Multiple view display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9274345-B2
Application number	US-201013496106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2010
Priority date	Sep 18, 2009
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A multiple view display comprises a display device and a plurality of converging lenses, such as a lenticular screen. Each lens cooperates with a respective region of the display device comprising one or more pixels (L) for displaying part of a first image for viewing in a first viewing region (Region 2 windows) and second pixels (R) for displaying part of a second image for viewing in a second region (Region 1 windows). The second pixels (R) are spaced horizontally from the first pixels (L). Each lens comprises first and second portions (Region 1 , Region 2 ) extending vertically and parallel to each other and having lens centers (Lens Center 1 , Lens Center 2 ) spaced apart horizontally. Each lens forming first and second images of the respective region of the display device, the first and second images being displaced from one another in the horizontal direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multiple view display comprising:
a display device having a planar pixel plane and a plurality of converging lenses, each lens cooperating with a respective region of the display device comprising a first sub-region for displaying part of a first image for viewing in a first viewing region and a second sub-region spaced apart in a first direction from the first sub-region and for displaying part of a second image for viewing in a second viewing region, each lens comprising first and second portions extending parallel to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and having lens centres spaced apart in the first direction, and each lens forming first and second images of the respective region of the display device, the first and second images being displaced from one another in the first direction;
wherein the first and second portions of each lens comprise first and second curved upper surfaces, respectively, on the surfaces of the lens opposite the pixel plane, and wherein the first and second curved upper surfaces of each lens are curved and do not have a flat portion, and wherein each of the first and second curved upper surfaces of each lens define a respective apex so that each lens has two apices, and wherein a detent in each lens defined where the first and second curved upper surfaces of each lens meet is at a different elevation than is a detent between adjacent lenses; and
wherein the plurality of converging lenses are located on a viewer side of a liquid crystal layer of the display device, so that the lenses are to be located between the liquid crystal layer and a viewer of the display device.

2. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which the first and second portions of each lens are integral with each other.

3. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which each lens has a constant cross-sectional shape and size, perpendicular to the second direction, along the second direction.

4. A display as claimed in claim 3 , in which each of the first and second portions is part-cylindrical.

5. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which the lenses are arranged as a two dimensional array.

6. A display as claimed in claim 5 , in which each of the first and second portions is spherical or toroidal.

7. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which the lenses are separated from each other by opaque regions.

8. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which each lens comprises at least one further portion extending parallel to the first and second portions in the second direction and having a lens centre spaced from the lens centres of the first and second portions, and the or each further portion of the lens forming a further image of the respective region of the display device, the first and second images and the or each further image being displaced from one another in the first direction.

9. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which each lens comprises at least one further portion disposed between the first and second portions and having zero optical power.

10. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which the first and second portions are arranged to focus light from the first and second sub-regions at a plane containing the first and second viewing regions, respectively.

11. A display as claimed in claim 10 , in which the first and second viewing regions abut each other substantially without overlap.

12. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which the display device is pixellated and each of the first and second sub-regions comprises at least one pixel.

13. A display as claimed in claim 12 in which the at least one pixel has an edge adapted to control brightness of light from each of the first and second sub-regions.

14. A display as claimed in claim 12 , in which each of the first and second sub-regions comprises at least part of a column of pixels.

15. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which the lenses are configured to optimise uniformity of brightness of light from the first and second sub-regions.

16. A display as claimed in claim 1 , in which the first and second sub-regions are evenly spaced in the first direction with each of the first and second sub-regions having an aperture in the first direction substantially equal to half the pitch of the first and second sub-regions in the first direction.

17. A display as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an angularly dependent diffuser for passing on-axis light substantially clearly and for diffusing off-axis light propagating at more than a predetermined angle to the optical axis of the diffuser.

18. A multiple view display of claim 2 , further comprising an angularly dependent diffuser for passing on-axis light substantially clearly and for diffusing off-axis light propagating at more than a predetermined angle to the optical axis of the diffuser.

Assignees

• Mather Jonathan
• Smith Nathan James
• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Mather Jonathan
• Smith Nathan James

Classifications

• G02B30/27 Primary

  involving lenticular arrays · CPC title

• G02B27/2214 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02B30/34

  Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. three-dimensional [3D] slide viewers · CPC title

• G02B30/32

  characterised by the geometry of the parallax barriers, e.g. staggered barriers, slanted parallax arrays or parallax arrays of varying shape or size · CPC title