Video billboard

• US 5,612,741 A
• Filed: 11/05/1993
• Issued: 03/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Curtis Mathes Marketing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Curtis Mathes Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: Loban, Jerry M., Ryng, Henry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US08/148,048
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 348/383, 348/744, 348/745, 348/748, 348/750, 348/751, 348/756, 348/758, 348/761, 348/766, 348/778, 348/779, 348/781, 348/790, 348/794, 348/806, 348/807, 348/839, 348/840
• US Class Current: 348/383
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/10 Projectors with built-in or built-on screen
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/62 Translucent screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7441 the modulator being an array of liquid crystal cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026

Abstract

A video billboard 10 includes one or more projection units 12 utilizing a liquid crystal light valve projector 32 to project images onto a lenticulated lens screen 34. The types of images to be displayed, along with the time of day in which the images are to be displayed, are controlled from a remote master transmitter 24. A plurality of projection units 12(a-d) can be mounted together to provide an enlarged image display area.

Claims

1. A video billboard system comprising:

a plurality of projection unit modules connected together, each projection unit module comprising a hollow housing having an interior projection volume;

a liquid crystal light valve projector mounted in each of said housings, said projector having a cathode ray tube for controlling characteristic of a liquid crystal device, said liquid crystal device modulating light from a high intensity source;

a screen for each of said projection unit modules, said screens arranged to define an enlarged image area for said billboard system and for receiving the modulated light from each of said projectors, respectively;

a receiver coupled to said projectors, respectively;

transmitter means for transmitting commands to the receivers for controlling images to be projected onto said screens;

said screens each comprising an outer protective transparent sheet, a middle lens sheet having a lenticular lens structure and an inner lens sheet having a Fresnel lens structure; and

a remote control unit wirelessly coupled to said projectors for aligning images projected by said projectors onto said screens to provide an enlarged image for said billboard system.

2. The video billboard system of claim 1 wherein:

said projection unit modules are supported by a plurality of masts.

3. The video billboard of claim 2 wherein the masts are hollow and wherein cabling from the receiver to the projector runs at least partially within the hollow mast.

4. The video billboard system of claim 1 which further comprises:

an environmental control system, located within the housing of each of the projection unit modules, for maintaining the air within each of the projection volumes within predefined criteria.

5. A video billboard system comprising:

a plurality of projection unit modules, each projection unit module having a hollow housing with a liquid crystal light valve projector disposed in an interior projection volume of said housing and for projecting light having a contrast ratio of at least 80;

1 onto a rear surface of a screen, said screen forming a wall of said housing;

said projection unit modules being mounted together so that the screens of the projection unit modules provide a substantially flush enlarged image area;

a plurality of hollow masts supporting the projection unit modules above ground level;

an electronics package within at least one of said hollow masts, said electronics package including a video clip storage memory for storing a plurality of preprogrammed instructions for generating different messages to be displayed on the image area of the billboard;

cabling connecting the electronics package to each of the projectors, said cabling being routed at least partially through a hollow mast;

an environmental control system comprising an isolated heat pump for regulating the environment within said projection volume of the projection unit modules, respectively, without dispensing external air into said projection volume; and

transmitter means, located remotely from the billboard, for transmitting commands to the video clip storage memory for selecting images to be displayed, and the time period for which the images are to be displayed, on the image area of the billboard.

6. The billboard of claim 5 wherein the transmitter means communicates over a wireless communication link with the video clip storage memory.

7. The billboard of claim 5 wherein the screen comprises:

an outer protective sheet having a plurality of angled louvers on an outer face thereon; and

a middle sheet and an inner sheet, one face of a sheet having a combined vertically extending black strip and lenticular lens structure, a second face of one of the sheets having a horizontal lenticular lens structure, and a third face on one of the sheets having a Fresnel lens structure thereon.

8. A video billboard system comprising:

plural projection units;

a liquid crystal light valve projector disposed in each of said projection units, said projector having a cathode ray tube for controlling characteristics of a liquid crystal device, said liquid crystal device modulating light from a high intensity source;

a screen for receiving the modulated light from said projector;

a receiver coupled to said projector;

transmitter means for transmitting commands to said receiver for controlling images to be projected onto said screen; and

each projection unit includes front and rear screens, along with optical means for directing images from said projector onto said front and rear screens, respectively.

