Non-linear image mapping using a plurality of non-coplanar clipping planes

• US 20080012879A1
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Esterline Belgium BVBA (Transdigm Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Barco NV
• Inventors: Clodfelter, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,212,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026

Abstract

A display processing system for providing video signals for displaying an image is provided. The display processing system comprises input channels for receiving a plurality of component images, each component image being a portion of the complete image for display, the image data of each component image being defined by a view frustum having a clipping plane, and a combiner for combining the image data of the component images. According to the present invention, at least two clipping planes of two of the view frustums are non-coplanar. Such display processing system corrects for the defect of driving angular resolution to the edges of the field of view of a display system, in particular for large field-of-view display systems, and balances the overall system angular resolution by allowing each image generator channel to render to an optimal view frustum for its portion of the complete image.

Claims

1. A display processing system for providing video signals for displaying an image, comprising

input channels for receiving a plurality of component images, each component image being a portion of the complete image for display, the image data of each component image being defined by an view frustum having a clipping plane, and

a combiner for combining the image data of the component images, wherein at least two clipping planes of two of the view frustums are non-coplanar.

2. A display processing system according to claim 1, wherein the combiner has means for warping of the image data so that at least one of the component images is displayed in a corrected form as desired by a user.

3. A display processing system according to claim 1, furthermore comprising means for providing a plurality of component images.

4. A display processing system according to claim 3, wherein the means for providing a plurality of component images is at least one image generator.

5. A display processing system according to claim 3, wherein the means for providing a plurality of component images is an array of video cameras.

6. A display processing system according to claim 3, wherein the means for providing a plurality of component images are adapted to provide component images in the form of column subsections of the image to be displayed.

7. A display processing system according to claim 3, wherein the means for providing a plurality of component images furthermore comprise synchronisation means for synchronising the provision of the component images.

8. A display processing system according to claim 1, furthermore comprising an imaging means for receiving the combined image data and producing an image.

9. A display processing system according to claim 3, furthermore comprising an imaging means for receiving the combined image data and producing an image.

10. A display processing system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging means is part of a projection device.

11. A display processing system according to claim 10, wherein the projection device comprises a light source for generating a beam of light, the imaging means comprising a spatial light modulator for modulating the beam of light from the light source in accordance with the combined image data, for projection.

12. A display processing system according to claim 8, wherein the imaging means is a direct view display.

13. A display processing system according to claim 9, the imaging means being adapted for producing an image having an imaging resolution, wherein the means for providing the plurality of component images is adapted to provide component images of a resolution so that a combined resolution of the combined image data of the component images has a resolution which is larger than the imaging resolution.

14. A display processing system according to claim 1, adapted for accepting component image data from multiple video sources and combining these sources to form a complete image

15. A display processing system according to claim 8, wherein one of the clipping planes is at an angle with respect to the imaging means.

16. A method for processing image data, comprising:

receiving a plurality of component images, each component image being a portion of the complete image to be displayed, the image data of each component image being defined by an view frustum having a clipping plane, wherein at least two clipping planes of the view frustums are non-coplanar, and

combining the image data of the component images.

17. A method for processing image data according to claim 16, furthermore comprising imaging the combined image data, thus producing an image.

18. A method according to claim 16, furthermore comprising a first warping of the image data before combining it, in order to take into account the non-coplanarity of the clipping planes of the view frustums.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the first warping additionally takes into account aberrations introduced by an imaging means.

20. A method according to claim 18, furthermore comprising a second warping of the image data before combining it, the second warping being a global warping for the plurality of component images.

21. A method according to claim 18, furthermore comprising a second warping of the image data after combining, the second warping taking into account aberrations introduced by an imaging means.

22. A method according to claim 16, wherein providing a plurality of component images comprises providing column subsections of the image to be displayed.

23. A method according to claim 16, wherein providing a plurality of component images comprises providing quadrant subsections of the image to be displayed.

24. A method according to claim 16, wherein providing a plurality of component images comprises providing row subsections of the image to be displayed.