Filmless method and apparatus for producing 3-D photographs

• US 5,583,971 A
• Filed: 11/02/1994
• Issued: 12/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ND3D BV
• Original Assignee: Image Technology International Incorporated
• Inventors: Lo, Allen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Arthur G.
• Application Number:
  US08/333,201
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 395/101, 395/102, 395/104, 395/117, 395/119, 395/112, 395/125, 395/127, 353/8, 352/57, 352/58, 352/60, 346/134, 346/139 R, 346/139 C, 250/558, 356/2, 355/22
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/14 Printing apparatus specially adapted for conversion between different types of record G03B42/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/24 using apertured or refractive resolving means on screens or between screen and eye
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1233 using a cathode-ray tube or an optical-fibre tube
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1295 using a particular photoreceptive medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00201 Creation of a lenticular or stereo hardcopy image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/23 Reproducing arrangements

Abstract

A filmless 3D printing method for producing 3D photographs on lenticular print material. The 3D photograph is composed of a series of 2D images of a scene acquired by a video camera and displayed on a video monitor screen. During printing, the projection lens and the print material are moved to different positions to change the projection angles and fill the lenticules with compressed images. While the video camera is moved in relation to the scene to acquire 2D images, it aims at the key subject of the scene at all times so that the location of key subject image on the images displayed on the screen is always the same. Thus, the 2D images exposed on the print material are automatically aligned. The 2D images of a scene at different viewing angles can also be generated on a computer.

Claims

1. A filmless single-stage printing method for printing 3D photographs from a plurality of electronically captured 2D images of views of a scene from different viewing angles on lenticular print material having a multiplicity of lenticules, each lenticule having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, said method comprising the steps of:

a) electronically capturing the 2D images of said scene by electronic capturing means, said capturing being performed so as to acquire 2D images of a scene at different viewing angles and to automatically maintain said scene in proper registration for subsequent printing of 3D photographs;

b) electronically conveying said captured 2D images by electronic conveying means to a single video monitor with a screen for sequentially displaying said 2D images on said screen, and maintaining them in proper registration on said screen;

c) projecting said displayed 2D images for exposing said 2D images onto lenticular pit material through a projection lens which is focused on said screen and at the desired locations on said print material; and

d) moving the group of elements comprising (i) said projection lens and (ii) said lenticular print material in the same direction to different positions in relation to said screen of said video monitor for exposing said displayed 2D images onto said lenticular print material at the desired locations at different projection angles while maintaining said projection lens in proper focus on said screen and said lenticular print material, said moving direction being perpendicular to the Longitudinal axes of the lenticules of said lenticular print material.

2. The filmless single-stage priming method of claim 1 in which the plurality of 2D views of a scene is electronically captured in step (a) by aiming a video camera at an object in a scene which it is desired to print onto a 3D photograph, said aiming being performed to keep the object in proper registration for subsequent printing of the 3D photograph, said video camera acquiring 2D images of a scene at different viewing angles by moving said video camera relative to the object while said video camera is being aimed at said object, said aiming and relative moving of said video camera automatically maintaining the object in proper registration.

3. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1, in which the 2D images being projected in step (c) onto the lenticular film are filtered by a plurality of color filters in order to achieve the desired color characteristics of the photograph.

4. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of 2D images of said views captured by the video camera are electronically conveyed to an image processing device for processing said 2D images and thereafter electronically conveying in step (b) the processed 2D image to a single video monitor with a screen for sequentially displaying the processed 2D images on said screen.

5. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 4, which further comprises storing the captured 2D images acquired by the video camera in an electronic storage device and retrieving said 2D images with retrieving means and conveying in step (b) the 2D images to the video monitor.

6. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1, wherein said video monitor comprises a color video monitor for displaying 2D images in color on said screen of said monitor.

7. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1, wherein said video monitor comprises a black-and-white video monitor for sequentially displaying three color component images on said monitor for each said 2D image at each projection angle.

8. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 7, which further comprises a color filter assembly containing three separate filters of primary colors for filtering respective color component images for projecting said component images onto said lenticular print material in step (c).

9. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 2, wherein the scene is intermittently rotated to allow the 2D images of different views of said scene to be captured by said video camera in a discrete sequence.

10. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 2, wherein the scene is continuously rotated to allow the 2D images of different views of said scene to be captured by said video camera in a continuous sequence.

11. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1, in which the plurality of 2D views of a scene is electronically captured in step (a) by aiming the video camera at an object in a scene which it is desired to print onto a 3D photograph, said aiming being performed to keep the object in proper registration for subsequent printing of the 3D photograph, said video camera acquiring 2D images of a scene at different viewing angles while maintaining the video camera in a stationary position while the scene is rotated in the desired direction in order to allow the 2D images of different views of said scene to be captured in proper sequence, said relative movement of the scene in relation to the video camera automatically maintaining the object in proper registration.

12. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 2, wherein the video camera captures the 2D images through a plane mirror.

13. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1, wherein the electronic conveying means of step (b) comprises a data transmitter and a data receiver wherein the 2D images are conveyed to the video monitor via said data transmitter and data receiver.

14. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1 in which the plurality of 2D views of a scene at different viewing angles are generated in a computer with a selected object of said scene being kept in proper registration during the generation of the computer views which are electronically captured in the computer in step (a).

15. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 14, further comprising storing the captured 2D images generated by the computer in an electronic storage device and retrieving said 2D images from the electronic storage device and electronically conveying the 2D images to the video monitor.

16. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 14, wherein the electronic conveying means of step (b) is a data transmitter and a data receiver for electronically conveying said 2D image to the video monitor.

17. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1 in which the electronic capturing means comprises a video camera and a computer for generating 2D images of different views of a scene, wherein

(a) a plurality of 2D views of a scene is electronically captured in step (a) of claim 1 by aiming a video camera at an object in a scene which it is desired to print onto a 3D photograph, said aiming being performed to keep the object in proper registration for subsequent printing of the 3D photograph, said video camera acquiring 2D images of a scene at different viewing angles by moving said video camera relative to the object while said video camera is being aimed at said object, said aiming and relative moving of said video camera automatically maintaining the object in proper registration;

(b) generating 2D images of different views of a scene in a computer, with a selected object in a scene being kept in proper registration; and

(c) electronically transferring said computer generated 2D images and images captured by the video camera to an image processing device for processing and correlating said 2D images prior to electronically conveying the images to a video monitor in step (b) of claim 1.

18. The filmless single-stage priming method of claim 1, wherein the said 2D image of a view of a scene as displayed has a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, wherein the vertical axis of said 2D image as displayed is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the lenticules of said lenticular print material.

19. The filmless single-stage printing method of claim 1, wherein said 2D image of a view of a scene as displayed has a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, wherein the vertical axis of said 2D image as displayed is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of the lenticules of said lenticular print material.

23. A 3D photograph produced by the filmless single stage printing method of claim 10, said 3D photograph having a plurality of lenticules and a plurality of image bands within each lenticule, with a plurality of slightly different images being acquired and printed in each image band so as to minimize jumping when an observer changes the viewing angle of the view of the photograph.

24. A 3D photograph produced by the filmless single-stage printing method of claim 17, said 3D photograph having a plurality of lenticules and a plurality of image bands within each lenticule, with a plurality of slightly different images being acquired and printed in each image band so to minimize jumping when an observer changes the viewing angle of the view of the photograph.

20. A filmless single-stage printing method for printing 3D pictures from a plurality of electronically captured and computer generated 2D images of different scenes on lenticular print material having a multiplicity of lenticules, each lenticule having longitudinal axis and horizontal axis, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) electronically capturing the 2D images of some of said scenes by electronic capturing means;

(b) electronically generating the 2D images of other scenes by a computer;

(c) electronically combining said captured 2D images and said computer generated 2D images of said other scenes thereby producing a plurality of combined 2D images;

(d) conveying said combined 2D images by electronic conveying means to a single video monitor with a screen for sequentially displaying said combined 2D images on said screen;

(e) projecting said displayed 2D images for exposing said 2D images onto lenticular print material through a projection lens which is focused on said screen and on said lenticular print material at the desired locations; and

(f) moving the group of elements comprising (i) said projection lens and (ii) said lenticular print material in the same direction to different positions in relation to said screen of said video monitor for exposing said displayed 2D images onto said print material at the desired locations at different projection angles while maintaining said projection lens in proper focus on said screen and said lenticular print material, said moving direction being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lenticules of said lenticular print material.

21. The single-stage printing method of claim 20, wherein said 2D image of a view of the scene has a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, wherein the vertical axis of said 2D image as displayed is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of the lenticules of said lenticular print material.

22. The single-stage printing method of claim 20, wherein said 2D image of a view of the scene has a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, wherein the vertical axis of said 2D image as displayed is substantially parallel to the transverse axis of the lenticules of said lenticular print material.