier axis.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein each composite image segment comprises a plurality of display sections of different images, wherein each display section is displayed in one or more columns.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein each of the composite image segments has a segment width, and two adjacent parallax separator elements define a pitch, wherein the pitch is adjustable to match the segment width.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the pitch is also adjustable in accordance with a viewing distance.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the parallax separator device comprises a lenticular screen having a plurality of lenticules, each lenticule forming a parallax separator element.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the parallax separator device comprises a parallax barrier panel, the parallax barrier panel comprising a plurality of obscure sections and clear sections alternately arranged such that an obscure section and an adjacent clear section form a parallax separator element.