JPH0876110A - Optical shutter panel and three-dimensional image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To form a shutter of a complicated shape by patterning a polarizing element. CONSTITUTION: This optical shutter panel 10 consists of a combination of at least one polarizing element and a liquid crystal panel. In this case, the polarizing element is patterned to form the shutter part. As for the polarizing element, a polarizing plate with patterned polarizing region is produced by partially dyeing a PVA film. As for the liquid crystal panel, a liquid crystal panel such as a twist-nematic liquid crystal panel and ferroelectric liquid crystal panel to be combined with a polarizing element is used. The three-dimensional display device consists of the optical shutter panel 10 comprising a liquid crystal panel and a polarizing plate 5 having patterned polarizing regions 5a and 5b, and an image display means equipped with pixels 11 for an image for the right eye and pixels 12 for an image for the left eye.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrically controllable optical shutter panel and a three-dimensional image display device using the panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of methods for displaying a three-dimensional image without using glasses, a parallax barrier method has been proposed. This method uses a fine stripe-shaped light-shielding slit called a barrier stripe, and displays a stripe-shaped image for the right eye and an image for the left eye at positions separated by a certain distance behind the barrier, and by viewing through the barrier, This is a method in which only the image for the right eye is viewed in the right eye and only the image for the left eye is viewed in the left eye, and a three-dimensional image can be viewed without glasses. In such a parallax barrier system, the transparent part and the opaque part are fixed, and
When trying to see a three-dimensional image, there is a problem that a bright image cannot be obtained because the opaque portion obstructs light.

In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-122733 proposes a method of stereoscopically viewing an image by using a liquid crystal display device as an optical shutter panel to generate a barrier stripe. According to such a method, when displaying a two-dimensional image, the barrier stripe can be erased and displayed so as not to disturb the eyes. Therefore, a bright and easy-to-see two-dimensional image can be displayed, and the three-dimensional image and the two-dimensional image can be switched.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional three-dimensional image display device, the electrode shape of the liquid crystal display device serving as the optical shutter panel must be patterned according to the shape of the barrier stripe. There was a problem. In particular, it is necessary to pattern the transparent electrode by etching or the like, and there is a problem that disconnection often occurs when a thin electrode pattern is formed. As a result, the yield of the device was reduced.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an optical shutter panel that can be electrically generated as a shutter at any time even if it has a complicated shape, and 3 using the optical shutter panel. It is to provide a three-dimensional image display device.

[0006]

The optical shutter panel of the present invention is constructed by combining at least one polarizing element and a liquid crystal panel, and is characterized in that the polarizing element is patterned.

As a polarizing element, a polarizing plate prepared by stretching a PVA film is known.
By partially dyeing the film, a polarizing plate having a patterned polarizing region can be produced. For example, by attaching a stretched PVA film onto a substrate such as glass,
After forming a resist film on the PVA film and masking the portion where the polarizing function is not desired to be imparted, the exposed portion of the PVA film is dyed with iodine or a dichroic dye that imparts a polarizing property.

As liquid crystal panels constituting the optical shutter panel, twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal panels,
Super twisted nematic (STN) LCD panel,
A liquid crystal panel used in combination with a polarizing element, such as a guest-host liquid crystal panel or a ferroelectric liquid crystal panel, is used.

In one of the aspects according to the present invention, an optical shutter panel for changing the beam diameter of the light beam, wherein a patterned polarizing element is provided on the light emitting side of the liquid crystal panel.

More specifically, the liquid crystal panel installed in the optical path of the light beam, and the region provided on the light exit side of the liquid crystal panel and having a beam diameter smaller than the beam diameter of the incident light beam have a polarization function. And a polarizing element that is patterned so as to be a region that does not exist.

The beam light incident on the liquid crystal panel is incident as linearly polarized beam light such as laser beam light. When the light beam incident on the liquid crystal panel is not a linearly polarized light beam, a polarizing element is provided on the light incident side of the liquid crystal panel, and linearly polarized by the polarizing element.
The linearly polarized light beam is made incident on the liquid crystal panel.

