Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

U.S. Philips Corporation

Cornelis Van Berkel

Neil C Bird

Alan G Knapp

Hugo Johan Cornelissen

Martin John Edwards

Steven Charles Deane

John M Shannon

John A Clarke

Sander Jurgen Roosendaal

Graham Gordon Thomason

David W Parker

Oliver S Davies

Asher J Hoskins

David S George

An autostereoscopic display apparatus includes a plurality of colored individually addressable display elements () arranged in an array of rows and columns. A lenticular sheet () includes a plurality of light directing elements, for example lenticular elements (). A color order of the individually addressable display elements () in the row direction () provides triplets () of adjacent individually addressable display elements (), each individually addressable display element () of a triplet () being a respective one of the colors (R, G, B) of the display. The internal color order of the individually addressable display elements () within a triplet () is different for different triplets () in at least one of the row direction () and the column direction ().

Autostereoscopic display apparatus and colour filter therefor

An autostereoscopic display apparatus (), comprising: a plurality of individually addressable display elements () arranged in an array of rows and columns; and light directing means () comprising a plurality of light directing elements () at a slant angle (&#x3b1;) to the column direction (); wherein the shape of the individually addressable display elements () substantially comprises the shape remaining from a rectangular footprint when one or more cut-outs () is removed; the one or more cut-outs () being positioned relative to the slanted angle (&#x3b1;) of the light directing elements () such as to provide a reduction in brightness variation along the row direction () compared to what individually addressable display elements shaped according to the rectangular footprint would provide.

Autostereoscopic display apparatus and filter therefor

The present invention relates to a display device with a birefringent lens system having cylindrical lenses, extending in a main direction. The polarization of light modulated by a LC layer is twisted by a rotator layer (') in order to be perpendicular or parallel with this main direction. A birefringent compensation layer () is used to remove any ellipticity introduced by the rotator layer (&#x2032;). This provides improved contrast when the display device is used e.g. in a switchable 2D/3D display.

Display device

An electric field object sensing system uses a charge pumping circuit to provide a voltage over a capacitor that varies dependent upon the capacitive coupling between a transmitter electrode and a receiver electrode. The output of the charge pump is preferably fed to a high impedance read-out means, such as an analog-digital converter (ADC). The system is preferably implemented in CMOS and integrated in control circuits of electronic products.

Object sensing

An autostereoscopic display device (), includes a display panel (), a lenticular sheet () and an electrically controllable diffuser (). The electrically controllable diffuser () includes an optical medium (), e.g. polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), with a structured surface () against an electro-optic medium (), e.g. a small droplet polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer. The electro-optic material () refractive index is varied with an applied electric field (or zero field) and is switchable between at least (i) a value (n) substantially matching that of the optical medium (), which provides a substantially non-diffusing mode, hence 3D operation of the display device, and (ii) a value (n) different to that of the optical medium () hence causing refraction at the structured surface (), the structured surface () providing different refraction angles (&#x3b8;) so as to provide an overall diffusing effect, hence 2D operation. The diffuser () may be provided as a stand-alone item.

Autostereoscopic display apparatus

An object sensing system (), and method, employing electric field sensing, also known as quasi-electrostatic sensing and which may be termed cross capacitive sensing, is described. The system () includes at least one electrode arrangement (), each electrode arrangement () includes one electric field sensing reception electrode () and two electric field sensing transmission electrodes (). One of the electric field sensing transmission electrodes () is driven with an alternating voltage () including at least some antiphase portions, for example an inverted signal, in comparison to an alternating voltage () with which the other electric field sensing transmission electrode () is driven. This improves the spatial precision of object sensing performed by detecting changes in the current induced in the electric field reception electrode (). In one arrangement the two electric field sensing transmission electrodes () are in the form of annular rings arranged around the electric field sensing reception electrode ().

An unknown object shape is computed using repeated iterations of electrostatic calculations on a predetermined shaped object and sensed electrostatic measurements. The predetermined object shape is morphed toward the unknown object shape at each iteration until the object shape is determined. The morphing of the shape is based on calculating the zero contour of the electrostatic potential, which potential depends on a charge distribution applied to the predetermined shape.

Object shape determination method and system therefor

A combined passive and active object sensing system () employing electric field sensing is described. An electric field sensing transmission electrode () generates a first electric field () that induces a current in an electric field sensing reception electrode (). A passive object () is sensed from variation in this current. An active object () comprises a further electric field sensing transmission electrode () and generates a second electric field (). This may be generated by the active object () coupling with and applying a phase shift to the first electric field (). Alternatively the second electric field () may be generated at a different frequency to the first electric field (). Alternatively the second electric field () may be generated by the active object () coupling with an alternating magnetic field generated by a coil (). The second electric field () induces a current in the electric field sensing reception electrode () that varies with the position of the active object (). The separate currents are distinguished by virtue of their different phase or frequency.

