Volumetric display system blending two light types to provide a new display medium

• US 9,219,910 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Reichow, Mark A., Joseph, Daniel M., Sohan, Scott J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, BAO-LUAN Q
• Application Number:
  US13/951,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20150029314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/20 for imaging minute objects, e.g. light-pointer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/388 Volumetric displays, i.e. systems where the image is built up from picture elements distributed through a volume
• 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: H04N 2013/40 Privacy aspects, i.e. devices showing different images to different viewers, the images not being viewpoints of the same scene
• 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 9/3132 using one-dimensional electronic spatial light modulators
• 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

Abstract

A method for creating a volumetric display. The method includes projecting a first light type onto a planar projection surface to display first content and, concurrently with projection of the first light type, first projecting a second light type onto the planar projection surface to display second content that at least partially overlays the displayed first content. The method includes second projecting the second light type onto a three dimensional (3D) set of reflective elements, whereby the second content moves between the planar projection surface and the 3D set. The first light type may be non-coherent light and the second light type may be laser light (or coherent light). While projected on the planar projection surface, the coherent light is at a first illumination level that matches or is somewhat greater than the non-coherent light, and a second much higher illumination level is used when projecting onto the 3D set.

Claims

1. A method for creating a volumetric display, comprising:

projecting a first light type onto a planar projection surface to display first content;

concurrently with the projection of the first light type, first projecting a second light type that differs from the first light type onto the planar projection surface to display second content that at least partially overlays the displayed first content; and

second projecting the second light type onto a three dimensional (3D) set of reflective elements, whereby the second content moves between the planar projection surface and the 3D set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first light type comprises non-coherent light and wherein the second light type comprises coherent light.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the projecting of the first light type includes operating a video projector and wherein the first and second projecting of the second light type includes operating a laser projector.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the operating of the video projector and the operating of the laser projector are time synchronized to cause corresponding frames of the first and second content to be concurrently displayed.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first projecting of the second type of light provides laser light at a first illumination level and wherein the second projecting of the second type of light provides laser light at a second illumination level that is at least two times the first illumination level.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first illumination level of the laser light is within a range of plus or minus 25 percent of an illumination level of the first light type provided by the video projector on the planar projection surface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second content is generated by:

defining physical characteristics for a set of particles;

creating a 3D model of the planar projection surface and the 3D set; and

defining trajectories of the set of particles over a timeline, wherein the projection of the set of particles is mapped to physical locations of the planar projection surfaces and the reflective elements of the 3D set and wherein the timeline is used to synchronize projection of frames of the first content and the second content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflective elements of the 3D set comprise two or more layers of material with reflectivity of less than about 20 percent.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the material comprises at least one of scrim, toule, and mesh sheet.

10. A volumetric display system, comprising:

a first canvas;

a second canvas including at least one projection surface that is non-planar to the first canvas; and

a projection system concurrently projecting video content onto the first canvas and particle-based content on the first canvas for a first time period and on the second canvas for a second time period, whereby the particle-based content is blended with the video content in an area of the first canvas during the first time period, and

wherein the projection system comprises a video projector and a laser protector, and

wherein the volumetric display system further comprises a controller controlling operation of the video and laser projectors to synchronize delivery of frames of video content via the video projector and corresponding frames of particle-based content via the laser projector.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first canvas comprises a planar projection surface and the second canvas comprises two or more reflective elements with reflectivity of less than about 20 percent.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the reflective elements comprise at least one of scrim, toule, chiffon, and mesh material.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the laser projector is operated at a first illumination level during the first time period and then at a second illumination level higher than the first illumination level during the second time period.

14. A method of generating media for a volumetric display, comprising:

selecting a set of 2D video content for projection with a video projector on a planar surface over a timeline;

generating a 3D model of the planar surface and of projection surfaces within a 3D set associated with the planar surface;

defining a set of particle-based shapes for projection on the planar surface and on the projection surface of the 3D set with a laser projector; and

generating a trajectory of the set of particle-based shapes over the timeline, wherein the trajectory maps the set of particle-based shapes to a plurality of positions on the planar surface and the projection surface of the 3D set.

15. The method of claim 14, further including defining a first illumination level for the set of particle-based shapes corresponding to projection on the planar surface and a second illumination level greater than the first illumination level corresponding to projection on the projection surfaces of the 3D set.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first illumination level is within a range of plus or minus 25 percent of an illumination level of the video projector.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second illumination level is at least 200 percent of the first illumination level.

18. The method of claim 14, further including selecting an object within the set of 2D content and wherein the trajectory moves the set of particle-based shapes over an area on the planar surface overlapping with a projection of light associated with the object by the video projector.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the defining of the set of particle-based shapes comprises defining physical characteristics of a plurality of particles and wherein the trajectory is generated based on the defined physical characteristics.