Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Plural physical display element control system – Optical means interposed in viewing path
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-04
2004-03-30
Saras, Steven (Department: 2675)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Plural physical display element control system
Optical means interposed in viewing path
C348S044000, C352S086000, C353S010000, C359S478000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714173
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a screen display apparatus for visually displaying a picture or a screen with a good three-dimensional effect. More particularly, the invention relates to a screen displaying apparatus for visually displaying a still picture or a motion picture with an intensive three-dimensional effect by utilizing an optical illusion of the eyes of a human being, and to a lens structure well adaptable for the screen displaying apparatus.
Development of the device and method for displaying a three-dimensional image is under progress. A holography-basis device and a device utilizing a binocular parallax of human vision have widely been known. Those devices are complicated in construction and high in cost, however. Accordingly, those devices find use in some limited places, such as amusement parks and other amusement facilities. In other works, those are not yet in widespread use.
In the circumstances, techniques have been proposed which are capable of three-dimensionally displaying a two-dimensional image, such as a normal photograph or a picture displayed on a television screen, with a relatively simple construction, viz. depending on such a complicated construction as mentioned above. Examples of those techniques are JP-A-60-59317, entitled “Optical Device for Producing a Natural, Visual and Optically Interactive Image in a Free Space”, and JP-A-2000-98298, entitled “Stereoscopic Video Optical Device”. Each of those techniques is capable of three-dimensionally displaying the two-dimensional image and the like without the need to use the complicated construction.
“Optical Device” of JP-A-60-59317 is constructed as shown in FIG.
13
. First and second convex lens lenses
200
and
201
, both being rectangular convex Fresnel lenses, are located between a CRT monitor
100
and a viewer E. Those components are covered with a cover
400
. The viewer E views a virtual image
300
, which is formed by processing an image displayed on the CRT monitor
100
by a combination of the first convex lens
200
and second convex lens
201
, and can perceive a three-dimensional image.
In “Stereoscopic Video Optical Device” of JP-A-2000-98298, as shown in
FIG. 14
, a viewer sees an illusion image
301
of a subject
101
for photography, which is located within a housing
401
, through a convex Fresnel lens
202
, and can perceive a three-dimensional image of the subject. The technical principle of this publication is substantially the same as that of the already described publication, except that the convex Fresnel lens
202
is movable along an optical axis between the lens itself and the object
101
by means of a moving means
500
. In the technique of the publication, the three-dimensional effect is more enhanced through the movement of the convex Fresnel lens
202
.
A new technique of “New Stereoscopic Vision Filter” is disclosed in an exhibition room established in association with “The 50th society for 3-D Video Forum (Dec. 4, 1999)”. The material about the new technique distributed describes as follows:
“In the filter, a number of series of microlens elements are arrayed. In the filter, a number of series of microlens elements are arrayed. Those individual lens elements serve as pixels. Images by the lens elements are enlarged and reduced in size, but a whole image as a gathering of those lens elements is neither enlarged nor reduced. The image formed by each lens element is formed at a virtual position, and hence a whole image as a gathering of those micro-images is also formed at a virtual position. In other words, the filter is a special lens system capable of forming an image, not enlarged nor reduced, at a virtual position. As the result of forming an image at a virtual position, a two-dimensional image is viewed as a three-dimensional image, in connection with the “accommodation” as one of the stereoscopically perceiving functions of the eyes. This is a sort of an optical illusion of the eyes. This fact is well known as described on the magnifying glass for forming an enlarged image by Dr. Takakei Okoshi in his book “3-D Image Science & Technology”. In the filter, the magnifying function of the magnifying glass is removed, and only the image position is spaced from that of the subject as in the magnifying glass. One can perceive the displayed whole image, neither enlarged nor reduced in size, viz., of its original size, in a three-dimensional fashion. The filter produces the feeling of distance as if a distant object moves to the back, not a straightforward three-dimensional feeling as if an object suddenly comes out, which is yielded on the basis of the “binocular parallax” widely used in the systems yielding the stereoscopic feeling. Accordingly, the beauty is created with a gentle stereoscopic effect. Use of the filter varies a shade of color, and the resultant image looks more beautiful. The reason why the color tone is varied is unclear; however, it is certain that the color shade variation is not due to the development of the stereoscopic feeling. The filter presented in the exhibition uses microlens that are each cylindrical in shape, and is analogous to the lenticular plate. However, the stereoscopic vision filter is different from the well known stereoscopic vision using the lenticular plate. This is readily seen from the difference between the displayed images of them. The conventional stereoscopic vision based on the lenticular plate needs a special image by composing images viewed from at least two points in a rectangular shape. On the other hand, the stereoscopic image presenting system of the filter needs a normal image viewed from one point. Accordingly, in is capable of presenting a three-dimensional image by using a normal photograph or a normal picture. The filter used in this stereoscopic image presenting system is characterized in that a focal distance of each microlens of the microlens array is considerably larger than that of the conventional lenticular plate. When considering the working technique, it is difficult to form the curved surface of the lens at the boundary surface between it and air. When the boundary surface between solids or between a solid and a liquid is used instead, the lens will easily be formed. Thus, the lens is formed in such a manner as to kill the characteristic of the lens, which has not ever been present.” A micro-lens array and a display apparatus using the same, which employ the above-mentioned features are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication 2001-42805 published on Feb. 16, 2001.
The new technique described above produces the three-dimensional effect in a manner that as in the publication of JP-A-60-59317, a virtual image or a real image is formed at a position spaced from that of the subject. However, it is different from the publication technique in that pixels are formed anew by those individual microlenses.
It is certain that the filter yields the “three-dimensional effect”. However, there is no exact theoretical explanation of the reason why the technique yields the three-dimensional effect. At the present stage, the reason for this is commonly explained by a “psychological explanation “the yielding of the three-dimensional effect will be due to the optical illusion of the eyes of the human being”. Granting that the “optical illusion theory” is correct, some people delve into the “optical illusion theory” and will (physiologically) explain it in the terms of the structure of the brain of the human being (especially visual area) or an outside-world recognizing method of the brain (as it were, data processing method of the brain). However, this approach is still uncertain in its reliability. In any case, however, it is a proven fact that the above-mentioned means gives the human being (his eyes) a three-dimensional feeling, and the reproducibility of this fact is confirmed.
The conventional techniques mentioned above suffers from the following problems. The devices utilizing the holography a binocular parallax of human vision need extremely complicated constructions, as alrea
Jorgensen Leland R.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Saras Steven
TDK Corporation
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