Video displaying system

• US 20050046755A1
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuwabara, Takashi, Hattori, Toshikazu, Ibaraki, Susumu
• Application Number:
  US10/859,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20050046755A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/837
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0211 for record carriers apparatus, e.g. video recorders, tape players or CD players
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0229 for displays, e.g. cathodic tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0012 Seats or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0015 Back-rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0017 Head-rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0084 with adjustment by linear movement in their operational position
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0085 with adjustment by rotation in their operational position
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0092 with motorization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

The video displaying system for enabling a user to view the video more easily by enlarging the display size of the video without narrowing the space of a car in which a front seat 1A and a rear seat 1B are set comprises a projector 100A, which is placed around the lower part of the front seat 1A, for projecting the light for showing the video, a mirror 10A for reflecting the light that is projected from the projector 100 and a screen 20, which is set on the front seat 1A, for displaying the video after receiving the light that is reflected on the mirror 10A.

Claims

1. A video displaying system for displaying video in space where a first seat and a second seat are set, comprising:

a projection unit, which is placed around the lower part of the first seat, operable to project light for showing the video; and

a screen, which is set on the first seat or the second seat, for displaying the video by receiving the light that is projected by the projection unit.

2. The video displaying system according to claim 1, further comprising a reflection unit operable to reflect the light that is projected from the reflection unit,

wherein the screen displays the video by receiving the light that is reflected by the reflection unit.

3. The video displaying system according to claim 2, further comprising a movement unit operable to move the projection unit by user'"'"'s operation in a way that a light path length between the projection unit and the screen is changed.

4. The video displaying system according to claim 2,

wherein the first seat or the second seat on which the screen is set is movable, and

the video displaying system further comprises:

a seat position detecting unit operable to detect a position of the first seat or the second seat; and

a light path length fixing unit operable to move the projection unit in a way that a light path length between the projection unit and the screen is maintained based on a detection result obtained by the seat position detecting unit.

5. The video displaying system according to claim 2,

wherein the first seat or the second seat on which the screen is set is movable, and

the video displaying system further comprises a holding unit, which is set on the first seat or the second seat, operable to hold the projection unit.

6. The video displaying system according to claim 2,

wherein the projection unit is placed below the first seat whose part facing the projection unit is openable and closable.

7. The video displaying system according to claim 2,

wherein the screen displays the video on a surface of the screen by receiving the light on a back of the screen.

8. The video displaying system according to claim 2,

wherein the video displaying system is placed in a car where the first seat is a front seat and the second seat is a back seat.

9. The video displaying system according to claim 2, further comprising a holding unit, which is set to the first seat or the second seat, operable to hold the screen in a hinge like manner.

10. The video displaying system according to claim 9, further comprising a movement unit operable to move the screen along a backrest of the first seat or the second seat.

11. The video displaying system according to claim 10, wherein the holding unit and the movement unit are structured in a way that movement along the backrest of the screen causes the swing.

12. The video displaying system according to claim 11,

wherein the holding unit and the movement unit are structured as follows:

at the time when the screen moves upward along the backrest, in response to the movement, the screen swings in a way that an angle between the screen and the backrest increases; and

at the time when the screen moves downward along the backrest, in response to the movement, the screen swings in a way that an angle between the screen and the backrest decreases.

13. The video displaying system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a screen status detecting unit operable to detect at least one of an angle between the screen and the backrest of the first seat or the second seat and a position of the screen, the angle changing according to the rotation of the screen and the position changing according to a movement of the screen; and

a video position movement control unit operable to change at least one of a reflection direction of the light by the reflection unit and a position of the reflection unit in a way that a position of the video that is shown on the screen is maintained according to the detection result obtained by the screen status detecting unit.

14. The video displaying system according to claim 13, further comprising a reclining angle detecting unit operable to detect the reclining angle of the first seat or the second seat on which the screen is set,

wherein the video position movement control unit changes at least one of the reflection direction of the light by the reflection unit and the position of the reflection unit in a way that the position of the video that is shown on the screen is maintained according to the detection result of the screen status detecting unit and the reclining angle detecting unit.

15. The video displaying system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a stopping unit operable to stop the projection of the light from the projection unit in the case where the stopping unit judges that the reclining angle detected by the reclining angle detecting unit is a predetermined threshold value or more.

16. The video displaying system according to claim 14,

wherein the projection unit specifies the light path length of the light between the projection unit and the screen based on the detection result of the screen status detecting unit and the reclining angle detecting unit and adjusts the focus of the light to be projected according to the light path length.

