Autostereoscopic image display apparatus

• US 8,488,073 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Ayako, Saishu, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): TEETS, MARK D
• Application Number:
  US13/165,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20120057087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 349/15, 349/155
• US Class Current: 349/15
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/28 involving active lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133526 Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence

Abstract

An autostereoscopic image display apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a plane display device including pixels arranged in a matrix form; and an optical plate provided in front of the plane display device to control light rays illuminated from the pixels. The optical plate includes: first and second substrates, each being transparent to light; liquid crystal sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate; first electrodes arranged periodically on a first plane of the first substrate opposed to the second substrate; second electrodes disposed on the first plane of the first substrate and between the first electrodes adjacent to each other; a third electrode provided on a second plane of the second substrate opposed to the first substrate; and at least one spacer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate to hold a space between the first substrate and the second substrate. The spacer is disposed on the first electrode.

Claims

1. An autostereoscopic image display apparatus comprising:

a plane display device comprising pixels arranged in a matrix form; and

an optical plate provided in front of the plane display device to control light rays illuminated from the pixels,

the optical plate including;

first and second substrates, each being transparent to light;

liquid crystal sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate;

first electrodes arranged periodically on a first plane of the first substrate opposed to the second substrate and supplied with a first voltage;

second electrodes disposed on the first plane of the first substrate and between first electrodes adjacent and supplied with a second voltage which is lower than the first voltage;

a third electrode provided on a second plane of the second substrate opposed to the first substrate and supplied with a third voltage which is equal to or less than the second voltage; and

at least one spacer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate to hold a space between the first substrate and the second substrate,

wherein denoting a refractive index of the liquid crystal in a director direction by Ne, denoting a refractive index of the liquid crystal in a direction perpendicular to the director direction by No, and denoting a refractive index of the spacer by ns,

the spacer is disposed on the first electrode if a condition

Ne×

0.78+No×

0.22≧

ns≧

No

is satisfied.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the third electrode is provided to be opposed to the first and second electrodes, and

the first electrodes are provided to extend in a column parallel to the plane of the pixels.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third voltage is substantially same voltage as the second voltage.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spacers are disposed periodically to cause three adjacent spacers to become vertexes of a regular triangle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is a sphere, a column, or a rectangular parallelepiped.

6. An autostereoscopic image display apparatus comprising:

a plane display device comprising pixels arranged in a matrix form; and

an optical plate provided in front of the plane display device to control light rays illuminated from the pixels,

the optical plate including;

first and second substrates, each being transparent to light;

liquid crystal sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate;

first electrodes arranged periodically on a first plane of the first substrate opposed to the second substrate and supplied with a first voltage;

second electrodes disposed on the first plane of the first substrate and between adjacent first electrodes and supplied with a second voltage which is lower than the first voltage;

a third electrode provided on a second plane of the second substrate opposed to the first substrate and supplied with a third voltage which is equal to or less than the second voltage; and

at least one spacer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate to hold a space between the first substrate and the second substrate,

wherein denoting a refractive index of the liquid crystal in a director direction by Ne, denoting a refractive index of the liquid crystal in a direction perpendicular to the director direction by No, and denoting a refractive index of the spacer by ns,

the spacer is disposed on the second electrode if a condition

Ne≧

ns>

Ne×

078+No×

0.22

is satisfied.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the third electrode is provided to be opposed to the first and second electrodes, and

the first electrodes are provided to extend to a column parallel to the plane of the pixels.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the third voltage is substantially same voltage as the second voltage.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the spacers are disposed periodically to cause three adjacent spacers to become vertexes of a regular triangle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the spacer is a sphere, a column, or a rectangular parallelepiped.