Free-viewpoint collimated display systems for collimated effects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020089015-A1
Application number	US-201916245723-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 11, 2019
Priority date	Sep 18, 2018
Publication date	Mar 19, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Display systems for achieving collimated projection effects. For example, in a theatrical or concert installation, display systems can be used to project images of scenery that appear to be vast and at a great distant behind the viewing window. The system may include a flat panel display, a corrective mirror, and a concave mirror positioned for viewing by an observer. The corrective mirror pre-warps an image generated by the flat panel display and reflects the undistorted image onto the concave mirror such that the observer perceives the image generated by the flat panel display as being at a large distance. The corrective mirror does not distort with changes in viewpoint. In another implementation, the system may include a short throw projector generating an image, a free-form projection screen, and a concave mirror positioned for viewing by many observers through a viewing window.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display system for providing collimated projection effects, comprising:
a viewing space in which observers are free to move among a plurality of viewing positions; a display device; a mirror with a concave reflective surface facing the display device; and a viewing window disposed between the concave reflective surface of the mirror and the viewing space, wherein the mirror is positioned for viewing by the observers through the viewing window, and wherein light for an image generated by the display device is reflected off of the concave reflective surface towards the viewing window as substantially collimated light.

2 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the display device is a flat panel display.

3 . The display system of claim 2 , wherein the flat panel display is a flexible flat panel display having a free-form shape.

4 . The display system of claim 2 , further comprising a correction mirror positioned between the flat panel display and the mirror, wherein the flat panel display has a flat or cylindrical display surface and wherein a convex reflective surface of the correction mirror receives the light for the image generated by the flat panel display and reflects light toward the concave reflective surface of the mirror with an added field curvature based on a shape of the concave reflective surface of the mirror.

5 . The display system of claim 4 , wherein the convex reflective surface of the correction mirror has a shape that is aspherical, paraboloid, hyperboloid, or free-form.

6 . The display system of claim 2 , further comprising a corrective lens positioned between the flat panel display and the mirror, wherein the corrective lens receives the light for the image generated by the flat panel display and focuses light toward the concave reflective surface of the mirror into a curved image plane matching a focal surface of the concave reflective surface of the mirror.

7 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the display device includes a projection screen and a projector projecting the light for the image onto the projection screen for diffusing prior to striking the concave reflective surface of the mirror.

8 . The display system of claim 7 , wherein the projection screen is a free-form projection screen with a prescriptive curve configured to match a shape of the focal surface of the mirror.

9 . The display system of claim 7 , wherein the projection screen is a high-gain screen.

10 . The display system of claim 7 , wherein the projector is a short-throw projector and the display device comprises an aspherical or free-form lens or mirror for distorting the light for the image prior to receipt by the projection screen.

11 . The display system of claim 7 , further comprising a correction plate disposed between the concave reflective surface and the viewing space and correcting for aberrations in the display system.

12 . The display system of claim 11 , wherein the correction plate comprises a Schmidt correction plate that is placed ahead of the center of curvature of the projection screen and of the center of curvature of the mirror.

13 . The display system of claim 7 , further comprising a meniscus correction plate disposed between the projection screen and the primary mirror so that the light for the image passes through the meniscus correction plate after being diffused from the projection screen and after being reflected by the concave reflective surface of the mirror prior to reaching the viewing window.

14 . The display system of claim 1 , further comprising a 3D Lenticular, varifocal, volumetric, multi-layer, light field or other autostereo display or projection at a focal surface adding dimensionality to a collimated scene at or near infinity.

15 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the display device comprises a 3D lenticular, fly eye, or light field display providing the light for the image and configured to control aberrations in the collimated light.

16 . The display system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more polarization selective mirrors and flipped pancake optics to inline fold an optical path of the light for the image and make the display system more compact.

17 . The display system of claim 1 , further comprising a viewpoint tracker tracking the observer in the viewing space and, in response, modifying the light for the image.

18 . The display system of claim 1 , wherein the light for the image passes through an aperture provided by the viewing window and towards the observer such that the observer perceives imagery generated by the display device as a scene existing behind the aperture.

19 . The display system of claim 18 , further comprising a Schmidt or meniscus corrector plate in a polarization pancake optics to correct for aberrations, enable a large window size for the aperture, and provide a plurality of undistorted viewpoints.

20 . The display system of claim 18 , further comprising a light field display in polarization pancake optics to account for spherical aberrations, enable a large window size for the aperture, and provide a plurality of undistorted viewpoints.

21 . A method for displaying content in a visual installation, the method comprising:
a) generating a display of content using a display device; b) transmitting light for the display of content; c) modifying a wavefront shape of the light based on one or more characteristics of the visual installation relating to collimation; and d) reflecting the light off of a concave mirror and towards an observer.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the visual installation relating to collimation include one or more of: a characteristic relating to a focal surface of the concave mirror; a characteristic of the display device; a characteristic relating to the position of the display device relative to the concave mirror; a characteristic relating to the position of a viewing window relative to the concave mirror, and a characteristic relating to the size of an aperture of the viewing window.

23 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising repeating step c.

24 . A display system for providing collimated projection effects, comprising:
a viewing space; a display device; a concave mirror with a reflective surface facing the display device; and a viewing window disposed between the reflective surface of the concave mirror and the viewing space, wherein the mirror is positioned for viewing by the observers through the viewing window, wherein light for an image generated by the display device is reflected off of the concave reflective surface towards the viewing window for viewing by an observer in the viewing space.

25 . The display system of claim 24 , further comprising a correction mirror positioned between the flat panel display and the concave mirror, wherein a reflective surface of the correction mirror receives the light for the image generated by the flat panel display and reflects light toward the reflective surface of the concave mirror with an added field curvature based on a shape of the reflective surface of the concave mirror.

26 . The display system of claim 24 , wherein the display device includes a projection screen and a projector projecting the light for the image onto the projection screen for diffusing prior to striking the concave reflective surface of the

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Reichow Mark A
• Laduke Thomas F
• Smithwick Quinn Y

Classifications

• G02B2027/011

  comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion · CPC title

• G02B27/283

  used for beam splitting or combining · CPC title

• G02B27/0101 Primary

  characterised by optical features (G02B27/0172 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B27/0025

  for optical correction, e.g. distorsion, aberration · CPC title

• G02B27/005

  for correction of secondary colour or higher-order chromatic aberrations · CPC title