MULTIVIEW 3D WRIST WATCH

[0001] This application is a continuation application of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/308,961, filed Jun. 19, 2014, which is a continuation application of and claims the benefit of priority to prior International Application No. PCT/US2013/024093, filed Jan. 31, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] N/A

[0003] Wrist watches have been a part of human culture and attire for quite a few decades, having first become popular in the 1920s. The first few models were simply pocket watches held in place by a strap out of necessity during times of war. Soldiers found it impractical to pull a watch from their pockets in the middle of a battle and started relying on wrist watches more frequently. As wrist watches became popular, their designs improved and evolved over time. Initial designs were entirely mechanical. The next generation models employed electronic mechanisms with quartz oscillators. Digital watches became an item in the 1970s, and since then, various models have surfaced to increase consumer demand, including calculator watches, waterproof watches, camera watches, GPS watches, and so on. Current fashion trends indicate that wrist watches are experiencing a comeback after losing some ground to smart phones and other devices.

[0013] A multiview 3D wrist watch is disclosed. The multiview 3D wrist watch is capable of displaying time in 3D such that a user may view time as if floating in space. The wrist watch employs a unique directional backplane that is used to provide a light field in the form of directional lightbeams. The directional lightbeams are scattered by a plurality of directional pixels in the directional backplane. Each directional lightbeam originates from a different directional pixel and has a given direction and angular spread based on characteristics of the directional pixel. This pointed directionality enables directional beams to be modulated (i.e., turned on, off or changed in brightness) using a plurality of modulators and generate different 3D time views.

[0014] In various examples, the directional pixels are arranged in a directional backplane that is illuminated by a plurality of input planar lightbeams. The directional pixels receive the input planar lightbeams and scatter a fraction of them into directional lightbeams. A shutter layer is placed above the directional pixels to modulate the directional lightbeams as desired. The shutter layer may include a plurality of modulators with active matrix addressing (e.g., Liquid Crystal Display (“LCD”) cells, MEMS, fluidic, magnetic, electrophoretic, etc.), with each modulator modulating a single directional lightbeam from a single directional pixel or a set of directional lightbeams from a set of directional pixels. The shutter layer enables 3D time views to be generated, with each view provided by a set of directional lightbeams. The 3D time views may be in a single color or multiple colors as desired.

[0015] In various examples, the directional pixels in the directional backplane have patterned gratings of substantially parallel grooves arranged in or on top of the directional backplane. The directional backplane may be, for example, a slab of transparent material that guides the input planar lightbeams into the directional pixels, such as, for example, Silicon Nitride (“SiN”), glass or quartz, plastic, Indium Tin Oxide (“ITO”), among others. The patterned gratings can consist of grooves etched directly in or made of material deposited on top of the directional backplane (e.g., any material that can be deposited and etched or lift-off, including any dielectrics or metal). The grooves may also be slanted.

[0016] As described in more detail herein below, each directional pixel may be specified by a grating length (i.e., dimension along the propagation axis of the input planar lightbeams), a grating width (i.e., dimension across the propagation axis of the input planar lightbeams), a groove orientation, a pitch, and a duty cycle. Each directional pixel may emit a directional lightbeam with a direction that is determined by the groove orientation and the grating pitch and with an angular spread that is determined by the grating length and width. By using a duty cycle of or around 50%, the second Fourier coefficient of the patterned gratings vanishes thereby preventing the scattering of light in additional unwanted directions. This insures that only one directional lightbeam emerges from each directional pixel regardless of its output angle.

[0017] As further described in more detail herein below, a directional backplane can be designed with directional pixels that have a certain grating length, a grating width, a groove orientation, a pitch and a duty cycle that are selected to produce a given 3D time view. The 3D time view is generated from the directional lightbeams emitted by the directional pixels and modulated by the shutter layer, with modulated directional lightbeams from a set of directional pixels generating a given time view.

[0018] It is appreciated that, in the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it is appreciated that the embodiments may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, well known methods and structures may not be described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. Also, the embodiments may be used in combination with each other.

