Method for simulating optical components for the stereoscopic production of spatial impressions

• US 20050233788A1
• Filed: 09/02/2003
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix 3D, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Phoenix 3D, Inc.
• Inventors: Tzschoppe, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/275 from 3D object models, e.g. computer-generated stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

The invention relates to a simulation method, especially to a method for simulating spatial impressions which are produced by means of an image generator and one or several filter arrays.

The method according to the invention essentially comprises the following steps: a) Specification of the geometry of the image generator, b) specification of the geometry of the filter array, c) specification of a spatial arrangement geometry in relation to the image generator and the filter array in a three-dimensional coordinate system (X,Y,Z), d) specification of two monocular positions of observation in front of the said arrangement geometry, e) specification of a combined image containing bits of partial information from several views A_k (k=1 . . . n) of a scene, f) determination of a first and a second secondary image containing image elements of the specified combined image which are visible to the eye of an observer in the specified first and second monocular position of observation on the basis of the specified filter array geometry in conjunction with the specified image generator geometry and the spatial arrangement geometry, and g) stereoscopic visualization of the first and second secondary images as a left and right stereoscopic image, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for the simulation of spatial visual impressions, comprising the following steps:

a) specifying the image generator geometry of an image generator, especially with regard to the structure and size of the image elements,

b) specifying the filter array geometry of a filter array, especially with regard to the structure and size of the filter elements,

c) specifying a spatial arrangement geometry in relation to the image generator and the filter array in a three-dimensional coordinate system,

d) specifying a first and a second monocular position of observation in front of the said arrangement geometry in the said three-dimensional coordinate system (X, Y, Z),

e) specifying a combined image that is suitable for display on the specified image generator geometry and that contains, in a defined assignment to the image elements, image information from different given primary images, which are identical to different views A_k (k=1 . . . n) of a virtual or real scene or of a virtual or real object,

f) determining a first and a second secondary image containing image elements of the specified combined image which are visible to the eye of an observer in the specified first and second monocular positions of observation on the basis of the specified filter array geometry in conjunction with the specified image generator geometry and the spatial arrangement geometry, in which an image element of a secondary image may explicitly just as well represent only part of an image element of the specified combined image, and

g) stereoscopically visualizing the first and second secondary images or parts of these secondary images as a left and right stereoscopic image, respectively.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the views A_k from which the combined image gets its image information are views of a spatial test scene, which contains two to five.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the test scene contains at least three graphic objects, wherein the objects within the spatial test scene are arranged in different depth positions, and wherein, if different views are compared, one of the objects shows no horizontal displacement, one shows a positive and one shows a negative horizontal displacement.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the objects imaged in the views have a width of at least one full pixel column and a height of at least about 24 pixel rows.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the objects of the test scene are homogeneously black, homogeneously gray, or structured.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the objects of the test scene are arranged in front of a white or structured background.

7. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the views of the test scene are recorded with virtual or real cameras, wherein the axes of the virtual or real cameras are aligned in parallel or converging, and wherein the camera positions used for every two neighboring views are always spaced at approximately equal distances.

8. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the views A_k for k>

1 are generated based on view A, in such a way that the view A₁ is generated by a parallel projection of the test scene, and, for generating the views A_k with k>

1, each of the graphic objects of the test scene imaged in view A₁ are displaced horizontally, so that the measure of each displacement is proportional to the depth position of the respective object in the spatial test scene, and the measure of displacement selected for different views, represented by different vales of k, varies.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image generator geometry is an orthogonal array of image elements in rows j and columns i, wherein the image elements emit or transmit light of a specified wavelength range, and wherein each image element has an outline that can be described by a closed curve.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the image generator geometry is an orthogonal array of image elements in about 763 rows and about 3072 columns, wherein the first column emits or transmits essentially red light, the second column emits or transmits essentially green light, the third column emits or transmits essentially blue light, and wherein a sequential pattern of essentially red, green and blue light emission or transmission repeats for remaining columns and wherein each image element has an essentially rectangular outline with a height of about 300 micrometers and a width of about 100 micrometers.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter array geometry of a filter array is specified in the form of a mask image, wherein wavelength filters, gray level filters or a combination of the foregoing β

