Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Light pen for fluid matrix display panel
Patent
1996-01-11
1998-09-15
Liang, Regina
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Light pen for fluid matrix display panel
348 59, 359462, G09G 536
Patent
active
058085998
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for displaying an autostereoscopic image on a video screen having a cylindrical lens array placed in front of it.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A method and a device for producing autostereoscopic images implementing cylindrical lenses are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,320 filed by the Applicant.
An image produced in this way is generally displayed by means of a television having a lens array placed in front of it, with the pitch of the array being equal to the product of the pitch of the image points or pixels multiplied by the number of viewpoints for the autostereoscopic image. In other words, each individual lens of the display lens array covers all of the color points of any pixel, and it covers four pixels for four viewpoints which are seen in succession and in complementary manner by an observer with a certain amount of magnification inherent to the lens array used, the color points being seen as having the same width as the lens. The observer therefore does not see the three components of a pixel together.
This gives rise firstly to the image points or pixels being magnified and secondly to the array pitch being visible, which pitch is equal to the width of four pixels, for example, in a display system having four viewpoints.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a device making it possible to avoid, at least in part, another of the above-specified drawbacks.
To this end, the invention provides a device for displaying an autostereoscopic image on a video screen having a cylindrical lens array disposed in front of it, the device being characterized in that the video screen has pixels made up of p color points placed horizontally side by side where p is an integer greater than 1, in that the number of viewpoints for the autostereoscopic image is different from p.times.n (where n is a non-zero integer), and in that the lens array has a pitch equal to the product of the color point (or phosphor) pitch multiplied by the number of viewpoints.
For example, for a number of viewpoints equal to 4, the pitch of the lens array corresponds to four color points.
According to the invention, the pitch of the array used is then three times smaller than the pitch of the array that would have been used in the prior art, and in addition, by using lenses at a smaller pitch, it is possible to obtain focal lengths that are smaller and to obtain observed areas that are smaller, thereby avoiding the observer perceiving the dot structures of color points and pixels on the screen. In addition, for the observer, the size ratio between color points and pixels (1/3) is preserved.
The invention also provides a method of processing an autostereoscopic image for display via a device as defined above, characterized in that it comprises a permutation step applied to the color points of pixels so that an observer sees the three color points of each pixel belonging to each viewpoint in three successive lenses of the lens array.
Said permutation of the color points can be implemented by permutation of digitized data addresses for the color points while they are being written to or read from an image color point memory.
Said color point address permutation may advantageously be implemented by means of at least one transcoding memory, for at least one line.
In a preferred implementation, the transcoding memory is input addressed by a pixel counter for each line, which counter is reset to zero at the beginning of each line, and produces, on output, for the image color point memory, permutated addresses corresponding to the permutations of the red, green, and blue color points respectively. The image color point memory may also be write addressed by a line counter.
The invention also provides an autostereoscopic video system characterized in that it comprises: points of each pixel belonging to each viewpoint in p successive lenses of the lens array.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other characteristics and advantages of the inv
REFERENCES:
patent: 4959641 (1990-09-01), Bass et al.
patent: 5083199 (1992-01-01), Borner
patent: 5099320 (1992-03-01), Allio
R. Borner, "3D-Aufnahme-und Wiedergabeverfahren in Theorie und praktischer Anwendung", Fernseh Und Kino Technik, vol. 41, No. 4, Apr. 1987, pp. 145-149.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, JP A 04 344 795, Dec. 1, 1992, Hitachi Denshi Ltd.--vol. 17, No. 202 (E-1353) Apr. 20, 1993.
LandOfFree
Autostereoscopic video device and system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Autostereoscopic video device and system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Autostereoscopic video device and system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-92815