Pixel layout for dual orientation autostereoscopic displays

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) display, system, and method of fabrication and use thereof are described. The display includes a display panel having an array of subpixels of different colors that displays an image to a viewer. A ratio of spacing between subpixels of a particular color are different between orthogonal directions of the array, for example between 4:3 and 3:4. The subpixels can have a chevron, pentile or diamond pentile shape. Subpixels of each color in the diamond pentile subpixel arrangement have respective different pixel sizes. A parallax-generating optic directs light to the viewer and is invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels that is near but not equal to 45 degrees. The parallax-generating optic includes a lenticular lens array or a parallax barrier having transmissive slits.

Description

PIXEL LAYOUT FOR DUAL ORIENTATION AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC DISPLAYSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U. S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 588,750, filed October 8, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] N / ABACKGROUND

[0003] A multiview display, such as a three-dimensional (3D) display, may direct different views of an image to the two eyes of a viewer. There is ongoing effort to reduce or eliminate artifacts associated with the views. It is also desirable to have such displays be operational in multiple orientations, such as “portrait” and “landscape” orientations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Various features of examples and embodiments in accordance with the principles described herein may be more readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

[0005] Fig. 1 shows a front-view schematic drawing of an example of a 3D display system that includes a 3D display.

[0006] Fig. 2 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a display panel that includes an array of light-emitting diodes.

[0007] Fig. 3 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a display panel that includes a multibeam backlight and a light valve array.

[0008] Fig. 4 shows a front-view drawing of another example of a display panel.

[0009] Fig. 5 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a parallax-generating optic that includes a lenticular lens array.

[0010] Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the lenticular lens array of Fig. 5.

[0011] Fig. 7 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a parallax-generating optic that includes a parallax barrier having transmissive slits.

[0012] Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the parallax barrier having transmissive slits of Fig. 7.

[0013] Fig. 9 shows a pixel arrangement of a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel.

[0014] Fig. 10 shows a pixel arrangement of an organic light-emitting diode(OLED) panel.

[0015] Fig. 11 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for fabricating a 3D display.

[0016] Fig. 12 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for displaying a 3D image.

[0017] Certain examples and embodiments have other features that are one of in addition to and in lieu of the features illustrated in the above-referenced Figures. These and other features are detailed below with reference to the above-referenced Figures.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In a 3D display, a display panel having an array of subpixels may display an image in a variety of orientations. In particular, an autostereoscopic display may be used in both portrait and landscape orientation (dual orientation). The autostereoscopic display may include a parallax-generating optic configured to direct light from the display panel to the viewer. The parallax-generating optic may be invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to the display panel and / or relative to an axis of the array of subpixels. To enable the autostereoscopic display to be used in dual orientations with nearly identical display characteristics, the slant angle of the optical elements may be limited to be relatively close to 45 degrees. However, in some display panels, the use of pixels with equal aspect ratios prohibits the use of slants at 45 degrees due to the resulting Moire patterns. To mitigate these issues, depending on the pixel shape and / or pixel layout within the display panel, the pitch between the subpixels of a particular color in one of the orthogonal directions is unequal and may be selected to be between about 3:4 and about 4:3.

[0019] In some embodiments, the 3D display may display an image according to stereo mapping coordinates associated with a viewer. A viewer tracker may determine a location of the viewer. The stereo mapping coordinate of a selected subpixel of the array of subpixels may be a function of the location of the viewer, a location of the selected subpixel, a phase function of the parallax-generating optic, a separation between the parallax-generating optic and the display panel, and a refractive index of a material disposed between the parallax-generating optic and the display panel.

[0020] A controller may use the stereo mapping coordinate from a particular subpixel to determine whether light from the subpixel is directed to a left eye or a right eye of the viewer. The controller may use the stereo mapping coordinate of the subpixel to select which image to represent with the subpixel, such as a subpixel of a “left image” to be directed to the left eye of the viewer, a subpixel of a “right image” to be directed to the right eye of the viewer, or a weighted combination of the subpixel of “left image” and the subpixel of the “right image.”

[0021] As used herein, the article ‘a’ is intended to have its ordinary meaning in the patent arts, namely ‘one or more’. For example, ‘a subpixel’ means one or more subpixels and as such, ‘the subpixel’ means ‘the subpixel(s)’ herein. Also, any reference herein to ‘top’, ‘bottom’, ‘upper’, Tower’, ‘up’, ‘down’, ‘front’, back’, ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘left’ or ‘right’ is not intended to be a limitation herein. Herein, the term ‘about’ when applied to a value generally means within the tolerance range of the equipment used to produce the value, or may mean any value within 10% (e.g., 10%, 5%, 2%, 1%) of the value, or unless otherwise expressly specified. Further, the term ‘substantially’ as used herein means almost all or all of an amount within a numerical range of about 80% to about 100% of a value (or any value therebetween) or would otherwise be understood by one of skill in the art to encompass the term. For example, a substantially rectangular shape may deviate from a rectangular shape by being generally rectangular but having non-rectangular features, such as an inlet and / or projection. Moreover, examples herein are intended to be illustrative only and are presented for discussion purposes and not by way of limitation.

