Television – Stereoscopic – Stereoscopic display device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-15
2003-07-15
Philippe, Gims S. (Department: 2613)
Television
Stereoscopic
Stereoscopic display device
C345S531000, C359S465000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06593959
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C §119 from an application entitled Stereoscopic Image Display Apparatus Using Micro Polarizer earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Apr. 16, 1998, and there duly assigned Serial No. 98-13553 by that Office.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a stereoscopic image display apparatus for displaying an image as a three dimensional image (3D image).
2. Background Art
It is known to use 3D video camera to record a 3D image which gives the effect of solidity or depth to an ordinarily plane image. The 3D image is usually produced by employing the visual effect obtained by a stereoscope, through which one may view photographs of objects not merely as plane representations, but with an appearance of solidity, and in relief. The stereoscope is essentially an instrument in which two photographs of the same object, taken from slightly different angles, are simultaneously presented, one to each eye. Each picture is focused by a separate lens, and the two lenses are inclined so as to shift the images toward each other and thus ensure the visual blending of the two images into one three dimensional image. The 3D images taken by the video camera are usually processed for display according to the NTSC (National Television System Committee or PAL (Phase Alteration by Line) standards.
The conventional 3D video signal processor used in the stereoscopic image display apparatus requires a large number of memory devices to perform the field doubling or multiplexing the video data of both lenses, thus increasing its production cost. Particularly, it is very difficult to separate the video data of each pixel of the horizontal line into the left and right eye (lens) data in the lenticular type 3D video signal processor.
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate the structure of a conventional 3D video signal processor used in an LCD display and the signal waveforms thereof. The conventional 3D video signal processor includes a video/sync signal separator
100
for separating a 3D video signal according to NTSC or PAL into a synchronizing signal Sync and an analog RGB video signal Avideo, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter
110
for converting the analog video signal Avideo to a digital video signal Dvideo, a phase locked loop circuit PLL
120
for generating a clock signal CLK
1
in response to the synchronizing signal Sync, first to fourth field memory devices
140
to
143
for storing the digital video signal Dvideo, first and second multiplexers
150
and
151
for blending the left and right video signals from the first to fourth field memory devices and performing polarity inversion on them to accommodate the characteristics of the LCD, a digital switch
160
for selectively outputting the blended video signal, a control signal generator
130
for generating various control signals, and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter
170
for converting the digital video signal to an analog video signal. The operation of such conventional 3D video signal processor is as follows:
An analog 3D video signal according to NTSC or PAL is separated by the video/sync signal separator
100
to an analog video signal Avideo and a synchronizing signal Sync. The analog video signal Avideo is converted by the A/D converter
110
to a digital video signal Dvideo and stored into the first to fourth field memory devices
140
to
143
. The synchronizing signal Sync is applied to the PLL
120
, which generates a clock signal CLK
1
of a predetermined frequency which is then supplied to the control signal generator
130
. Control signal generator
130
generates the control signals required for each circuit. The control signals include a sampling clock signal CLK
2
for the A/D converter
110
, write/read (W/R) enable signals w
1
to w
4
and r
1
to r
4
for the first to fourth field memory devices
140
to
143
, switching clock signals CLK
3
and CLK
4
for the first and second multiplexers
150
and
151
, and a selection signal sel for the digital switch
160
. According to the write enable signals of the control signal generator
130
, the digital video signal Dvideo is divided into even, odd, left eye and right eye data stored respectively into the first to fourth memory devices
140
to
143
. The output signals Dndr
1
, Dndl
1
, Dndr
2
, Dndl
2
of the first to fourth field memory devices
140
to
143
are field doubled, whose waveforms are shown in FIG.
2
.
The outputs of the first to fourth field memory devices
140
to
143
are properly delivered to the first and second multiplexers
150
and
151
, as shown in
FIG. 1
, to blend them according to the switching clock signals CLK
3
, CLK
4
and make the polarity inversion according to the characteristics of the LCD, thereby generating 3D video signals Dld
1
and Dld
2
of lenticular type. The digital switch
160
selectively allows the outputs of the multiplexers according to the selection signal sel of the control signal generator
130
. If desired for a CRT display, a D/A converter
170
may be provided to obtain an analog 3D video signal of lenticular type.
However, such conventional 3D video signal processor of lenticular type requires the left and right eye data separated of each pixel of the horizontal line, which seriously complicate the circuit construction increasing the number of the memory devices to perform the field doubling and blending of the left and right eye data. This results in increase of the production cost.
Various methods and devices are known for providing three dimensional images as exemplified by the following patents incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,484 to Sing Liong Tan entitled Display Device For Three-dimensional Television; U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,463 to Lenny Lipton entitled Stereoscopic Television With Field Storage For Sequential Display Of Right And Left Images; U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,715 to Antonius G. H. Verhulst entitled Display And Pick-Up Device For Stereoscopic Picture Display; U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,144 to Sadeg M. Faris entitled Electro-Optical Display System For Visually Displaying Polarized Spatially Multiplexed Images Of 3-D Objects For Use In Stereoscopically Viewing The Same With High Image Quality And Resolution; U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,082 to Wolfgang Grimm entitled Vision Testing For Stereoscopic Viewing By A Test Person; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,711 to Sadeg M. Faris entitled Method And System For Producing Micropolariazation Panels For Use In Micropolarizing Spatially Multiplexed Images Of 3-D Objects During Stereoscopic Display Process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic image display apparatus which is simplified to reduce the production cost and considerably improve the picture quality by employing a micropolarizer.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a stereoscopic image display apparatus for displaying a 3D image on a screen of a display panel, comprises a 3D video signal processor for converting an analog 3D video signal to a digital 3D video signal, and a micropolarizer attached to the display panel. The micropolarizer is composed of a plurality of first polarizing regions having a first polarizing direction and a plurality of second polarizing regions having a second polarizing direction perpendicular to the first polarizing direction. The first and second polarizing regions are alternately arranged with each other in the form of a matrix. The 3D video signal processor further includes a video/sync signal separator for separating the analog 3D video signal into an analog video signal and a synchronizing signal, a clock signal generator for generating a clock signal with a frequency corresponding to the synchronizing signal, a control signal generator for generating various control signals in response to the clock signal, an A/D converter for converting the analog video signal to a digital video signal, a first memory device for storing th
Kim Sung-Sik
Sung Jun-Ho
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Philippe Gims S.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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