Projector

• US 7,450,086 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Blythe, Michael M., Thielman, Jeffrey, Huddleston, Wyatt A., Pinard, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Nitin
• Application Number:
  US11/079,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/6, 345/7, 345/8, 345/173, 345 30- 39, 345/84, 359/292, 353/74, 353/99, 353/31, 353/94, 353/102, 348/771, 349/8
• US Class Current: 345/32
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/54 with projector
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/132 Overhead projectors, i.e. capable of projecting hand-writing or drawing during action epidiascopic projectors G03B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/04036 Details of illuminating systems, e.g. lamps, reflectors lamp housings for copying cameras, reflex exposure lighting G03B27/542

Abstract

An embodiment of an apparatus includes a surface and a projector to project light onto the surface. The embodiment further includes a first lens array to receive the light from a first region of the surface and a second lens array to receive the light from a second region of the surface.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a surface;

a projector to project light onto said surface;

a first lens array to receive the light from a first region of said surface;

a second lens array to receive the light from a second region of said surface; and

an imaging device to receive image data from a selected one of the first and second lens arrays depending on which of the first and second lens arrays has been moved to a predetermined position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said surface is a projection surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said projector is a light processor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first region is different from said second region.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second lens arrays are mounted on a rotating shaft to move the selected one of the first and second lens arrays to the predetermined position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first region comprises a portion of said surface and wherein said second region comprises an entirety of said surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the imaging device is a charged coupled device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the imaging device is a CMOS image sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first lens array defines a first focal length and said second lens array defines a second focal length different from said first focal length.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first focal length is at least three times greater than said second focal length.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said projector and said first and second lens arrays are each positioned below said surface, and wherein said surface is configured to be viewed from above by multiple users.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said projector comprises a digital light processor.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said surface comprises a table top.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a light source positioned to direct light onto said surface, said light of the light source comprising a spectrum range of light.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said spectrum range of light is chosen from one of red light, green light, blue light, white light, black light, ultra violet light, and infrared light.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a surface;

a projector to project light onto said surface;

a first lens array to receive the light from a first region of said surface;

a second lens array to receive the light from a second region of said surface;

a light source positioned to direct light onto said surface, said light comprising a spectrum range of light; and

a controller, wherein said spectrum range of light is reflected from an object positioned on said surface to provide a captured spectrum range image of said object, and wherein said captured spectrum range image is compared to a stored spectrum range image of said object stored within said controller to provide a secure login sequence.

17. A computer system, comprising:

a display surface;

a light processor that projects an image onto said display surface;

a first lens array adapted to receive light from said display surface, wherein said first lens array defines a first focal length; and

a second lens array adapted to receive light from said display surface, wherein said second lens array defines a second focal length different from said first focal length,

wherein said first lens array receives light including image data from a first region of said display surface, said second lens array receives light including image data from a second region of said display surface.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said first region comprises substantially one third of said display surface and said second region comprises substantially an entirety of said display surface.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said first lens array defines a magnification sufficient to project to an imaging device light including an image of a letter sized, printed document.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein said second lens array defines a magnification sufficient to project to an imaging device light including an image of an object positioned on said display surface.

21. The system of claim 17 further comprising an image data receiving device that defines a single image data receiving position, wherein said first and second lens arrays are each selectively movable into said single image data receiving position, the image data receiving device to receive image data from a selected one of the first and second lens arrays that has been moved to the signal image data receiving position.

22. The system of claim 17 further comprising a illumination source that illuminates an underside of said display surface with a portion of the light spectrum.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein said illumination source illuminates an underside of said display surface with a sequence of different portions of the light spectrum.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein said first lens array comprises a telephoto lens array and said second lens array comprises a wide-angle lens array.

25. A computer, comprising:

a display surface configured to facilitate viewing of said display surface by multiple users;

a light processor that projects an image onto said display surface;

a close-up lens array adapted to receive light including data from a portion of said display surface; and

a wide angle lens array adapted to receive the light from a complete region of said display surface.

26. The computer of claim 25 wherein said display surface defines a horizontal table top.

27. The computer of claim 25 wherein said close-up lens array and said wide-angle lens array are positioned on a rotating shaft, said shaft adapted to rotate so as to position one of said close-up lens array and said wide-angle lens array in an image receiving position.

28. The computer of claim 25 wherein said first and second lens arrays and said light processor are each positioned below said display surface.

29. The computer of claim 25 further comprising a controller adapted to receive touch-screen input instructions from said display surface, said controller adapted to move one of said close-up lens array and said wide-angle lens array into a single image receiving position, based on said received touch-screen input instructions.

30. A method, comprising:

moving a support to position one of a first optical system and a second optical system of a display system into a viewing position relative to a display surface based on an instruction received by the display system;

receiving light through one of said first optical system and said second optical system positioned within said viewing positions;

receiving, at an imaging device, image data from a first region of the display surface when the first optical system is positioned within said viewing position; and

receiving, at the imaging device, image data from a second region of the display surface when the second optical system is positioned within said viewing position.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising projecting said light to a charge coupled device.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said light comprises receiving a reflected light image comprised of light from a portion of the light spectrum.