System and method for displaying a planar image on a curved surface

• US 20090322740A1
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. (Elevate Entertainment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. (Elevate Entertainment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Kenneth L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,358,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/08 Projecting images onto non-planar surfaces, e.g. geodetic screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP

Abstract

An image display system for displaying a planar image on a curved viewing surface, such as a theater dome, with minimized image distortion. In order to display the image, a virtual surface, which is a representation of the curved viewing surface, is textured with the image using an angular distribution to thereby form a textured virtual image. The textured virtual image is then displayed onto the curved viewing surface.

Claims

1. A method of displaying an image on a curved viewing surface, said method comprising:

providing a virtual surface in a computer-readable memory that is a representation of the curved viewing surface; and

texturing said virtual surface with the image pursuant an angular distribution using a graphics processing module to thereby form a textured virtual image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the textured virtual image on the curved viewing surface using a display device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the textured virtual image or storing the textured virtual image in a computer-readable storage medium.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of texturing the virtual surface using the angular distribution originating from a fixed virtual point.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of texturing the virtual surface with the image pursuant to an angular distribution in both a first direction and a second direction onto the virtual surface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said virtual surface comprises a plurality of polygons.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of polygons are angularly distributed over the virtual surface.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of polygons are distributed over the virtual surface from a fixed virtual point.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of polygons are proportionately distributed by angle over the virtual surface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the polygons are proportionately distributed by angle from a fixed virtual point in a first direction and a second direction.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of texturing the virtual surface proportionally, by angle, from a fixed virtual point.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said virtual surface further comprises a plurality of rows of vertices, the vertices in each of the rows of vertices being angularly spaced from adjacent vertices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said virtual surface further comprises a plurality of columns of vertices, the vertices in each of the columns of vertices being angularly spaced from adjacent vertices.

14. A method of processing an image for display, said method comprising:

defining a virtual surface using a 3-D modeling computer;

defining a fixed virtual point with respect to said virtual surface using the 3-D modeling computer; and

defining an angular image distribution on the virtual surface from said fixed virtual point using the 3-D modeling computer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of texturing said virtual surface in accordance with said angular image distribution to thereby form a textured virtual image.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of displaying the textured virtual image on a curved viewing surface or storing said textured virtual image in a computer-readable storage medium.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of defining the virtual surface comprises the step of defining a plurality of edges of the virtual surface on a surface of a virtual sphere.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of edges comprises a top edge and a bottom edge, and wherein said top edge and bottom edge are non-parallel on the surface of the virtual sphere.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said bottom edge lies on an intersection of a first plane with the virtual sphere.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said top edge lies on an intersection of a second plane with the virtual sphere.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of edges further comprises a first side edge and a second side edge, wherein said first side edge lies on an intersection of a third plane with the virtual sphere, and wherein said second side edge lies on an intersection of a fourth plane with the virtual sphere.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of defining a plurality of rows of vertices on said virtual surface, wherein the vertices in each of the rows of vertices are angularly distributed.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of defining a plurality of columns of vertices on said virtual surface, wherein the vertices in each of the columns of vertices are angularly distributed.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of angularly distributing a plurality of polygons on the virtual surface.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of proportionately distributing a plurality of polygons by angle on the virtual surface.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein said image has an aspect ratio selected from the group consisting of approximately 16×

9 and approximately 3×

4.

27. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of texturing the image onto the virtual surface, wherein said image comprises a motion picture or a still image.

28. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of proportionately distributing a plurality of polygons by angle on the virtual surface from a fixed virtual point in a first direction and a second direction.

29. A computer program product stored in a computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable program instructions for execution within a processor, said program instructions comprising program instructions for texturing a virtual surface with an image pursuant to an angular distribution.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein said program instructions further comprise program instructions for texturing the virtual surface with the image pursuant to an angular distribution from a fixed virtual point.

31. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein said virtual surface comprises a plurality of polygons.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the plurality of polygons are angularly distributed on the virtual surface from a fixed virtual point.

33. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the virtual surface comprises a first edge and a second edge, said first edge having a first group of vertices distributed thereon and said second edge having a second group of vertices distributed thereon.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the first group of vertices are angularly distributed along the first edge and the second group of vertices are angularly distributed along the second edge.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the first group of vertices are angularly distributed along the first edge from a fixed virtual point and the second group of vertices are angularly distributed along the second edge from the fixed virtual point.

36. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the virtual surface further comprises a third group of vertices angularly distributed between said first and second edges.

37. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein said program instructions further comprise program instructions for texturing the image to the virtual surface, wherein said image is one of a motion picture and a still image.

38. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein said virtual surface is a representation of a curved viewing surface.

39. A system for displaying an image on a curved viewing surface, said system comprising:

a graphics processing module including a computer-readable memory for storing computer program instructions for execution by a processor within said graphics processing module, wherein said computer program instructions include program instructions for texturing a virtual surface with an image using an angular distribution from a fixed virtual point to thereby form a textured virtual surface; and

a display device for displaying the textured virtual surface onto the curved viewing surface.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein said computer program instructions further comprise program instructions for texturing the virtual surface with the image using an angular distribution.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein said virtual surface comprises a plurality of polygons.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the plurality of polygons are angularly distributed on the virtual surface from the fixed virtual point.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the virtual surface comprises a first edge and a second edge, said first edge having a first group of vertices distributed thereon and said second edge having a second group of vertices distributed thereon.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the first group of vertices are angularly distributed along the first edge and the second group of vertices are angularly distributed along the second edge.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the first group of vertices are angularly distributed along the first edge from the fixed virtual point and the second group of vertices are angularly distributed along the second edge from the fixed virtual point.

46. The system of claim 43, wherein the virtual surface further comprises a third group of vertices angularly distributed between said first and second edges from the fixed virtual point.

47. The system of claim 39, wherein said computer program instructions further comprise program instructions for texturing the image to the virtual surface, wherein said image is a still image or a motion picture.

48. The system of claim 39, wherein said virtual surface is a representation of the curved viewing surface.