[0019] Referring now to FIG. 1, schematic diagrams of wrist watches designed in accordance with various examples is described. Wrist watch 100 is a multiview 3D watch that displays time in a circular-like display with numbers placed around the display. Wrist watch 105 is a multiview 3D watch that displays time in a rectangular-like display with number digits indicating the time. Both wrist watches 100-105 show time in 3D time views such that a user may see time as if floating in space. Depending on the position of the user's eyes, a different time view may be perceived by the user; that is, the user views time in a natural and real manner much like the brain perceives visual information in 3D in the real world.

[0020] It is appreciated that the time views shown in wrist watches 100 and 105 may be of a single or multiple colors as desired. It is also appreciated that the 3D time views may be of different shapes, have different effects, and include other imagery besides the time. For example, the 3D time views may be shaded, outlined, patterned, and so on. The wrist watch displays may be rectangular, circular, polygonal, or any other shape that may be designed for a wrist watch. The time views may also include a logo for the wrist watch, background pictures, and other pictures to complement the time displayed. As described below, the 3D time views are generated with a unique directional backplane capable of generating directional lightbeams that are modulated by a shutter layer according to the time to be displayed in the 3D time view (e.g., 8:13 am, 10:34 pm, etc.).

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of a wrist watch with a directional backplane in accordance with various examples is described. Wrist watch 200 includes a directional backplane 205 that receives a set of input planar lightbeams 210 from a plurality of light sources. The plurality of light sources may include, for example, one or more narrow-bandwidth light sources with a spectral bandwidth of approximately 30 nm or less, such as Light Emitting Diodes (“LEDs”), lasers (e.g., hybrid lasers), or any other light source used to provide illumination in a wrist watch. The input planar lightbeams 210 propagate in substantially the same plane as the directional backplane 205, which is designed to be substantially planar.

[0022] The directional backplane 205 may consist of a slab of a transparent material (e.g., SiN, glass or quartz, plastic, ITO, etc.) having a plurality of directional pixels 215a-d arranged in or on top of the directional backplane 205. The directional pixels 215a-d scatter a fraction of the input planar lightbeams 210 into directional lightbeams 220a-d. In various examples, each directional pixel 215a-d has patterned gratings of substantially parallel grooves, e.g., grooves 225a for directional pixel 215a. The thickness of the grating grooves can be substantially the same for all grooves resulting in a substantially planar design. The grooves can be etched in the directional backplane or be made of material deposited on top of the directional backplane 205 (e.g., any material that can be deposited and etched or lift-off, including any dielectrics or metal).

[0023] Each directional lightbeam 220a-d has a given direction and an angular spread that is determined by the patterned grating forming the corresponding directional pixel 215a-d. In particular, the direction of each directional lightbeam 220a-d is determined by the orientation and the grating pitch of the patterned gratings. The angular spread of each directional lightbeam is in turn determined by the grating length and width of the patterned gratings. For example, the direction of directional lightbeam 215a is determined by the orientation and the grating pitch of patterned gratings 225a.

[0024] It is appreciated that this substantially planar design and the formation of directional lightbeams 220a-d from input planar lightbeams 210 requires gratings having a substantially smaller pitch than traditional diffraction gratings. For example, traditional diffraction gratings scatter light upon illumination with lightbeams that are propagating substantially across the plane of the grating. Here, the gratings in each directional pixel 215a-d are substantially on the same plane as the input planar lightbeams 210 when generating the directional lightbeams 220a-d.

[0025] The directional lightbeams 220a-d are precisely controlled by characteristics of the gratings in directional pixels 215a-d including a grating length L, a grating width W, a groove orientation θ, and a grating pitch Λ. In particular, the grating length L of grating 225a controls the angular spread ΔΘ of the directional lightbeam 220a along the input light propagation axis and the grating width W controls the angular spread ΔΘ of the directional lightbeam 220a across the input light propagation axis, as follows:

$\begin{array}{cc}\Delta \Theta \approx \frac{4\lambda }{\pi L}\left(\frac{4\lambda }{\pi W}\right)& \left(\mathrm{Eq}.1\right)\end{array}$

where λ is the wavelength of the directional lightbeam 220a. The groove orientation, specified by the grating orientation angle θ, and the grating pitch Λ or grating period control the direction of the directional lightbeam 220a.

