System and method for projecting images onto a moving screen

• US 7,488,079 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2005
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thinc Design, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Thinc Design, Inc.
• Inventors: Hennes, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval; Melissa J
• Application Number:
  US11/186,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20060038965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 353/7, 353/10, 353/94, 353/97, 353/121, 353/28, 353/30, 353/69, 353/70, 353/101, 345/6, 345/419, 359/478, 359/462, 359/446, 359/475, 359/477, 348/42, 348/44, 348/51
• US Class Current: 353/97
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/26 Projecting separately subsidiary matter simultaneously with main image

Abstract

A shaped screen rotates through one or more projected images of two or more projectors operating simultaneously, resulting in a dynamic, kinetic image surface which may be viewed equally well from a plurality of angles, up to 360° horizontally. By utilizing at least two projectors, the resultant composite image on the rotating screen is not only optimally viewed from any angle, but it is also animated by the movement of the screen itself, as well as by any animation within the projected image.

Claims

1. An image projection system for presenting an image to a viewer, comprising:

a mechanically rotating screen that has an ascertainable position;

at least two projectors operable to project an image, each projector including a mask synchronously incorporated into the image, wherein the mask is a dynamic digital mask edited into the image; and

synchronization means between the rotating screen and the image such that the mask blocks from the viewer all of the image that is at any given moment extraneous to the rotating screen.

2. An image projection system according to claim 1 further comprising:

keystone distortion correction means of said image for producing a distortion free projected image, wherein said distortion correction means includes modifying an electronic image to be projected so as to change the electronic image to produce a distortion free projected image; and

keystone distortion correction means of said mask for producing a distortion free mask.

3. An image projection system according to claim 1 further comprising:

focus distortion correction means on said at least two projectors for projecting the image in proper focus onto the screen.

4. An image projection system according to claim 1 wherein said at least two projectors are arranged about an axis of rotation of the screen.

5. An image projection system according to claim 1 wherein the synchronization means between the rotation of the screen and the image is maintained within 2°

of rotation.

6. An image projection system for presenting an image to a viewer, comprising:

a mechanically rotating screen that has an ascertainable position;

at least two projectors operable to project an image, each projector including a mask synchronously incorporated into the image;

synchronization means between the rotating screen and the image such that the mask blocks from the viewer all of the image that is at any given moment extraneous to the rotating screen;

a control system connected to said at least two projectors;

a constant-speed motor affixed to the rotating screen, wherein the motor includes a signal device operable to send an electrical pulse signal to the control system at each full revolution of the rotating screen;

said control system programmed to begin projection and to start a timer associated with a preset program period, including a beginning and an end, after receiving a first electrical pulse signal from the signal device and to ignore each subsequent pulse signal until the timer reaches the end of the preset program period; and

said control system programmed to pause projection when the timer reaches the end of the preset program period and to wait for a next pulse signal to resume projection, wherein a time interval between the end of the preset program period and the next pulse signal is sufficiently short such that a viewer perceives projection of each program to be continuous.

7. An image projection system according to claim 6, further comprising:

keystone distortion correction means of said image for producing a distortion free projected image, wherein said distortion correction means includes modifying an electronic image to be projected so as to change the electronic image to produce a distortion free projected image; and

keystone distortion correction means of said mask for producing a distortion free mask.

8. An image projection system according to claim 6, further comprising:

focus distortion correction means on said at least two projectors for projecting the image in proper focus onto the screen.

9. An image projection system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a camera connected at an optical center of projection of each projector, the camera operable to record a projected image;

said camera operable to send a recorded image to a central processing unit (CPU) connecting thereto, wherein the CPU is capable of determining a projective transformation matrix from the recorded image;

said CPU connected to a signal processor operable to create a modified image from the recorded image according to the projective transformation matrix received from the CPU; and

said signal processor operable to send the modified image to the projector, wherein the projector projects the modified image onto the screen.

10. An image projection system according to claim 6, wherein said at least two projectors are arranged about an axis of rotation of the screen.

11. An image projection system according to claim 6, wherein the synchronization means between the rotation of the screen and the image is maintained within 2°

of rotation.

12. An image projection system for presenting an image to a viewer, comprising:

a mechanically rotating screen that has an ascertainable position;

at least two projectors operable to project an image, each projector including a mask synchronously incorporated into the image;

synchronization means between the rotating screen and the image such that the mask blocks from the viewer all of the image that is at any given moment extraneous to the rotating screen;

a camera connected at an optical center of projection of each projector, the camera operable to record a projected image;

said camera operable to send a recorded image to a central processing unit (CPU) connecting thereto, wherein the CPU is capable of determining a projective transformation matrix from the recorded image;

said CPU connected to a signal processor operable to create a modified image from the recorded image according to the projective transformation matrix received from the CPU; and

said signal processor operable to send the modified image to the projector, wherein the projector projects the modified image onto the screen.

13. An image projection system according to claim 12, further comprising:

keystone distortion correction means of said image for producing a distortion free projected image, wherein said distortion correction means includes modifying an electronic image to be projected so as to change the electronic image to produce a distortion free projected image; and

keystone distortion correction means of said mask for producing a distortion free mask.

14. An image projection system according to claim 12, further comprising:

focus distortion correction means on said at least two projectors for projecting the image in proper focus onto the screen.

15. An image projection system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a camera connected at art optical center of projection of each projector, the camera operable to record a projected image;

said camera operable to send a recorded image to a central processing unit (CPU) connecting thereto, wherein the CPU is capable of determining a projective transformation matrix from the recorded image;

said CPU connected to a signal processor operable to create a modified image from the recorded image according to the projective transformation matrix received from the CPU; and

said signal processor operable to send the modified image to the projector, wherein the projector projects the modified image onto the screen.

16. An image projection system according to claim 12, wherein said at least two projectors are arranged about an axis of rotation of the screen.

17. An image projection system according to claim 12, wherein the synchronization means between the rotation of the screen and the image is maintained within 2°

of rotation.

18. An image projection method for generating an image for viewing by viewer, comprising:

rotating a screen that has an ascertainable position;

projecting a distorted image including a synchronously-incorporated distorted mask caused by at least one of an adverse angle of projection and a rotating screen;

recording the distorted image and mask at an optical center of projection on a recording medium using a camera;

performing keystone distortion correction on the distorted image and mask using a signal processor connected to the camera;

modifying the distorted image and mask to compensate for the keystone distortion; and

projecting the modified image and mask onto the screen to produce a distortion free projected image; and

controlling the timing of said projection steps through the use of a timing signal managed by a control computer such that the modified image and the rotating screen are synchronized resulting in the modified mask blocking from the viewer all of the image that is at any given moment extraneous to the rotating screen.

19. An image projection method according to claim 18, wherein the projecting step utilizes a distorted digital mask dynamically edited into the distorted image.