PERSONAL THEATER DISPLAY

• US 20080246694A1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fischer, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 7,898,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/9
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0129 comprising devices for correcting parallax
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information

Abstract

A system for combining an overlay image with externally-displayed visual content, the system including: a tracking module to receive alignment information; an image generator module to generate the overlay image, and to align the overlay image using the alignment information; and a personal display module to superimpose the overlay image over a view of the externally-displayed visual content.

Claims

1. A system for combining an overlay image with externally-displayed visual content, the system comprising:

a tracking module to receive alignment information;

an image generator module to generate said overlay image, and to align said overlay image using said alignment information; and

a personal display module to superimpose said overlay image over a view of said externally-displayed visual content.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a pixel masking module to mask a portion of said view of said externally-displayed visual content,

wherein said portion corresponds to an area of said view over which said overlay image is superimposed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said externally-displayed visual content includes a movie.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said externally-displayed visual content includes rendered graphics.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said alignment information is received from a plurality of external markers.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of external markers includes light-emitting diodes.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of external markers emit infra-red light.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of external markers includes self-identifying markers.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of external markers emit pulses of light.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of said alignment information is encoded in said pulses of light.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said alignment information includes orientation information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said image generator module includes

a stabilization unit to stabilize said overlay image using said orientation information.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said image generator module includes

an audio unit to position the perceived source of an audio emanation using said orientation information.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said image generator module includes

a warping unit to warp said overlay image using said orientation information.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said image generator module includes

a registration unit to register said overlay image with said view of said externally-displayed visual content using said orientation information.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said alignment information includes timing information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said image generator module includes

a synchronization unit to synchronize said overlay image with said externally-displayed visual content using said timing information.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising

a user interface module to receive inputs to position said overlay image within said view of said externally-displayed visual content.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said overlay image includes at least one cursor.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said at least one cursor is a multi-axis cursor.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said user interface module includes a joystick.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein said user interface module includes a trackpad.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein said user interface module includes a trackball.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein said user interface module includes a keypad.

25. A method for combining an overlay image with externally-displayed visual content, comprising:

receiving alignment information;

aligning said overlay image using said alignment information; and

superimposing said overlay image over a view of said externally-displayed visual content.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said alignment information includes orientation information.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said aligning said overlay image includes

stabilizing said overlay image using said orientation information.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said stabilizing said overlay image includes warping said overlay image to conform to a visual perspective of said view of said externally-displayed visual content.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising

registering said overlay image with said view of said externally-displayed visual content using said orientation information.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said registering includes placing said overlay image at a position in a virtual foreground with respect to said view of said externally-displayed visual content.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said position varies with respect to said externally-displayed visual content according to a predetermined motion parallax.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein said alignment information includes timing information.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said aligning said overlay image includes

synchronizing said overlay image with said externally-displayed visual content using said timing information included within said externally-displayed visual content.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising

masking a portion of said view of said externally-displayed visual content,

wherein said portion corresponds to an area of said view over which said overlay image is superimposed.

35. A computer program, stored in a computer-readable storage medium, for combining an overlay image with externally-displayed visual content, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

receive alignment information;

align said overlay image using said alignment information; and

superimpose said overlay image over a view of said externally-displayed visual content.

36. An apparatus for combining an overlay image with externally-displayed visual content, comprising:

means for receiving alignment information;

means for aligning said overlay image using said alignment information; and

means for superimposing said overlay image over a view of said externally-displayed visual content.