Panoramic projection apparatus

• US 5,539,483 A
• Filed: 06/30/1995
• Issued: 07/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T IPM Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nalwa, Vishvjit S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C.
• Application Number:
  US08/497,341
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 353/30, 353/37, 353/94, 353/99, 353/98, 352/69-71, 348/36
• US Class Current: 353/94
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An omnidirectional or panoramic projector comprise several image producing devices with a common virtual optical center. The images produced by devices such as LCD or film are arranged to form a composite or panoramic image such as a continuous 360 degree image when taken as a whole. The user can view the 360 degree image with little or no distortion at the boundaries of the image segments forming the composite image since the image producing devices have the same or nearly the same virtual optical center.

Claims

1. A panoramic projection apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image producing devices; and

a pyramid shaped element having a plurality of reflective side facets facing in different directions so as to reflect images from the plurality of image producing devices in different directions to form a panoramic image, each of the plurality of facets reflecting an image from one of the plurality of image producing devices.

2. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pyramid has four reflective sides.

3. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 2, wherein the pyramid reflects images from four of the image producing devices.

4. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pyramid has eight reflective sides.

5. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the reflective side facets form a 45°

angle with a base of the pyramid shaped element.

6. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of the image producing devices have an optical axis perpendicular to the base.

7. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 6, wherein an optical center of each of the image producing devices are co-planer with a vertex of the pyramid shaped element.

8. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image producing devices are comprise film.

9. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image producing devices are LCDs.

10. The panoramic projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image producing devices are electronic display panels.