Curved screen display system and method

• US 20080186415A1
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alphacurve Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alphacurve Incorporated
• Inventors: Boud, Andrew C., Streit, Alexander T.
• Application Number:
  US11/818,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186415A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/744
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/56 Projection screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

A curved screen display system and method are described. Embodiments include a processor coupled to receive standard video content, a light engine coupled to the processor, and an optics array positioned to receive a projected image output from the light engine, the optics array comprising a correction mirror configured to reflect the projected image onto a non-planar display screen accurately such that pixels of the projected image are remapped to the non-planar display screen. Embodiments further include a method for designing a correction mirror to display the standard video content on the non-planar display screen.

Claims

1. A curved screen display system, comprising:

a processor coupled to receive standard video content;

a light engine coupled to the processor; and

an optics array positioned to receive a projected image output from the light engine, the optics array comprising at least one correction mirror configured to reflect the projected image onto a non-planar display screen accurately such that pixels of the projected image are remapped to the non-planar display screen.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configurable to geometrically correct the standard video content for display on the non-planar display screen.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the optics array further comprises at least one fold mirror positioned to receive the projected image output from the light engine and to reflect the projected image onto the at least one correction mirror.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a non-planar display screen selected from a group comprising:

a cylindrical screen;

a toroidal screen; and

a spherical screen.

5. A curved screen display method, comprising:

receiving a video signal comprising standard video content;

performing a digital correction process on the standard video content to generate corrected standard video content, comprising remapping pixels of the standard video content to a non-planar display screen; and

projecting the corrected standard video content, comprising projecting onto at lest one correction mirror designed to reflect a video image onto the non-planar display screen undistorted.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein projecting further comprises projecting onto at lest one fold mirror.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the standard video content comprises computer display content, TV content, DVD content, Blu-Ray content, HD-DVD content, and game console content.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the digital correction process comprises pixel remapping dependent on at least one of:

light engine location;

light engine lens configuration, and non-planar display screen surface configuration.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating a design for the at least one correction mirror, wherein generating comprises defining a mathematical model of the system such that given a non-planar display screen surface, S, and a light engine at location p, a surface, C, can be found such that light is correctly reflected from the light engine back onto the non-planar display screen surface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

defining a ray mathematical model, wherein a light engine at location p is able to generate a light ray R_ij whose source is p and which represents the light engine space coordinates (i,j); and

finding C_ij for all R_ij.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

defining a light cone mathematical model, wherein a surface, C, of the at least one correction mirror surface intersects a light cone at a location selected from a group comprising, before a focal point, at a focal point, or after a focal point; and

finding a surface such that reflected light from every light cone, L_ij, converges in proximity to a desired point on a surface, S_ij of the non-planar screen.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising calculating a surface of the at least one correction mirror as close to the screen surface as possible without causing the at least one correction mirror to self-shadow and without causing the at least one correction mirror to intersect the screen surface.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising optimizing the mathematical model using an optimization algorithm.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising describing a designed correction mirror using a representation selected from a group comprising a polynomial representation, a spline patch representation, and a mesh representation.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one correction mirror is a front surfaced mirror.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one correction mirror is a rear surfaced mirror.

17. A correction mirror produced according to the method of claim 9.

18. A curved screen display system, comprising:

a processor coupled to receive standard video content;

a light engine coupled to the processor; and

an optics array positioned to receive a projected image output from the light engine, the optics array comprising at least one correction mirror configured to reflect the projected image onto a non-planar display screen accurately such that pixels of the projected image are remapped to the non-planar display screen, wherein the at least one correction mirror is produced according to the method of claim 9.

19. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause a curved screen display method to be performed by a curved screed display system, the method comprising:

receiving a video signal comprising standard video content;

performing a digital correction process on the standard video content to generate corrected standard video content, comprising remapping pixels of the standard video content to a non-planar display screen; and

projecting the corrected standard video content, comprising projecting onto at lest one correction mirror designed to reflect an undistorted video image onto the non-planar display screen.

20. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause a curved screen display method to be performed by a curved screed display system, the method comprising:

receiving a video signal comprising standard video content; and

performing a digital correction process on the standard video content to generate corrected standard video content, comprising remapping pixels of the standard video content to a non-planar display screen.

21. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, generate a design for a correction mirror, wherein generating comprises defining a mathematical model of the system such that given a non-planar display screen surface, S, and a light engine at location p, a surface, C, can be found such that light is correctly reflected from the light engine back onto the non-planar display screen surface.