Control system for a directional light source

• US 9,429,764 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reald Spark, LLC
• Original Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Inventors: Harrold, Jonathan, Woodgate, Graham J., Robinson, Michael G., Landowski, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): DANIELSEN, NATHAN ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/897,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20130321406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/33 involving directional light or back-light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0011 the light guides being planar or of plate-like form
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0048 with stepwise taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/32 using arrays of controllable light sources; using moving apertures or moving light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/356 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/368 for two or more viewers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/371 for tracking viewers with different interocular distances; for tracking rotational head movements around the vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/373 for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/376 for tracking left-right translational head movements, i.e. lateral movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/378 for tracking rotational head movements around an axis perpendicular to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/38 for tracking vertical translational head movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/403 the images being monoscopic

Abstract

Disclosed is an autostereoscopic display apparatus comprising a light guiding valve apparatus including an imaging directional backlight, an illuminator array and an observer tracking system arranged to achieve control of an array of illuminators which may provide a directional display to an observer over a wide lateral and longitudinal viewing range with low flicker.

Claims

1. An autostereoscopic display apparatus comprising:

a display device comprising;

a transmissive spatial light modulator comprising an array of pixels arranged to modulate light passing therethrough;

a waveguide having an input end and first and second, opposed guide surfaces for guiding light along the waveguide that extend from the input end across the spatial light modulator; and

an array of light sources at different input positions in a lateral direction across the input end of the waveguide, the waveguide being arranged to direct input light from light sources at the different input positions across the input end as output light through the first guide surface for supply through the spatial light modulator into respective optical windows in output directions distributed in the lateral direction in dependence on the input positions

the autostereoscopic display apparatus further comprising;

a sensor system arranged to detect the position of an observer relative to the display device; and

a control system arranged to control the spatial light modulator and the light sources, wherein the control system is arranged to control the spatial light modulator to modulate light with left and right images temporally multiplexed in left and right image phases that alternate with each other, and

the control system is arranged to operate the light sources in the left and right image phases, selectively to direct the left and right images into respective viewing windows comprising at least one optical window in positions corresponding to left and right eyes of an observer, in dependence on the detected position of the observer,

the control system being arranged, when the position of the viewing windows is static, to operate individual light sources over a single phase so that the time-average of luminous flux has a predetermined value, and

the control system being arranged, when shifting the position of the viewing windows in response to the detected position of the observer changing, to control light sources corresponding to optical windows of left and right viewing windows that are closest to each other by ceasing operation of a given light source in one of the left and right image phases and starting operation of the same or different light source in the other one of the left and right image phases, in a manner in which, over each adjacent pair of a left image phase and a right image phase, the time-average of the luminous flux of said given light source and the luminous flux of said same or different light source is more than zero and less than twice said predetermined value.

2. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control system is arranged, when shifting the position of the viewing windows in response to the detected position of the observer changing, to control the operation of said given light source in its final instance of operation in said one of the left and right image phases so that over that phase the time-average of luminous flux is less than the predetermined value and to control the operation of said same or different light source in its initial instance of operation of said other of the left and right image phases so that over that phase the time-average of luminous flux is the predetermined value.

3. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control system is arranged, when shifting the position of the viewing windows in response to the detected position of the observer changing, to control the operation of said given light source in its final instance of operation of said one of the left and right image phases so that over that phase the time-average of luminous flux is the predetermined value and to control the operation of said same or different light source in its initial instance of operation of said other of the left and right image phases so that over that phase the time-average of luminous flux is less than the predetermined value.

4. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control system is arranged, when shifting the position of the viewing windows in response to the detected position of the observer changing, to control the operation of said given light source in its final instance of operation of said one of the left and right image phases so that over that phase the time-average of luminous flux is less than the predetermined value, and to control the operation of said same or different light source in its initial instance of operation of said other of the left and right image phases so that over that phase the time-average of luminous flux is less than the predetermined value.

5. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said final instance of operation of said one of the left and right image phases of said given light source is before said initial instance of operation of said other of the left and right image phases of said same or different light source.

6. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said final instance of operation of said one of the left and right image phases of said given light source is after said initial instance of operation of said other of the left and right image phases of said same or different light source and each of the time integral of luminous flux over the final instance of operation of said one of the left and right image phases and the time-average of luminous flux over the initial instance of operation of said other of the left and right image phases is less than half the predetermined value.

7. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light sources operated in the left image phases are contiguous in the array of light sources with the light sources operated in the right image phases so that said same or different light source is the same light source as said given light source.

8. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light sources operated in the left image phases are separated in the array of light sources with the light sources operated in the right image phases so that said same or different light source is a different light source from said given light source.

9. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first guide surface is arranged to guide light by total internal reflection and the second guide surface comprises a plurality of light extraction features oriented to reflect light guided through the waveguide in directions allowing exit through the first guide surface as the output light.

10. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second guide surface has intermediate regions between the light extraction features that are arranged to direct light through the waveguide without extracting it.

11. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second guide surface has a stepped shape comprising facets, that constitute said light extraction features, and said intermediate regions.

12. An autostereoscopic display device according to claim 1, wherein the first guide surface is arranged to guide light by total internal reflection and the second guide surface is substantially planar and inclined at an angle to reflect light in directions that break the total internal reflection for outputting light through the first guide surface,

the display device further comprising a deflection element extending across the first guide surface of the waveguide for deflecting light towards the normal to the spatial light modulator.

13. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waveguide has a reflective end facing the input end for reflecting light from the input light back through the waveguide, the waveguide being arranged to output light through the first guide surface after reflection from the reflective end.

14. An autostereoscopic display apparatus according claim 13, wherein the reflective end has positive optical power in the lateral direction.