17. The video displaying system according to claim 16,

wherein the projection unit performs the correction processing on the light to be projected so as not to cause any distortions in the video that is shown on the screen based on the detection result of the screen status detecting unit and the reclining angle detecting unit.

18. The video displaying system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a reflection relay unit operable to further reflect the light that is reflected by the reflection unit toward the screen according to a change of at least one of a reflection direction of the light projected by the reflection unit and a position of the reflection unit; and

a switching unit operable to change any of an orientation or a position of the reflection unit based on the detection result obtained by the screen status detecting unit and the reclining angle detection unit and switch the following light paths;

a first light path from the reflection unit to the screen via the reflection relay unit; and

a second light path from the reflection unit to the screen without passing via the reflection relay unit.

19. The video displaying system according to claim 17,

wherein the switching unit compares the first correction amount necessary for the correction processing in the first light path with the second correction amount necessary for the correction processing in the second light path based on the detection result of the screen status detecting unit and the reclining angle detecting unit, and changes any of the direction or the position of the reflection unit so that the first light path is switched to the second light path at the time when the second correction amount is smaller than the first correction amount.

20. The video displaying system according to claim 14,

wherein the switching unit calculates the correction amount necessary for the correction processing in the first light path based on the detection result of the screen status detecting unit and the reclining angle detecting unit and changes any of the direction or the position of the reflection unit so that the first light path is switched to the second light path at the time when the correction amount is bigger than the prescribed threshold value.

21. The video displaying system according to claim 9,

wherein the holding unit holds the screen horizontally.

22. The video displaying system according to claim 9,

wherein the holding unit holds the screen in a way that the screen is laid against the backrest of the first seat or the second seat on which the screen is set when the light is not projected from the projection unit.

23. The video displaying system according to claim 9, further comprising a shielding unit operable to shield light path of the light in a way that the shielding unit covers the light path so as not to allow incoming light to affect the light.

24. The video displaying system according to claim 9, further comprising an enclosure which includes the projection unit and the reflection unit.

25. The video displaying system according to claim 9,

wherein the video displaying system is set in space of a car where the first seat is a front seat and the second seat is a back seat.

26. A video display method for displaying video in space where the first seat and the second seat are set, comprising:

a projection step where a projector that is placed around the lower part of the first seat projects the light for showing the video; and

a display step where a screen that is set to the first seat or the second seat receives the light that is projected in the projection step.

27. The video display method according to claim 26,

wherein the video display method further comprises a reflection step where the reflector reflects the light that is projected in the projection step, and

in the display step, the light that is reflected in the reflection step is received so as to display the video.

28. The video display method according to claim 27, further comprising a movement step operable to move the projector in a way that a light path length between the projector and the screen changes according to user'"'"'s operation.

29. The video display method according to claim 27, further comprising:

a movement step where a moving tool moves the screen along the first backrest or the second backrest; and

a rotation step where a rotating tool swings the screen.

30. The video display method according to claim 29,

wherein, in the rotation step,

when the screen moves upward along the backrest in the moving step, in response to the movement, the screen is swung in a way that the angle between the screen and the backrest increases, and

when the screen moves downward along the backrest in the moving step, in response to the movement, the screen is swung in a way that the angle between the screen and the backrest decreases.

31. The video display method according to claim 29, further comprising:

a screen status detection step of detecting at least one of an angle between the screen and the backrest of the first seat or the second seat and a position of the screen, the angle changing according to a rotation of the screen and the position changing according to a movement of the screen; and

a video position movement control step of changing at least one of a reflection direction of the light by the reflector and the position of the reflector according to the detection result in the screen status detecting step in a way that the position of the video that is shown on the screen is maintained.

32. The video display method according to claim 31, further comprising a reclining angle detecting step where the screen detects the reclining angle of the first seat or the second seat on which the screen is installed,

wherein, in the video position movement control step, at least one of a reflection direction of the light by the reflector and a position of the reflector is changed according to the detection result in the screen status detecting step and the reclining angle detecting step in a way that the position of the video that is shown on the screen is maintained.

33. The video display method according to claim 32, further comprising a focus adjusting step where the projector specifies a light path length of the light between the projector and the screen based on the detection result in the screen status detecting step and the reclining angle detecting step and adjusts the focus of the light to be projected according to the light path length.

34. The video display method according to claim 32, further comprising a correction processing step where the projector performs a correction processing on the light to be projected so as not to cause any distortions in the video that is shown on the screen based on the detection result in the screen status detecting step and the reclining angle detecting step.