JPH09146048A - Stereoscopic video display device using polarizing spectacles - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a stereoscopic video with high luminance with a small number of projectors. SOLUTION: This device consists of a holographic polarization beam splitter 5 which splits the light from a light source 4 into S-polarized light and P- polarized light and a DMD6 which is irradiated with the S-polarized light and P-polarized light split by the holographic polarization beam splitter 5 and has plural fine mirror surface elements arranged corresponding to the pixels of the video data. The holographic polarization beam splitter 5 is irradiated with the S-polarized light and P-polarized light individually by the fine mirror surface elements, and the tilt angle of the fine mirror surface elements irradiated with the S-polarized light is modulated with video data for the left eye and the tilt angle of the fine mirror surface elements irradiated with the P-polarized light is modulated with video data for the right eye.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device using polarized glasses which allows an observer to wear stereoscopic images to observe stereoscopic images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 6, a polarized glasses type stereoscopic image display device of this type has two projectors 1A,
1B, one projector 1A projects a left-eye image toward the screen 2 and the other projector 1B projects a right-eye image toward the screen 2. At this time, the light emitted from the pair of projectors 1A and 1B is transmitted by a polarizing plate (not shown).
Both are linearly polarized light, and the polarization directions are orthogonal to each other.

The observer views the polarizing plates 3a, 3 in front of the left and right eyes so that only the light of the image corresponding to each eye passes.
By wearing the polarized glasses 3 in which b is arranged, only the left-eye image is observed by the left eye and only the right-eye image is observed by the right eye, thereby recognizing the stereoscopic image.

However, in the conventional stereoscopic image display apparatus using the polarized glasses as described above, since two projectors are used, the structure is complicated and the power consumption is large.
It has the drawback of being expensive. It is also necessary to accurately align the left-eye image and the right-eye image on the screen.

Further, a liquid crystal panel is used as a light valve for displaying an image, and one of the exit side surfaces of the liquid crystal panel is
Only the pixel portion displaying the image of one eye (for example, 1
(For each line), a (1/2) λ phase difference plate is arranged, and the polarization direction of only the light of the image of the one eye is rotated by 90 ° to obtain the image light for the left eye and the image light for the right eye. It is also proposed to display stereoscopic images with a single projector by making the polarization directions of the two orthogonal.

However, in the configuration using this one projector, in addition to the fact that the aperture ratio of the liquid crystal panel is low, light in one polarization direction is cut by the polarizing plate on the incident side of the liquid crystal panel, However, there is a drawback in that the efficiency of use of 3 is poor and the brightness of the stereoscopic image recognized by the observer is low. There is also a problem that it is very difficult to align the (1/2) λ retardation plate.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the drawbacks of the above-mentioned conventional example, and is a stereoscopic system using polarized glasses which has a high brightness of a stereoscopic image with a small number of projectors and has a simple structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a video display device.

[0008]

A stereoscopic image display apparatus using polarized glasses according to the present invention includes a light source, a polarization separating means for separating light from the light source into S-polarized light and P-polarized light, and the polarization separating means. And a light reflected by the mirror-deflecting image display means, in which a plurality of micro-mirror elements irradiating the S-polarized light and the P-polarized light separated by are arranged according to the pixels of the image data. A projection lens for projecting on the screen and polarizing glasses for separating the image projected on the screen into right and left according to the polarization direction, and the specular polarization image display device is separated by the polarization separating means. S
Polarized light and P-polarized light are separately radiated for each microscopic mirror element, and the inclination of the microscopic mirror element irradiated with the S-polarized light by one of the left-eye and right-eye image data forming a stereoscopic image The angle is modulated, and the tilt angle of the micro mirror surface element irradiated with the P-polarized light is modulated by the other image data.

In the stereoscopic image display device having the above structure, the light from one light source is separated into S-polarized light and P-polarized light by the polarization separating means, and the separated S-polarized light and P-polarized light are displayed as a mirror-polarized image. In the means, it is effectively modulated by the left and right video data. Moreover, at this time, there is no means for cutting a specific component of light like the polarizing plates on the entrance and exit sides of the liquid crystal panel, and the light from the light source is efficiently used.

Further, in the stereoscopic image display apparatus using the polarized glasses of the present invention, the polarization separation means includes an optical element for changing the optical paths of the separated S-polarized light and P-polarized light so that they are close to parallel light. Therefore, the separated S-polarized light and P-polarized light enter one specular-deflection-type image display means without requiring a complicated optical system.

