Electronic stereoscopic viewer

• US 5,757,546 A
• Filed: 12/03/1993
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stereographics Corporation (RealD Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Stereographics Corporation (RealD Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lipton, Lenny, Dorworth, Bruce, Halnon, Jeffrey James
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Paul M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, AUDREY Y
• Application Number:
  US08/161,245
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 359/462, 359/466, 359/477, 359/464, 359/472, 359/465, 359/376, 359/630, 359/463, 348/51, 348/53-56, 348/57
• US Class Current: 359/464
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/24 involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/167 Synchronising or controlling image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/279 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/289 Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/327 Calibration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/339 using spatial multiplexing H04N13/337 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/373 for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/376 for tracking left-right translational head movements, i.e. lateral movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/378 for tracking rotational head movements around an axis perpendicular to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/38 for tracking vertical translational head movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7491 of head mounted projectors

Abstract

An electronic stereoscope displays field-sequential stereoscopic images on a display screen at a predetermined field rate. The images are viewed through left and right electro-optical shutters driven out of phase with each other and synchronously with the field rate. Left and right lenses are also provided in correspondence with the left and right shutters to accommodate and converge the user'"'"'s eyes on the display screen.

Claims

1. An electronic stereoscope, comprising:

means for displaying left and right video fields on a single display surface in a field sequential manner at a predetermined video field rate;

a housing attached to the displaying means and extending in a field of view of the display surface;

left and right lenses mounted in the housing to permit viewing of the display surface, each lens including means for correcting for accommodation and convergence;

left and right electro-optical shutters mounted in the housing in correspondence with the left and right lenses; and

means for synchronously driving the left and right shutters in phase with respective video fields.

2. An electronic stereoscope as in claim 1, wherein said correcting means comprises at least one lens having a positive diopter component.

3. An electronic stereoscope as in claim 1, wherein said correcting means comprises at least one lens having a prismatic component.

4. An electronic stereoscope as in claim 1, wherein the electro-optical shutters are each comprised of liquid crystal material held in a frame and electronically connected to the driving means.

5. An electronic stereoscope as in claim 1, wherein the displaying means has a scanning rate that is adequate to avoid flicker when viewing the field-sequential, stereoscopic display.

6. An electronic stereoscope, comprising:

a video display apparatus having a display surface, wherein left and right video fields may be provided to the video apparatus for field-sequential, stereoscopic display on the display surface at a predetermined video field rate;

a mirror adjacent the display surface for projecting the displayed video fields along a first optical path;

a lens system comprising four single prisms and affixed in the first optical path for splitting the displayed video fields into a left optical path and a right optical path;

left and right lenses affixed adjacent to the lens system to permit viewing video fields in the left and right optical paths, respectively;

left and right electro-optical shutters affixed adjacent to the lens system in correspondence with the left and right lenses; and

first means for synchronously driving the left and right shutters in phase with respective video fields.

7. An electronic stereoscope as in claim 6, wherein the lens system is rotatably affixed in the first optical path to facilitate adjustment for interpupillary separation.

8. An electronic stereoscope, comprising:

means for projecting stereoscopic images along a first optical path, wherein the stereoscopic images comprise left and right video fields projected in a field sequential manner at a predetermined video field rate,

means for splitting the stereoscopic images along a left optical path and a right optical path,

left and right electro-optical shuttering means affixed in the left and right optical paths, respectively,

means for synchronously driving the left and right shuttering means in phase with the left and right video fields, respectively, and

left and right lens means affixed in the left and right optical paths, respectively, wherein each lens means comprises means for correcting for accommodation and convergence.

9. An electronic stereoscope, comprising:

means for displaying left and right video fields on a single display surface in a field sequential manner at a predetermined video field rate,

left and right electro-optical shutters affixed in a field of view of the displaying means,

means for synchronously driving the left and right shuttering means in phase with the left and right video fields, respectively, and

left and right lens means affixed in correspondence with the left and right shutters, respectively, for correcting for accommodation and convergence.

10. An electronic stereoscope as in claim 9, wherein each lens means includes a positive diopter component and a converging prismatic component.