9. A video billboard system comprising:

a plurality of projection unit modules mounted back-to-back to provide front and rear image areas for the billboard, each projection unit module having a screen and a housing with a liquid crystal light valve projector for projecting light having a contrast ratio of at least 80;

1 onto a rear surface of said screen;

said projection unit modules being mounted together so that said screens of said projection unit modules provide a substantially flush enlarged image area;

a plurality of hollow masts supporting said projection unit modules above ground level;

an electronics package within at least one of said hollow masts, said electronics package including a video clip storage memory for storing a plurality of preprogrammed instructions for generating different messages to be displayed on the image area of the billboard;

cabling connecting the electronics package to each of the projectors, said cabling being routed at least partially through a hollow mast;

an environmental control system for regulating the environment within said projection unit modules; and

transmitter means, located remotely from said billboard, for transmitting commands to said video clip storage memory for selecting images to be displayed, and the time period for which the images are to be displayed, on the image area of said billboard.

10. A large scale video display apparatus comprising:

a generally hollow housing having a screen defining one wall of said housing and a projector disposed within a projection volume within said housing for projecting a video image onto said screen from a light source;

said screen comprising an outer protective transparent sheet, a middle lens sheet having a lenticular lens structure and an inner lens sheet adjacent said projection volume having a Fresnel lens structure for collimating and projecting a video image on said screen generated by said projector, said middle lens sheet and said inner lens sheet each include major inner and outer faces, said inner faces facing said projection volume and said outer faces facing the exterior of said housing, said Fresnel lens structure being located on an inner face of said inner lens sheet and said lenticular lens structure comprising a horizontal lenticular lens structure disposed on an outer face of said inner lens sheet and a vertical lenticular lens structure disposed on an outer face of said middle lens sheet.

11. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 10 including:

a plurality of horizontally extending louvers on an outer face of said outer protective sheet.

12. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 10 wherein:

said outer protective sheet is formed of a polycarbonate having an ultraviolet inhibitor therein and a non-reflective outer surface, said outer protective sheet being operable to protect said middle lens sheet and said inner lens sheet.

13. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 10 wherein:

said middle lens sheet includes generally vertically extending rib surfaces forming said vertical lenticular lens structure on said outer face and vertically extending black stripes interposed between said rib surfaces.

14. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 13 wherein:

the other face of said middle lens sheet includes complementary lenticular rib surfaces.

15. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 10 wherein:

said inner face of said inner lens sheet includes a spherical Fresnel lens pattern.

16. A video display apparatus comprising:

a hollow housing including a closed projection volume disposed therein, one wall of said housing comprising a video display apparatus screen;

a video projector disposed in said projection volume for projecting a video image on said screen, said video projector being operable to modulate light from a high intensity source; and

an environmental control unit disposed in said projection volume comprising an isolated heat pump for controlling the temperature within said projection volume within a predefined range without exchanging external air into said projection volume.

17. A video display apparatus comprising:

a plurality of projection unit modules, each module including a hollow housing and each module having a closed projection volume, one wall of each of said housings comprising a video display apparatus screen;

a video projector disposed in each of said projection volumes for projecting a video image on said screen, said video projector being operable to modulate light from a high intensity source, said projection unit modules being mounted back to back to provide front and rear image areas for said video display apparatus, and

an environmental control unit disposed in each of said projection volumes comprising an isolated heat pump for controlling the temperature within said projection volumes within a predefined range without exchanging external air into said projection volumes.

18. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 17 wherein:

said projection unit modules are mounted on spaced apart masts and a portion of said environmental control system is disposed in at least one of said masts and is operable to conduct heat exchange air through duct means disposed in said one mast.

19. A video billboard system comprising:

at least one projection unit module comprising a hollow housing having an interior projection volume;

a liquid crystal light valve projector mounted in said housing, said projector having a cathode ray tube for controlling characteristics of a liquid crystal device, said liquid crystal device modulating light from a high intensity source;

a screen for receiving the modulated light from said projector;

a receiver coupled to said projector;

transmitter means for transmitting commands to the receiver for controlling images to be projected onto said screen; and

said screen comprising an outer protective transparent sheet, a middle lens sheet having a lenticular lens structure and an inner lens sheet having a Fresnel lens structure, said sheets having respective inner faces facing said projection volume and outer faces facing the exterior of said at least one module, said Fresnel lens structure is located on an inner face of the inner lens sheet; and

said lenticular lens structure comprises a horizontal lenticular lens structure located on an outer face of the inner lens sheet and a vertical lenticular lens structure located on an outer face of the middle lens sheet.

