Patent Application
20230269359
The present disclosure relates to digital displays, and, in particular, to a multiview display for rendering multiview content, and dynamic light field shaping system and layer therefor.
A multiview display (MVD) is a display that can present distinct images in different viewing directions simultaneously. For such displays, directionality may be provided through the use of optical layers, such as parallax barriers in conjunction with optically clear spacers. In such systems, a parallax barrier may allow light from certain pixels to be seen from designated viewing angles, while blocking light from propagating to other viewing angles. While such systems may allow for stereoscopic viewing or displaying direction-specific content, they often have a low tolerance on viewing angles, wherein even slight deviation in viewer position may expose a user to pixels illuminated for a different viewing zone. Such crosstalk may result in a poor viewing experience.
International Patent Application WO 2014/014603 A3 entitled “Crosstalk reduction with location-based adjustment” and issued to Dane and Bhaskaran on Sep. 4, 2014 discloses a location-based adjustment system for addressing crosstalk in MVD systems.
U.S. Pat. Application 9294759 B2 entitled “Display device, method and program capable of providing a high-quality stereoscopic (3D) image, independently of the eye-point location of the viewer” and issued to Hirai on Mar. 22, 2016 discloses a stereoscopic display system that tracks an eye location of a single user and adjusts a parallax barrier position to compensate therefor.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art or forms part of the general common knowledge in the relevant art.
The following presents a simplified summary of the general inventive concept(s) described herein to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is not intended to restrict key or critical elements of embodiments of the disclosure or to delineate their scope beyond that which is explicitly or implicitly described by the following description and claims.
A need exists for a multiview display for rendering multiview content, and dynamic light field shaping layer therefor that overcome some of the drawbacks of known techniques, or at least, provides a useful alternative thereto. Some aspects of this disclosure provide examples of such systems and methods.
In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a light field shaping system for interfacing with light emanated from underlying pixels of a digital display to define a plurality of distinct view zones, the system comprising a light field shaping layer (LFSL) comprising a series of light field shaping elements and disposable relative to the digital display so to align the series of light field shaping elements with the underlying pixels in accordance with a current light field shaping geometry to thereby define the plurality of distinct view zones in accordance with the current geometry, an actuator operable to translate the LFSL relative to the digital display to adjust alignment of the light field shaping elements with the underlying pixels in accordance with an adjusted geometry thereby adjusting the plurality of distinct view zones, and a digital data processor operable to activate the actuator to translate the LFSL to dynamically adjust the plurality of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the actuator is operable to translate the LFSL in a direction perpendicular and/or parallel to the digital display. In some embodiments, the actuator comprises a plurality of respective actuators operable to translate said LFSL in respective directions relative to the digital display.
In some embodiments, the LFSL comprises a parallax barrier (PB). The PB may, in some embodiments, comprise a micron- or sub-micron-resolution pattern disposed on a substrate. The PB may, in some embodiments, be formed via high-resolution photoplotting.
In some embodiments, the substrate comprises one or more of an optically clear substrate, a tempered glass, an anti-glare property, or an anti-glare coating.
In some embodiments, the PB comprises a first PB, wherein the system further comprises a second PB disposed relative to the digital display so to define an effective PB dimension for the LFSL, at least in part, as a function of a relative positioning of the first PB to the second PB, that at least partially dictates formation of the plurality of distinct view zones. In some embodiments, the actuator dynamically adjusts the relative positioning to dynamically adjust the effective PB dimension and thereby adjust formation of the plurality of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the LFSL comprises said first PB and said second PB.
In some embodiments, the system stores distinct LFSL geometries designated to correspondingly define a respective number of distinct view zones, and wherein the digital data processor is operable to activate the actuator, given a selected number of distinct view zones, to translate the LFSL to adjust the current geometry to a corresponding one of the distinct geometries to correspondingly select formation of the selected number of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the digital processor is further operable to receive as input view zone characterization data related to one or more of the plurality of distinct view zones, and automatically initiate a corresponding translation of the LFSL via the actuator to optimize formation of the one or more of the plurality of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the input data is representative of at least one of a view zone crosstalk, a view zone overlap, a view zone size, or a view zone boundary.
In some embodiments, the input data comprises a location of a viewer relative to a given view zone, and wherein the optimization optimizes formation of the given view zone for the viewer.
In some embodiments, the input data is acquired via an optical sensor operated within the one or more view zones to capture light emanated therein by the digital display via the LFSL, and communicated therefrom for processing by the digital processor.
In some embodiments, the optical sensor comprises a camera on a mobile communication device operated by a viewer via a corresponding mobile application in communication with said digital processor.
In some embodiments, the actuator is operable to translate the LFSL layer in an oscillatory pattern.
In some embodiments, the digital processor is further operable to receive as input a signal representative of an oscillatory motion.
In some embodiments, the oscillatory pattern is determined, at least in part, based on said signal representative of an oscillatory motion.
In some embodiments, the oscillatory pattern compensates for the oscillatory motion so to improve perception of content displayed within the plurality of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the system further comprises a sensing element operable to acquire data representative of said oscillatory motion and to output said signal.
In some embodiments, an at least partially nonuniform physical disposition of the series of light field shaping elements of the LFSL is at least partially matched with an at least partially nonuniform physical disposition of the underlying pixels
In some embodiments, the actuator is operable to translate the LFSL in response to a user adjustment signal received from a remote device.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a multiview display (MVD) system for dynamically adjusting a plurality of distinct view zones emanating therefrom, the system comprising a pixelated digital display and any of the light field shaping systems described herein.
In some embodiments, the MVD further comprises a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising digital instructions to be implemented by one or more digital processors to produce an automatic perception adjustment of an input to be rendered via the digital display and the light field shaping system within one or more of the plurality of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the automatic perception adjustment is produced using a ray tracing process.
In some embodiments, the automatic perception adjustment corresponds to a reduced visual acuity of a user of the MVD system.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a method for dynamically adjusting a plurality of distinct view zones in a multiview display (MVD) system comprising a digital display defined by an array of pixels, and light field shaping layer (LFSL) disposed relative thereto, the method comprising: accessing current view zone characterization data related to one or more of the plurality of distinct view zones produced according to a current LFSL geometry relative to the array of pixels; digitally identifying a desirable adjustment in the view zone characterization based on the current view zone characterization data; and automatically translating the LFSL relative to the array of pixels, via the digital processor and an actuator operatively coupled to the LFSL, so to adjust the current LFSL geometry and thereby correspondingly adjust formation of the plurality of distinct view zones in accordance with the desirable adjustment.
In some embodiments, the desirable adjustment comprises an increased or decreased number of distinctly formed view zones.
In some embodiments, the current view zone characterization data comprises view zone image data indicative of a level of view zone crosstalk, and wherein the desirable adjustment comprises a reduction in view zone crosstalk within at least one of the distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the current view zone characterization data comprises indication of given view zone boundary relative to a given viewer, and wherein the desirable adjustment comprises a distancing of the view zone boundary relative to the given viewer.
In some embodiments, the distancing is dynamically achieved upon laterally shifting the boundary, adjusting a lateral breadth of the given view zone, and/or increasing a depth of the given view zone to better accommodate a location of said given viewer.
In some embodiments, the translating comprises at least one of laterally translating the LFSL, or a component thereof, parallel to the digital display, translating the LFSL, or a component thereof, perpendicularly to the digital display, or translating a component of the LFSL to correspondingly adjust an effective light field shaping pitch of the LFSL.
In some embodiments, the current view zone characterization data is representative of at least one of a view zone crosstalk, a view zone overlap, a view zone size, or a view zone boundary.
In some embodiments, the current view zone characterization data is acquired via an optical sensor operated within the one or more view zones to capture light emanated therein by the digital display via the LFSL, and communicated therefrom for processing by said digital processor.
In some embodiments, the LFSL is translated so to correspondingly adjust a location or boundary of the plurality of distinct view zones in accordance with a desirable view zone location or boundary.
In some embodiments, the desirable view zone location or boundary is at least partially defined by viewer self-localization data.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises: emitting, via the MVD, respective MVD zone content in each of the plurality of distinct view zones; optically acquiring, from within one or more of the plurality of distinct view zones, the current view zone characterization data indicative of a perception of the respective MVD zone content as optically perceived therein; and iteratively translating the LFSL to automatically improve the perception.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a multiview display (MVD) system for displaying visual content in a plurality of distinct view zones, the system comprising: a pixelated digital display having an at least partially nonuniform distribution of pixels; and a light field shaping layer (LFSL) having an at least partially nonuniform distribution of light field shaping elements disposed thereon in accordance with said at least partially nonuniform distribution of pixels.
In some embodiments, the system further comprises an actuator operable to translate said LFSL relative to said pixelated digital display to further adjust alignment of said at least partially nonuniform distribution of light field shaping elements with said at least partially nonuniform distribution of pixels to thereby improve definition of the plurality of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the system further comprises a digital data processor operable to automatically activate said actuator to translate said LFSL in response to current view zone characterization data related to one or more of the plurality of distinct view zones.
In some embodiments, the system further comprises a digital data processor operable to activate said actuator to translate said LFSL in response to user input received from a remote device.
In some embodiments, the LFSL comprises a parallax barrier, and wherein said at least partially nonuniform distribution of light field shaping elements comprises a series of barriers configured to correspond with said at least partially nonuniform distribution of pixels.
In some embodiments, the LFSL comprises a digital parallax barrier operable to digitally render barriers corresponding with said at least partially nonuniform distribution of pixels.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a multiview display (MVD) system comprising a pixelated digital display, the method comprising: accessing an at least partially nonuniform pixel distribution of pixels of the pixelated digital display; patterning a series of light field shaping elements on a light field shaping layer (LFSL) in accordance with said at least partially nonuniform pixel distribution data; and disposing said LFSL relative to the pixelated digital display in alignment with said at least partially nonuniform pixel distribution so to define a plurality of distinct view zones corresponding to distinct visual content to be rendered by the pixelated digital display.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises imaging the pixelated digital display to acquire said at least partially nonuniform pixel distribution.
