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Abstract

A dodecahedral environmental photography and projection system based on a pentagonal format is disclosed, designed for a modular compound camera and projector system aligned according to the dodecahedron, for the photography and projection of apparently continuous images across the interior surface of a dome or spherical theater. The use of a compound system provides better resolution that a single-camera system,and the use of a pentagonal picture as a standard shape allows complete coverage of a spherical surface, and greater use of the available lens image than existing rectangular formats. By the addition of camera and projection modules, this system enables photography and projection up to a total spherical field of view, and practical application of video technology to a dome theater. A masking processor is also provided to control the shape of the projected video image, enabling projection of compound images of variable overall shape and size. An electro-optical lens is also described, sufficient to produce the effect of a lens with two or three optical centers, so that one lens can cover more than one view. With a dual-center lens, the number of camera modules required is thereby halved, or if the number of camera modules remains the same and their dual views are made to overlap, the effective resolution of the system is thereby doubled.

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First Claim