Back to results
US 8,941,801 B2Granted
In-plane switched active retarder for stereoscopic display systems
AssigneeRealD Inc.
InventorsMichael G. Robinson, Jianmin Chen, Gary D. Sharp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Polarization modulation with in-plane switching of liquid crystals (LCs) may be used in active retarder stereoscopic display systems where viewers wear passive eyewear to see isolated left and right eye images. Embodiments of the present disclosure may include nematic LC or fast switching ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC), depending on the desired performance.
Claims20
A method of providing stereoscopic images, the method comprising:
- directing polarized light from a display along a light path towards an in-plane liquid crystal modulator, wherein the in-plane liquid crystal modulator comprises at least one liquid crystal cell having substantially no out-of-plane retardance;
- receiving the polarized light at the at least one liquid crystal cell;
- switching the at least one liquid crystal cell between first and second in-plane orientations sequentially to provide modulated light having first and second states of polarization, respectively;
- and
- transmitting the modulated light having the first state of polarization at a left analyzer of eyewear and transmitting the modulated light having the second state of polarization at a right analyzer of the eyewear;
- wherein the modulated light having the first state of polarization is operable to form a left image and the modulated light having the second state of polarization is operable to form a right image;
- and
- wherein the left analyzer comprises a left inverse retarder and a left polarizer layer optically following the left inverse retarder, and the right analyzer comprises a right inverse retarder and a right polarizer layer optically following the right inverse retarder, wherein the left and right inverse retarders each comprise a retardance substantially inverse to an in-plane retardance of the at least one liquid crystal cell and have substantially no out-of-plane retardance.
5 more elements
A stereoscopic system, comprising:
- a display operable to provide polarized light along a light path;
- an in-plane liquid crystal modulator disposed in the light path, wherein the in-plane liquid crystal modulator comprises at least one liquid crystal cell having an in-plane retardance and substantially no out-of-plane retardance, the at least one liquid crystal cell being operable to receive the polarized light and to switch between first and second in-plane orientations sequentially to provide modulated light having first and second states of polarization, respectively;
- and
- eyewear comprising a left analyzer and a right analyzer, wherein the left analyzer comprises a left inverse retarder and a left polarizer layer optically following the left inverse retarder, and the right analyzer comprises a right inverse retarder and a right polarizer layer optically following the right inverse retarder, wherein the left and right inverse retarders each comprise a retardance substantially inverse to the in-plane retardance of the at least one liquid crystal cell and have substantially no out-of-plane retardance;
- wherein, when the at least one liquid crystal cell is in the first in-plane orientation, the left analyzer is operable to receive the modulated light having the first state of polarization and to transmit light comprising a left image;
- and
- wherein, when the at least one liquid crystal cell is in the second in-plane orientation, the right analyzer is operable to receive the modulated light having the second state of polarization and to transmit light comprising a right image.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.