Other aspects, features and/or advantages will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Several embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided, by way of examples only, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:
Elements in the several figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be emphasized relative to other elements for facilitating understanding of the various presently disclosed embodiments. Also, common, but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in commercially feasible embodiments are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present disclosure.
Various implementations and aspects of the specification will be described with reference to details discussed below. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the specification and are not to be construed as limiting the specification. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various implementations of the present specification. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of implementations of the present specification.
Various apparatuses and processes will be described below to provide examples of implementations of the system disclosed herein. No implementation described below limits any claimed implementation and any claimed implementations may cover processes or apparatuses that differ from those described below. The claimed implementations are not limited to apparatuses or processes having all of the features of any one apparatus or process described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses or processes described below. It is possible that an apparatus or process described below is not an implementation of any claimed subject matter.
Furthermore, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the implementations described herein. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts that the implementations described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the implementations described herein.
In this specification, elements may be described as “configured to” perform one or more functions or “configured for” such functions. In general, an element that is configured to perform or configured for performing a function is enabled to perform the function, or is suitable for performing the function, or is adapted to perform the function, or is operable to perform the function, or is otherwise capable of performing the function.
It is understood that for the purpose of this specification, language of “at least one of X, Y, and Z” and “one or more of X, Y and Z” may be construed as X only, Y only, Z only, or any combination of two or more items X, Y, and Z (e.g., XYZ, XY, YZ, ZZ, and the like). Similar logic may be applied for two or more items in any occurrence of “at least one ...” and “one or more...” language.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.
Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The phrase “in one of the embodiments” or “in at least one of the various embodiments” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, though it may. Furthermore, the phrase “in another embodiment” or “in some embodiments” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment, although it may. Thus, as described below, various embodiments may be readily combined, without departing from the scope or spirit of the innovations disclosed herein.
In addition, as used herein, the term “or” is an inclusive “or” operator, and is equivalent to the term “and/or,” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “based on” is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional factors not described, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references. The meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.”
The term “comprising” as used herein will be understood to mean that the list following is non-exhaustive and may or may not include any other additional suitable items, for example one or more further feature(s), component(s) and/or element(s) as appropriate.
The terms “view”, “view zone”, and “viewing zone”, used herein interchangeably, refer to a one-, two-, or three-dimensional region of space wherein an image or other content displayed by a light field display system, such as a multiview display (MVD), is viewable by one or more users. A view zone may also refer to an angular distribution of space projected radially from a light field display, or a portion thereof. In accordance with various embodiments, a view zone may correspond to one pupil of a user, or may correspond to a user as a whole. For instance, neighbouring view zones may correspond to areas in which content may be seen by different users. The skilled artisan will appreciate that a view zone, in accordance with various embodiments, may repeat, or have multiple instances, in 2D or 3D space based on the operational mode of, for instance, a MVD in use, and may refer to a region of space in which designated content may be viewed in a manner which provides the user with a positive viewing experience (e.g. a low degree of crosstalk between view zones, a sufficiently high resolution, etc.).
The systems and methods described herein provide, in accordance with different embodiments, different examples of a system and method for improving a user experience while viewing a light field display, such as a multiview display (MVD), using a dynamic light field shaping layer (also herein referred to for simplicity as “light field shaping layer”, or “LFSL”). While embodiments herein described may generally refer to a LFSL as one or more parallax barriers, the skilled artisan will appreciate that various applications may relate to a LFSL comprising a lenslet array, a microlens array, an array of apertures, and the like.
While various embodiments may apply to various configurations of light field display systems known in the art, exemplary light field display systems in which a dynamic light field shaping layer as described herein may apply will be described with reference to exemplary MVD systems (
Known MVD systems can be adapted to display viewer-related information in different MVD directions based on viewer identification and location information acquired while the user is interacting with the MVD. This can be achieved using facial or gesture recognition technologies using cameras or imaging devices disposed around the MVD. However, viewers can become increasingly concerned about their privacy, and generally uncomfortable with a particular technology, when subject to visual tracking, for instance not unlike some form of application-specific video surveillance. To address this concern, and in accordance with some embodiments, a viewer self-identification system and method can be deployed in which active viewer camera monitoring or tracking can be avoided. That being said, the person of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that different user localization techniques may be employed in concert with the herein-described embodiments to benefit from reduced ghosting or cross-talk, wherein users can self-locate by capturing a direction or zone-specific signal, by entering a zone or direction-specific alphanumerical code or symbol, or by executing prescribed gestures or actions for machine vision interpretation, or again position themselves in accordance with prescribed and/or static view zones or directions. Likewise, the anti-ghosting techniques described herein may equally apply to user-agnostic embodiments in which direction or zone-specific content is displayed irrespective of user-related data, i.e. independent as to whether a particular, or even any user, is located within a prescribed or dynamically definable view zone.
For the sake of illustration, and in accordance with some embodiments, a multiview self-identification system and method are described to relay viewing direction, and optionally viewer-related data, in a MVD system so as to enable a given MVD to display location and/or viewer-related content to a particular viewer in or at a corresponding viewing direction or location, without otherwise necessarily optically tracking or monitoring the viewer. According to such embodiments, a viewer who does not opt into the system’s offering can remain completely anonymous and invisible to the system. Furthermore, even when opting into the system’s offerings at a particular location, the viewer can find greater comfort in knowing that the system does not, at least in some embodiments, capture or track visual data related to the viewer, which can otherwise make viewers feel like they are being actively watched or observed.
In one particular embodiment, this improvement is achieved by deploying a network-interfacing content-controller operable to select direction-specific content to be displayed by the MVD along each of distinct viewing directions in response to a viewer and/or location-participating signal being received from a viewer’s personal communication device. Such an otherwise effectively blind MVD does not require direct locational viewer tracking and thus, can be devoid of any digital vision equipment such as cameras, motion sensors, or like optical devices. Instead, position or directional view-related information can be relayed by one or more emitters disposed relative to the MVD and operable to emit respective encoded signals in each of said distinct viewing directions that can be captured by a viewer’s communication device and therefrom relayed to the controller to instigate display of designated content along that view. Where viewer-related data is also relayed by the viewer’s communication device along with a given encoded signal, the displayed content can be more specifically targeted to that viewer based on the relayed viewer-related data. In some embodiments, to improve the usability of the system, encoded signals may be emitted as time-variable signals, such as pulsatile and optionally invisible (e.g. InfraRed (IR) or Near InfraRed (NIR)) signals constrained to a particular view zone (e.g. having an angularly constrained emission beam profile bounded within each view zone), whereby such signals can be captured and processed by a viewer’s camera-enabled communication device. These and other such examples will be described in greater detail below.
With reference to
However, it may be desirable to present or display viewer-related content to a given viewer, say for example viewer 110 currently seeing MVD 105 from a specific viewing direction 121. To do so, MVD 105 may first know from which viewing direction viewer 110 is currently viewing MVD 105. As noted above, while technologies or methods may be used on MVD 105 to actively monitor body features (e.g. face recognition), body gestures and/or the presence of wearable devices (e.g. bracelets, etc.) of potential viewers, these technologies can be intrusive and bring privacy concerns. So, instead of having MVD 105 localizing/identifying viewer 110 itself, the methods and systems described herein, in accordance with different embodiments, therefore aim to provide viewer 110 with the ability to “self-identify” himself/herself as being in proximity to MVD 105 via a mobile device like a smartphone or like communication device, and send thereafter self-identified viewing direction/location data and in some cases additional viewer-related data to MVD 105, so that MVD 105 may display viewer-related content to viewer 110 via view direction 121.
In one non-limiting example, for illustrative purposes, MVD 105 may be implemented to display arrival/departing information in an airport or like terminal. The systems and methods provided herein, in accordance with different embodiments, may be employed with a system in which a viewing direction 121 can be used to display the same flight information as in all other views, but in a designated language (e.g. English, Spanish, French, etc.) automatically selected according to a pre-defined viewer preference. In some embodiments, a self-identification system could enable MVD 105 to automatically respond to a viewer’s self-identification for a corresponding viewing direction by displaying the information for that view using the viewer’s preferred language. In a similar embodiment, the MVD could be configured to display this particular viewers flight details, for example, where viewer-related data communicated to the system extends beyond mere system preferences such as a preferred language, to include more granular viewer-specific information such as upcoming flight details, gates, seat selections, destination weather, special announcements or details, boarding zone schedule, etc. In yet other embodiments, the MVD may comprise a multiview television (MVTV) screen operable to display distinct content to a plurality of view zones, and may further have “smart” television capabilities, such as the ability to store and execute digital applications, and the like.
Generally, MVD 105 discussed herein will comprise a set of image rendering pixels and a light field shaping layer or array of light field shaping elements disposed between a digital display and one or more users so to controllably shape or influence a light field emanating therefrom. In some embodiments, the MVD 105 may comprise a lenticular MVD, for example comprising a series of vertically aligned or slanted cylindrical lenses (e.g. part of a lenticular sheet or similar), or parallax barriers of vertically aligned apertures, located or overlaid above a pixelated display, although the systems and methods described herein may work equally well for any type of MVD or any 1D or 2D display segregating distinct views by location or orientation, including x and/or y. For example, a 1D or 2D MVD may layer a 2D microlens array or parallax barrier to achieve projection of distinct views along different angles spread laterally and/or vertically.