Further, in the stereoscopic image display apparatus using the polarized glasses of the present invention, the polarization splitting means is provided with a light blocking film for blocking the light emitted by mixing the S polarization and P polarization by the polarization splitting means. With the provision, the S-polarized light and the P-polarized light are emitted in a form that is favorably separated by the polarization separation means.

The polarized light separating means may be formed of a transmission hologram. Further, in the stereoscopic image display device using the polarized glasses of the present invention, the polarization separation means converts the light from the light source into light in a state in which horizontal linear S-polarized light and P-polarized light are alternately present, In the mirror surface deflection type image display means, the minute mirror surface element that is modulated by the image data for the left eye and the minute mirror surface element that is modulated by the image data for the right eye are present for each horizontal line of the pixel array, and thus the mirror surface is formed. The signal switching between the left-eye image data and the right-eye image data in the deflection type image display means can be easily performed for each horizontal line.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a stereoscopic image display device using the polarized glasses of the present invention.

In the figure, 4 is a light source lamp and 5 is a light source lamp 4.
The holographic polarization beam splitter which separates the light from the S-polarized light into the S-polarized light and emits it, 6 is a mirror-deflecting image display means (hereinafter referred to as DMD (Digital Micromirror Device)), and 7 is an effective reflection from the DMD 6. A projection lens for projecting light, 8 a screen for displaying an image projected by the projection lens 7, and 9 polarizing glasses.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holographic polarization beam splitter 5 has another volume type or relief via a transparent substrate 52 on the light exit side surface of a transmission hologram 51 for separating S polarization and P polarization. The pattern hologram 53 is arranged. The hologram 53 reduces the mutual angle between the S-polarized light and the P-polarized light separated by the transmission hologram 51 to a smaller angle.
For example, one having a positive lens action and one having a prism action. That is, the S-polarized light and the P-polarized light separated by the transmissive hologram 51 by the action of the hologram 53 are emitted from the holographic polarization beam splitter 5 in a state close to parallel light.

Further, in the holographic polarization beam splitter 5, a horizontal line-shaped light shielding film 54 is formed on the light incident side surface of the transmission hologram 51. Therefore, the light from the light source lamp 4 is incident on the transmission hologram 51 in a state of being separated into horizontal linear slit light passing through the light transmitting portion 55 between the light shielding films 54. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the light incident from one transparent portion 55 is completely separated into S-polarized light and P-polarized light, and both the S-polarized light and the P-polarized light incident from the adjacent transparent portion 55 are completely separated. It is emitted from the hologram 53 in a state of being separated into two.

Therefore, the light emitted from the light source lamp 4 is passed by the holographic polarization beam splitter 5 to
It is converted into light in a state where horizontal line-shaped S-polarized light and P-polarized light are alternately present.

The DMD 6 is constructed by arranging a plurality of micro mirror elements according to the arrangement of pixels of video data. When the micro mirror element 61 is effective as a pixel,
As shown in FIG. 3A, the inclination is +10 degrees with respect to the neutral state, and conversely, when the pixel is invalid, the inclination is −10 degrees with respect to the neutral state as shown in FIG. 3B. .. Thereby, the reflected light reflected by the mirror surface with respect to the incident light is switched so as to have an optical path difference of 20 degrees between the effective reflected light necessary for forming an image and the invalid reflected light.

Among the minute mirror surface elements constituting the DMD 6, as shown in FIG. 4, the minute mirror surface elements M1, M3, ... M (2n-1) functioning as pixels of odd lines are for displaying stereoscopic images. Of the micro-mirror element M that operates based on the image data for the left eye and functions as pixels on even lines
2, M4, ... M (2n) operate based on the image data for the right eye for displaying a stereoscopic image.

Holographic polarization beam splitter 5
The linearly emitted S-polarized light and P-polarized light emitted from the DMD 6 is the S-polarized light as shown in FIG.
Among them, a micro mirror element M that functions as a pixel of an odd line
1, M3, ... M (2n-1) incident, P-polarized light is a micro mirror element M2, M4, ...
..Inject to M (2n).

Therefore, of the effective light reflected by the DMD 6, the light reflected by the micro mirror elements M1, M3, ... M (2n-1) functioning as pixels of odd-numbered lines is S-polarized left. The image light for the eye, which is reflected by the microscopic mirror elements M2, M4, ... M (2n) that function as pixels on even lines, is the image light for the right eye, which is P-polarized light.

