Three-dimensional display method(s) and apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for displaying three-dimensional images, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one thin waveguide having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel, opposed, planar faces, said faces serving to propagate radiation along the length of said waveguide;
means for forming two-dimensional image segments over predetermined portions of a plane substantially parallel to said planar faces of said waveguide such that said image segments are coupled into said waveguide and propagate along the length of said waveguide;
means for selectively changing the content of said two-dimensional image segments to form a composite image; and
,means for selectively coupling out said composite image into a predetermined solid viewing angle, said means for selectively coupling disposed proximate one end of said waveguide, said composite image consisting of a collection of image points that have been mapped from planes parallel to said waveguides to tilted planes lying substantially within said solid viewing angle, in which tilted planes the apparent relative positions of selected image points in said image segments are changed with respect to one another to create a three-dimensional visual effect in said composite image,said means for forming two-dimensional image segments and said means for selectively coupling out said composite image being physically separated to provide different optical path lengths between different portions of said two-dimensional image segments to provide said three-dimensional effects.
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Abstract
Method(s) and associated apparatus are provided for the display of three-dimensional still or dynamic images in either monochrome or color. Several embodiments are described and each includes either one or more waveguide arrangements by which images formed in two-dimensional planes can be optically separated in the third dimension by arranging for their selective viewing along paths having different optical path lengths to impart a perception of depth to the image.
71 Citations
25 Claims
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1. Apparatus for displaying three-dimensional images, said apparatus comprising:
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at least one thin waveguide having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel, opposed, planar faces, said faces serving to propagate radiation along the length of said waveguide; means for forming two-dimensional image segments over predetermined portions of a plane substantially parallel to said planar faces of said waveguide such that said image segments are coupled into said waveguide and propagate along the length of said waveguide; means for selectively changing the content of said two-dimensional image segments to form a composite image; and
,means for selectively coupling out said composite image into a predetermined solid viewing angle, said means for selectively coupling disposed proximate one end of said waveguide, said composite image consisting of a collection of image points that have been mapped from planes parallel to said waveguides to tilted planes lying substantially within said solid viewing angle, in which tilted planes the apparent relative positions of selected image points in said image segments are changed with respect to one another to create a three-dimensional visual effect in said composite image, said means for forming two-dimensional image segments and said means for selectively coupling out said composite image being physically separated to provide different optical path lengths between different portions of said two-dimensional image segments to provide said three-dimensional effects. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. Apparatus for displaying three-dimensional images, said apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of thin waveguides arranged in stacked relationship so that they are optically isolated from one another, each of said waveguides having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel, opposed, planar faces and a thin exit facet at one end of said waveguide, said exit facet disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to and extending between said planar opposed faces; means for forming two-dimensional image segments over predetermined portions of planes substantially parallel to said planar faces of said waveguides such that said image segments are coupled into said waveguides and propagate along the length of said waveguides; and means for selectively changing the content of said two-dimensional image segments to form a composite image viewable within a predetermined solid viewing angle at said exit facet, which composite image consists of a collection of image points that have been mapped from planes parallel to said waveguides to tilted planes lying substantially within said solid viewing angle, in which tilted planes the apparent relative positions of selected image points in said image segments are changed with respect to one another to create a three-dimensional visual effect, said means for forming two-dimensional image segments being physically separated from said exit facet to provide different optical path lengths between different portions of said two-dimensional image segments to provide said three-dimensional effects. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. Apparatus for displaying three-dimensional images, said apparatus comprising:
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a thin waveguide having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel, planar, opposed, faces arranged to propagate light the length of said waveguide; means for coupling out light propagating in said waveguide so that it can be observed over a predetermined solid viewing angle, said means for coupling out light disposed proximate a first end of said waveguide; means for forming two dimensional image segments in a plane substantially parallel to and coextensive with a given area of a portion of said faces of said waveguide at the end thereof opposite to said first end; and means for selectively changing the content of the image segments over said given area at least at the flicker fusion rate for the human visual system to form a composite image within said solid viewing angle which composite image consists of a collection of image points that have been mapped from planes parallel to said waveguides to tilted planes lying substantially within said solid viewing angle, in which tilted planes the apparent relative positions of selected image points in said image segments are changed with respect to one another to create a three-dimensional visual effect, said means for forming two-dimensional image segments and said means for selectively coupling out radiation being physically separated to provide different optical path lengths between different portions of said two-dimensional image segments to provide said three-dimensional effects. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for displaying three-dimensional images, said method comprising the steps of:
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coupling radiation into at least one thin waveguide having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel, opposed, planar faces; forming two-dimensional image segments over predetermined portions of a plane substantially parallel to said planar faces of said waveguide and coupling radiation from said image segments into said waveguide such that said image segments propagate along the length of said waveguide; selectively changing the content of said two-dimensional image segments to form a composite image; and
,selectively coupling out said composite image into a predetermined solid viewing angle proximate one end of said waveguide, which said composite image consists of a collection of image points that have been mapped from planes parallel to said waveguides to tilted planes lying substantially within said solid viewing angle, in which tilted planes the apparent relative positions of selected image points in said image segments are changed with respect to one another to create a three-dimensional visual effect in said composite image, said two-dimensional image segments and the point at which said composite image is selectively coupled out being physically separated to provide different optical path lengths between different portions of said two-dimensional image segments to provide said three-dimensional effects. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification