True three-dimensional imaging and display system

• US 5,892,538 A
• Filed: 07/02/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Gibas, Michael Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US08/886,086
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 348/42, 348/43, 348/46, 348/47, 348/51, 345/419
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/117 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/15 for colour aspects of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/257 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/334 using spectral multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A scene is imaged from a plurality of points of view to generate plural images each including an image value and distance for each picture element. The images are converted to a principle point of view to generate a non-standard image that accounts for hidden objects in the scene from the perspective of the principle point of view by including multiple image values and distances for each picture element. The non-standard image is then converted to generate a plurality of display images, each having a different display point of view. The display images are individually displayed at corresponding display elements arrayed in a display panel for viewing. A lens at each display element fans out the display image and thus restricts the amount of the image visible at any given perception point to produce true three-dimensional images. An application of the system is disclosed for effectuating a virtual conferencing facility. Furthermore, disclosure is made of the generation or modification of three-dimensional images in the non-standard image format.

Claims

1. A data format for conveying true three-dimensional image information, comprising:

a frame of image data for each true three-dimensional image of a scene containing objects;

a pixel field in the frame of image data for each picture element in the true three-dimensional image, each picture element corresponding to an orientation of a scan ray emanating from a principle point of view; and

an image and distance value pair in each pixel field for each one of a plurality of objects in the scene located along the orientation of the scan ray corresponding to the picture element for that pixel field, each included image and distance value pair for one pixel field providing image data for a certain one of the objects and distance data to that certain object along the scan ray.

2. A data format for conveying true three-dimensional video image information, comprising:

a sequence of frames of image data, one frame per individual image in a video image taken of a scene containing objects;

a plurality of pixel fields in each frame, each pixel field associated with a picture element in the image, each picture element corresponding to an orientation of a scan ray emanating from a principle point of view; and

an image and distance value pair in each pixel field for each one of a plurality of objects in the scene located along the orientation of the scan ray corresponding to the picture element for that pixel field, each included image and distance value pair for one pixel field providing image data for a certain one of the objects and distance data to that certain object along the scan ray.

3. The format of claim 2 wherein the frames in the sequence of frames comprise full frames containing a pixel field for each picture element in the image.

4. The format of claim 2 wherein the frames in the sequence of frames comprise:

full frames each containing a pixel field for each picture element in the image; and

partial frames between consecutive full frames, each partial frame containing a pixel field for each picture element in the image which has changed from an immediately prior image in the sequence.