Multi-dimensional imaging apparatus, systems, and methods

• US 7,347,555 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DD Micoy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micoy Corporation (Digital Domain Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Grover, Trent
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling; William C.
• Application Number:
  US11/020,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20050141089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 353/7, 353/8, 353/9, 353/10, 353/94, 396/324, 396/462, 396/376, 352/43, 352/57, 352/129, 352/59, 348/42, 348/49, 348/51, 359/23, 359/462, 359/376, 359/377, 359/378, 359/466, 359/458, 359/473
• US Class Current: 353/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing

Abstract

A lens, an apparatus, and a system, as well as a method and article, may operate to receive a plurality of left eye rays through a first plurality of separating facets of a lens at an image acquisition plane, and to receive a plurality of right eye rays through a second plurality of separating facets of the lens at the image acquisition plane. Data acquired from the image plane may be used to construct a stereoscopic image, including a moving, panoramic stereoscopic image. Lenses, image capture devices, and projectors may be implemented that operate using three or more viewpoints.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of left eye rays through one of a first plurality of separating facets of a lens at an image acquisition plane; and

receiving a plurality of right eye rays through one of a second plurality of separating facets of the lens at the image acquisition plane, wherein the plurality of left eye rays and the plurality of right eye rays received by all separating facets of the lens and passing through a lens surface intersection point are tangential to a circular path of eye rotation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of separating facets are interleaved with the second plurality of separating facets.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring data from the image acquisition plane to construct a separated eye image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the separated eye image is selected from at least one of a separated left eye image and a separated right eye image.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

joining the separated eye image to provide a joined eye image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the joined eye image is selected from at least one of a joined right eye image and a joined left eye image.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

combining the joined left eye image and the joined right eye image to provide a stereoscopic image.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

combining the joined left eye image and the joined right eye image to provide a panoramic stereoscopic image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an outer radius of the lens corresponds to a distance at which a field of view of the first image acquisition plane overlaps a field of view of the lens.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeatedly acquiring data from the image acquisition plane to construct a separated left eye image;

repeatedly acquiring data from the image acquisition plane to construct a separated right eye image; and

processing the separated left eye image and the separated right eye image to provide a moving stereoscopic image.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeatedly acquiring data from the image acquisition plane to construct a separated left eye image;

repeatedly acquiring data from the image acquisition plane to construct a separated right eye image; and

processing the separated left eye image and the separated right eye image to provide a moving panoramic stereoscopic image.

12. A method, comprising:

capturing a plurality of left eye rays and a plurality of right eye rays at each one of a corresponding plurality of separating facets included in a lens; and

constructing an interlaced image from the plurality of captured left eye rays and the plurality of captured right eye rays, wherein the plurality of left eye rays and the plurality of right eye rays captured by the corresponding plurality of separating facets and passing though a surface of the lens are tangential to a circular path of eye rotation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

constructing a de-interlaced eye image strip from the interlaced image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the de-interlaced eye image strip is selected from at least one of a left de-interlaced eye image strip and a right de-interlaced eye image strip.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

constructing a separated eye image section from the de-interlaced eye image strip.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the separated eye image section is selected from at least one of a left separated eye image section and a right separated eye image section.

17. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

receiving a plurality of left eye rays though one of a first plurality of separating facets of a lens at an image acquisition plane; and

receiving a plurality of right eye rays though one of a second plurality of separating facets of the lens at the image acquisition plane, wherein the plurality of left eye rays and the plurality of right eye rays received by all separating facets of the lens and passing though a lens surface intersection point are tangential to a circular path of eye rotation.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

acquiring data from the image acquisition plane to construct a separated eye image.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the separated eye image is selected from at least one of a separated left eye image and a separated right eye image.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

joining the separated left eye image to provide a joined left eye image; and

joining the separated right eye image to provide a joined right eye image.

21. The article of claim 20, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

combining the joined left eye image and the joined right eye image to provide a stereoscopic image.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a first lens having a first plurality of interleaved separating facets including a first separating facet to refract left eye rays and a second separating facet to refract right eye rays, wherein the left eye rays and the right eye rays received by all separating facets of the lens and passing through a lens surface intersection point are tangential to a circular path of eye rotation; and

a first image acquisition plane to receive a first refracted left eye ray from the first separating facet, and to receive a first refracted right eye ray from the second separating facet.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first lens includes at least one additional eye ray separating facet interleaved with the first separating facet and the second separating facet, wherein the first separating facet corresponds to a first viewpoint, wherein the second separating facet corresponds to a second viewpoint, and wherein the additional eye ray separating facet corresponds to a third viewpoint.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

a second lens having a second plurality of interleaved separating facets including a third separating facet to refract the left eye rays and a fourth separating facet to refract the right eye rays; and

a second image acquisition plane to receive a second refracted left eye ray from the third separating facet, and to receive a second refracted right eye ray from the fourth separating facet.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first lens has a first inner radius defining a portion of a cylindrical section, and wherein the second lens has a second inner radius located approximately on a cylinder defined by the portion of the cylindrical section.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first image acquisition plane and the second image acquisition plane are located at a radial distance r_c from an origin point located at a center of a selected inter-ocular distance.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the selected inter-ocular distance is approximately 4 centimeters to approximately 8 centimeters.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first image acquisition plane is located at a radial distance r_c from a first origin point located at a center of a first inter-ocular distance, wherein the first lens includes an additional separating facet corresponding to a second inter-ocular distance and interleaved with the first separating facet and the second separating facet, and wherein the first image acquisition plane is to receive an additional refracted eye ray from the additional separating facet.

29. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein an outer radius of the first lens corresponds to a distance at which a field of view of the first image acquisition plane overlaps a field of view of one of the first plurality of interleaved separating facets.

30. A system, comprising:

a plurality of lenses having a plurality of interleaved separating facets including a first separating facet to refract left eye rays and a second separating facet to refract right eye rays, wherein the left eye rays and the right eye rays refracted by all separating facets of at least one of the plurality of lenses and passing through a lens surface intersection point are tangential to a circular path of eye rotation;

a plurality of image acquisition planes to receive refracted left eye rays from the first separating facets and to receive refracted right eye rays from the second separating facets; and

a memory to receive image data from the plurality of image acquisition planes.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the image data includes information to construct a stereoscopic image.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the image data includes information to construct a panoramic stereoscopic image.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the image data includes a separated left eye image and a separated right eye image.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

a processor coupled to the memory to join the separated left eye image and to join the separated right eye image.