More Than Two Display Devices Patents (Class 348/52)
  • Patent number: 6219184
    Abstract: A stereoscopic image display apparatus includes an image display apparatus main body and a multi-angle image information generating unit for generating image information for a plurality of viewing angles from which a three-dimensional object is viewed. The image display apparatus main body includes a liquid crystal panel for displaying an angle-specific image derived from the angle-specific image information supplied from the multi-angle image information generating unit, and an angle-specific image radial distribution unit which, provided at the front of the liquid crystal panel, radially distributes the angle-specific image by providing directivity to a light beam carrying the angle-specific image displayed on the liquid crystal panel and thus directing the angle-specific image to a corresponding angle. When a viewer changes a view position or viewing angle, the viewer can experience one stereoscopic image turning into another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Shinpei Nagatani
  • Patent number: 6208318
    Abstract: An image display apparatus comprises a main display and an auxiliary display. The main display is used to produce a volumetric image such as graphical image, and the auxiliary display is used to generate two dimensional image such as text image. The auxiliary display is located adjacent the the main display and being able to move relative to the main display along a path extending in a direction substantially circumferential to the main display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Douglas W. Anderson, Thomas Drew Fisher, Gregory A. Hatch, Tommy Dean Wright, Christine R. Spiegl
  • Patent number: 6201566
    Abstract: When a 2-dimensional video image is displayed, a front/rear feeling and a stereoscopic feeling are enabled to be expressed. A detection signal Sd is formed by a high pass filter 25 and a rectifying circuit 26 in accordance with an amount of edge information. The detection signal Sd is supplied to a variable delay circuit 14L. A detection signal Sd′ is supplied to a variable delay circuit 14R. The variable delay circuits 14L and 14R are controlled in accordance with the edge information amount so that a video image for the left eye and a video image for the right eye are moved in the opposite directions. Thus, an imaginary image is synthesized to the front or rear side from a display plane. The left and right video images are displayed on CRTs 20L and 20R. The projection light passes through a horizontal polarizing filter 21L and a vertical polarizing filter 21R and the left and right video images are overlapped on a screen 22.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Harada, Junji Kagita, Yoshihito Ohsawa, Kazuhiko Fujihara
  • Patent number: 6188442
    Abstract: A display monitor (12) operates in a time-multiplexed fashion to display a plurality of viewer-selected video channels on a single display screen. A visual apparatus (22) worn by the viewers is synchronized to the operation of the display monitor for enabling each of the viewers to observe the display screen only at times when the viewer-selected video channel is being displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Chandrasekhar Narayanaswami
  • Patent number: 6140979
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes an image source that scans about two axes. To offset motion about a first of the axes during sweeps about the second axis, the apparatus includes a structure to produce offsetting motion about the first axis at a scanning rate equal to the twice-scanning rate about the second axis. The offsetting scan can be a ramp or other motion. In one embodiment, the offsetting motion is a resonant sinusoid. The offsetting motion may be produced by an auxiliary scanner such as a mechanical scanner, a piezoelectric scanner, a MEMs scanner or other scanner. Because the offsetting motion is very small, the auxiliary scanner can function with a very small scan angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory J. Gerhard, Clarence T. Tegreene, Bashir Z. Eslam
  • Patent number: 6069649
    Abstract: A stereoscopic display which enables plural persons to simultaneously observe stereoscopic images includes a color liquid crystal plate for displaying stereo-pairs composed of left and right eye perspectives in time-interlaced manner, a monochrome TV display disposed behind the color liquid crystal plate for displaying binary and inverted binary images of half face of each observer so as to be synchronized with the time-interlaced display of the color liquid crystal plate, and a large convex lens disposed between the color liquid crystal plate and the monochrome TV display so as to focus the observers' optical images on the screen of the monochrome TV display in geometrical agreement with the observers' face images displayed thereby. And an infrared TV camera is disposed so as to take observers' images by way of the large convex lens and input observers' face images to the monochrome TV display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Inventor: Tomohiko Hattori
  • Patent number: 6040852
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method for the recording and reproduction of stereoscopic video images of scenes being observed, as well as a device for carrying out the method. The method makes it easier to record or reproduce images using conventional recording media. A half-image detection procedure is carried out before and/or after recording takes place to determine the association of a half-image with the corresponding frames of a left-hand or right-hand channel, or the association with each other of two frames in parallel channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Leica Microsystems AG
