Multi-plane horizontal perspective display

• US 7,796,134 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: zSpace Inc.
• Original Assignee: Infinite Io, Inc.
• Inventors: Vesely, Michael A., Clemens, Nancy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Xiao M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tseng; Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/141,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11- 13, 345/427
• US Class Current: 345/427
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/40 giving the observer of a single two-dimensional [2D] image a perception of depth
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/50 the image being built up from image elements distributed over a 3D volume, e.g. voxels
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/56 by projecting aerial or floating images
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/279 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/356 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/361 Reproducing mixed stereoscopic images; Reproducing mixed monoscopic and stereoscopic images, e.g. a stereoscopic image overlay window on a monoscopic image background
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/395 with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of 2D image planes
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

The present invention multi-plane display system discloses a three dimension display system comprising at least two display surfaces, one of which displaying a three dimensional horizontal perspective images. Further, the display surfaces can have a curvilinear blending display section to merge the various images. The multi-plane display system can comprise various camera eyepoints, one for the horizontal perspective images, and optionally one for the curvilinear blending display surface.

Claims

1. A display system comprising:

a non-horizontal first display surface;

a horizontal distinct second display surface;

a non-horizontal distinct third display surface connecting the first display surface and second display surface;

an input device; and

one or more processors operable to interact with the input device, the first display surface, and the second display surface to perform operations comprising;

performing a first projection of each point of a first 3D object onto a non-horizontal first drawing plane to generate a first projection image in a non-horizontal first perspective for the first display surface, the first projection performed by determining a first set of projection lines that extend through a first eyepoint, the first 3D object, and the first drawing plane, wherein the first drawing plane and the first display surface are mapped to one another and share a common reference plane;

performing a distinct second projection of each point of a second 3D object onto a horizontal distinct second drawing plane to generate a distinct second projection image in a horizontal distinct second perspective for the second display surface, the second projection performed by determining a second set of projection lines that extend through a second eyepoint, the second 3D object, and the second drawing plane, wherein the second drawing plane and the second display surface are mapped to one another and share a common reference plane;

performing a distinct third projection of each point of the second 3D object onto a non-horizontal distinct third drawing plane to generate a distinct third projection image in a non-horizontal third perspective for the third display surface, the third projection performed by determining a third set of projection lines that extend through a third eyepoint, the second 3D object, and the third drawing plane, wherein the third drawing plane and the third display surface are mapped to one another and share a common reference plane; and

displaying the first projection image on the first display surface, concurrently displaying the second projection image on the second display surface, and concurrently displaying the third projection image on the third display surface.

2. The system of claim 1 where the first eyepoint and the second eyepoint are the same.

3. The system of claim 1 where the first display surface has a substantially vertical orientation.

4. The system of claim 1 where at least one of the first set of projection lines is perpendicular to the first drawing plane.

5. The system of claim 1 where the first and second eyepoints are distinct.

6. The system of claim 1 where an object point lies between a corresponding eyepoint and a corresponding drawing plane.

7. The system of claim 1 where at least one of the first drawing plane and the second drawing plane lies between a corresponding eyepoint and a corresponding object point.

8. The system of claim 1, where the processor is further operable to perform operations comprising:

displaying the first image on the first display surface and concurrently displaying the second image on the second display surface.

9. The system of claim 1, where the processor is further operable to perform operations comprising:

displaying the first image on the first display surface and displaying the third image on the second display surface.

10. The system of claim 1, where the processor is further operable to perform operations comprising:

displaying the third image on the second display surface concurrent with displaying the second image on the second display surface.

11. The system of claim 1, where the first and second eyepoints are the same.

12. The system of claim 1, where the third eyepoint is offset from the second eyepoint.

13. The system of claim 1, where the first display surface has a substantially vertical orientation.

14. The system of claim 13 where at least one of the first set of projection lines is perpendicular to the first drawing plane.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second 3D objects are the same object.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first perspective is a substantially central perspective.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing, by a processor, a first projection of each point of a first 3D object onto a non-horizontal first drawing plane to generate a first projection image in a non-horizontal first perspective for a non-horizontal first display surface, the first projection performed by determining a first set of projection lines that extend through a first eyepoint, the first 3D object, and the first drawing plane, wherein the first drawing plane and the first display surface are mapped to one another and share a common reference plane;

performing, by a processor, a distinct second projection of each point of a second 3D object onto a horizontal distinct second drawing plane to generate a distinct second projection image in a horizontal distinct second perspective for a horizontal second display surface, the second projection performed by determining a second set of projection lines that extend through a second eyepoint, the second 3D object, and the second drawing plane, wherein the second drawing plane and the second display surface are mapped to one another and share a common reference plane;

performing, by a processor, a distinct projection of each point of the second 3D object onto a distinct third drawing plane to generate a distinct third projection image for a third display surface connecting the first display surface and second display surface, the third projection performed by determining a third set of projection lines that extend through a distinct third eyepoint, the second 3D object, and the third drawing plane, wherein the third drawing plane and the third display surface are mapped to one another and share a common reference plane; and

displaying the first projection image on the non-horizontal first display surface, concurrently displaying the horizontal second projection image on the second display surface, and concurrently displaying the third projection image on the third display surface.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing, by a processor, a first projection of each point of a first 3D object onto a non-horizontal first drawing plane to generate a non-horizontal first projection image in a first perspective for a non-horizontal first display surface, the first projection performed by determining a first set of projection lines that extend through a first eyepoint, the first 3D object, and the first drawing plane, wherein the first drawing plane and the first display surface are substantially coincident;

performing, by a processor, a distinct second projection of each point of a second 3D object onto a horizontal distinct second drawing plane to generate a horizontal distinct second projection image in a distinct second perspective for a horizontal second display surface, the second projection performed by determining a second set of projection lines that extend through a second eyepoint, the second 3D object, and the second drawing plane, wherein the second drawing plane and the second display surface are mapped to one another and share a common reference plane;

generating at least one distinct third projection image portion in at least one distinct third perspective for a curvilinear distinct third display surface connecting the first display surface and second display surface; and

concurrently displaying the first projection image on the first display surface, the second projection image on the second display surface, and the third projection image on the third display surface.