3D projection system using laser light sources

• US 9,696,558 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Richards, Martin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman, Scott J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tallman, Robert E
• Application Number:
  US14/004,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20130342904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 351 41, 3511596, 35115962, 35115963, 35115965, 35115966, 348 42, 348 58, 348 60, 359462, 359464, 359465, 359466
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/23 using wavelength separation, e.g. using anaglyph techniques
• 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: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/334 using spectral multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388

Abstract

Laser or narrow band light sources are utilized to from left (R1, G1, B1) and right (R2,G2;B2,) images of a 3D projection. Under off-axis viewing of projections (i.e. oblique incident angles) the passbands of the viewing filters in the glasses are blue-shifted, which has the potential of cause crosstalk and/or loss of energy/brightness in any channel or color. This blue-shift is compensated via the combined use of any of viewing passbands (220) encompassing the associated projected lightband (222) and a red-shift passband (224) selection of passband wavelengths that maximize usability of the passband as it “shifts” due to varying or increasing angles of off-axis viewing), curvature of viewing filters, and guard bands between light bands of adjacent channels. Implemented with any number of light sources, additional light sources are utilized to affect a desirable increase in color gamut.

Claims

1. 3D viewing glasses comprising passbands each configured to transmit a corresponding set of at least one projected narrowband wavelength when viewed through the glasses at normal angles and when viewed through the glasses at off-normal angles through the glasses;

wherein the sets of projected narrowband wavelengths are all transmitted at first positions of their corresponding passbands when viewed normally and, when viewed at increasingly off-normal angles, the sets of projected narrowband wavelengths are transmitted at positions that are increasingly further from the first positions and increasingly closer to long wavelength ends of the passbands that do not transmit any of the projected narrowband wavelengths when viewed normally; and

the projected narrowband wavelengths are laser wavelengths.

2. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 1, wherein the passbands are constructed so that, when viewed normally, the projected narrowband wavelengths are transmitted at a shortest wavelength position of the passband that also provides a predetermined amount of transmission of the light through the passband.

3. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 1, further comprising a tolerance pass area provided between a shortest of the projected narrowband wavelengths in a passband when the shortest projected narrowband wavelengths are normally incident and a short wavelength end of the passband, the tolerance pass area comprising less than 10% of the passband, and the positions in the same passband that are increasingly further from the first position comprise an off-axis pass area comprising a majority of the passband.

4. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 1, wherein the sets of narrowband wavelengths comprise laser wavelengths, a tolerance pass area is provided between a shortest of the projected narrowband wavelengths in a passband when normally incident and a short wavelength end of the passband, and the tolerance pass area is based on a deviation of filter passband and laser production accuracy.

5. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 1, wherein the passbands are configured to transmit wavelengths viewed off-axis by an amount approximately equivalent to an oblique viewing angle in a cinema theater.

6. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 1, wherein each passband comprises a narrowband pass area intended to transmit its corresponding set of at least one projected narrowband wavelength, and an off-axis viewing pass area, wherein the off-axis viewing pass area comprises an area of the passband intended to transmit the set of at least one projected narrowband wavelength when viewed under conditions causing the passband properties to shift.

7. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 6, further comprising a tolerance pass area provided between the narrowband pass area and a short wavelength end of the passband, wherein the tolerance pass area is substantially less than the off-axis viewing pass area.

8. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 7, wherein bandwidth of the tolerance pass area is a function of variability of accuracy and quality of the passbands and/or lightbands.

9. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 6, wherein the glasses comprise lenses that are a plastic or plastic-like material, and wherein altering the passband properties of the glasses in a central area of the lenses is altered in comparison to corresponding passbands at the edges of the lenses.

10. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 6, wherein the glasses comprise lenses comprising a substrate the passbands disposed thereon.

11. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 6, wherein the passbands are disposed on arc shaped lenses of the glasses.

12. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 6, wherein the off-axis viewing area comprises more than 90% of each passband meeting a minimum transmittance level.

13. 3D glasses comprising at least one passband configured to transmit at least one wavelength of laser light, the passband comprising a normal pass area in a portion of the passband closer to a short wavelength end of the passband than a long wavelength end of the passband, the normal pass area configured to transmit the at least one wavelength of laser light when normally incident to the glasses, and an off-normal pass area on one side of the normal pass area configured to transmit the narrowband laser light when not normally incident to the glasses and which does not transmit any laser light wavelengths of a projected 3D image when viewed at a normal angle, and wherein a filter comprising the at least one passband is configured to reject red, blue, and green wavelengths of a channel opposite a channel corresponding to the at least one wavelength of laser light.

14. The 3D glasses according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of passbands each comprising at least one normal pass area and at least one off-normal pass area, and wherein at least one of the off-normal pass areas transmits more of the laser light wavelengths than at least one other off-axis viewing passband.

15. The 3D glasses according to claim 13, further comprising a multi-passband configured to transmit a first set of laser light wavelengths and a second set of laser light wavelengths, the multi-passband comprising a first normal pass area at a short wavelength end of the multi-passband configured to transmit the first set of laser light wavelengths when normally incident to the glasses, a second normal pass area configured to transmit the second set of laser light wavelengths when normally incident to the glasses, a first off-normal pass area between the first and second normal pass areas configured to transmit the first set of laser wavelengths when incident at a range of off-normal angles to the glasses, a second off-normal pass area configured to transmit the second set of laser wavelengths when incident at a range of off-normal angles to the glasses.

16. The 3D viewing glasses according to claim 15, wherein the multi-passband is part of a first filter in the glasses, the glasses further comprising a second filter that optically surrounds the multi-passband via a red high pass passband and a green passband.

17. A 3D viewing filter configured to transmit all laser lightbands of first channel of a 3D image in first predetermined wavelength pass areas of the filter when viewed normally, and wherein off-axis viewing through the filter shifts properties of the filter such that the laser lightbands are transmitted in second predetermined wavelength pass areas of the filter at a same wavelength but having a relative position within the filter that is shifted when compared to the first predetermined wavelength pass areas, and wherein the second predetermined wavelength pass areas of the filter do not transmit any of the laser lightbands of the 3D image when viewed normally, and wherein the 3D viewing filter comprises filter properties configured to reject wavelengths of a second channel of the 3D image comprising at least one green wavelength.

18. The filter according to claim 17, wherein the filter is intended to be used in viewing a left or right image of the 3D image.

19. The filter according to claim 18, wherein the filter is mounted in a lens position of viewing glasses.

20. The filter according to claim 19, wherein the second predetermined areas of the passbands comprise shifting pass areas configured to pass the desired narrowband wavelengths in their entirety up to a predetermined viewing angle.