Three-dimensional image display apparatus using laser beam scanning projection optical systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9936178-B2
Application number	US-201514810828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2015
Priority date	Aug 19, 2014
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a three-dimensional (3D) image display apparatus using laser beam scanning (LBS) projection optical systems. The 3D image display apparatus includes a plurality of LBS projection optical systems arrayed in horizontal and vertical directions, an input unit through which a 3D image signal is input, and an image signal controller configured to distribute the 3D image signal input through the input unit to the LBS projection optical systems. Each of the arrayed LBS projection optical systems has a beam-projection center point for outputting light to an outside of the LBS projection optical system, and an image projected from the beam-projection center point is a horizontal-parallax image based on the beam-projection center point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional (3D) image display apparatus using laser beam scanning (LBS) projection optical systems, comprising:
a plurality of LBS projection optical systems arrayed in horizontal and vertical directions;
an input unit through which a 3D image signal is input; and
an image signal controller configured to distribute the 3D image signal input through the input unit to the LBS projection optical systems,
wherein each of the arrayed LBS projection optical systems has a beam-projection center point for outputting light to an outside of the LBS projection optical system, and
an image projected from the beam-projection center point is a horizontal-parallax image based on the beam-projection center point.

2. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the beam-projection center points of the respective LBS projection optical systems are arrayed at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction) to determine a horizontal size of a 3D image picture.

3. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a screen disposed a predetermined distance away from the array of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems in a depth direction (z-axis direction) and having a vertical-direction (y-axis direction) diffusion characteristic,
wherein the screen determines a vertical size of the 3D image picture.

4. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the screen has a minor diffusion characteristic in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction).

5. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the beam-projection center points of the respective LBS projection optical systems are arrayed at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction (y-axis direction), and
a full-parallax image is output from the beam-projection center points of the respective LBS projection optical systems.

6. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a screen disposed a predetermined distance away from the array of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems in a depth direction (z-axis direction) and having a minor diffusion characteristic in the vertical and horizontal directions.

7. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 2 , wherein horizontal-direction (x-axis direction) center optical axes of the beam-projection center points of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems are disposed in a direction (z-axis direction) normal to the screen.

8. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 2 , wherein horizontal-direction (x-axis direction) center optical axes of the beam-projection center points of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems are disposed to cross a horizontal center of the screen.

9. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 2 , wherein horizontal-direction (x-axis direction) center optical axes of the beam-projection center points of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems are disposed to cross a horizontal center of the screen and equalize distances between the beam-projection center points of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems and the horizontal center of the screen.

10. The 3D image display apparatus of any one of claim 9 , wherein vertical center axes of the beam-projection center points of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems are disposed to cross a vertical center of the screen.

11. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 10 , wherein shapes of projection images formed on the screen from the beam-projection center points of the respective LBS projection optical systems are adjusted to be quadrangles by controlling vertical-direction keystones of the plurality of LBS projection optical systems.

12. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the LBS projection optical systems comprises:
red (R), green (G), and blue (B) laser light sources;
a first driver circuit configured to adjust brightness of each of the R, G, and B laser light sources according to the input image signal;
at least one first optical element configured to converge beams emitted from the respective R, G, and B laser light sources into one beam including pixel information of a color image;
at least one second optical element configured to turn the beam including the pixel information of the color image through the first optical element toward a beam-projection reference point;
a third optical element positioned at the beam-projection reference point and configured to scan the beam including the pixel information of the color image in a raster pattern; and
a fourth optical element positioned between the second optical element and the third optical element, and configured to change a distribution of light intensity of the beam incident from the second optical element so that a horizontal-direction (x-axis direction) light intensity distribution of the beam output through the third optical element has a quadrangular or trapezoidal shape having a flat central portion.

13. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first optical element is a dichroic mirror having wavelength-specific reflection and transmission characteristics.

14. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the second optical element is a reflection mirror or a prism.

15. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the third optical element is a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror having two axes in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction) and the vertical direction (y-axis direction).

16. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the fourth optical element is a diffractive optical element (DOE) or a holographic optical element (HOE) for beam shaping, or an optical filter for attenuating laser light according to a position in an area of the laser light.

17. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the LBS projection optical system is disposed in front of the third optical element positioned at the beam-projection reference point in a beam path, and further comprises a fifth optical element configured to control the beams to converge on the third optical element so that the beams diverge from the third optical element at a predetermined angle.

18. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the LBS projection optical system is disposed to perform scanning in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction),
the beam output from the third optical element determines one pixel image based on one driving pulse of the R, G, and B laser light sources, and
the horizontal-parallax image is disposed at each horizontal-direction pixel image.

19. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 18 , wherein, by adjusting a driving pulse width of the R, G, and B laser light sources of the beam output from the third optical element, a size of a pixel on which a horizontal viewing-zone image formed by the driving pulse at a position predetermined distance away from the screen in the depth direction (z-axis direction) is disposed is adjusted.

20. The 3D image display apparatus of claim 18 , wherein, by adjusting a time interval between a first driving pulse and a consecutive second driving pulse of the R, G, and B laser light sources of the beam output from the third optical element, a distance between a first pixel on which a first horizontal viewing-zone image formed by the first driving pulse at a position predetermined distance away from the screen in the depth direction (z-axis direction) is disposed and a second pixel on which a second horizontal viewing-zone image formed by the seco

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Kim Sung Kyu
• Lee Dong Gyu
• Yoon Ki Hyuk
• Lee Hyoung
• Kim Jae Won

Classifications

• H04N9/3129

  scanning a light beam on the display screen (scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161) · CPC title

• G02B27/141

  using dichroic mirrors · CPC title

• G02B30/24

  involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters · CPC title

• G02B26/101

  with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners (colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129) · CPC title

• G03B35/20

  using two or more projectors · CPC title