Method and apparatus for screenless panoramic stereo TV system

• US 4,853,764 A
• Filed: 09/16/1988
• Issued: 08/01/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pedalo Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pedalo Incorporated
• Inventors: Sutter, Hans E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US07/245,403
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 358/3, 358/64, 358/88, 358/248, 358/249, 358/254
• US Class Current: 348/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

A portable stereo audio and video receiver comprises a self powered pocket sized receiver and control unit for supplying stereo audio and stereo video signals to a headset worn by a user, with the headset including a pair of headphones for mounting over the ears of the user to provide stereo sound, and a pair of goggle-like enclosures positioned in front of the eyes of the user, each enclosure including a set of three miniature monochrome video displays, a color superpositioning device; and associated optics, for providing color images to the associated eye of a user, for producing a panoramic color 3D image in the brain of a user.

Claims

1. A screenless or screen independent color and stereo television system, for providing a high definition panoramic image comprising:

means for selectively receiving and controlling video and associated audio signals, including means for selectively providing on separate output channels, right and left components of said audio signals, right and left green, red, and blue video components of color video signals, and power for video display means;

a pair of goggles included as part of a headset including;

means for mounting said headset on a user'"'"'s head;

earphone means for receiving said right and left components of said audio signals and reproducing the sound content thereof for presentation directly to a right and a left ear of a user, respectively;

right and left video display means associated with a user'"'"'s right and left eyes, respectively, mounted in said pair of goggles, respectively, for projecting said right and left video signals, respectively, said right and left video display means each including three mini monochrome display means for receiving and displaying video images associated with respective green, red, and blue video components, color superimposition means for superimposing said video images, and at least one stage of optical image amplification means, for providing video images to said right and left eyes, respectively, for effecting a panoramic stereo vision to a user or viewer; and

multicable means for electrically connecting said audio and video signals, and said power from said receiving means to said headset.

2. The stereo television system of claim 1 wherein said pocket set further includes means for selecting one of a plurality of television channel signals received by said pocket set.

3. The stereo television system of claim 1, wherein said pocket set further includes means for selectively controlling the degree of separation between said right and left video components.

4. The stereo television system of claim 1, wherein said pocket set further includes means for selectively controlling the degree of separation between said right and left audio components.

5. The stereo television system of claim 1, wherein said receiving and controlling means further includes means for selectively receiving either 2D or 3D television signals.

6. A screenless or screen independent color and stereo television system, for providing a high definition panoramic image, comprising:

a pocket set including;

(a) tuner means for channel selection, receiving, adjusting and controlling TV signals;

(b) means for selection of either 2D or 3D transmission modes, and

(c) means for separating or mixing right and left audio and video components;

a pair of goggles or headset, including;

(a) means for fixation to a user'"'"'s head,

(b) earphone means for reproducing the sound content of received stereo audio signals directly to appropriate right and left ears of the user,

(c) right and left eye display means, each including a set of three mini monochrome video display means for displaying green, red, and blue video components, respectively, provided with color superimposition means for superimposing said video components, and at least one stage of optical image amplification means, for providing a panoramic stereo vision to the viewer; and

means for electrically interconnecting said pocket set to said goggles or headset, for providing the latter voltages for operating said video display means, and audio signals for operating said earphone means.

7. The television system of claim 6, wherein said pocket set further includes a build-in television antenna connected to said tuner means.

8. The television system of claim 6, wherein said pocket set further includes a build-in energy source for providing power to said audio and video television receiver.

9. The television system of claim 6, wherein said pocket set further includes an electronic device for providing right channel video components to a right channel video output, and left channel video components to a left channel video output, for receiving three-dimensional television programs from right and left channel video components broadcast on the same carrier frequency but with image by image intermittency.

10. The television system of claim 6, wherein said pocket set further includes electronic means for conducting red video signals in white color as said left video signal, and green video signals also in white as said right video signal, for receiving three-dimension monochrome television programs written in conventional green/red technology, where left side images are in red, and right side images are in green, and the red/green images are broadcast in superposition.

11. The television system of claim 6, wherein said pocket set further includes an electronic device for simultaneously providing said right and left channel video signals, for receiving conventional television programs.

12. The television system of claim 6, wherein said headset further includes mechanical means for adjusting said right and left optical means at a desired distance from the eyes of a user.

13. The television system of claim 6, wherein said headset further includes focusing means for adjusting the right and left video display means to the individual right and left eye dioptries of the user.

14. The television system of claim 6, wherein said headset further includes means for adjusting audio volume individually to right and left ear auditive capacity.

15. The television system of claim 6, wherein said headset further includes means for manually adjusting video intensity individually to right and left eye viewing capacity or light sensitivity.

16. The television system of claim 6, wherein said headset further includes an interrupter switch for permitting a user to selectively cutoff the audio content of a program being viewed.

17. The television system of claim 6, wherein said optical means each include a wide angle ocular lens respectively, for providing a field of view up to 150 degrees for each eye.

