Depth enhanced multi-layered display using polarization dependent double reflection

We propose a polarization dependent double reflection technique to enhance the depth range of a multi-layered threedimensional display. The multi-layered three-dimensional display presents three-dimensional images by reconstructing light ray field using a stack of several liquid crystal display panels. The proposed system consists of a multi-layered display, a half-mirror, a polarization control panel, two pieces of quarter-wave-plates, a reflective polarizer and a backlight. The rays from the multi-layered display are controlled while passing through the polarization control panel to be either of two orthogonal polarization states. In one polarization state, the rays pass through the two quarter-waveplates, the half-mirror and the reflective polarizer directly. In another polarization state, the rays once reflect back from the reflective polarizer to the half-mirror before finally going out through the reflective polarizer, increasing apparent distance from the observer to the multi-layered display. By altering two polarization modes sequentially, the depth range of the multi-layered display can be doubled.