Method and apparatus for closed captioning at a performance

• US 5,648,789 A
• Filed: 10/02/1991
• Issued: 07/15/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sightline Media Group
• Original Assignee: National Captioning Institute, Inc.
• Inventors: Ball, John E. D., Beadles, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, DOON Y
• Application Number:
  US07/769,849
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 340/705, 340/980, 351/50, 351/47, 351/41-46, 345/8, 345/9, 345/7, 359/630, 359/631, 359/632, 359/13, 348/56, 353/122
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/009 Teaching or communicating with deaf persons G09B21/04 takes precedence; deaf and dumb persons G09B21/00

Abstract

Apparatus for providing closed captioning at a performance comprises means for encoding a signal representing the written equivalent of spoken dialogue. The signal is synchronized with the spoken dialog and transmitted to wearable glasses of a person watching the performance. The glasses include receiving and decoding circuits and means for projecting a display image into the field of view of the person watching the performance representing at least one line of captioning. The field of view of the displayed image is equivalent to the field of view of the performance. A related method for providing closed captioning further includes the step of accommodating for different interpupillary distances of the person wearing the glasses.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a display of a sequence of alphanumeric characters in the field of view of a person, said person comprising a member of an audience, said apparatus comprising:

means for encoding a signal for transmission representing the written equivalent of spoken dialogue;

means for synchronizing said signal to the spoken dialogue;

circuit means for transmitting the encoded signal representing the written equivalent of the spoken dialogue;

circuit means for receiving and decoding the encoded signal representing the written equivalent of the spoken dialogue; and

means for projecting a display image into said field of view to indicate at least one line of alphanumeric characters, said line of sufficient length to represent at least several words,

wherein said encoding means, said synchronizing means, and said circuit means for transmitting are at a location other than the location of said person, and wherein said circuit means for receiving and decoding, and said projecting means, are at the location of said person and are adapted to be worn by said person.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which the field of view of the person is equivalent to that of a performance the person is watching.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2, further comprising a means for varying said field of view of said person immediately prior to display of the at least one line of characters.

4. An apparatus as in claim 2, in which said circuit means for encoding and decoding said signal additionally comprises a modulator/demodulator.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which the field of view is predetermined.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which the field of view is between 15 and 35 feet.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which the signal is electrical.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which the signal is acoustic.

9. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which the signal is optical.

10. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which said circuit means for transmitting, receiving, and decoding said signal comprises a wireless link between transmitter and receiver.

11. An apparatus as in claim 10, in which said wireless link includes an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver.

12. An apparatus as in claim 1, the apparatus being responsive to a signal representing a sound-track-synchronized caption, the encoding means and the transmitting means for encoding and transmitting an encoded caption to a location of the person, and the image projection means being adapted to be worn by the person.

13. An apparatus as in claim 1, the image projection means being portable and adapted to be worn by the user, the encoding and transmitting means being stationary.

14. An apparatus as in claim 1, the encoding means, the synchronizing means and the transmission circuit means being stationary, the receiving and decoding circuit means and the image projection means being adapted to be worn by the user.

15. An apparatus as in claim 14, the encoded signal being infrared and further comprising an infrared wireless link between the stationary means and the means adapted to be worn by the user.

16. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the written equivalent of spoken dialog comprises captions of alphanumeric characters.

17. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the receiving and decoding means comprises processor means for generating display control signals, the control signals comprising signals for timing a display of the at least one line of alphanumeric characters and clearing the display, the image projection means comprising means for timing and clearing the display responsive to the control signals.

18. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the image projection means comprises light display elements and optical elements which magnify light output of the light display elements and superimpose displayed output in the field of view of the person.

19. An apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the image projection means further comprises a beamsplitter for directing light output from the optical elements into the field of view of the person.

20. An apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the beamsplitter is adapted to direct the light output into a line of sight of the person watching a performance.

21. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a beamsplitter adapted to receive and display said projected display image to permit said person to view a performance through said apparatus.

22. A wearable apparatus for providing a display of a sequence of alphanumeric characters, primarily words, in the field of view of a person comprising:

circuit means for receiving and decoding an encoded signal representing said sequence of alphanumeric characters;

means for synchronizing said received and decoded signal;

means for projecting a display image corresponding to said synchronized signal into said field of view to indicate at least one line of alphanumeric characters, said line of sufficient length to represent at least several words; and

means for adapting the wearable apparatus to accommodate different interpupillary distances of different persons.

23. A wearable apparatus as in claim 22, in which the field of view of the person is equivalent to that of a performance the person is watching.

24. A wearable apparatus as in claim 22, in which said circuit means for receiving and decoding said signal comprises a wireless link between transmitter and receiver.

25. A wearable apparatus as in claim 24, in which said wireless link comprises an infrared receiver.

26. A wearable apparatus as in claim 22, in which said circuit means for decoding said message comprises a demodulator.

27. A wearable apparatus as in claim 22 further comprising mounting means for mounting an optical magnifier having a focus mechanism.

28. A wearable apparatus as in claim 27, the mounting means comprising means for accommodating for different interpupillary distances of the person.

29. A wearable apparatus as in claim 22, the projecting means further comprising beamsplitting means adapted for eye dominancy of the person.

30. A wearable apparatus as in claim 22 comprising a microprocessor for controlling the apparatus.

31. A wearable apparatus as in claim 22, further comprising a surface adapted to receive and display said projected display image and adapted to permit said person to view a performance through said surface.