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a schematic drawing of an example of a 3D display system 100 that includes an exploded view of a 3D display 102. The sign conventions shown inFig. 1 and used below assume that the 3D display 102 extends in an (x, y) plane, and that a z-axis extends away from the 3D display 102 and generally toward a viewer, along a direction that is orthogonal to a plane of the 3D display 102. Other sign conventions may also be used. The elements shown in Fig. 1 may be contained within a single housing or some of the elements may be external to the housing.

[0023] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the 3D display 102 may include a display panel 106 that may have an array of subpixels 108 configured to display an image according to stereo mapping coordinates associated with a viewer 104. The subpixels 108 may be located at subpixel locations in a grid having grid axes. Each subpixel 108 may generate light having a specified color. For example, the subpixels 108 may include red subpixels, green subpixels, and blue subpixels, which generate red light, green light, and blue light, respectively. Other color / wavelength schemes may also be used, such as the use of yellow subpixels. The subpixels 108 may be grouped into pixels, with each pixel including at least two subpixels 108 that produce light of different colors (e.g., 3 or 4 subpixels 108 of different colors may be used). Two possible configurations for the display panel 106 are described below and shown in Figures 2 and 3; other configurations may also be used.

[0024] Fig. 2 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a display panel 106A that includes an array 202 of light-emitting diodes 208, such as an array of organic lightemitting diodes. Each light-emitting diode 208 may correspond to a subpixel 108. The array 202 of light-emitting diodes 208 may include red light-emitting diodes 208R, green light-emitting diodes 208G, and blue light-emitting diodes 208B, which correspond to the red subpixels, green subpixels, and blue subpixels, respectively. A controller 118 (shown in Fig. 1) may control the light-emitting diodes 208 individually or in one or more groups. Each light-emitting diode 208 may controllably generate light in response to an electrical signal provided by the controller 118 or by suitable light-emitting diode driving circuitry in communication with the controller 118. The controller 118 may cause a specified light-emitting diode 208 to be directly powered with a power that varies as a function of an intensity in a corresponding location in the image. The power delivered to a lightemitting diode 208 may optionally be pulse-width modulated at a modulation frequency that is greater than may be perceived by a human eye. Using pulse-width modulationmay simplify a design of a light-emitting diode array controller, because such modulation may generate an arbitrary average power level from a relatively small number of instantaneous power levels by varying a duty cycle of the power so supplied. In some examples, the array 202 of light-emitting diodes 208 may be arranged in a rectangular or square repeating pattern over a surface area 210 of the array 202. For example, the array 202 may have grid axes 204 that are orthogonal to each other. In some examples, the grid axes 204 may be parallel to edges 206 of the array 202 of light-emitting diodes 208.

[0025] Fig. 3 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a display panel 106B that includes a backlight 302 and a light valve array 304. Although Fig. 3 shows the backlight 302 and the light valve array 304 as being separated, in practice, the backlight 302 and the light valve array 304 may be in contact or may be located as close together as is practical. The backlight 302 may provide illumination having a uniform or substantially uniform intensity over a surface area of the backlight 302. The backlight 302 may provide illumination having a relatively broad spectrum, such as including most or all of the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The backlight 302 may provide the illumination into a continuum of propagation angles toward the light valve array 304. The backlight 302 may provide unmodulated illumination to the light valve array 304. The light valve array 304 may include light valves 308 that are individually controllable or controllable in one or more groups by the controller 118. Each light valve 308 may controllably attenuate the illumination from the backlight, such as in response to an electrical signal provided by the controller 118 or by suitable light valve driving circuitry in communication with the controller 118. The light valves 308 may have color filters that allow only a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to pass through the light valve 308. For example, the light valves 308 may include red light valves 308R that have a red filter that allows only red light to pass through the red light valves 308R, green light valves 308G that have a green filter that allows only green light to pass through the green light valves 308G, and blue light valves 308B that have a blue filter that allows only blue light to pass through the blue light valves 308B. Other color schemes and numbers of colors may also be used as above. Suitable light valve arrays 304 may include liquid crystal light valves, electrophoretic light valves, and light valves based on electrowetting, and others. In some examples, the light valves 308 of the light valve array 304 may bearranged in a rectangular or square repeating pattern over a surface area 312 of the light valve array 304. For example, the light valve array 304 may have grid axes 204 that are orthogonal to each other. In some examples, the grid axes 204 may be parallel to edges 306 of the light valve array 304. The areas between the light valves 308, similar to the areas between the light-emitting diodes 208, may be designed to isolate light emission from the individual light valves 308. In some embodiments, optical elements such as reflective material may be used to guide light generated to and / or by the light valves 308, as well as the light-emitting diodes 208.