_pq, that make up the filter elements of the filter array, are combined to form the mask image in an array of rows q and columns p depending on their transmission wavelength, their transmission wavelength range or their transmittance λ

_b, according the following equation;

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein each wavelength or gray level filter element is approximately one third as wide as an image element, and wherein the mask image satisfies the parameters n_m=24 and d_pq=1=const, wherein λ

₁ . . . λ

₂₄ are transmission wavelength ranges substantially opaque to visible light.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spatial arrangement geometry specified in step c), relative to the image generator and the filter array in the said three-dimensional coordinate system, describes one plane each for the image generator and the filter array, and the spatial positions of top left and bottom right corner points of the filter array or image generator.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein a unit of measurement of the said coordinate system is a millimeter, and in that the image generator plane satisfies the parameter

z=0 millimeters,

the filter array plane satisfies the condition

Zε

[−

20 . . . +20 mm],

the position of the top left corner point of the filter array or of the image generator satisfies the parameters

x=y=0 mm,

and the position of the bottom right corner point of the filter array or of the image generator satisfies the parameters

x=307.2 mm and y=230.4 mm.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the combined image to be specified in step e) is generated according to a process comprising the steps of:

partitioning the views A_k (k=1 . . . n) each into an equal grid of rows j and columns i,

combining the n views A_k in rows and columns to produce a single combined image with image elements α

_ij, with the assignment of bits of partial information from the views A_k (k=1 . . . n) to image elements α

_ij, of the positions i,j being defined by the equation

$k=i-c_{\mathrm{ij}}<br><br>j-n<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{IntegerPart}<br><br>\left[\frac{i-c_{\mathrm{ij}}<br><br>j-1}{n}\right],\mathrm{in}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{which}$

i is the index of an image element α

_ij, in a row of the grid,

j is the index of an image element α

_ij in a column of the grid,

k is the consecutive number of the image A_k (k=1 . . . n), from which the partial information originates that is to be rendered on a particular image element α

_ij,

c_ij is a selectable coefficient matrix for combining or mixing on the grid the different bits of partial information originating from the images A_k (k−

1 . . . n), and

IntegerPart is a function for generating the largest integer that does not exceed the argument put in square brackets.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the combined image to be specified in step e) is generated according to a process comprising the steps of:

portioning the views A_k (k−

1 . . . n) each into an equal grid of rows j′ and

columns i′

, by which a tensor A<sub>k1′

j′</sub>

of order three is formed, which contains the bits of image information from views k (k=1 . . . n) in each equal grid (i′

j′

),

combining the bits of equal information A<sub>ki′

j′</sub>

, to produce a single combined image with image elements α

_ij in grid (i,j), with the assignment of bits of partial information from the tensor elements A<sub>ki′

j′</sub>

, (k−

1 . . . n) to image elements α

_ij in the positions i,j of the grid (i,j) being defined by the equation

$a_{\mathrm{ij}}=\underset{k}{\sum <br><br>}<br><br>\underset{i^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}}{\sum <br><br>}<br><br>\underset{j^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}}{\sum <br><br>}<br><br>A_{{\mathrm{ki}}^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>j^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}}<br><br>g_{{\mathrm{ki}}^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>j^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\mathrm{ij}},\mathrm{in}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{which}$

(g) is a tensor of order five, the elements g<sub>ki′

j′

ij</sub> of which are real numbers and have the effect of weighing factors that define the weight of the respective partial information (A<sub>ki′

j′</sub>

) in an image element α

_ij, and

in which the grids (i,j) and (i′

,j′

) preferably have the same number of columns and the same number of rows.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination of each of the secondary images according to step f) comprises the steps of:

copying the combined image (with the image elements α

_ij) to the respective secondary image to be produced,

determining, for each individual image element copied in the secondary image, which area share of it is visible to the eye of an observer in the respective position of observation, allowance being made for the specified filter array geometry, the specified image generator geometry and the spatial arrangement geometry, and

optionally, modifying the set value of each individual copied image element in the secondary image by multiplication of its original set value by the are quotient “

determined visible area share of each individual copied image element in the secondary image, divided by the full area of the respective image element” and

