High resolution autostereoscopic display apparatus with interlaced image

Abstract

An autostereoscopic display apparatus includes a backlight unit, a polarizing plate disposed in front of the backlight unit; a display panel displaying a left eye image and a right eye image by interlacing pixel lines of the left and right eye images alternately and sequentially; a lenticular lens sheet, disposed between the polarizing plate and the display panel, separating light emitted from the backlight unit into a left eye zone and a right eye zone; and a polarization switch controlling a polarization direction of light proceeding towards the left eye viewing zone so that light is incident on pixel lines of the display panel displaying the left eye image and a polarization direction of light proceeding towards the right eye viewing zone so that light is incident on pixel lines of the display panel displaying the right eye image, in synchronization with a vertical scanning time of the display panel.

1 . An autostereoscopic display apparatus comprising:
 a backlight unit;   a lenticular lens sheet which separates light emitted from the backlight unit into a left eye viewing zone and a right eye viewing zone;   a display panel which displays a left eye image and a right eye image by interlacing pixel lines of the left and right eye images alternately and sequentially; and   a spatial light modulator, disposed between the backlight unit and the lenticular lens sheet, comprising a plurality of cells independently switching between a transparent state and an opaque state in synchronization with a vertical scanning time of the display panel,   wherein the cells of the spatial light modulator are arranged in two dimensions along rows and columns.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the spatial light modulator switches between a first status in which all cells are transparent, a second status in which transparent cells and opaque cells are arranged in a checkered pattern, and a third status in which the transparent cells in the second status are opaque cells and the opaque cells in the second status are transparent cells. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the display panel repeatedly displays a left eye image of a first frame in odd pixel lines and a right eye image for the first frame in even pixel lines and a left eye image of a second frame in the even pixel lines and a right eye image of the second frame in the odd pixel lines. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the spatial light modulator switches between the second and third statuses sequentially and line by line in synchronization with a vertical scanning time of the display panel. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a number of cells in the vertical direction of the spatial light modulator is the same as that of a number of pixel lines of the display panel. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the lenticular lens sheet comprises a plurality of vertical lenticular lens elements arranged along the horizontal direction and parallel to the spatial light modulator. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a width of the vertical lenticular lens elements of the lenticular lens sheet is not less than a width of two cells of the spatial light modulator. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a distance between the lenticular lens sheet and the spatial light modulator is not less than a focal length of the vertical lenticular lens elements. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an opaque mask having a striped shape disposed in the horizontal direction between rows of the cells of the spatial light modulator. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a pitch in the vertical direction between the horizontal opaque mask of the spatial light modulator is greater than a pitch between the pixel lines of the display panel.