[0026] Fig. 4 shows a front-view drawing of another example of a display panel 106C. The subpixels 408 may include light-emitting diodes 208 of an array 202 of lightemitting diodes 208, as in Fig. 2, or light valves 308 of a light valve array 304, as in Fig. 3. Compared to a traditional red-green-blue subpixel arrangement, in which each pixel includes a red subpixel 408R (e.g., a light emitting diode that produces red light), a green subpixel 408G (e.g., a light emitting diode that produces green light), and a blue subpixel 408B (e.g., a light emitting diode that produces blue light), the subpixel arrangement may include just two subpixels 408 (or light-emitting diodes) per pixel 402. The colors of the subpixels 408 in the display panel 106C may be arranged such that the missing color of a particular pixel 402 may be found in an adjacent pixel 404. Although some display panels may employ subpixel rendering in software, which may help smooth features in the image, the display panel 106C described herein may turn off subpixel rendering when the image is displayed. For a display panel 106C that turns off subpixel rendering when the image is displayed, a location of each subpixel 408 (e.g., each light-emitting diode) may be used for calculating the corresponding stereo mapping coordinate, rather than a center of a pixel 402 (e.g., the center of a specified group of subpixels 408 or a specified group of light-emitting diodes 208).

[0027] Referring again to Fig. 1, the 3D display 102 may include a parallaxgenerating optic 110 that may direct light 112 corresponding to the image from the display panel 106 to the viewer 104. For example, the parallax-generating optic 110 may include a parallax optic or a parallax-generating optic. Two possible configurations for the parallax-generating optic 110 are described below and shown in Figures 5 and 6 and in Figures 7 and 8. Other configurations may also be used. Each of the configurations ofFigures 5 and 6 and Figures 7 and 8 may be used in combination with any of the configurations of Figures 2 and 3.

[0028] Fig. 5 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a parallax-generating optic 110A (e.g., the parallax optic or parallax-generating optic) that includes a lenticular lens array 502. Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the lenticular lens array 502 of Fig. 5. The lenticular lens array 502 may include an array of thin cylindrical lenslets 604 positioned to receive light from the display panel 106 and at least partially focus the received light to direct the light to specified regions proximate the viewer’s eyes.

[0029] Fig. 7 shows a front-view drawing of an example of a parallax-generating optic HOB (e.g., the parallax optic or parallax-generating optic) that includes a parallax barrier 702 having transmissive slits 804. Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the parallax barrier 702 having transmissive slits 804 of Fig. 7. The parallax barrier 702 may include an array of opaque strips 806 and thin transmissive slits 804 arranged to occlude portions of a displayed image in left and right viewing regions. The transmissive slits 804 may be spatially arranged to ensure that the left / right image portions are only visible in the corresponding left / right viewing regions for which they are intended. The parallax barrier 702 may be provided by a static physical layer in which the slits are precisely positioned, or electronically generated on an adaptive intermediate liquid crystal display layer.

[0030] The parallax-generating optic 110, including one of the lenticular lens array 502 or the parallax barrier 702 having transmissive slits 804, may be operable with the display panel 106, including one of the array 202 of light-emitting diodes 208 or the backlight 302 and light valve array 304. Thus, the parallax-generating optic 110 may have periodic features having the same dimensions and functionality as described herein.

[0031] As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the parallax-generating optic 110 may be invariant along an optical axis (OA) having a slant angle, a, relative to the grid axes 204 (i.e., relative to an axis of the array of subpixels). For example, the parallax-generating optic 110 may have transmissive features, such as the lenslets or the transmissive slits, that are invariant along the optical axis and are periodic along an orthogonal axis that is orthogonal to the optical axis. As a specific example, the parallax-generating optic 110 may have transmissive slits that are parallel to the optical axis and are equally spacedalong the orthogonal axis. As another specific example, the parallax-generating optic 110 may have cylindrical lenslets that are invariant in shape along the optical axis, have curvature along the orthogonal axis, and are equally spaced (e.g., with center-to-center spacing) along the orthogonal axis. The parallax-generating optic 110 may be angled by the slant angle, a, with respect to the grid axes 204, which may be parallel to edges 206 of the array 202 of light-emitting diodes 208 or edges 306 of the light valve array 304. For example, the slant angle may be within a specified angular tolerance of forty -five degrees, such as being between forty-four and forty-six degrees for a tolerance of + / - one degree, between forty-three and forty-seven degrees for a tolerance of + / - two degrees, between forty-two and forty-eight degrees for a tolerance of + / - three degrees, between forty-one and forty-nine degrees for a tolerance of + / - four degrees, between forty and fifty degrees for a tolerance of + / - five degrees, or another suitable angle or angular range. In some cases, the slant angle may be dependent on the type of display, which may include a liquid crystal light-emitting diode array or an organic light-emitting diode array with a pentile subpixel arrangement.

[0032] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the 3D display 102 may include a material 114 disposed between the display panel 106 and the parallax-generating optic 110. In some examples, the material 114 may extend fully between the display panel 106 and the parallax-generating optic 110, such that a light ray originating at the display panel 106 passes only through the material 114 (and does not pass through any air or unfilled volume) before arriving at the parallax-generating optic 110. In other examples, the material 114 may occupy only a portion of the volume between the display panel 106 and the parallax-generating optic 110, such that a light ray originating at the display panel 106 passes through at least some of the material 114 and passes through a volume of air before arriving at the parallax-generating optic 110. The material 114 may have a refractive index denoted by n. The value of the refractive index n may be between about 1.3 and about 2, although other suitable values may also be used. Suitable materials may include glass, plastic, a transparent optical adhesive, and others. In some examples, the material 114 may be dispensed in a liquid form, then cured in place, such as by exposure to ultraviolet light or heat. In other examples, the material 114 may be manufactured as a solid unit and placed in its location in the 3D display 102. For example, the material 114may function as a cover glass for the display panel 106. In some examples, the material 114 may function as a relatively precise spacing element. For example, the material 114 may be manufactured to have a specified thickness to within a specified thickness tolerance, and may set the spacing between the display panel 106 and parallax-generating optic 110 to have a value equal to the specified thickness when the 3D display 102 is assembled.