The three-dimensional image display device of the present invention uses the optical shutter panel of the present invention, and can display a right-eye image and a left-eye image. Image display means,
And an optical shutter panel forming a parallax barrier stripe for the image display means.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, the image display means comprises a liquid crystal panel having a polarizing element,
The image display means and the polarizing element of the optical shutter panel are shared.

[0014]

In the optical shutter panel of the present invention, the polarizing element is patterned to form the shutter portion. Since the shutter portion is formed by patterning the polarizing element, even if patterning is performed in a complicated shape, there is no problem such as disconnection unlike patterning of the electrode.

Further, when patterning the electrodes, since electricity is supplied, it is necessary to be electrically connected in all effective display areas. In the present invention, since the shutter is formed by patterning the polarizing element, it is not necessary for the patterns to be continuous, and various patterns can be dealt with.

When the electrodes are patterned by etching or the like, irregularities are formed in the liquid crystal panel and the cell gap becomes nonuniform. In the present invention, since it is not necessary to pattern the electrodes, it is easy to make the cell gap uniform.

[0017]

1 is a sectional view showing a three-dimensional image display device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the optical shutter panel 10 is provided on the front surface of an image display unit including a pixel portion 11 for an image for the right eye and a pixel portion 12 for an image for the left eye. The liquid crystal layer 3 is sandwiched and held by substrates 2 and 4 made of, for example, glass. A polarizing plate 1 is provided between the substrate 2 and the image display means. A polarizing plate 5 is provided on the front surface of the substrate 4. This polarizing plate 5 has patterned polarizing regions 5a and 5b formed by sandwiching a patterned polarizing film.

Polarizing regions 5a and 5b of the polarizing plates 1 and 5
By setting the polarization direction of the vertical direction to the vertical direction, a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal cell and the liquid crystal molecules are activated, so that the light is blocked at the polarization regions 5a and 5b, and the polarization regions 5a and 5b are barriered. Becomes Therefore, the polarization area 5a
And 5b are the parallax for the image parts 11 and 12.
By forming the barrier stripes, a three-dimensional stereoscopic image by the parallax barrier method can be observed.

Transparent electrodes (not shown) are formed on the entire surface inside the substrate 2 and inside the substrate 4. By applying a voltage between such transparent electrodes, the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 3 can be activated.

FIG. 2 shows a state where no voltage is applied between the transparent electrodes in the three-dimensional image display device shown in FIG. In such a state, since the polarization regions 5a and 5b are in a state capable of transmitting light, the polarization regions 5a and 5b are
Does not become a barrier, and light is emitted from the entire surface of the optical shutter panel. Therefore, in such a state, by making the display images of the image parts 11 and 12 two-dimensional images,
Two-dimensional images can be observed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the optical shutter panel can electrically generate a barrier as needed. Therefore, by forming the image display screen as a three-dimensional image of the right-eye image and the left-eye image and forming a barrier of the optical shutter panel, the three-dimensional image can be observed and the image of the image display screen is switched to the two-dimensional image. In that case, the barrier can be eliminated and a two-dimensional image can be displayed. Therefore, the three-dimensional image display device of this embodiment can easily switch between the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional image.

In this embodiment, the polarization area 5 of the polarizing plate 5
The polarizing element is formed only in the portions a and 5b, and the polarizing element does not exist in the region between the polarizing regions 5a and 5b. Therefore, the light transmittance can be improved and the image can be made brighter as compared with the conventional optical shutter panel using the polarizing plate having the entire polarization region.

