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US 7,401,923 B2Granted
Monitor for showing high-resolution and three-dimensional images and method
AssigneeFergason Patent Properties, LLC
InventorJames L. Fergason
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A display system in which images from two displays that have the same optical polarization that is not affected by reflection by a beam splitter which combines images from the displays, and half wave plate optical retarders to rotate plane of polarization and to null out optical dispersion effects to provide for stereo viewing of images via plane polarizers that have the same polarization direction.
Claims30
A system for images, comprising:
- a beam splitter receiving respective images, which have plane polarized light characteristics, along respective first and second light paths and directing the images to a common light path,
- a viewer to receive the images in the common light path to discriminate the images based on plane polarized light characteristics, the viewer having first and second viewing channels to provide for viewing the images from the first and second light paths, respectively,
- a first optical retarder introducing optical retardation in the first light path, the optical retarder rotating the direction of polarization of plane polarized light, and
- a second optical retarder introducing optical retardation in the second viewing channel and substantially compensating for dispersion by the first optical retarder,
- wherein the polarization direction of the plane polarized light in the first light path optically upstream of the first optical retarder is the same as the polarization direction of the plane polarized light in the second light path.
2 more elements
A display system, comprising
- a pair of displays arranged at an angle to each other to provide respective images having plane polarization such that the polarization direction for both images is the same;
- a beam splitter located relative to the displays to combine plane polarized light images received along respective first and second optical paths from the displays to provide such plane polarized light images along a common optical path;
- a wave plate arrangement in said first optical path to effect optical retardation of plane polarized light to rotate the plane of polarization thereof;
- the displays, beam splitter and wave plate being related such that reflection of light by the beam splitter from one of the respective optical paths occurs without changing the polarization;
- and
- whereby the respective images in the common optical path can be discriminated by optical polarization.
3 more elements
A stereoscopic viewing system, comprising:
- a pair of displays arranged generally in respective planes that are at an angle to each other and intersect a common linear axis, the displays having plane polarization such that the direction of polarization is in the same direction;
- a beam splitter at the bisectrix of the angle and in positional relation to combine light from said displays in a common light path by transmitting light from one display and reflecting light from the other display without changing polarization direction of the light incident on the beam splitter;
- an optical retarder in the light path between one of the displays and the beam splitter to rotate the plane of polarized light by 90 degrees;
- and
- a viewing device for viewing images transmitted along the common light path, the viewing device including a pair of plane polarizers and a further optical retarder to rotate the plane of polarized light by 90 degrees, the plane polarizers establishing first and second viewing paths, the polarizer in the first viewing path having a polarization direction to transmit light from the one of said displays providing images in the optical path that includes the first mentioned optical retarder, the polarizer in the second viewing path having the same polarization direction as the polarizer in the first viewing path, and the further optical retarder positioned in the second viewing path.
2 more elements
A method of displaying stereo images, comprising:
- providing along respective optical paths light, which has plane polarization in the same polarization direction, toward a beam splitter;
- optically retarding light in one of the optical paths to rotate the plane of polarization in that optical path by 90 degrees;
- using a beam splitter, reflecting and transmitting light from the respective optical paths into a common optical path substantially without affecting polarization;
- and
- discriminating light in the common optical path to distinguish between light from the respective optical paths, the discriminating comprising using respective plane polarizers, which have the same polarization direction, and providing optical retardation in the optical path to one of the plane polarizers whereby such plane polarizer blocks light that was optically retarded in said one of the optical paths while such plane polarizer transmits light from the other of said respective optical paths and the other plane polarizer transmits light from said one of the optical paths while blocking light from the other of said respective optical paths.
2 more elements
A display system, comprising:
- a pair of displays;
- the displays being operable to provide respective left and right images of a stereo pair for viewing by a viewing device, the images provided by said displays having linear (plane) optical polarization in the same direction;
- a beam splitter;
- the displays and beam splitter positioned relative to each other for viewing of one display through the beam splitter and viewing of the other display by reflection;
- a first half wave plate between one display and the beam splitter and oriented to rotate in one direction the plane of polarization of light from one display for viewing as one of a left eye or right eye image;
- and
- a second half wave plate positioned and oriented to rotate in a direction opposite such one direction some light from the displays for permitting viewing of light from the other display as the other of a left eye or right eye image while blocking from such viewing light from said one display.
4 more elements
A display system, comprising:
- a pair of displays;
- the displays being operable to provide respective left and right images of a stereo pair, the images provided by said displays having linear (plane) optical polarization in the same direction;
- a beam splitter;
- the displays being at an angle relative to each other and congruent with a linear axis, and the beam splitter being congruent with such linear axis and at the bisectrix of such angle for viewing of one display through the beam splitter and viewing of the other display by reflection;
- a first wave plate positioned relative to one display to rotate the plane of polarization of light from that display without rotating the plane of polarization of light from the other display;
- and
- a viewing device including a pair of plane polarizers positioned to transmit to respective eyes of a viewer respective left and right images from the respective displays, the plane of polarization of said pair of polarizers being the same and for use being relatively perpendicular to the plane of polarization of light from the displays;
- and
- a second wave plate positioned relative to the viewing device to rotate the plane of polarization of light transmitted to one of said polarizers without rotating the plane of polarization of light provided to the other polarizer.
6 more elements
A display system, comprising:
- a pair of displays, each display being operable to provide an image having linear optical polarization;
- a beam splitter;
- the displays and beam splitter positioned relative to each other for viewing of one display through the beam splitter and viewing of the other display by reflection;
- and
- a half wave plate for rotating the plane of polarization of light from one display.
2 more elements
A system for images, comprising:
- a beam splitter receiving respective images, which have plane polarized light characteristics, along respective first and second light paths and directing the images to a common light path, wherein said directing comprises transmitting light from one light path and reflecting light from the other light path without changing the direction of optical polarization;
- and
- a viewer to receive the images in the common light path and to discriminate the images based on plane polarized light characteristics, the viewer having first and second viewing channels to provide for viewing the images from the first and second light paths, respectively,
- wherein the viewer includes a pair of plane polarizers having the same polarization direction.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.