IP Library Patent Application 14037986
Patent Application
App. No. 14/037,986

STEERABLE DISPLAY SYSTEM

Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
14/037,986
Abstract

A steerable display system includes a projector and a projector steering mechanism that selectively changes a projection direction of the projector. An aiming controller causes the projector steering mechanism to aim the projector at a target location of a physical environment. An image controller supplies the aimed projector with information for projecting an image that is geometrically corrected for the target location.

Claims (33)

1 . A steerable display system, comprising:

a depth camera to three-dimensionally model a physical environment;

a projector;

a projector steering mechanism to selectively change a projection direction of the projector;

an aiming controller to cause the projector steering mechanism to aim the projector at a target location of the physical environment; and

an image controller to supply the aimed projector with information for projecting an image that is geometrically corrected for the target location.

2 . The steerable display system of claim 1 , where the depth camera is mounted to the projector steering mechanism and aims with the projector.

3 . The steerable display system of claim 1 , where the depth camera aims independently from the projector.

4 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the depth camera models the physical environment as a plurality of voxels.

5 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the plurality of voxels are derived from depth camera information taken from two or more different fields of view of the depth camera.

6 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the projector steering mechanism is configured to rotate the projector about a yaw axis and a pitch axis that is perpendicular to the yaw axis.

7 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the projector steering mechanism is configured to rotate the projector about a yaw axis, a pitch axis that is perpendicular to the yaw axis, and a roll axis that is perpendicular to the yaw axis and the pitch axis.

8 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the projector steering mechanism is configured to translate a horizontal position of the projector.

9 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the image controller is configured to supply the aimed projector with information for projecting a rotated image to the target location.

10 . The steerable display of claim 1 , further comprising a skeletal tracker to analyze information from the depth camera and to derive a virtual skeleton modeling a human subject present in the physical environment.

11 . The steerable display of claim 1 , further comprising a viewpoint locator configured to locate a viewpoint of a human subject present in the physical environment.

12 . The steerable display of claim 11 , where the viewpoint locator uses three dimensional sound source localization to locate the viewpoint of the human subject present in the physical environment.

13 . The steerable display of claim 11 , where the viewpoint locator uses skeletal tracking to locate the viewpoint of the human subject present in the physical environment.

14 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the projector is one of a plurality of different projectors independently aimable by a plurality of different projection steering mechanisms, and where the aiming controller and the image controller are configured to cooperatively cause different projectors of the plurality of projectors to project a moving image that travels along a path that is not within a displayable area of any single one of the plurality of different projectors.

15 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the projector is one of a plurality of different projectors independently aimable by a plurality of different projection steering mechanisms, and where the aiming controller and the image controller are configured to cooperatively cause different projectors of the plurality of projectors to stereo project images that are geometrically corrected for the target location.

16 . The steerable display of claim 1 , where the stereo projected images are interleaved and synchronized for shuttered viewing.

17 . A steerable display system, comprising:

a depth camera;

a projector; and

a steering mechanism to selectively change a yaw and a pitch of both the projector and the depth camera.

18 . A steerable display system, comprising:

a depth camera to three-dimensionally model a physical environment;

a projector;

a projector steering mechanism to selectively rotate the projector about a yaw axis and a pitch axis that is perpendicular to the yaw axis;

an aiming controller to cause the projector steering mechanism to aim the projector at a target location of the physical environment; and

an image controller to supply the aimed projector with information for projecting an image that is geometrically corrected for the target location.

19 . The steerable display of claim 18 , further comprising a skeletal tracker to analyze information from the depth camera and to derive a virtual skeleton modeling a human subject present in the physical environment.

20 . The steerable display of claim 18 , further comprising a viewpoint locator configured to locate a viewpoint of a human subject present in the physical environment.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 9, 2015
From: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 039025/0454 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 26, 2013
From: WILSON, ANDREW; BENKO, HRVOJE; IZADI, SHAHRAM
To: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 031290/0494 →