Patent Grant
8068187
3D/stereo is a technology that is growing rapidly. This technology is implemented in many ways. Stereoscopic solutions include shutter glasses, polarized glasses, and others requiring the user to wear additional equipment. Autostereoscopic solutions, which do not require additional equipment, are of increasing interest, but spatially multiplexed approaches can provide a poor viewing experience, and some techniques have been developed in an attempt to provide a good quality autostereoscopic display.
Some autostereoscopic solutions use a double sided film with contiguous features on both sides. However, this particular type of film can have some disadvantages. The thin land—either between the lenticular features and the substrate, or between the prism features and the substrate, or both—is set in thickness by the optics, but the sharp corners and the thinness of the land can cause delamination. In addition, differences in the volume and structure of the features on the double sided film can exacerbate film warping. From an optical perspective, the double sided film with contiguous features also has a broader horizontal viewing range than may be desirable.
A stereoscopic 3D liquid crystal display module, consistent with the present invention, includes a liquid crystal display panel and a directional backlight positioned to provide light to the liquid crystal display panel. A double sided prism film is disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the directional backlight. The prism film includes a first surface having a plurality of cylindrical lenses adjacent the liquid crystal display panel and a second surface, opposite the first surface, having a plurality of non-contiguous prisms adjacent the directional backlight.
A stereoscopic 3D liquid crystal display apparatus, consistent with the present invention, includes a liquid crystal display panel and a directional backlight positioned to provide light to the liquid crystal display panel. The directional backlight includes a light guide having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, a first surface extending between the first and second sides, and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface of the light guide substantially redirects light and the second surface substantially transmits light to the liquid crystal display panel. The directional backlight also includes a first light source disposed along the first side of the light guide and a second light source disposed along the second side the light guide. A synchronization driving element is electrically coupled to the first and second light sources, and the synchronization driving element synchronizes turning each of the first or second light sources on or off in an alternating order between the first and second sides. The apparatus also includes a double sided prism film disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the directional backlight. The prism film includes a first surface having a plurality of cylindrical lenses adjacent the liquid crystal display panel and a second surface, opposite the first surface, having a plurality of non-contiguous prisms adjacent the directional backlight.
The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The figures are not necessarily to scale. Like numbers used in the figures refer to like components. However, it will be understood that the use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure is not intended to limit the component in another figure labeled with the same number.
In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration several specific embodiments. It is to be understood that other embodiments are contemplated and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
All scientific and technical terms used herein have meanings commonly used in the art unless otherwise specified. The definitions provided herein are to facilitate understanding of certain terms used frequently herein and are not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing feature sizes, amounts, and physical properties used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing the teachings disclosed herein.
The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers subsumed within that range (e.g. 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5) and any range within that range.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” encompass embodiments having plural referents, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
The term “autostereoscopic” refers to displaying three-dimensional images that can be viewed without the use of special headgear or glasses on the part of the user or viewer. These methods produce depth perception for the viewer even though the image is produced by a flat device. The term stereoscopic 3D incorporates the field of autostereoscopic devices but also includes the stereoscopic 3D display case in which special headgear, typically shutter glasses, are need to see stereoscopic 3D from a flat device.
The present disclosure relates to a backlit liquid crystal display apparatus and particularly to displaying stereo 3D images using liquid crystal display apparatus having a 3D film with non-contiguous prisms. Embodiments consistent with the present invention may be combined in a single display capable of providing a 3D visualization capability from a flat display either in a shutter glasses stereoscopic 3D display mode or in an autostereoscopic display mode. While the present invention is not so limited, an appreciation of various aspects of the invention will be gained through a discussion of the examples provided below.
3D Display
A liquid crystal display is a sample and hold display device such that the image at any particular point is stable until that point or pixel is updated at the next image refresh time, typically within 1/60 of a second or faster. In such a sample and hold system, displaying different images, specifically alternating left and right images for a 3D display, during sequential refresh periods of the display requires careful sequencing of the backlight light sources so that, for example, the left eye light source is not on during the display of data for the right eye and vice versa.
The liquid crystal display panel 20 and/or directional backlight 30 can have any useful shape or configuration. In many embodiments, the liquid crystal display panel 20 and directional backlight 30 has a square or rectangular shape. However, in some embodiments, the liquid crystal display panel 20 and/or directional backlight 30 has more than four sides or is a curved shape. While the present disclosure is directed to any stereoscopic 3D backlight including those requiring shutter glasses or more than a single lightguide and associated liquid crystal display panel, the present disclosure is particularly useful for autostereoscopic displays.