/or

optionally, modifying the set value of each individual copied image element in the secondary image by multiplication of its original or already modified set value by a correction factor f_k, preferabley 0≦

f_k≦

1, and which is a measure of the wavelength and/or gray level filters lying between the observer'"'"'s eye in the respective position and the respective image element, or which is a measure of the wavelength-dependent or wavelength-independent transmittance of all wavelength and/or gray level filters following the respective image element seen from the respective viewing direction.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the optional steps of modifying the set value of each individual copied image element in the secondary image, make allowance for a function that is to be specified for a specified image generator, and that describes the functional relationship between the measurable luminance of an image element and its set value.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the determination of each of the secondary images according to step f) comprises the steps of:

Area scanning the planar component lying closest to the respective monocular position of observation according to the specified arrangement geometry, of either one of the filter arrays or the image generator, and, concurrently with the area scanning, producing a sufficiently resolved secondary image, which is an essentially correct replica of the respective visible area shares of the image elements of the combined image, or of the wavelength or gray level filters illuminated by these image elements, and making allowance for the specified filter array geometry.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the determination of the secondary images described in detail for step f) makes allowance for a function that is to be specified for a specified image generator, and that describes the functional relationship between the measurable luminance of an image element and its set value.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step g), provision is made for separate display of the secondary images to the left and the right eye, in which the secondary images are presented spatially side by side, spatially nested, or in temporal succession by an image generator, a cathode ray tube, an LC display, a DMD projector or a plasma display, and in which the display of the secondary images is effected by an image generator that has the image generator geometry specified in step a.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein, in step g), an observer is caused to have a virtual three dimensional impression by stereoscopic visualization that visually fuses the secondary image pair or magnified sections of it.

23. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing spatially staggered and/or temporally staggered stereoscopically visualized first and second secondary images with a stereoscopically visualized image pair from the views A_k, in which an image generator with approximately equal parameters each is used for the stereoscopic visualization of the first and second secondary images as well as for the stereoscopic visualization of the image pair from the views A_k, including the option that only sectional magnifications of the said images are visualized stereoscopically.

24. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

varying the first or second position of observation in at least one of their coordinates in the coordinate system.

27. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein each image element has a polygonal outline.

28. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein each image element has a rectangular outline.

29. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein each wavelength filter, graylevel filter has a polygonal outline.

30. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein each wavelength filter, graylevel filter has a polygonal outline.

31. A method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising the step of making allowance for a factor selected from a group consisting of wavelength-dependent transmittance, wavelength-independent transmittances of the wavelength or gray level filters, the specified image generator geometry, the spatial arrangement geometry and a combination of the foregoing.

25. An arrangement for implementing a method of stimulating spatial visual impressions comprising:

a) means for the digital specification of the image generator geometry of an age generator, with regard to the structure and size of the image elements,

b) means for the digital specification of the filter array geometry of a filter array, with regard to the structure and size of the filter elements,

c) means for the digital specification of a spatial arrangement geometry in relation to the image generator and the filter array in a three-dimensional coordinate system,

d) means for the digital specification of a first and a second monocular position of observation in front of the said arrangement geometry in the said three-dimensional coordinate system,

e) means for the specification of a combined image, which is suitable for display on the specified image generator geometry, and which, in a defined assignment to the image elements, contains bits of image information from different given primary images, which are identical to different views of a virtual or real scene, or of a virtual or real object,

f) means for the determination of a first and a second secondary image, which contains those image elements of the specified combined image that are visible to an observer'"'"'s eye in the respective specified first and second monocular position of observation due to the specified filter array geometry in conjunction with the specified image generator and the spatial arrangement geometry, including the explicit option that one image element of a secondary image may represent only a part of an image element of the specified combined image, and

g) means for the stereoscopic visualization of the first and second secondary images or parts of these secondary images as a left and right stereoscopic image, respectively.

26. An arrangement as claimed in claim 25, wherein the means a) through f) are contained in a common unit configured as a software-controlled PC, and in that the means g) comprise a stereoscope, or shutter glasses and a monitor.