GB2129994A - Apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image - Google Patents

Abstract

Display apparatus for use in a game device comprises two liquid crystal display (LCD) areas (6); and first means (not shown) for selectively energising portions of the LCD areas. The first means is arranged to energise a plurality of sets of complementary portions of the LCD areas (6) and the LCD areas are arranged, such that in use for each set of complementary portions one LCD area provides a left eye image and the other LCD area provides a right eye image, the left and right images together producing a three dimensional image. The apparatus may be shaped like a binoculars or a stereoscope. A microprocessor can under the control of a programme or a manually operated button cause successive sets of complementary portions of LCDs to be energized thus producing a moving image. Alternatively different figures may be produced. A colour slide 4 produces a stationary background image. A light diffuser 2 or a semi-silvered mirror may provide light to the LCDs. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image The invention relates to apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image.

It has been known for many years to produce a three-dimensional image by providing complementary left and right eye images and causing the viewer to view the two images solely with his right eye and left eye respectively. The result of this is a three-dimensional image. One example of such apparatus is a stereoscope. One of the problems with the stereoscope is that only one image may be viewed at any one time and if it is desired to view a new image then one set of left and right images must be replaced by another set.

In accordance with the present invention, display apparatus comprises two liquid crystal display (LCD) areas; and first means for selectively energizing portions of the LCD areas, the first means being arranged to energize a plurality of sets of complementary portions of the LCD areas and the LCD areas being arranged, such that in use for each set of complementary portions one LCD area provides a left eye image and the other LCD area provides a right eye image, the left and right eye images together producing a threedimensional image.

Liquid crystals are organic fluids and to form a LCD, the liquid crystals are sealed between glass sheets, each having a transparent conducting surface. The application of a relatively low voltage between the conducting surfaces causes the crystal molecules to rearrange their orientation to produce the display. This rearrangement can either cause the rearranged crystals to become very efficient scatterers of white light, or alternatively causes the plane of polarisation of incident light to be twisted through 900. In this latter case, the addition of polarisers on either side of an LCD area with their planes of polarisation in the same sense cause the energized portions of the LCDs to appear dark.

With this apparatus it is very easy to change the resulting three-dimensional image simply by causing the first means to energize different sets of complementary portions of the LCD areas.

Conveniently, the first means includes a microprocessor to cause the energized portions of the LCD areas to be complementary. That is, the areas are complementary in the sense that when they are viewed together a three-dimensional image is always produced.

Preferably, each LCD area is transparent and illumination is provided by natural light and/or artificial light.

In order that the left and right eye images are viewed correctly, the apparatus may further comprise a pair of lenses arranged to direct light from the two LCD areas to respective ones of the viewer's eyes. Although the lenses may be provided in a separate pair of spectacles, it is particularly convenient if they are incorporated into a unit with the other parts of the apparatus. In the latter case, the unit can be simply held to the viewer's eyes (rather like a pair of binoculars) and there is little risk of parts being lost.

In some cases, the display apparatus may further comprise complementary two-dimensional left and right eye images arranged to be viewed simultaneously with the images produced by the respective LCD areas, whereby a threedimensional background image is produced. With this arrangement, the effect of movement of the images produced by the LCD areas, caused by successive energization of different sets of complementary portions, can be more easily viewed againt the stationary background image.

Conveniently, for each two-dimensional image and corresponding LCD area there is provided a semi-silvered mirror portion arranged so that either the background image or the LCD areas is reflected by the mirror portions, while the other is viewed through the mirror portions whereby a combined image is produced.

In one particularly important example, the display apparatus may be utilized in the form of a game. Such a game may be similar to the known two-dimensional games such as that known by the name "Time and Fun" marketed by the Applicants and in which a player attempts to achieve coincidence between a figure whose position he can control and a randomly moving figure generated by the apparatus. The threedimensional affect generated by display apparatus in accordance with the invention clearly provides a far more realistic view to the user than the known two-dimensional views commonly used in game apparatus of this type.

Two examples of display apparatus in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partly cut-away, perspective view of one example; Figure 2 is an expioded view of part of the example shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the circuitry used in the Figure 1 example; Figures 4 and 5 illustrate left and right eye images respectively; Figure 6 is a partly cut-away, perspective view of a second example; and Figure 7 illustrates part of the example shown in Figure 6.

The apparatus shown in Figure 1 comprises a moulded, mylar housing 1 having a light diffuser 2 mounted at one end and a pair of lenses 3 mounted at the other. The lenses 3 are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the typical separation of human eyes. Mounted side by side in series towards the lens 3 behind the light diffuser 2 are a colour slide 4, a polariser 5, a pair of liquid crystal displays (LCD) 6 (only one visible in Figure 1), and further polarisers 7 (Figure 2).

Each LCD 6 is mounted on a printed circuit board 8 shown diagrammatically in Figure 2 which is connected via leads not shown to control means to be described. The polariser 5 and colour slide 4 are omitted from Figure 2 for clarity.

The housing 1 has two recessed portions 10 adjacent the lenses 3 to enable the apparatus to be conveniently held by the user. Two pairs of control buttons 11, 12 are mounted in the recessed portion 10 and their purpose will be described bellow. A V-shaped recess 1 3 is provided between the two lenses 3 to accommodate the user's nose and to enable the apparatus conveniently to be held to the user's eyes in a similar way to a pair of binoculars.

