METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR GENERATING AUTOSTEREO THREE-DIMENSIONAL VIEWS OF A SCENE FOR A PLURALITY OF VIEWPOINTS USING A PSEUDO-RANDOM HOLE BARRIER

• US 20120062565A1
• Filed: 03/08/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina System)
• Original Assignee: University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina System)
• Inventors: Fuchs, Henry, McMillan, Leonard, Nashel, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/10 Geometric effects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for generating autostereo three-dimensional views of a scene for a plurality of viewpoints are disclosed. According to one system, a display is configured to display images from plural different viewpoints using a barrier located in front of the display, where the barrier has a pseudo-random arrangement of light ports through which images on the display are viewable. A renderer coupled to the display simultaneously renders images from the different viewpoints such that pixels that should appear differently from the different viewpoints are displayed in a predetermined manner. The pseudo-random arrangement of the light ports in the barrier smoothes interference between the different viewpoints as perceived by viewers located at the different viewpoints.

Claims

1. A system for generating autostereo three-dimensional views of a scene for a plurality of viewpoints, the system comprising:

a display for simultaneously displaying images from plural different viewpoints;

a barrier located in front of the display, the barrier having a pseudo-random arrangement of light ports through which the images are viewable; and

a renderer, coupled to the display, for rendering images from the different viewpoints such that pixels that should appear differently from the different viewpoints are displayed in a predetermined manner and wherein the arrangement of the light ports in the barrier smoothes interference between the different viewpoints as perceived by viewers located at the different viewpoints.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the display simultaneously displays the images for the plural viewpoints.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the barrier is moveable relative to the display.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the barrier includes a first barrier component and a second barrier component, the first barrier component being moveable relative to the second barrier components, each barrier component having a pseudo-random arrangement of light ports through which the images are viewable moveable relative to the display.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the barrier is one of an active and a passive barrier.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the light ports include one of lenslets and alternating clear and opaque strips.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the size, density, arrangement, and distance from the display of the light ports is configurable.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the arrangement of the light ports is dynamically variable.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the arrangement of the light ports is optimized for a predetermined number of viewpoints.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the arrangement of the light ports is optimized for a predetermined location of viewpoints.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the renderer renders images from the viewpoints of the plural users.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the renderer is configured to render images corresponding to plural viewpoints in arbitrary locations.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the renderer is configured to blend pixels that are simultaneously viewable by two or more viewpoints.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the renderer is configured to turn off pixels that are simultaneously viewable by two or more viewpoints.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the renderer is one of remotely located or integrated with the display.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the display and the renderer are calibrated with a binary coding scheme to uniquely identify the visibility of each pixel.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the binary coding scheme includes a Gray code.

18. The system of claim 1 comprising a tracker configured to track the movement of viewers located at the different viewpoints.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the renderer is configured to generate a mask for each of the plural viewpoints.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the renderer is configured to generate the mask for each of the plural viewpoints for each frame of the displayed image.

21. A method for generating autostereo three-dimensional views of a scene for a plurality of points of view, the method comprising:

providing a display for displaying images from plural different viewpoints;

providing a barrier located in front of the display, the barrier having a pseudo-random arrangement of light ports through which the images are viewable; and

rendering images from the plural different viewpoints and simultaneously displaying the images on the display such that pixels that should appear differently from the different viewpoints are displayed in a predetermined manner and wherein the arrangement of light ports in the barrier smoothes interference between different viewpoints as perceived by viewers located at the different viewpoints.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein displaying the images includes simultaneously displaying the images for the different viewpoints.

23. The method of claim 21 comprising configuring at least one of a size, density, arrangement, and distance from the display of the light ports.

24. The method of claim 21 comprising dynamically varying the arrangement of the light ports.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein dynamically varying the arrangement of holes includes moving a first barrier component relative to a second barrier component, each barrier component having a pseudo-random arrangement of light ports through which the images are viewable moveable relative to the display.

26. The method of claim 21 comprising optimizing the arrangement of light ports for a predetermined viewpoint.

27. The method of claim 21 comprising optimizing the arrangement of light ports for multiple predetermined viewpoints.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein rendering images includes rendering images for different viewpoints located in arbitrary locations.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein rendering images includes blending pixels viewable by two or more viewpoints.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein rendering images includes turning off pixels viewable by two or more viewpoints.

31. The method of claim 21 comprising calibrating the display and the renderer using a binary coding scheme to uniquely identify the visibility of each pixel.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the binary coding scheme includes a Gray code.

33. The method of claim 21 comprising tracking the movement of viewers located at the different viewpoints.

34. The method of claim 21 comprising moving the barrier relative to the display.

35. The method of claim 21 comprising generating a mask for each of the plural viewpoints.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein generating the mask includes generating the mask for each of the plural viewpoints for each frame of the displayed image.

37. A computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium and when executed by a processor of a computer performs steps comprising:

rendering images from the plural different viewpoints; and

simultaneously displaying the images on a display located behind a barrier having a pseudo-random light port distribution such that pixels that should appear differently from the different viewpoints are displayed in a predetermined manner and wherein the arrangement of light ports in the barrier smoothes interference between different viewpoints as perceived by viewers located at the different viewpoints.

38. An autostereoscopic display comprising:

a display for displaying images from different viewpoints; and

a barrier located in front of the display, the barrier having a non-uniform arrangement of light ports through which the images are viewable,

wherein the display is configurable to receive a composite image of images from plural viewpoints such that pixels that should appear differently from different viewpoints are displayable in a predetermined manner and wherein the arrangement of light ports in the barrier smoothes interference among the images viewable among different viewpoints.