Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
  • G02B26/004—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid
  • G02B26/005—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid based on electrowetting
• • 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
  • G02B30/26—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 autostereoscopic type
  • G02B30/27—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 autostereoscopic type involving lenticular arrays
• • 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
  • H04N13/302—Image reproducers for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays
  • H04N13/31—Image reproducers for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays using parallax barriers
  • H04N13/312—Image reproducers for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays using parallax barriers the parallax barriers being placed behind the display panel, e.g. between backlight and spatial light modulator [SLM]
• • 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
  • H04N13/302—Image reproducers for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays
  • H04N13/32—Image reproducers for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays using arrays of controllable light sources; using moving apertures or moving light sources
• • 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
  • H04N13/349—Multi-view displays for displaying three or more geometrical viewpoints without viewer tracking
  • H04N13/354—Multi-view displays for displaying three or more geometrical viewpoints without viewer tracking for displaying sequentially
• • 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
• • 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
  • H04N13/368—Image reproducers using viewer tracking for two or more viewers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
  • G02B5/04—Prisms
  • G02B5/045—Prism arrays
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/24—Structurally defined web or sheet [e.g., overall dimension, etc.]
  • Y10T428/24479—Structurally defined web or sheet [e.g., overall dimension, etc.] including variation in thickness
  • Y10T428/24612—Composite web or sheet

