Chiral nematic liquid crystal polarization modulated color display for stereoscopic viewing device
First Claim
1. A stereoscopic display system comprised of an unpolarized light source, the light from said light source being divided into two substantially circularly polarized beams of light by a chiral nematic liquid crystal filter/mirror element, which reflects one handedness of circularly polarized light, while transmitting the opposite handedness of circularly polarized light for each specific color, and wherein said liquid crystal mirror is comprised of one or more filter/mirror layers, each layer reflecting and transmitting specific colors and handedness of circularly polarized light, so that the separate, reflected and transmitted beams of light can be of one or mixed handedness(es) of said circularly polarized light and said stereoscopic display is further comprised of means to direct said two substantially circularly polarized beams of light to separate polarization modulating liquid crystal variable retarder array devices, said variable retarder array devices filter and polarization modulate the two beams of light, encoding separate stereoscopic perspective views upon each beam of said circularly polarized light while preserving the opposite handedness of circularly polarized light between said two beams of light and converge said two beams of polarization modulated and encoded light upon a common set of chiral nematic liquid crystal filter/mirrors, which can produce the final intensity modulation of the polarization modulated two beams of substantially circularly polarized light, said final intensity modulation occurring through the reflection of unwanted components of said light of one beam and through transmission of the filter/mirror of the unwanted components of light from said second beam of light, whereas the desired components of light are similarly reflected and transmitted to form a common beam of substantially circularly polarized light, which is intensity and polarization encoded, so that if said common beam of polarized light is viewed directly or through projection onto a polarization preserving screen, by a viewer wearing polarization decoding glasses, wherein the lenses of said glasses transmit to each eye only the stereoscopic perspective view intended for that eye, the viewer will perceive a stereoscopic image.
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Abstract
Monocular and stereoscopic color display systems, wherein passive cholesteric liquid crystal (LC) filter/mirrors and active variable retarder type LC arrays are used in combination to produce low cost, high resolution, multicolor and full color displays, suitable for use as advertising, automotive, aircraft, computer, games and electron instrumentation displays.
206 Citations
24 Claims
- 1. A stereoscopic display system comprised of an unpolarized light source, the light from said light source being divided into two substantially circularly polarized beams of light by a chiral nematic liquid crystal filter/mirror element, which reflects one handedness of circularly polarized light, while transmitting the opposite handedness of circularly polarized light for each specific color, and wherein said liquid crystal mirror is comprised of one or more filter/mirror layers, each layer reflecting and transmitting specific colors and handedness of circularly polarized light, so that the separate, reflected and transmitted beams of light can be of one or mixed handedness(es) of said circularly polarized light and said stereoscopic display is further comprised of means to direct said two substantially circularly polarized beams of light to separate polarization modulating liquid crystal variable retarder array devices, said variable retarder array devices filter and polarization modulate the two beams of light, encoding separate stereoscopic perspective views upon each beam of said circularly polarized light while preserving the opposite handedness of circularly polarized light between said two beams of light and converge said two beams of polarization modulated and encoded light upon a common set of chiral nematic liquid crystal filter/mirrors, which can produce the final intensity modulation of the polarization modulated two beams of substantially circularly polarized light, said final intensity modulation occurring through the reflection of unwanted components of said light of one beam and through transmission of the filter/mirror of the unwanted components of light from said second beam of light, whereas the desired components of light are similarly reflected and transmitted to form a common beam of substantially circularly polarized light, which is intensity and polarization encoded, so that if said common beam of polarized light is viewed directly or through projection onto a polarization preserving screen, by a viewer wearing polarization decoding glasses, wherein the lenses of said glasses transmit to each eye only the stereoscopic perspective view intended for that eye, the viewer will perceive a stereoscopic image.
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5. A method of presenting a stereoscopic display to a viewer, comprising an unpolarized light source, the light from said light source being divided into two substantially circularly polarized beams of light by a chiral nematic liquid crystal filter/mirror element, which reflects one handedness of circularly polarized light, while transmitting the opposite handedness of circularly polarized light for each specific color, and wherein said liquid crystal mirror is comprised of one or more filter/mirror layers, each layer reflecting and transmitting specific colors and handedness of circularly polarized light, so that the separate, reflected and transmitted beams of light can be of one or mixed handedness(es) of said circularly polarized light and said stereoscopic display is further comprised of means to direct said two substantially circularly polarized beams of light to separate polarization modulating liquid crystal variable retarder array devices, said variable retarder array devices filter and polarization modulate the two beams of light, encoding separate stereoscopic perspective views upon each beam of said circularly polarized light while preserving the opposite handedness of circularly polarized light between said two beams of light and converge said two beams of polarization modulated and encoded light upon a common set of chiral nematic liquid crystal filter/mirrors, which can produce the final intensity modulation of the polarization modulated two beams of substantially circularly polarized light, said final intensity modulation occurring through the reflection of unwanted components of said light of one beam and through transmission of the filter/mirror of the unwanted components of light from said second beam of light, whereas the desired components of light are similarly reflected and transmitted to form a common beam of substantially circularly polarized light, which is intensity and polarization encoded, so that if said common beam of polarized light is viewed directly or through projection onto a polarization preserving screen, by a viewer wearing polarization decoding glasses, wherein the lenses of said glasses transmit to each eye only the stereoscopic perspective view intended for that eye, the viewer will perceive a stereoscopic image.
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6. A color and polarization filter assembly comprising:
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a first polarizing filter for transmitting light of first and second colors substantially only in a first polarization orientation and light of a third color substantially only in a second polarization orientation, which is substantially orthogonal to said first orientation, a second polarizing filter for transmitting light of said first and third colors substantially only in said second polarization orientation and light of said second color substantially only in said first polarization orientation, and first and second liquid crystal arrays each having multiple cells that are switchable individually between at least a first state and a second state for selectively modulating polarization orientation of polarized light passing through the individual cells of the array, and a specular polarizer, and wherein the second polarizing filter is disposed between the first polarizing filter and the specular polarizer, the first liquid crystal array is disposed between the first polarizing filter and the second polarizing filter, and the second liquid crystal array is disposed between the second polarizing filter and the specular polarizer. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification