# US 2014/0192281 A1 · Switching dual layer display with independent layer content and a dynamic mask

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- Number: US 2014/0192281 A1
- Document ID: US20140192281A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/775,368
- Filed: 2013-02-25
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-04
- Assignees: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Applicants: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors: Quinn Y. Smithwick; Mark Reichow
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140192281A1

## CPC

- G02F 1/1313: {specially adapted for a particular application}
- G02B 30/52: the three-dimensional [3D] volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of two-dimensional [2D] planes, e.g. depth sampling systems
- G02F 1/1347: Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
- H04N 13/356: having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
- H04N 13/395: with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of two-dimensional [2D] image planes
- G09G 2300/023: Display panel composed of stacked panels
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)

## Abstract

A dual layer display system for generating dimensional imagery. The system includes a first display device and a second display device with a light source. The second display device is arranged to be spaced apart from the first display device and to project output light onto a back surface of the first display device. The system alternatively operates the display devices in a first mode in which the first display device is transparent and the second display device displays back layer content and in a second mode in which the first display device displays front layer content and the second display device operates as a backlight to the first display device. In the first mode, the first display device displays a mask for the front layer content such as with gray-to-black pixels mapped to an object in the front layer content to block back layer content at this location.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A switching dual layer display system for providing a dimensional display, comprising:
a first display device;
a second display device with a light source, the second display device being arranged to be spaced apart from the first display device and to project output light onto a back surface of the first display device; and
a display controller first operating the first and second display devices in a first mode in which the first display device is transparent and the second display device displays back layer content and second operating the first and second display devices in a second mode in which the first display device displays front layer content and the second display device operates as a backlight to the first display device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first display device is a transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) and the second display device is an LCD monitor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the display controller switches between the first and second operating modes in a synchronized manner and at a rate whereby the first layer content and the back layer content are each displayed at least at 60 Hz.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein in the first mode the first display device displays a mask comprising a white region and a gray-to-black region mapped to an object in the front layer content displayed during the second mode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the back layer content of the second display device comprises a colored object and the mask of the first display device is transparent to the colored object in the white region and is semi-transparent-to-opaque to the colored object in the gray-to-black region.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the mask of the first display device comprises a plurality of black pixels in the gray-to-black region, whereby the mask occludes light from the back layer content of the second display device with the gray-to-black region.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the second display device comprises a projector.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the second display device comprises a switchable transparent backlight.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the switchable transparent backlight comprises at least one of edge-lit, plastic, an LCD, and an area-flooded smart glass.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the front layer content includes a first anaglyph image for a first one of the left or right eye and the back layer content includes a second anaglyph image for a second one of the left or right eye.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the second display device includes a transmissive display and the light source comprises a directional backlight providing substantially collimated light sequentially in one of three directions to sequentially illuminate three areas of the first display device and the transmissive display of the second display device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the system is selectively operated to provide two or more view zones.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the system is selectively operated to provide opacity depth blending to increase the field of view.

### Claim 14

A display system providing floating content, comprising:
a transparent display device;
a relayed display device spaced apart from the transparent display device; and
relay optics positioned between the transparent display device and the relayed display device,
wherein, during a first operating state, the transparent display device is operable to display white to be transparent to light from the related display device and the relayed display device is operable to display foreground content, and
wherein, during a second operating state, the transparent display device is operable to display background content and the relayed display device is operable to display a mask corresponding with the foreground content.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the transparent display device comprises a transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) and the second display device comprises an LCD monitor.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the relay optics comprise a concave mirror, a Fresnel lens, a concave mirror with a beamsplitter, a dihedral mirror array, a double fly-eye array, or a retroretlector with a beamsplitter.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, further including a display controller switching between the first and second operating states at 60 Hz or faster.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, further including a sensor sensing interaction with a floating image associated with the foreground content at a distance from the transparent display device and a projector operable in response to the sensed interaction to project the foreground content toward the transparent display device.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the sensor comprises an IR depth camera monitoring the sensed interaction through the transparent display device and wherein the transparent display device comprises an LCD.

### Claim 20

A dimensional display apparatus, comprising:
an LCD monitor;
a transparent LCD panel spaced apart a distance from a display screen from the LCD monitor; and
a display controller controlling operations of the LCD monitor and the transparent LCD panel to alternate between first and second operating states,
wherein, in the first operating state, the transparent LCD panel displays blank white and the LCD monitor displays back layer images, and
wherein, in the second operating state, the transparent LCD panel displays front layer images and the LCD monitor displays blank white, whereby the LCD monitor acts a as a backlight for the transparent LCD panel in the second operating state.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the alternating between the first and second operating states occurs at least at 60 Hz.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the alternating between the first and second operating states for the transparent LCD panel and the LCD monitor is synchronized by the display controller.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the LCD monitor and the transparent LCD panel are stacked and the distance is at least about 1 inch.

### Claim 24 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein, in the first operating state, the transparent LCD panel further displays a mask for at least one of the front layer images.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the mask comprises a plurality of gray scale pixels.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the mask comprises a plurality of black pixels.

### Claim 27 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one of the front layer images is defined by an outer boundary and wherein the mask is defined with an outer boundary matching the outer boundary of the at least one of the front layer images that is aligned with the at least one of the front layer images.

### Claim 28 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein display controller operates the transparent LCD panel and the LCD monitor to provide opacity depth blending for a 3D object in the front layer images and in the back layer images having a section on a plane coinciding with the transparent LCD panel and a section on a plane coinciding with the LCD monitor.