Image display device

• US 6,091,827 A
• Filed: 06/23/1997
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Electronics Corporation (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Seiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Vivian
• Application Number:
  US08/880,402
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 381/25, 381/61, 381/309, 381/310, 381/300, 381/307, 381/306, 345/114, 345/8, 700/94
• US Class Current: 381/306
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0633 by amplitude modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/58 in dependence upon ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/642 Disposition of sound reproducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

An image display device which provides an enlarged main display image together with an environmental image disposed at its periphery; which is provided with a circumstances-detecting unit for detecting the operating conditions of the image display device and an image-changing unit for varying the environmental image according to parameters detected by the circumstances-detecting unit. The circumstances-detecting means detects the quantity or brightness of light inside or outside the display device and the sound volume of the display or surrounding sound outside the display device. The image-changing unit varies a light quantity and color tone of an environmental image of the display device according to the detected light quantity or brightness, or according to the detected sound volume or surrounding sound.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

a display for displaying a main image having a first image source together with an environmental image having a second image source and disposed at a periphery of the main image, the environmental image having an environmental viewing context for the main image; and

environmental sound presenting means said environmental sound presenting means detects sound surrounding a user, selects a specified sound, determines whether the detected sound exceed a threshold level, and outputs the specified sound together with an environmental sound related to the environmental image when the threshold level is exceeded.

2. An image display device as defined in claim 1, wherein the environmental sound presenting means includes means for synthesizing an audio signal associated with the main image with the environmental sound and outputting a synthesized audio signal.

3. An image display device as defined in claim 1, wherein the environmental sound presenting means includes means for separately outputting an audio signal associated with the main image and the environmental sound.

4. An image display device as defined in claim 1, wherein the environmental sound presenting means includes a detector for detecting the presence or absence of an audio signal associated with the main image and selectively outputting the environmental sound according to the detection result.

5. A method of displaying an image comprising:

displaying a main image having a first image source together with an environmental image having a second image source and disposed at a periphery of the main image, the environmental image providing a background viewing context for the main image;

detecting a sound surrounding a user;

selecting a specified sound;

determining whether the detected sound exceeds a threshold level; and

outputting the specified sound along with an environmental sound related to the environmental image when the threshold level is exceeded.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, said outputting further including synthesizing an audio signal associated with the main image with the environmental sound and outputting a synthesized audio signal.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, said outputting further including separately outputting an audio signal associated with the main image and the environmental sound.

8. The method as defined in claim 5, said detecting further including detecting the presence or absence of an audio signal associated with the main image, said outputting further including selectively outputting the environmental sound according to the detection result.

9. An image display device comprising:

a display for displaying a main image having a first image source together with an environmental image having a second image source and disposed at a periphery of the main image; and

an environmental sound presenting unit, said environmental sound presenting unit detects at least an accompanying sound of a display image or a surrounding sound around the user, and outputs the detected sound together with an environmental sound, said environmental sound presenting unit including;

a sound sensor for receiving outside sound signals; and

a discriminator for discriminating a selectable outside sound signal received through the sound sensor, wherein the discriminator transfers the selectable outside sound signal to a synthesizing portion when the signal exceeds a threshold level.

10. An image display device according to claim 9, wherein the environmental sound presenting unit further includes:

a sound memory for storing a plurality of environmental sound signals; and

a synthesizing portion for synthesizing an environmental sound signal received from the sound memory with an audio signal received from the display to provide a synthesized audio signal.

11. An image display device according to claim 10, wherein the synthesized audio signal is transferred to a speaker.

12. An image display device according to claim 9, wherein the environmental sound presenting unit further includes:

a sound change-over portion for matching an environmental sound signal received from a sound memory to an audio signal received from the display; and

a detector for detecting the presence or absence of the audio signal of the display and for controlling the sound change-over portion.

13. An image display device according to claim 12, wherein the detector controls the change-over portion to output an audio signal of the display when the signal is present, or to output a selectable environmental sound signal when the audio signal of the display is absent.

14. A method of displaying an image comprising:

displaying a main image having a first image source together with an environmental image having a second image source and disposed at a periphery of the main image;

detecting at least an accompanying sound of a display image or a sound surrounding a user;

selecting a specified sound;

determining whether the detected sound exceeds a threshold level; and

outputting the specified sound together with an environmental sound related to the environmental image when the threshold level is exceeded.