A synchronization driving element 50 is electrically connected to the directional backlight 30, the plurality of first and second light sources 32, 34, and the liquid crystal display panel 20. The synchronization driving element 50 synchronizes activation and deactivation (i.e., modulation) of the right eye image solid state light source 32 and the left eye image solid state light source 34 as image frames are provided at a rate of, in many embodiments, 90 frames per second or greater to the liquid crystal display panel 20 to produce a flicker-free still image sequence, video stream, or rendered computer graphics. An image (e.g., video or computer rendered graphics) source 60 is connected to the synchronization driving element 50 and provides the images frames (e.g., right eye images and left eye images) to the liquid crystal display panel 20.
The liquid crystal display panel 20 can be any useful transmissive liquid crystal display panel. In many embodiments, liquid crystal display panel 20 has a frame response time of less than 16 milliseconds, or less than 10 milliseconds, or less than 5 milliseconds. Commercially available transmissive liquid crystal display panels having a frame response time of less than 10 milliseconds, or less than 5 milliseconds, or less than 3 milliseconds include, for example, the Toshiba Matsushita Display (TMD) optically compensated bend (OCB) mode panel LTA090A220F (Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd., Japan).
The directional backlight 30 can be any useful directional backlight that can be modulated between a right eye image solid state light source 32 and left eye image solid state light source 34 at a rate of, in many embodiments, at least 90 Hertz, or 100 Hertz, or 110 Hertz, or 120 Hertz, or greater than 120 Hertz.
The illustrated directional backlight 30 includes a first side 31 or first light input surface 31 adjacent to the plurality of first light sources 32 or right eye image solid state light source 32 and an opposing second side 33 or second light input surface 33 adjacent to the plurality of second light sources 34 or left eye image solid state light source 34. A first surface 36 extends between the first side 31 and second side 33, and a second surface 35, opposite the first surface 36, extends between the first side 31 and second side 33. The first surface 36 substantially re-directs (e.g., reflects, extracts, and the like) light and the second surface 35 substantially transmits light. In many embodiments, a highly reflective surface is on or adjacent to the first surface 36 to assist in re-directing light out through the second surface 35.
In many embodiments, the first surface 36 includes a plurality of extraction elements such as, for example, linear prism or lenticular features as shown. In many embodiments, the linear prism or lenticular features can extend in a direction parallel to the first side 31 and second side 33 or parallel to the linear prism and lenticular features of the double sided prism film 40.
The solid state light sources can be any useful solid state light source that can be modulated at a rate of, for example, at least 90 Hertz. In many embodiments, the solid state light source is a plurality of light emitting diodes such as, for example, Nichia NSSW020B (Nichia Chemical Industries, Ltd., Japan). In other embodiments, the solid state light source is a plurality of laser diodes or organic light emitting diodes (i.e., OLEDs). The solid state light sources can emit any number of visible light wavelengths such as red, blue, and/or green, or range or combinations of wavelengths to produce, for example, white light. The directional backlight can be a single layer of optically clear material with light sources at both ends or two (or more) layers of optically clear material with a light source for each layer which preferentially extracts light in a desired direction for each layer.
The double sided prism film 40 can be any useful prism film having a lenticular structure on a first side and a prismatic structure on an opposing side. The double sided prism film 40 transmits light from the directional backlight to the liquid crystal display panel 20 at the proper angles such that a viewer perceives depth in the displayed image. Useful double sided prism films are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,224,529 and 7,210,836, both of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth.
The image source 60 can be any useful image source capable of providing images frames (e.g., right eye images and left eye images) such as, for example, a video source or a computer rendered graphic source. In many embodiments, the video source can provide image frames from 50 to 60 Hertz or greater. In many embodiments, the computer rendered graphic source can provide image frames from 100 to 120 Hertz or greater.
The computer rendered graphic source can provide gaming content, medical imaging content, computer aided design content, and the like. The computer rendered graphic source can include a graphics processing unit such as, for example, an Nvidia FX5200 graphics card, a Nvidia GeForce 9750 GTX graphics card or, for mobile solutions such as laptop computers, an Nvidia GeForce GO 7900 GS graphics card. The computer rendered graphic source can also incorporate appropriate stereo driver software such as, for example, OpenGL, DirectX, or Nvidia proprietary 3D stereo drivers.
The video source can provide video content. The video source can include a graphics processing unit such as, for example, an Nvidia Quadro FX1400 graphics card. The video source can also incorporate appropriate stereo driver software such as, for example, OpenGL, DirectX, or Nvidia proprietary 3D stereo drivers.
The synchronization driving element 50 can include any useful driving element providing synchronizing activation and deactivation (i.e., modulation) of the right eye image solid state light source 32 and the left eye image solid state light source 34 with image frames provided at a rate of, for example, 90 frames per second or greater to the liquid crystal display panel 20 to produce a flicker-free video or rendered computer graphics. The synchronization driving element 50 can include a video interface such as, for example, a Westar VP-7 video adaptor (Westar Display Technologies, Inc., St. Charles, Mo.) coupled to custom solid state light source drive electronics.
