Stereoscopic display device with two back light sources

• US 7,061,678 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Chikazawa, Yoshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, AUDREY Y
• Application Number:
  US09/437,370
• Time in Patent Office: 2,407 Days
• Field of Search: 359/462, 359/463, 359/464, 359/466, 359/376, 359/377, 359/378, 359/455, 359/459, 359/627, 359/742, 353/7, 353/98, 353/99, 348/55, 348/51, 348/52
• US Class Current: 359/464
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0816 by means of one or more reflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/26 of the autostereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/35 using reflective optical elements in the optical path between the images and the observer

Abstract

The present invention is a stereoscopic display device including a transmissive image reproducing element, two light sources, an optical apparatus to direct the light emitted by one light source towards the right eye and to direct the light emitted by the other light source towards the left eye, and control means for displaying alternately an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye on the image reproducing element, and for activating the source emitting light for the right eye only when the image for the right eye is displayed and for activating the source emitting light for the left eye only when the displayed image is for the left eye. The optical apparatus is a mirror apparatus providing either a converging beam or a parallel beam.

Claims

1. A compact stereoscopic display device comprising:

a transmissive image reproducing element,

light source means including a first light source and a second light source,

optical means to direct though the transmissive reproducing image reproducing element the light emitted by said first light source towards the right eye and to direct the light emitted by said second light source towards the left eye, and

control means for displaying alternately an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye on the transmissive image reproducing element, and for activating in synchronism with said transmissive image reproducing element the first light source when the image for the right eye is displayed and the second light source only when the image for the left eye is displayed,

said optical means being formed of mirror means and the first and second light sources and the transmissive image reproducing element being on the same side of the minor means as the viewer so that the light from said first and second light sources firstly directed to said minor means and from said mirror means to said transmissive image reproducing element and then to the viewer.

2. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror means are of the converging type.

3. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 2, wherein the mirror means are of the Fresnel type.

4. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, wherein the light sources are positioned at the focal plane of the respective mirror means to provide parallel beams.

5. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror means are of the Fresnel type.

6. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 5, characterized in that the Fresnel mirror means comprise first mirror elements for directing the light of the corresponding source to the right eye and second mirror elements for directing the light of the other source towards the left eye.

7. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 6, characterized in that the first and second mirror elements form an alternate succession.

8. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 6, characterized in that the mirror elements form stripes elongated in one direction.

9. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mirror means form cylindrical mirror means or ellipsoidal-paraboloidal mirror means.

10. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light sources are elongated in the same direction.

11. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the image reproducing element has a rectangular shape and in that the light sources are elongated along one side of this image reproducing element.

12. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the image reproducing element comprises a liquid crystal display element.

13. A stereoscopic display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the image for the right eye is formed during a field of a frame and the image for the left eye is formed during the other field of the frame.

14. A stereoscopic display device comprising:

a transmissive image reproducing element,

a light source means,

optical means to direct alternately the light emitted by light source means towards the right eye and towards the left eye, and

control means for displaying in synchronism with the direction of the light, alternately an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye on the image reproducing element,

said light source means comprises one single light source and in that the optical means comprising one single light source and wherein the optical means comprises movable mirror elements associated with mirror control means able to control the orientation of said movable mirror elements in such a way that each said movable mirror element has a first position and a second position, the first position directing the light towards the right eye when the image for the right eye is displayed on the transmissive image reproducing element, and the second position directing the light from the light source towards the left eye when the displayed image is for the left eye, the light source and the image reproducing element being installed on the same side of the movable mirror elements so that the light from the light source is directed to said movable mirror elements and from said movable mirror elements to said image reproducing element.

15. A stereoscopic display according to claim 14, characterized in that the mirror elements form stripes elongated in one direction.

16. A stereoscopic display according to claim 14, characterized in that the mirror elements are of the punctual type, these mirror elements forming a matrix arrangement, a plurality of such elements being provided on each line of the matrix and a plurality of mirror elements being provided on each column of the matrix.