Abstract: An autostereoscopic display comprises a pixellated transflective spatial light modulator which is arranged to provide a visual indication to an observer of the amount of crosstalk caused by reflection of ambient illumination. The display comprises a rear parallax barrier between a backlight and the modulator. Part of the barrier is formed as a screen blocking transmitted light from a first region of the modulator so that the pixels in this region are visible only by reflection of ambient illumination. In a second region, the pixels are illuminated with both transmitted and reflected light. A controller sets the pixels of the first region to maximum intensity and the pixels of the second region to a fraction of the maximum intensity. The fraction corresponds, for example, to a maximum amount of crosstalk which is permissible for autostereoscopic viewing.

Abstract: A pressurised gas powered actuator comprising a piston (3) operating in a cylinder (1). The stroke of the piston (3) may be reduced by uncovering one or more holes (14, 20) in the cylinder wall to permit the escape of the pressurised gas at a predetermined position along the swept wall of the cylinder. Alternatively, the piston (401) may be connected to a rod (402) which has a gas vent (406) formed therein, the position of the rod (402) with respect to the piston (401) being variable to adjust the stroke of the piston (401).

Abstract: A method of rectifying a stereoscopic image consisting of left and right captured images comprises determining left and right rectification transformations. According to one aspect of the invention, statistics of the parameters of the stereoscopic image capture device used to capture the left and right images are used in the determination of the left and/or right rectification transformation.

Abstract: A stereoscopic display controller supplies serial picture element data to a scanned stereoscopic display which comprises a plurality of picture elements. Each of the picture elements includes image data for M colur components, while M is greater than one. The stereoscopic display controller includes: N memories, N being an integer greater than one; a memory controller arranged to write the picture element data for N different views of a three-dimensional image in the respective memories, and arranged to control reading of the memories in turn so that image data for consecutively scanned picture elements of the display are read from different ones of the memories; and a data reordering circuit coupled to outputs of the memories and arranged to reorder the image data for at least one of the color components.

Abstract: A stereoscopic display controller supplies serial picture element data to a scanned stereoscopic display which includes a plurality of picture elements. Each of the picture elements includes image data for M color components, while M is greater than one. The stereoscopic display controller includes: N memories, N being an integer greater than one; a memory controller arranged to write the picture element data for N different views of a three-dimensional image in the respective memories, and arranged to control reading of the memories in turn so that image data for consecutively scanned picture elements of the display are read from different ones of the memories; and a data reordering circuit coupled to outputs of the memories and arranged to reorder the image data for at least one of the color components.

Abstract: A 3D camera includes at least two detector heads which are moveable laterally with respect to each other but whose optical are maintained parallel. Each of the detector heads includes a zoom lens and a detector. A user selects the separation between the detector heads and the camera electronics automatically select the field of view by controlling the zoom lenses as a function of the detector head separation.

Abstract: A container for carrying spectacles or the like is formed as an elongate case 1 having jaw members 2,3 at one end thereof for opening and closing the case 1. A single control button 4 is provided which is operatively connected to jaw moving means such that when the case 1 is open operation of the button 4 causes the jaw members 2,3 to close, while when the case 1 is closed, operation of the button 4 causes the jaw members 2,3 to open. This is achieved by the fact that the jaw members are acted upon by urging means that respectively act to open or close the case 1, one of the urging means being the stronger, and that upon operation of the button 4 the stronger of urging means is alternately engaged and disengaged.

Abstract: A piezoelectric monolithic crystal filter having shunt trimming capacitors incorporated into the design of the filter as electrode strips at the edges of the crystal element. This eliminates the need to use discrete low value shunt trimming capacitors which generally are of a few pico-farad capacitance and are expensive and introduce objectionable lead inductance which is non-linear with frequency. A means is provided for producing filters which are less expensive and improve performance over conventional filters, particularly at higher frequencies.