Autostereoscopic display illumination system allowing viewing zones to follow the observer's head
AssigneeDimension Technologies, Inc.
InventorJesse B. Eichenlaub
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An autostereoscopic display is adapted to have its viewing zones follow an observer's head by incorporating a device for monitoring the position of the observer's head, using the monitoring information to determine which set of light emitting lines is on in the display and which set of picture information is displayed on the picture elements (pixels), and selecting the illuminating lines relative to the light valve so that the viewing zones are continuously centered at the observer's head as the observer moves.
Claims21
In an autostereoscopic display device having (1) a screen surface upon which is displayed, or imaged, a number of sets of thin parallel vertical light emitting lines, each set containing a multiplicity of said lines, the members of each set being located in the areas between the members of the other sets, and each set capable of being independently turned on and off, said surface remaining dark between said emitting lines, (2) a light valve array parallel to and in front of said screen, said light valve having individual picture elements, arranged in a regular pattern across its surface, said pattern possessing vertical columns of said picture elements, there being at least two vertical columns of picture elements for each of said light emitting lines in each set of said lines, said light emitting line being located behind and between said elements, so as to establish areas of space known to the art as "Viewing zones" in front of the display, within which an observer's eye sees all the light lines of a given set behind either an odd or even set of pixel columns, (3) optionally said display is in color obtained by filtering light passing through said picture elements along said columns with filters of at least three colors, and (4) electronic means to cause the left eye image or a stereoscopic image pair to be displayed on the odd or even columns of pixels, and the right eye image of a stereoscopic image pair to be displayed on the remaining columns of pixels;
- the improvement which comprises--
- a. incorporating a device capable of monitoring the position of the head of a person who is looking at the display,
- b. using information from this device to determine which set of light emitting lines is on, and which set of picture information is displayed on the odd or even columns of pixels of the display;
- c. selecting which light line set is on and which set of information is displayed on which column of pixels according to which combination of line set and image display,
- thereby causing the left eye viewing zone formed at the observers location to encompass the position of the observer's left eye, and the right eye zones to encompass the position of the observers right eye.
In an autostereoscopic display device having (1) a screen surface upon which is displayed, or imaged, a multiplicity of thin parallel vertical light emitting lines, said surface remaining dark between said emitting lines, (2) a light valve array parallel to and in front of said surface, said light valve having individual picture elements arranged in a regular pattern across its surface, said pattern possessing vertical columns of said picture elements, there being at least two vertical columns of picture elements for each of the light emitting lines, said light emitting line being located behind and between said elements, so as to establish areas of space known to the art as "Viewing zones" in front of the display, within which an observer's eye sees all the light lines behind either an odd or even set of pixel columns, (3) said display optionally being in color obtained by filtering light passing through said picture elements along said columns with filters of at least three colors, and (4) electronic means to cause the left eye image of a stereoscopic image pair to be displayed on the odd or even columns of elements, and the right eye view of the stereoscopic image pair to be displayed on the remaining columns of elements;
- the improvement which comprises--
- a. incorporating a device capable of monitoring the position of the head of a person who is looking at the display, and
- b. using information from this device to physically move the device which creates or images the light lines horizontally in a direction opposite the direction of the observer's movement by such a distance that the left eye viewing zone moves to follow the observer in such a way that it continues to encompass the position of the observer's left eye, and the right eye zone also follows the observer in such a way that it continues to encompass the position of the observers right eye.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.