Display with rangefinder

• US 5,252,950 A
• Filed: 12/20/1991
• Issued: 10/12/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Vertelney, Harry, Saunders, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Application Number:
  US07/811,082
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 340/700, 340/747, 340/703, 340/734, 340/729, 340/705, 359/14, 358/88-92
• US Class Current: 345/9
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/6245 Stereoscopic displays; Three-dimensional displays; Pseudo-three dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability

Abstract

An apparatus for displaying images comprising a display capable of displaying rendered imagery. The apparatus comprises a rangefinder coupled to the display which is capable of determining the distance from a viewer to the display. The apparatus further comprises a means for displaying an image upon the display, the image having a perspective such that the display is a projection plane of a perspective volume. A distance from the projection plane to a center of the projection is proportional to the distance from the display to the viewer, and the distance from the center of the projection to the projection plane is dynamically modifiable depending on the distance detected by the rangefinder. The display may be transparent so that a background scene may be visible with the rendered image superimposed upon it.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying images comprising:

a. a display for displaying rendered imagery said display being substantially transparent to a viewer of the display;

b. an automatic rangefinder coupled to the display for determining the distance from a viewer to the display, said distance which may vary between a minimum distance and a maximum distance; and

c. a means for displaying an image upon the display, the image having a perspective such that the display is a projection plane of a perspective volume, and a distance from the projection plane to a center of the projection is proportional to the distance from the display to the viewer, the distance from the center of the projection to the projection plane being dynamically modifiable depending on the distance detected by the rangefinder.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rangefinder comprises a sonar rangefinding device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rangefinder comprises an infrared rangefinding device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display may be held in a field of view of the viewer of a background scene, the image appearing superimposed upon the background scene by a viewer of the display.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second rangefinder for determining a distance from the display to a background scene, said means for displaying said image on said display further comprising a means for dynamically adjusting said perspective of said image by modifying the distance from said projection plane to a background scene of said perspective volume proportional to said distance from said display to said background scene determined by said second rangefinder.

15. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a second rangefinder for determining a distance from the display to a background scene, said means for displaying said image on said display further comprising a means for dynamically adjusting said perspective of said image by modifying the distance from said projection plane to a background scene of said perspective volume proportional to said distance from said display to said background scene determined by said second rangefinder.

7. An apparatus for displaying images comprising:

a. a display for displaying rendered imagery;

b. an automatic rangefinder coupled to the display, the rangefinder for determining the distance from a viewer to the display, said distance which may vary between a minimum distance and a maximum distance; and

c. a means for displaying an image upon the display, the image having a perspective such that the display is a projection plane of a perspective volume, and a distance from the projection plane to a center of the projection is proportional to the distance from the display to the viewer, the distance from the center of the projection to the projection plane being dynamically modifiable depending on the distance detected by the rangefinder.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the rangefinder comprises a sonar rangefinding means.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the rangefinder comprises an infrared rangefinding means.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the display is substantially transparent and the display may be suspended against a background scene, the image appearing superimposed upon the background scene by a viewer of the display.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a means for superimposing the image onto a background image.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the background image is a live video image.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the means for superimposing comprises a video signal synchronizing (genlock) means.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the background image is a digitized video image.