This patent, U.S. Patent #7,635,189, describes a technique for converting a portable projector into a three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic display. Any projector based on standard digital light processor (DLP) technology can be converted to 3D using this patented invention. To view the image in 3D, the user wears a pair of passive, polarization sensitive eyeglasses. This patent, which is part of a broader effort to investigate 3D display technology -- including 10 patented IBM inventions -- addresses how to synchronize a precision, multi-segment color filter wheel inside the projector with a series of video signals that distinguish the left and right eye views which make up a 3D image. Using this technique, a system can project images which appear to extend 3 feet beyond the plane of the projection screen. It provides a very low-cost way to implement 3D technology. The invention is compatible with 90% of the portable projectors on the market, all standard video formats, and all major PC games and graphics software; and eliminates eye strain which can be associated with prolonged viewing of other 3D systems.
IBM inventor, Casimer DeCusatis, earned a patent for this invention.