Apparatus for displaying an image comprises a liquid crystal display, a lenticular lens arrayfor directing different portions of the image in different directions and mirrorsfor reflecting at least some of the directed image, to produce an effective imagelarger than the original image. The apparatus can be a mobile phoneor a visual display unit.

Image display

A method for controlling pixel addressing of a pixel display device ( ) to drive the display device as an N-view autostereoscopic display when a lenticular screen ( ) is overlaid and image pixel data for N discrete views to be interlaced is provided. Based on data defining at least the lenticular screen lenticule pitch (p ), the number of views N, and the lenticular screen position relative to the display device pixels ( ), for each display pixel, a derivation is made as to which of the N views it is to carry. The corresponding pixel data for the assigned view is then selected as the display pixel data.

Lenticular screen adaptor

A light-weight substrate ( ) for thin film, large area electronic devices such as active matrix display devices, image sensing arrays and the like comprises a layer of rigid, cellular material ( ) bonded to a comparatively thin glass sheet ( ) on whose surface thin film circuit elements are provided. An aerogel material of higher than usual density can be used for the cellular layer. An array of microlenses may be provided between the cellular layer and the thin glass sheet.

Substrates for large area electronic devices

An autostereoscopic display apparatus includes a matrix display panel (10), preferably an active matrix liquid crystal display panel, having display elements (12) in rows and columns and arranged in groups of at least three adjacent display elements, and an optical director (15) in the form of, for example, a lenticular screen overlying the panel (10) and having lenticules (16) extending in the column direction with each lenticule overlying an associated display element group, in which adjacent display elements in a group are arranged so as to partly overlap one another in the column direction (Y). The display elements in a group can, for example, be arranged in a line in the row direction (X) and shaped as non-rectangular parallelograms, or triangles, successive ones being inverted, or interdigitated, or arranged in two or more rows. As a result, unwanted display artifacts such as dark banding caused by black matrix extending between columns of display elements is eliminated and the transition between stereoscopic views is smoothed due to an image merging effect as a viewer's head moves in the row direction.

An autostereoscopic display apparatus comprises means (10) for producing a display consisting of display pixels (12) in rows and columns, for example, an LC matrix display panel having a row and column array of display elements, and an array (15) of parallel lenticular elements (16) overlying the display, in which the lenticular elements are slanted with respect to the display pixel columns. The reduction in display resolution experienced in such apparatus, particularly in the case of a multi-view type display, is then shared between both horizontal and vertical resolution. Examples of full colour display apparatus using advantageous colour display pixel lay-out schemes are also described.

A substrate (2) carries an array (3) of photosensitive elements (4) each having a given surface area (4a) capable of detecting light. An array (5) of lens elements (6) is provided over the photosensitive array (5) so that each lens element (6) is associated with a respective photosensitive element (4) for concentrating light incident on the lens element (6) onto the associated photosensitive element (4). The given lo surface area (4a) of each photosensitive element (4) is covered by an opaque layer (7) for preventing light from reaching the photosensitive element (4) and a respective light transmissive region (8) which is small in relation to the surface area (4a) of the photosensitive element (4) is provided in the opaque layer (7) over each photosensitive element (4) at or near the focal point (F) of the associated lens element (6) so that, for each photosensitive element (4), the majority of the given surface area (4a) is shielded from any incident light by the opaque layer (7) and the light transmissive region (8) defines within the given surface area (4a) of the photosensitive element (4) a surface portion (4b) for receiving light which is small in relation to the given surface area (4a).

Image sensor

A first substrate (2) carries an array (3) of imaging elements (4). An array (5) of lens elements (6) is provided with each lens element (6) associated with at least one imaging element (4) for concentrating light (L) travelling on a light path between the imaging element (4) and the at least one lens element (6). An electro-optic material (8) having an electrically alterable refractive index is provided in a space defined between a second substrate (7) and one of the imaging element and the lens element arrays (3 and 5). Electrodes (8a,8b) are provided for applying an electrical potential across the electro-optic material (8) to adjust the effective focal length of the lens elements (6). The focal length of the lens elements (6) can thus be adjusted by applying or varying the potential applied across the electro-optic material so that the focus of the imaging device is not entirely dependent on the nature and construction of the lens elements (6 ).

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Hove, United Kingdom

Cornelis Van Berkel