Method and device for projecting a 3-D viewable image

• US 9,164,368 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kilcher, Lucio, Abele, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOWARD, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US13/782,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 353/94, 353/7, 353/98, 353/99, 353/30, 353/31, 359/464, 359/465, 359/471, 359/472, 348/52
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/22 of the stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/315 the parallax barriers being time-variant
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/365 using digital micromirror devices [DMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 scanning a light beam on the display screen scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 Video signal processing therefor

Abstract

A method for projecting a 3-D viewable image onto a display surface, comprising the steps of, providing two or more projection systems; arranging the two or more projection systems into a first group and second group, wherein the first group and second group each comprise one or more projection systems; arranging the first and second group of projection systems such that each group of project systems can project an image on a display surface and configuring the first and second group of projection systems such that the first and second group of projection systems alternately project onto the display surface.

Claims

1. A method for projecting a 3-D viewable image onto a display surface, comprising the steps of:

a. providing two or more projection systems;

b. arranging the two or more projection systems into a first group and second group, wherein the first group and second group each comprise one or more projection systems;

c. arranging the first and second group of projection systems such that each group of projection systems can project an image on a display surface, wherein the first group of projection systems is arranged such that the first group of projection systems can project images to a first position on the display surface so said images projected by the first group of projection systems overlap and the second group of projection systems arranged such that the second group of projection systems can project images to a second position on the display surface so that said images projected by said second group of projection systems overlap, wherein the first and second positions are off-set from one another, wherein the step of arranging the first and second group of projection systems such that they project to first and second positions comprises configuring a MEMS mirror in each of the projection systems such that the MEMS mirrors of the first and second group of projection systems deflect light to the first and second position respectively;

d. configuring the first and second group of projection systems such that the first and second group of projection systems alternately project onto the display surface so that a 3-D image is visible on the display screen;

wherein the method further comprises the step of,

e. configuring the first group of projection systems such that they project images which comprise two or more different exposures, and configuring the second group of projection systems such that they project images which comprise two or more different exposures, so that brightness of the 3-D image is improved.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of arranging the first and second group of projection systems comprises arranging the first and second group of projection systems such that first position to which the first group of projection systems can project and the second position to which the second group of projection systems can project, are off-set from one another by an amount required to provide a 3-D viewable image on the display surface.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the first position and second position are off-set from one another by a distance between 0 cm-11 cm.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the first position and second position are off-set from one another by a distance between 0.1 cm-3 cm.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first group of projection systems project onto the display surface at a rate of 1 Hz to 400 Hz or 1 to 400 times per second, and the second group of projection systems project onto the display surface at a rate of 1 Hz to 400 Hz or 1 to 400 times per second.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of dynamically adjusting the position to which the first group of projection systems project an image and the position to which the second group of projection systems project an image, so as to dynamically adjust the off-set between the first and second positions.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of detecting the position of a viewer relative to a display surface.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of dynamically adjusting the position to which the first group of projection systems project an image and the position to which the second group of projection systems project an image, based on the position of a viewer relative to a display surface, so as to dynamically adjust the off-set between the first and second positions so that a 3-D image is viewable to a viewer from their position.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of detecting irregularities on the display surface and adjusting the both the first and second group of projection systems to compensate for the detected irregularities, so that an undistorted 3-D image is viewable on the display surface.

10. A projection system useable to implement a method according to claim 1, the projection system being configured to project images with two or more different exposures which can cooperate with other images projected with two or more different exposures, by one or more other projection systems, to provide a 3-D viewable image with improved brightness, on a display surface, the projection system comprising:

a detector operable to detect a first position, wherein the first position is the position on a display surface at which images projected with two or more different exposures by a second projection system, are located; and

a controller operable to adjust the projection system, by configuring a MEMS mirror in said projection system so that it can deflect light to a second position on the display screen, such that the projection system projects images with two or more different exposures to the second position on the display surface, wherein the first position and second position are off-set from one another such that the alternative projection of the first image by the second projection system and the second image by the first projection system, provides a 3-D viewable image, which has an improved brightness, on the display surface.

11. The projection system according to claim 10 wherein the detector is operable to detect a first position and second position on the display surface, wherein the first position is a position on a display surface at which a first image is projected by a group of projection systems and the second position is a position on the display surface the projection system is to project a second image, and wherein the controller is operable to adjust the projection system, such that it projects a second image to the second position on the display surface, and wherein the first position and second position are off-set from one another such that the alternative projection of the first image by the group of projection systems and the second image by the projection system, provides a 3-D viewable image on the display surface.

12. The projection system according to claim 10 further comprising a means to dynamically adjust the position to which the projection system projects an image and the position to which the second projection system projects an image, so as to dynamically adjust the off-set between the first and second positions.

13. The projection system according to claim 10 further comprising a means for detecting the position of a viewer relative to a display surface.

14. The projection system according to claim 10 further comprising a means for determining an optimum position to which the projection system should project an image and an optimum position to which the second projection system should project an image, based on the position of a viewer relative to a display surface, so as to dynamically adjust the off-set between the first and second positions so that a 3-D image is viewable to a viewer from their position.

15. The projection system according to claim 10 further comprising a means for refreshing the second image projected by the projection system and the image projected by the second projection system.