In the above embodiment, when an image display device requiring a polarizing plate such as a TN liquid crystal panel or an STN liquid crystal panel is used as the image display means, the polarizing plate 1 of the optical shutter panel 10 is displayed as an image. It may be used also as a polarizing plate of the device and may be shared. When a guest-host liquid crystal panel is used as the liquid crystal panel of the optical shutter panel, only one polarizing unit is required. Therefore, when the image display device has a polarizing plate, the optical shutter panel 1 is used.
The zero polarizing plate 1 can be omitted. When a ferroelectric liquid crystal panel is used as the liquid crystal panel of the optical shutter panel, the shutter state and the non-shutter state can be controlled by utilizing the memory property of the ferroelectric liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the pattern of the polarization area of the optical shutter panel in the three-dimensional image display device of the present invention. Here, the pixel portions 30 are arranged in stripes, respectively, and in FIG. 3, the right-eye image portion (R) and the left-eye image portion (L) are alternately arranged in stripes as indicated by the symbol in (). It is located in. Further, a red display image R, a green display image G, and a blue display image B are assigned to each of the right-eye image (R) and the left-eye image (L). The parallax barrier 20 as a pattern of the polarization region is formed in a stripe shape and covers the area of the adjacent portion of the adjacent stripe-shaped pixel portions. The right-eye image is only for the right eye, and the left-eye image is for the left eye only. Formed as observed in.

FIG. 4 shows another pattern of the polarization region, in which the pixel portions are arranged in a triangle. Generally, liquid crystal TV panels and the like adopt such a triangle arrangement or a diagonal arrangement. The parallax barrier 20 includes the pixel units 3 that are horizontally adjacent to each other.
It is provided between 0 and covers a partial area of each pixel portion, and is formed so that the right-eye image is observed only by the right eye and the left-eye image is observed only by the left eye. As shown in FIG.
In the triangle arrangement, the pixel units 30 are arranged alternately in the vertical direction with their positions shifted. For this reason, the parallax barrier 20 is formed in a state in which the horizontal position of the pixel unit 30 is alternately displaced in the vertical direction.
Therefore, in the boundary area in the vertical direction of the pixel section 30, only a part of the parallax barrier 20 is connected. When such a pattern shape is formed by patterning the display electrodes, the boundary area in the vertical direction is formed. It is easy for wire breakage to occur. In the present invention, since the parallax barrier is formed by patterning the polarization region, the electrical connection state does not pose a problem, and problems such as disconnection do not occur.

In the present invention, when a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image are mixedly displayed, the transparent electrode is divided and formed to display the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional image according to each divided area. can do. Figure 5
The transparent electrode 40 thus divided and formed is shown. For example, as shown in FIG.
When the three-dimensional image or the two-dimensional image is displayed in each area, the transparent electrode 40 is divided into four divided electrodes 41 to 44, and the voltage application is independently controlled in each area. It can be a three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the optical shutter panel according to the present invention. The shutter panel of this embodiment is an optical shutter panel for narrowing the beam diameter of the light beam. Referring to FIG. 6, the optical shutter panel 50 includes substrates 51 and 53 made of, for example, glass.
It is composed of a liquid crystal layer 52 sandwiched between and a polarizing plate 54. Transparent electrodes (not shown) are formed on the entire surfaces of the substrates 51 and 53, and liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 52 can be activated by applying a voltage between the electrodes.

In the polarizing plate 54, a patterned polarizing region is formed by sandwiching the patterned polarizing film 54a. A region 54b having no polarization function is formed at the center of the polarizing film 54a. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the polarizing film 54a. As shown in FIG. 7, a circular region 54b having no polarization function is formed in the central portion.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the liquid crystal shutter panel 50 shown in FIG. 6 is installed in the optical path of the beam light and the light beam emitted from the optical shutter panel 50 is converged by the convex lens 60. The beam light incident on the optical shutter panel 50 is a laser beam light, which is a linearly polarized beam light. For example, the polarization direction of the polarizing film 54a is set to be perpendicular to the polarization direction of the laser beam light. By twisting the liquid crystal layer 90 degrees, the polarization direction of the laser beam is rotated by 90 degrees by the liquid crystal layer in a state in which no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal cell, and is parallel to the polarization direction of the polarizing film 54a. It passes without being blocked by the polarizing film 54a. Therefore, the laser beam light is emitted from the optical shutter panel 50 with the same beam diameter as when entering the optical shutter panel 50, and the convex lens 60
To form a beam spot 70.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal cell of the optical shutter panel 50. When a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal cell, liquid crystal molecules rise, and the laser light that has entered the optical shutter panel 50 enters the polarizing film 54a without changing its polarization direction. Since the polarization direction of the laser beam light incident on the polarizing film 54a and the polarization direction of the polarizing film 54a are substantially perpendicular to each other, the laser beam light is blocked by the polarizing film 54a.
As a result, the laser beam light only passes through the central portion of the polarizing film 54a, which is the region 54b having no polarization function,
Laser beam light is emitted from the optical shutter panel 50 with a beam diameter as large as the region 54b having no polarization function.

