Portable communications terminal

• US 4,605,959 A
• Filed: 08/23/1984
• Issued: 08/12/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Colbaugh, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US06/643,503
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 358/93, 358/230, 358/241, 358/242, 358/250, 358/254, 358/255, 358/108, 455/347, 455/606
• US Class Current: 348/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Portable communication terminal composed of a headset to be worn on the head of a user and a portable transceiver set to be carried by the user. The terminal includes a non-electrical optical fiber conductor mounted for transmitting optical images between the headset and the portable transceiver set; optical elements disposed at the headset for enabling an image transmitted to the headset from the transceiver set to be viewed by a user wearing the headset and for causing an image of the scene in front of a user wearing the headset to be formed at the transceiver set; a television transmitter and receiver at the transceiver set for transmitting a video signal and for forming a video display from signals conducted to the transmitter and receiver; and optical elements at the transceiver set disposed for supplying to the transmitter images formed at the transceiver set by light passing through the optical fiber conductor for conversion into a video signal, and for supplying to the transceiver set an image of the video display for transmission via the optical fiber conductor to the headset.

Claims

1. Portable communication terminal composed of a headset to be worn on the head of a user and a portable transceiver set to be carried by the user, said terminal comprising:

non-electrical optical fiber means mounted for transmitting optical images between a location at said headset and a location at said portable transceiver set;

first optical means disposed at said headset for enabling an image transmitted to said location at said headset from said location at said transceiver set to be viewed by a user wearing said headset;

second optical means disposed at said headset and associated with said location at said headset for causing an image of the scene in front of a user wearing said headset to be formed at said location at said transceiver set;

television transmitter and receiver means at said transceiver set for transmitting a video signal and for forming a video display from signals conducted to said transmitter and receiver means; and

third optical means at said transceiver set disposed between said transmitter and receiver means and said location at said transceiver set for supplying to said transmitter and receiver means images formed at said location at said transceiver set by light passing through said optical fiber means for conversion into a video signal, and for supplying to said location at said transceiver set an image of the video display formed by said transmitter and receiver means for transmission via said optical fiber means to said location at said headset.

2. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising eye movement monitoring means composed of a monitoring light source disposed for directing a light beam at one eye of the user such that the light beam is reflected from the eye surface onto said location at said headset for transmission via said optical fiber means to said location at said transceiver set and then to said television transmitter and receiver means.

3. An arrangement as defined in claim 2 wherein said monitoring light source is disposed at said transceiver set for so directing a light beam at one eye of the user via said third optical means and said optical fiber means.

4. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising an audio system composed of a microphone and a speaker at said headset and audio signal transmitting and receiving means located at said transceiver set and electrically connected to said microphone and said speaker.

5. An arrangement as defined in claim 4 wherein said audio signal transmitting and receiving means are electrically connected to said television transmitter and receiver means.

6. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said television transmitter and receiver means are operative for selectively forming the video display from the video signal produced from images formed at said location at said transceiver set by light passing through said optical fiber means so that the image viewed by the user is that of the scene in front of the user.

7. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said television transmitter and receiver means are operative for selectively forming the video display from a video signal transmitted to said transmitter and receiver means from a remote station.

8. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising signalling means disposed to be operated by the user and connected to said television transmitter and receiver means for adding to the video signal transmitted by said transmitter and receiver means an identification signal resulting from operation of said signalling means by the user.

9. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising signalling means disposed to be operated by the user and connected to said television transmitter and receiver means for controlling the operation of said television transmitter and receiver means.

10. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising remote control means connected to said television transmitter and receiver means for receiving control signals from said television transmitter and receiver means and for controlling the operation of said television transmitter and receiver means.

11. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said television transmitter and receiver means comprise a television transmitter for transmitting the video signal to a remote station, and a television receiver for receiving, from a remote station, signals for forming the video display.