[0026] The grating length L and the grating width W can vary in size in the range of 0.1 to 200 μm. The groove orientation angle θ and the grating pitch Λ may be set to satisfy a desired direction of the directional lightbeam 220a, with, for example, the groove orientation angle θ on the order of −40 to +40 degrees and the grating pitch Λ on the order of 200-700 nm.

[0027] In various examples, a shutter layer 230 (e.g., LCD cells) is positioned above the directional pixels 215a-d to modulate the directional lightbeams 220a-d scattered by the directional pixels 215a-d. Modulation of directional lightbeams 220a-d involves controlling their brightness with the shutter layer 230 (e.g., turning them on, off, or changing their brightness). For example, modulators in the shutter layer 230 may be used to turn on directional lightbeams 220a and 220d and turn off directional lightbeams 220b and 220c.

[0028] The ability to provide modulation for the directional lightbeams 220a-d enables many different 3D time views to be generated, such as time view 240. The modulators are controlled by clock circuitry 245, which determines the time to be displayed in the wrist watch 200 and therefore determines which directional lightbeams 220a-d to be turned on or off to produce the time view 240 corresponding to the time to be displayed in the watch 200 (e.g., 03:07 am).

[0029] The shutter layer 230 may be placed on top of a spacer layer 235, which may be made of a material or simply consist of a spacing (i.e., air) between the directional pixels 215a-d and the modulators of the shutter layer 230. The spacer layer 235 may have a width, for example, on the order of 0-100 μm.

[0030] It is appreciated that directional backplane 205 is shown with four directional pixels 215a-d for illustration purposes only. A directional backplane in accordance with various examples can be designed with many directional pixels (e.g., higher than 100), depending on how the directional backplane is used (e.g., in a 3D display screen, in a 3D watch, in a mobile device, etc.). It is also appreciated that the directional pixels may have any shape, including for example, a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or other geometrical shape.

[0031] Attention is now directed to FIGS. 3A-B, which illustrate top views of a directional backplane according to FIG. 2. In FIG. 3A, wrist watch 300 is shown with a directional backplane 305 consisting of a plurality of polygonal directional pixels (e.g., directional pixel 310) arranged in a transparent slab. Each directional pixel is able to scatter a portion of the input planar lightbeams 315 into an output directional lightbeam (e.g., directional lightbeam 320). Each directional lightbeam is modulated by a modulator, e.g., LCD cell 325 for directional lightbeam 320. The directional lightbeams scattered by all the directional pixels in the directional backplane 305 and modulated by the modulators (e.g., LCD cell 325) can represent multiple image views that when combined form a 3D time view 360.

[0032] Similarly, in FIG. 3B, wrist watch 330 is shown with a directional backplane 335 consisting of a plurality of circular directional pixels (e.g., directional pixel 340) arranged in a transparent slab. Each directional pixel is able to scatter a portion of the input planar lightbeams 345 into an output directional lightbeam (e.g., directional lightbeam 350). Each directional lightbeam is modulated by a modulator, e.g., LCD cell 355 for directional lightbeam 350. The directional lightbeams scattered by all the directional pixels in the directional backplane 335 and modulated by the modulators (e.g., LCD cell 355) can represent multiple image views that when combined form a 3D time view 365.

[0033] In various examples, a single modulator may be used to modulate a set of directional lightbeams from a set of directional pixels. That is, a given modulator may be placed above a set of directional pixels instead of having a single modulator per directional pixel as shown in FIGS. 3A-B.

[0034] Referring now to FIGS. 4A-B, top views of a directional backplane according to FIG. 2 are described. In FIG. 4A, wrist watch 400 is show with a directional backplane 405 consisting of a plurality of polygonal directional pixels (e.g., directional pixel 410a) arranged in a transparent slab. Each directional pixel is able to scatter a portion of the input planar lightbeams 415 into an output directional lightbeam (e.g., directional lightbeam 420a). A set of directional lightbeams (e.g., directional lightbeams 420a-d scattered by directional pixels 410a-d) is modulated by a modulator (e.g., LCD cell 425a to modulate directional lightbeams 420a-d). For example, LCD cell 425a is used to turn on directional pixels 410a-d while LCD cell 425d is used to turn off directional pixels 430a-d. The directional lightbeams scattered by all the directional pixels in the directional backplane 405 and modulated by the LCD cells 425a-d can represent multiple views that when combined form a 3D time view 475.

