Method for creating and a system for using a constant vertical resolution toroidal display

• US 9,110,358 B1
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Vorst, Carl J., Streid, Harold R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cruz, Magda
• Application Number:
  US13/909,392
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 353/74, 353/30, 348/744, 348/E9.025, 359/460, 359/451
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/606 for relief projection
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/00 Panoramic or wide-screen photography; Photographing extended surfaces, e.g. for surveying; Photographing internal surfaces, e.g. of pipe
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/02 for teaching control of vehicles or other craft
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3188 Scale or resolution adjustment scaling in general G06T3/40; resolution modifying circuits for displays in general G09G5/391
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3197 using light modulating optical valves

Abstract

The present disclosure is generally directed to methods of creating and a visual image projection and display system including a tessellation of toroidal constant vertical resolution surfaces to display a single substantially constant vertical resolution image by blending projected images on adjacent constant vertical resolution surfaces. Each toroidal constant vertical resolution surface is defined by any horizontal section of the constant vertical resolution surface normal to a central vertical axis of the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces being a constant distance from the central vertical axis. The system further includes a top surface screen intersecting the tessellation of toroidal constant vertical resolution surfaces defined by a circular azimuth curve, and a set of image projectors corresponding to each constant vertical resolution surface of the tessellation of toroidal constant vertical resolution surfaces and the top surface screen.

Claims

1. A method of producing a toroidal constant vertical resolution surface acting as a rear-projection display screen for receiving and displaying a substantially constant vertical resolution projected image from an image projector, the method comprising:

identifying an eye-point of a viewer to be positioned behind the rear-projection display screen of the constant vertical resolution surface from the image projector;

identifying a viewing distance from the eye-point of the viewer to an inside surface of the rear-projection display screen of the constant vertical resolution surface in the direction of the image projector;

identifying a projection distance from the image projector to an outside surface of the rear-projection display screen of the constant vertical resolution surface in the direction of the eye-point of the viewer;

creating a constant vertical resolution elevation curve based on a locus of points defined by an intersection of

a set of equal angular increment lines of the viewing distance from the eye-point of the viewer with

a set of equal pixel size increment lines of the projected image from the image projector based on the projection distance from the image projector; and

creating the toroidal constant vertical resolution surface defined by at least a portion of the constant vertical resolution elevation curve being at least partially rotated about at least a portion of a central vertical axis intersecting with the eye-point of the viewer to produce a constant vertical resolution surface in a vertical direction as a function of elevation.

2. The method of producing the toroidal constant vertical resolution surface according to claim 1, wherein the set of equal angular increment lines are further defined by the viewing distance from the eye-point of the viewer being rotated in a vertical direction.

3. The method of producing the toroidal constant vertical resolution surface according to claim 1, wherein the set of equal pixel size increment lines are further defined by being constrained to a vertical plane both at and normal to the projection distance from the image projector.

4. The method of producing the toroidal constant vertical resolution surface according to claim 1, wherein the constant vertical resolution surface further being defined by any horizontal section of the constant vertical resolution surface normal to the central vertical axis being a constant distance from the central vertical axis.

5. The method of producing the toroidal constant vertical resolution surface according to claim 1, wherein the central vertical axis intersects the eye-point of the viewer.

6. The method of producing the toroidal constant vertical resolution surface according to claim 1, further comprising joining a plurality of the constant vertical resolution surfaces at their vertical edges to create a constant vertical resolution surface structure,

wherein each constant vertical resolution surface of the constant vertical resolution surface structure is capable of receiving and displaying a substantially constant vertical resolution projected image from an image projector.

7. The method of producing the toroidal constant vertical resolution surface according to claim 6, wherein the constant vertical resolution surface structure further being defined by any horizontal section of the constant vertical resolution surface structure normal to the central vertical axis being a constant distance from the central vertical axis.

