Optically enhanced image sequences

• US 8,356,905 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Parellel Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cossairt, Oliver S., Hill, Samuel L., Purtell, Thomas J. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Application Number:
  US11/614,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,224 Days
• Field of Search: 353/30, 353/31, 353/34, 353/37, 353/46, 353/50, 353/51, 353/94, 353/97, 349/5, 349/7, 349/8, 349/9, 348/740
• US Class Current: 353/97
• 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 13/317 using slanted parallax optics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/351 for displaying simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/10 by means not exclusively optical-mechanical H04N3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3111 for displaying the colours sequentially, e.g. by using sequentially activated light sources sequential projection in colour photography G03B33/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/317 Convergence or focusing systems electronic adjustment of convergence H04N9/3185; convergence or focusing arrangements for cathode ray tubes H04N9/28; means for automatic focusing of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3188 Scale or resolution adjustment scaling in general G06T3/40; resolution modifying circuits for displays in general G09G5/391

Abstract

Enhanced image sequences are provided by a high resolution imaging system (HRIS) for generating an enhanced image, where the system includes a device for outputting an image sequence including a plurality of K source images, each source image including a plurality of pixels; and a projector for projecting, within a period of integration, each of the source images to an optical filter, the filter adapted for providing pixels of each source image as sub-pixels of pixels in the enhanced image. The enhanced images may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. A method and computer program product are provided for generating enhanced images, as well as techniques for fabrication of the HRIS.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a device configured to output an image sequence comprising a plurality of source images, wherein the plurality of source images comprise a plurality of pixels that represent image information; and

a projector configured to present, within a period of integration, the plurality of source images to an optical filter, wherein the optical filter is configured to mask the plurality of source images to generate a plurality of filtered images and to provide a corresponding plurality of filtered pixels as sub-pixels of an updated image, and wherein the plurality of filtered pixels include a portion of the image information represented by the plurality of pixels.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the projector comprises at least one of a digital light projector, a lamp, a color-wheel or a spatial light modulator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the period comprises about fifty milliseconds.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical filter comprises at least one of an aperture array or a liquid crystal device.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a scanner.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the scanner comprises at least one of a piezo-electric scanner, a translational scanner or a rotational scanner.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the scanner is configured to provide a scan pattern comprising one degree of freedom.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the scanner is configured to provide a scan pattern comprising at least two degrees of freedom.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a two-dimensional illumination source configured to output at least one of the plurality of source images.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical filter comprises a series of light-blocking regions configured as apertures.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising optics comprising at least one of a lenticular lens array, an upstream glass plate, a downstream glass plate, a parallax barrier, a holographic optical element or a fly eye lens array to provide a spatial demultiplexing element adapted to vary at least one of a direction or an amplitude of the sub-pixels.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the updated image comprises a three-dimensional updated image.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the projector is configured to project at least 1,000 frames per second.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of source images comprise m pixels in a first direction and n pixels in a second direction and the updated image comprises m times n times K total pixels, wherein K is a number representative of how many source images are in the plurality of source images.

15. A method, comprising:

outputting an image sequence comprising a plurality of source images that comprise a plurality of pixels representing image information;

projecting the plurality of source images of the image sequence within a period of integration;

masking the plurality of source images of the image sequence to generate a plurality of filtered images with a plurality of filtered pixels, wherein the plurality of filtered pixels include a portion of the image information represented by the plurality of pixels; and

generating an updated image from the plurality of filtered pixels of the plurality of filtered images, wherein the plurality of filtered pixels are sub-pixels of the updated image.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises offsetting the sub-pixels within respective portions of pixels of the updated image.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises scanning in a single direction.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises scanning in at least two directions.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises scanning with at least one of a rotational, translational, electrical, mechanical or electro-mechanical technique.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises scanning according to at least one of a random pattern, a boustrophedonic pattern or a Lissajous pattern.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising mapping locations for the sub-pixels.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating one of a two dimensional or a three-dimensional updated image.

23. A computer-readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, comprising:

outputting an image sequence comprising a plurality of source images that comprise a plurality of pixels;

projecting a first source image of the plurality of source images including projecting a plurality of first pixels that represent first image information;

masking the first source image into to generate a first filtered image with a plurality of first filtered sub-pixels on a first location of a surface for pixels of an updated image, wherein the plurality of first filtered sub-pixels include a portion of the first image information represented by the plurality of first pixels;

projecting a next source image of the plurality of source images including projecting a plurality of next pixels that represent next image information; and

masking the next source image to generate a next filtered image with a plurality of next filtered sub-pixels in a next location for the pixels of the updated image at least until the first and next filtered images have been projected on the surface of the updated image within a period of visual integration, wherein the plurality of next filtered sub-pixels include a portion of the next image information represented by the plurality of next pixels.

24. The computer-readable storage device of claim 23, wherein the updated image comprises one of a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image.

25. The computer-readable storage device of claim 23, the operations further comprising determining an offset for the first location and the next location.

26. A system, comprising:

means for receiving an image sequence comprising a plurality of source images that comprise a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels represent image information;

means for presenting, within a period of integration, the plurality of source images to filtering means for masking the plurality of source images to generate a plurality of filtered images with a corresponding plurality of sub-pixels, wherein the plurality of sub-pixels include a portion of the image information represented by the plurality of pixels; and

means for generating an updated image using the plurality of sub-pixels.

27. A method, comprising:

selecting components to receive an image sequence comprising a plurality of source images that comprise a plurality of pixels that represent image information;

masking the plurality of source images into resulting in a plurality of filtered images including implementing a plurality of windows that provide a plurality of filtered pixels of the plurality of filtered images as sub-pixels of an updated image, wherein the plurality of filtered pixels include a portion of the image information represented by the plurality of pixels; and

assembling the components.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the components to increase a number of source images within the plurality of source images.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the selecting comprises selecting an optical filter that provides brightness in the updated image.

30. A system, comprising:

a device configured to output an image sequence comprising a plurality of source images that comprise a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels represent image information; and

a projector configured to present, within a period of integration, the plurality of source images to an optical filter and a spatial demultiplexing element, wherein the optical filter is configured to mask the plurality of source images to generate a plurality of filtered images and to provide a corresponding plurality of filtered pixels as sub-pixels of an updated image, and wherein the plurality of filtered pixels include a portion of the image information represented by the plurality of pixels.

31. The system as in claim 30, wherein the spatial demultiplexing element comprises a lenticular lens array.

32. The system as in claim 30, wherein the spatial demultiplexing element comprises at least one of an upstream glass plate, a downstream glass plate, a parallax barrier, a holographic optical element or a fly eye lens array.

33. The system as in claim 30, wherein the spatial demultiplexing element is adapted to vary at least one of a direction or an amplitude of the sub-pixels.

34. An apparatus comprising:

a device configured to output an image sequence comprising a plurality of source images that comprise a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels represent image information; and

a projector configured to present, within a period of integration, the plurality of source images to an aperture array, wherein the aperture array is configured to mask the plurality of source images to generate a plurality of filtered images and to provide a plurality of filtered pixels as sub-pixels of pixels in an updated image, and wherein the plurality of filtered pixels include a portion of the image information represented by the plurality of pixels.