MOVING MIRROR PROJECTION AND ANIMATION SYSTEM

• US 20090303447A1
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: BARNETT, DAVID F., BRENTNALL, THOMAS E. III, TURNER, RICHARD B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,016,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/51
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066

Abstract

A projection assembly and projection method for accurately reproducing animated and live characters, objects, and effects. The projection assembly uses a high precision robotic mirror system to achieve very high levels of image resolution, brightness, and contrast. The assembly includes a projector receiving an input image stream, and a mirror assembly is positioned proximate to the projector outlet. The mirror assembly uses positionable mirrors to reflect the projected images onto a display surface at positions that define an animation pattern on the display surface for the projected image or character. The assembly includes a motor controller assembly positioning the mirrors based on position data defining the animation pattern. The projected images may be provided in a projection area that is a fraction of the size of the display surface, such that the resolution and output light of the projector are concentrated on the display surface within this projection area.

Claims

1. An assembly for projecting or displaying images on a display surface with motion and high resolution, comprising:

a projector receiving an input image stream and projecting images based on the input image stream,

a mirror assembly with one or more mirrors positionable to reflect the projected images onto a display surface at a plurality of positions; and

a motor controller assembly positioning the one or more mirrors based on a set of position data defining the plurality of positions, wherein the plurality of positions define an animation pattern on the display surface for at least one predefined portion of the input image stream.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the predefined portion is an image of a character and the plurality of positions define spatial coordinates for the character image on the display surface.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the projected images are provided on the display surface in a projection area that is a fraction of the display surface, whereby resolution and output light of the projector are concentrated on the display surface within the projection area.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the projection area is less than about 9 square feet.

5. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the character image has an area at least in some positions of the animation pattern that is substantially equal to the projection area.

6. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the spatial coordinates are defined in a source media for the input image stream, the source media being adapted for projection on an entire area of the display surface, and further wherein the character is animated within the projection area by changes in the character between frames in the input image stream and is animated by movement of the one or more mirrors to move the projection area along the animation pattern over a display time period.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the display time period has a length matching a length of the input image stream and wherein plurality of positions for the projection area correspond to one or more frames of the input image stream.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mirror assembly comprises an X-axis mirror and a Y-axis mirror each pivotable about an axis with the mirror axes being offset and orthogonal and further wherein the motor controller assembly comprises a high-precision servo motor linked to each of the X-axis and Y-axis mirrors that are operated to pivot the X-axis and Y-axis mirrors independently to move the projected images through the plurality of positions defining X-Y coordinates on the display surface for the projected images.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the plurality of positions of the animation pattern define a number of X-Y coordinates that is greater than a number of frames in the input image stream, whereby motion of the at least one predefined portion along the animation pattern appears smooth or continuous to a viewer.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined portion is an image of a character, wherein the input image stream is generated from a source media comprising the character image at the plurality of positions, and wherein the input image stream is distorted relative to the source media to account for distortion of the character image at a portion of the plurality of positions.

11. A projection system, comprising:

a projection screen with a surface for displaying projected images;

a projector projecting a stream of images including a character;

a first mirror receiving the stream of images and reflecting the stream of images in a first direction;

a second mirror receiving the stream of images reflected from the first mirror and reflecting the stream of images in a second direction toward the projection screen, wherein the first and second mirrors are movable to select the first and second directions to display the stream of images on the surface of the projection screen at a set of positions; and

a mirror controller connected to the first and second mirrors that operates to move the mirrors to project the stream of images in the set of positions, the set of positions defining a projection pattern about which one or more characters in the stream of images is caused to travel during the display of the stream of images, wherein the stream of images are projected within a projection area on the surface of the projection screen that is a fraction of an area of the surface of the projection screen.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the fraction is about a tenth, whereby resolution and output light of the projector is concentrated by a factor of about ten within the projection area.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of positions corresponds to positions of the one or more characters within frames of a source media adapted for projection on a substantial portion of the surface of the projection screen and used to provide the stream of images to the projector and wherein the frames are provided at a rate of greater than about 24 frames per second and the positions in the set are provided at a rate greater than the frame rate, whereby movement of the projection area on the surface of the projection screen appears smooth to a viewer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the mirror controller comprises a pair of servo motors each operating to position one of the first and second mirrors and wherein the servo motors are operable at interpolated rates from zero to at least about 1000 frames per second.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more characters are animated within the stream of images at least partially concurrently with moving of the mirrors and wherein the animation of the one or more characters within the stream of image corresponds at least in part to movement along the projection pattern.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising an aperture positioned between the projector and the mirrors blocking a portion of light output from the projector to size the projection area to be about a size of the one or more characters in the stream of images.

17. A moving mirror projection method, comprising:

positioning a moving mirror projection assembly proximate to a projection surface, the moving mirror projection assembly comprising a projector, an X-axis mirror and a Y-axis mirror each being rotatable about an axis and positioned to receive output light from the projector, and comprising a pair of drive motors for selectively rotating the mirrors;

operating the projector to project a stream of images including an animated object, wherein the projected stream of images is reflected from both of the mirrors and onto a projection area on the projection surface; and

concurrently with the projector operating, controlling the drive motors to move the projection area to a plurality of X-Y coordinates defining an animation pattern for the animated object, whereby the animated object is animated within the projection area and is moved along with the projection area about the projection surface.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising processing a source media to obtain the stream of images and to determine a set of positions for the mirrors to provide the plurality of X-Y coordinates for the projection area based on a position of the animated object within the source media.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the projection area has a size that is less than about one tenth of the projection surface and wherein substantially no light from the projector is projected on portions of the projection surface outside of the projection area.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising positioning a second moving mirror projection assembly proximate to the projection surface, operating a projector of the second moving mirror projection assembly to project a second stream of images including a second animated object on a second projection area on the projection surface, and controlling a second pair of drive motors to move a second pair of X-axis and Y-axis mirrors to move the second projection area to a plurality of X-Y coordinates defining a second animation pattern, whereby the animated object and the second animated object move independently from each other and interact on the projection surface based on the animation patterns.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising positioning a mechanically animated element adjacent the projection surface, wherein the animation pattern is defined to cause the animated object to be positioned proximate to the mechanically animated element, and the method further comprising operating the mechanically animated element when the animated object is in the proximate position.