[0035] Similarly, in FIG. 4B, wrist watch 440 is shown with a directional backplane 445 consisting of a plurality of circular directional pixels (e.g., directional pixel 450a) arranged in a transparent slab. Each directional pixel is able to scatter a portion of the input planar lightbeams 455 into an output directional lightbeam (e.g., directional lightbeam 360a). A set of directional lightbeams (e.g., directional lightbeams 460a-d scattered by directional pixels 450a-d) is modulated by a modulator (e.g., LCD cell 470a to modulate directional lightbeams 460a-d). For example, LCD cell 470a is used to turn on directional pixels 450a-d while LCD cell 470d is used to turn off directional pixels 465a-d. The directional lightbeams scattered by all the directional pixels in the directional backplane 445 and modulated by modulators such as the LCD cells 470a-d can represent multiple views that when combined form a 3D time view 480.

[0036] It is appreciated that a directional backplane may be designed to have different shapes, such as, for example, a triangular shape (as shown in FIG. 5), a hexagonal shape (as shown in FIG. 6), or a circular shape (as shown in FIG. 7). In FIG. 5, the directional backplane 505 receives input planar lightbeams from three different spatial directions, e.g., input planar lightbeams 510-520. This configuration may be used when the input planar lightbeams represent light of different colors, e.g., with input planar lightbeams 510 representing a red color, input planar lightbeams 515 representing a green color, and input planar lightbeams 520 representing a blue color. Each of the input planar lightbeams 510-520 is disposed on a side of the triangular directional backplane 505 to focus their light on a set of directional pixels. For example, the input planar lightbeams 510 is scattered into directional lightbeams by a set of directional pixels 525-535. This subset of directional pixels 525-535 may also receive light from the input planar lightbeams 515-520. However, by design this light is not scattered in the intended view zone of the wrist watch 500.

[0037] For example, suppose that input planar lightbeams 510 are scattered by a subset G_A of directional pixels 525-535 into an intended view zone. The intended view zone may be specified by a maximum ray angle θ_max measured from a normal to the directional backplane 504. Input planar lightbeams 510 may also be scattered by a subset of directional pixels G_B 540-550, however those unwanted rays are outside the intended view zone as long as:

$\begin{array}{cc}\sin {\theta }_{\max }\le \frac{{\lambda }_A+{\lambda }_B}{{\lambda }_A{\lambda }_B}\sqrt{{\left(\frac{n_{\mathrm{eff}}^A}{{\lambda }_A}\right)}^2+{\left(\frac{n_{\mathrm{eff}}^B}{{\lambda }_B}\right)}^2-\left(\frac{n_{\mathrm{eff}}^A}{{\lambda }_A}\right)\left(\frac{n_{\mathrm{eff}}^B}{{\lambda }_B}\right)}& \left(\mathrm{Eq}.2\right)\end{array}$

where λ_A is the wavelength of input planar lightbeams 510, n_eff^A is the effective index of horizontal propagation of input planar lightbeams 510 in the directional backplane 505, λ_B is the wavelength of input planar lightbeams 520 (to be scattered by directional pixels 540-550), and n_eff^B is the effective index of horizontal propagation of input planar lightbeams 520 in the directional backplane 505. In case where the effective indices and wavelengths are substantially the same, Equation 2 reduces to:

$\begin{array}{cc}\sin {\theta }_{\max }\le \frac{n_{\mathrm{eff}}}{2}& \left(\mathrm{Eq}.3\right)\end{array}$

[0038] For a directional backplane of refractive index n above 2 with input planar lightbeams propagating near the grazing angle, it is seen that the intended view zone of the display can be extended to the whole space (n_eff≧2 and sinθ_max˜1). For a directional backplane of lower index such as glass (e.g., n=1.46), the intended view zone is limited to about θ_max<arcsin(n/2) (±45° for glass).

