Three-dimensional picture image display apparatus

• US 6,057,878 A
• Filed: 10/16/1996
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Hisahito, Akiyama, Koji, Tanaka, Yukio, Tsutsui, Hiroshi, Ogiwara, Akifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, RICHARD J
• Application Number:
  US08/731,574
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 348/40, 348/42, 348/46-48, 348/51, 348/54-57, 348/143, 349/62, 352/98, 359/464
• US Class Current: 348/56
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/40 giving the observer of a single two-dimensional [2D] image a perception of depth
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/26 Processes or apparatus specially adapted to produce multiple sub- holograms or to obtain images from them, e.g. multicolour technique
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/211 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/282 for generating image signals corresponding to three or more geometrical viewpoints, e.g. multi-view systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/32 using arrays of controllable light sources; using moving apertures or moving light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/327 Calibration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/334 using spectral multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/349 Multi-view displays for displaying three or more geometrical viewpoints without viewer tracking for viewing without the aid of special glasses using fly-eye lenses H04N13/307
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/365 using digital micromirror devices [DMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 : using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/393 : the volume being generated by a moving, e.g. vibrating or rotating, surface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 : Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A three-dimensional picture image pickup apparatus picks up a plurality of two-dimensional picture images of the objective naturally from different directions sequentially at a predetermined time interval regardless of a depth of the objective or the light source etc. The picture images are reproduced sequentially at the predetermined time interval by a picture image reproducing device and deflected into a plurality of directions by a picture image deflection device to display a three-dimensional picture images.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional picture image display apparatus comprising:

picture image pickup means for picking up one-dimensional or two-dimensional picture images of an object;

single picture image reproducing means;

single picture image deflection means for deflecting each of the picture images reproduced by the picture image reproducing means in a predetermined deflection direction corresponding to a direction in which the picture image is picked up by the picture image pickup means, and

a diffusion-transmission screen for displaying the deflected picture images having a transmission characteristic which is larger than a diffusion characteristic,

wherein the picture image pickup means is

(i) a picture image pickup means comprising a plurality of picture image pickup devices which are horizontally and/or vertically arranged, or

(ii) a picture image pickup means comprising a plurality of mirrors and a picture image pickup device, the mirrors being horizontally and/or vertically arranged so that light beams from the object are respectively reflected in different directions by the mirrors to reach the picture image pickup device,

said picture image pickup means (i) or (ii) picking up the one-dimensional or two-dimensional picture images of the object sequentially one by one from different directions of the plurality of picture image pickup devices or the plurality of mirrors and picture image pickup device at a predetermined time interval,

said picture image reproducing means reproducing and displaying the one-dimensional or two-dimensional picture images, which are picked up sequentially one by one by the picture image pickup means at the predetermined time interval, sequentially one by one for less than 1/30 second in synchronism with the predetermined time interval,

said picture image deflection means deflecting each of the displayed picture images in a predetermined deflection direction corresponding to the direction, in which the picture image is picked up, and

wherein the deflected picture images are passed through the diffusion-transmission screen for display.

2. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the picture image pickup device is a video camera.

3. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the predetermined deflection direction of the picture image deflection means is in a direction of the mirror facing the object.

4. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein a shutter is disposed in front of each of the mirrors and the shutter is driven for opening and closing the surface of the mirror at the predetermined time interval.

5. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein the shutter is a mechanical shutter or a transmittance changeable shutter.

6. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein the transmittance changeable shutter is a liquid crystal shutter using twist nematic liquid crystal, a ferroelectric liquid crystal shutter, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal shutter, or a dynamic scattering mode liquid crystal shutter.

7. The apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1-6, wherein the picture image reproducing means is selected from the group consisting of a cathode ray tube display device;

a plasma display device;

an electroluminescence display device;

a liquid crystal display device using a twist nematic liquid crystal, a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal, or a dynamic scattering mode liquid crystal; and

a one-dimensional picture image reproducing device comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes in a combined form, a cathode ray tube, an electroluminescent element, and a liquid crystal reproducing element selected from the group consisting of a twist nematic liquid crystal, a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal, and a dynamic scattering mode liquid crystal.

8. The apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1-6, wherein the picture image deflection means is a movable mirror.

9. The apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1-6, wherein the picture image deflection means is a movable mirror array.

10. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the picture image deflection means is a device which deflects picture images in a plurality of directions by changing a refractive index of a light transparent medium.

11. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein the device is an acoustic optical element or a liquid crystal optical element.

12. The apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1-6, 10 or 11, wherein the deflection angles of N output images are selected so that the region visible from behind the diffusion-transmission screen are divided into (2N-1) regions responding to the multiplicity of overlaps of the N visible regions, where N is an integer greater than 1.

13. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein the region where the N visible regions overlap is contained in the divided regions.

14. The apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1-6, 10 or 11, wherein intensity modulation means for modulating the intensity of the picture image reproduced by the picture image reproducing means is provided between the picture image reproducing means and the picture image deflection means.

15. The three-dimensional picture image display apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein the intensity modulation means is a spatial light modulator having a light information writing side and a light information readout side in a separate form, and the spatial light modulator modulates the intensity of the written picture image and transfers to the light information readout side.