A high resolution multi‐view 3D display using switchable liquid crystal lens

A 4.4‐inch 2D/3D switchable full high definition (FHD) six‐view 3D display with 3D resolution greater than 170 ppi has been accomplished. In addition to adopting low temperature polysilicon technology (LTPS), which is most suitable for high resolution displays, a new RGBW pixel arrangement using four‐square sub‐pixels has been devised. In 2D, a resolution greater than 500 ppi, accompanied with high luminance, has been achieved. A new liquid crystal lens (LCL) has been exploited for 2D/3D switching. By employing a special multielectrode structure and dedicated manufacturing process, an optical focal ratio less than 20%, which is essential for low 3D cross talk for a six‐view 3D display, has been attained by adopting the LCL. In the vertical direction of the display, there is no cross talk increase when the viewing position is changed because of the new pixel structure. The strong focal strength of the LCL combined with a revised high‐density multi‐view design give rise to a wide 3D viewing angle greater than 20 degrees in the horizontal direction and minimum cross talk less than 10%.     

Two‐way multi‐view 2‐D/3‐D display combining LC lens and HVxDP panel using novel pixel arrangement

We have developed a two‐way multi‐view 2‐D/3‐D display combining a liquid crystal lens and horizontally and vertically x times‐density pixels (HVxDP) arrangement. The two‐way multi‐view display features the same display resolution in 2‐D and 3‐D modes and a quite small color moiré for landscape and portrait, respectively, when using the HVxDP arrangement. In this paper, we realized suitable 3‐D properties for achieving a good balance between 3‐D moiré and 3‐D crosstalk for landscape and portrait by a two‐way liquid crystal lens with two kinds of focal lengths for the edge part and the center part of the lens.     

Electric‐field‐driven LC lens for 3‐D/2‐D autostereoscopic display

Abstract— The use of an electric‐field‐driven liquid‐crystal (ELC) lens cell for switching between a 3‐D and 2‐D display is proposed. Due to the phase retardation of the non‐uniform LC directors, an ELC lens functions the same as a geometric lens. The parameters of an ELC for 3‐D applications are optimized through the simulation of the electrode configuration and voltage levels. A prototype was made where the ELC lens is placed in front of a liquid‐crystal display (LCD) 15 in. on the diagonal with a 99‐μm subpixel pitch. Under zero voltage, the ELC lens is a transparent medium and the users can see a clear 2‐D image. In 3‐D mode, the ELC lens array performs the same as a cylindrical lens array to the incident vertical polarization under suitable driving voltages. Placing a half‐wave plate between the LCD and ELC lens is proposed to change the polarization of the LCD to be parallel with the polarization lens direction of the ELC lens. The measurement of the horizontal luminance profile, performance of the ELC lens, and feasibility for 3‐D/2‐D switching was verified. The fabrication process for the ELC lens is compatible with the current LCD production process and enables the accurate control of the lens pitch of the ELC lens.     

The construction and performance of a multiviewer 3‐D television display

Abstract— The De Montfort University (DMU) autostereoscopic 3‐D display, intended for television applications, is described. It provides freedom of viewer movement over a typical “living room” sized area, with no restrictions on viewer's head positions. The display is capable of supplying 3‐D images to multiple viewers who do not need to wear special glasses. It operates by producing regions (exit pupils) in the viewing field where either a left or a right image is perceived. The positions of the exit pupils are steered to the viewers' eyes by the use of head tracking. Design issues that became apparent during the construction of a first prototype, and the findings from tests on it, are described. In addition, the current status of a more advanced prototype is reported.     

Analysis of longitudinal viewing freedom of reduced‐view super multi‐view display and increased longitudinal viewing freedom using eye‐tracking technique

Abstract— The viewing freedom of the reduced‐view super multi‐view (SMV) display was analyzed. It was found that there are separate multiple viewing ranges in the depth direction; thus, a technique that selects an appropriate viewing range to increase the longitudinal viewing freedom has been developed. Pixels of a flat‐panel display viewed by the viewer's eyes through a lenticular lens were determined from three‐dimensional (3‐D) positions of the viewer's eyes, which were obtained using an eye‐tracking system that employed a stereo camera. Parallax images corresponding to the 3‐D positions of the viewer's eyes were generated, which were displayed by the determined pixels. The experimental results show that the proposed technique successfully increased the longitudinal viewing freedom. It is also shown that a video camera was able to focus on the produced SMV images.     