[0039] It is appreciated that each directional lightbeam may be modulated by a modulator, such as, for example, LCD cell 555. Since precise directional and angular control of directional lightbeams can be achieved with each directional pixel in the directional backplane 505 and the directional lightbeams can be modulated by modulators such as LCD cells, the directional backplane 405 can be designed to generate many different views of 3D images.

[0040] It is further appreciated that the directional backplane 505 shown in FIG. 5 may be shaped into a more compact design by realizing that the extremities of the triangular slab can be cut to form a hexagonal shape, as shown in FIG. 6. The directional backplane 605 receives input planar lightbeams from three different spatial directions, e.g., input planar lightbeams 610-620. Each of the input planar lightbeams 610-620 is disposed on alternating sides of the hexagonal directional backplane 605 to focus its light on a subset of directional pixels (e.g., directional pixels 625-635). In various examples, the hexagonal directional backplane 605 has a side length that may range in the order of 10-30 mm, with a directional pixel size in the order of 10-30 μm.

[0041] It is appreciated that wrist watch 600 is shown with multiple configurations of modulators. For example, a single modulator may be used to modulate directional lightbeams from a set of directional pixels, e.g., LCD cell 640 for directional pixels 625-635, or a single modulator may be used to modulate a single directional pixel, e.g., LCD cell 655 for directional pixel 660. One skilled in the art appreciates that any configuration of modulators for use with directional pixels may be used to modulate directional lightbeams scattered by the directional pixels. A clock circuitry (not shown) is used to control the modulators in a shutter layer. One skilled in the art also appreciates that any shutter layer configuration may be used to modulate directional lightbeams.

[0042] It is also appreciated that the directional backplane for use with color input planar lightbeams can have any geometrical shape besides a triangular (FIG. 5) or hexagonal shape (FIG. 6) as long as light from three primary colors is brought from three different directions. For example, the directional backplane may be a polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or another shape able to receive light from three different directions. Referring now to FIG. 7, a directional backplane having a circular shape is described. Directional backplane 705 in wrist watch 700 receives input planar lightbeams 710-720 from three different directions. Each directional pixel has a circular shape, e.g., directional pixel 720, and scatters a directional lightbeam that is modulated by a modulator, e.g., LCD cell 725. Each LCD cell has a rectangular shape and the circular directional backplane 705 is designed to accommodate the rectangular LCD cells for the circular directional pixels (or for polygonal directional pixels if desired).

[0043] A flowchart for generating a 3D time view with a multiview 3D wrist watch in accordance with the present application is illustrated in FIG. 8. The multiview 3D wrist watch generates 3D time views with a directional backplane and a shutter layer controller by clock circuitry as described above. First, clock circuitry determines a time to be displayed (800). Light from a plurality of narrow-bandwidth light sources is input into the directional backplane in the form of input planar lightbeams (805). The clock circuitry then controls a shutter layer to modulate a set of directional pixels in a directional backplane according to the time to be displayed (810). Lastly, a 3D time view is generated from the modulated directional lightbeams that are scattered by the directional pixels in the directional backplane (815).

[0044] Advantageously, the multiview 3D wrist watch enables a 3D time view to be generated so that a user views time as if floating in space. The directional lightbeams generated by the directional pixels can be modulated to produce any desired effect in the generated time views.

[0045] It is appreciated that the previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0046] This application incorporates by reference herein PCT Patent Application Ser. No. PCT/US2012/035573 entitled “Directional Pixel for Use in a Display Screen,” filed on Apr. 27, 2012 (Attny. Dkt. No. LI-01), PCT Patent Application Ser. No. PCT/US2012/040305 entitled “Directional Backlight,” filed May 31, 2012 (Attny. Dkt. No. LI-02), and PCT Patent Application Ser. No. PCT/US2012/040607 entitled “Directional Backlight with a Modulation Layer,” filed Jun. 1, 2012 (Attny. Dkt. No. LI-03), all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application.