Liquid crystal display, system and method for displaying three-dimensional stereo pictures

• US 9,250,449 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Xu, Shuang
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): UHL, LINDSAY JANE KILE
• Application Number:
  US13/084,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20110248993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/25 using polarisation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/36 using refractive optical elements, e.g. prisms, in the optical path between the images and the observer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13471 in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells G02F1/13475 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A three-dimensional stereo display, and a system and method are provided for controlling the three-dimensional stereo display. The three-dimensional stereo display includes backlight, a first polarizer, a first liquid crystal panel, a second polarizer and a second liquid crystal panel which are sequentially arranged on the backlight source. The second liquid crystal panel switches the polarizing angle of the light travelling through and exiting from said second liquid crystal panel between a horizontal and vertical polarization. Due to the polarization direction of light could be changed by the liquid crystal panel, and makes the light for the left-eye image and the right-eye image are mutual perpendicular. The polarization direction of the light for the left-eye image is the same as that of the left lens, and the polarization direction of the light for the right-eye image is the same as that of the right lens. So the light belongs to the left-eye image or the right-eye image can pass through the left lens or the right lens respectively, then a stereo image will emerge in people'"'"'s brain due to the effect of “fusion activity”. Further, there is no need to close the polarized spectacles, the displaying efficiency is improved compared with the “Active Stereo”.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying three-dimensional stereo images, comprising:

a backlight source;

a first polarizer arranged on the backlight source;

a first liquid crystal panel arranged on the first polarizer and comprising a first transparent electrode, a first indium tin oxide (ITO) film, a first orientation film, a liquid crystal layer, a second orientation film, a second ITO film, a second transparent electrode, and a color filter all sequentially arranged between two glass substrates, where the first liquid crystal layer is controlled by a first electrical field to produce a first polarization direction of light that passes through the first liquid crystal panel when a left-eye image is displayed and is controlled by a third electrical field to produce a third polarization direction of light that passes through the first liquid crystal panel when a right-eye image is displayed, wherein a first controller computes a first signal that applies the first electrical field to produce the first polarization direction and adjust a brightness of the left-eye image when the first signal takes a first value and applies the third electrical field to produce the third polarization direction and adjust a brightness of the right-eye image when the first signal takes a second value;

a second polarizer arranged on the first liquid crystal panel, wherein a polarization direction of the second polarizer is perpendicular to a polarization direction of the first polarizer; and

a second liquid crystal panel including a super twist nematic (STN) liquid crystal panel arranged on the second polarizer and comprising a second liquid crystal layer that is controlled by a second electrical field to produce a second polarization direction of light that passes through the second liquid crystal panel when a left-eye image is displayed and is controlled by a fourth electrical field to produce a fourth polarization direction of light that is deflected 270 degrees from the second polarization direction of light and that passes through the second liquid crystal panel when the right-eye image is displayed, wherein a second controller computes a second signal that applies the second electrical field to produce the second polarization direction and applies the fourth electrical field to produce the fourth polarization direction.

2. The LCD of claim 1, wherein a switching frequency at which the second electrical field is changed to produce the fourth polarization direction equals a frequency at which the LCD displays left-eye images and right-eye images alternately.

3. The LCD of claim 1, wherein said LCD is a progressive scanning display.

11. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the first polarization direction corresponds to 90 degrees and the second polarization direction corresponds to zero degrees.

15. The LCD of claim 1, wherein a graphics processor unit (GPU) sends brightness control signals to the first controller when light passes through the first polarizer and enters into the first liquid crystal panel.

16. The LCD of claim 1, wherein a graphics processor unit (GPU) sends out a determination signal indicating that the image is either the left-eye image or the right-eye image to the second controller when light exits from the second liquid crystal panel.

4. A system for displaying three-dimensional stereo images, comprising, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying a left-eye image and a right-eye image alternately, the LCD comprising:

a backlight source;

a first polarizer arranged on the backlight source;

a first liquid crystal panel arranged on the first polarizer and comprising a first transparent electrode, a first indium tin oxide (ITO) film, a first orientation film, a liquid crystal layer, a second orientation film, a second ITO film, a second transparent electrode, and a color filter all sequentially arranged between two glass substrates, where the first liquid crystal layer is controlled by a first electrical field to produce a first polarization direction of light that passes through the first liquid crystal panel when a left-eye image is displayed and is controlled by a third electrical field to produce a third polarization direction of light that passes through the first liquid crystal panel when a right-eye image is displayed, wherein a first controller computes a first signal that applies the first electrical field to produce the first polarization direction and adjust a brightness of the left-eye image when the first signal takes a first value and applies the third electrical field to produce the third polarization direction and adjust a brightness of the right-eye image when the first signal takes a second value,