2‐D/3‐D switchable displays

Abstract— In this paper, the design of a lenticular‐based 2‐D/3‐D display for mobile applications is described. This display combines look‐around capability with good 3‐D resolution. In order to allow high‐resolution datagraphic applications, a concept based on actively switched lenses has been developed. A very noticeable problem for such displays is the occurrence of dark bands. Despite slanting the lenticular and defocusing the lens, banding becomes unacceptable when the display is viewed from an angle. As a solution, fractional viewing systems to reduce the banding intensity by almost two orders of magnitude is introduced. The resulting 3‐D display can be viewed from any horizontal direction without banding.     

360°‐viewable cylindrical integral imaging system using a 3‐D/2‐D switchable and flexible backlight

Abstract— A 360°‐viewable cylindrical three‐dimensional (3‐D) display system based on integral imaging has been implemented. The proposed system is composed of a cylindrically arranged electroluminescent (EL) pinhole film, an EL film backlight, a barrier structure, and a transmission‐type flexible display panel. The cylindrically arranged point‐light‐source array, which is generated by the EL pinhole film reconstructs 360°‐viewable virtual 3‐D images at the center of the cylinder. In addition, the proposed system provides 3‐D/2‐D convertibility using the switching of EL pinhole film from a point light source to a surface light source. In this paper, the principle of operation, analysis of the viewing parameters, and the experimental results are presented.     

Development of 100‐in. TFT‐LCDs for HDTV and public‐information‐display applications

Abstract— LCDs have achieved a full‐high‐definition resolution of 1920 × 1080 (16:9), 600‐nit brightness, 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 92% color gamut, 178° viewing angle, and 5‐msec response time at all gray levels and are targeted for HDTV and public‐information‐display applications. Some unique technologies, such as Cu bus line, advanced wide view polarizer, and wide‐color‐gamut lamp, were applied. A new stitching‐free technology was developed to overcome the size limitation of the photomask in both the TFT and color‐filter processes. The size of the panel (100 in.), based on the wide format (16:9), is determined by the maximum efficiency of the world's first seventh‐generation line (glass size, 1950 × 2250 mm) in LG.Philips LCD's (LPL) Paju display cluster. The issues facing 100‐in. TFT‐LCDs will be discussed.     

2‐D/3‐D displays based on switchable lenticulars

Abstract— An attractive concept for 3‐D displays is the one based on LCDs equipped with lenticular lenses. This enables autostereoscopic multiview 3‐D displays without a loss in brightness. A general issue in multiview 3‐D displays is their relatively low spatial resolution because the pixels are divided among the different views. To overcome this problem, we have developed switchable displays, using liquid‐crystal (LC) filled switchable lenticulars. In this way, it is possible to have a high‐brightness 3‐D display capable of fully exploiting the native 2‐D resolution of the underlying LCD. The feasibility of LC‐filled switchable lenticulars was shown in several applications. For applications in which it is advantageous to be able to display 3‐D and 2‐D content simultaneously, a 42‐in. locally switchable prototype having a matrix electrode structure was developed. These displays were realized using cylindrically shaped lenticular lenses in contact with LC. An alternative for these are lenticulars based on gradient‐index (GRIN) LC lenses. Preliminary results for such switchable GRIN lenses are presented as well.     

Key design issues for autostereoscopic 2‐D/3‐D displays

Abstract— Flat‐panel 2‐D/3‐D autostereoscopic displays are now being commercialized in a variety of applications, each with its own particular requirements. The autostereoscopic display designer has two key considerations to address in order to meet customer needs — the optical output of the display (defined by the output window structure) and the choice of optical components. Window structure determines 3‐D image resolution, achievable lateral and longitudinal viewing freedom, crosstalk, and 3‐D fringe contrast. Optical‐component selection determines the quality of the imaging of such windows, viewing distances, device ruggedness, thickness, and brightness. Trade‐offs in window design are described, and a comparison of the leading optical component technologies is given. Selection of Polarisation Activated Microlenses? architectures for LCD and OLED applications are described. The technology delivers significant advantages particularly for minimising nominal viewing distances in high pixel density panels and optimizing device ruggedness while maintaining display brightness.     

