Stereoscopic liquid crystal display (lcd) with polarization method

Abstract

A display system for stereoscopic displaying of images includes a pair of wide viewing angle displays arranged at an angle to each other, each display providing respective images formed by plane polarized light. A beam combiner is located between the displays such that the beam combiner transmits light from one display and reflects light from the other display, whereby the transmitted and reflected light are provided via the beam combiner in substantially the same direction. One of the wide viewing angle displays has a substantially vertical polarization and the other of the wide viewing angle displays has a substantially horizontal polarization. The display system provides for stereoscopic display of high-resolution images with wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles.

1 . A display system, comprising:
 a pair of wide viewing angle displays arranged at an angle to each other, each display providing respective images formed by plane polarized light;   a beam combiner located between the displays such that the beam combiner transmits light from one display and reflects light from the other display, whereby the transmitted and reflected light are provided via the beam combiner in substantially the same direction; and   wherein one of the wide viewing angle displays has a substantially vertical polarization and the other of the wide viewing angle displays has a substantially horizontal polarization.   
   
   
       2 . The display system of  claim 1 , further comprising a mirror disposed generally parallel to and offset from the beam combiner, the mirror being positioned to reflect light transmitted by the beam combiner from the other display and light reflected by the beam combiner from the one display in substantially the same direction to at least a second viewer. 
   
   
       3 . The display system of  claim 2 , wherein the mirror reflects light from both displays, the reflected light having substantially vertical and horizontal polarization respectively. 
   
   
       4 . The display system of  claim 2 , wherein the mirror reflects light along substantially the same direction as the light transmitted and reflected by the beam combiner. 
   
   
       5 . The display system of  claim 1 , further comprising a mirror disposed generally perpendicular to and offset from the beam combiner, the mirror being positioned to reflect light transmitted by the beam combiner from the other display and light reflected by the beam combiner from the one display in substantially the same direction to at least a second viewer. 
   
   
       6 . The display system of  claim 5 , wherein the mirror reflects light from both displays, the reflected light having substantially vertical and horizontal polarization respectively. 
   
   
       7 . The display system of  claim 5 , wherein the mirror reflects light along substantially the opposite direction as the light transmitted and reflected by the beam combiner. 
   
   
       8 . A method of displaying stereo images, comprising
 simultaneously displaying a left eye image on a first wide viewing angle display and a right eye image on a second wide viewing angle display such that the left eye and right eye images have optical polarization in orthogonal directions;   using a beam combiner so positioned relative to the two wide viewing angle displays that one can be viewed directly through the beam combiner and the other can be viewed by reflected light from the beam combiner; and   combining the left eye and right eye images in a common light path such that the optical polarization of the left eye image portion and the right eye image portion are different in such common light path such that the image portions can be separated based on optical polarization.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein one of the wide viewing angle displays has substantially vertical polarization and the other wide viewing angle display has substantially horizontal polarization. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second wide viewing angle displays are active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs). 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein both AMLCDs having horizontal and vertical viewing angles of at least 160 degrees. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising compensating for brightness variations in the substantially vertically polarized image. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the compensating step includes compensating for brightness variations in the vertically polarized image viewed from an average viewing angle. 
   
   
       14 . A method of providing a high-resolution wide viewing angle stereoscopic display system that includes a pair of high-resolution wide viewing angle displays, each of the high-resolution wide viewing angle displays having a relatively vertically oriented plane polarizer and a relatively horizontally oriented rear polarizer, one of the polarizers being at the front and the other of the polarizers being at the rear of the respective high-resolution wide viewing angle displays, the method comprising:
 re-orienting the front and rear polarizers on one of the high-resolution wide viewing angle displays by 90 degrees; and   arranging the high-resolution wide viewing angle displays at an angle relative to one another, and positioning a beam combiner between the high-resolution wide viewing angle displays such that the beam combiner transmits light from one of the high-resolution wide viewing angle displays and reflects light from the other high-resolution wide viewing angle display in substantially the same direction such that light from the respective displays is orthogonally polarized.   
   
   
       15 . A method of making a display system comprising:
 selecting a first liquid crystal display (LCD) having a pair of plane polarizers and optical material between the polarizers selectively operable to change the polarization direction of light;   selecting a second LCD that is substantially the same as the first LCD; and   repositioning the polarizers of the second LCD relative to the optical material thereof to be substantially orthogonal to the corresponding polarizers of the first LCD.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising arranging the first and second LCDs at an angle relative to one another, and positioning a beam combiner between the first and second LCDs such that the beam combiner transmits light from one of the LCDs and reflects light from the other of the LCDs in substantially the same direction such that light from the respective LCDs is orthogonally polarized. 
   
   
       17 . A method of preparing a liquid crystal display that has a liquid crystal cell and a pair of plane polarizers attached to opposite sides of the liquid crystal cell, the method comprising:
 removing the pair of plane polarizers from the liquid crystal cell and re-attaching the pair of plane polarizers to the opposite sides of the liquid crystal cell at 90 degrees relative to their original orientation.   
   
   
       18 . A display system comprising:
 a pair of liquid crystal cells, the liquid crystal cells having liquid crystal alignment characteristics that provide a wide viewing angle;   a beam combiner that combines images from the pair of liquid crystal cells; and   each of the liquid crystal cells including a pair of plane polarizers, wherein the pair of plane polarizers corresponding to each liquid crystal cell is oriented such that the polarization direction of plane polarized light from one liquid crystal cell is parallel to the plane of the beam combiner and the polarization direction of plane polarized light from the other liquid crystal cell is relatively orthogonal to that of such one liquid crystal cell.   
   
   
       19 . The display system of  claim 18 , wherein each liquid crystal cell includes a vertical aligned nematic (VAN) liquid crystal material. 
   
   
       20 . The display system of  claim 18 , wherein each liquid crystal cell comprises at least one of an in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal cell, a multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA) liquid crystal cell, and an axial symmetric vertical-alignment (ASV) liquid crystal cell, a patterned vertical alignment (PVA) liquid crystal cell, and a Super-PVA (S-PVA) liquid crystal cell.