In accordance with some embodiments, a MVD may include a dynamically variable MVD in that an array of light shaping elements, such as a microlens array or parallax barrier, can be dynamically actuated to change optical and/or spatial properties thereof. For example, a liquid crystal array can be disposed or integrated within a MVD system to create a dynamically actuated parallax barrier, for example, in which alternating opaque and transparent regions (lines, “apertures”, etc.) can be dynamically scaled based on different input parameters. In one illustrative example, a 1D parallax barrier can be dynamically created with variable line spacing and width such that a number of angularly defined views, and viewing region associated therewith, can be dynamically varied depending on an application at hand, content of interest, and/or particular physical installation. In a same or alternative embodiment in which view zone-defining light field shaping elements are disposed to form a layer at a distance from an underlying pixelated digital display, for example, this distance can also, or alternatively, be dynamically controlled (e.g. servo-actuated, micro-stepper-activated) to further or otherwise impact MVD view zone determination and implementation. As such, not only can user-related content be selectively displayed according to different view directions, so can the different view directions be altered for instance, to increase a view zone angle spread, repetition frequency, etc. In such embodiments, user self-localisation techniques as described herein may be adjusted accordingly such that user self-localisation signals are correspondingly adjusted to mirror actuated variations in MVD view zone characterization and implementation.
With reference to
In some embodiments, emitter array 203 comprises one or more emitters, each emitter configured to emit a time-dependent encoded emission (e.g. blinking light, such as a red light, or other pulsatile waveform, such as an encoded IR signal), the emission being substantially in-line, directionally-aligned or parallel to, a corresponding viewing direction of the MVD, so as to be only perceived (or preferentially perceived) by a viewer, camera or sensor when a viewer is viewing the MVD from this corresponding view direction. This is schematically illustrated in
Generally, emitter array 203 may be located or installed within, on or close to MVD 105, so as to be in view of a viewer (or a mobile device 209 held thereby) viewing MVD 105. In some embodiments, due to the directionality of the emitted emissions, a viewer within a given view direction of MVD 105 may only be able to perceive one corresponding encoded emission 216 from one corresponding emitter.
Generally, mobile device 209 as considered herein may be any portable electronic device comprising a camera or light sensor and operable to send/receive data wirelessly. This is schematically illustrated in
Accordingly, in some embodiments, emitter array 203 may comprise infrared (IR) emitters configured to emit IR light, wherein the encoded emission is a time-dependent pulsatile waveform or similar (e.g. blinking IR light having a direction-encoded pulsatile waveform, frequency, pattern, etc.). In some embodiments, the 38 kHz modulation standard or a 38 kHz time-dependent discrete modulation signal may be used, however, other time-dependent signal modulation techniques (analog or digital) known in the art may be used to encode the signal. Thus, using an IR sensitive digital camera 287, an encoded IR emission may be recorded/intercepted while being invisible to viewer 110, so to not cause unnecessary discomfort.
In some embodiments, the frequency of the encoded emission or a change thereof may, at least in part, be used to differentiate between different emitters of emitter array 203 (e.g. in case of unintended cross-talk between emitters). For example, a specific pulsatile frequency, or the distance a signal travels in respect of its nominal wavelength, may be used for different view directions.
Thus, in some embodiments, system 200 may further comprise a dedicated application or software (not shown) to be executed on mobile device 209, and which may have access to one or more hardware digital cameras therein. This dedicated application may be operable to acquire live video using a camera of mobile device 209, identify within this video an encoded emission if present and automatically extract therefrom viewing direction or location data.
Furthermore, emitter array 203 may have the advantage that it only requires viewer 110 to point a camera in the general direction of MVD 105 and emitter array 203, whereby the encoded time-variable signal is projected in an angularly constrained beam that sweeps a significant volume fraction of its corresponding view zone (i.e. without spilling over into adjacent zones), avoiding potentially problematic camera/image alignment requirements that could otherwise be required if communicating directional information via a visible graphic or code (e.g. QR code). Given such considerations, even if during acquisition the location of the camera/sensor changes (e.g. due to hand motion, etc.), the dedicated application may be operable to follow the source of encoded emission 216 over time irrespective of specific alignment or stability.
In some embodiments, system 200 may further comprise a remote server 254, which may be, for example, part of a cloud service, and communicate remotely with network interface 225. In some embodiments, content controller 231 may also be operated from remote server 254, such that, for example, viewer-specific content can be streamed directly from remote server 254 to MVD 105.
In some embodiments, multiple MVDs may be networked together and operated from, at least partially, remove server 254.
Other configurations of emitter array 203 or emitter 306 may be considered, without departing from the general scope and nature of the present disclosure. For example, directional light sources, such as lasers and/or optically collimated and/or angularly constrained beam forming devices may serve provide directional emissions without physical blockers or shutters, as can other examples readily apply.
With continued reference to
In some embodiments, network interface 225 may send/receive data through the use of a wired or wireless network connection. The skilled artisan will understand that a different means of wirelessly connecting electronic devices may be considered herein, such as, but not limited to, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Cellular, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G or similar.
In some embodiments, the user may be required to provide input via mobile device 209 before the viewing direction data is sent to MVD 105.
As mentioned above, in some embodiments, at any time viewer 110 finds themself in proximity to MVD 105, they can opt to open/execute a dedicated application on their portable digital device 209 to interface with the system. In other embodiments, this dedicated application may be embedded into the operating system of mobile device 209, eliminating the need to manually open the application. Instead, viewer 110 may touch a button or similar, such as a physical button or one on a graphical user interface (GUI) to start the process. Either way, mobile device can 209 access digital camera 287 and start recording/acquiring images and/or video therefrom, and thus capture an encoded signal emitted in that particular view direction.
For example, and with added reference to the process 400 illustrated in
In some embodiments, a notification and/or message may be presented to the viewer on the mobile device to confirm that the encoded emission was correctly located and decoded, to display the decoded location, and/or to authorize further processing of the received location information and downstream MVD process. It will be appreciated that while the viewing location may be immediately decoded and confirmed, the encoded information may rather remain as such until further processed downstream by the system.
Once the view-related data 629 has been captured, the mobile device can communicate at step 420 this information to MVD 105 (using wireless network interface 267), optionally along with viewer-related data. This viewer-related data can be used, for example, to derive viewer-related content to be presented or displayed on MVD 105. In some embodiments, viewer-related data may comprise a language preference or similar, while in other embodiments it may comprise viewer-specific information, including personal information (e.g. personalized flight information, etc.). In some embodiments, as illustrated in
Alternatively, as shown in
In some embodiments, additional information such as the physical location of MVD 105 may be encoded in the encoded emission itself or derived indirectly from the location of the mobile device 209 (via a GPS or similar).
In some embodiments, viewer-specific content may comprise any multimedia content, including but without limitation, text, images, photographs, videos, etc. In some cases, viewer-related content may be a same content but presented in a different way, or in a different language.
In some embodiments, the viewer may have the option of interacting dynamically with the dedicated mobile application to control which viewer-related content is to be displayed in the corresponding view direction of the MVD 105. In other cases, the viewer may pre-configure, before interacting with the MVD, the dedicated application to select one or more viewer-specific content, and/or pre-configure the application to communicate to MVD 105 to display viewer-specific content based on a set of predefined parameters (e.g. preferred language, etc.).
In practice, the viewing of conventional MVD systems, examples of which may include, but are not limited to, those abovementioned, may traditionally be accompanied by various visual artifacts that may detract from or diminish the quality of a user viewing experience. For instance, a MVD system employing a light field shaping element (e.g. a parallax barrier, a lenslet array, a lenticular array, waveguides, and the like) may be designed or otherwise operable to display light from different pixels to respective eyes of a viewer in a narrow angular range (or small region of space). In some cases, even a slight movement of a viewer may result in one eye perceiving light intended for the other eye. Similarly, when viewing a MVD operative to display different images to different viewers, user movement may result in the presentation of two different images or portions thereof to a single viewer if pixels intended to be blocked or otherwise unseen by that user become visible. Such visual artifacts, referred to herein interchangeably as “ghosting” or “crosstalk”, may result in a poor viewing experience.
While various approaches have been proposed to mitigate crosstalk in stereoscopic systems, such as that disclosed by International Patent Application WO 2014/014603 A3 entitled “Crosstalk reduction with location-based adjustment” and issued to Dane and Bhaskaran on Sep. 4, 2014, a need exists for a system and method of rendering images in a manner that improves user experience for MVD systems that, for instance, do not provide an adverse impact on a neighbouring view (e.g. compensate for a neighbour view by adjusting a pixel value, detracting from the quality of one or more displayed images). Furthermore, a need exists for a system and method to this end that is less computationally intensive than the dynamic adjustments required to apply corrective contrast measures, such as those that might reverse a ghosting effect, for individually identified pixels for certain images. As such, herein disclosed are various systems and methods that, in accordance with various embodiments, relate to rendering images in MVDs that improve user experience via mitigation of ghosting and/or crosstalk effects.
In accordance with various embodiments, a parallax barrier as described herein may be applied to a MVD wherein each view thereof displayed relates to a different user, or to different perspectives for a single viewer. However, inclusions of additional means known in the art for providing a plurality of content (e.g. images, videos, text, etc.) in multiple directions, such as lenslet arrays, lenticular arrays, waveguides, combinations thereof, and the like, fall within the scope of the disclosure.
Furthermore, various aspects relate to the creation of distinct view zones that may be wide enough to encompass both eyes of an individual viewer, or one eye of a single user within a single view zone, according to the context in which a MVD may be used, while mitigating crosstalk between different views.
Description will now be provided for various embodiments that relate to MVD systems that comprise a parallax barrier, although the skilled artisan will appreciate that other light field shaping elements may also be employed in the systems and methods herein described.
Conventional parallax barriers may comprise a series of barriers that block a fraction (N-1)/N of available display pixels while displaying N distinct views in order to display distinct images. For example, a MVD displaying two views (i.e. N = 2) may have half of its pixels used for a first view zone, while the other half (blocked from the first view zone) are used for a second view zone. In such a system, narrow view zones are created such that even minute displacement from an ideal location may result in crosstalk, reducing image quality due to crosstalk between adjacent views.