The laser beam light whose beam diameter is narrowed down is converged by the convex lens 60. As a result, FIG.
It is possible to converge to a beam spot 80 larger than the beam spot 70 shown in FIG.

Therefore, it is possible to change the spot diameter of the laser beam light by applying a voltage to the liquid crystal cell using the optical shutter panel as in this embodiment. A laser beam spot used for a medium having a high recording density, for example, a digital video disc (DVD) has a smaller spot diameter than a laser beam spot used for a medium having a relatively low recording density, for example, a compact disc (CD). Is required. Therefore, by using the optical shutter panel as in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the beam diameter of the laser beam used for reproducing the DVD and increase the spot diameter, and use it for reproducing the CD. Therefore, a pickup optical system compatible with CDs and DVDs can be obtained by using the optical shutter panel as in this embodiment.

As a means for narrowing the beam diameter of the beam light, there is a mechanical aperture. However, compared with such an aperture, the optical shutter panel of this embodiment has no mechanically operating portion, so that it fails. It is difficult to cause such problems and can be operated stably. Further, as compared with mechanical means such as an aperture, it is possible to reduce the size and weight, and thus to reduce the cost.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the polarizing plate 54 used in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the polarizing film 54a is sandwiched and supported by transparent support plates 54c and 54d made of triacetate (TAC) or glass.

In the polarizing film 54a, a polarizing region is formed in the peripheral portion and no polarizing region is formed in the central portion,
The region 54b has no polarization function. As described above, the patterning of the polarizing region is performed by dyeing with iodine or the like in a state where the central region of the polarizing film 54a is masked, so that only the peripheral region is dyed and the central region is not dyed. It can be formed as a region 54b having no polarization function.

By using a polarizing plate as shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to prevent a phase difference between the light passing through the polarization region and the light passing through the non-polarizing region 54b having no polarization function.

FIG. 11 shows a comparative polarizing plate. In this polarizing plate 56, a through hole 56b is formed in the central portion. Therefore, due to the through hole 56b, the polarizing film 56a does not exist in the central portion. Such a polarizing plate 56 can be used as the polarizing plate of the optical shutter panel of the above-described embodiment instead of the polarizing plate 54 shown in FIG. However, when a polarizing plate as shown in FIG. 11 is used, a phase difference occurs between the light passing through the central through hole 56b and the light passing through the peripheral polarizing plate 56. Therefore, when used in an optical system such as a microscope or a pickup for an optical disc that collects light with a lens, the light-collecting characteristics deteriorate.

Although the linearly polarized laser beam light has been described as an example of the beam light incident on the liquid crystal panel of the optical shutter panel in the above embodiment, the optical shutter panel of the present invention is limited to such a type. It is not something that will be done. When the light beam that is not linearly polarized enters the liquid crystal panel, an optical shutter panel as shown in FIG. 12 can be used. In the optical shutter panel 50 shown in FIG. 12, a polarizing plate 55 is provided on the substrate 51. Therefore, the light linearly polarized by the polarizing plate 55 enters the liquid crystal panel. When a 90-degree twisted TN liquid crystal panel is used as the liquid crystal panel, the polarizing direction of the polarizing plate 55 and the polarizing direction of the polarizing film 54a of the polarizing plate 54 are arranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to each other.

[0039]

In the optical shutter panel of the present invention, the predetermined shutter shape is produced by patterning the polarizing element. Therefore, it is not necessary to pattern the electrodes, and a shutter having a complicated shape pattern can be formed.