Depth‐ and viewing‐angle‐enhanced 3‐D/2‐D switchable display system with high contrast ratio using multiple display devices and a lens array

Abstract— An improved 3‐D/2‐D switchable display system with enhanced depth and viewing angle by adding two LCD panels to an integral imaging system has been realized. The proposed system uses the see‐through property of an LCD panel and displays multiple sets of elemental images on the LCD panels to integrate them on multiple locations simultaneously. As a result, the depth of the 3‐D image can be enhanced. For wide viewing angles, the time‐multiplexing method was adopted by displaying mask patterns on the front LCD panel. In addition, another technique to increase the contrast ratio of the proposed system has also been developed. Some experimental results will be provided.     

2‐D/3‐D switchable autostereoscopic display with multi‐electrically driven liquid‐crystal (MeD‐LC) lenses

Abstract— A cylindrical multi‐electrically driven liquid‐crystal lens (MeD‐LC lens) is proposed to extend the range of focusing. The MeD‐LC lens could be applied to switching 2‐D and 3‐D images by supplying a specific operating voltage on each electrode. Therefore, the MeD‐LC lens has less cross‐talk than that of a conventional LC lens. Furthermore, the simplified structure of a MeD‐LC lens with a homogeneous LC layer is much easier for fabrication without a LC‐alignment issue.     

Invited Paper: Depth reproducibility of multiview depth‐fused 3‐D display

Abstract— A multi‐view depth‐fused 3‐D (DFD) display that provides smooth motion parallax for wide viewing angles is proposed. A conventional DFD display consists of a stack of two transparent emitting screens. It can produce motion parallax for small changes in observation angle, but its viewing zone is rather narrow due to the split images it provides in inclined views. On the other hand, even though multi‐view 3‐D displays have a wide viewing angle, motion parallax in them is discrete, depending on the number of views they show. By applying a stacked structure to multi‐view 3‐D displays, a wide‐viewing‐angle 3‐D display with smooth motion parallax was fabricated. Experimental results confirmed the viewing‐zone connection of DFD displays while the calculated results show the feasibility of stacked multi‐view displays.     

3D television: Developing a multi‐modal multi‐viewer TV system of the future

Abstract— Under the European Union funded Advanced Three‐dimensional Television System Technologies (ATTEST) project, De Montfort University (DMU) is developing a 3D display system targeted specifically at domestic television applications. This system uses a modified transmissive LCD panel together with novel backlighting and optics to project multiple viewing regions, or exit pupils, into the viewing space. These exit pupils are located in space using a head tracker. The display accommodates multiple viewers simultaneously and imposes no physical constraints, such as special eyewear. Viewers may move freely over a “typical” room‐sized area. The design of the backlighting facilitates many other display regimes beyond the “standard” 3DTV mode in which each viewer sees the same image pair.     

Psychophysical evaluations of a current multi‐view 3‐D display: Its advantages in glossiness reproduction

Abstract— Although two‐view 3‐D displays requiring stereo glasses are on the market, the shape of objects they present is distorted when the observer's head moves. This problem can be solved by using a (passive) multi‐view 3‐D display because such a display can produce motion parallax. Another problem has to do with the surface quality of the presented object, but little is known about the fidelity of such displays as far as the surface quality goes. Previously, it was found that a two‐view 3‐D display has a problem in which glossiness deteriorates when the observer's head moves and that it can be alleviated by using a head tracker, whose data enables the display to produce correct motion parallax and luminance changes when the viewer's head moves. Here, it was determined whether this problem can be solved by using commercially available multi‐view 3‐D displays, whose finite number of viewpoints and certain amount of cross‐talk, however, make luminance changes inexact and smaller than they should be. It was found that this display can solve the problem to a certain extent.     

Multi‐view 3‐D display employing a flat‐panel display with slanted pixel arrangement

Abstract— A flat‐panel display with a slanted subpixel arrangement has been developed for a multi‐view three‐dimensional (3‐D) display. A set of 3M × N subpixels (M × N subpixels for each R, G, and B color) corresponds to one of the cylindrical lenses, which constitutes a lenticular lens, to construct each 3‐D pixel of a multi‐view display that offers M × N views. Subpixels of the same color in each 3‐D pixel have different horizontal positions, and the R, G, and B subpixels are repeated in the horizontal direction. In addition, the ray‐emitting areas of the subpixels within a 3‐D pixel are continuous in the horizontal direction for each color. One of the vertical edges of each subpixel has the same horizontal position as the opposite vertical edge of another subpixel of the same color. Cross‐talk among viewing zones is theoretically zero. This structure is suitable for providing a large number of views. A liquid‐crystal panel having this slanted subpixel arrangement was fabricated to construct a mobile 3‐D display with 16 views and a 3‐D resolution of 256 × 192. A 3‐D pixel is comprised of 12 × 4 subpixels (M = 4 and N = 4). The screen size was 2.57 in.     

