Autostereoscopic display system

Abstract

An autostereoscopic display system includes a lenticular lens display screen that projects a plurality of views of a scene from its front surface. A plurality of video projectors are disposed to the rear of the display screen and focus on a convergence point of the display screen's rear surface. Imaging computers drive the video projectors, each having a memory storing a scene to be displayed on the display screen. Each computer renders the scene from a preselected viewpoint that may be different from the viewpoints of the other imaging computers.

1 . A method for rendering images in a multiple display unit video system, comprising the steps of: 
 forming a network including a server and a plurality of clients in communication with the server;    storing, prior to a first time, in memories associated with each of the clients, graphical image data for each of a plurality of objects to be displayed by one or more of the multiple display units;    storing, prior to the first time, in memories associated with each of the clients, a scene in which the objects are to be displayed;    transmitting, from the server to each of the clients, at the first time, object position and aspect data;    rendering, by each of the clients, using the stored graphical image data, the stored scene and the object position and aspect data, images to be displayed in each of the displays; and    displaying the rendered images on the displays driven by the clients.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of 
 connecting, prior to the first time, at least one display unit to the server;    storing, in a memory associated with the server and prior to the first time, the graphical image data;    storing, in the memory associated with the server and prior to the first time, the scene; and    rendering, by the server, using the stored textural and geometric data, the stored scene, and the object position and aspect data, images to be displayed in said at least one display unit connected to the server.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of 
 connecting a plurality of display units to each client; and    using the stored graphical image data, the stored scene, and the object and position data, rendering images for each of the connected display units.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of 
 storing, prior to the first time, in the memories associated with each of the clients, a plurality of viewpoints of the scene;    assigning and storing, prior to the first time, in the memories associated with each of the clients, each of a plurality of station identities, each station identity associated with a display unit;    for each station identity, assigning to the last said identity one of the stored viewpoints; and    at the first time, rendering images of the scene and selected textural and geometric data according to each of the assigned viewpoints.    
     
     
         5 . A modular multiple display system, comprising: 
 a central node;    a plurality of rendering nodes each coupled to the central node, each rendering node having a processor and a memory used to define a three dimensional virtual world in which at least one depicted object is placed, each world being a subset of a single universe shared among all of the rendering nodes; and    for each world, at least one virtual camera having a viewpoint into said world, a display associated with said at least one virtual camera and displaying the depicted object from the viewpoint.    
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the object is displayed as a motion picture and exhibits movement within the world with respect to time.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein each rendering node is associated with a respective video driver, the video drivers being preselectable as different from one another.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the object is animated.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 5 , where said at least one virtual camera is one of a plurality of virtual cameras each associated with a separate display, one of said worlds being associated with at least two of the virtual cameras.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein at least one virtual camera is instantiated by a client node coupled to but physically remote from a rendering node.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the central node provides a communication path among the rendering nodes coupled thereto for the sharing of data, the rendering nodes otherwise being isolated from each other.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the central node provides overlay data to selected ones of the rendering nodes such that the rendering nodes may render scenes of their respective worlds as overlaid with selected portions of the data.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein at least one display is an autostereoscopic display device for simultaneously displaying at least two viewpoints of said depicted object, at least two virtual cameras coupled to the display device for transmitting imaging data concerning the depicted object from said at least two viewpoints, the overlay data overlaying both viewpoints.  
     
     
         14 . Apparatus for depicting at least one object in a multiple display system, comprising: 
 plural rendering node means each coupled to central node means, at least one virtual camera means coupled to each rendering node means, each virtual camera means driving a respective display unit,    each rendering node means including means for creating a three-dimensional world in which the object will be depicted, each world being a subset of a universe shared among all of the rendering node means and being preselectable as being possibly different from others of the worlds;    each rendering node means further including means for creating at least one viewpoint into the respective world, the viewpoint used in defining a respective virtual camera means, the virtual camera means driving an associated display to depict said at least one object in a world from the viewpoint of the virtual camera means.    
     