Definitions

• the invention relates to a directional lighting unit for autostereoscopic displays that deflects light from activated lighting elements through a transmissive image display means into the space in front of the display into visibility areas. Viewer eyes can see stereoscopic and / or monoscopic visualization of these visibility areas, after modulation of the light with image or other information in the image display means.
• Fields of application of the invention are autostereoscopic displays, in which the visibility areas can be tracked by means of a tracking device and image control automatically the eyes of different observers when moving to other positions in a relatively large viewing space in front of the display.
• the images and other information can be displayed to the observers in either 2D or 3D mode or in mixed mode.
• the direction-controlled illumination unit of the autostereoscopic display in this document comprises in the propagation direction of the light a lighting means with self-illuminating or light-irradiated lighting elements as well as an imaging means with imaging elements.
• the imaging elements form the light of the activated illumination elements of the illumination means as the visibility region in each case onto a viewer's eye by way of approximate parallel-light bundles.
• Each imaging element forms a plurality of activated lighting elements, since the number of regularly arranged Lighting elements is several times greater than the number of regularly arranged imaging elements.
• both the visibility area and the image display means must always be homogeneously illuminated over the entire area in order to be able to see a high-quality 3D representation.
• the crosstalk of the stereo images on the other eye should be avoided.
• the visibility range can be specified in various forms and take in its extension one or both eyes of an observer. Even if the viewer occupies a new position in the space in front of the display, the monoscopic and / or stereoscopic images must constantly be available to him in good quality.
• the visibility areas for both eyes of one observer be sufficiently distant from the visibility areas for the other observer's eyes to preclude observers from obstructing the autostereoscopic display.
• the optical imaging conditions are optimal for a viewer when his eyes occupy a position centrally in front of the display in the vicinity of the optical axis.
• the observer angle or observer area is here defined by the viewer as a space or area in front of the display in which viewers can be and see a representation in the desired mode. Especially for a multi-user display but a large viewing angle is required.
• the disadvantages mentioned can be avoided by using a controllable deflection unit.
• An electrowetting cell in principle, includes a capacitance filled between the electrodes with a hydrophobic liquid, such as oil and water, with one of the electrodes being hydrophobically coated. Without electric field, the oil is laid over the coated electrode as a film, with electric field the water displaces the oil film, since the applied field neutralizes the polarization of the dipoles in the water surface. There is an interface between the two materials.
• the cell can realize electronically adjustable optical lenses and prism elements of sizes below one square millimeter.
• the optical refractive behavior can be changed steplessly, whereby optical aberrations can be reduced much better than with conventional optical elements.
• An autostereoscopic display system uses such an electro-wetting cell. Also in this display, collimated light shines through a flat display (discrete pixel display) which is for each viewer eye in the parallax Generating Different Stereoscopic Video Images
• the flat display device includes a beam splitter and a dynamically tunable beam control with electro-wetting cells to direct the video images at observers' eyes.
• each modulator pixel of the display means is permanently assigned an electro-wetting mark to set the light exit angle of the intensity-influenced light beam to the current eye position.
• the fixed assignment of the wetting cells to the pixels of the flat disptagon requires a high level of technological complexity, in particular precision in the production.
• the system is designed for point-wise interference of incoherent light and does not impose any requirements for interference conditions.
• nonlinear transmission behavior in the edge zones of the wetting lines would influence the propagation of the modulated light if the wetting lines are incorrectly assigned to the pixels and thus disturb the quality of the 3D display,
• the achievable with a NachILL Rheins- and image control space in front of the display should therefore be relatively large.
• the direction-controlled lighting unit according to this application is intended to transmit the light which the illumination means emits essentially losslessly and homogeneously into the visibility region.
• the present invention is directed to a directional lighting unit which is controlled by tracking and image control and images alternately modulated beams for at least one observer, who may occupy different eye positions with respect to image display means, as areas of visibility with a size close to eye size a picture element structure having image-pixel means to modulate the beam with sequences of stereoscopic images.
• the directionally controlled illumination unit in front of the image display means in the light path contains serially arranged areal means which provide homogeneous light for the pixel structure of the image display means and deflection means which comprise at least one array with an array of electro-wetting cells
• the deflection means of the NachILL leverages- and image control discretely addressable at least in groups and adjustable in optical refractive behavior and realize at least one controllable prism function to direct the exit direction of the beam sequentially and synchronously to the alternately modulated beams each on the currently modulated stereoscopic image associated eye position, and
• realize a controllable lens function to the visibility ranges depending on the distance of the observer's eyes from the image reproduction center ln to adapt.
• Such an optical design has the advantage that the geometry of the deflection means, in particular the number of electro-wetting cells or their pitch is freely selectable independently of the pixel structure of the image display means. Since the cross section of the wetting cells is larger than the cross section of the pixels, advantageously no exact coverage of the cell edges with the edges of the pixels is required. Under cross-section is here to understand a plane section through the corresponding component perpendicular to the beam path.
• the planar illumination means can be inexpensively designed as a homogeneous surface radiator. Such surface radiators are known in display technology in a variety of forms as a so-called backlight.
• the illumination means may be designed as a field of point or line-shaped illumination elements, and the imaging means collimates the radiation beams emanating from the illumination elements onto at least one group of deflection means.
• the imaging means include at least one array of imaging elements. In each case an imaging element, for example a rod-shaped cylindrical lens, a certain number of illumination elements for collimating the emitted beam is associated.
• the imaging means which are advantageously located in the light path in front of the deflection means are provided with a preferably screened structure of imaging elements.
• Each imaging element is assigned a freely selectable number of deflection elements in the form of a group or a field of electro-wetting cells.
• all wetting cells associated with an imaging element may be treated, addressed and controlled as a single imaging element.
• the imaging element and the associated wetting cells form a functional optical unit.
• a plurality of electrowetting cells are stacked in the direction of light. These can be designed, on the one hand, for color compensation as an achromatic, in that the optical materials of baffles connected in series show different dispersion behavior.
• at least two cells which are designed only for a one-dimensional prism movement, rotated at right angles be placed on top of each other. In this way, control and deflection of beams is realized simultaneously in two dimensions (X 1 Y).
• observers who are standing and sitting in an area in front of a display can see the displayed image simultaneously.
• a further embodiment of the electrowetting cell provides that at least two different, immiscible materials are contained in an electro-wetting cell, which have at least one interface with one another. The use of an interface simplifies the construction of an array of electrowetting cells. However, at two interfaces, the stacking of wetting cells eliminates when they have an electrode arrangement adapted to a two-dimensional deflection of the beams.
• the advantages of the invention are that with the described embodiments of the optical means and their combinations compared to the aforementioned prior art in a larger viewer space before autostereoscopic display visibility areas with high brightness and high contrast and low mutual crosstalk are generated and a homogeneous Achieve illumination of the image display means.