[0033] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the 3D display 102 may include a viewer tracker 116 that may determine a location of the viewer 104. The viewer tracker 116 may provide a tracked position of the viewer 104 (e.g., of a head of the viewer 104, of one or both eyes of the viewer 104, or of another anatomical feature of the viewer 104). The viewer tracker 116 may be coupled to the controller 118, such as by providing viewer location data (shown in Fig. 1 as coordinates xv, yv, and zv) that represents a measured position or location of the viewer 104 (the position of the overall viewer is indicated by a particular value defined by the coordinates). The viewer tracker 116 may provide the viewer location data at regular or irregular intervals to the controller 118, depending on manual activation or stored in the memory 122. The viewer tracker 116 may include a camera configured to capture an image of the viewer 104. The viewer tracker 116 may further include an image processor (or general-purpose computer programmed as an image processor) configured to determine a position of the viewer 104 within the captured image to provide the tracked position. In some examples, the controller 118 may include the image processor of the viewer tracker 116, such as by performing operations with the same processing circuitry. In other examples, the controller 118 may be separate from the image processor of the viewer tracker 116. Other suitable viewer trackers may also be used, including viewer trackers based on lidar (e.g., using time-of-flight of reflected light over a scene to of view to determine distances to one or more objects in the scene, such as a viewer’s head or a viewer’s eyes) or other technologies. The controller 118 may use an output of the viewer tracker 116, among other data, to calculate the stereo mapping coordinates.

[0034] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the 3D display system 100 may include a controller 118. The controller 118 may include a processor 120 and memory 122 storing instructions executable by the processor 120. The instructions may be executable by theprocessor 120 to perform data processing activities and / or track the position of the viewer to control the image display. The data processing activities may include, for subpixels 108 of the array of subpixels 108 of the display panel 106, determining the stereo mapping coordinates of the subpixels 108, and causing the display panel 106 to display the image according to the stereo mapping coordinates.

[0035] The controller 118 may be coupled to the 3D display 102 and / or the viewer tracker 116 wirelessly or through a wired connection. For example, the controller 118 may be mounted on a printed circuit board and coupled to the 3D display 102 through conductive traces on which the 3D display 102 is also mounted, while coupled to the viewer tracker 116 through WiFi (or another wireless protocol).

[0036] As above, the 3D display 102 may be used in dual orientation modes, which limits the slant angle to be relatively close to 45 degrees. However, in display panels that are substantially square, the use of pixels with equal aspect ratios prohibits the use of slants close to 45 degrees due to the resulting Moire patterns. To mitigate these issues, the pitch between the subpixels of a particular color in one of orthogonal directions is unequal. As used herein, the subpixel pitch is the pitch between subpixels of identical colors in different pixels. Each pixel includes a set of subpixels of different colors. In some embodiments, the pitch may be between about 3:4 and about 4:3. The 3D display 102 may be an LCD panel or an OLED panel. Independent of the type of panel used, the 3D display 102 may use a variety of pixel layouts, such as a rectangular or chevron-shaped RGBG arrangement, pentile arrangement, or diamond pentile arrangement.

[0037] Fig. 9 shows a pixel arrangement of an LCD panel. The array 902 shown in Fig. 9 is in portrait orientation mode. The array 902 includes light-emitting diodes 908 that each may correspond to a subpixel 108. The array 902 of light-emitting diodes 908 may include red light-emitting diodes 908R, green light-emitting diodes 908G, and blue light-emitting diodes 908B, which correspond to the red subpixels, green subpixels, and blue subpixels, respectively. The light-emitting diodes 908 may be formed in a substantially rectangular shape, such as the chevron shown in Fig. 9. Each color lightemitting diode 908 may be horizontally adjacent (i.e., in the x direction) to a different color light-emitting diode 908 on each horizontal side, and may be vertically adjacent(i.e., in the y direction) to an identical color light-emitting diode 908 on each vertical side. Each set of a red light-emitting diode 908R, a green light-emitting diode 908G, and a blue light-emitting diode 908B (e.g., horizontally disposed in the embodiment shown in Fig. 9) may form a pixel.

[0038] In some LCD panel embodiments, the colored subpixels may include lightemitting diodes that emit light of different colors. In other LCD panel embodiments, the colored subpixels include color filters that convert white light from light-emitting diodes 908 into the desired color. In some embodiments, the light-emitting diodes may not be disposed below the color filters; instead the light-emitting diodes may be disposed near or at the edge of the display and the white light propagated to the color filters through a lightguide.

