PRIVATE VIDEO PRESENTATION

• US 20110242298A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Large, Timothy, Travis, Adrian, Bathiche, Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/163,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20110242298A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/54
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/108 having one or more prisms as scanning elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/045 Prism arrays

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed that relate to private video presentation. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a system including a display surface, a directional backlight system configured to emit a beam of light from the display surface and to vary a direction in which the beam of light is directed, and a spatial light modulator configured to form an image for display via the directional backlight system. The system further includes a controller configured to control the optical system and the light modulator to display a first video content item at a first viewing angle and a second video content item at a second viewing angle.

Claims

1. A video presentation system, comprising:

a display surface;

a directional backlight system configured to emit a beam of light from the display surface and to vary a direction in which the beam of light is directed;

a spatial light modulator configured to form an image for display via light from the directional backlight system; and

a controller configured to control the directional backlight system and the spatial light modulator to display a first video content item at a first viewing angle and a second video content item at a second viewing angle.

2. The video presentation system of claim 1, further comprising a private audio output controllable by the controller to provide a first private audio output corresponding to the first video content item and to provide a second private audio output corresponding to the second video content item.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional backlight system comprises:

an optical waveguide; and

a plurality of light sources arranged along an end of the optical waveguide, each light source configured to inject light into the end of the optical waveguide at a different location along the end of the optical waveguide.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to sequentially illuminate two or more light sources of the plurality of light sources to modulate a direction in which the beam of light is emitted.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user-tracking camera, and wherein the controller is further configured to receive data from the user tracking camera, to locate a first viewer and a second viewer via the data, and to sequentially direct the beam of light toward the first viewer and then the second viewer while synchronously modulating the spatial light modulator.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to modulate a direction of the beam of light in synchronization with the spatial light modulator to create stereoscopic images for each viewer of one or more viewers.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to detect a change in a location of the first viewer and to adjust a direction of the beam of light based upon the change in the location of the first viewer.

8. A video presentation system, comprising:

a display surface;

a directional backlight system system configured to emit a beam of light from the display surface and to modulate a direction in which the beam of light is directed;

a spatial light modulator configured to form an image for display via light from the directional backlight system;

a controller configured to control the directional backlight system and the spatial light modulator to display a first video content item at a first viewing angle and a second video content item at a second viewing angle; and

a private audio output controllable by the controller to provide a first private audio output corresponding to the first video content item and to provide a second private audio output corresponding to the second video content item.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the directional backlight system comprises:

an optical waveguide comprising a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a viewing surface extending at least partially between the first end and the second end, and a back surface opposite the viewing surface, and an end reflector disposed at the second end of the optical waveguide, the end reflector comprising one or more of a faceted lens structure and a diffraction grating; and

a plurality of light sources arranged along the first end of the optical waveguide, each light source configured to inject light into the first end of the optical waveguide at a different location along the first end of the optical waveguide.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to sequentially illuminate two or more light sources of the plurality of light sources to modulate a direction in which the beam of light is emitted.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a user tracking camera, and wherein the controller is further configured to receive data from the user tracking camera, to locate a first viewer and a second viewer via the data, and to sequentially direct the beam of light toward the first viewer and then the second viewer while synchronously modulating the spatial light modulator.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to modulate a direction of the beam of light in synchronization with the spatial light modulator to create stereoscopic images for each viewer of a plurality of viewers.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to detect a change in a location of the first viewer and to adjust a direction of the beam of light based upon the change in the location of the first viewer.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the private audio output comprises a wireless transmitter, wherein the first private audio output comprises a first wireless headphone signal corresponding to the first video content item and wherein the second private audio output comprises a second wireless headphone signal corresponding to the second video content item.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the private audio output comprises one or more of a directional speaker and a phased array speaker, and wherein the first private audio output comprises a first audio beam and the second private audio output comprises a second audio beam.

16. The system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of video content source inputs, and wherein the controller is configured to multiplex image data received from the plurality of video content source inputs for provision to the spatial light modulator.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the first audio output comprises providing the first audio output to a first wireless headphone set and providing the second audio output to a second wireless headphone set.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first audio output comprises a first audio beam and wherein the second audio output comprises a second audio beam.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

a location of a first viewer and a location of a second viewer via image data; and

varying the location at which light is injected into the optical waveguide by modulating between a first light injection location and a second light injection location based upon the location of the first viewer and the location of the second viewer.

17. A method of concurrently providing different audio/video presentations to different viewers via a video presentation system comprising an optical waveguide, a spatial light modulator, and a private audio output system, the optical waveguide comprising a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a collimating end reflector located at the second end, a viewing surface extending between the first end and the second end, a back surface opposing the viewing surface, the method comprising:

injecting light into the first end of the optical waveguide;

delivering the light to the end reflector via total internal reflection;

internally reflecting the light off of the end reflector, thereby collimating the light;

emitting the light from the viewing surface;

varying a location along the first end of the optical waveguide at which light is injected into the optical waveguide;

switching images produced by the spatial light modulator between a first video content item and a second video content item in synchronization with varying the location at which light is injected into the optical tide;

providing a first audio output corresponding to the first video content item; and

providing a second audio output corresponding to the second video content item.