• the invention improves the homogenization of the light distribution both in the image display means and in the visibility regions in a simple manner in that the directionally controlled lighting unit supplies the deflection means with largely directed area illumination and the tracking device and image control supplies this illumination with the aid of the electronically controllable electric motor known per se Setting wetting cells in the visibility areas.
• the transmission and thus the imaging quality of the autostereoscopic display can be improved and the outlay on optical means can be reduced compared with the prior art.
• Fig. 1 in plan view a basic structure of an autostereoscopic
• Fig. 2 in plan view an embodiment of a display to Fig. 1 for two
• 3a, 3b embodiments of arrays of electro-wetting cells for a one- or two-dimensional deflection of radiation beams.
• FIG. 1 shows only the essential components of a basic structure of an autostereoscopic display, preferably a direct-view display, with a direction-controlled illumination unit according to the invention for realizing a prism function.
• the beams each form a visibility area.
• three visibility areas three right-eye eyes are currently detected, to which right stereo images are displayed on the image display means 6.
• the right and left stereo images change sequentially so that viewers simultaneously see a three-dimensional (3D) representation, with the content of the 3D representation being the same or different for all. With different contents this is indicated to the individual observers sequentially.
• FIG. 1 can also be interpreted as meaning that a viewer successively occupies three different positions in front of the image reproduction means 6 and that the visibility range is tracked to the eye positions AP1 to AP3.
• the tracking device and image controller 10 used to track the visibility regions is for three-dimensionally acquiring the current one Observer position connected to a position detection system, not shown.
• Fig. 2 the directional lighting unit for two observers can be seen. One after the other, the principal components are shown schematically in the direction of the light; Illuminant 1, imaging means 2, deflection means 3, transmissive
• Image display means 6 a field lens 4, a Nachcreameries- and
• the planar illumination means 1 can be designed as homogeneous surface radiators and are arranged approximately in the front focal plane of the imaging means 2.
• the light path is indicated by an arrow on the optical axis 8.
• the imaging elements of the imaging means 2 may include spherical or aspherical lenses, holographic optical elements (HOE) or diffractive optical elements (DOE).
• the illumination means may also be a field of point or line illumination elements.
• the imaging means 2 embodied in FIG. 2 as cylindrical lenses, discretely form, with at least one array of imaging elements, the beams that emanate from switched-on illumination elements in a collimated manner onto at least one group or field of deflection means 3.
• Each imaging element of the imaging means 2 is assigned a plurality of electro-wetting cells of the deflection means 3 adjustable.
• the bundles of rays that are associated with a viewer eye overlap sequentially in the visibility region.
• they pass through the image display means 6 they are synchronously modulated with separate image sequences so that a viewer can see from the visibility area a representation in the selected 2D or 3D mode or in the mixed mode. This process is controlled by the tracker and image controller 10.
• the tracking device and image controller 10 treats, addresses, and addresses all of the electrowetting zones corresponding to an imaging element in accordance with the beam path to be assigned as a single imaging element.
• an imaging element and the associated electro-wetting cells form a functional optical unit. Since both observers are located at almost the same distance from the display, only the prism function is activated in the electro-wetting cells in order to realize the necessary deflection of the radiation beams to the eye positions AP1 and AP2.
• the prisms are shown here only schematically with an angle. In reality, neighboring cells are also set differently and allow different deflection angles.
• the one-dimensional deflection in the array has the advantage of less electrode and control effort over a two-dimensional design of electrowetting cells.
• the imaging means 2 may additionally be followed by a field lens 4 in order to improve the association of the ray bundles with the visibility region.
• the prism function can also be realized in two dimensions by designing an electrode arrangement for a two-dimensional control of the interface between two materials. It is also possible to combine materials in a cell so that two interfaces are formed. These can realize a two-dimensional deflection of the beam by being inclined in mutually different directions when driven. In both directions then prism and lens functions can be realized.
• FIGS. 3a and 3b arrays of deflection means 3 are shown simplified for different applications.
• the array in Fig. 3a is shown in perspective. It contains as a deflection means 3 a plurality of regularly arranged square electric wetting cells, of which only a section is reproduced here. On the representation of the electrodes and driving means has been omitted.
• the individual wetting cells in a known embodiment preferably contain at least two immiscible different materials, between which an interface can be variably adjusted.
• the boundary surface in a cell can be adjusted in such a way that it is inclined as a flat surface and thus only in one direction, here the X-axis.
• Direction realized a prism function for incident beams.
• the X direction corresponds to the lateral deflection angle before the autostereoscopic display.
• the inclined interface is shown for understanding only in three cells.
• the boundary surface can additionally be deformed and, when actuated, form a curvature with which it realizes one-dimensionally a lens function.
• the boundary surfaces are thus inclined at an angle, depending on the respectively determined eye position AP1, AP2 or AP3 (see FIG. 2), which deflects the radiation beams laterally one-dimensionally in the direction of the determined eye position, where they overlap.
• deformation of the interface may occur by driving correspondingly associated electrodes.
• Deforming adjusts the distance of the visibility area to be created to the display for a viewer.
• the deflection means are always addressed and set discretely only in groups and assigned only to specific fields of imaging means and image reproduction means. This results in the advantage that the geometry of the deflection means, in particular the number! the electrowetting cells or their pitch (Pitch), regardless of the pixel structure of the image display means is freely selectable.
• the arrays can be designed for achromat color compensation in that the optical materials of the electro-wetting cells of the series-connected deflection elements exhibit different dispersion behavior due to different wavelength-dependent refractive indices.
• FIG. 3b Another embodiment of the stacked arrangement is shown in Fig. 3b schematically in plan view.
• Two one-dimensionally controllable arrays are designed structurally the same and preferably stacked at 45 ° to each other. With this embodiment, it is possible to enlarge the Abfenk Scheme in at least one selected direction, here, for example, the X direction by a predeterminable angle range.
• the arrays need not be square, as shown in Fig. 3b, but may take any other polygonal shape. The same applies to the shape of the wetting cells, which ideally should be identical in stacked arrays.
• a comparison of the shapes of the pixel structure of the image display means with the structure of the wetting cells is unnecessary, since there is no assignment of an electrowetting cell to a pixel of the fine pixel structure of the image display means in the inventive arrangement of the optical components.
• An electro-wetting cell is always larger than a pixel here. This is the great advantage of the invention over the prior art.
• the electrowetting cell and the pixels would have to be about the same size and be accurately associated with each other. Only then would one achieve a good image quality for several observers.
• the image display means are the display of the display.

Landscapes

• 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)
• Mechanical Light Control Or Optical Switches (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=39874120

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (11)

Families Citing this family (38)

Family Cites Families (17)

• 2007
  • 2007-05-24 DE DE102007026071A patent/DE102007026071A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2008
  • 2008-05-23 US US12/601,107 patent/US8514272B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-05-23 WO PCT/EP2008/056358 patent/WO2008142156A2/de not_active Ceased
  • 2008-05-23 JP JP2010508863A patent/JP2010529485A/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2008-05-24 TW TW097119353A patent/TW200916831A/zh unknown

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events