20. The video billboard structure of claim 19 which further comprises:

a plurality of black stripes vertically spaced along the outer face of the middle lens sheet.

21. The video billboard system of claim 20 which further comprises a plurality of horizontally disposed louvers on an outer face of the outer protective sheet.

22. A large scale video display apparatus for projecting video images onto opposed screens comprising:

a projection unit module comprising a hollow housing, opposed walls of said housing forming image projecting screens, each of said screens being made up of an outer protective sheet and at least one inner lens sheet defining at least one of a lenticular lens structure and a Fresnel lens structure, said hollow housing defining a projection volume;

a projector disposed in said projection volume for generating a modulated light image from a high intensity source;

a beam splitter disposed in said projection volume for reflecting approximately half of a beam generated by said projector toward one of said screens while the remaining half of said beam passes through said beam splitter; and

a mirror disposed in said projection volume for receiving said remaining half of said beam and for projecting said remaining half of said beam onto the other of said screens.

23. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 22 wherein:

said projector comprises a liquid crystal light valve projector for projecting modulated light onto both of said screens by way of said beam splitter and said mirror.

24. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 22 wherein:

said at least one inner lens sheet includes a Fresnal lens structure formed on an inner face thereof and a horizontal lenticular lens structure formed on an outer face thereof.

25. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 24 wherein:

each of said screens includes a middle lens sheet disposed between said inner lens sheet and said outer protective sheet and comprising a vertical lenticular lens structure formed thereon.

26. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 22 including:

an environmental control system disposed in said projection volume for controlling the temperature within said projection volume within a predefined range without exchanging external air into said projection volume.

27. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 26 wherein:

said environmental control system includes an isolated heat pump disposed at least partially in said projection volume.

28. The video display apparatus set forth in claim 22 wherein:

said video display apparatus includes a plurality of projection unit modules connected together such that their respective screens define an enlarged image area for said apparatus.

29. A video display apparatus comprising:

a hollow housing including a closed projection volume disposed therein, said housing including opposed walls each comprising a video display screen;

a video projector disposed in said projection volume for projecting a video image, said video projector being operable to modulate light from a high intensity source;

a beam splitter disposed in said projection volume for receiving a beam from said projector and for splitting said beam to reflect half of said beam, respectively, toward each of said opposed screens; and

an environmental control unit disposed in said projection volume comprising an isolated heat pump for controlling the temperature within said projection volume within a predefined range without exchanging external air into said projection volume.

30. A large scale video display apparatus for projecting video images onto opposed screens comprising:

a projection unit module comprising a hollow housing, opposed walls of said housing forming image projecting screens, each of said screens comprising at least one lens sheet defining at least one of a lenticular lens structure and a Fresnel lens structure, said hollow housing defining a projection volume;

a projector disposed in said projection volume for generating a modulated light image from a high intensity source;

a beam splitter disposed in said projection volume for reflecting approximately half of a beam generated by said projector toward one of said screens while the remaining half of said beam passes through said beam splitter; and

a mirror disposed in said projection volume for receiving said remaining half of said beam and for projecting said remaining half of said beam onto the other of said screens.

31. A video billboard system comprising:

a plurality of projection unit modules connected together, each projection unit module comprising a hollow housing having an interior projection volume;

a liquid crystal light valve projector mounted in each of said housings, said projector having a cathode ray tube for controlling characteristic of a liquid crystal device, said liquid crystal device modulating light from a high intensity source;

a screen for each of said projection unit modules, said screens arranged to define an enlarged image area for said billboard system and for receiving the modulated light from each of said projectors, respectively;

a receiver coupled to said projectors, respectively;

transmitter means for transmitting commands to the receivers for controlling images to be projected onto said screens;

said screens each comprising lens sheets defining a lenticular lens structure and a Fresnel lens structure; and

a remote control unit wirelessly coupled to said projectors for aligning images projected by said projectors onto said screens to provide an enlarged image for said billboard system.