In accordance with various embodiments, crosstalk may be at least partially addressed by effectively creating “blank” views between those intended for viewing that comprise pixels for image formation. That is, some pixels that would otherwise be used for image formation may act as a buffer between views. For instance, and in accordance with various embodiments, such buffers may be formed by maintaining such pixels inactive, unlit, and/or blank. Such embodiments may allow for a greater extent of viewer motion before crosstalk between view zones may occur, and thus may improve user experience. For instance, in the abovementioned example of a MVD with N views, a barrier may block a fraction of (2N-1)/2N pixels in an embodiment in which view zones are separated by equal-width blank “viewing zones”. That is, for a MVD displaying two views (N = 2), four “views” may be created, wherein each view containing different images is separated by a “view” that does not contain an image, resulting in 75% of pixels being blocked by a barrier while 25% are used to create each of the two images to be viewed.
The abovementioned embodiment may reduce effects of crosstalk, as a viewer (i.e. a pupil, or both eyes of a user) may need to completely span the width of a view zone to perceive pixels emitting light corresponding to different images. However, the images formed by such systems or methods may have reduced brightness and/or resolution due to the number of pixels that are sacrificed to create blank views. One approach to mitigating this effect, and in accordance with various embodiments, is to address pixels in clusters, wherein clusters of pixels are separate from one another by one or more blank pixels. For instance, and in accordance with at least one of the various embodiments, a cluster may comprise a “group” or subset of four cohesively distributed (i.e. juxtaposed) pixels and utilised to produce a portion of an image, and clusters may be separated by a width of a designated number of pixels that may be left blank, unlit, or inactive, or again activated in accordance with a designated buffer pixel value (i.e. buffer pixel(s)). While the following description refers to a one-dimensional array of pixels grouped into clusters of four pixels each, the skilled artisan will appreciate that the concepts herein taught may also apply to two-dimensional arrays of pixels and/or clusters, wherein clusters may comprise any size in one or two dimensions
While this particular example (four active pixels to one blank pixel) may provide an appropriate ratio of used or lit pixels to blank or unlit pixels for a high quality viewing experience in some systems, the skilled artisan will appreciate that various embodiments may comprise different ratios of active to blank pixels, or variable ratios thereof, while remaining within the scope of the disclosure. For instance, various embodiments may comprise varying the ratio of active to blank pixels throughout a dimension of a display, or, may comprise varying the ratio of active to blank pixels based on the complexity of an image or image portion. Such variable ratio embodiments may be particularly advantageous in, for instance, a lenticular array-based MVD, or other such MVD systems that do not rely on a static element (e.g. a parallax barrier) to provide directional light.
As such, various embodiments as described herein may comprise the designated usage and/or activation of pixels in a display in addition to a physical barrier or light field shaping elements (e.g. lenses) that allow light from specific regions of a display to be seen at designated viewing angles (i.e. directional light). Dynamic or designated pixel activation sequences or processes may be carried out by a digital data processor directly or remotely associated with the MVD, such as a graphics controller, image processor, or the like.
To further describe a physical parallax barrier that may be used in accordance with various embodiments, the notation PB (N, p, b) will be used henceforth, where PB is a physical parallax barrier used with a display creating N views, where p is the number of pixels in a cluster, as described above, designated as active to contribute to a particular image or view, wherein clusters may be separated by a number of pixels b that may be blank, inactive, or unlit. In accordance with various embodiments, b may be 0 where blank pixels are not introduced between view-defining clusters, or otherwise at least 1 where one or more blank pixels are introduced between view-defining clusters.
Embodiments may also be described by an effective pixel size spx* representing the size of a pixel projection on the plane corresponding to a physical parallax barrier. The slit width SW of the physical barrier may thus be defined as SW = p spx*, and the physical barrier width between slits BW as BW = [(N-1) p + N b] spx*. It may also be noted that, for a system in which D is the distance between the parallax barrier and a viewer and g is the gap between the screen and the physical barrier plane (i.e. D + g relates to the distance between the viewer and the screen), the effective pixel size spx* may be computed as spx* = spx [D / (D + g)], where spx is the screen’s actual pixel size (or pixel pitch).
A geometry of a conventional parallax barrier MVD system is further described in
In the example of
In accordance with various embodiments, the presence of blank, unlit, or inactive pixels may effectively increase a viewing zone size. That is, a viewer may comfortably experience a larger area wherein their view or perception does not experience significant crosstalk.
In accordance with various embodiments, blank pixels may be placed at the interface between adjacent clusters of pixels corresponding to different images and/or content. Such configurations may, in accordance with various embodiments, provide a high degree of resolution and/or brightness in images while minimizing crosstalk.
The following Table provides non-limiting examples of display pixel parameters that may relate to various embodiments, with the associated percentage of a total number of available pixels on a display that correspond to a particular image or view, and thus relate to resolution and brightness of a respective image. The skilled artisan will appreciate that such parameters are exemplary, only, and do no limit the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, the skilled artisan will appreciate that while such parameters may, in accordance with some embodiments, refer to a number of pixels in one dimension, they may also apply to methods and systems operable in two dimensions. For instance, a pixel cluster may be a p by r array of pixels cohesively distributed in two dimensions on a display. In some embodiments, buffer regions of unlit pixels may be variable in different dimensions (e.g. a buffer width of b pixels between clusters in a horizonal direction and c pixels between clusters in a vertical direction).
While various examples described relate to MVD displays comprising parallax barriers, the skilled artisan will appreciate that the systems and method herein disclosed may further relate to other forms of MVD displays. For instance, and without limitation, blank or inactive pixels may be employed with MVD displays comprising lenticular arrays, wherein directional light is provided through focusing elements. For instance, the principle of effectively “expanding” a view zone via blank pixels that do not contribute to crosstalk between views in such embodiments remains similar to that herein described for the embodiments discussed above.
Further embodiments may relate to the employ of unlit pixels in dynamic image rendering (e.g. scrolling text, videos, etc.) to reduce crosstalk or ghosting. Similarly, yet other embodiments relate to the use of blank pixels to reduce crosstalk related to systems that employ dynamic pupil or user tracking, wherein images are rendered, for instance, on demand to correspond to a determined user location, or predicted location (e.g. predictive location tracking). Similarly, embodiments may relate to a view zone that encompasses one or more eyes of a single user, the provision of stereoscopic images wherein each eye of a user is in a respective view zone, or providing a view zone corresponding to the entirety of a user, for instance to provide a neighbouring view zone for an additional user(s).
While the abovementioned examples of MVD systems employing viewer localisation and/or cross-talk mitigation are provided as exemplary platforms that may utilise a dynamic light field shaping layer (LFSL) as herein described, the skilled artisan will appreciate that various embodiments may relate to other MVD systems. For instance, a conventional MVD screen that does not require a user to self-locate may employ a LFSL to, for instance, reduce crosstalk between view zones without introducing buffer pixels, to alter one or more view zone positions, or to change a number of distinct MVD view zones.
For example, the systems and methods described herein provide, in accordance with different embodiments, different examples of a light field display system and method in which a LFSL disposed upon a digital pixel display is operable to move in one or more dimensions so to provide dynamic control over a view zone location, or to improve a user experience. For example, and in accordance with some embodiments, a LFSL may vibrate (e.g. move or oscillate to and from relative thereto) so to reduce perceived optical artifacts, provide an increased perceived resolution, or like benefits, thus improving a user experience.
For example, light field displays typically have a reduced perceived resolution compared to the original resolution of the underlying pixel array. This is because light emitted from a subset of pixels of the digital display may be, at least partially, blocked or attenuated by a given placement of different optical elements of the light field shaping layer. Accordingly, at least some of the underlying digital display pixels become unavailable or ineffective in rendering the intended image. Furthermore, while digital display pixels typically emit an isotropically distributed light field such that light emitted by each pixel can typically reach the viewers pupils, light field rendering solutions will invariably produce more directional light fields that, in some circumstance, may not intersect with a user’s pupil location(s). Accordingly, visual artefacts and/or a reduced perceived resolution may ensue.
In accordance with some of the herein-described embodiments, means are provided to vibrate the LFSL relative to the digital display at a rate generally too fast to be perceived by a user viewing the display but with the added effect that each optical element of the LFSL may, over any given cycle, allow light emitted from a larger number of pixels to positively intersect with the viewer’s pupils than would otherwise be possible with a static LFSL configuration.
In some embodiments, the implementation of a dynamic or vibrating light field shaping layer can result in an improved perceived resolution of the adjusted image, thereby improving performance of an image perception solution being executed. As an exemplary application of an image perception solution enabled by a dynamic light field shaping layer, the following description relates to a manipulation of a light field using a light field display for the purpose of accommodating a viewer’s reduced visual acuity. The herein described solutions may also be applied in, for instance, providing 3D images, multiple views, and the like.
Some of the embodiments described herein provide for digital display devices, or devices encompassing such displays, for use by users having reduced visual acuity, whereby images ultimately rendered by such devices can be dynamically processed to accommodate the user’s reduced visual acuity so that they may consume rendered images without the use of corrective eyewear, as would otherwise be required. For instance, in some examples, users who would otherwise require corrective eyewear such as glasses or contact lenses, or again bifocals, may consume images produced by such devices, displays and methods in clear or improved focus without the use of such eyewear. Other light field display applications, such as 3D displays and the like, may also benefit from the solutions described herein, and thus, should be considered to fall within the general scope and nature of the present disclosure.
