Patents by Inventor Douglas J. McKnight

Douglas J. McKnight has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170315423
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for attenuating an incident polarized light beam using a plurality of LCPGs and one or more switchable liquid crystal layers. When four LCPGs are used, a spacing between first and second LCPGs can be equal to a spacing between third and fourth LCPGs. Pi and FCL cells can also be used in place of more traditional LC switches. Switching of the LC switch can be imparted via an AC bias.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Steven A. Serati, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Publication number: 20170299941
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for attenuating an incident polarized light beam using a plurality of LCPGs and one or more switchable liquid crystal layers. When four LCPGs are used, a spacing between first and second LCPGs can be equal to a spacing between third and fourth LCPGs. Pi and FCL cells can also be used in place of more traditional LC switches. Switching of the LC switch can be imparted via an AC bias.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Steven A. Serati, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Publication number: 20170237970
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein may generate captured views and a plurality of intermediate views within a pixel disparity range, Td, the plurality of intermediate views being extrapolated from the captured views.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Jon Karafin, Miller H. Schuck, Douglas J. McKnight, Mrityunjay Kumar, Wilhelm Taylor
  • Publication number: 20170219839
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes systems and methods for solving speckle problems by exciting the screen with a more complex vibration spectrum. A range of frequencies provides, in effect, a collection of overlapping patterns of high and low displacement, so that all regions of the screen have enough motion to reduce visible speckle. As previously discussed acceptable speckle may be approximately 15% contrast or less, preferably approximately 5% contrast or less at approximately 15 feet from the screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Douglas J. McKnight, Kevin Curtis
  • Patent number: 9696617
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides discussion of screen vibration to reduce speckle in display applications and/or projection screens. Electrical transducers or reactors may be used with a screen to reduce or remove speckle in projection screens and/or display applications. Electrical transducers may not be directly mounted to a screen, thus eliminating many mechanical failure modes associated with a vibrating transducer as well as resulting in a much quieter operation. By design, the reactors or transducers may actually contact the screen, and can take up less than one square inch of screen surface each, than previous designs, which may be outside of the active viewing area and within 12 inches of the screen border, preferably less than approximately 1 inch from screen edge. The reactors are magnets, though any ferrous material can be made to work with certain operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Mark DiLullo, Kevin Curtis, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Publication number: 20170131624
    Abstract: Optical systems having at least one polarization beam splitter (PBS) are operable to receive randomly-polarized light bundles from a projector lens. The PBS is further operable to direct light bundles having a state of polarization (SOP) along a light path and operable to direct other light bundles having a different SOP along different light paths. The light paths have optical path lengths which may differ. Each light path produces an image having a distortion which may differ from the distortion of an image produced by a different light path. A compensation in a light path is operable to convert a non-compensated distortion of an image into a compensated distortion that more closely matches the distortion of images in other light paths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Miller H. Schuck, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Patent number: 9625745
    Abstract: Display devices with high dynamic ranges approaching the limitations of the human eye are discussed herein. High dynamic range projections systems may be 2D or 3D and devices may or may not be implemented with polarization preserving optics for high efficiency. In one embodiment, 2D HDR projection systems may compensate the modulator for varying transmission and contrast versus field of view. In another embodiment, 3D HDR projection systems may include a global or pixelated/segmented modulator. The global or pixelated/segmented modulator may be included in a stereoscopic polarization switch or in a polarization-preserving stereoscopic projection system. Additionally, a combination of global/global or pixelated/pixelated, or global/pixelated modulators may be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Gary D. Sharp, Miller H. Schuck, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Patent number: 9529207
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes systems and methods for solving speckle problems by exciting the screen with a more complex vibration spectrum. A range of frequencies provides, in effect, a collection of overlapping patterns of high and low displacement, so that all regions of the screen have enough motion to reduce visible speckle. As previously discussed acceptable speckle may be approximately 15% contrast or less, preferably approximately 5% contrast or less at approximately 15 feet from the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. McKnight, Kevin Curtis
  • Publication number: 20160139496
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides discussion of screen vibration to reduce speckle in display applications and/or projection screens. Electrical transducers or reactors may be used with a screen to reduce or remove speckle in projection screens and/or display applications. Electrical transducers may not be directly mounted to a screen, thus eliminating many mechanical failure modes associated with a vibrating transducer as well as resulting in a much quieter operation. By design, the reactors or transducers may actually contact the screen, and can take up less than one square inch of screen surface each, than previous designs, which may be outside of the active viewing area and within 12 inches of the screen border, preferably less than approximately 1 inch from screen edge. The reactors are magnets, though any ferrous material can be made to work with certain operating conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventors: Mark DiLullo, Kevin Curtis, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Publication number: 20150339996
    Abstract: A direct view display provides a light modulating panel and a backlight including first and second sets of spectral emitters. Several modes of operation may be provided including an advanced 2D mode, and an enhanced color gamut mode employing simultaneous illumination of the first and second set of spectral emitters. Another embodiment may be an optical structure for a multi-functional LCD display with wide color gamut and high stereo contrast. The optical structure may also be used to produce more saturated colors for a wider display color gamut and also may be used to produce a brighter backlight structure through light recycling of the wider bandwidth light back into the optical structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Miller H. Schuck, Gary D. Sharp, Douglas J. McKnight, Terry Norton