3‐D crosstalk and luminance uniformity from angular luminance profiles of multiview autostereoscopic 3‐D displays

Abstract— Autostereoscopic 3‐D display technologies enable a more immersive media experience by adding real depth to the visual content. However, the method used for the creation of a sensation of depth or stereo illusion contains several display design and content‐related issues that need to be carefully considered to maintain sufficient image quality. Conventionally, methods used for 3‐D image‐quality evaluations have been based on subjective testing. Optical measurements, in addition to subjective testing, can be used as an efficient tool for 3‐D display characterization. Objective characterization methods for autostereoscopic displays have been developed. How parameters affecting stereo image quality can be defined and measured, and how their effect on the stereo image quality can be evaluated have been investigated. Developed characterization methods are based on empirically gathered data. In this paper, previously presented methodology for two‐view displays is extended to cover autostereoscopic multiview displays. A distinction between displays where the change in content occurs in clear steps when the user moves in front of the display, and displays where the apparent movement of the objects is more continuous as a function of the head movement is made. Definitions for 3‐D luminance and luminance uniformity, which are equally important, as well as 3‐D crosstalk, which is the dominant factor in the evaluations of the perceived 3‐D image quality, is focused upon.     

Optical characterization of autostereoscopic 3‐D displays

Abstract— Display‐measurement methods different from conventional 2‐D display measurements are needed for verifying the optical characteristics of autostereoscopic (3‐D) displays and for comparing different 3‐D display technologies. Industry is lacking standardized measurement methods, and the reported results can not always be compared. The selected set of characteristics discussed in this paper and partly defining the quality of the 3‐D experience are crosstalk, viewing freedom, and optimum viewing distance. Also, more conventional display characteristics such as luminance are discussed, since the definitions for these characteristics in 3‐D mode usually differ from those used for the 2D displays. We have investigated how these chosen 3‐D display characteristics can be objectively measured from transmissive two‐view and multiview 3‐D displays. The scope of this article is to generally define those basic characteristics as well as the different measurement methods. Most of the 3‐D characteristics can be derived from the luminance and colors versus the viewing angle. Either a conoscopic or a goniometric measurement system can be used, as long as the angular and stray‐light properties are suitable and known. The characteristics and methods are currently discussed in the display‐quality standardization forums.     

High‐quality direct‐view display combining multiple integral 3D images

This paper proposes a method for combining multiple integral three‐dimensional (3D) images using direct‐view displays to obtain high‐quality results. A multi‐image combining optical system (MICOS) is used to enlarge and combine multiple integral 3D images without gaps. An optical design with a simple lens configuration that does not require a diffuser plate prevents the deterioration in resolution resulting from lens arrangement errors and the diffuser plate. An experiment was performed to compare a previously developed method with the proposed method, and the latter showed a significant improvement in image quality. A method for expanding the effective viewing angle of the proposed optical design was also developed, and its effectiveness was confirmed experimentally. A prototype device of the proposed optical design was constructed using a high‐density organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) panel with 8K resolution and 1058 ppi pixel density to achieve 311 (H) × 175 (V) elemental images, a viewing angle of 20.6° in both the horizontal and vertical directions, and a display size of 9.1 in. In addition, the proposed optical design enabled making device considerably thinner, ie, with a thickness of only 47 mm.     

Improving resolution and image space in a static volumetric 3‐D display

Abstract— Improvements achieved in image resolution and volume in a volumetric display based on the two‐frequency, two‐step upconversion (TFTS) method are presented. Two digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are utilized to generate fast scanning of the image volume at high resolution. Improvements in resolution and image size over previous implementations are achieved by choosing sodium—ytterbium—fluoride for the imaging crystal instead of the conventional ytterbium—lithium—fluoride composition. Experimentally, images at 532 nm were constructed using 45 slices with each slice rendered at 1024 × 768 resolution, resulting in almost 35 million voxels. The resulting system has the potential to achieve a resolution beyond a targeted 800 million voxels without viewpoint obstruction and with expandability to three‐color imagery.