Generally, digital displays as considered herein will comprise a set of image rendering pixels and a LFSL disposed so to controllably shape or influence a light field emanating therefrom. For instance, each light field shaping layer will be defined by an array of optical elements (otherwise referred to as light field shaping elements), which, in the case of LFSL embodiments comprising a microlens array, are centered over a corresponding subset of the display’s pixel array to optically influence a light field emanating therefrom and thereby govern a projection thereof from the display medium toward the user, for instance, providing some control over how each pixel or pixel group will be viewed by the viewer’s eye(s). In some of the herein described embodiments, a vibrating LFSL can result in designation of these corresponding subsets of pixels to vary or shift slightly during any given vibration, for instance, by either allowing some otherwise obscured or misaligned pixels to at least partially align with a given LFSL element, or again, to improve an optical alignment thereof so to effectively impact and/or improve illumination thereby of the viewer’s pupil in positively contributing to an improved adjusted image perception by the viewer.
As will be further detailed below, a LFSL vibration may encompass different displacement or motion cycles of the LFSL relative to the underlying display pixels, such as linear longitudinal, lateral, or diagonal motions or oscillations, two-dimensional circular, bi-directional, elliptical motions or cycles, and/or other such motions or oscillations which may further include three-dimensional vibrations or displacement as may be practical within a particular context or application.
As will be further detailed below, arrayed optical elements may include, but are not limited to, lenslets, microlenses or other such diffractive optical elements that together form, for example, a lenslet array; pinholes or like apertures or windows that together form, for example, a parallax or like barrier; concentrically patterned barriers, e.g. cut outs and/or windows, such as a to define a Fresnel zone plate or optical sieve, for example, and that together form a diffractive optical barrier (as described, for example, in Applicant’s copending U.S. Application Serial No. 15/910,908, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference); and/or a combination thereof, such as for example, a lenslet array whose respective lenses or lenslets are partially shadowed or barriered around a periphery thereof so to combine the refractive properties of the lenslet with some of the advantages provided by a pinhole barrier.
In operation, the display device will also generally invoke a hardware processor operable on image pixel data for an image to be displayed to output corrected image pixel data to be rendered as a function of a stored characteristic of the light field shaping layer (e.g. layer distance from display screen, distance between optical elements (pitch), absolute relative location of each pixel or subpixel to a corresponding optical element, properties of the optical elements (size, diffractive and/or refractive properties, etc.), or other such properties, and a selected vision correction parameter related to the user’s reduced visual acuity, or other image perception adjustment parameter as may be the case given the application at hand. While the following examples will focus on the implementation of vision correction solutions and applications, it will be appreciated that the herein described embodiments are not intended to be limited as such, and that other image perception adjustments may also be considered herein without departing from the general scope and nature of the present disclosure.
Image processing can, in some embodiments, be dynamically adjusted as a function of the user’s visual acuity so to actively adjust a distance of a virtual image plane induced upon rendering the corrected image pixel data via the optical layer, for example, or otherwise actively adjust image processing parameters as may be considered, for example, when implementing a viewer-adaptive pre-filtering algorithm or like approach (e.g. compressive light field optimization), so to at least in part govern an image perceived by the user’s eye(s) given pixel-specific light visible thereby through the layer.
Accordingly, a given device may be adapted to compensate for different visual acuity levels and thus accommodate different users and/or uses. For instance, a particular device may be configured to implement and/or render an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) that incorporates a dynamic vision correction scaling function that dynamically adjusts one or more designated vision correction parameter(s) in real-time in response to a designated user interaction therewith via the GUI. For example, a dynamic vision correction scaling function may comprise a graphically rendered scaling function controlled by a (continuous or discrete) user slide motion or like operation, whereby the GUI can be configured to capture and translate a user’s given slide motion operation to a corresponding adjustment to the designated vision correction parameter(s) scalable with a degree of the user’s given slide motion operation. These and other examples are described in Applicant’s co-pending U.S. Pat. Application Serial No. 15/246,255, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
For instance, a display device may be configured to render a corrected image via the light field shaping layer that accommodates for the user’s visual acuity. By adjusting the image correction in accordance with the user’s actual predefined, set or selected visual acuity level, different users and visual acuity may be accommodated using a same device configuration. That is, in one example, by adjusting corrective image pixel data to dynamically adjust a virtual image distance below/above the display as rendered via the light field shaping layer, different visual acuity levels may be accommodated.
However, for any viewing angle of a light field display, there may be some pixels of the pixel array that are located near the periphery of a light field shaping element and for which emitted light may thus be, at least partially, attenuated or blocked, or at least, be positioned so not to effectively benefit from the light field shaping function of this microlens and thus, fail to effectively partake in the combined formation of an adjusted image output. Accordingly, this misalignment may have the effect of reducing the perceived resolution of the light field display when viewed by a user.
While dynamic light field shaping layers as herein described may comprise any one or more of various light field shaping elements (e.g. a parallax barrier, apertures, etc.), the following example a light field display comprises a vibrating microlens array, which, in some implementations, may improve the perceived resolution and consequently provide for a better overall user experience.
For example, as illustrated in
For instance, by rapidly moving or oscillating each microlens over the pixel array in a way that is generally too fast for the user to notice, it may be possible to add or better include a contribution from these pixels to the final image perceived by the user and thus increase the perceived resolution. While the user would not typically perceive the motion of the microlens array per se, they would perceive an aggregate of all the different microlens array positions during each cycle, for example, for each light field frame rendered (i.e. where a LFSL vibration frequency is equal or greater than, for example, 30 Hz, or again closer or even above a refresh rate of the display (e.g. 60 Hz, 120 Hz, 240 Hz, or beyond). It is generally understood that the microlens only need to be displaced over a small distance, which could be, for example, as small as the distance between two consecutive pixels in some embodiments (e.g. around 15 microns for a digital pixel display like the Sony™ Xperia™ XZ Premium phone with a reported screen resolution of 3840 ×2160 pixels with 16:9 ratio and approximately 807 pixel-per-inch (ppi) density).
While this example is provided within the context of a microlens array, similar structural design considerations may be applied within the context of a parallax barrier, diffractive barrier or combination thereof.
With respect to
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the microlens array may also be made to oscillate perpendicularly to the pixel display, at least in part, by adding a depth component to the motion (e.g. going back and forth relative to the display).
In some embodiments, motion, or fast periodic motion or oscillations of the microlens array, is provided via one or more actuators. Different types of actuators may include, for example, but are not limited to, piezoelectric transducers or motors like ultrasonic motors or the like. Other driving techniques may include, but are not limited to, electrostatic, magnetic, mechanical and/or other such physical drive techniques. One or more means may be affixed, attached or otherwise operatively coupled to the microlens array, at one or more locations, to ensure precise or predictable motion. In some embodiments, the actuators or the like may be integrated into the display’s frame so as to not be visible by the user. In some embodiments, more complex oscillatory motions may be provided by combining two or more linear actuators/motors, for example.
In some embodiments, the actuators may be controlled via, for example, a control signal or similar. For example, square, triangular, or sinusoidal signals, and/or a combination thereof, may be used to drive the actuators or motors. In some embodiments, the control signal may be provided by the display’s main processor, while in other cases, the system may use instead a second digital processor or microcontroller to control the actuators. In all cases, the oscillatory motion may be independent from or synchronized with a light field rendering algorithm, non-limiting examples of which will be discussed below.
Further, movement of a LFSL may be enabled by a means that is alternative to or in addition to an actuator. For instance, a LFSL may be coupled with a robotic arm or other structure operable to provide 1D, 2D, or 3D movement of the LFSL. Regardless of the complexity of the structure enabling movement, a LFSL, in accordance with various embodiments, may move or oscillate in, for instance, one or more of three axes. In such embodiments, movement may be characterised, for instance, by a frequency and/or amplitude in each axis (e.g. by a three-dimensional waveform).
Movement or oscillation may, in accordance with various embodiments, further be employed as a compensation measure to correct for or cancel other motion effects. For instance, a MVD system in a car may be subject to consistent and/or predictable motion or oscillation that arises when driving, that may be sensed or otherwise determined. The MVD system may be operable to receive a signal representative of this motion, and translate a LFSL, for instance via a robotic arm or actuators, at a particular frequency and amplitude in one or more dimensions to effectively dampen or cancel the effects of the MVD or car movement. For instance, LFSL movement may be responsive to (e.g. a negative function of) a background oscillation, or may be tuned to a designated dampening frequency, so to stabilise one or more view zones. In accordance with various embodiments, a sensing element for detecting, characterising, and/or quantifying such ambient vibration, oscillation, or movement may be incorporated within, or operably coupled to (e.g. in network communication with) a MVD system to provide a signal representative of motion. The signal may, in various embodiments, be variable, and/or representative of a consistent motion, and may be one which may be input into, for instance, an oscillation dampening process (e.g. a dampening ratio process employed by a MVD for a ray tracing calculation, displaying distinct content in a plurality of views, or other applications).
In addition to mechanical oscillations provided from, for instance, servo motors, stepper motors, and the like, oscillations or other forms of movement, in accordance with various embodiments, may be digital in nature. For instance, a MVD light field shaping layer may comprise a digital component (e.g. a LCD-based parallax barrier). Movement, vibration, oscillation, and the like, may be provided in the form of digitally simulating a movement of light field shaping elements, such as by the activation of adjacent dark pixels in a particular sequence that mimics motion of a barrier. Such embodiments may further relate to, for instance, high density pixel arrays on a front panel LCD acting as a dynamic, software-controllable digital barrier for pixels of a display screen disposed relative thereto. Such a panel may, and in accordance with some embodiments, allow for refined control over a light field shaping layer or element, and may provide the perceptive effects that may otherwise be generated by a physical movement.