    Inventor: Herbert M. Stuettler
  • Patent number: 6034717
    Abstract: A desktop-based stereoscopic projection display system affording high-resolution stereoscopic and peripheral viewing of three-dimensional color imagery over a field of view of at least 180.degree.. The projection volume required by each image projector of the display system is disposed substantially within the overall display volume of the display system, while maximizing the viewing volume within which the viewer is free to move during interactive stereoscopic viewing sessions. The display system utilizes high-resolution image projectors, keystoning correcting optics and projection-beam folding mirrors which are compactly mounted immediately above the upper volume-boundary surface of the overall display volume of the system, in order to permit the use of three-dimensional display structures having footprints and display volumes that are supportable upon desktops and in other viewing environments characterized by spatial restrictions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Reveo, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron M. Dentinger, David C. Swift, Sadeg M. Faris
  • Patent number: 5993003
    Abstract: An autostereo projection system uses multiple projectors to form a seamless and extended field of view. Each projector is registered to a CRT display. Shutter elements in each projector create multiple pupils for each CRT display. Each CRT display is driven with different images for each shutter pupil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Litton Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph L. McLaughlin
  • Patent number: 5976017
    Abstract: A stereoscopic-image game playing apparatus displays a screen image for right eye and a screen image for left eye on LCD 105, outputs images of the player obtained by cameras 103a and 103b to the receiving side, and displays images corresponding to the right half face and the left half face of the player based on the player's images on LCD 107. The images displayed on the LCD 107 are used as figures for selectively introducing lights from the screen images on the LCD 105, by lens 106, to the right and left eyes of the player. This enables stereoscopic vision without glasses for separating images respectively for the player's right and left eyes, and allows the player to move from the initial position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Omori, Tomohiko Hattori, Kunimasa Katayama, Sadayuki Sakuma, Haruhiko Kamijo
  • Patent number: 5963200
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronizing the vertical blanking of multiple frame buffers which may exist on the same computer or separate computers for certain applications including stereo display, virtual reality and video recording, which require such synchronization. To obtain the required synchronization one frame buffer is designation as the master. It provides a signal called FIELD that changes state (0 to 1 or 1 to 0) at the start of every vertical sync event on the master frame buffer. All other frame buffers are set to be slaves. Their timing generators sample the master's FIELD signal. When they detect the master's FIELD signal changing state, they set their own internal timing to match to thereby achieve frame synchronization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael F. Deering, Michael G. Lavelle, Alex N. Koltzoff, David C. Kehlet
  • Patent number: 5959664
    Abstract: An observer tracking display is provided in which the image data displayed by at least three display devices along respective different directions is divided depending on the position of an observer. Each eye of the observer can see only some regions of the display devices. The positions and sizes of those regions are calculated for the position of the observer and the display devices are then controlled such that the observer's left eye only receives left view data and the observer's right eye only receives right eye view data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Graham John Woodgate
  • Patent number: 5894364
    Abstract: A stereoscopic image display apparatus includes an image display apparatus main body and a multi-angle image information generating unit for generating image information for a plurality of viewing angles from which a three-dimensional object is viewed. The image display apparatus main body includes a liquid crystal panel for displaying an angle-specific image derived from the angle-specific image information supplied from the multi-angle image information generating unit, and an angle-specific image radial distribution unit which, provided at the front of the liquid crystal panel, radially distributes the angle-specific image by providing directivity to a light beam carrying the angle-specific image displayed on the liquid crystal panel and thus directing the angle-specific image to a corresponding angle. When a viewer changes a view position or viewing angle, the viewer can experience one stereoscopic image turning into another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Shinpei Nagatani
  • Patent number: 5880883
    Abstract: This invention relates to a stereoscopic image display apparatus which allows an observer to recognize a stereoscopic image, comprising right eye image display member for displaying an image for a right eye by irradiating light, left eye image display member for displaying an image for a left eye by irradiating light, and tilt member for tilting a central line, in a vertical direction, of an observation image which is formed based on the image for the right eye and is to be observed by the right eye of the observer, and a central line, in the vertical direction, of an observation image which is formed based on the image for the left eye and is to be observed by the left eye of the observer, relative to each other within a range from an angle larger than 0.degree. to an angle not more than 3.degree..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sudo
