Stereoscopic image capture

• US 20140118505A1
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Inventors: Schuck, Miller H., Coleman, David A., McKnight, Douglas J.
• Application Number:
  US14/064,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20140118505A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/49
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/04 with movement of beam-selecting members in a system defining two or more viewpoints
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/08 by simultaneous recording
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/02 Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/211 using temporal multiplexing

Abstract

The present application provides a single lens capture device having a single input port. The single lens capture device may include an objective lens, a fixed objective lens aperture, off-center apertures inside the objective lens, and a sensor. The sensor is operable to capture images at a rate of at least two times the rate of stereoscopic presentation.

Claims

1. A capture apparatus comprising:

an objective lens operable to receive light along an input light path;

a fixed objective lens aperture defined in the input light path and having an objective lens optical axis;

at least two offsetting apertures operable to receive light transmitted through the fixed objective lens aperture, the at least two offsetting apertures having transmitting areas offset from the objective lens optical axis by a displacement distance; and

a sensor operable to receive light transmitted by the at least two offsetting apertures.

2. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two offsetting apertures comprise mechanical irises.

3. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two offsetting apertures comprise one or more liquid crystal shutters.

4. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two offsetting apertures have non-circular shapes.

5. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a relay lens between the objective lens and the sensor.

6. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a zoom relay lens between the objective lens and the sensor, the zoom relay lens operable to maintain a substantially constant objective entrance pupil size and constant image resolution at the sensor over a varying system field of view.

7. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement distance is zero.

8. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement distance is greater than zero and equal to or less than a radius of the fixed objective lens aperture.

17. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the relay lens is a bilateral telecentric lens.

18. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the relay lens is a zoom bilateral telecentric lens.

19. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the relay lens is an object-side telecentric lens.

20. The stereoscopic capture apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the relay lens is a zoom object-side telecentric lens.

9. A method of capturing imagery, comprising:

providing a capture device comprising;

an objective lens operable to receive light along an input light path;

a fixed objective lens aperture defined in the input light path and having an objective lens optical axis;

at least two offsetting apertures operable to receive light transmitted through the fixed objective lens aperture, the at least two offsetting apertures having transmitting areas offset from the objective lense optical axis by a displacement distance; and

a sensor operable to receive light transmitted by the at least two offsetting apertures;

transmitting a first stereoscopic view through a first of the at least two offsetting apertures during a first portion of a first frame; and

transmitting a second stereoscopic view through a second of the at least two offsetting apertures during a second portion of the first frame;

wherein the first and second portion of the first frame substantially do not overlap and each have a centroid of image energy near the middle of the first frame in time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the first frame comprises substantially first and fourth quarters of the first frame, and the second portion of the first frame comprises substantially second and third quarters of the first frame.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting the first stereoscopic view through the first of the at least two offsetting apertures during a first portion of a second frame; and

transmitting the second stereoscopic view through the second of the at least two offsetting apertures during a second portion of the second frame;

wherein the first and second portion of the second frame substantially do not overlap and each have a centroid of image energy near the middle of the second frame in time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the second frame comprises substantially second and third quarters of the second frame, and the second portion of the second frame comprises substantially first and fourth quarters of the second frame.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the second frame comprises substantially first and fourth quarters of the second frame, and the second portion of the second frame comprises substantially second and third quarters of the second frame.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the first frame comprises substantially second and third quarters of the frame, and the second portion of the first frame comprises substantially first and fourth quarters of the frame.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the capture device further comprises a relay lens disposed between the objective lens and the sensor.

16. A stereoscopic capture apparatus comprising:

an objective lens operable to receive light along an input light path;

a fixed objective lens aperture defined in the input light path and having an objective lens optical axis;

at least two offsetting apertures operable to receive light transmitted through the fixed objective lens aperture, the at least two offsetting apertures having transmitting areas offset from the objective lense optical axis by a displacement distance;

a sensor operable to receive light transmitted by the at least two offsetting apertures;

a relay lens between the at least two offsetting apertures and the sensor.