Further embodiments contemplated herein relate to oscillating pixel activation of a display screen. That is, while the abovementioned embodiments relate to oscillation of a light field shaping layer disposed between a user and a pixelated display, or the simulation of a movement through coordinated pixel activation in a digital light field shaping layer, similar results may be enabled by simulating an oscillation of image-producing pixels through the activation of appropriate pixels in specific sequences or patterns at high refresh rates while maintaining a stationary light field shaping layer. Naturally, further embodiments may relate to oscillating, either mechanically or digitally, both a light field shaping layer and light-producing pixels of a display, in coordination, to produce a preferred oscillation pattern and/or optical effect.
Yet other embodiments relate to volumetric displays with a plurality of layers (e.g. N layers) for producing oscillating or stationary image and/or video effects. Such displays may offer, for instance, 3D effects, or may be used for spectral data or in other applications.
With reference to
As illustrated in
The image data 1306, for example, may be representative of one or more digital images to be displayed with the digital pixel display. This image may generally be encoded in any data format used to store digital images known in the art. In some embodiments, images 1306 to be displayed may change at a given framerate.
As discussed above, in some embodiments, the actuators may be programmed in advance so that the motion (e.g. any or all of position 1204, rotation angle 1206 or position 1207) of the microlens array may be, for example, synchronized with the pixel display refresh rate. In other embodiments, the control signal may be tuned and changed during operation using a calibration procedure. In other embodiments, additional sensors may be deployed, such as photodiodes or the like to precisely determine the relative position of the microlens array or other light field shaping element(s) as a function of time. Thus, in the event that the microlens array is slightly misaligned with respect to its expected pre-programmed motion, the information provided in real-time from the additional sensors may be used to provide precise positional data to the light field rendering algorithm.
Following from the above-described embodiments, a further input variable includes the three-dimensional pupil location 1308.
The pupil location 1308, in one embodiment, is the three-dimensional coordinates of at least one the user’s pupils’ center with respect to a given reference frame, for example a point on the device or display. This pupil location 1308 may be derived from any eye/pupil tracking method known in the art. In some embodiments, the pupil location 1308 may be determined prior to any new iteration of the rendering algorithm, or in other cases, at a lower framerate. In some embodiments, only the pupil location of a single user’s eye may be determined, for example the user’s dominant eye (i.e. the one that is primarily relied upon by the user). In some embodiments, this position, and particularly the pupil distance to the screen may otherwise or additionally be rather approximated or adjusted based on other contextual or environmental parameters, such as an average or preset user distance to the screen (e.g. typical reading distance for a given user or group of users; stored, set or adjustable driver distance in a vehicular environment; etc.).
Once constant parameters 1102, user parameters 1103 and variables 1104 have been set, the method of
An exemplary ray-tracing methodology is described in steps 1110 to 1128 of
As illustrated in
The method then finds, in step 1114, the coordinates of the center of the LFSL optical element closest to the intersection point. Once the position of the center of the optical element is known, in step 1116, a normalized unit ray vector is generated from drawing and normalizing a vector drawn from the center position to the pixel. This unit ray vector generally approximates the direction of the light field emanating from this pixel through this particular light field element, for instance, when considering a parallax barrier aperture or lenslet array (i.e. where the path of light travelling through the center of a given lenslet is not deviated by this lenslet). Further computation may be required when addressing more complex light shaping elements, as will be appreciated by the skilled artisan. The direction of this ray vector will be used to find the portion of image 1306, and thus the associated color, represented by the pixel. But first, in step 1118, this ray vector is projected backwards to the plane of the pupil, and then in step 1120, the method verifies that the projected ray vector is still within the pupil (i.e. that the user can still “see” it). Once the intersection position of projected ray vector with the pupil plane is known, the distance between the pupil center and the intersection point may be calculated to determine if the deviation is acceptable, for example by using a pre-determined pupil size and verifying how far the projected ray vector is from the pupil center.
If this deviation is deemed to be too large, then in step 1122, the method flags this pixel as unnecessary and to simply be turned off or render a black color. Otherwise, in step 1124, the ray vector is projected once more towards the virtual image plane to find the position of the intersection point on the image. Then in step 1126, the pixel is flagged as having the color value associated with the portion of the image at the noted intersection point.
In some embodiments, method 1100 is modified so that at step 1120, instead of having a binary choice between the ray vector hitting the pupil or not, one or more smooth interpolation function (i.e. linear interpolation, Hermite interpolation or similar) are used to quantify how far or how close the intersection point is to the pupil center by outputting a corresponding continuous value between 1 or 0. For example, the assigned value is equal to 1 substantially close to pupil center and gradually changes to 0 as the intersection point substantially approaches the pupil edges or beyond. In this case, the branch containing step 1122 is ignored and step 1120 continues to step 1124. At step 1126, the pixel color value assigned to the pixel is chosen to be somewhere between the full color value of the portion of the image at the intersection point or black, depending on the value of the interpolation function used at step 1120 (1 or 0).
In yet other embodiments, pixels found to illuminate a designated area around the pupil may still be rendered, for example, to produce a buffer zone to accommodate small movements in pupil location, for example, or again, to address potential inaccuracies, misalignments or to create a better user experience.
In some embodiments, steps 1118, 1120 and 1122 may be avoided completely, the method instead going directly from step 1116 to step 1124. In such an exemplary embodiment, no check is made that the ray vector hits the pupil or not, but instead the method assumes that it always does.
Once the output colors of all pixels have been determined, these are finally rendered in step 1130 to be viewed by the user, therefore presenting a light field corrected image. In the case of a single static image, the method may stop here. However, new input variables may be entered and the image may be refreshed at any desired frequency, for example because the user’s pupil moves as a function of time and/or because instead of a single image a series of images are displayed at a given framerate. A framerate or desired frequency may be one that is enabled by a display, and may depend on, for instance, a number of views, screen resolution, type of content (e.g. video, images), processing power, and the like.
These and other ray-tracing methods are described in greater detail in, for instance, Applicant’s U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,394,322 and 10,636,116, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
While the embodiments described above provide for a dynamic light field shaping layer that may vibrate to improve resolution, and therefore a perception adjustment, for users with reduced visual acuity, movement of a dynamic light field shaping layer (LFSL) may also allow for, for instance, reduced crosstalk between independent views of a multiview display system (MVD). Given the inherent sensitivity of user perception of a view zone of a MVD based on, for instance, their position relative thereto, various embodiments relate to dynamically adjusting the position of a LFSL disposed between a display and a user in one or more dimensions disposed to provide a view zone location(s) that provide a positive experience for one or more users. For instance, various embodiments relate to a LFSL that may be dynamically adjusted in one or more dimensions (i.e. towards/away from a display, left/right relative to a display, and/or up/down relative to a display) to define one or more view zone locations, or number thereof, and may be held static upon configuration for a user session or dynamically adjusted during content viewing.
Conventional static MVD solutions comprise a parallax barrier (PB) disposed on a digital pixel-based screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). In such configurations, PB patterns must be precisely calculated, printed, and aligned with the display. PB specifications (pitch, distance to a screen, distance to a user, etc.) are typically fixed to support a specific rendering pattern (i.e. two views, three views, etc.). While methods and systems are known in the art for, for instance, rendering images for specific viewing locations using specific pixel subsets that can be viewed from designated angles, user movement may result in detrimental effects.
Dynamic PB (dyPB) solutions, on the other hand, are typically constructed using an additional LCD, electrically-actuated, or other like panel disposed between the display and a user, wherein the panel often has a similar overall size and/or aspect ratio as the digital display. While the display presents content media via (typically) RGB pixels, the foremost LCD-based dyPB displays black or otherwise opaque pixels to allow only light rays from certain display pixels to reach a particular user location relative to the display. This may present a challenge in that it is often necessitated that the LCD or other dyPB screen be sufficiently optically clear to maintain quality of images viewed therethrough.
The conventional dyPB may provide variable dark pixel configurations, and therefore dynamic slit widths and arrangements, to accommodate, for instance, a viewer or pupil in a specific position. However, a dyPB LCD screen may, depending on the on the underlying display pixel configuration, require a resolution that is higher (~2-3 times higher) than that of the display in order in order to provide a positive user experience, as barrier adjustment step sizes must be precise enough to avoid introducing a large degree of crosstalk between view zones. Conversely, in cases that the pixel size of a dyPB layer is larger than the RBG pixels of a display, but wherein a proper ratio of pixels is maintained to effectively block RBG pixel light, adjustment of the dyPB, and achieving flexibility thereof, may be challenging. Furthermore, while images can be re-rendered and dyPB slits and barriers reconfigured to accommodate a new user location, such systems often include user tracking devices (see, for instance, U.S. Pat. Application 9294759 B2 entitled “Display device, method and program capable of providing a high-quality stereoscopic (3D) image, independently of the eye-point location of the viewer” and issued to Hirai on Mar. 22, 2016), which may, in addition to being both costly and computationally expensive, present privacy concerns. Further, some systems (e.g. 3D autostereoscopic displays) generate view zones that rigidly match a typical pupillary distance (e.g. 62 mm to 65 mm) in order to provide intended perception effects. Such view zones may be narrow, and may not accommodate user movement without the user experiencing discomfort, which similarly leads to user tracking in situations where it is expected that a user will not remain at a specific location relative to the display.
In accordance with various embodiments, a parallax barrier may be fabricated via various means including, but not limited to, high-resolution photoplotting, etc., with a high degree of precision (e.g. micron or sub-micron precision). For instance, a parallax barrier may be printed on a mylar sheet or equivalent optically transparent material and disposed in front of a display. In accordance with various embodiments, a PB printed with high precision may be coupled with actuators to provide a dynamic light field shaping layer (LFSL) that may be adjusted with high precision while simultaneously providing a high degree of resolution to provide spatially adjustable view zones with minimal crosstalk therebetween. Further, various embodiments relate to a LFSL that may optionally also comprise anti-glare properties, an anti-glare surface and/or coating, and/or a protective coating layer.
