Image projection display system for use in large field-of-view presentation

• US 6,042,238 A
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins Visual Display Systems Ltd. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Blackham, Geoffrey Howard, Edwards, Roger Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): DOWLING, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US09/101,707
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 353/98, 353/30, 353/99, 353/94, 348/36, 348/39, 348/121, 348/123, 348/747, 348/785, 348/786, 348/827, 359/449, 434/43, 434/44, 434/38, 434/55
• 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: G09B 9/326 the image being transformed by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026

Abstract

An image projection display system for use in large field-of-view presentations, which image projection display system comprises a fold mirror arrangement and a plurality of projection devices, the image projection display system being such that light beams from the projection devices are optically combined by the fold mirror arrangement so as to appear to be projected from essentially a common equivalent eye point, whereby the displayed information of adjacent projected displays is able to be correctly aligned with respect to a design eye point without the need to apply distortion to the images.

Claims

1. An image projection display system (48) for use in large field-of-view presentation, which image projection display system (48) comprises a fold mirror arrangement (30) and a plurality of projection devices (64), characterised by the projection devices (64) having an apparent common projection point, and the image projection display system (48) being such that light beams from the projection devices (64) are optically combined by the fold mirror arrangement (30) so as to appear to be projected from essentially a common equivalent eye point (66) such that the displayed information of adjacent projected displays is correctly aligned with respect to a design eye point (56) without the need to apply distortion to the images.

2. An image projection display system (48) according to claim 1 in which the images are formed on a back projection screen (20) which is viewed via a concave mirror (18) to provide an essentially collimated display, said image projection display system (48) being such that the common projection point is located sufficiently close to the equivalent eye point (66) to ensure required geometrical accuracy.

3. An image projection display system (48) according to claim 1 in which the images are formed on a screen which is viewed directly by the user, said image projection display system (48) being such that the common projection point is located sufficiently close to the equivalent eye point (66) to ensure required geometrical accuracy.

4. An image projection display system (48) according to claim 1 in which the fold mirror arrangement (30) performs optical blending between adjacent channels so that essentially constant luminance across the region of overlap of adjacent projected images is able to be achieved.

5. An image projection display system (48) according to claim 1 in which the projection devices (64) are fixed matrix image display projection devices (64).

6. Large field-of-view presentation apparatus comprising an image projection display system (48) according to claim 1, and a computer image generator.

7. Large field-of-view presentation apparatus according to claim 6 in which the computer image generator includes a simulated real world database.