Pulsed projection system for 3d video

Abstract

A 3D-display system alternates between directing light representing a left-eye view of a 3D image to a viewer's left eye and directing light representing a right-eye view of a 3D image to a viewer's right eye. To direct the light towards the viewer's eyes, the system receives eye-location data relative to a display device from an eye-tracking system and uses light deflectors, such as acousto-optic, electro-optic, and passive optical deflectors, to aim the light in a particular direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for displaying autostereoscopic 3D images, the method comprising:
 providing a display device;   receiving eye-location data indicative of a first and second set of eye-locations relative to the display device, wherein the first set of eye-locations comprises a first left-eye location and a first right-eye location associated with a first viewer and the second set of eye-locations comprises a second left-eye location and a second right-eye location associated with a second viewer, the received eye-location data further indicative of movement of at least one of the first or second sets of eye-locations relative to the display device;   sequentially outputting, from the display device, light rays representing a left-eye view of the 3D images and light rays representing a right-eye view of the 3D images for the first and second viewers;   estimating a refresh time corresponding to when the display device will refresh the displayed 3D images;   estimating future eye-locations based at least in part on the indicated movement characteristics of at least one of the first or second set of eye-locations, wherein the estimated future eye-locations correspond with an expected eye-location of at least one of the first or second eye-locations at the estimated refresh time; and   deflecting the output light rays towards the estimated future eye-locations at the estimated refresh time using one or more active solid-state optical deflectors.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, based at least in part on the received eye-location data, using the solid-state optical deflectors (i) to deflect the output light rays representing the left-eye view towards the first left-eye location and the second left-eye location and (ii) to deflect the output light rays representing the right-eye view towards the first right-eye location and the second right-eye location. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display device comprises a plurality of pixels capable of outputting a light ray, and wherein alternating between outputting the light rays representing the left-eye view and outputting the light rays representing the right-eye view, the right-eye view comprises each pixel alternating between (i) outputting a light ray representing a portion of the left-eye view, and (ii) outputting a light ray representing a portion of the right-eye view. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein each pixel alternates between outputting the light ray representing the portion of the left-eye view and outputting the light ray representing the portion of the right-eye view in unison with all others of the plurality of pixels. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein each pixel alternates between outputting the light ray representing the portion of the left-eye view and outputting the light ray representing the portion of the right-eye view, and wherein each pixel alternates independently of alternation timing of other pixels. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a first set of pixels outputs light rays representative of a portion of the left-eye view at the same time as a second set of light-emitting elements outputs light rays representative of a portion of the right eye view. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving additional eye-location data indicative of one or more updated first or second sets of eye-locations; and   deflecting the output light rays based at least in part on the additional eye-location data.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the additional eye location data is received periodically, and wherein the output light rays are deflected in accordance with a most-recent updated set of eye-locations from the one or more updated sets of eye locations. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising determining an image-generation frequency for the display device, wherein a frequency with which the additional eye-location data is received is determined based on the determined image-generation frequency 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the active sold-state deflectors comprise electro-optical deflectors. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein using the solid-state deflectors to deflect the output light rays comprises:
 using a first type of optical deflector to coarsely adjust a direction of the light rays; and   using a second type of optical deflector to finely adjust the direction of the light rays.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first type of optical deflector is a mechanically controlled deflector, and wherein the second type of optical deflector is an acousto-optical deflector. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first type of optical deflector is a mechanically controlled deflector, and wherein the second type of optical deflector is an electro-optical deflector. 
     
     
         14 . An autostereoscopic 3D-display device, comprising:
 a display screen configured to sequentially display right-eye and left-eye views of 3D images to a first and second viewer;   an eye-tracking system configured to determine a first and second viewer set of eye-locations relative to the display screen, wherein the first and second viewer set of eye-locations comprises a first and second viewer left-eye location and a first and second viewer right-eye location; and   an active solid-state optical-deflection system capable of directing light rays representing the displayed first and second viewer right-eye and first and second viewer left-eye views, wherein the active solid-state deflection system is configured to direct the light rays towards the determined first and second viewer set of eye-locations; and   wherein the eye-tracking system is further configured to determine movement of at least one of the first and second viewer set of eye-locations, estimate a refresh time when the autostereoscopic 3D-display device will refresh the displayed 3D images, and estimate future first and second viewer eye-locations relative to the display device based at least in part on the determined movement pattern of the at least one of the first and second viewer set of eye-locations corresponding with the first and second viewer set of eye-locations at the estimated refresh time, and wherein the active solid-state optical deflection system is further configured to direct the light rays based at least in part on the estimated future first and second viewer eye-locations.   
     
     
         15 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , wherein the active solid-state optical deflection system is configured to deflect the light rays representing the first viewer right-eye and left-eye views towards the first set of eye-locations such that each light ray is directed to a focused spot smaller than an eye of the first viewer to prevent the first viewer right-eye and left-eye view from being viewed by an eye of the second viewer. 
     
