System and method for displaying images in 3-D stereo

• US 10,110,876 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2017
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. (Elevate Entertainment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. (Elevate Entertainment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pontius, James
• Application Number:
  US15/585,085
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/207 using a single 2D image sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/275 from 3D object models, e.g. computer-generated stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

A system and method of capturing a stereoscopic pair of images for use in forming a 3-D image of an object at a desired perceived position in a scene projected onto a dome surface. The first one of the stereoscopic pair of images is captured when the object is offset to the right of the desired perceived position in the scene. The second one of the stereoscopic pair of images is captured when the object is offset to the left of the desired perceived position in the scene. In this manner, positive parallax can be captured in front of a viewer, upward in an arc through the zenith of the dome, and beyond to the back of the dome. The system and method allows scenes projected onto a dome surface to contain positive parallax, and therefore allows objects to appear to be located beyond the dome surface when viewed in 3-D stereo, which was previously not possible.

Claims

1. A method of generating a stereoscopic pair of images for use in forming a 3-D image of an object at a desired perceived position in a scene, said method comprising:

moving the object to a left offset position in the scene, the left offset position being located to a left side of the desired perceived position in the scene;

capturing a left image of the object in the left offset position using a camera in a left camera position;

moving the object to a right offset position in the scene, the right offset position being located to a right side of the desired perceived position in the scene;

capturing a right image of the object in the right offset position using a camera in a right camera position; and

preparing the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display of the scene.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance between the desired perceived position in the scene and each of the left offset position and the right offset position.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance between the left camera position and the right camera position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a scene element.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

orienting the camera in the left camera position to a left camera heading and orienting the camera in the right camera position to a right camera heading, wherein the left camera heading and the right camera heading are parallel to one another.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display comprises generating a master image file from the left image and the right image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a real-world object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a virtual object, the scene is a virtual scene, each camera is a virtual camera capable of generating an image, moving the object to the left offset position and moving the object to the right offset position comprise virtually moving the object, and capturing the left image and capturing the right image comprise digitally preparing the left image and digitally preparing the right image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the left image and the right image comprises preparing the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display of the scene on a concave surface that at least partially surrounds an audience and on which the object appears to be in positive parallax due to the left offset position of the object in the left image and the right offset position of the object in the right image.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying the left image and the right image on the concave surface such that the object is perceived by a viewer in the audience as a 3-D image of the object positioned at the desired perceived position.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the concave surface is a dome surface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the desired perceived position is beyond the dome surface.

13. A method of generating a stereoscopic pair of images for use in forming a 3-D image, said method comprising:

creating a virtual environment using a computer;

determining a desired interocular distance between a left camera position and a right camera position in the virtual environment;

determining an offset distance for an object in the virtual environment from a desired perceived position to produce a desired positive parallax; and

generating a left image in which the object appears in the virtual environment at a left offset position at the offset distance from a left side of the desired perceived position;

generating a right image in which the object appears in the virtual environment at a right offset position at the offset distance from a right side of the desired perceived position; and

preparing the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the object is a scene element.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying the left image and the right image on a surface such that the object is perceived by a viewer as a 3-D image of the object positioned at the desired perceived position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

preparing the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display comprises preparing the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display on a concave surface to the viewer at least partially surrounded by the concave surface; and

displaying the left image and the right image comprises displaying the left image and the right image on an inside of the concave surface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the desired perceived position is beyond the inside of the concave surface.

18. A system for generating a 3-D image, comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible by the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify a desired perceived position in a scene, generate a left image of a scene with an object in a left offset position at an offset distance to a left side of the desired perceived position, generate a right image of the scene with the object at the offset distance to a right side of the desired perceived position, store the left image of the scene in a left image file and store the right image of the scene in a right image file.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to allow a user to define the scene.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein instructions cause the processor to generate the left image and the right image as a stereoscopic pair of images.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the memory further comprises the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to prepare the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to prepare the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display such that the object appears beyond a surface onto which the left image and the right image are to be projected.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to prepare the left image and the right image for stereoscopic display on a concave surface.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to prepare the left image and the right image for display on an inside of at least a portion of a dome surface.

25. A method of generating a 3-D image on a dome surface from a stereoscopic pair of images, the dome surface capable of at least partially surrounding an audience, the method comprising:

projecting the stereoscopic pair of images onto an inside of the dome surface with a projection system such that a viewer perceives a location of an object in the 3-D image formed from the stereoscopic pair of images as being beyond the dome surface.

26. A system for displaying a 3-D image, comprising:

a concave screen;

a processor;

a memory accessible by the processor, the memory storing;

a plurality of left images of a scene with an object at a left offset position from a desired perceived position in the scene; and

a plurality of right images of the scene with the object at a right offset position from the desired perceived position in the scene;

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to output a signal of a stereoscopic image including a corresponding pair of images including a left image of the plurality of left images and a right image of the plurality of right images;

a projector capable of receiving the signal from the processor, the projector including a left image projection element capable of projecting the left image of the scene onto the concave screen and a right image projection element capable of projecting the right image of the scene onto the concave screen, the left image projection element and the right image projection element oriented to project the left image of the scene and the right image of the scene in such a way that the object appears to be located beyond a surface of the concave screen.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the concave screen comprises a dome-shaped screen.