THREE-DIMENSIONAL DISPLAY, FABRICATING METHOD AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100060721A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Wan-Hua, Chang, Ting-Jui, Chen, Chao-Yuan, Liu, Geng-Yu, Chen, Chih-Wen
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/51
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/25 using polarisation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/30 Image reproducers optical systems for producing stereoscopic or other three-dimensional effects G02B30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A three-dimensional display for the viewer to watch through glasses is provided, wherein the glasses have two lenses and the polarized directions thereof are perpendicular to each other. The three-dimensional display includes a display panel and a liquid crystal phase modulator. The display panel, suitable for displaying an image, has a plurality of pixels arranged in array and a polarizer having a transmission axis, wherein the polarizer disposed between the pixels and the glasses. The liquid crystal phase modulator suitable for providing phase retardation includes a liquid crystal layer and an alignment layer adjacent to the display panel. An included angle between an alignment direction of the alignment layer and the transmission axis is substantially equal to n×45 degrees, wherein an absolute value of n is an integer. The liquid crystal phase modulator adjusts a phase of the image and then outputs an image with three-dimensional information.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional display, adapted for a viewer to watch through glasses with two lenses having polarized directions perpendicular to each other, the three-dimensional display comprising:

a display panel comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in array and a polarizer, wherein the polarizer being disposed between the pixels and the glasses and having a transmission axis, and the display panel is suitable for displaying an image; and

a liquid crystal phase modulator disposed between the display panel and the glasses and comprising a liquid crystal layer and an alignment layer adjacent to the display panel, wherein an included angle between an alignment direction of the alignment layer and the transmission axis is substantially equal to n×

45 degrees, an absolute value of n being an integer, the liquid crystal phase modulator is suitable for providing a phase retardation, the liquid crystal phase modulator adjusting a phase of the image to output an image with three-dimensional information, and the liquid crystal phase modulator comprising no polarizer.

2. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel displays a linear polarized image.

3. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 2, wherein a maximum (Δ

nd)_max of the phase retardation satisfies the following formula;

(Δ

nd)_max≧

3λ

/4,

wherein Δ

n represents an absolute difference of refractive index of a liquid crystal, d represents a thickness of the liquid crystal layer, and λ

represents a wavelength.

4. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel displays a circular polarized image.

5. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 4, wherein the maximum (Δ

nd)_max of the phase retardation satisfies the following formula;

(Δ

nd)_max≧

λ

/2,

wherein Δ

n represents the absolute difference of the refractive index of the liquid crystal, d represents the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, and λ

represents the wavelength.

6. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal phase modulator comprises an inner half-wave plate disposed inside the liquid crystal phase modulator when the two lenses having two polarized directions perpendicular to each other comprise at least a quarter-wave plate.

7. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal phase modulator comprises an outer half-wave plate disposed on an outer surface of the liquid crystal phase modulator when the two lenses having two polarized directions perpendicular to each other comprise at least a quarter-wave plate.

8. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal phase modulator comprises at least one of an inner half-wave plate and an outer half-wave plate when the two lenses having two polarized directions perpendicular to each other comprise a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate, the inner half-wave plate is disposed inside the liquid crystal phase modulator and the outer half-wave plate is disposed on the outer surface of the liquid crystal phase modulator.

9. The three-dimensional display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal phase modulator is divided into a plurality of modulation areas corresponding to the pixels, and the modulation areas have different phase retardations respectively.

10. A fabricating method of a three-dimensional display, comprising:

providing a display panel comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in array and a polarizer having a transmission axis, and the display panel is suitable for displaying an image; and

providing a liquid crystal phase modulator disposed on the display panel and between the polarizer and the glasses, the liquid crystal phase modulator comprising a liquid crystal layer and an alignment layer adjacent to the display panel, wherein an included angle between an alignment direction of the alignment layer and the transmission axis is substantially equal to n×

45 degrees, an absolute value of n being an integer, the liquid crystal phase modulator is suitable for providing a phase retardation, the liquid crystal phase modulator adjusting a phase of the image to output an image with three-dimensional information, and the liquid crystal phase modulator comprising no polarizer.

11. A controlling method of a three-dimensional display, adapted for a viewer to see a three-dimensional image through glasses, wherein the glasses having two circular polarized lenses of different polarization properties, and the controlling method comprising:

providing a display panel comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in array and a polarizer disposed between the pixels and the glasses, wherein the polarizer having a transmission axis and the display panel being suitable for displaying an image;

providing a liquid crystal phase modulator disposed between the display panel and the glasses, the liquid crystal phase modulator comprising a liquid crystal layer and an alignment layer adjacent to the display panel, wherein an included angle between an alignment direction of the alignment layer and the transmission axis being substantially equal to n×

45 degrees and an absolute value of n being an integer; and

driving the liquid crystal phase modulator to provide a phase retardation according to the image displayed by the display panel, the liquid crystal phase modulator adjusting an phase of the image to output an image with three-dimensional information, and the liquid crystal phase modulator comprising no polarizer.