  • Patent number: 5867134
    Abstract: The present invention provides a visual display including a high resolution miniature display compatible with VLSI technology and an optical system such as an optical magnifier used to enlarge the images display on the miniature display to be visible to the naked eye. The miniature display includes a VLSI backplane having an array of display elements monolithically formed with its driving circuit on a single crystalline semiconductor. Signal processing circuit or a microprocessor used to process image signals for the display may also be formed monolithically with the array and its driving circuit. The array may be designed using a silicon software compiler program to have randomly displaced elements or super-pixels for reducing image aliasing. The array may also be designed to have display elements positioned and scaled to compensate for the optical distortion introduced by the magnifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Inventors: Phillip Alvelda, Thomas F. Knight, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5856843
    Abstract: A stereoscopic display apparatus discriminates image signals for the left and right eyes by comparing the received image signals, and displays an image without adding special signals for discriminating the left and right eyes. A mechanical connection between an image pickup and an image display is not needed to properly distinguish left and right eye images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomotaka Muramoto
  • Patent number: 5825539
    Abstract: A multi-eye type image display apparatus comprises a right-eye image displaying device for emitting light to display an image for the right eye, a left-eye image displaying device for emitting light to display an image for the left eye, an optical device for guiding a light beam from the right-eye image displaying device to the pupil of the right eye of an observer and guiding a light beam from the left-eye image displaying device to the pupil of the left eye of the observer, so that the observer can fuse virtual images of the images with each other, and an adjusting device for adjusting a characteristic of each virtual image in a region including a boundary where the virtual image for the right eye and the virtual image for the left eye overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroaki Hoshi
  • Patent number: 5793341
    Abstract: Screen images for the right eye are displayed upside down on an image display device 10a, and screen images for the left eye are displayed inverted upside down and right-to-left on an image display device 10b. Light of the screen images for the right eye and for the left eye are polarized so that polarization directions of the light for the right eye and for the left eye are perpendicular to each other. Right half images of viewers' faces, picked up by an image sensing device 14, are displayed on liquid crystal display elements 11. The displayed images functions as light transmission images, and by observing them through a lens 11 having directivity characteristics, the screen images for the right eye and screen images for the left eye of images combined by a half mirror 15 are respectively seen by the right and the left eyes of the viewers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Omori, Tomohiko Hattori, Kunimasa Katayama, Sadayuki Sakuma
  • Patent number: 5790284
    Abstract: This specification discloses a displaying apparatus having a display emitting light, and an optical element formed by two holograms each having optical power and partially overlapping each other. The light from the display is diffracted by one of the holograms to be directed to an observer's left pupil, and is diffracted by the other hologram to be directed to the observer's right pupil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naosato Taniguchi, Susumu Matsumura, Yoko Yoshinaga, Shin Kobayashi, Toshiyuki Sudo, Hideki Morishima, Tadashi Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5777588
    Abstract: An autostereoscopic display has first and second spatial light modulators. Images from the spatial light modulators are combined by a beam combiner before being presented to a viewing region. The relative positions of the first and second spatial light modulators are controlled such that pixels of the second spatial light modulator are interspersed with pixels of the first spatial light modulator. Such an arrangement allows an effective doubling of resolution when the spatial light modulators are operated so as to produce a two dimensional image instead of a three dimensional images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Graham Johm Woodgate, David Ezra, Basil Arthur Omar
  • Patent number: 5774261
    Abstract: An image display system for providing images such that a right eye and a left eye of an observer see different images, respectively. The image display system includes: a camera for taking a picture of said observer and then outputting an image of the observer; a pair of liquid crystal display devices transparent to light; an image generation device for generating a back-light image based on an image output signal provided by the camera; a pair of CRT devices for displaying a back-light image generated by the image generation device to illuminate the pair of liquid crystal display devices from their back sides; a mirror for combining images present on the pair of liquid crystal display devices into one image; and optical elements for giving directivity to back-light emitted by the pair of back-lighting devices so that one of the pair of CRT devices provides back-light illumination for the right eye and the other one of the pair of CRT devices provides back-light illumination for the left eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Omori, Jun Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5726800
