Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

There is disclosed a stereoscopic viewing system utilizing one or two prisms to direct the line of sight from a viewer's eyes to each of a pair of stereoscopic images. The single lens sytem employs different occluded angles between the prism faces and the facing image planes to avoid lateral distortion of the images. In the preferred embodiment, the prisms have a plano face and an opposite face bearing a plurality of equally-spaced, straight and parallel V-grooves, forming a plurality of equally-spaced, longitudinal triangular prisms therebetween. The preferred viewing system employs, in the simplest embodiment, one of these prisms mounted with its grooved face at an occluded angle of from 40.degree. to about 60.degree. to one of a pair of stereoscopic images. The second stereoscopic image is mounted on a planar imaging surface at an occluded angle of from 2.degree. to about 15.degree. to the plano face of the prism. A viewer perceives a stereoscopic impression when the incident angle of view from one eye results in complete internal reflection in the prism and is directed to one of the pair of stereoscopic images. The view from the opposite eye, however, is refracted in the prism and directed to the other of the stereoscopic images. In the second embodiment, a pair of the aforementioned prisms are disposed with their planar surfaces in a back-to-back array and the occluded angles between each of the stereoscopic image planes and the lens assembly are equal and from 40.degree. to about 60.degree..

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim