PROGRAMMING ARCHITECTURE SUPPORTING MIXED TWO AND THREE DIMENSIONAL DISPLAYS

• US 20110157170A1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Granted Patent: US 9,654,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/24 using apertured or refractive resolving means on screens or between screen and eye
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/00 Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/139 Format conversion, e.g. of frame-rate or size
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/312 the parallax barriers being placed behind the display panel, e.g. between backlight and spatial light modulator [SLM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/315 the parallax barriers being time-variant
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/332 : Displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays [HMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/351 : for displaying simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/359 : Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/361 : Reproducing mixed stereoscopic images; Reproducing mixed monoscopic and stereoscopic images, e.g. a stereoscopic image overlay window on a monoscopic image background
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 : using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 : for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 : Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/403 : the images being monoscopic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/405 : the images being stereoscopic or three dimensional
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 : additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 : Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Applications are provided that contain code of a programming language enabling simultaneous display on a screen of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional content. Furthermore, development systems and program libraries supporting the same are provided. A first command is generated by first program code of an application. The first command directs a first configuration of a first region of the screen to support the three-dimensional content. A second command is generated by second program code of the application. The second command directs a second configuration of a second region of the screen to support the two-dimensional content. The display of the three-dimensional content is caused within the first region of the screen, and the display of the two-dimensional content is caused within the second region of the screen.

Claims

1. A method used in an application containing code of a programming language enabling simultaneous display on a screen of both first content and second content, the first content being three-dimensional content, the method comprising:

generating a first command directing at least in part a first configuration of a first region of the screen to support the first content, the first configuration being a first three-dimensional configuration;

generating a second command directing at least in part a second configuration of a second region of the screen to support the second content;

causing the display of the first content within the first region of the screen; and

causing the display of the second content within the second region of the screen.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second configuration is a two-dimensional configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second configuration is a second three-dimensional configuration, and the first configuration and the second configuration differing by at least one three-dimensional characteristic.

4. A software development kit for a programming language that enables simultaneous display on a screen of both two-dimensional content and three-dimensional content, the software development kit comprising:

a compiler that compiles code written in the programming language into compiled code; and

at least one library module that responds to first program calls by assisting in establishing a first region of a screen, the establishing of the first region involving placing the first region in a first configuration to support display of first content, the first configuration being a first three-dimensional configuration, and the first content being three-dimensional content;

the at least one library module that responds to second program calls by assisting in establishing a second region of the screen, the establishing of the second region involving placing the second region in a second configuration to support display of second content, the first configuration being different than the second configuration; and

the compiler being configured to link the compiled code with the at least one library module.

5. The software development kit of claim 4, wherein the three-dimensional display characteristic includes at least one of a three-dimensional type of the three-dimensional content, a displayed orientation of the three-dimensional content, a displayed contrast of the three-dimensional content, a displayed brightness of the three-dimensional content, or a displayed resolution of the three-dimensional content.

6. The software development kit of claim 4, wherein the compiler compiles the second program code into the second compiled command code to cause a window that displays the three-dimensional content to be opened in the second region of the screen.

7. A computer program product stored within a computer-readable medium for enabling a processor to display content on a screen that supports two-dimensional display and three-dimensional display, the computer program product comprising:

one or more library modules that receive one or more commands;

first code that delivers the one or more commands to the one or more library modules, the one or more commands being indicative of a viewing dimension, the one or more library modules responding to the one or more commands by at least in part placing a first screen region in a selected one of a two-dimensional configuration or a three-dimensional configuration, the selection in conformance with the viewing dimension; and

second code that at least assists in establishing display of content in the first screen region of the screen.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer program code further comprises:

third code that generates a request for an indication of at least one characteristic of a display screen.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer program code further comprises:

fourth code that converts two-dimensional content to three dimensional content to be provided for display by the display screen in the first screen region if a response to the generated request indicates that the display screen does not support three-dimensional display.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first code configures a parameter of the command to indicate at least one of a displayed orientation of three-dimensional content associated with the command, a displayed contrast, displayed brightness, or a displayed resolution of three-dimensional content associated with the command.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

third code that receives an input signal from a user input interface; and

fourth code that generates a third command in response to the input signal that is configured to cause an adjustment of a three-dimensional characteristic of three-dimensional content displayed in the first screen region.

12. A method used in an application containing code of a programming language enabling simultaneous display on a screen of both two-dimensional content and three-dimensional content, the method comprising:

generating a first command directing a two-dimensional display of the two-dimensional content within a first region of the screen; and

generating a second command directing a three-dimensional display of the three-dimensional content within a second region of the screen.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said generating the second command comprises:

specifying one or more parameters in the second command associated with at least one three-dimensional characteristic of the three-dimensional content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said specifying one or more parameters comprises:

configuring a parameter to indicate a three-dimensional type of the three-dimensional content.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said specifying one or more parameters comprises:

configuring a parameter to indicate a displayed orientation of the three-dimensional content.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said generating the second command comprises:

configuring the second command to cause a window that displays the three-dimensional content to be opened in the second region.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an input signal from a user input interface;

generating a third command in response to the input signal, the third command relating to a three-dimensional characteristic; and

delivering the third command to cause the adjustment of the three-dimensional characteristic of the three-dimensional content being displayed within the second region of the screen.

18. A program library supporting a programming language, the program library comprising:

a first predefined module that responds to first program calls by assisting in establishing a first region of a screen, the establishing of the first region involving placing the first region in a first configuration to support display of first content, the first configuration being a first three-dimensional configuration, and the first content being three-dimensional content; and

a second predefined module that responds to second program calls by assisting in establishing a second region of the screen, the establishing of the second region involving placing the second region in a second configuration to support display of second content, the first configuration being different than the second configuration.

19. The program library of claim 18, wherein the second configuration is a first two-dimensional configuration.

20. The program library of claim 18, wherein the second configuration is a second three-dimensional configuration, and the first configuration and the second configuration differing by at least one three-dimensional characteristic.