Automatic follow-up projecting system

• US 5,114,224 A
• Filed: 07/24/1990
• Issued: 05/19/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AOI Studio Company Limited, Dentsu Tec Incorporated (Dentsu Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOI Studio Company Limited, Densu PROX Incorporated
• Inventors: Miyagawa, Kazuya, Tomimatsu, Yukihito, Miyamoto, Takashi, Sugiura, Tsutomu, Nishi, Kenji, Ichihara, Taku
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dowling, William C.
• Application Number:
  US07/556,978
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 353/122, 353/28, 33/1 A, 356/4, 356/1, 250/561, 350/120
• US Class Current: 353/122
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/18 involving the use of optical projection means, e.g. projection of images on clouds projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A light for an infrared ray) emitting member or a reflective (or an infrared ray reflective) medium is mounted at a predetermined position on an object upon which an image is projected. The light emitting member or the reflective medium is acquired in the coaxial direction of an image projecting unit by an (infrared ray) image pick-up means and video signals obtained by the (infrared ray) image pick-up means are digitized in an image processing unit, such that a highly luminous point of the light emitting or reflected portion occurs in a binary image. A central value of a primary moment on the binary image including the high luminous point, is calculated in real time, and the calculated data is fed back to an electrically-driven driving portion of the image projecting unit, so that the image may be continually projected at the predetermined position. The electrically-drive turntable automatically controls the image projecting direction including the direction of light. The image projecting apparatus projects the image by automatically tracking the position of the moving light emitting member or the reflective medium. Consequently, the image can be continually projected at the predetermined position, automatically tracking the moving object such as an airship or a balloon, so that it can be available as an effective advertizing medium or news.

Claims

1. An automatic follow-up projecting system comprising;

a turntable pivotable arbitrarily about vertical and horizontal axes in response to a movement of a moving object having a light emitting member;

an image projecting unit affixed said turntable, and having directivity so as to project an image at a predetermined position on said moving object;

an image pick-up means for light emitted from said light emitting member;

a calculating controlling means connected to said image pick-up means and said turntable, for driving and controlling said turntable in accordance with light quantity signals obtained from said light emitting member by said image pick-up means, thereby moving said turntable so as to cause said image projecting unit to track said moving object.

2. An automatic follow-up projecting system according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting member is an infrared ray radiating member and said image pick-up means is an infrared ray image pick-up means.

3. An automatic follow-up projecting system according to claim 2, wherein said moving object is an airship or a balloon and said predetermined position is not overlapped by said infrared ray radiating member. PG,14

4. An automatic follow-up projecting system comprising;

a turntable pivotable arbitrarily about vertical and horizontal axes in response to a movement of a moving object having a reflective member;

an image projecting unit affixed to said turntable, and having directivity so as to project an image at a predetermined position on said moving object;

an infrared ray radiating means affixed to said turntable for radiating infrared rays onto said reflective member;

an infrared ray image pick-up means for receiving infrared rays reflected from said reflective member;

a calculating controlling means connected to said infrared ray image pick-up means and said turntable, for driving and controlling said turntable in accordance with an amount of infrared rays obtained from said reflective member by said infrared ray image pick-up means, thereby moving said turntable so as to cause said image projecting unit to track said moving object.

5. An automatic follow-up projecting system according to claim 4, wherein said reflective member is a mirror or a tape mounted on the moving object.

6. An automatic follow-up projecting system according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined position is not overlapped by said mirror or tape.

7. An automatic follow-up projecting system comprising;

a turntable pivotable arbitrarly about vertical and horizontal axes in response to a movement of a moving object having a light emitting member;

a mirror attached to said turntable, an image projecting unit having directivity so as to project an image at a predetermined position on said moving object by way of said mirror;

an image pick-up means for receiving light emitted from said light emitting member by way of said mirror;

a calculating controlling means connected to said image pick-up means and said turntable, for driving and controlling said turntable in accordance with light quantity signals obtained from said light emitting member by said image pick-up means, thereby moving said turntable so as to cause said image projecting unit to track said moving object.

8. An automatic follow-up projecting system according to claim 7, wherein a reflective member is applied in place of said light emitting member and a light radiating means for radiating light to said reflective member by way of said mirror is applied.

9. An automatic follow-up projecting system according to claim 7, wherein said image projecting unit and image pick-up means are respectively fixed at a predetermined place and said mirror attached to said turntable is disposed away from said image projecting unit and image pick-up means.