3-D RENDERING FOR A ROTATED VIEWER

• US 20120038635A1
• Filed: 08/22/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Osman, Steven, Stamate, Vlad
• Granted Patent: US 9,241,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/24 involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/279 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/376 for tracking left-right translational head movements, i.e. lateral movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/378 for tracking rotational head movements around an axis perpendicular to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Methods and systems for displaying a three dimensional image to a rotated viewer are presented. The roll and yaw of a viewer'"'"'s eyes, with respect to a display, is tracked and used to adjust the orientation of a pair of stereoscopic images so as to maintain a three dimensional image when a viewer is rotated. Adjustment to the orientation of the pair of stereoscopic images may also factor in the orientation of a plurality of viewers, each viewer with a potentially different orientation with respect to the display.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a three dimensional image comprising:

receiving an orientation of a viewer'"'"'s eyes with respect to a display, the orientation comprising a viewer'"'"'s roll inclination;

receiving image data;

determining a pair of stereoscopic images from the image data; and

outputting the pair of stereoscopic images on the display at substantially the same roll inclination as the viewer'"'"'s roll inclination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the received orientation includes a yaw inclination and wherein the distance between the pair of stereoscopic images is multiplied by the cosine of the yaw inclination, thereby compensating for the yaw of the viewer'"'"'s eyes with respect to the display.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of stereoscopic images are selected from the group consisting of a movie, broadcast television, and a video game.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of stereoscopic images is displayed at the same roll inclination as the viewer'"'"'s eyes with respect to the display.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of stereoscopic images are alternated in synchronization with left and right lenses of three dimensional glasses that alternate between opaque and transparent.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of stereoscopic images is an anaglyph compatible with glasses of different colored lenses.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of stereoscopic images is an anaglyph compatible with polarized lens glasses.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a parallax barrier is used to present the pair of stereoscopic images to the viewer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein lenticular elements are used to present the pair of stereoscopic images to the viewer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein time multiplexing is used to present the pair of stereoscopic images to the viewer.

11. A method of displaying a three dimensional image comprising:

receiving orientation data on a plurality of viewers'"'"' eyes with respect to a display, the orientation data comprising viewers'"'"' roll inclinations;

receiving image data;

determining a pair of stereoscopic images from the image data; and

outputting the pair of stereoscopic images on the display at a display roll inclination derived from the viewers'"'"' roll inclinations.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the display roll inclination is derived from an average of the viewers'"'"' roll inclinations.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the display roll inclination is derived from a weighted average of the viewers'"'"' roll inclinations with a greater weight given for a viewer closer to the display.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the display roll inclination is derived from a weighted average of the viewers'"'"' roll inclinations with a greater weight given for viewers closer to a remote control device that controls the display.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the display roll inclination is derived from a weighted average of the viewers'"'"' roll inclinations with a greater weight given for viewers closer to an optimal location for viewing three dimensional content from a parallax barrier.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the display roll inclination is derived from a subset of the viewers'"'"' roll inclinations and the pair of stereoscopic images is displayed to the viewers associated with the subset of the viewers'"'"' roll inclinations.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein only the viewer with the remote is displayed a stereoscopic image.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein a parallax barrier is used to present the pair of stereoscopic images to the plurality of viewers.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein lenticular elements are used to present the pair of stereoscopic images to the plurality of viewers.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein time multiplexing is used to present the pair of stereoscopic images to the plurality of viewers.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein a parallax barrier grid is used to present the stereoscopic image to a plurality of viewers at a plurality of roll inclinations.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein lenticular elements are used to present the stereoscopic image to a plurality of viewers at a plurality of roll inclinations.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein time multiplexing is used to present the stereoscopic image to a plurality of viewers at a plurality of roll inclinations.

24. A method of displaying a three dimensional image comprising:

receiving an orientation of a viewer'"'"'s eyes with respect to a display, the orientation comprising a viewer'"'"'s yaw inclination;

receiving image data;

determining a pair of stereoscopic images from the image data; and

outputting the pair of stereoscopic images on the display so the distance between the pair of stereoscopic images is multiplied by the cosine of the yaw inclination, thereby compensating for the yaw inclination of the viewer'"'"'s eyes with respect to the display.

25. A system of displaying three dimensional images comprising:

orientation tracker for receiving an orientation of a viewer'"'"'s eyes with respect to a display, the orientation comprising a viewer'"'"'s roll inclination;

means for receiving image data;

a three dimensional rendering device to render a pair of stereoscopic images from the image data; and

a display to display the pair of stereoscopic images at substantially the same roll inclination as the viewer'"'"'s roll inclination.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the display comprises a parallax barrier.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the display comprises lenticular elements.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the display utilizes time multiplexing.