Autostereoscopic video device and system

• US 5,808,599 A
• Filed: 01/11/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alioscopy Co.
• Original Assignee: Pierre Allio
• Inventors: Allio, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US08/535,212
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 345/139, 345/156, 345/151, 345/6, 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 348/59, 348/42, 348/51, 348/54, 348/60, 309/462, 309/463, 309/619, 309/621, 309/623
• US Class Current: 345/6
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/15 for colour aspects of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/167 Synchronising or controlling image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/229 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/349 Multi-view displays for displaying three or more geometrical viewpoints without viewer tracking for viewing without the aid of special glasses using fly-eye lenses H04N13/307
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for display an autostereoscopic image on a video screen (20) having a cylindrical lens array (10) disposed in front of it. The video screen (20) has pixels made up of p color points (RGB) placed horizontally side by side, the number of viewpoints for the autostereoscopic image is different from p×n (where n is a non-zero integer), and the lens array (10) has a pitch equal to the product of the pitch of the color points (R, G, B) multiplied by the number of viewpoints, e.g. four.

Claims

1. A device for displaying an autostereoscopic image on a video screen having a cylindrical lens array disposed in front of it, and comprising cylindrical lenses each having an axis parallel to a direction, and the video screen having pixels made up of p color points placed side by side perpendicularly to said direction, where p is an integer greater than 1, the number of viewpoints for the autostereoscopic image being different from p×

n where n is a non-zero integer, and wherein the lens array has a pitch equal to the product of the color point pitch multiplied by the number of viewpoints.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that p is equal to 3 and in that the number of viewpoints is equal to four, the pitch of the lens array corresponding to four color points.

3. An autostereoscopic video system, which comprises:

a device for processing an image by permutation of pixel color points; and

a display device according to claim 1

and wherein said permutation is such that an observer sees the p color points of each pixel belonging to each viewpoint in D successive lenses of the lens array.

4. A method of processing an autostereoscopic image for the purpose of being displayed by a device having a video screen and an array of cylindrical lenses each having an axis parallel to a direction and disposed in front of the video screen, the video screen having pixels made up of p color points placed side by side perpendicularly to said direction, the autostereoscopic image being made up of a number of viewpoints which number is different from p×

n, n being a non-zero integer, the lens arras having a pitch equal to the product of the color point pitch multiplied by the number of viewpoints, the method including a step of pixel color point permutation such that an observer sees the p color points of each pixel belonging to each viewpoint in p successive lenses of the lens array.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said color point permutation is performed by permutation of addresses for digitized data of the color points while they are being recorded in an image color point memory.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said permutation of color point addresses is performed by at least one transcoding memory.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the transcoding memory is input addressed by a pixel counter for each line, which counter is reset to zero at the beginning of each line, and produces, on output, for the image color point memory, permutated addresses corresponding to the permutations of the red, green and blue color points respectively.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the image color point memory is also write addressed by a line counter.

9. A method according to claim 5, wherein said permutation of color point addresses is performed by at least one transcoding memory.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the transcoding memory is input addressed by a pixel counter for each line, which counter is reset to zero at the beginning of each line and produces, on output, for the image color point memory, permutated addresses corresponding to the permutation of the red, green and blue color points, respectively.

11. A method according to claim 4, wherein said color point permutation is performed by permutation of digitized data addresses for color points while they are being read from an image color point memory.