System and method for digital black level blending

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of projectors, each comprising an image modulator, the plurality of projectors located to project respective projector images, formed by respective image modulators, a plurality of projector images overlapping in one or more overlap regions;

at least one sensor configured to acquire digital images of at least portions of the plurality of projector images; and

a computing device configured to, for each given projector comprising a given image modulator, of the plurality of projectors:

determine, using the at least one sensor, respective correspondences between projected points of a given projector image and respective points of respective image modulators of other projectors of the plurality of projectors, the respective correspondences determined only for the respective points of the respective image modulators of the other projectors that correspond to respective projected points that points that are within a given maximum distance of the projected points of the given projector image, the given maximum distance being a maximum distance between adjacent projected grid points of a grid of points previously projected on an object onto which the given projector image is projected;

determine respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions;

determine respective brightness of projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions; and,

based on the respective correspondences, control at least a portion of the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators, outside of at least one of the one or more overlap regions, in blend regions of the projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions, to gradually increase brightness in the blend regions from the respective brightness of the corresponding projector image regions to the respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the respective correspondences include correspondences associated with respective dead zone pixels around a perimeter of each of the given image modulator and the respective image modulators.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to control at least a portion of the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators, outside of at least one of the one or more overlap regions, in the blend regions of the projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions, to gradually increase the brightness in the blend regions from the respective brightness of the corresponding image regions to the respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions according to one or more of: respective distances of pixels in the blend regions to the one or more overlap regions; a linear function; an S-function; and content of the plurality of images.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to control the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators, at least adjacent edge pixels corresponding to the edges of the one or more overlap regions, according to one or more of: a closest corresponding overlap region edge of projected projector images; a weighting based on one or more closest corresponding overlap region edges of the projected projector images; and a cumulative brightness from each of the one or more closest corresponding overlap region edges of the projected projector images.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to: determine respective orientations of image pixels of the given projector image and other projector images that form the one or more overlap regions; and further control the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators according to the respective orientations of the image pixels.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to: determine respective projected sizes of image pixels of the given projector image and other projector images that form the one or more overlap regions; and further control the brightness of the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators according to the respective projected sizes of the image pixels.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to: determine respective projected colors of image pixels of the given projector image and other projector images that form the one or more overlap regions; and further control the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators according to the respective projected colors of the image pixels.

8. A method comprising:

at a system including a: computing device; a plurality of projectors, each comprising an image modulator, the plurality of projectors located to project respective projector images, formed by respective image modulators, a plurality of projector images overlapping in one or more overlap regions; and at least one sensor configured to acquire digital images of at least portions of the plurality of projector images, for each given projector comprising a given image modulator, of the plurality of projectors:

determining, using the at least one sensor, respective correspondences between projected points of a given projector image and respective points of respective image modulators of other projectors of the plurality of projectors, the respective correspondences determined only for the respective points of the respective image modulators of the other projectors that correspond to respective projected points that points that are within a given maximum distance of the projected points of the given projector image, the given maximum distance being a maximum distance between adjacent projected grid points of a grid of points previously projected on an object onto which the given projector image is projected;

determining respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions;

determining respective brightness of projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions; and,

based on the respective correspondences, control at least a portion of the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators, outside of at least one of the one or more overlap regions, in blend regions of the projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions, to gradually increase brightness in the blend regions from the respective brightness of the corresponding projector image regions to the respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the respective correspondences include correspondences associated with respective dead zone pixels around a perimeter of each of the given image modulator and the respective image modulators.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising controlling at least a portion of the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators, outside of at least one of the one or more overlap regions, in the blend regions of the projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions, to gradually increase the brightness in the blend regions from the respective brightness of the corresponding image regions to the respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions according to one or more of: respective distances of pixels in the blend regions to the one or more overlap regions; a linear function; an S-function; and content of the plurality of images.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising controlling the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators, at least adjacent edge pixels corresponding to edges of the one or more overlap regions, according to one or more of: a closest corresponding overlap region edge of projected projector images; a weighting based on one or more closest corresponding overlap region edges of the projected projector images; and a cumulative brightness from each of the one or more closest corresponding overlap region edges of the projected projector images.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining respective orientations of image pixels of the given projector image and other projector images that form the one or more overlap regions; and further control the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators according to the respective orientations of the image pixels.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining respective projected sizes of image pixels of the given projector image and other projector images that form the one or more overlap regions; and further control the brightness of the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators according to the respective projected sizes of the image pixels.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining respective projected colors of image pixels of the given projector image and other projector images that form the one or more overlap regions; and further control the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators according to the respective projected colors of the image pixels.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, wherein execution of the computer program is for:

at a computing device in communication with a plurality of projectors, each comprising an image modulator, the plurality of projectors located to project respective projector images, formed by respective image modulators, a plurality of projector images overlapping in one or more overlap regions; and at least one sensor configured to acquire digital images of at least portions of the plurality of projector images, for each given projector comprising a given image modulator, of the plurality of projectors:

determining, using the at least one sensor, respective correspondences between projected points of a given projector image and respective points of respective image modulators of other projectors of the plurality of projectors, the respective correspondences determined only for the respective points of the respective image modulators of the other projectors that correspond to respective projected points that points that are within a given maximum distance of the projected points of the given projector image, the given maximum distance being a maximum distance between adjacent projected grid points of a grid of points previously projected on an object onto which the given projector image is projected;

determining respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions;

determining respective brightness of projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions; and,

based on the respective correspondences, control at least a portion of the pixels of the given image modulator and each of the respective image modulators, outside of at least one of the one or more overlap regions, in blend regions of the projector image regions adjacent the one or more overlap regions, to gradually increase brightness in the blend regions from the respective brightness of the corresponding projector image regions to the respective brightness of the one or more overlap regions.