[0039] A controller 118 (shown in Fig. 1) may control the light-emitting diodes 908 individually or in one or more groups. Each light-emitting diode 908 may controllably generate light in response to an electrical signal provided by the controller 118 or by suitable light-emitting diode driving circuitry in communication with the controller 118. The controller 118 may cause a specified light-emitting diode 908 to be directly powered with a power that varies as a function of an intensity in a corresponding location in the image. The power delivered to a light-emitting diode 908 may be pulsewidth modulated at a modulation frequency that is greater than may be perceived by a human eye. As shown, the array 902 of light-emitting diodes 908 may be arranged in a rectangular repeating pattern over a surface area 910 of the array 902.

[0040] The slant angle a 910 of the overlying parallax-generating optic 110 is also shown in Fig. 9. The slant angle a 910 of the overlying parallax-generating optic 110 may be, for example, between about 43 degrees and about 50 degrees of the x axis shown in Fig. 9.

[0041] In some embodiments, the array 902 of light-emitting diodes 908 may be rectangular. However, such an array may be limited to an array whose subpixel spacing for pixels of the same color (e.g., center-to-center distance) is different in different dimensions (i.e., a non-square array). This is indicated by simulations of luminance uniformity, which show no suitable slant angles close to or at 45 degrees (e.g., between about 35 and about 53 degrees) exist for pitches between 1.5 and 4 pixel units (in somecases between about 1.5 and about 3) for an array in which the subpixel spacing is equal in different dimensions; such an array thus provides an inferior solution for dual orientation mode applications. On the other hand, by adjusting the ratio of the spacing between subpixels in the orthogonal directions (xy in Fig. 9, or parallel to the edges of the display panel 106) in a non-equal ratio (e.g., 3:4 - shown as 3d vs 4d in Fig. 9) permits reasonable luminance uniformity to be obtained in the dual orientation for slant angles between about 43 degrees and about 50 degrees for pitches between 1.5 and 4 pixel units. In addition, simulations using a lens pitch of 1 l / 3*pixel pitch and a slant angle of 47.1 degrees, as an example of an acceptable performance luminance uniformity, also shows the use of the non-equal ratio reduces crosstalk between the stereo display and improves the luminance and RGB contrasts.

[0042] Fig. 10 shows a pixel arrangement of an OLED panel. The array 1002 shown in Fig. 10 is in portrait orientation mode. The array 1002 includes light-emitting diodes 1008 that each may correspond to a subpixel 108. The array 1002 of lightemitting diodes 1008 may include red light-emitting diodes 1008R, green light-emitting diodes 1008G, and blue light-emitting diodes 1008B, which correspond to the red subpixels, green subpixels, and blue subpixels, respectively. The light-emitting diodes 1008 may be formed in a diamond pentile shape. As shown in Fig. 10, the green lightemitting diodes 1008G are horizontally disposed along one row of the array 1002 (in the x direction) and alternate with the red light-emitting diodes 1008R and the blue lightemitting diodes 1008B, which themselves horizontally alternate along another row. Similarly, the green light-emitting diodes 1008G are disposed along one column of the array 1002 (in the Y direction) and alternate with the red light-emitting diodes 1008R and the blue light-emitting diodes 1008B, which themselves alternate along another column. Similarly, the light-emitting diodes 1008 may be disposed along a diagonal axis (e.g., 45 degrees from the x direction and y direction) such that the green light-emitting diodes 1008G alternate with the red light-emitting diodes 1008R along one diagonal and alternate with the blue light-emitting diodes 1008B along an adjacent diagonal. Thus, there are essentially twice as many green light-emitting diodes 1008G as red lightemitting diodes 1008R or blue light-emitting diodes 1008B (the number of red lightemitting diodes 1008R may be the same as that of the blue light-emitting diodes 1008B).

[0043] Each color light-emitting diode 1008 moreover may have a different shape and size, e.g., due to emission efficiency of the particular color. As shown in Fig. 10, the blue light-emitting diodes 1008B may be larger than the red light-emitting diodes 1008R, which may be larger than the green light-emitting diodes 1008G. The different size and shape, which may be found in 3D OLED displays, may cause resolution issues across the 3D display panel when viewing a 3D image, as well as a difference in angular profile seen by a viewer for the different colors emitted by the light-emitting diodes 1008. That is, the different sizes and shapes may cause different behavior for the different color channels (RGB) unless the area and orientation of the subpixels are selected to equalize the performance between the color channels. Accordingly, although the shapes of the different color light-emitting diodes 1008 are shown as rectangular in Fig. 10 for convenience, the shapes of one or more of the different colors may be other than rectangular. Moreover, unlike other diamond pentile arrangements, the shapes of the light-emitting diodes 1008 of the same color may be oriented in the same direction.

[0044] A controller 118 (shown in Fig. 1) may control the light-emitting diodes 1008 individually or in one or more groups. Each light-emitting diode 1008 may controllably generate light in response to an electrical signal provided by the controller 118 or by suitable light-emitting diode driving circuitry in communication with the controller 118. The controller 118 may cause a specified light-emitting diode 1008 to be directly powered with a power that varies as a function of an intensity in a corresponding location in the image. The power delivered to a light-emitting diode 1008 may be pulsewidth modulated at a modulation frequency that is greater than may be perceived by a human eye. As shown, the array 1002 of light-emitting diodes 1008 may be arranged in a rectangular repeating pattern over a surface area 1010 of the array 1002.