Conventional printed light field shaping layers may be inexpensively printed (e.g. inkjet, laserjet) on a thin, often flexible acetate, mylar, or like sheet which is then glued, adhered using optically clear adhesive, or otherwise mounted on a sheet of glass or other material (i.e. a ‘spacer’) to provide rigidity and a spacing between LFSL features and a display when mounted thereon. Alternatively, large PBs may employ waterjet, laser cutting equipment, and/or injection molding for production of LFSLs from solid materials. Such systems indeed fall within the scope of this disclosure. For instance, dual parallax barriers as described with reference to
On the other hand, while rigidity of a sheet having LFSL features printed thereon may be desirable for maintaining LFSL shape during dynamic adjustment and user viewing, a sheet material with a degree of flexibility may, in accordance with some embodiments, provide for ease of fabrication and assembly (e.g. alignment and mounting on a MVD).
In other preferred embodiments, a LFSL material may be rigid. Such embodiments may, for instance, minimise crosstalk that may occur with flexible sheets adhered to a display. Furthermore, a sheet material that, in the event of a crack or other form of breaking, minimises risk of user injury may be desirable. As such, tempered glass (e.g. Gorilla glass), or other like materials with inherent transparency that provides sufficient thinness (e.g 1-3 mm, although the skilled artisan will appreciate that the thickness of such a layer may scale with its area to maintain rigidity while also providing an air gap between a display and LFSL) to increase range of motion relative to a display, and yet may break in a safe manner, while providing sufficient rigidity to maintain a screen shape during movement and use, may, in accordance with various embodiments, be employed as a substrate on which a dynamic LFSL is printed, etched, or otherwise disposed. Such a material, while potentially more costly and heavier than, for instance, a plexiglass spacer on which a separate LFSL may be disposed, may reduce both the number of layers that require assembly (i.e. provide ease of fabrication), and reduce chances of misalignment of the various components to be mounted on a display (i.e. provide a higher quality consumer product). Further, printing on a substrate such as Gorilla glass may further offer increased transparency, quality, uniformity, and precision as compared to printing on, for instance, an acetate sheet. For instance, the former may inherently or readily provide a preferred combination of a spacer layer, a PB layer, an anti-glare coating layer, and a protecting layer. Conversely, the assembly of these independent components may be problematic and/or costly to perform with high precision for the latter.
In accordance with various embodiments, a printed dynamic light field shaping layer may be coupled with a display screen via one or more actuators and that may move the LFSL towards or away from (i.e. perpendicularly to) a digital display, and thus control where, for instance, a particular view of a MVD will be located. For instance,
In accordance with various embodiments, actuators 1420 and 1422 may translate the PB towards or away from the display 1410. In
The skilled artisan will appreciate that various actuators may be employed to dynamically adjust a LFSL with high precision, while having a robustness to reliably adjust a LFSL or system thereof (e.g. a plurality of LFSLs, a LFSL comprising a plurality of PBs, and the like). Furthermore, embodiments comprising heavier substrates (e.g. Gorilla glass or like tempered glass) on which LFSL are printed may employ, in accordance with some embodiments, particularly durable and/or robust actuators, examples of which may include, but are not limited to, electronically controlled linear actuators, servo and/or stepper motors, rod actuators such as the PQ12, L12, L16, or P16 Series from Actuonix® Motion Devices Inc., and the like. The skilled artisan will further appreciate that an actuator or actuator step size may be selected based on a screen size, whereby larger screens may, in accordance with various embodiments, require only larger steps to introduce distinguishable changes in user perception. Further, various embodiments relate to actuators that may communicate with a processor/controller via a driver board, or be directly integrated into a processing unit for plug-and-play functionality.
While
Furthermore, as readily available actuators can finely adjust and/or displace the high-resolution printed PB 1430 with a high degree of precision (e.g. micron-precision), the inherent sacrifices of resolution and crosstalk based on the dyPB step size in conventional systems relying on the activation of pixels on a LCD PB are mitigated, in accordance with various embodiments. As such, various embodiments of a dynamic light field shaping layer (LFSL) as herein described relate to one or more high-resolution printed parallax barriers that may be translated perpendicularly to a digital display to enhance user experience.
It will be appreciated that while
One embodiment relates to a multiview display system comprising two actuators 1420 on the left-hand side of a display (e.g. in the top-left and bottom-left corners), and two actuators 1422 on the right-hand side of the display (e.g. in the top-right and bottom-right corners of the display). Actuators 1420 and 1422 may, in one embodiment, be electronically activated, although it will be appreciated that other embodiments relate to manually activated actuators. Such actuators may be linearly scaled/operated to adjust the spacer distance 1452 between the active display 1410 and the parallax barrier 1430. Indeed, instead of employing a fixed LFSL position at a distance 1452 from a display screen, which may result in crosstalk or other artifacts, linear actuators may allow for fine adjustment (e.g. hundreds of microns to several millimetres) of the LFSL position to place the LFSL at a preferred location where, for instance, two different viewers 1440 and 1442 located at different positions with respect to the display may experience reduced crosstalk between views.
In accordance with one embodiment, such a multiview display system may relate to a screen size that is approximately 27″. For such a screen size, a LFSL may comprise a plexiglass spacer on which a PB is printed, wherein the LFSL has sufficient rigidity and is sufficiently lightweight to experience minimal warping when in use.
However, for larger display systems, a LFSL with increased rigidity may be preferred. Accordingly, various embodiments relate to systems having a LFSL comprising glass or another more rigid material. However, such LFSLs may be too heavy for the actuators preferred for lightweight systems. Accordingly, various embodiments relate to a multiview system with a LFSL that is dynamically adjustable using alternative means.
For example,
In addition to providing control over the distance between a parallax barrier and a screen, a LFSL as herein described may further allow for dynamic control of a PB pitch, or barrier width. In accordance with various further embodiments, a light field shaping system or device may comprise a plurality of independently addressable parallax barriers. For instance,
In this example, the system 1500 comprises a second PB 1532, which in turn is independently addressable by one or more lateral actuators 1526 to move the second PB 1532 laterally 1559 relative to the display 1510 and/or first PB 1530. In this case, while PBs 1530 and 1532 each have a barrier width 1560, a user at a viewing location 1540 experiences an effective barrier width 1562 that is greater than the individual width 1560 of either of the PBs 1530 or 1532. As a result, the viewer at location 1540 does not receive light emitted from repeating clusters of six pixels. Conversely, with an otherwise similar configuration such as that of
The skilled artisan will appreciate that while the parallax barriers 1530 and 1532 of
While
Furthermore, in order to minimise the gap between PBs 1530 and 1532, and thus minimise any detrimental effects on the quality of a MVD system or user experience, substrates may be assembled with respective LFSL sides facing one another (i.e. assembled with printed PBs being the inner surfaces in stacked PB systems).
Further embodiments relate to a system comprising a plurality of PBs, one or more of which may be dynamically adjustable in a direction parallel to the display 1510. In some embodiments, a system of PBs may be coupled to one or more actuators operable to displace the system of PBs in a direction perpendicular to the display 1510.
Furthermore, while the PBs 1530 and 1532 in
Furthermore, while 1D parallax barriers are generally described herein, one or more 2D parallax barriers, such a pinhole arrays, may be used and actuated to impact corresponding view in one to three dimensions. Such 1D or 2D parallax barriers may be used in combination, as can other types of LFSL be considered, such as microlens arrays and hybrid barriers, to name a few examples.
As an exemplary application of a dynamic light field shaping layer system,
However,
While user positions 1640, 1642, and 1644 in
More generally, various embodiments relate to a dynamic light field shaping layer system in which a system of one or more LFSLs may be incorporated on an existing display operable to display distinct content to respective view zones. Such embodiments may, for instance, relate to a clip-on solution that may interface and/or communicate with a smart TV or digital applications stored thereon, either directly or via a remote application (e.g. a smart phone application) and in wired or wireless fashion. Such a LFSL may be further operable to rotate in the plane of a display via, for instance, actuators as described above, to improve user experience by, for instance, introducing a pitch mismatch offset between light field shaping elements and an underlying pixel array. Such embodiments therefore relate to a LFSL that is dynamically adjustable/reconfigurable for a wide range of existing display systems (e.g. televisions).
Some embodiments relate to a standalone light field shaping system in which a multiview display television (MVTV) unit comprises a LFSL and smart display (e.g. a smart TV display having a LFSL disposed thereon). Such systems may comprise inherently well calibrated components (e.g. LFSL and display aspect ratios, LFSL elements and orientations appropriate for a particular display pixel or subpixel configuration, etc.).
Whether detachable from a display system, or a constituent component of a standalone dynamically adjustable MVTV, various embodiments of a LFSL relate to a disposition of LFSL features that is customised for a particular display screen. For example, while a display screen may have nominal specifications of pixel width, orientation, or the like, typically referenced as uniform measures or metrics generally representative of the pixel distribution, on average, the actual specifications of a screen may differ due to, for instance, screen fabrication processes. This may manifest as, for instance, pixels nearer to the edge of a display screen being less uniformly distributed, or disposed in configurations that deviate from a vertical or horizontal axis. Accordingly, a completely periodic LFSL, or one designed with respect to nominal, and generally uniform, screen specifications, may result in an undesirable viewing experience, even if a LFSL were dynamically adjustable to improve a quality of viewing for a particular viewing location(s). Various embodiments, however, may account for such imperfections in screen configurations through the inclusion of a LFSL (e.g. a parallax barrier) that is customised to the specific pixel configuration of a display screen, that is, to account for a relative nonuniformity (e.g. variable pitch, disposition, configuration, shape, size, etc.) of the pixel distribution in at least some regions of the display.
