Stereo television system

Claim 2

Television system, for generating three-dimensional pictures of a subject, characterized by a) a single television camera (20; 113); b) light directing means (22; 117; 122)positioned in front of said camera (20; 113) for viewing said subject (27; 115) from left and right viewpoints horizontally spaced by substantially the human interoccular distance and forming two light paths between the subject and the camera; c) shutter means (30, 31; 120, 123) provided in each of the two light paths; d) control means (40, 44, 45; 124, 130) for alternately enabling such shutter means in synchronism with the interlace frequency of said television camera; e) a projection television receiver (50; 34) for projecting a television picture on a screen (57; 136); f) optical means (54; 140) provided between said receiver and said screen for alternately and oppositely rotating the planes of polarization of the projected light in synchronism with the interlace frequency of the receiver; g) shutter means (62, 65; 141; 150, 151) provided in the light paths between the projecting receiver and the screen and alternately enabled in synchronism with said interlace frequency; h) a pair of eyepieces (82, 83; 46, 47; 55, 56) of oppositely rotated plane of polarization for observing the picture on said screen.

Claim 3

System according to claim 1, characterized in that the light directing means (22) comprises first and second mutually spaced sites (32, 34) in the form of mirror surfaces directing their respective images on the same area of said camera; and the optical means (54) includes a beam splitter (60 - 65) projecting onto said screen alternately in synchronism with the interlace frequency a first picture of the subject as seen by said first site, said projected first picture having a first plane of polarization, and projecting a second picture of the subject as seen by said second site, said second projected picture having a second plane of polarization.

Claim 4

A system according to Claim 2, characterized in that the optical means (54) includes a beam splitter (60, 63), a pair of light polarizers (62, 65) in mutually 90° relationship, means (61, 64) directing a pair of beams from said beam splitter through said polarizers to substantially the same area of the screen (57), a pair of shutters (62, 65) between said receiver and said screen, and means (74, 75) actuating said shutters alternately at said frequency.

Claim 5

System according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the shutters (30, 31; 62, 65) are electro-optical shutters.

Claim 6

System according to Claim 4, characterized in that the shutters consist of PLZT ceramic.

Claim 7

System according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the mutual spaced sites (32, 34) and/or the beam splitter (60, 63) are formed by mirrors.

Claim 8

System according to one of the preceeding claims, characterized in that: a projection television receiver (50) is used for projecting light toward a screen (57) as a sequence of images representative of a video signal comprising left and right video frames alternating at a predetermined frequency; between the image plane (51) of the receiver (50) and the screen (52) an electro-optical beam splitter and light polarizer is provided, dividing the light radiated by the image plane of the receiver (50) into first and second portions and directing said portions to fall successively on substantially the same area of the screen; means (75, 62, 65) alternately rotate the planes of polarization of said portions in first and second opposite senses in synchronism with said predetermined frequency, so that when said screen is observed binocularly through eyepieces of oppositely rotated polarization, a stereo image is perceived by the observer.

Claim 9

Television system for generating three-dimensional pictures of a subject, characterized by: means (22; 117, 122) providing a pair of video signals representative of the appearance of a subject (27; 115) as seen from left and right viewpoints spaced by substantially the human interoccular distance; interlace circuitry (40; 124) for creating a composite signal including an interlace component and a video component in which said video signals are alternated at a predetermined rate; a television monitor (50; 134), including video circuitry and interlace circuitry (70; 124), for receiving said composite signal and projecting light as an image determined by said video signals; a screen (57; 136), for receiving said image, reflecting light falling thereon without changing the state of polarization thereof; light polarizing means (62, 65; 140) between said monitor and said screen for polarizing the light projected by said monitor; and electro-optical shutter means (62, 65; 141; 150, 151) between said monitor and said screen, and controlled by said interlace circuitry (70; 124) to alter the state of polarization of the projected light, so that the light from said monitor falling on said screen comprises a succession of images determined by said video signals and of distinguishable states of polarization.

Claim 10

Television system for generating three-dimensional pictures of a subject, characterized by: means (22; 117, 122) providing a pair of video signals representative of the appearance of a subject (27; 115) as seen from left and right viewpoints spaced by substantially the human interoccular distance; interlace circuitry (40; 124) for creating a composite signal including an interlace component and a video component in which said video signals are alternated at a predetermined rate; a television monitor (50; 134), including video circuitry and interlace circuitry (70; 124), for receiving said composite signal and projecting light as an image determined by said video signals; a screen (57; 136), for receiving said image, reflecting light falling thereon without changing the state of polarization thereof; light polarizing means (62, 65; 140) between said monitor and said screen for polarizing the light projected by said monitor; and electro-optical shutter means (62, 65; 141; 150, 151) between said monitor and said screen, and controlled by said interlace circuitry (70; 124) to alter the state of polarization of the projected light, so that the light from said monitor falling on said screen comprises a succession of images determined by said video signals and of distinguishable states of polarization.

Claim 11

System according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by viewing means in the form of a pair of spectacles (82, 83; 55, 56) having left and right eyepieces configured severally to pass light of said distinguishable states of polarization.

Claim 12

System according to claim 10, characterized in that said distinguishable states are planes of polarization differing by substantially 90 degrees.

Claim 13

System according to claim 1 or 8 in which the light polarizing means establishes a plane of polarization for the light of said beam, characterized in that said shutter means (62, 65; 141) comprises means normally transmitting said beam, and energizable to rotate the plane of polarization of said beam by substantially 90 degrees.

Claim 14

System according to claim 12, characterized in that said shutter means comprises first (150) and second (151) means normally transmitting said beam and severally energizable to rotate the plane of polarization of said beam by substantially 45 degrees in opposite senses.

Claim 15

A television monitor for the system according to one of the preceeding claims, characterized by video circuitry and interlace circuitry (124), for receiving a composite signal and projecting a beam of light as an image determined by the said video circuitry; a screen (136) receiving said image, said screen reflecting light falling thereon without altering the state of polarization thereof; light polarizing means (140) between said monitor (134) and said screen for polarizing the light projected by said monitor; and electro-optical shutter (141) means between said monitor and said screen and controlled by said interlace circuitry to shift the light reaching said screen from said monitor between distinguishable states of polarization.