The light sources 32, 34 can be air coupled or index matched to the backlight light guide. For example, a packaged light source device (e.g., LED) can be edge-coupled without index matching material into the light guide. Alternatively, packaged or bare die LEDs can be index matched and/or encapsulated in the edge of the light guide for increased efficiency. This feature may include additional optical features, e.g., injection wedge shapes, on the ends of the light guide to efficiently transport the input light. The LEDs can be alternatively embedded in the edge or side 31, 33 of the light guide with appropriate features to efficiently collect and collimate the LED light into total internal reflection (TIR) modes of the light guide.
Liquid crystal display panels 20 have a refresh or image update rate that is variable, but for the purposes of this example, a 60 Hz refresh rate is presumed. This means that a new image is presented to the viewer every 1/60 second or 16.67 milliseconds (msec). In the 3D system this means that at time t=0 (zero) the right image of frame one is presented. At time t=16.67 msec the left image of frame one is presented. At time t=2*16.67 msec the right image of frame two is presented. At time t=3*16.67 msec the left image of frame two is presented, and this process is thus repeated. The effective frame rate is half that of a normal imaging system because for each image a left eye and right eye view of that image is presented.
In this example, turning the first plurality of light sources on to light the right (or left) image at time t=0 provides light to the right (or left) image, respectively. At time t=16.67 msec the second image left or right, starts to be put in place. This image replaces the “time t=0 image” from the top of the LCD panel to the bottom of the LCD, which takes 16.67 msec to complete in this example. Non-scanned solutions turn off all the first plurality of light sources and then turns on all the second plurality of light sources sometime during this transition, typically resulting in a display with low brightness because the image data must be stable or reasonably so over the entire image if the sequential left and right images are not to be illuminated with the incorrect light source which will lead to 3D cross talk and a poor 3D viewing experience.
Providing at least 45 left eye images and at least 45 right eye images (alternating between right eye and left eye images and the images are possibly a repeat of the previous image pair) to a viewer per second provides a flicker-free 3D image to the viewer. Accordingly, displaying different right and left viewpoint image pairs from computer rendered images or images acquired from still image cameras or video image cameras, when displayed in synchronization with the switching of the light sources 32 and 34, enables the viewer to visually fuse the two different images, creating the perception of depth from the flat panel display. A limitation of this visually flicker-free operation is that, as discussed above, the backlight should not be on until the new image that is being displayed on the liquid crystal display panel has stabilized; otherwise, cross-talk and a poor stereoscopic image will be perceived.
The directional backlight 30 and associated light sources 32, 34 described herein can be very thin (thickness or diameter) such as, for example, less then 5 millimeters, or from 0.25 to 5 millimeters, or from 0.5 to 4 millimeters, or from 0.5 to 2 millimeters.
3D Films
Embodiments of the present invention help reduce the disadvantages, identified above, of the particular type of two sided film having contiguous prisms. Since the peaks of the prisms are essential elements for defining good autostereoscopic optical effects, embodiments of the present invention provide for flats or spaces between the bases of the prisms making them non-contiguous. This feature increases the land thickness and can be tailored to reduce the sharpness of the features near the film substrate, in particular providing a curvature rather than a sharp transition between the prism and the land, which improves the mechanical stability of the film and prevents cracking and delamination and reduces film warping. An additional embodiment involves placing black or opaque (light absorbing) features into the structure between the non-contiguous prisms, which can reduce off-axis light.
The coated opaque material 43 is then cured, as illustrated in
The secondary material also need not be applied on the tool which forms the microreplicated features as described above. For example, the material can be loaded into an evaporative carrier, the carrier and material coated onto the desired side of the double sided film, and the carrier evaporated. This technique will leave a residue of the loaded material, which can form a deposit of secondary material as shown in
The pitch of the lenses and prisms can be adjusted based upon a particular implementation. The term “pitch” with respect to the lenses refers to the distance between centers of adjacent lenses, as illustrated by distances 51 and 52. The term “pitch” with respect to the prisms refers to the distance between centers of adjacent prisms, as illustrated by distances 53 and 54.
An alternative embodiment includes a 3D film with transmissive portions between the non-contiguous prisms. As shown in
In the 3D films of
Preferred dimensions for the pitch of the lenses and prisms are usually determined, for example, by selecting a pitch that would result in the elimination or reduction of moire patterns in the LCD panel incorporating the 3D film. The pitches can also be determined based upon manufacturability. Exemplary pitch dimensions for a 3D film include the following: 26 microns; 29 microns; 29.5 microns; 70.5 microns; and 52 microns. As LCD panels are manufactured with different pixel pitches, it can be desired to change the pitch of the 3D film to accommodate the different pixel pitches. An example of a useful pitch range for a 3D film is 10 microns to 80 microns.
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