For example, and without limitation, various systems and methods described herein provide, in accordance with various embodiments, LFSLs that are customised based on a measured actual pixel configuration of a display screen so to accommodate any potentially impactful nonuniformities, which would otherwise result in a partial mismatch/misalignment between the LFSL and display pixels. For instance, one embodiment relates to obtaining a high magnification image of one or more regions of a display screen to determine an actual pixel configuration and/or spacing and thus identify any pixel distribution non-uniformities across the display surface. A LFSL fabricated to match the actual nonuniform pixel distribution of the screen (e.g. a printed PB) may then be provided as a clip-on solution or as part of a standalone MVTV, wherein the quality of one or more view zones resulting from the LFSL may be improved as compared to that generated using a generic LFSL. In accordance with yet another embodiment, a digital LFSL (e.g. an LCD screen operable to render specific pixels or rows thereof opaque, while others remain transparent) may render customised patterns of LFSL features (e.g. barriers) that correspond to the specific measured or otherwise known configuration of display screen pixels.
It will be appreciated that such embodiments may further relate to adjusting and/or translating the position/orientation of the LFSL using one or more actuators, as described above. For example, and without limitation, a customised PB may be rotated in a plane parallel to a display screen via one or more actuators so to align the customised barriers with the particular pixel configuration of the display screen. Similarly, the customised LFSL may be adjusted to increase the degree to which the LFSL is parallel to the display screen, or to adjust a distance between the screen and the LFSL, to better accommodate one or more viewing locations.
In either a detachable LFSL device or standalone dynamically adjustable MVTV, various systems herein described may be further operable to receive as input data related to one or more view zone and/or user locations, or required number thereof (e.g. two or three view zones). For instance, data related to a user location may be entered manually or semi-automatically via, for example, a TV remote or user application (e.g. smart phone application). For example, a MVTV or LFSL may have a digital application stored thereon operable to dynamically adjust one or more LFSLs in one or more dimensions, pitch angles, and/or pitch widths upon receipt of user instruction via manual clicking by a user of an appropriate button on a TV remote or smartphone application. In accordance with various embodiments, a number a view zones may be similarly selected.
In applications where there is one-way communication (e.g. the system only receives user input, such as in solutions where user privacy is a concern), a user may adjust the system (e.g. the distance between the display and a LFSL, etc.) with a remote or smartphone application until they are satisfied with the display of one or more view zones. Such systems may, for instance, provide a high-performance, self-contained, simple MVTV system that minimises complications arising from the sensitivity of view zone quality on minute differences from predicted relative component configurations, alignment, user perception, and the like.
The skilled artisan will appreciate that while a smartphone application or other like system may be used to communicate user preferences or location-related data (e.g. a quality of perceived content from a particular viewing zone), such an application, process, or function may reside in a MVTV system or application, executable by a processing system associated with the MVTV. Furthermore, data related to a view zone location may comprise a user instruction to, for instance, adjust a LFSL, based on, for instance, a user perception of an image quality, and the like.
Alternatively, or additionally, a receiver, such as a smartphone camera and digital application associated therewith, may be used to calibrate a display, in accordance with various embodiments. For instance, a smartphone camera directed towards a display may be operable to receive and/or store signals/content emanating from the LFSL or MVTV. A digital application associated therewith may be operated to characterise a quality of a particular view zone through analysis of received content and adjust the LFSL to improve the quality of content at the camera’s location (e.g. to reduce crosstalk from a neighbouring view zone).
For instance, a calibration may be initially performed wherein a user positions themselves in a desired viewing location and points a receiver at a display generating red and blue content for respective first and second view zones. A digital application associated with the smartphone or remote receiver in the first view zone may estimate a distance from the display by any means known in the art (e.g. a subroutine of a smartphone application associated with an MVTV operable to measure distances using a smartphone sensor). The application may further record, store, and/or analyse (e.g. in mobile RAM) the light emanating from the display to determine whether or not, and/or in which dimensions, angle, etc., to adjust a dynamic light field shaping layer to maximise the amount of red light received in the first view zone while minimising that of blue (i.e. reduce cross talk between view zones).
For example, and in accordance with some embodiments, a semi-automatic LFSL may self-adjust until a digital application associated with a particular view zone receives less than a threshold value of content from a neighbouring view zone (e.g. receives at least 95% red light and less than 5% blue light, in the abovementioned example). The skilled artisan will appreciate that various algorithms and/or subroutines may be employed to this end. For instance, a digital application subroutine may calculate an extent of crosstalk occurring between view zones, or determine in which ways views are blended based on MVD content received, to determine which LFSL parameters may be optimised and actuate an appropriate system response. Furthermore, the skilled artisan will appreciate that various means known in the art for encoding, displaying, and/or identifying distinct content may be applied in such embodiments. For example, a MVTV or display having a LFSL disposed thereon may generate distinct content in respective view zones that may comprise one or more of, but is not limited to, distinct colours, IR signals, patterns, or the like, to determine a view zone quality and initiate compensatory adjustments in a LFSL.
Furthermore, and in accordance with yet further embodiments, a semi-automatic LFSL calibration process may comprise a user moving a receiver within a designated range or region (e.g. a user may move a smartphone from left to right, or forwards/backwards) to acquire MVD content data. Such data acquisition may, for instance, aid in LFSL layer adjustment, or in determining a LFSL configuration that is acceptable for one or more users of the system within an acceptable tolerance (e.g. all users receive 95% of their intended display content) within the geometrical limitations of the LFSL and/or MVTV.
The skilled artisan will appreciate that user instructions to any or all of these ends may be presented to a user on the display or smartphone/remote used in calibration for ease of use (i.e. guide the user in during calibration and/or use). Similarly, if, for instance, physical constraints (e.g. LFSL or MVTV geometries) preclude an acceptable amount of crosstalk between views, an application associated with the MVTV, having performed the appropriate calculations, may guide a user to move to a different location to provide for a better experience.
In yet other embodiments, one or more user locations may be determined automatically by a MVTV or system coupled therewith. For instance, view zone locations may be determined via the use of one or more cameras or other like sensors and/or means known in the art for determining user, head, and/or eye locations, and dynamically adjusting a LFSL in one or more dimensions and/or barrier pitch widths/angles to render content so to be displayed at one or more appropriate locations. Yet other embodiments relate to a self-localisation method and system as described above that maintains user privacy with minimal user input or action required to determine one or more view zone locations and dynamically adjust a LFSL to display appropriate content thereto.
The skilled artisan will appreciate that any of the above-described embodiments may have various elements combined and remain within the scope of the disclosure. For instance, a MVTV system comprising a dynamic light field shaping layer having two independently addressable parallax barriers configured to be moved laterally and perpendicularly relative to a display screen via actuators may further comprise a display operable to introduce buffer pixels to further reduce crosstalk between adjacent views. Additionally, or alternatively, a dynamic light field shaping later may be adjusted based on one or more user-advertised viewing locations as described herein with reference to self-localisation techniques for a MVD system. Furthermore, a dynamic light-field shaping layer may further enable increased resolution or decreased crosstalk between view zones in a system displaying perception-adjusted images for a user with reduced visual acuity.
Yet further applications may utilise a dynamic light field shaping layer subjected to oscillations or vibrations in one or more dimensions in order to, for instance, improve perception of an image generated by a pixelated display. Or, such a system may by employed to increase an effective view zone size so as to accommodate user movement during viewing. For example, a LFSL may be vibrated in a direction perpendicular to a screen so to increase a depth of a view zone in that dimension to improve user experience by allowing movement of a user’s head towards/away from a screen without introducing a high degree of perceived crosstalk.
Various embodiments of a MVD system having an adjustable LFSL may, in addition to providing distinct display content, also provide additional preferred content (e.g. audio, language, text, etc.). To this end, various embodiments further relate to a system that comprises a digital application operable to receive as input one or more user audio preferences, languages, text options, and the like, and output appropriate content to a particular view zone. For instance, headphones associated with respective view zones may receive audio content in different languages. The skilled artisan will appreciate that other means of providing directional audio content (e.g. directional speakers) also fall within the scope of this disclosure.
Furthermore, while the above-described embodiments generally refer to dynamic light field shaping layers printed at high resolution to, for instance, overcome resolution limitations of traditional dynamic barriers comprising a LCD screen with RGB colour-subpixels which render “dark” when activated, monochromatic LCD layers may be employed within the scope of the disclosure. In such embodiments, a LFSL may be laterally dynamically adjusted by activating individual pixels for a 3-fold increase in resolution as compared to RGB LCD screens, while the LFSL may be adjusted in a direction perpendicular to a display screen via actuators as described above. In further embodiments, such a LFSL may be disposed on a bright RGB screen to overcome darkening caused by the LFSL, and may offer a 2-dimensional parallax barrier to provide both horizontal and vertical parallax by individually addressing pixels in two dimensions, or by combining two monochromatic LCD screens with 1-dimensional parallax barriers oriented substantially perpendicularly to each other.
While the present disclosure describes various embodiments for illustrative purposes, such description is not intended to be limited to such embodiments. On the contrary, the applicant’s teachings described and illustrated herein encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, without departing from the embodiments, the general scope of which is defined in the appended claims. Except to the extent necessary or inherent in the processes themselves, no particular order to steps or stages of methods or processes described in this disclosure is intended or implied. In many cases the order of process steps may be varied without changing the purpose, effect, or import of the methods described.
Information as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described object of the present disclosure, the presently preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and is, thus, representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure fully encompasses other embodiments which may become apparent to those skilled in the art, and is to be limited, accordingly, by nothing other than the appended claims, wherein any reference to an element being made in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment and additional embodiments as regarded by those of ordinary skill in the art are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, no requirement exists for a system or method to address each and every problem sought to be resolved by the present disclosure, for such to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. However, that various changes and modifications in form, material, work-piece, and fabrication material detail may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the appended claims, as may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, are also encompassed by the disclosure.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/056,188 filed Jul. 24, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/070942 | 7/23/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63056188 | Jul 2020 | US |