Mounted within the housing 1 is processing circuitry (not shown in Figure 1) comprising a micro-processor 1 4 which may be a conventional 6502 micro-processor, an oscillator circuit 1 5 and a buzzer driving circuit 16 (Figure 3). The microprocessor 14 is powered by batteries (not shown) and is also connected to the keys 1 1, 12 and to the circuit boards 8. The micro-processor 1 4 is a single chip and contains arithmetic and control functions for several bit parallel processing, a programme memory (ROM), a data memory (RAM), I/O ports, a clock divider, and a LCD driver.

The ROM stores a programme which specifies which set of complementary portions of the LCD areas 6 are to be energized while the RAM is used for storing the status and the address of display information.

The oscillator circuit 1 5 oscillates continuously and creates the required time count signals through the clock divider.

The polarisers 5, 7 are arranged with their planes of polarisation in alignment with one another so that normally when the microprocessor 14 is not in use, if the user holds the apparatus so that natural light passes through the light diffuser 2, that light will be polarised by the polariser 5, pass through the LCDs 6, pass through the polarisers 7, and pass through the lenses 3. On activating the micro-processor 14, this causes successive sets of portions of the LCD 6 to be energised thus causing the plane of polarisation of the light impinging on those portions to be rotated to an extent sufficient that the light cannot pass through the polarisers 7.

Thus the energized portions of the LCDs 6 will appear dark to the viewer. The micro-processor 14, under the control of the programme stored in its ROM, causes successive sets of complementary portions of the LCDs 6 to be energized thus producing a moving threedimensional image.

The micro-processor 14 also causes the energization of further complementary portions of the LCDs 6 which define a different figure from that which is produced automatically. The user can cause movement of this additional figure by depressing the buttons 11 which, via the microprocessor 14, cause successive sets of complementary portions of the LCDs 6 to be energised thus enabling the user to move this further three-dimensional figure across the field of view. Depression of one of the buttons 11 will cause movement to the left, while depression of the other will cause movement to the right. The object of the game is to achieve coincidence between the figure controlled by the user and the figure or figures generated automatically by the micro-processor 14.Depending on whether or not coincidence is achieved, a suitable sound will be generated by the buzzer driving circuit 1 6 under control of the micro-processor 14.

The purpose of the colour slide 4 is to provide a stationary background image against which the moving images can be viewed Thus, the colour slide 4 has a pair of semi-transparent images which provide a left eye and a right eye image respectively. Together, they form a threedimensional image when viewed through the lenses 3.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate an example of left and right eye images respectively. This example provides an image of a room having a door 17 and four figures 18,19, 20,21.The image of the room is provided permanently on the colour slide 4 while the images of the four figures 18 to 21 are produced by energizing suitable complementary portions of the LCDs 6. Superposition of the two sets of images gives the apparent image of the figures 1 8 to 21 being inside or outside the room.

Figure 6 illustrates a second example of display apparatus which is very similar to that shown in Figure 1 except that the method of generating the background image is different. In this example, the LCDs 6 are mounted at right angles to the colour slide 4 while a semi-silvered mirror 22 is mounted at an angle between them. This may be seen more clearly in Figure 7. A light source 23 is positioned below the LCDs 6 and the polariser 5 is positioned between the light source 23 and the LCDs 6. The light source 23 is powered by batteries 24 which are also used to power the micro-processor 14 and LCDs 6. In use, natural light passes through the diffuser 2 and illuminates the background three-dimensional image held on the colour slide 4 which can be viewed through the lenses 3 since the mirror 22 is only semi-silvered. Additionally, artificial light from a light source 23 will illuminate the image or images produced by the LCDs 6 and these images will be reflected by the mirror 22 and thus will be combined with the background image when seen by the user.

The buttons 12 may be used to select different games by causing the micro-processor 14 to use different programmes stored in its ROM, or they may be used to select different levels of skill for playing a particular game.

A battery controlled device (not shown) which causes the LCDs 6 permanently or semipermanently to display the current time may also be provided.

Claims (8)

1. Display apparatus comprising two liquid crystal display (LCD) areas; and first means for selectively energising portions of the LCD areas, the first means being arranged to energise a plurality of sets of complementary portions of the LCD areas and the LCD areas being arranged, such that in use for each set of complementary portions one LCD area provides a left eye image and the other LCD area provides a right eye image, the left and right images together producing a three dimensional image.

2. Display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first means includes a microprocessor to cause the energised portions of the LCD areas to be complementary.

3. Display apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each LCD area is transparent and illumination is provided by natural light and/or artificial light.

4. Display apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a pair of lenses arranged to direct light from the two LCD areas to respective ones of the viewer's eyes, in use.

5. Display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lenses are incorporated into a unit with the other parts of the apparatus.

6. Display apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising complementary two-dimensional left and right eye images arranged to be viewed simultaneously with the images produced by the respective LCD areas, whereby a three-dimensional background image is produced.

7. Display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein for each two-dimensional image and corresponding LCD area there is provided a semisilvered mirror portion arranged so that either the background image or the LCD areas is reflected by the mirror portions while the other is viewed through the mirror portions whereby a combined image is produced.

8. Display apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to either of the examples shown in the accompanying drawings.