    Abstract: The number of 2D views available to form an autostereoscopic 3D image is increased by using a beam combiner with two displays. Each display may comprise sequentially illuminatable light sources imaged by converging lenses for illuminating sequentially reproduced 2D images in spatial light modulators. The views are combined by the beam combiner so as to be visible to an observer in different directions corresponding to the directions from which the views were recorded during image capture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: David Ezra, Graham J. Woodgate, Basil Arthur Omar
  • Patent number: 5719701
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image display device comprising a plurality of image display means for displaying a plurality of bits of time-serial image information from image producing means, shutter means corresponding to the plurality of image display means and transmitting or not transmitting a light beam therethrough, an imaging optical system for imaging the plurality of bits of time-serial image information on the same area on a common imaging plane, and control means for repeating to bring about a state in which only one of the plurality of shutter means transmits a light beam therethrough for a predetermined time with a predetermined time difference to thereby image the plurality of bits of image information successively on the imaging plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sudo
  • Patent number: 5602978
    Abstract: A method and apparatus described as a visual transporter device is provided comprising a plurality of screens arranged to establish a substantially encompassing visual environment having the capability of visually transporting an entire person or persons out of a room by visually removing the screens and visually locating the viewer within a dimensional visual representation of a "created" environment generated by computer, a dimensional visual representation of a "real" environment generated by video-format imaging and photographic processes, and a combination of a "created" computer generated visual environment coalesced with a "real" visual environment generated by video and photography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Inventor: Carroll H. Lastinger
  • Patent number: 5523886
    Abstract: A stereoscopic video display device includes a left and a right video display for viewing by respectively the left and right eye of a viewer, a video driver circuit which alternates between driving the left video display and driving the right video display, and a view control circuit for providing a left-right signal which indicates which video display is currently displaying the video signal. A video signal source, such as a computer or a video game console, receives the left-right signal and provides a standard video signal. The stereoscopic display is usable with a source that provides a video signal that represents a left or right view according to the left-right signal, or with a source that ignores the left-right signal and provides a monoscopic video signal. The stereoscopic display is operable in both a stereo and a mono mode so that a user can select either monoscopic or stereoscopic video when the source is capable of providing stereoscopic views.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignee: Sega of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark B. Johnson-Williams, Teck Yong
  • Patent number: 5519485
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a stereo image measuring apparatus for displaying stereo images and effecting three-dimensional measurement and a correlation process on a screen for displaying the stereo images, and particularly to a stereo image measuring apparatus for making it possible to easily take hold of measuring points and to effect a correlation process after feature points have been extracted in the vicinity of the position where each cursor exists. Corresponding points for other image, which correspond to measuring points for one image, are searched. Each of display units serves so as to apply marks on the determined corresponding points based on the measured points and the result of the correlation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ohtani, Fumio Ohtomo, Hiroyuki Aoki
  • Patent number: 5502481
    Abstract: A desktop-based stereoscopic projection display system affording high-resolution stereoscopic and peripheral viewing of three-dimensional color imagery over a field of view of at least 180.degree.. The projection volume required by each image projector of the display system is disposed substantially within the overall display volume of the display system, while maximizing the viewing volume within which the viewer is free to move during interactive stereoscopic viewing sessions. The display system utilizes high-resolution image projectors, keystoning correcting optics and projection-beam folding mirrors which are compactly mounted immediately above the upper volume-boundary surface of the overall display volume of the system, in order to permit the use of three-dimensional display structures having footprints and display volumes that are supportable upon desktops and in other viewing environments characterized by spatial restrictions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Assignee: Reveo, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron M. Dentinger, David C. Swift, Sadeg M. Faris