Auto-stereoscopic 3D Display Pixel Intensity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-view auto-stereoscopic displays face limitations in image sharpness with increasing depth, restricting the range of perceivable depth to about 0.2 meters and requiring expensive directional backlights that are not compatible with active display technologies like OLED and PDP.
Innovation Solution
An auto-stereoscopic 3D display system with a visibility modulator and circuitry that derives left and right images, determining pixel intensities using weighting functions based on viewer position, allowing both eyes to see pixels with reduced intensity, eliminating the need for a special backlight and maintaining compatibility with various display technologies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a regular multi-view display is used, then multiple viewers can simultaneously perceive a 3D image, but the sharpness of the image decreases with the amount of depth in the image, limiting the range of depth to about 0.2 meters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of pixels based on their visibility characteristics. Pixels visible to both eyes are displayed with reduced intensity, while pixels visible to only one eye maintain normal intensity. This localized differentiation allows the system to maintain good picture quality for pixels contributing to depth perception while preserving the multi-view functionality for other pixels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the intensity parameter of pixels based on their visibility characteristics. By dynamically adjusting the intensity of pixels visible to both eyes versus those visible to only one eye, the system optimizes the balance between image sharpness and depth perception range, enabling viewers to perceive a large amount of depth with good picture quality.
2Measurement precision
If a directional backlight is added to enhance performance, then image quality improves, but the cost increases and compatibility with active display technologies such as OLED and PDP is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the intensity control function from the optical path (backlight) and moves it to the pixel control circuitry. Instead of using a directional backlight to achieve the desired effect, the system directly controls the intensity of individual pixels through software, eliminating the need for expensive optical components and maintaining compatibility with all display technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical solution (directional backlight) with an electronic/software solution (pixel intensity control). This substitution eliminates the need for additional optical components, reduces cost, and maintains compatibility with active display technologies like OLED and PDP that cannot accommodate external backlighting systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables a large amount of depth perception with good picture quality without additional costs, maintaining the regular multi-view mode and compatibility with passive and active display technologies like LCD, OLED, and PDP.
Implementation Method 1
a visibility modulator placed in front of the display for making the visibility of the pixels angle dependent in the viewer space
Data Source
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AI summary
An auto-stereoscopic display system for creating a 3D viewing experience for a viewer (13) present at a viewer position (P) within a viewer space, comprising a display (10) with a plurality of pixels (11), a visibility modulator (12) placed in front of the display (10) for making a visibility of the pixels angle dependent in the viewer space, circuitry (15) for deriving from a 3D image a left image and a right image, and for determining the intensities of a first group of pixels intended to be seen by the left eye of the viewer (13) at the viewing position (P) based on the left image, and for determining the intensities of a second group of pixels intended to be seen by the right eye of the viewer (13) at the viewer position (P) based on the right image, characterized in that the system is arranged to display pixels which are visible to both the left eye and the right eye of the viewer (13) at the viewer position with a reduced intensity.