Integration of 3D Camera and 3D Display Technologies

Under separate efforts in the past, our team has developed technologies for a novel high speed 3D Camera and a true volumetric 3D display device. The unique features of our 3D Camera include the capability of providing instantaneous, full frame 3D range images at a CCD camera's frame rate (30 frames per second or faster), a capability that no other currently available 3D image acquisition systems or 3D rangefinders can achieve at any cost. Our 3D display device is able to generate volumetric 3D patterns in true 3D space by a set of activated voxels that emit light. Besides no moving parts and high voxel bandwidth, additional advantages of our 3D display approach are all angle of view, simultaneous multiple user views, large viewing volumes, flexibility in voxel size and shape, inherent parallel architecture, and without the requirement of viewing spectacles. The primary objectives of Phase I is to study the feasibility to seamlessly integrate a 3D camera system with a volumetric 3D display monitor, so that the integrated system can capture continuously 3D images of objects in the scene at a standard video rate (30 fps) and display the captured 3D images immediately on the 3D display monitor. In our phase I effort, we will focus on the interface and 3D data exchange protocol between the 3D camera and 3D monitor. Both current designs of the 3D camera and 3D monitor will be modified and optimized. Preliminary experiments will be performed to validate the interface design. In Phase II we will design a high speed 3D Camera/Monitor system suitable for real-time 3D image acquisitions and visualization.