Light polarization modulation based 3D display with transparent depth visual cues

In conventional three-dimensional (3D) displays, the display apparatus remains visible during the observation of 3D images. This characteristic indicates to viewers that the 3D images are generated by the display apparatus rather than being perceived as authentic, thereby hindering a truly immersive visual experience and resulting in a significantly restricted sense of immersion. Consequently, a 3D display based on light polarization modulation with transparent depth visual cues is proposed. The proposed 3D display comprises a two-dimensional (2D) display panel, a lenticular lens, a linear polarizer, a \(\:\lambda\:/4\) waveplate, a transflective mirror, and an analyzer. The linear polarizer transforms natural light from parallax images into linear polarized light. The \(\:\lambda\:/4\) waveplate introduces phase modulation to the linear polarized light. The transflective mirror alters the trajectory of the polarized light to generate a parallax image in a direction orthogonal to the 2D display panel. The light that has not undergone optical path conversion cannot pass through the analyzer, preventing the observer from perceiving the display. The transparent display structure enhances the stereoscopic display effect. By using depth vision clues and a transparent enhanced stereoscopic display structure, it is possible to achieve spatial stereoscopic display. The experimental results align closely with theoretical predictions.