     
         15 . A method for depicting at least one object in a multiple display system, comprising the steps of: 
 connecting each of a plurality of rendering nodes to a central node;    for each rendering node, creating a three-dimensional world in which the object will be depicted, each world being a subset of a universe shared among all of the rendering nodes and being preselectable as possibly different from others of the worlds;    for each rendering node, creating at least one viewpoint into the respective world, the viewpoint used in defining a respective virtual camera; and    using each virtual camera to drive a respective display coupled thereto in order to depict said at least one object in a world from the viewpoint of the virtual camera.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , and further comprising the step of using the rendering node to render the object as a motion picture.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , and further comprising the step of associating each rendering node with a respective video driver; and 
 preselecting the video drivers as being possibly different from one another.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , and further comprising, for at least one of the worlds, the step of creating a plurality of virtual cameras each having a respective viewpoint into said at least one world; and 
 selecting a viewpoint of one of the virtual cameras as being possibly different from a viewpoint of another one of the virtual cameras.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , and further comprising the step of physically disposing at least one of the virtual cameras to be remote from the rendering node.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , and further comprising the step of sharing data among worlds only through the central node.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15 , and further comprising the steps of 
 retrieving text overlay data to the central node;    predetermining areas of the displays on which the text overlay data is to be overlaid;    determining which portions of the text overlay data are to be overlaid on which areas of the displays;    transmitting the portions to selected ones of the rendering nodes; and    at each rendering node, rendering scenes as including the transmitted portions of the text overlay data.    
     
     
         22 . An autostereoscopic display system, comprising: 
 a lenticular lens display screen having a front surface and a rear surface, the lenticular lens display screen projecting a plurality of views of a scene from the front surface of the display screen;    a plurality of video projectors disposed to the rear of the lenticular lens display screen, each of the video projectors focused on a convergence point on the rear surface of the lenticular lens display screen; and    a plurality of imaging computers driving the video projectors, memories of each of the imaging computers storing a scene to be displayed on the lenticular lens display screen, each imaging computer rendering the scene from one or more viewpoints preselectable to be different from other ones of the viewpoints, each projector projecting an image from a respective one of the viewpoints.    
     
     
         23 . An autostereoscopic display system, comprising: 
 a lenticular lens display screen having a front surface and a rear surface, multiple viewpoints of a scene visible to a viewer in front of the front surface of the screen;    a plurality of video projectors disposed to the rear of the screen, each of the video projectors focused on a convergence point on the rear surface of the screen;    a plurality of client imaging computers driving the video projectors, memories of each of the client imaging computers storing the scene to be displayed, object imaging data used to render animated objects within the scene, and a plurality of the viewpoints from which the scene is to be rendered; and    a rendering server having a memory for storing animation sequencing instructions, the rendering server coupled to each of the imaging computers for communicating the sequencing instructions to the client imaging computers at a time after the storing, by the client imaging computers, of the scene and the object imaging data, each of the client imaging computers rendering the scene from one or more of the stored viewpoints responsive to the sequencing instructions and causing the projectors to project respective images from respective ones of the viewpoints.    
     
     
         24 . An autostereoscopic display system, comprising: 
 at least one flat panel display;    a lenticular lens positioned on the flat panel display;    a plurality of video channels being received by the flat panel display, a plurality of viewpoints of an imaged scene being transmitted by respective ones of the video channels, the flat panel display and lenticular lens permitting a viewer to view different ones of the viewpoints from different positions relative to the lenticular lens; and    for each viewpoint, a virtual camera coupled to the flat panel display for transmitting thereto a respective channel of video data, the virtual camera rendering the imaged scene from a respective viewpoint.    
     
     
         25 . The autostereoscopic display system of  claim 24 , wherein the virtual cameras are logical partitions of one or more imaging computers.  
     
     
         26 . The autostereoscopic display system of  claim 24 , further including other flat panel displays like said flat panel display, the flat panel displays together forming a video wall.  
     
     
         27 . An autostereoscopic display system, comprising: 
 at least first and second autostereoscopic display devices having characteristics which are different from each other;    a plurality of virtual cameras coupled to each of the autostereoscopic display devices, each virtual camera rendering a scene from a preselected viewpoint; and    for each autostereoscopic display device, images of a scene appearing thereon being viewable from different ones of the viewpoints depending on the position of a viewer relative to the display device.    
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the virtual cameras are logical partitions of one or more imaging computers.  
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 27 , in which at least one of the autostereoscopic display devices is a flat panel display on which has been positioned a lenticular lens array, at least one other of the autostereoscopic devices not including a flat panel display.  
     
     
         30 . An autostereoscopic display system, comprising: 
 an autostereoscopic display device displaying at least two different viewpoints of an imaged scene; and    at least two virtual cameras coupled to the display device for supplying respective channels of video data corresponding to said at least two different viewpoints, said at least two virtual cameras being comprised of a single central processor unit and a single graphics processor card coupled to the central processor unit with at least two video output ports, each port outputting a channel of video data to the display device.