Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
  • H04N13/30—Image reproducers
  • H04N13/332—Displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays [HMD]
  • H04N13/341—Displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays [HMD] using temporal multiplexing
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B30/00—Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images
  • G02B30/20—Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images by providing first and second parallax images to an observer's left and right eyes
  • G02B30/22—Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images by providing first and second parallax images to an observer's left and right eyes of the stereoscopic type
  • G02B30/25—Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images by providing first and second parallax images to an observer's left and right eyes of the stereoscopic type using polarisation techniques
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
  • H04N13/20—Image signal generators
  • H04N13/275—Image signal generators from 3D object models, e.g. computer-generated stereoscopic image signals
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
  • H04N13/30—Image reproducers
  • H04N13/398—Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
  • H04N13/20—Image signal generators
  • H04N13/286—Image signal generators having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
  • H04N13/30—Image reproducers
  • H04N13/366—Image reproducers using viewer tracking

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a stereoscopic 3D personal computer for displaying a stereoscopic image , and more particularly, a stereoscopic 3D personal computer with a liquid crystal panel as a control unit of light direction .
• Figs, la to Id are conceptional views illustrating the transmission and direction control of the light using liquid crystal .
• Fig. la is a conceptional view illustrating an orientation state of the liquid crystals.
• the liquid crystal molecules 101 are arranged in an irregular state, but the application of electrical stimulus to the liquid crystal molecules 101 or the mounting of direction plates to both ends of the liquid crystal molecules 101 allows transmission and direction of light to be controlled.
• liquid crystal molecules 101 enables a change in the transmission direction of light. If a predetermined voltage is applied to the liquid crystal cells across the upper and lower glass substrates 102, the liquid crystal molecules 101 are aligned to perpendicular to the glass substrates 102. So the incoming light passes through the glass substrates 102 in a vertical direction, which has no effect on light direction in spite of the 90° twisted alignment of two orientation films.
• a pair of polarizing filter 104 is used to transmit or occlude light according to the combination of polarization direction.
• Fig. Id is a conceptional view illustrating transmission control of light with or without application of voltage.
• the upper polarizing filter 104 having the same direction as that of the upper orientation film 103 is disposed on the outer surfaces of the glass substrates 102 without application of voltage.
• the light parallel to a filter grating first passes through the upper polarizing filter.
• the passed light is twisted by 90° continuously between the aligned liquid crystal molecules, so that the light which has reached the lower orientation film passes through the lower polarizing filter because of the lower polarizing filter having the same direction as that of the lower orientation film.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which a conventional stereoscopic 3D personal computer is used according to the prior art.
• a conventional stereoscopic 3D personal computer using controllability of light transmission which liquid crystal possesses, m which two field images are synthesized into a single stereoscopic image in such a fashion that the left field image is scanned in an odd line and the right field image is scanned m an even line, or vice versa to display the synthesized single three- dimensional (3D) or stereoscopic image frame on a monitor 111.
• such a conventional stereoscopic 3D personal computer employs the same scanning method as the existing interlaced scanning TV system.
• this interlaced scanning TV system 30 frames per second are displayed on the left and right screen regions of the monitor 111, respectively, so that an observer feels "flicker". Therefore, when the observer sees the synthesized stereoscopic image under this condition, he or she suffers from physically harmful side effects such as a headache, etc.
• at least 50 or more frames per second must be displayed on the left and right screen regions of the monitor 111, respectively, for an observer to see a good stereoscopic image.
• the stereoscopic imaging method requires that a circuit for, at high speed, switching the pair of liquid crystal shutters 112 synchronized with the images displayed on the monitor 111 in a cable 113 or a wireless type be constructed, this expedient inherently increases the weight of the liquid crystal shutters 112 somewhat so that when an observer wears the liquid crystal shutters 112, he or she feels inconvenience.
• the wireless type using the infrared rays as a control source of the shutter (on-off) operation there has also been a problem that it can cause an erroneous operation by an infrared source such as an electric light bulb, etc.
• the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an ob ect of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic 3D personal computer m which a separate synchronizing circuit is not constructed in a pair of eyeglasses or shutters so that the weight of the shutter glasses is reduced, and which prevents occurrence of an erroneous operation due to a response to external infrared light sources.
• a stereoscopic 3D personal computer comprising: an image display unit adapted to display a stereoscopic image synthesized through a photographing unit thereon; a light conbrol unit adapted to control the emission direction of light outgoing from the image display unit, the light control unit being mounted to the front surface of the image display unit; an image separating unit adapted to allow each of both eyes of an observer to see only an image corresponding to each of both eyes along a path of the light passing through the light control unit; and a driver unit adapted to synchronize the light control unit with the image display unit to drive the light control unit .
• the stereoscopic 3D personal computer of the present invention since an observer can view a three- dimensional (3D) or stereoscopic image even without adding a separate wired or wireless synchronizing circuit to a pair of optical polarizing eyeglasses which the observer wears, the weight of the eyeglasses is reduced and it becomes convenient to wear the eyeglasses accordingly, and occurrence of an erroneous operation is prevented due to response to external infrared light sources.
• Figs, la to Id are conceptional views illustrating a controlled transmission direction of light using liquid crystals
• Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional stereoscopic 3D personal computer in use according to the prior art
• Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a stereoscopic 3D personal computer in use according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the stereoscopic 3D personal computer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which a stereoscopic 3D personal computer is used according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the stereoscopic 3D personal computer acccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• a stereoscopic 3D personal computer comprising an image display unit 20, a light control unit 30, an image separating unit 40, and a driver unit 50.
• the image display unit 20 is adapted to display stereoscopic images synthesized through a photographing unit 10 such as a stereoscopic camera thereon.
• the image display unit 20 comprises any one selected from CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP( Plasma Display Panel), FED (Field Emission Display).
• the light control unit 30, which is mounted to the front surface of the image display unit 20, is adapted to control the emission direction of light outgoing from the image display unit 20.
• the light control unit 30 may be a liquid crystal display panel.
• the liquid crystal display panel used as the light control unit 30 is constructed in such a fashion that two orientation films and electrodes are laminated to be opposite to each other on the inner surfaces of two glass substrates, i.e. the upper and lower glass substrates, respectively, and a layer of liquid crystal molecules is sandwiched between the two glass substrates.
• the two orientation films are arranged to be crossed each other at the angle of 90 degrees, the incoming light is transmitted while outgoing light undergoes a 90° phase shift to the incoming light, and when a predetermined voltage is applied to the liquid crystal molecules across the two electrodes, the incoming light passes through the two orientation films as it is while the outgoing light does not undergo a 90° phase shift to the incoming light.
• the image separating unit 40 is adapted to allow each of the both eyes of an observer to see only an image corresponding to each of the both eyes along a path of the light passing through the light control unit 30.
• the image separating unit 40 may be a pair of optical polarizing eyeglasses.
• the pair of polarizing eyeglasses used as the image separating unit 40 includes a pair of polarizer sheets 41 and 42 which are crossed each other at a right angle so that an observer can view a three-dimensional (3D) or stereoscopic image.
• the polarizing eyeglasses 40 is also designed in such a fashion that when left and right images displayed on the image display unit 20 is transmitted into the liquid crystal display panel 30, the polarizing eyeglasses 40 selects the transmitted left and right images so that an observer' s left eye can see only the left image and the observer's right eye can see only the right image.
• the driver unit 50 is adapted to synchronize the light control unit 30 with the image display unit 20 to drive the light control unit 30.
• two cameras 10 as a photographing unit disposed to oe spaced apart from each other by a distance between two eyes of an observer photograph an object, respectively, and then applies the left and right images for the object photographed through the two cameras 10 to the image display unit 20 which synthesizes the left and right images.
• the image display unit 20 constitutes the left image formed on the left camera in one field, and constitutes the right image formed on the right camera m the other field to display a synthesized stereoscopic image frame thereon.
• the liquid crystal display panel 30 mounted to the front surface of the image display unit 20 is synchronized with the image display unit 20 through the driver unit 50.
• the driver unit 50 when two orientation films of the liquid crystal display panel 30 are aligned to be crossed each other at a right angle, incoming light is transmitted while outgoing light undergoes a 90° phase shift to the incoming light.
• the transmission direction of a polarized light transmitted to the liquid crystal display panel 30 varies with whether or not a voltage is applied across the two electrodes.
• the transmission direction of a light passing through the liquid crystal display panel 30 is identical to the polarizing direction of the pair of polarizer sheets 41 and 42 of the optical polarizing eyeglasses 40 which an observer worn, the observer can view a stereoscopic image through each of his/her two eyes.
• the observer sees the left image and the right image allowing him/her to perceive artificial parallax between two eyes through the left eye and the right eye, respectively, so that he/she can feel a depth sense.
• the observer can see a good stereoscopic image without suffering from a flicker phenomenon when viewing different images.
• the image displayed on the image display unit 20 may be moved in a specified direction through a three- dimensional mouse or joystick, or an audio/video recognizing function, or may be :l ⁇ cked spatially.
• the image display unit 20 includes a display detector 21 adapted to detect the region formed by the stereoscopic image and a displaying of the image is controlled by the controller 22 according to a signal detected by the display detector 21.
• the controller 22 allows the image display unit 20 to display the image as it is, and for the region forming the stereoscopic image, the controller 22 regenerates a empty scanning line which has not been implemented vertically through an interpolation of the upper and lower portions or a copy of an image in the upper portion, so that a complete non-interlaced image of two stereoscopic frames can be controlled by the stereoscopic image display method.
• n the remaining region of a monitor screen except the region forming the stereoscopic image, for example, a background screen of an image display unit like a computer monitor, fonts or letters is not broken, and a complete image can be displayed in the left and right regions of the monitor screen.
• a complete non-interlaced image of two frames is displayed finally, but data of the region forming a stereoscopic image can constitute a complete stereoscopic frame image even without forming the image of two full frames.
• a stereoscopic 3D personal computer of the present invention since an observer can view a three-dimensional (3D) or stereoscopic image even with a pair of optical polarizing eyeglasses which the observer wears, the weight of the eyeglasses is reduced so that it becomes convenient to wear the eyeglasses accordingly, and occurrence of an erroneous operation due to a response to an external light source is prevented. Further, since the stereoscopic 3D personal computer displays 50 or more frames per second in the left and right regions of a monitor screen thereof, respectively, an observer can appreciate a good stereoscopic image without suffering from a flicker phenomenon.
• the display detector detects the remaining region, and the detected regions is displayed as it is by the image display unit 20, so that fonts or letters are not seen to be broken and an observer can see a good stereoscopic image.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Testing, Inspecting, Measuring Of Stereoscopic Televisions And Televisions (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

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Publications (1)

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ID=27350103

Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (1)

Citations (3)

• 2000
  • 2000-12-04 WO PCT/KR2000/001407 patent/WO2001040909A1/ko active Application Filing
  • 2000-12-04 AU AU20256/01A patent/AU2025601A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (3)

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