TRACKED AUTOMULTISCOPIC 3D TABLETOP DISPLAY

Number: 20170289530
Published: 2017-10-05
Filed: 2017-06-19
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: SMITHWICK; QUINN Y., GABRIEL; CHRISTOPHER STUART
CPC: H04N13/305; G06T19/006; H04N13/383; G02B30/27; G06T19/20; G02B27/0093; H04N13/398
Verdict: High Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

A glasses-free tabletop 3D display using a lenticular display surface facing upward with location tracking to serve correct imagery to each viewer (PGPUB duplicate).

Abstract

An apparatus fordisplaying three dimensional (3D) images to a viewer without the need for 3D glasses. Theapparatus includes a display element with a lenticular display surface that is supported to be horizontal and face upward into a viewing space. The apparatus includes a location tracking element tracking a location of a viewer in the viewing space relative to the lenticular display surface. The apparatus includes a display controller generating reprojected content for operating the display element to display 3D images via the lenticular display surface. The reprojected content is generated by determining for each pixel of the displayelement the content or images passing through tracked and/or determined eye locations andthen remapping content delivered to each of the pixels of the display element to achieve a predefined pattern of content in viewpoints of fixed camera positions for the display element.

Background

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic and/or functional diagram of a 3D display system of the present description;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a control method for use in controlling/operating a 3D displayelement to more effectively display 3D content to a viewer that may move relative to the horizontally oriented lenticular display surface;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a 3D display system of the present description;

FIG. 4 is a functional block or schematic side view of a 3D display system adapted for concurrent use by two users or viewers on opposite sides of the tabletop display; and

FIG. 5 is top view of the 3D display system of FIG. 4.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Briefly, a tracked automultiscopic 3D tabletop display (or, more simply, a 3D tabletop display) is described that allows a viewer or user to view a 3D image or object on, above, below and/or straddling an upper, outer surface of the 3D tabletop display while the user is free to move relative to the upper, outer surface within a viewing space. It was desired to provide a large, wide field-of-view (fov) 3D tabletop display that does not require the viewers to don 3D glasses, and the inventors investigated an autostereoscopic extension of anamorphic projection. As part of thisinvestigation and experimentation, a 42-inch autostereoscopic tabletop display was created using a commercially-available lenticular 3D display with viewer tracking t

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying three dimensional (3D) images to a viewer, comprising: a display element with a lenticular display surface, wherein the lenticular display surface faces into a viewing space; a location tracking element tracking a location of a viewer in the viewing space relative to the lenticular display surface; and a display controller generating reprojected content for use in operating the display element to display 3D images to the viewer via the lenticular display surface, wherein the reprojectedcontent is generated from a digital 3D scene and is based on a set of eye locations determined based on the location of the viewer in the viewing space, and wherein the reprojected content is generated by determining for each pixel of the display element content passing through the eye locations and remapping content delivered to each of the pixels of the display element to achieve a predefined pattern of content in viewpoints of a nominal view zone of the display element. 11. An autostereoscopic display, comprising: a display element projecting autostereoscopic images from a display surface; a tracking mechanism trackinglocations of a viewer relative to the display surface; and a controller generating reprojected content for use in operating the display element to display the autostereoscopic images to the viewer via the display surface, wherein the reprojected content is generated based on the tracked locations of the viewer, and wherein the reprojected content is generated by determining for each pixel of the display element content passing through eye locations determined for the each of the tracked locations of the viewer and remapping previously generated content of a 3D object or scene prior to delivery to each of the pixels of thedisplay element to achieve a predefined pattern of content in viewpoints for a predefinedset of fixed camera locations for the display element. 16. A method for providing a 3D experience without 3D glasses, comprising: tracking a location of a viewer relative to a lenticular display surface of a display element; determining a set of eye locations for the viewer based on the tracked location, wherein the set of eye locations includes at least four adjacent eye locations determined based on the tracked location of the viewer; rendering a virtual 3D scene; reprojecting viewpoints of the display element based on each of the eye locations; generating display content by interdigitating the rendered virtual 3D scenebased on the reprojected viewpoints; and operating the display element using the display content to provide a 3D object in a space spaced apart from the lenticular display surface.