Transparent Display Polarizer Segmentation for 3D Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transparent displays lack 3D viewing capabilities, particularly with glasses-free autostereoscopic approaches, and conventional lenticular lenses distort the view of the background, while existing 2D transparent displays suffer from poor optical performance due to excessive light transmission and contrast issues.
Innovation Solution
A display design featuring a polarizer in the light transmissive area between pixels, allowing for directional light emission and polarization control, enabling autostereoscopic viewing without distorting the background view and improving contrast and glare reduction by using a birefringent lens or barrier arrangement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a lenticular lens is placed on top of a transparent display to enable autostereoscopic 3D viewing, then 3D viewing capability is achieved, but the view of the background scene becomes distorted
Solution Approach 1:
The display surface is segmented into pixel areas and light transmissive areas. The polarizer is selectively placed only in the light transmissive areas between pixels, allowing different optical paths for display content and background view. This segmentation enables the lenticular lens to function for 3D viewing while the polarizer-corrected light transmissive areas maintain undistorted background visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the display have different optical properties. The pixel areas are designed for light emission with specific polarization characteristics, while the light transmissive areas between pixels are equipped with polarizers to selectively transmit or block light based on polarization state. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of 3D viewing and undistorted background view.
2Illumination intensity
If excessive light is transmitted through the transparent display to maintain visibility of the background, then transparency is achieved, but the contrast of the display content deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The polarizer changes the polarization state of light transmitted through the light transmissive areas. By utilizing polarization-selective transmission, the system can control which light reaches the viewer - allowing high background visibility while blocking polarized light from the display content that would otherwise reduce contrast. The pixel polarizers further modulate the polarization state to enhance display content visibility without compromising background transparency.
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 undistorted 3D and 2D viewing with improved contrast and reduced glare, allowing observers to see both display content and scenery without polarization switching, suitable for applications like interactive shop windows and public information displays.
Implementation Method 1
a polarizer associated only with the light transmissive area
Implementation Method 2
a birefringent lens structure which provides a lensing function for light of the first polarization and a pass through function for light of the second polarization
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(c)
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A display has an array of light emitting display pixels occupying pixel areas, and a polarizing light transmissive area between the pixel areas. This polarization can be used to improve the contrast ratio of a transparent 2D display. However, it can also be used to enable a transparent 3D display to be formed without distortion of the see-through transparent display function. For this purpose, the light emitting display pixels can emit polarized light orthogonal to the polarization provided by the light transmissive area.