Auto stereoscopic projector screen

Abstract

A projector system using a screen comprised of either a plurality of miniature, reflective, and concave or convex curved surfaces that are arranged in a pattern to create a screen surface for front projection, or a plurality of miniature, transparent, and curved convex or concave lenses that are arranged in a pattern to create a screen surface for rear projection, and a projector system with the pixel capacity to control the color and brightness focused onto many different subsections of each curved surface. Each curved lens or curved mirror surface is small enough so that when viewed from the viewing area, the lit and unlit areas seen within each individual curved surface blend together so that only the average brightness and color of each curved surface can be seen by a viewer. By controlling the subsections of each curved surface with focused light from a high resolution projector, the system can control the image the viewer sees in their left eye separately from their right eye and the viewer can see stereographic images without the need to wear filtering glasses. With inclusion of an external head tracking system, the left/right images for each subsection can be switched as needed when one or multiple viewers move their head or seating position within the viewing area.

1 . A projection system where viewers can see the same holographic image from different angles comprising:
 a single projector or group of projectors that can focus pixels on a screen;   a front projection screen, comprising a flat or curved projection surface, and that surface consisting of an array of reflective concave or convex curved mirrors, whereby each mirror on the screen surface is individually oriented to reflect projector light off of its curved surface and towards the center of the same area where viewers are best located, and when requirements for mirror rotation are more than the overall reflective shape of the screen allows, each individual mirror is rotated to meet the requirements, but it is positioned to be as close too, but not extend beyond an imaginary shape that is the same shape as the desired screen shape and the edges between mirrors are cut to be parallel with the incoming light at each edge position; a multi-user eye tracking system that provides real-time data on viewer eye position and any data read from the projector or group of projectors that may help with synchronization or alignment, to microprocessors that are operated by software that can be built inside the projector or group of projectors, to drive their device imagers, or alternatively the data can be provided to an external computer connected to and operating the device imagers of a single projector, or group of projectors, and the external computer would be operated by software;   
     
     
         2 - 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . A rear projector screen, comprising a spherically curved projection surface, with the projection surface consisting of an array of transparent convex or concave curved lenses, with each lens not significantly diffusing the focused projection light which is refracted and transmitted through it, each convex or concave lens is in a generally square, rectangular, triangular, or hexagonal shape, with each individual lens working best at a size as small as the smallest sized detail a human can resolve on the screen from the desired screen viewing area, and whereby each concave or convex lens on the screen surface is oriented to refract and transmit focused projector light towards the center of the screen viewing area, with the focal distance of the convex or concave lenses determining the size of the resultant screen viewing area, and with each lens arranged side by side on the array in both horizontal and vertical directions so that the outside edges of each convex or concave lens touch, and together cover the entirety of the projection screen surface. 
     
     
         5 . A screen based on  claim 4 , with the addition of an electronic polarization filter placed either in front or behind the array of convex or concave lenses. 
     
     
         6 . A screen based on  claim 4 , with the addition of electronic polarization filters placed in the light path within an accompanying LCD or DLP projector, next to the projection imagers. 
     
     
         7 . An auto-stereoscopic projection system capable of displaying the same two-view stereo images for all viewers comprising:
 a single projector or group of projectors that can focus pixels on a screen;   a front projection screen, comprising a flat or curved projection surface, and that surface consisting of an array of reflective concave or convex curved mirrors, whereby each mirror on the screen surface is individually oriented to reflect projector light off of its curved surface and towards the center of the same area where viewers are best located, and when requirements for mirror rotation are more than the overall reflective shape of the screen allows, each individual mirror is rotated to meet the requirements, but it is positioned to be as close too, but not extend beyond an imaginary shape that is the same shape as the desired screen shape and the edges between mirrors are cut to be parallel with the incoming light at each edge position; a multi-user eye tracking system that provides real-time data on viewer eye position and any data read from the projector or group of projectors that may help with synchronization or alignment, to microprocessors that are operated by software that can be built inside the projector or group of projectors, to drive their device imagers, or alternatively the data can be provided to an external computer connected to and operating the device imagers of a single projector, or group of projectors, and the external computer would be operated by software;   
     
     
         8 . An autostereoscopic projection system capable of displaying the same two-view stereo images for all viewers based on  claim 7  with the addition of:
 a electronic polarization filter placed near the surface of the front projection screen in front of the side which reflects light, and it can be connected to and controlled by microprocessors, run by software, inside the projector or group of projectors, or connected to microprocessors, run by software, built inside the screen frame, or connected to both locations simultaneously, or it can be connected to and controlled by an external computer, run by software, and that computer is also connected to and controlling a projector or group of projectors; 
 
     
     
         9 . An autostereoscopic projection system capable of displaying the same two-view stereo images for all viewers based on  claim 7  with the addition of:
 electronic polarization filters placed in the light path next to the imaging devices inside the single projector or group of projectors that can focus pixels on a screen;