Three dimensional viewing glasses

• US 4,907,860 A
• Filed: 03/03/1988
• Issued: 03/13/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lowell A. Noble
• Original Assignee: Lowell A. Noble
• Inventors: Noble, Lowell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Stanley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pellmar, Anita E.
• Application Number:
  US07/163,856
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 350/332, 350/331 R, 350/334, 350/337, 351/203, 351/41, 351/158, 358/88, 358/92
• US Class Current: 349/15
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/24 involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/008 Aspects relating to glasses for viewing stereoscopic images

Abstract

For three-dimensional viewing of television and movies, in the format wherein left-eye and right-eye images are presented alternately on the screen, a pair of 3-D viewing glasses have correspondingly alternating on/off left and right lenses. The lenses each contain liquid crystal material which varies from a nearly totally obscured state by scattering, to nearly 100% transmission, as controlled by a signal from the television or movie projector. In this way, in instances when the left-eye image is presented on the screen, the left-eye lens is "ON" so that the viewer sees the image with his left eye, and when the right-eye image is presented on the screen, the right-eye lens is "ON" to enable the viewer to see that image with his right eye. The two images on the screen are taken from different photographic angles, and the images alternate at a sufficient frequency for the viewer to perceive that both images are occurring at once, and he sees them as a composite three-dimensional image.

Claims

1. A pair of three-dimensional viewing glasses for viewing a screen with separate right-eye and left-eye images presented in a time-divided three-dimensional system wherein the right-eye image and the left-eye image alternate on the screen, comprising:

a right lens and a left lens, each lens comprising a laminate with liquid crystal means between two layers of clear sheet material for obscuring vision through that lens in an "OFF" state and for providing clear view through the lens in an "ON" state in response to receipt of a control signal,

a pair of frames for supporting the lenses,

signal conducting means for carrying a control signal from the three-dimensional system to the liquid crystal means of each lens, to control the alternating state of each lens,

the liquid crystal means comprising a large number of droplets of liquid crystal material encapsulated in transparent latex material and sandwiched between two layers of clear sheet material, and including means responsive to receipt of the control signal for establishing an electrostatic field between the two sheet material layers in the "ON"0 state, effective to align liquid crystals in the droplets substantially with the direction in which the light from the image travels through the lens,

and the latex material having added to it a dark pigment, for improving the contrast ratio of what is viewed in the "ON" condition by absorbing light scattered transversely to the line of sight in the "ON" state, whereby dark sections of the screen are made to appear darker.

2. A method for three-dimensional viewing of a screen with separate right-eye and left-eye images presented in a time-divided three-dimensional system wherein the right-eye image and the left-eye alternate on the screen, comprising:

viewing the screen through a right lens and a left lens, each lens comprising a laminate with liquid crystal means between two layers of clear sheet material for obscuring vision through that lens in an "OFF" state and for providing clear view through the lens in an "ON" state in response to receipt of a control signal, with a pair of frames supporting the lenses, said liquid crystal means comprising a large number of droplets of liquid crystal material encapsulated in transparent latex material and sandwiched between two layers of clear sheet material, the liquid crystal means further including a dark pigment added to the transparent latex material, in an amount effective to absorb scattered light perpendicular to the line of sight through the lens so as to appreciably increase contrast ratio in the "ON" state, while reducing transmissivity slightly in both the "ON" state and the "OFF" state,

generating a control signal in the three-dimensional system, corresponding to and alternating in synchronization with occurrence of the right-eye image and the left-eye image on the screen, and

sending the control signal from the three-dimensional system to the liquid crystal means of each lens, to control the alternating state of each lens by establishing an electrostatic field between the two clear sheet layers in the "ON" state, in response to receipt of the control signal at the lenses, effective to align liquid crystals in the droplets substantially with the direction in which the light from the image travels through the lens.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the dark pigment is added in an amount effective to reduce direct light transmission through the lenses by about 2% to 5%.

4. A method for producing a pair of three-dimensional viewing glasses for viewing a screen with separate right-eye and left-eye images presented in a time-divided three-dimensional system wherein the right-eye image and the left-eye image alternate on the screen, comprising:

producing similar right and left lenses by first encapsulating a multiplicity of droplets of liquid crystal material in a transparent latex material, and adding a dark pigment to the transparent latex material to absorb light scattered transversely to the line of sight in the "ON" state, for improving the contrast ratio of what is viewed in the "ON" state, then sandwiching the liquid crystal/latex material between two layers of clear sheet material, each coated with a transparent conductive coating, and forming the resulting laminate into lenses,

mounting the lenses in glasses frames, and

providing a means in association with the transparent conductive coatings on the layers of clear sheet material of the lenses for establishing an electrostatic field in one lens and then the other in alternating relationship, the field being effective to align liquid crystals in the droplets substantially with the direction in which the light from the image travels through the lens, in the "ON" or clear state of the lens, and the lenses being cloudy and translucent and obscuring vision in the "OFF" state which occurs in alternation with the "ON" state in absence of an electrostatic field.