8. A method of producing a full field of view display with a constant vertical resolution on a tessellation of toroidal constant vertical resolution surfaces acting as rear-projection display screens that receive and display substantially constant vertical resolution projected images from corresponding image projectors, the method comprising:

identifying an eye-point of a viewer to be positioned behind at least one rear-projection display screen of at least one constant vertical resolution surface from an image projector;

identifying a viewing distance from the eye-point of the viewer to an inside surface of the at least one rear-projection display screen of the at least one constant vertical resolution surface in the direction of the image projector;

identifying a projection distance from the image projector to an outside surface of the at least one rear-projection display screen of the at least one constant vertical resolution surface in the direction of the eye-point of the viewer;

creating a constant vertical resolution elevation curve based on a locus of points defined by an intersection of

a set of equal angular increment lines of the viewing distance from the eye-point of the viewer with

a set of equal pixel size increment lines of the projected image from the image projector based on the projection distance from the image projector;

creating the at least one toroidal constant vertical resolution surface defined by at least a portion of the constant vertical resolution elevation curve being at least partially rotated about at least a portion of a central vertical axis constant vertical resolution intersecting with the eye-point of the viewer to produce a constant vertical resolution surface in a vertical direction as a function of elevation;

joining a plurality of the constant vertical resolution surfaces at their vertical edges to create the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces where each vertical edge of constant vertical resolution surface being defined by the constant vertical resolution elevation curve; and

displaying the full field of view display by projecting a plurality of projected images from corresponding image projectors having a substantially constant vertical resolution on the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces.

9. The method of producing the full field of view display according to claim 8, wherein the set of equal angular increment lines are further defined by the viewing distance from the eye-point of the viewer being rotated in a vertical direction.

10. The method of producing the full field of view display according to claim 8, wherein the set of equal pixel size increment lines are further defined by being constrained to a vertical plane both at and normal to the projection distance from the image projector.

11. The method of producing the full field of view display according to claim 8, wherein the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces further being defined by any horizontal section of the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces normal to the central vertical axis being a constant distance from the central vertical axis.

12. The method of producing the full field of view display according to claim 8, the method further comprising providing a top surface screen intersecting the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces defined by a circular azimuth curve.

13. The method of producing the full field of view display according to claim 8, the method further comprising blending images projected on adjacent constant vertical resolution surfaces generated by the corresponding image projectors to produce a single substantially constant vertical resolution image on the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces.

14. The method of producing the full field of view display according to claim 8, wherein the corresponding image projectors generate images formatted with an aspect ratio of approximately sixteen by nine.

15. A visual image projection and display system comprising:

a tessellation of toroidal constant vertical resolution surfaces to display a single substantially constant vertical resolution image by blending projected images on adjacent toroidal constant vertical resolution surfaces, wherein each toroidal constant vertical resolution surface is defined by any horizontal section of the constant vertical resolution surface normal to a central vertical axis of the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces being a constant distance from the central vertical axis;

a top surface screen intersecting the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces defined by a circular azimuth curve; and

a set of image projectors corresponding to each constant vertical resolution surface of the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces and the top surface screen.

16. The visual image projection and display system according to claim 15, wherein each constant vertical resolution surface being defined by at least a portion of a constant vertical resolution elevation curve being rotated about at least a portion of the central vertical axis of the tessellation of constant vertical resolution surfaces.

17. The visual image projection and display system according to claim 16, wherein the constant vertical resolution elevation curve being based on a locus of points defined by an intersection of

a set of equal angular increment lines of a viewing distance from an eye-point of the viewer to an inside surface of at least one constant vertical resolution surface in a direction of at least one image projector with

a set of equal pixel size increment lines of a projected image from an image projector based on a projection distance from the image projector to an outside surface of the at least one constant vertical resolution surface in a direction of the eye-point of the viewer.

18. The visual image projection and display system according to claim 17, wherein the set of equal angular increment lines are further defined by the viewing distance from the eye-point of the viewer being rotated in a vertical direction.

19. The visual image projection and display system according to claim 17, wherein the set of equal pixel size increment lines are further defined by being constrained to a vertical plane both at and normal to the projection distance from the image projector.

20. The visual image projection and display system according to claim 15, wherein the visual image projection and display system being utilized in a vehicle simulator.