3-D SCREEN AND SYSTEM

• US 3,814,513 A
• Filed: 07/24/1972
• Issued: 06/04/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nimslo International Limited Bank of Bermuda Building
• Original Assignee: Allen Kwok Wah Lo, Jerry Curtis Nims
• Inventors: Nims, Jerry Curtis, Lo, Allen Kwok Wah
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, Jr., William D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mirabito, A. Jason
• Application Number:
  US05/274,603
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 353/7,8,9,10 350/170 95/18P
• US Class Current: 353/7
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/24 using apertured or refractive resolving means on screens or between screen and eye

Abstract

A lenticular composing screen focusses a number of two dimensional pictures each as a series of horizontally condensed and horizontally separated image strips and the image strips of the several pictures are uniformly spaced so that blank spaces normally would appear between them. A light diffusing screen receives these strips and a viewing screen allows observers to receive composite images of different pictures in the left and right eyes. The composing screen is vibrated harmonically so that each image strip is shifted from its normal position to a position filling the blank space to one side of it, the harmonic motion assuring that the two positions of each image strip are temporarily stationary while intermediate positions are swept so rapidly as to be undetected by the observer while, at the same time, the integrating or memory characteristics of the human eye retain the temporarily stationary images being observed.

Claims

1. A system for displaying pictures in three dimensions, which comprises:

means for simultaneously projecting a plurality of images of a scene, each of said plurality of images having been recorded at a different vantage point relative to said scene;

lenticular composing screen means for receiving the plurality of projected images and focusing them as a corresponding plurality of widthwise condensed image strips beneath each lenticule of the composing screen means, the plurality of condensed image strips beneath each lenticule being spaced apart widthwise of the lenticule to present blank strips of substantially uniform width between adjacent image strips;

lenticular viewing screen means in back-to-back opposition to said composing screen means for presenting separate composite images of the scene to the two eyes of an observer; and

means for harmonically vibrating said composing screen means in the widthwise direction of said condensed image strips, during simultaneous projection of said plurality of images, at a frequency and through a distance sufficient to present said separate composite images at substantially all observable positions in the viewing plane of said viewing screen means.

2. A system as defined in claim 1 including light diffusing means interposed between said viewing screen means and said composing screen means.

3. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for vibrating has a stroke substantially equal to the widthwise dimension of said blank strips.

4. A system as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for vibrating operates at a frequency within the range of from about 10 to about 300 cycles per second.

5. A screen assembly for viewing two dimensional images of a scene in three dimensions, which comprises:

lenticular composing screen means for focusing images projected thereon from a plurality of two-dimensional pictures of the scene, each of said plurality of two-dimensional pictures having been taken at a different vantage point relative to the scene, as a corresponding plurality of widthwise condensed image strips beneath each lenticule of the composing screen means, the plurality of condensed image strips Beneath each lenticule being spaced apart widthwise of the lenticule to provide blank strips of substantially uniform width between adjacent image strips;

lenticular viewing screen means in back-to-back opposition to said composing screen means for allowing an observer to receive with one eye a composite image of the scene including substantially all of the image strips corresponding to one two-dimensional picture and with the other eye a separate composite image of the scene including substantially all of the image strips corresponding to another two-dimensional picture; and

means for harmonically vibrating said composing screen means to shift said condensed image strips by an amount substantially equal to the width of said blank strips.

6. A screen assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for vibrating operates at a frequency within the range of from about 10 to about 300 cycles per second.

7. A screen assembly as defined in claim 5 including light diffusing means interposed between said viewing screen means and said composing screen means.