Methods of displaying volumetric 3D images

• US 20060017727A1
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Che-Chih Tsao
• Original Assignee: Che-Chih Tsao
• Inventors: Tsao, Che-Chih
• Granted Patent: US 7,804,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/388 Volumetric displays, i.e. systems where the image is built up from picture elements distributed through a volume

Abstract

This invention describes methods of displaying both physiological and psychological depth cues in a volumetric image display. This added psychological visual depth can display a background image of infinite depth. The basic concept is to combine a skewed coordinate system with a 2D image plane and display the V3D object as a V3D image according to the skewed 3D coordinates if the object falls in the physical 3D space, but display the object as a 2D perspective image if it falls beyond the 3D space into the 2D plane'"'"'s virtual space.

Claims

1. Method of displaying 3D data defined in a continuous space in a volumetric 3D display including the steps of:

defining a finite space in the volumetric 3D display with a skewed coordinate system and a 2D image plane;

mapping the coordinate system of a first part of said continuous space to said skewed coordinate system of said finite space and mapping the coordinate system of the rest part of said continuous space to a virtual space in said 2D image plane;

displaying the part of said 3D data located within the first part of the continuous space in said finite space according to the mapping to said skewed coordinate system and displaying the part of said 3D data located within the rest part of the continuous space as perspective images in said 2D image plane according to the mapping to said virtual space.

2. Method of claim 1, wherein the step of mapping including the steps of:

selecting an eye location in said continuous space;

defining a reference plane in said continuous space and determining a reference location of said reference plane, said reference plane appearing just fitting in said 2D image plane when viewed from said eye location;

defining the part of said continuous space within said reference plane as the first part of the continuous space;

3. Method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying perspective images in the 2D image plane including the step of rendering said perspective image as a bitmap and the step of rendering said 2D image plane with said bitmap by texture mapping;

4. Method of claim 1, wherein said volumetric 3D display comprising a moving display surface that displays and distributes image frames that form volumetric 3D images, said 2D image plane located near and parallel to one of said image frames;

5. Method of claim 4, wherein said moving display surface revolving about an axis and sweeping a display space while always keeping it surface facing a fixed direction, said 2D image plane located near top or bottom position of the rotation of the display surface, the method further including the step of generating on said display surface an additional number of image frames to be superimposed to form said 2D image plane;

6. Method of claim 5, wherein the displayed time periods of said additional number of image frames having a predefined ratio, said additional number of image frames forming levels of gray scale or color on said 2D image plane by the principle of pulse-width modulation.

7. Method of claim 4, further including the step of generating images for said 2D image plane by a separate projector means.

8. Method of claim 7, further including the step of using a switchable reflector to guide the projection beam from said projector means to said display surface.

9. Method of claim 1, further including the step of defining a second finite space in the volumetric 3D display with a skewed coordinate system and a second 2D image plane and the steps of mapping to and displaying in the second set of skewed coordinate system and 2D image plane.