Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Plural physical display element control system – Optical means interposed in viewing path
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-30
2004-10-19
Shankar, Vijay (Department: 2673)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Plural physical display element control system
Optical means interposed in viewing path
C345S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06806851
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image displaying method and an image display to be able to provide an image of a given object three-dimensionally without dedicated glasses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional three-dimensional image display not using glasses, such as an integral photography and a so-called fly-eye lens, different image information of a given object are arranged behind plural respective microlens composed of a microlens-array or a lenticular lens-array. Then, when an observer makes an attempt to obtain the image information of the given object, the conventional three-dimensional image display provides different image information, depending on the observing direction. Therefore, the observer can obtain the three dimensional image of the given object.
FIG. 1
is a conceptual view showing an image displaying method using a conventional three-dimensional image display. In
FIG. 1
, an object
20
is observed.
When a three-dimensional image display
10
is observed from a X-direction, an image information of a part A
1
of the object
20
can be provided from a part a
1
of an image information source
21
located behind a microlens
11
. Similarly, an image information of a part A
2
of the object
20
can be provided from a part a
2
of an image information source
22
located behind a microlens
12
, and an image information of a part A
3
of the object
20
can be provided from a part a
3
of an image information source
23
located behind a microlens
13
.
As a result, when the three-dimensional image display
10
is observed from the X-direction, the images of the parts A
1
-A
3
of the object
20
can be obtained from the corresponding image information a
1
-a
3
to provide the X-direction image of the object
20
.
When the three-dimensional image display
10
is observed from a Y-direction, an image information of a part B
1
of the object
20
can be provided from a part b
1
of an image information source
25
located behind a microlens
15
. Similarly, an image information of a part B
2
of the object
20
can be provided from a part b
2
of an image information source
24
located behind a microlens
14
, and an image information of a part b
3
of the object
20
can be provided from a part b
3
of an image information source
23
located behind a microlens
13
.
Therefore, when the three-dimensional image display is observed from the Y-direction, the images of the parts B
1
-B
3
of the object
20
can be obtained from the corresponding image information b
1
-b
3
to provide the Y-direction image of the object
20
.
Since the three-dimensional image display
10
has plural image information for respective parts of the object
20
in an observing direction, an image of the object in a given direction can be provided if the three-dimensional image display
10
is observed from the given direction. Therefore, if the three-dimensional image display
10
is observed from various directions, the image of the object
20
can be provided three-dimensionally.
However, the resolution of such a three-dimensional image display as in
FIG. 1
is determined by the arrangement density of the microlenses and the image information density. Moreover, the above image information source may be composed of a liquid crystal element. Therefore, the image information density is determined by the pixel number of the liquid crystal element. Generally, about only four pixels can be arranged behind each microlens, so that it is difficult to obtain a three-dimensional image in high resolution.
SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new image displaying method and a new image display to be able to provide a three dimensional image of a given object in high resolution.
For achieving the above object, this invention relates to an image displaying method comprising the steps of:
arranging plural microlenses for plural optical sources, respectively,
moving the plural microlenses relatively for the plural optical sources, and
varying light beams from the plural optical sources with synchronized with the relative movements on basis of image information of a given object to be observed,
whereby the three-dimensional image of the given object can be provided.
Moreover, this invention relates to an image display comprising plural optical sources, plural microlenses arranged so as to be opposed to the plural respective optical sources, an optical controller to control light beams from the plural optical sources on the basis of image information of a given object to be observed, and a driving device to move the plural microlenses relatively for the plural optical sources with synchronized with the optical control.
The inventors have intensely studied to develop a new image displaying method and a new image display to be able to provide a three dimensional image in high resolution. As a result, they have found out that microlenses with large aperture angles are moved relatively for optical sources to emit their respective optical signals corresponding to image information of a given object, and at the same time, light beams with different intensities or wavelengths are output, depending on the image information. That is, according to the present invention, only one microlens can provide image information corresponding to various parts of a given object to be observed.
Therefore, if the relative movement of the microlens for the optical source is carried out continuously and the optical intensity or the wavelength of the light beam from the optical source is varied continuously, only the microlens can provide continuous image information theoretically.
FIG. 2
is a conceptual view showing an image displaying method and an image display according to the present invention to display an image of a given object three-dimensionally. In this case, similar constituent parts to the ones as shown in
FIG. 1
are employed. However, image sources are composed of given optical sources according to the present invention, and thus, image information can be provided as various optical intensities or optical wavelengths of light beams from the given optical sources, synchronized with the relative movements between the given optical sources and microlenses.
For example, in the conventional image displaying method shown in
FIG. 1
, if the image information sources
21
-
23
have, as the X-direction image information, only the image information a
1
-a
3
corresponding to the parts A
1
-A
3
of the object
20
, only the image of the parts A
1
-A
3
of the object
20
can be provided when the image display
10
is observed from the X-direction.
On the contrary, in the image displaying method and the image display of the present invention, for example, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the image information density of each of image sources is increased, according to the present invention. That is, the image information sources
21
-
23
have image information a
4
-a
6
corresponding to parts A
4
-A
6
of the object
20
between the parts A
1
-A
3
thereof, in addition to the image information a
1
-a
3
corresponding to the parts A
1
-A
3
.
Therefore, when the image display
10
is observed from the X-direction, the images of the parts A
4
-A
6
of the object
20
can be provided, in addition to the images of the parts A
1
-A
3
thereof. As a result, the resolution of the X-direction image of the object
20
can be enhanced.
In this invention, the resolutions of various direction images of the object
20
can be enhanced, in addition to the X-direction image thereof. As a result, the resolution of the three-dimensional image of the object
20
can be developed entirely.
In the image displaying method and the image display of the present invention, it is desired that the image information density within the microlens is enhanced through the relative movement between the optical source and the corresponding microlens. Since the microlens has a larger aperture angle, it can have relatively large amount of image information easi
Hoshino Kazunori
Shimoyama Isao
Dharia Prabodh M.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Shankar Vijay
The University of Tokyo
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