Therefore, the three-dimensional image display device using the optical shutter panel of the present invention can have a complicated parallax barrier shape, for example, when the pixel portion is arranged in a triangle or diagonally. The parallax barrier can be formed even when it is present.

Further, according to the present invention, the display electrodes in the liquid crystal panel are not patterned unlike the prior art.
The unevenness of the display electrodes is not formed in the liquid crystal panel, and it is easy to make the cell gap uniform.

Further, since the patterning of the polarizing element is performed, there is no possibility that the disconnection occurs and the yield is lowered unlike the conventional patterning of the display electrodes. According to the invention, since the polarizing element is formed by patterning,
The light transmittance is improved as compared with a conventional optical shutter panel in which a polarizing element is formed over the entire surface. Therefore, the image can be made brighter than before.

When the optical shutter panel of the present invention is used as an optical shutter panel for changing the beam diameter of the light beam, it is possible to reduce the size and weight as compared with the mechanical aperture. Further, cost reduction can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a three-dimensional image display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a voltage is not applied to liquid crystal in the three-dimensional image display device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the shape of a parallax barrier in the three-dimensional image display device of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another example of the shape of the parallax barrier in the three-dimensional image display device of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a transparent electrode in the case where a display image screen is divided into a plurality of pieces and a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image are mixed.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the optical shutter panel according to the present invention.

7 is a plan view showing a polarizing film used in the shutter panel shown in FIG.

8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the optical shutter panel shown in FIG. 6 is installed in the optical path of laser beam light.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the optical shutter panel shown in FIG. 6 is installed in the optical path of laser beam light and the beam diameter of the laser beam light is narrowed.

10 is a cross-sectional view showing a polarizing plate of the example shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a comparative polarizing plate.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the optical shutter panel according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Polarizing plate 2 ... Substrate 3 ... Liquid crystal layer 4 ... Substrate 5 ... Polarizing plate 5a, 5b ... Polarizing area 10 ... Optical shutter panel 11, 12 ... Image display means pixel part 50 ... Optical shutter panel 51, 53 ... Substrate 52 ... Liquid crystal layer 54 ... Polarizing plate 54a ... Polarizing film 55 ... Polarizing plate 60 ... Convex lens 70, 80 ... Laser beam light spot

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An optical shutter panel configured by combining at least one polarizing element and a liquid crystal panel, wherein the polarizing element is patterned. 2. An optical shutter panel for changing the beam diameter of beam light, comprising a patterned polarizing element on the light emission side of a liquid crystal panel. 3. An optical shutter panel for changing the beam diameter of beam light, comprising: a liquid crystal panel installed in the optical path of the beam light; An optical shutter panel comprising: a polarizing element that is patterned so that a region corresponding to a beam diameter smaller than the beam diameter is a region having no polarization function. 4. The light beam incident on the liquid crystal panel,
The optical shutter panel according to claim 1, wherein the optical shutter panel is a linearly polarized light beam. 5. The polarizing element is provided on the light incident side of the liquid crystal panel, and the beam light linearly polarized by the polarizing element is incident on the liquid crystal panel.
Optical shutter panel according to item. 6. The optical shutter panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel is a TN liquid crystal panel. 7. The optical shutter panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel is an STN liquid crystal panel. 8. The optical shutter panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel is a guest-host liquid crystal panel. 9. The optical shutter panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel is a ferroelectric liquid crystal panel. 10. The optical shutter panel according to claim 1, wherein the patterned polarizing element is supported by being sandwiched between transparent support plates. 11. A parallax barrier for the image display means, which is configured by combining an image display means capable of displaying an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye, at least one patterned polarizing element and a liquid crystal panel. A three-dimensional image display device including an optical shutter panel that forms a stripe. 12. The image display means is composed of a liquid crystal panel having a polarizing element, and the image display means and the polarizing element of the optical shutter panel are shared.
The three-dimensional image display device according to item 1.