Eizo Nanao Corp has announced a 3D LCD monitor that displays images for mammography equipment. The black-and-white monitor, the RadiForce GS521-ST, is 21.3 inches in size and boasts 2,560 x 2,048 resolution. While Eizo Nanao has released many monitors for medical use, it is the company's first 3D monitor.
To display 3D images, Eizo Nanao employed the "half mirror method," which uses two LCD panels and a special mirror.
This method works as follows. Images taken for the right and left eyes are respectively displayed on the two panels. There is a half mirror developed by Eizo Nanao between the two LCD panels. While an image from one panel passes through the mirror, an image from the other panel is reflected on it like a normal mirror.
Second, the image reflected on the mirror has to be turned upside down. This operation is carried out by a control chip developed by the company and embedded in the monitor. Therefore, there is no need for a 3D graphics board.
Third, the half mirror features a function to rotate the angle of transmitted light's polarising axis by 90°. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish the polarisation angle of an image passing through the half mirror from that of an image being reflected on the mirror.
Fourth, when the screen of the monitor is seen through glasses whose right and left lenses are equipped with polarisation filters with different angles, different images are sent to the right and left eyes, enabling the user to recognise a 3D image.
This polarisation distinction technology is patented by Eizo Nanao, which expects the product to be available in May.