[0045] The slant angle a 1010 of the overlying parallax-generating optic 110 is also shown in Fig. 10. The slant angle a 1010 of the overlying parallax-generating optic 110 may be, for example, between about 45 degrees and about 52 degrees of the x axis shown in Fig. 10.

[0046] While the array 1002 of light-emitting diodes 1008 may be rectangular, such an array may be limited to an array whose subpixel spacing for pixels of the same color (e.g., center-to-center distance) is different in different dimensions (i.e., a non-square array). This is indicated by simulations of luminance uniformity, which show no suitable slant angles close or at 45 degrees (between about 35 degrees and about 53 degrees) exist for pitches between 1.5 and 4 pixel units for an array in which the subpixel spacing is equal in different dimensions; such an array thus provides an inferior solution for dual orientation mode applications. On the other hand, by adjusting the ratio of the spacing between subpixels in the orthogonal directions (xy in Fig. 10, or parallel to the edges of the display panel 106) in a non-equal ratio (e.g., 3:4 - shown as 3d vs 4d in Fig. 10) permits reasonable luminance uniformity to be obtained in the dual orientation for slant angles between about 45 degrees and about 52 degrees, such as for pitches between 1.5 and 4 pixel units. In addition, simulations using a lens pitch of 46 / 27*pixel pitch and a slant angle of 50.9 degrees, as an example of an acceptable performance luminance uniformity, also shows the use of the non-equal ratio reduces crosstalk between the stereo display and improves the luminance and RGB contrasts.

[0047] Fig. 11 shows a flowchart of an example of a method 1100 for fabricating a 3D display. The method 1100 may be used to fabricate the 3D display system 100. The method 1100 is but one method for fabricating a 3D display for displaying a 3D image; other suitable methods may also be used. The operations may be performed in a different order than that shown.

[0048] At operation 1102, a 3D display panel of the 3D display may be provided. The display panel may be an LCD or OLED panel, for example. The 3D display panel may have an array of subpixels that emit light of different colors to enable an image to be projected. The subpixels may be formed from, for example, semiconductor materials that emit light at different wavelengths or may have a wavelength converting layer to convert light to a desired wavelength, or small-molecule organic thin films (such as aluminum complexes, anthracenes, biphenyl acetylene aryl derivatives, coumarin derivatives, and fluorochromes) between thin-film conductive electrodes. The subpixels may, for example, provide R, G, B colored light. The ratio of spacing between subpixels of the same color may be different between orthogonal directions of the array. For example, the ratio may be between about 3:4 and 4:3 (excluding 1, as the ratio is different in the different directions). The subpixels may have a rectangular or chevron-shaped RGBG shape, a pentile shape, or diamond pentile shape, among others.

[0049] At operation 1104, a material with a predetermined refractive index may be provided to the display panel. The material may have a refractive index between about 1.3 and about 2, for example glass, plastic, or an adhesive.

[0050] At operation 1106, the display panel may be combined with a parallaxgenerating optic. The parallax-generating optic may include a lenticular lens array and / or a parallax barrier having transmissive slits. The parallax-generating optic may be invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels. The slant angle may be between about 42 degrees and about 53 degrees relative to the sides of the display panel. In some embodiments, the slant angle range may exclude 45 degrees.

[0051] The material may fully or partially separate the display panel and the parallax-generating optic, or may not be present at all (e.g., the parallax-generating optic and the display panel contact each other). In various embodiments, the material may be disposed on the display panel and the parallax-generating optic attached to the material, the material may be disposed on the parallax-generating optic and the display panel attached to the material, or the display panel and the parallax-generating optic may be separated and the material inserted therebetween.

[0052] Fig. 12 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for displaying a 3D image. The method 1200 may be executed by the 3D display system 100, or by another suitable 3D display system. The method 1200 is but one method for displaying a 3D image; other suitable methods may also be used.

[0053] At operation 1202, the 3D display system may determine a location of a viewer using a viewer tracker. The viewer tracker may determine a measured position or location of the viewer.

[0054] At operation 1204, the 3D display system 100 may determine stereo mapping coordinates associated with the viewer. The position of the viewer is indicated by a particular value defined by the stereo mapping coordinates. The viewer tracker or controller may determine the stereo mapping coordinates, based on data from the viewer tracker.

[0055] At operation 1206, the 3D display system may display an image, using a display panel having an array of subpixels, such as the display panel, according to thestereo mapping coordinates associated with the viewer. The controller may control the subpixels individually or in group. The controller may control light generation, for example, pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals supplied to, e.g., transistors or amplifiers that control current flow through the subpixels. The subpixels may have a rectangular or chevron-shaped RGBG shape, a pentile shape, or a diamond pentile shape, for example, in which a ratio of spacing between the subpixels is different between orthogonal directions of the array (e.g., between about 3:4 and 4:3, excluding 1). In some embodiments, a parallax-generating optic may be disposed between the display panel and the viewer. The parallax-generating optic may include a lenticular lens array and / or a parallax barrier having transmissive slits that are invariant along a slant angle of between about ±5-7 degrees of 45 degrees relative to an axis of the array of subpixels.

