Liquid crystal stereoscopic viewer
First Claim
1. An optical device, useful for three-dimensional stereo viewing not requiring any mechanical shuttering, comprising:
- two liquid crystal lenses, each comprising;
a thin layer of liquid crystal material;
two plates of conductively-coated transparent material enclosing the liquid crystal, each plate being connectable to a source of voltage, and each plate being insulated from the other;
a front polarizing sheet forming the outside surface of the crystal lens; and
a rear polarizing sheet forming the inner surface of the crystal lens;
the axis of polarization of the front polarizing sheet being at an angle to the axis of polarization of the rear polarizing sheet.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An optical device, useful for three-dimensional stereo viewing not requir any mechanical shuttering, including two liquid crystal lenses, each comprising: (1) a thin layer of liquid crystal material, preferably nematic liquid crystal; (2) two plates of conductively-coated transparent material enclosing the liquid crystal, each plate being connectable to a source of voltage, and each plate being insulated from the other; (3) a front polarizing sheet forming the outside surface of the crystal lens; and (4) a rear polarizing sheet forming the inner surface of the crystal lens. The axes of polarization of the front and rear polarizing sheets are at right angles to each other, with the result that maximum light transmission through each of the lenses occurs when no voltage is applied across the conductively-coated plates, and minimum light transmission occurs when a voltage is applied across the coated plates.
124 Citations
23 Claims
-
1. An optical device, useful for three-dimensional stereo viewing not requiring any mechanical shuttering, comprising:
two liquid crystal lenses, each comprising; a thin layer of liquid crystal material; two plates of conductively-coated transparent material enclosing the liquid crystal, each plate being connectable to a source of voltage, and each plate being insulated from the other; a front polarizing sheet forming the outside surface of the crystal lens; and a rear polarizing sheet forming the inner surface of the crystal lens; the axis of polarization of the front polarizing sheet being at an angle to the axis of polarization of the rear polarizing sheet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
8. A stereoscopic apparatus comprising:
-
a stereopair reproducing means for displaying right-eyed and left-eyed pictures of stereopairs alternately on its screen at short alternate time intervals; a synchronizing signal generator associated with said stereopair reproducing means and generating synchronizing signals in synchronism with alternation of said right-eyed and left-eyed pictures; at least one viewer comprising a pair of liquid crystal filters, each of said filters being adapted to cover the right and left eyes of an observer, respectively, each filter having at least one layer of liquid crystal held in the form of a film and at least one set of transparent electrodes, the transparency of said liquid crystal filters being dependent upon the electric field intensity generated by said electrodes; and at least one viewer controller receiving said synchronizing signals generated by said synchronizing signal generator and controlling the power applied to said electrodes to thereby vary the electric field and the transparency of said liquid crystal filters such that a pair of said liquid crystal filters covering the right and left eyes respectively of an observer alternately exchange transparency and translucency in synchronism with each other and in synchronism with alternation of said right-eyed and left-eyed pictures being displayed by said stereopair reproducing means. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
Specification