     
         16 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 15 , wherein the light rays representing the second viewer right-eye and left-eye views are deflected towards the second viewer set of eye-locations such that each light ray is directed to a second focused spot centered on an eye of the second viewer; and wherein the second focused spot is larger than an eye of the second viewer by an amount configured to facilitate a target amount of movement of the second viewer. 
     
     
         17 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , wherein the active sold-state deflection system comprises an acousto-optical deflector. 
     
     
         18 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 17 , wherein the acousto-optical deflector uses surface acoustic waves to deflect the light rays. 
     
     
         19 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , wherein the active sold-state deflection system comprises an electro-optical deflector. 
     
     
         20 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , wherein the eye-tracking system is further configured to determine one or more updated sets of eye-locations, and wherein the active solid-state optical deflection system is further configured to direct the light rays based at least in part on the updated sets of eye-locations. 
     
     
         21 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 20 , wherein the eye-tracking system determines the updated sets of eye-locations periodically, and wherein the active solid-state deflection system is further configured to direct the light rays based on a most-recently updated set of eye-locations from the one or more updated sets of eye-locations. 
     
     
         22 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 20 , wherein the eye-tracking system determines the updated sets of eye-locations in response to detecting motion in front of the display screen. 
     
     
         23 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 20 , wherein the eye-tracking system determines the updated sets of eye-locations periodically. 
     
     
         24 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 20 , wherein a frequency with which the eye-tracking system determines the updated sets of eye-locations is based on an image-generation frequency of the display device. 
     
     
         25 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , wherein the active solid-state deflection system is configured as at least one stage of a multi-stage optical-deflection system. 
     
     
         26 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , further comprising mechanically movable deflectors, wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses the mechanically moveable deflectors to deflect the light rays coarsely, and wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses the active solid-state deflection system to deflect the light rays finely. 
     
     
         27 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses an acousto-optical deflection system to coarsely adjust the direction of the light rays and wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses electro-optical deflectors to finely adjust the direction of the light rays. 
     
     
         28 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses an electro-optical deflection system to coarsely adjust the direction of the light rays and wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses acousto-optical deflectors to finely adjust the direction of the light rays. 
     
     
         29 . The autostereoscopic 3D-display device of  claim 14 , further comprising mechanically movable deflectors, wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses the mechanically movable deflectors to deflect the light rays towards a direction associated with the set of eye-locations, and wherein the autostereoscopic 3D-display device uses the active solid-state deflection system to deflect the light rays towards each of the left eye-location and the right eye-location. 
     
     
         30 . A display control system for controlling the display of images by an autostereoscopic 3D-display device to a first and a second viewer, the display control system comprising:
 a processor;   a set of communication interfaces comprising (a) a display-screen interface, (b) an eye-tracking system interface, and (c) a deflector-system interface;   a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and   program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the processor to cause the processor to:   receive, via the eye-tracking system interface, eye-location data indicative of a first and second viewer sets of eye-locations relative to the autostereoscopic 3D-display device, wherein the first and second viewer sets of eye-locations comprises a first and second viewer left-eye location and a first and second viewer right-eye location;   transmit screen control signaling via the display-screen interface directing the autostereoscopic 3D-display device to sequentially output light rays representing a first and second viewer left-eye view of 3D images and light rays representing a first and second viewer right-eye view of the 3D images; and   transmit deflector control signaling via the deflector-system interface directing an active solid-state deflector system to deflect the output light rays representing the first and second viewer left-eye views and the first and second viewer right-eye views of the 3D images towards the first and second viewer set of eye-locations in accordance with the received eye-location data;   wherein the received eye-location data further indicates movement of the first and second viewer sets of eye-locations;   wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the processor to:   (i) estimate a refresh time corresponding to when the 3D-display device will refresh the displayed 3D images; and   (ii) estimate future first and second viewer eye-locations based at least in part on the indicated movement of the first and second viewer sets of eye-locations, wherein the estimated future first and second viewer eye-locations correspond with first and second viewer eye-locations at the estimated refresh time;   wherein the deflector control signaling further directs the deflector system to deflect the output light rays based on the estimated first and second viewer future eye-locations.   
     
     
         31 . The display control system of  claim 30 , wherein program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the processor to are further configured to cause the processor to:
 receive additional eye-location data via the eye-tracking system interface, wherein the additional eye-location data is indicative of one or more updated sets of eye-locations; and   transmit additional deflector control signaling, via the deflector-system interface, directing the deflector system to deflect the output light rays based at least in part on the additional eye-location data.   
     
     
         32 . The display control system of  claim 31 , wherein the additional eye-location data is received occasionally, and wherein the output light rays are deflected in accordance with a most-recent updated set of eye-locations from the one or more updated sets of eye-locations. 
     
     
         33 . The display control system of  claim 32 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the processor to determine an image-generation frequency for the 3D-display device, wherein a frequency with which the additional eye-location data is received is determined based on the determined image-generation frequency.