[0056] To further illustrate the systems and related methods disclosed herein, a non-limiting list of examples is provided below. Each of the following non-limiting examples may stand on its own or may be combined in any permutation or combination with any one or more of the other examples.

[0057] Example l is a three-dimensional (3D) display comprising: a display panel having an array of subpixels of different colors configured to display an image to a viewer, a ratio of spacing between subpixels of a particular color being different between orthogonal directions of the array; and a parallax-generating optic configured to direct light from the display panel to the viewer, the parallax-generating optic being invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels.

[0058] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes, wherein the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the orthogonal directions, and is under about 3 degrees from 45 degrees relative to the orthogonal directions to provide autostereoscopic use of the 3D display in both landscape orientation and in portrait orientation.

[0059] In Example 3, the subject matter of Examples 1-2 includes, wherein: the array has a rectangular shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a ratio of a first length of the rectangular shape in the first direction to a second length in the second direction is about 4:3.

[0060] In Example 4, the subject matter of Examples 1-3 includes, wherein the display panel has a layout that includes alternating red, green, and blue pixels.

[0061] In Example 5, the subject matter of Example 4 includes, wherein: the subpixels have a chevron shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the chevron shape has a first length in the first direction that is longer than a second length in the second direction.

[0062] In Example 6, the subject matter of Example 5 includes, wherein a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is between about 3 and about 4 times greater than a pitch of the subpixels, which for each color is a distance between subpixels of the color in different pixels.

[0063] In Example 7, the subject matter of Example 6 includes, wherein the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the first direction and the second direction, and is within about 2.5 degrees of 45 degrees relative to the first direction and the second direction to provide autostereoscopic use of the 3D display in both landscape orientation and in portrait orientation.

[0064] In Example 8, the subject matter of Examples 1-7 includes, wherein: the display panel has an arrangement selected from a group of arrangements that includes a pentile or diamond pentile subpixel arrangement, and subpixels of each color in the diamond pentile subpixel arrangement have respective different pixel sizes.

[0065] In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 includes, wherein a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is between about 1.5 and about 3 times greater than a pitch of the subpixels.

[0066] In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 9 includes, wherein: the array has a rectangular shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the first direction and the second direction, and is within about 7 degrees of 45 degrees relative to the first direction and the second direction to provide autostereoscopic use of the 3D display in both landscape orientation and in portrait orientation.

[0067] In Example 11, the subject matter of Examples 1-10 includes, wherein the parallax-generating optic comprises at least one of a lenticular lens array or a parallax barrier having transmissive slits.

[0068] Example 12 is a three-dimensional (3D) display comprising: a display panel having an array of subpixels of different colors configured to display an image to a viewer, a ratio of spacing between the subpixels of a particular color being different between orthogonal directions of the array and being between about 3:4 and about 4:3; and a parallax-generating optic configured to direct light from the display panel to the viewer, the parallax-generating optic being invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels.

[0069] In Example 13, the subject matter of Example 12 includes, wherein: the subpixels have a chevron shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the chevron shape has a first length in the first direction that is longer than a second length in the second direction.

[0070] In Example 14, the subject matter of Examples 12-13 includes, wherein: the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the orthogonal directions, a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is different from a pitch of the subpixels, and at least one of the slant angle or pitch is dependent on an arrangement of subpixels within the array.

[0071] In Example 15, the subject matter of Example 14 includes, wherein: the arrangement is selected from a group of arrangements that includes a pentile or diamond pentile subpixel arrangement, and subpixels of each color in the diamond pentile subpixel arrangement have respective different pixel sizes.

[0072] In Example 16, the subject matter of Examples 12-15 includes, wherein the parallax-generating optic comprises at least one of a lenticular lens array or a parallax barrier having transmissive slits.

[0073] Example 17 is a method for fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) display, the method comprising: providing a display panel having an array of subpixels configured to display an image to a viewer, a ratio of spacing between the subpixels being different between orthogonal directions of the array and being between about 3:4 and 4:3; and combining the display panel with a parallax-generating optic that is separated from the display panel, the parallax-generating optic disposed to direct light from the display panel to the viewer, the parallax-generating optic being invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels.

[0074] In Example 18, the subject matter of Example 17 includes, wherein separating the parallax-generating optic from the display panel using a material having a refractive index between about 1.3 and about 2 and that extends fully between the display panel and the parallax-generating optic.

[0075] In Example 19, the subject matter of Examples 17-18 includes, wherein separating the parallax-generating optic from the display panel using a material having a refractive index between about 1.3 and about 2 and that extends partially between the display panel and the parallax-generating optic.

[0076] In Example 20, the subject matter of Examples 17-19 includes, wherein: the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the orthogonal direction, a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is different from a pitch of the subpixels, at least one of the slant angle or pitch is dependent on an arrangement of subpixels within the array, the arrangement is selected from a group of arrangements that includes a pentile or diamond pentile subpixel arrangement, and the diamond pentile subpixel arrangement has subpixels of each color that have respective different pixel sizes.

