Stereoscopic aperture valves
First Claim
1. A system for producing, from a received imaging signal containing image information relating to an object, a three-dimensional image of the object in a first mode and a two-dimensional image of the object in a second mode, comprising:
- at least a first encoder operable to encode the received imaging signal to produce at least an encoded first imaging signal;
at least a second encoder, positioned at or near at least one of an aperture stop and a conjugate thereof, operable in the first mode to encode differently portions of the first imaging signal to produce at least second and third imaging signal portions; and
at least a third encoder different from the at least a second encoder, the third encoder being operable to encode the second and third imaging signal portions, wherein in a first mode the first, second, and third encoders are configured to output second and third imaging signal portions having at least one differing optical characteristic and in a second mode the first, second, and third encoders are configured to output second and third signal portions in which the at least one differing optical characteristic is at least substantially the same.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to optical systems and aperture valves for producing stereoscopic images and to digital irises. One embodiment of the invention provides an optical system that has two of two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and inverse three-dimensional modes. Another embodiment provides a light valve using a plurality of regions of differing optical transmissivities. Another embodiment provides an optical system using a leading and/or analyzing filter that encodes only a portion of the light encoded by an encoder positioned at the aperture stop or conjugate thereof. Another embodiment provides a digital iris which includes a plurality of independently controllable pixels. Each pixel, for example, can include an active optical material, such as a liquid crystal material, and electrical conductors to apply a voltage across the material. The pixel alternates between transmissive and occlusive states.
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Citations
91 Claims
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1. A system for producing, from a received imaging signal containing image information relating to an object, a three-dimensional image of the object in a first mode and a two-dimensional image of the object in a second mode, comprising:
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at least a first encoder operable to encode the received imaging signal to produce at least an encoded first imaging signal;
at least a second encoder, positioned at or near at least one of an aperture stop and a conjugate thereof, operable in the first mode to encode differently portions of the first imaging signal to produce at least second and third imaging signal portions; and
at least a third encoder different from the at least a second encoder, the third encoder being operable to encode the second and third imaging signal portions, wherein in a first mode the first, second, and third encoders are configured to output second and third imaging signal portions having at least one differing optical characteristic and in a second mode the first, second, and third encoders are configured to output second and third signal portions in which the at least one differing optical characteristic is at least substantially the same. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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13. A method for producing, from a received imaging signal containing image information relating to an object, a three-dimensional image of the object in a first mode and a two-dimensional image of the object in a second mode, comprising:
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encoding the received imaging signal to form at least an encoded first imaging signal;
passing the first imaging signal through at least one encoder, positioned at or near at least one of an aperture stop and a conjugate thereof, to encode differently portions of the first imaging signal and form at least second and third imaging signal portions; and
further encoding the second and third imaging signal portions, wherein, during a selected time interval, in a first mode the second and third imaging signal portions have at least one differing optical characteristic and in a second mode the at least one differing optical characteristic of the second and third signal portions is at least substantially the same.
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22. A system for producing, from a received imaging signal containing image information relating to an object, a three-dimensional image of the object in a first mode and a two-dimensional image of the object in a second mode, comprising:
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first encoding means for encoding the received imaging signal to produce at least an encoded first imaging signal;
second encoding means, positioned at or near at least one of an aperture stop and a conjugate thereof, for encoding differently portions of the first imaging signal to produce at least second and third imaging signal portions; and
third encoding means for encoding the second and third imaging signal portions, wherein, during a selected time interval, in a first mode the first, second, and third encoding means are configured to output second and third imaging signal portions having at least one differing optical characteristic and in a second mode the first, second, and third encoding means are configured to output second and third signal portions in which the at least one differing optical characteristic is at least substantially the same. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A light valve, comprising:
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a first region configured to transmit at least about 75% of at least a first wavelength of the light contacting the first region or to occlude at least about 75% of at least a first wavelength of the light contacting the first region; and
a second region, the second region comprising a plurality of first subregions spatially distributed in at least a second subregion, wherein the first subregions are transmissive or opaque and the second subregion is the other of transmissive or opaque. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42)
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39. A method for encoding an optical signal, comprising:
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providing at least first, second, third and fourth optical regions, wherein the at least first, second, third and fourth optical regions are in an at least substantially non-overlapping relationship, at least the first and second regions have variable optical transmissivity, and the third and fourth optical regions are configured to have differing optical transmission characteristics;
in a first time interval, energizing the first region while at least one of de-energizing and reversely energizing the second region;
in a second, later time interval, energizing the second region while at least one of de-energizing and reversely energizing the first region.
