High resolution autostereoscopic display

• US 20070195163A1
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Dae-sik, Chestak, Serguei
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/32 using arrays of controllable light sources; using moving apertures or moving light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/354 for displaying sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A high resolution autostereoscopic display includes: a backlight; a display panel forming an image using the backlight light; a viewing zone separator separating viewing zones of right and left eye images of the display panel; a polarizer polarizing the light from the display panel into first polarized light; a polarization switch converting the first polarized light into second polarized light that is polarized in a different direction; and a birefringent plate including a refractive index that varies consistent with the polarization of incident light. Images corresponding to odd and even numbered column fields are formed with the first and second polarized light, time-sequentially. The birefringent plate shifts the second polarized light with respect to the first. A three-dimensional image with the full resolution of the display panel is formed by images corresponding to an odd-numbered and even-numbered column field with the first and shifted second polarized light, respectively.

Claims

1. An autostereoscopic display comprising:

a backlight unit;

a display panel which forms an image using light emitted from the backlight unit;

a viewing zone separating unit which separates viewing zones of a right eye image and a left eye image of the display panel;

a polarizer which polarizes the light output from the display panel to produce first polarized light;

a polarization switch which converts the first polarized light into second polarized light that is polarized in a different direction than the first polarized light; and

a birefringent plate which has a refractive index that varies according to a polarization of incident light,

wherein an image corresponding to an odd numbered column field is formed with the first polarized light, an image corresponding to an even numbered column field is formed with the second polarized light time-sequentially, and the second polarized light is shifted with respect to the first polarized light by the birefringent plate.

2. The autostereoscopic display of claim 1, wherein the viewing zone separating unit comprises a parallax barrier that is interposed between the backlight unit and the display panel and transmits light from the backlight unit through a slit to the display panel.

3. The autostereoscopic display of claim 1, wherein the viewing zone separating unit comprises a parallax barrier which is interposed between the polarizer and the polarization switch and separates the light output from the display panel through a slit into the right eye image and the left eye image.

4. The autostereoscopic display of claim 1, wherein the viewing zone separating unit comprises a lenticular lens array unit which is interposed between the polarizer and the polarization unit and comprises alternating opening units and mask units.

5. The autostereoscopic display of claim 4, wherein the lenticular lens array unit comprises:

a lenticular lens array comprising a plurality of lenticular lenses arranged side by side; and

a barrier which is disposed in front of the lenticular lens array and comprises a plurality of masks facing boundary regions between the lenticular lenses.

6. The autostereoscopic display of claim 4, wherein the lenticular lens array unit comprises:

a lenticular lens array comprising a plurality of lenticular lenses arranged side by side; and

a plurality of masks disposed in boundary regions between the lenticular lenses.

7. The autostereoscopic display of claim 4, wherein the lenticular lens array unit comprises:

a lenticular lens array comprising a plurality of lenticular lenses arranged side by side at intervals with flat portions between the lenticular lenses; and

a plurality of masks respectively disposed on the flat portions.

8. The autostereoscopic display of claim 4, wherein the lenticular lens array unit comprises:

a lenticular lens array comprising a plurality of lenticular lenses arranged at intervals with flat portions protruding between the lenticular lenses; and

a plurality of masks disposed on the flat portions.

9. The autostereoscopic display of claim 1, further comprising:

a display controller which transfers graphics signals to the display panel; and

a polarization switch controller which is synchronized with the display controller and toggles the polarization switch on and off.

10. The autostereoscopic display of claim 1, wherein the polarization switch comprises a plurality of segments that are arranged in a direction perpendicular to a refresh direction of graphics data of the display panel, and the segments are individually switched on and off.

11. The autostereoscopic display of claim 1, wherein the polarization switch is synchronized with a graphics data refresh rate of the display panel and switched on and off line by line.

12. The autostereoscopic display of claim 1, wherein the distance by which the birefringent plate shifts the second polarized light relative to the first polarized light satisfies the following condition:

13. An autostereoscopic display comprising:

a vertically striped light source which radiates vertical lines of light at predetermined intervals;

a display panel which forms from the vertical lines of light a right eye image and a left eye image that are separated;

a polarizer which polarizes the light output from the display panel into first polarized light;

a polarization switch which converts the first polarized light into second polarized light that is polarized in a different direction than the first polarized light; and

a birefringent plate that has an index of refraction that varies according to a polarization of incident light,

wherein an image corresponding to an odd numbered column field is formed with the first polarized light, an image corresponding to an even numbered column field is formed with the second polarized light time-sequentially, and the second polarized light is shifted with respect to the first polarized light by the birefringent plate.

14. The autostereoscopic display of claim 13, further comprising:

a display controller which transmits graphics signals to the display panel; and

a polarization switch controller which is synchronized with the display controller and toggles the polarization switch on and off.

15. The autostereoscopic display of claim 13, wherein the polarization switch comprises a plurality of segments which are arranged in a direction perpendicular to a graphics data refresh direction of the display panel, and the segments are individually switched on and off.

16. The autostereoscopic display of claim 13, wherein the polarization switch is synchronized with a graphics data refresh rate of the display panel and switched on and off line by line.

17. The autostereoscopic display of claim 13, wherein the distance by which the birefringent plate shifts the second polarized light relative to the first polarized light satisfies the following condition: