Visual display apparatus
First Claim
1. Head-coupled, area-of-interest, visual display apparatus providing a displayed scene comprising two zones, including a part-spherical retro-reflective concave screen of area greater than a viewer'"'"'s instantaneous field of view, a helmet, sensing means for sensing the orientation of the viewer'"'"'s head and helmet, visual image generating means for generating a simulated scene in the direction of the viewer'"'"'s instantaneous line of view according to the viewer'"'"'s simulated position and orientation and under control of the said sensing means, the said image generating means being adapted for providing two visual images corresponding respectively to the two zones of the displayed scene, a laser beam source for producing a laser beam, separate laser beam modulators for each zone of the displayed scene for modulating said laser beam, separate line scanners for each zone of said scene for scanning the modulated laser beam over the input ends of respective fibre optic light guides, the said fibre optic light guides having their output ends at spaced-apart positions on the viewer'"'"'s helmet, and frame scanning means mounted on the said helmet for receiving light from the light guide outputs and projecting the light as simultaneous scan lines of the two said zones to form the composite displayed scene on the screen.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides head-coupled area-of-interest visual display apparatus particularly for ground-based craft-flight simulators. The apparatus provides a display projected onto the inside of a part-spherical shell which surrounds the pilot and carries a retro-reflective screen. The displayed scene covers an area of interest dependent upon craft position and heading and viewer'"'"'s instantaneous line of view. The image generator may be of the computer generated image, laser-scanned model or closed-circuit television type. Multiple images are required for stereoscopic viewing or for more than one viewer. Line scanning apparatus is cockpit-mounted; line image is transmitted by fibre optic light guide ribbon and frame scan apparatus is mounted on a helmet worn by the viewer. A sensor measures head/helmet movement to permit voluntary scanning of a wide angle simulated view from the craft. The projected image is divided into zones each zone using separate line-scanning means and fibre optic light guide. The frame scanning projector means provides simultaneous frame scanning of each zone.
44 Citations
8 Claims
- 1. Head-coupled, area-of-interest, visual display apparatus providing a displayed scene comprising two zones, including a part-spherical retro-reflective concave screen of area greater than a viewer'"'"'s instantaneous field of view, a helmet, sensing means for sensing the orientation of the viewer'"'"'s head and helmet, visual image generating means for generating a simulated scene in the direction of the viewer'"'"'s instantaneous line of view according to the viewer'"'"'s simulated position and orientation and under control of the said sensing means, the said image generating means being adapted for providing two visual images corresponding respectively to the two zones of the displayed scene, a laser beam source for producing a laser beam, separate laser beam modulators for each zone of the displayed scene for modulating said laser beam, separate line scanners for each zone of said scene for scanning the modulated laser beam over the input ends of respective fibre optic light guides, the said fibre optic light guides having their output ends at spaced-apart positions on the viewer'"'"'s helmet, and frame scanning means mounted on the said helmet for receiving light from the light guide outputs and projecting the light as simultaneous scan lines of the two said zones to form the composite displayed scene on the screen.
Specification