Method and apparatus for photographing and projecting moving images in three dimensions

Abstract

A digital cinematographic and projection process that provides 3D stereoscopic imagery that is not adversely affected by the standard frame rate of 24 frame s per second, as is the convention in the motion picture industry worldwide. A method for photographing and projecting moving images in three dimensions includes recording a moving image with a first and a second camera simultaneously and interleaving a plurality of frames recorded by the first camera with a plurality of frames recorded by the second camera. The step of interleaving includes retaining odd numbered frames recorded by the first camera and deleting the even numbered frames, retaining even numbered frames recorded by the second camera and deleting the odd numbered frames, and creating an image sequence by alternating the retained images from the first and second camera.

1 . A method for photographing and projecting moving images in three dimensions, comprising the steps of:
 recording a moving image with a first camera;   recording said moving image with a second camera simultaneously with said first camera; and   interleaving a plurality of frames recorded by said first camera with a plurality of frames recorded by said second camera.   
     
     
         2 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 1 , wherein the step of interleaving comprises the steps of:
 retaining one of odd or even numbered frames recorded by said first camera;   retaining the other of odd or even numbered frames recorded by said second camera; and   creating an image sequence by alternating said retained images from said first and said second camera.   
     
     
         3 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 projecting said interleaved plurality of frames with an alternating polarization system.   
     
     
         4 . The method for photographing and projection moving images of  claim 3 , wherein:
 said alternating polarization system is a RealD single projector electronically controlled polarization system.   
     
     
         5 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said first and said second camera have a lens separation of approximately 2.25 inches.   
     
     
         6 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said steps of recording occurs at a frame rate of 120 frames per second.   
     
     
         7 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said steps of recording occurs at a frame rate of 144 frames per second.   
     
     
         8 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said recording is accomplished using a 360 degree shutter.   
     
     
         9 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said first and second cameras are digital cameras.   
     
     
         10 . A method for photographing and projecting moving images in three dimensions, comprising the steps of:
 recording a moving image through a left eye lens of a camera;   recording said moving image through a right eye lens of a camera; and   sequentially delivering left and right eye recorded images from said left eye lens and said right eye lens to a sensor.   
     
     
         11 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 10 , wherein:
 said step of sequentially delivering left and right eye images is accomplished using an alternating rotating mirror shutter.   
     
     
         12 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 10 , wherein:
 said left and right eye recorded images are sequentially delivered to said sensor at 144 frames per second to produce interleaved left eye and right eye stereoscopic image streams of 72 frames per second each.   
     
     
         13 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 projecting said interleaved stereoscopic streams without a frame buffer.   
     
     
         14 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
 digitally merging a group of frames from one of said left eye stream or said right eye stream into a single frame.   
     
     
         15 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 14 , wherein said step of digitally merging further comprises:
 combining three sequential frames into a single frame; and   deleting the next three sequential frames to produce 24 frames.   
     
     
         16 . The method for photographing and projecting moving images of  claim 15 , wherein:
 said camera is a digital camera.   
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for photographing moving images to be used in the projection of moving images in three dimensions, comprising:
 a left eye lens;   a right eye lens; and   an alternating rotating mirror shutter.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a sensor for receiving left and right eye images from said alternating rotating mirror shutter.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein:
 said rotating mirror shutter delivers said left and right eye images to said sensor at 144 frames per second.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a digital storage medium.   
     
     
         21 . A method of projecting moving images in three dimensions, the method comprising:
 receiving left eye frames of a moving image having been recorded only at left eye recordal times;   receiving right eye frames of said moving image having been recorded only at right eye recordal times offset from the left eye recordal times; and   projecting said moving image from a single projector onto a cinema screen in three dimensions by projecting the left eye frames one time each and the right eye frames one time each, the projecting of the left eye frames and the right eye frames occurring in an alternating sequence that projects the left eye frames as recorded at the left eye recordal time and the right eye frames as recorded at the right eye recordal times, each successive frame of the alternating sequence having been recorded at a successive time and projected in temporal sequence to show the moving image.   
     
     
         22 . The method of projecting moving images of  claim 21 , wherein each successive frame of the alternating sequence is projected at a frame rate of at least 120 frames per second alternating between projecting one of the left eye frames and one of the right eye frames. 
     
     
         23 . The method of projecting moving images of  claim 21 , wherein the left eye frames are projected at 60 frames per second, and wherein the right eye frames are projected at 60 frames per second. 
     
     
         24 . The method of projecting moving images of  claim 21 , wherein each successive frame of the alternating sequence represents new motion of imagery. 
     
     
         25 . The method of projecting moving images of  claim 21 , wherein the projecting said moving image includes digital projection of digital frames. 
     
     
         26 . The method of projecting moving images of  claim 21 , wherein the projecting said moving image includes projecting said moving image onto the cinema screen from the single projector by flashing frames one time each in a sequence that alternates between left eye frames consisting of imagery recorded at the corresponding left eye recordal times by said first camera lens and right eye frames consisting of imagery recorded at the corresponding right eye recordal times by said second camera lens. 
     
     
         27 . The method of projecting moving images of  claim 21 , wherein the left eye frames are recorded with a first camera lens having a first lens center and the right eye frames are recorded with a second camera lens having a second lens center that is spaced apart from the first lens center.