32. A method for providing a display of a sequence of alphanumeric characters, primarily words, in the field of view of a person comprising the steps of:

encoding a signal representing the written equivalent of spoken dialogue;

transmitting the encoded message representing the written equivalent of the spoken dialogue synchronized to said dialogue;

receiving and decoding the encoded message representing the written equivalent of the spoken dialogue;

projecting a focusable display image into said field of view to indicate at least one line of alphanumeric characters corresponding to said written equivalent of the spoken dialogue; and

accommodating for different interpupillary distances of the person.

33. A method as in claim 32, in which said steps of transmitting, receiving, and decoding said message is performed by means of a wireless link between transmitter and receiver.

34. A method as in claim 33, in which said wireless link includes an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver.

35. A method as in claim 32, in which the steps of encoding and decoding said message are performed by a modulator/demodulator.

36. A method as in claim 32, in which receipt, decoding, and delivery of the at least one line of alphanumeric characters are under the control of a microprocessor.

37. A method as in claim 32, wherein said image projecting step projects said focusable display image onto a surface through which said person can view a performance occurring beyond said apparatus.

38. An apparatus adapted to be worn by a person for providing a display of a sequence of alphanumeric characters in words forming a caption in the field of view of the person comprising:

a receiver for receiving an optically encoded caption transmitted to the receiver over an infrared transmission link and outputting an electrically encoded caption;

a modulator/demodulator for receiving the electrically encoded caption and outputting a caption encoded according to a format for encoding alphanumeric characters of the caption,

a processor for synchronizing the format encoded caption into blocks of characters of sufficient length to represent at least several words, the processor further outputing control signals comprising signals for timing and clearing the display of the sequence of alphanumeric characters;

an LED array responsive to the caption blocks for displaying the caption blocks,

a magnifying lens for focussing the displayed caption block optically to a beamsplitter, and

the beamsplitter for presenting the caption block in the field of view of at least one eye of the person and into a line of sight of the person from at least one eye of the person to a performance when the person is wearing the apparatus and watching the performance.

39. An apparatus as in claim 38, wherein said beamsplitter permits said user to watch said performance through said apparatus.

40. A wearable apparatus for projecting a sequence of words into the field of view of a person in an audience, comprising:

circuit means for receiving and decoding a signal containing a sequence of at least several words, said signal transmitted from a transmitter located at a location other than the location of the person, said circuit means located at the location of the person;

projecting means, responsive to said circuit means, for projecting a display image of said sequence into said field of view, said display image comprising at least two lines of approximately 30 characters each, said projecting means including means for displaying uppercase, lowercase, and limited special symbols; and

a beamsplitter positioned to receive and reflect said projected display image to said person, and adapted to permit said person to substantially see through said beamsplitter while said person is viewing said projected display image,

wherein said projecting means includes a positive lens and said beamsplitter comprises a partially reflective planar mirror which substantially covers said person'"'"'s field of view.

41. An apparatus as in claim 40, wherein said positive lens has a magnification factor greater than 50.

42. An apparatus as in claim 40, wherein said positive lens is positioned a distance of less than 50 mm from said planar mirror, and an optical axis of said positive lens forms an angle of less than 10 degrees with a plane orthogonal to said planar mirror.

43. An apparatus as in claim 40, wherein said beamsplitter and said positive lens are disposed such that an optical axis of said positive lens and an optical axis of an eye of said person intersect in the approximate center of said beamsplitter.

44. An apparatus as in claim 40, wherein said positive lens is movably displaceable in relation to said beamsplitter to adjust the position of said projected display image on said beamsplitter.

45. An apparatus as in claim 40, wherein said sequence of words comprises a plurality of characters, each character being projected to said person with a minimum visual field of 0.2 degrees.

46. An apparatus as in claim 40, wherein said beamsplitter comprises a first surface and a second surface, said first surface being partially reflective and said second surface having a shape which corrects for visual defects of said person.

47. An apparatus as in claim 40, further comprising a focusing means for focusing said projected display image.

48. An apparatus as in claim 40, wherein said circuit means comprises means for clearing and timing said projected display image of said sequence.

49. An apparatus as in claim 40, further comprising means for adjusting a brightness level of said projected display image.

50. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the projecting means comprises a dot matrix LED display having three or more separate rows of characters.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the positive lens comprises a narrow slice cut from the center of a spherical lens, with its major dimension aligned with the major dimension of the dot matrix LED display.

52. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein each of said characters is projected to said person with a visual field of between 0.2 and 0.4 degrees.

53. A wearable apparatus for projecting a sequence of words into the field of view of a person comprising:

circuit means for receiving and decoding a signal containing a sequence of at least several words;

projecting means, responsive to said circuit means, for projecting a display image of said sequence into said field of view, wherein said projecting means includes a positive lens and a display element; and

a beamsplitter positioned to receive and reflect said projected display image to said person, and adapted to permit said person to substantially see through said beamsplitter while said person is viewing said projected display image, wherein said beamsplitter comprises a partially reflective planar mirror;

wherein said positive lens is movably displaceable in relation to said beamsplitter to adjust the position of said projected display image on said beamsplitter; and

wherein the positive lens comprises a narrow slice cut from the center of a spherical lens, with its major dimension aligned with the major dimension of the display element.