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43. A light valve, comprising:
at least first, second, third and fourth optical regions, wherein the at least first, second, third and fourth optical regions are in an at least substantially non-overlapping relationship, at least the first and second regions have variable optical transmission characteristics, and the third and fourth optical regions are configured to have differing optical transmission characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (44, 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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45. A light valve, comprising:
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a first region configured to transmit at least about 75% of at least a first wavelength of the light contacting the first region or to occlude at least about 75% of the at least a first wavelength of the light contacting the first region; and
a plurality of second subregions, the second subregions being spatially distributed in the first region, wherein the second subregions are transmissive or opaque and the second subregion is the other of transmissive or opaque.
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47. A stereoscopic optical system, comprising:
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at least a first encoder configured to encode from about 45% to about 80% of a received imaging signal to form a first encoded imaging signal and an unencoded imaging signal and at least a second encoder configured to encode at least about 80% of the first encoded and unencoded imaging signals to form a second encoded imaging signal.
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54. A stereoscopic optical system, comprising:
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a primary encoder configured to encode at least about 80% of an imaging signal to form an encoded imaging signal; and
an analyzing encoder configured to encode further from about 45% to about 80% of the encoded imaging signal to form output first and second imaging signals. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. An iris for an optical system, comprising:
a transmissive micro-display comprising a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of rectangular pixels being independently switchable between an at least substantially transmissive state and an at least substantially opaque state to provide a desired optical output. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. A method for controlling optical output of an optical system, comprising:
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during a first time interval, energizing a first set of pixels in an iris to place the pixels in the first set of pixels in one of an optically occlusive and optically transmissive state while de-energizing or reversely energizing a mutually exclusive second set of pixels in the iris to place the pixels in the second set of pixels in the other of one of an optically occlusive and optically transmissive state to thereby define an aperture of a first size; and
during the first time interval, energizing at least a portion of an encoder to encode an imaging signal at least one of before and after the imaging signal passes through the aperture of the iris. - View Dependent Claims (67, 68, 69, 70, 71)
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72. A method for controlling optical output of an optical system, comprising:
during a first time interval, energizing a first set of pixels in an iris to place the pixels in the first set of pixels in one of (i) a first state in which the pixel passes at least most of a first wavelength band but not at least most of a second wavelength band of light and (ii) a second state in which the pixel does not pass at least most of the first wavelength band of light while de-energizing or reversely energizing a second set of pixels to place the pixels in the second set of pixels in the other of the first and second states. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74)
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75. An optical system, comprising:
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a lens having at least one of an aperture stop and conjugate thereof; and
an iris positioned at the aperture stop, the iris comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel being configured to be independently switchable between a first state in which the pixel passes at least most of a first wavelength band but not at least most of a second wavelength band of light and in a second state in which the pixel passes at least most of the second wavelength band of light. - View Dependent Claims (76, 77, 78, 79, 80)
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81. A method for producing, from a received imaging signal containing image information relating to an object, a direct three-dimensional image of the object in a first mode and an inverse three-dimensional image of the object in a second mode, comprising:
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receiving an imaging signal comprising information regarding an object; and
in a first operational mode, encoding the received imaging signal to form at least an encoded first imaging signal and processing the at least a first imaging signal to form a direct three-dimensional image of the object; and
in a second operational mode, encoding the received imaging signal to form at least an encoded second imaging signal and processing the at least a second imaging signal to form an inverse three-dimensional image of the object. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91)
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Specification