  • Publication number: 20150138508
    Abstract: Display devices with high dynamic ranges approaching the limitations of the human eye are discussed herein. High dynamic range projections systems may be 2D or 3D and devices may or may not be implemented with polarization preserving optics for high efficiency. In one embodiment, 2D HDR projection systems may compensate the modulator for varying transmission and contrast versus field of view. In another embodiment, 3D HDR projection systems may include a global or pixelated/segmented modulator. The global or pixelated/segmented modulator may be included in a stereoscopic polarization switch or in a polarization-preserving stereoscopic projection system. Additionally, a combination of global/global or pixelated/pixelated, or global/pixelated modulators may be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Gary D. Sharp, Miller H. Schuck, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Publication number: 20140362437
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes systems and methods for solving speckle problems by exciting the screen with a more complex vibration spectrum. A range of frequencies provides, in effect, a collection of overlapping patterns of high and low displacement, so that all regions of the screen have enough motion to reduce visible speckle. As previously discussed acceptable speckle may be approximately 15% contrast or less, preferably approximately 5% contrast or less at approximately 15 feet from the screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Douglas J. McKnight, Kevin Curtis
  • Patent number: 8817198
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are apparatuses and related methods for avoiding liquid crystal molecule twisting through local boundary orientation relevant to the alignment direction of liquid crystal structures. In one embodiment, a segmented polarization control panel may comprise a plurality of segment electrodes corresponding to a plurality of display segments of the sequentially scanning display. The plurality of segment electrodes comprise liquid crystals therein, and are arranged contiguously in a direction of the sequential scan. Electrode boundaries are created between adjacent segment electrodes, where each may be cascaded substantially parallel and perpendicular to a liquid crystal alignment direction of liquid crystals located within the segments. Preventing twisting by the disclosed techniques is particularly attractive in active retarder display systems employing fast striped pi-cell modulators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Michael G. Robinson, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Patent number: 8794764
    Abstract: Projection systems and methods for providing stereoscopic images viewed through passive polarizing eyewear. The systems relate to projectors that create left and right eye images simultaneously and often as side-by-side images on the image modulator. The systems act to superimpose the spatially separated images on a projection screen with alternate polarization states. The embodiments are best suited to liquid crystal polarization based projection systems and use advanced polarization control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Miller H. Schuck, Michael G. Robinson, Douglas J. McKnight, Gary D. Sharp
  • Patent number: 8766890
    Abstract: This disclosure primarily concerns 3D stereoscopic displays that provide alternately polarized left and right eye images encoded with a modulating LC polarization control panel (PCP) attached to the front of the display. Viewers then wear polarization analyzing eyewear to correctly see the different images. More specifically, the disclosure introduces global LC electrical reset during the addressing of liquid crystal time-sequential stereoscopic displays in order to reduce left/right eye contamination. LC materials in general do not respond fast enough with conventional addressing schemes to provide independent left and right eye images at the desired flicker-free, rate of sixty frames per second per eye. This disclosure and its embodiments may overcome this limitation, and also may address motion blur limitations, by driving pixels to a common LC state as part of the addressing cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Michael G. Robinson, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Patent number: 8757806
    Abstract: Proposed are various embodiments of projection systems that generally provide stereoscopic images. The projection systems act to split a spatially separated image in a stereoscopic image frame and superimpose the left- and right-eye images on a projection screen with orthogonal polarization states. The embodiments are generally well suited to liquid crystal polarization based projection systems and may use advanced polarization control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Miller H. Schuck, Michael G. Robinson, Douglas J. McKnight, Gary D. Sharp
  • Patent number: 8724041
    Abstract: An improved drive scheme for a segmented polarizing modulator (or Polarization Control Panel) for use in an electronic stereoscopic display. The segmented polarization modulator segments are arranged contiguously in a direction of the sequential scan. The liquid crystal material used in each segment is driven in a manner to reduce the visibility of segment boundaries, by applying a positive or negative transition voltage (+T or ?T volts) for a short period of time prior to applying +H and ?H drive voltages. Optionally, the transition voltage may also be applied in transitioning from +H and ?H drive voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. McKnight, Michael G. Robinson
  • Publication number: 20140118505
    Abstract: The present application provides a single lens capture device having a single input port. The single lens capture device may include an objective lens, a fixed objective lens aperture, off-center apertures inside the objective lens, and a sensor. The sensor is operable to capture images at a rate of at least two times the rate of stereoscopic presentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: REALD INC.
    Inventors: Miller H. Schuck, David A. Coleman, Douglas J. McKnight
  • Patent number: 8625881
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for reduction of ghost images in stereoscopic images. This disclosure provides a ghost compensation apparatus and methods that detect affected regions where ghosting may occur in a stereoscopic image, yet where conventional ghost compensation techniques are ineffective because there is insufficient luminance overhead to conduct a conventional ghost compensation process. Luminance values are modified in such regions prior to applying a ghost compensation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas J. McKnight
  • Publication number: 20130265528
    Abstract: Disclosed are various lenticular display systems that include either a color filter array (CFA) or a colored lens array that is spaced from the pixels of an underlying display panel. In an embodiment, the CFA of a lenticular display may be operable to provides a locally ‘static color’ reproduction of images as a function of viewing angle. It may also enable the resolution of the CFA to be relatively coarse. Both separating the CFA from the panel and reducing the resolution significantly may reduce the system cost and allow higher resolution to be realized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Inventors: Michael G. Robinson, Douglas J. McKnight