a second polarizer arranged on the first liquid crystal panel, wherein a polarization direction of the second polarizer is perpendicular to a polarization direction of the first polarizer; and

a second liquid crystal panel including a super twist nematic (STN) liquid crystal panel arranged on the second polarizer and comprising a second liquid crystal layer that is controlled by a second electrical field to produce a second polarization direction of light that passes through the second liquid crystal panel when a left-eye image is displayed and is controlled by a fourth electrical field to produce a fourth polarization direction of light that is deflected 270 degrees from the second polarization direction of light and that passes through the second liquid crystal panel when the right-eye image is displayed, wherein a second controller computes a second signal that applies the second electrical field to produce the second polarization direction and applies the fourth electrical field to produce the fourth polarization direction; and

a graphics processor unit (GPU) for sending a first signal to adjust the first electrical field and a second signal to adjust the second electrical field.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a pair of polarized spectacles, the polarization directions of the left lens and of the right lens of said polarized spectacles are mutual perpendicular.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the switching frequency of the first signal and the second signal equals a frequency at which the LCD displays left eye images and right-eye images alternately.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said LCD is a progressive scanning display.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein the first polarization direction corresponds to 90 degrees and the second polarization direction corresponds to zero degrees.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the first polarization direction corresponds to 90 degrees and the second polarization direction corresponds to 180 degrees.

17. The system of claim 4, wherein the GPU sends brightness control signals to the first controller when light passes through the first polarizer and enters into the first liquid crystal panel.

18. The system of claim 4, wherein a GPU sends out a determination signal indicating that the image is either the left-eye image or the right-eye image to the second controller when light exits from the second liquid crystal panel.

8. A method for displaying three-dimensional stereo images, comprising the steps of;

controlling a left-eye image and a right-eye image to be displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) alternately, the LCD comprising;

a backlight source;

a first polarizer arranged on the backlight source;

a first liquid crystal panel arranged on the first polarizer and comprising a first transparent electrode, a first indium tin oxide (ITO) film, a first orientation film, a liquid crystal layer, a second orientation film, a second ITO film, a second transparent electrode, and a color filter all sequentially arranged between two glass substrates;

a second polarizer arranged on the first liquid crystal panel, wherein a polarization direction of the second polarizer is perpendicular to a polarization direction of the first polarizer; and

a second liquid crystal panel including a super twist nematic (STN) liquid crystal panel arranged on the second polarizer and comprising a second liquid crystal layer;

controlling the first liquid crystal layer by a first electrical field to produce a first polarization direction of light that passes through the first liquid crystal panel when a left-eye image is displayed and is controlled by a third electrical field to produce a third polarization direction of light that passes through the first liquid crystal panel when a right-eye image is displayed, wherein a first controller computes a first signal that applies the first electrical field to produce the first polarization direction and adjust a brightness of the left-eye image when the first signal takes a first value and applies the third electrical field to produce the third polarization direction and adjust a brightness of the right-eye image when the first signal takes a second value;

controlling the second liquid crystal layer by a second electrical field to produce a second polarization direction of light that passes through the second liquid crystal panel when a left-eye image is displayed; and

controlling the second liquid crystal layer by a fourth electrical field to produce a fourth polarization direction of light that is deflected 270 degrees from the second polarization direction of light and that passes through the second liquid crystal panel when the right-eye image is displayed, wherein a second controller computes a second signal that applies the second electrical field to produce the second polarization direction and applies the fourth electrical field to produce the fourth polarization direction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a switching frequency at which the second electrical field is changed to produce the fourth polarization direction equals a frequency at which the LCD displays left-eye images and right-eye images alternately.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said LCD displays images in the manner of progressive scanning.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first polarization direction corresponds to 90 degrees and the second polarization direction corresponds to zero degrees.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein a graphics processor unit (GPU) sends brightness control signals to the first controller when light passes through the first polarizer and enters into the first liquid crystal panel.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein a graphics processor unit (GPU) sends out a determination signal indicating that the image is either the left-eye image or the right-eye image to the second controller when light exits from the second liquid crystal panel.