[0077] Example 21 is at least one machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations to implement of any of Examples 1-20.

[0078] Example 22 is an apparatus comprising means to implement of any of Examples 1-20.

[0079] Example 23 is a system to implement of any of Examples 1-20.

[0080] Example 24 is a method to implement of any of Examples 1-20.

[0081] Thus, there have been described examples and embodiments of a 3D display system and method that may display an image according to stereo mapping coordinates associated with a viewer. The above-described examples are merely illustrative of some of the many specific examples that represent the principles described herein. Clearly, those skilled in the art may readily devise numerous other arrangements without departing from the scope as defined by the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional (3D) display comprising: a display panel having an array of subpixels of different colors configured to display an image to a viewer, a ratio of spacing between subpixels of a particular color being different between orthogonal directions of the array; and a parallax-generating optic configured to direct light from the display panel to the viewer, the parallax-generating optic being invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels.

2. The 3D display of claim 1, wherein the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the orthogonal directions, and is under about 3 degrees from 45 degrees relative to the orthogonal directions to provide autostereoscopic use of the 3D display in both landscape orientation and in portrait orientation.

3. The 3D display of claim 1, wherein: the array has a rectangular shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a ratio of a first length of the rectangular shape in the first direction to a second length in the second direction is about 4:3.

4. The 3D display of claim 1, wherein the display panel has a layout that includes alternating red, green, and blue pixels.

5. The 3D display of claim 4, wherein: the subpixels have a chevron shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the chevron shape has a first length in the first direction that is longer than a second length in the second direction.

6. The 3D display of claim 5, wherein a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is between about 3 and about 4 times greater than a subpixel pitch, which for each color is a distance between subpixels of the color in different pixels.

7. The 3D display of claim 6, wherein the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the first direction and the second direction, and is within about 2.5 degrees of 45 degrees relative to the first direction and the second direction to provide autostereoscopic use of the 3D display in both landscape orientation and in portrait orientation.

8. The 3D display of claim 1, wherein: the display panel has an arrangement selected from a group of arrangements that includes a pentile or diamond pentile subpixel arrangement, and subpixels of each color in the diamond pentile subpixel arrangement have respective different pixel sizes.

9. The 3D display of claim 8, wherein a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is between about 1.5 and about 3 times greater than a pitch of the subpixels.

10. The 3D display of claim 9, wherein: the array has a rectangular shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the first direction and the second direction, and is within about 7 degrees of 45 degrees relative to the first direction and the second direction to provide autostereoscopic use of the 3D display in both landscape orientation and in portrait orientation.

11. The 3D display of claim 1, wherein the parallax-generating optic comprises at least one of a lenticular lens array or a parallax barrier having transmissive slits.

12. A three-dimensional (3D) display comprising:a display panel having an array of subpixels of different colors configured to display an image to a viewer, a ratio of spacing between the subpixels of a particular color being different between orthogonal directions of the array and being between about 3:4 and about 4:3; and a parallax-generating optic configured to direct light from the display panel to the viewer, the parallax-generating optic being invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels.

13. The 3D display of claim 12, wherein: the subpixels have a chevron shape that extends in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the chevron shape has a first length in the first direction that is longer than a second length in the second direction.

14. The 3D display of claim 12, wherein: the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the orthogonal directions, a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is different from a pitch of the subpixels, and at least one of the slant angle or pitch is dependent on an arrangement of subpixels within the array.

15. The 3D display of claim 14, wherein: the arrangement is selected from a group of arrangements that includes a pentile or diamond pentile subpixel arrangement, and subpixels of each color in the diamond pentile subpixel arrangement have respective different pixel sizes.

16. The 3D display of claim 12, wherein the parallax-generating optic comprises at least one of a lenticular lens array or a parallax barrier having transmissive slits.

17. A method for fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) display, the method comprising: providing a display panel having an array of subpixels configured to display an image to a viewer, a ratio of spacing between the subpixels being different between orthogonal directions of the array and being between about 3:4 and 4:3; and combining the display panel with a parallax-generating optic that is separated from the display panel, the parallax-generating optic disposed to direct light from the display panel to the viewer, the parallax-generating optic being invariant along an optical axis having a slant angle relative to an axis of the array of subpixels.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising separating the parallax-generating optic from the display panel using a material having a refractive index between about 1.3 and about 2 and that extends fully between the display panel and the parallax-generating optic.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising separating the parallax-generating optic from the display panel using a material having a refractive index between about 1.3 and about 2 and that extends partially between the display panel and the parallaxgenerating optic.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein: the slant angle extends in a non-45 degree angle relative to the orthogonal directions, a pitch of the parallax-generating optic is different from a pitch of the subpixels, at least one of the slant angle or pitch is dependent on an arrangement of subpixels within the array, the arrangement is selected from a group of arrangements that includes a pentile or diamond pentile subpixel arrangement, and the diamond pentile subpixel arrangement has subpixels of each color that have respective different pixel sizes.

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