18. The television system of claim 6, wherein each of said sets of three monochrome mini video display means include two dichroid transparent mirrors for providing said color superimposition means.

19. The television system of claim 6, wherein each of said sets of three monochrome mini video display means consist of three black and white mini video displays, respectively provided with a green, red, or blue color filters, respectively.

20. The television system of claim 6, wherein said headset further includes microphone means mounted proximate said earphone means for permitting a user to participate in conversations with other persons in the vicinity of said user.

21. The television system of claim 6, wherein said headset further comprises two microphones mounted on right and left sides of said headset, for permitting a user to participate in conversations with other persons who are viewing the same television program, and in close proximity to one another.

22. The television system of claim 16, wherein said headset further includes an interrupter switch for permitting a user to selectively turn off said microphones.

23. The television system of claim 6, wherein said right and left optical means of said headset each include a two stage optical system consisting of individual relatively thin objective lens positioned near each one of said video display means, and an ocular lens positioned between said objective lens and an associated eye of a user, for providing a field of view of up to 150 degrees to each eye, respectively.

24. The television system of claim 23, wherein said two stage optical systems each further include at least one plane or curved reflective surface inserted between said objective and ocular lenses for shortening the required distance between said video display means and a user'"'"'s eyes.

25. The television system of claim 23, wherein said right and left optical means each further include appropriately coloring said objective lenses a green, red, and blue color, respectively, for providing color filtering.

26. In a screenless color and stereo television system for providing a high definition panoramic image, said system including means for selectively receiving and controlling stereo video and stereo audio signals, for providing as output signals right and left channel audio signals, and right and left channel green, red, and blue components of color video output signals, respectively, and further including a headset with a pair of goggle like enclosures associated with a users right and left eyes, respectively, each of said enclosures housing three mini monochrome display means for receiving said video output signals and projecting light images associated therewith respectively, the method comprising the steps of:

amplifying the images projected from each one of said mini monochrome display means in each of said enclosures;

superimposing the three images associated with each eye of a user, respectively for obtaining a desired colored image; and

focusing the superimposed images onto each associated eye for effecting a color panoramic stereo image for observation by said user.

27. The method of claim 26, further including the steps of:

vertically aligning in a column with respect to a head of a user, said three mini monochrome display means; and

reflecting the images projected from said mini display means at least once before transmission to an associated eye, for reducing the size of said respective enclosures.

28. The method of claim 26, further including the steps of:

aligning said mini display means in each enclosure to lie in substantially the same vertical plane as the central vertical axis of an associated eye of said user;

arranging said mini display means in each enclosure in a triangular pattern relative to one another;

passing the images from said mini display means in each enclosure through different color filters;

passing the colored images from said filters through a crossed dichroic plate system for providing the superimposing step for said images along a path leading to an associated eye of said user.

29. A screenless color and stereo television system for providing a high definition stereo panoramic image, with stereo sound, said system comprising:

means for selectively receiving and controlling stereo video and stereo audio signals, for providing as output signals right and left channel audio signals, and right and left channel green, red, and blue components of color video output signals, respectively;

a headset with first and second goggle like enclosures associated with a user'"'"'s right and left eyes, respectively;

each of said first and second enclosures including;

three mini monochrome display means for receiving said right and left channel color components, respectively, of said video output signals from said receiving means and projecting light images associated therewith, respectively; and

first optical means for amplifying the images projected from each one of said three mini monochrome display means; and

superimpositioning means for superimposing the associated said three amplified light images, for obtaining a desired colored image for presentation to the associated right or left eye of said user.

30. The stereo television system of claim 29, wherein said optical means includes color filter means for coloring the light images from said mini monochrome display means to have the color associated with their respective color component.

31. The stereo television system of claim 29, further including second optical means both for further amplifying said superimposed images, and for focusing the images upon the right and left eyes of a user, respectively.

32. The stereo television system of claim 29, wherein each one of said mini monochrome display means consists of a miniature cathode ray tube.

33. The stereo television system of claim 29, wherein in each of said first and second enclosures, three mini monochrome display means are vertically aligned in a column with respect to the vertical axis of the head of a user.

34. The stereo television system of claim 32, further including in each one of said first and second enclosures, reflecting means for reflecting the images projected from said mini display means at least once before transmission to an associated eye, for reducing the size of said first and second enclosures.

35. The stereo television system of claim 29, wherein in each one of said first and second enclosures, said three mini monochrome display means are aligned to lie in substantially the same vertical plane as the central vertical axis of an associated eye of said user, and are further arranged in a triangular pattern relative to one another.

36. The stereo television system of claim 35, wherein said superimpositioning means consists of crossed dichroid plates for passing and reflecting the light images from said first through third mini display means along a path intercepting the associated right and left eyes of said user.

37. The stereo television system of claim 36, further including second optical means between said crossed dichroid plates and the associated eyes of said user, for both further amplifying and focusing the superimposed images.