The effective light reflected by the DMD 6, that is, S
The left-eye image light composed of polarized light and the right-eye image light composed of P-polarized light are projected by the projection lens 7 and are imaged on the screen 8.

In the polarizing glasses 9, the polarizing plate 9a for the left eye is S
The polarizing plate 9b is a polarizing plate that allows polarized light to pass therethrough, and the polarizing plate 9b for the right eye is a polarizing plate that allows P polarized light to pass therethrough. Therefore, the observer wearing the polarized glasses 9 recognizes an image for the left eye composed of S-polarized light with the left eye and an image for the right eye composed of P-polarized light with the right eye among the images formed on the screen 8. Recognize video. Thereby, the observer can observe the stereoscopic image formed on the screen 8 by the binocular parallax.

In the stereoscopic image display apparatus of the present embodiment as described above, the holographic polarization beam splitter 5 separates S-polarized light and P-polarized light, and the DMD 6 separates S-polarized light into a left-eye image and P-polarized light into a right-eye image. Since it is effectively used as an eye image, a viewer can appreciate a high-luminance stereoscopic image with little light loss.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the holographic polarization beam splitter 5 converts the S-polarized light and the P-polarized light into parallel light by the volume type or relief type hologram 53. Hologram 53
Instead of this, a refraction prism that refracts S-polarized light and P-polarized light in reverse, a positive lens reflection block, and a gradient index lens that bends one of S-polarized light and P-polarized light may be used.

In the above embodiment, the S-polarized light is used for the left-eye image and the P-polarized light is used for the right-eye image. On the contrary, the S-polarized light is used for the right-eye image and the P-polarized light. You may use it for the image for left eyes.

[0027]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a stereoscopic image display device using polarized glasses capable of displaying stereoscopic images with high brightness with a small number of projectors.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a stereoscopic image display device using polarized glasses of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a configuration of a holographic polarization beam splitter.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a basic operation of a micro mirror element of a DMD.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a left-eye minute mirror surface element and a right-eye minute mirror surface element in a DMD.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an incident state of DMD of S-polarized light and P-polarized light separated by a holographic polarization beam splitter on each micro mirror surface element.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional stereoscopic image display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Light Source 5 Holographic Polarizing Beam Splitter 51 Hologram 53 Transmission Hologram 54 Light-shielding Film 6 DMD (Mirror Surface Deflection Type Image Display Means) 61 Micro Mirror Surface Element 7 Projection Lens 8 Screen 9 Polarizing Glasses

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A light source, a polarization splitting means for splitting the light from the light source into S-polarized light and P-polarized light, and a plurality of minute mirror surfaces irradiated with the S-polarized light and P-polarized light split by the polarization splitting means. Mirror-deflecting image display means in which elements are arranged according to pixels of image data, a projection lens for projecting light reflected by the mirror-deflecting image display means toward a screen, and a projection lens projected on the screen The mirror-deflecting image display means is composed of polarized glasses for separating the image into right and left according to the polarization direction.
Polarized light and P-polarized light are separately irradiated to each micro mirror surface element,
One of the left-eye image data and the right-eye image data forming a stereoscopic image modulates the tilt angle of the microscopic mirror element that is irradiated with the S-polarized light, and the other image data irradiates the P-polarized light. A stereoscopic image display device using polarized glasses, wherein the tilt angle of a microscopic mirror element is modulated. 2. The polarized glasses according to claim 1, wherein the polarized light separating means comprises an optical element for changing the optical paths of the separated S-polarized light and P-polarized light so as to be close to parallel light. The stereoscopic image display device. 3. The polarization separating means is provided with a light-shielding film for shielding the light emitted by mixing the S-polarized light and the P-polarized light by the polarization separating means. Stereoscopic image display device using polarized glasses. 4. The three-dimensional image display device using polarizing glasses according to claim 1, wherein the polarized light separating means is formed of a transmission hologram. 5. The polarized light separating means converts light from a light source into light in a state where horizontal linear S-polarized light and P-polarized light are alternately present, and the mirror-polarized image display means is for the left eye. 2. A micro mirror element that is modulated by video data and a micro mirror element that is modulated by video data for the right eye are present for each horizontal line of the pixel array.
A stereoscopic image display device using the polarized glasses according to 2, 3, or 4.