US 5,821,989 AGranted

Stereoscopic 3-D viewing system and glasses having electrooptical shutters controlled by control signals produced using horizontal pulse detection within the vertical synchronization pulse period of computer generated video signals

AssigneeVrex, Inc.

InventorsGerard M. Lazzaro, David C. Swift, Gregory J. Hamlin, Sadeg M. Faris

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method of viewing pairs of perspective images of 3-D objects (i.e. stereoscopic image pairs) displayed from a CRT display surface in a time-multiplexed or field-sequential manner, and more particularly to a universal method of generating control signals for synchronously changing the optical state of liquid crystal (LC) shutter panels through which the time-multiplexed perspective images can be sequentially viewed in a substantially flicker-free manner by the left and right eyes of a human viewer, independent of whether the images are displayed on NTSC, PAL, VGA or SVGA styled CRT display devices.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A stereoscopic 3-D image viewing system for stereoscopically viewing 3-D images displayed on a video display device responsive to a computer-generated video signal produced from a computer display adapter, said computer-generated video signal comprising a horizontal synchronization signal including horizontal synchronization pulses and a vertical synchronization signal having a vertical sychronization pulse period (VSPP), said stereoscopic 3-D image viewing system comprising:

stereoscopic viewing glasses having a pair of optical-shutters for viewing stereoscopic image pairs displayed on said video display device according to a time-multiplexing display technique, each said optical-shutter having either optically-transparent state or an optically-opaque state which is selected by a shutter control pulse signal transmitted to said stereoscopic viewing glasses;
and
shutter control pulse signal generator/transmitter connectable between said computer display adapter and said video display device, receiving said computer-generated video signal as input, and generating shutter control pulse signals for use in controlling the optical state of said optical-shutters, said shutter control pulse signal generator/transmitter including
horizontal synchronization pulse detection means for detecting the number of horizontal synchronization pulses transmitted from said computer display adapter during each said vertical synchronization pulse period and producing a horizontal synchronization pulse count (HSPC) indicative thereof, and
shutter control producing means, responsive to said HSPC, for producing shutter control pulse signals for controlling the optical state of said optical-shutter viewing glasses, and
shutter control signal transmission means for transmitting said shutter control pulse signals produced from said shutter control signal producing means.

3 more elements

A shutter control pulse signal generator/transmitter connectable between a computer display adapter and a video display device, for receiving a computer-generated video signal as input, and generating shutter control pulse signals for use in controlling the optical state of a pair of optical-shutters employed in stereoscopic viewing glasses, said computer-generated video signal comprising a horizontal synchronization signal including horizontal synchronization pulses and a vertical synchronization signal having a vertical synchronization pulse period, and said shutter control pulse signal generator/transmitter comprising:

horizontal synchronization pulse detection means for detecting the number of horizontal synchronization pulses transmitted from said computer display adapter during each said vertical synchronization pulse period and producing a horizontal synchronization pulse count (HSPC) indicative thereof, and
shutter control producing means, responsive to said HSPC, for producing shutter control pulse signals for controlling the optical state of said optical-shutter viewing glasses, and
shutter control signal transmission means for transmitting said shutter control pulse signals produced from said shutter control signal producing means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/648,215Filed 15 May 1996 · continuation in part
Priority: 11 Jun 1990
Granted: 13 Oct 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification56 codes

G02B 27/0093
Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00: with means for monitoring data relating to the…
G02B 30/24
Of the stereoscopic type: involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
G02B 30/25
Of the stereoscopic type: using polarisation techniques
G03B 21/132
Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor: overhead projectors, i.e. capable of projecting hand-writing or drawing during action

Family

Serial536,190Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Jun 1990
Serial536,419Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Jun 1990
Serial587,664Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Sep 1990
Serial976,518Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 Nov 1992
Serial126,077Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 23 Sep 1993
Serial230,779Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Apr 1994
Serial269,202Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jun 1994
Serial322,219Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 13 Oct 1994
Serial339,986Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Nov 1994
Serial527,094Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 12 Sep 1995
Serial563,520Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Nov 1995
Serial614,569Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 13 Mar 1996
US 5,680,233 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,502,481 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,537,144 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,553,203 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,165,013 AParent of this continuation
US 5,327,285 AParent of this continuation
US 5,821,989 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.