Monocular display apparatus

• US 8,816,939 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kodak Alaris Inc (KPP (no. 2) Trustees Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kodak Alaris Inc (KPP (no. 2) Trustees Ltd.)
• Inventors: Border, John Norvold, Singhal, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELAI, NAOD W
• Application Number:
  US12/987,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20120176296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 348 40- 60, 348/8, 345/7, 345/698
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0143 the two eyes not being equipped with identical nor symmetrical optical devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects

Abstract

An apparatus for viewing of an image of a scene, including a monocular device worn by a viewer which includes a first display for displaying a first two-dimensional image of the scene with a first perspective to one eye of the viewer. a second display for displaying a second two-dimensional image of the scene with a second perspective to the other eye of the viewer, wherein the first perspective of the scene is different from the second perspective of the scene so that the viewer perceives a three dimensional image of the scene, while another viewer of the second display, that is not wearing a monocular device, views the two-dimensional image of the scene.

Claims

1. A system for viewing images of a scene on first and second displays, comprising:

a) an image delivery system for providing first and second two dimensional images of the scene wherein the first and second images have different perspectives of the scene;

b) a monocular device wearable by a viewer comprising

the first display for displaying the first two-dimensional images of the scene to one eye of the viewer and

a camera for capturing images of the second display along with images of a portion of an environment surrounding the second display, wherein the first two dimensional images displayed on the first display are combinations of the first two dimensional images of the scene and images of the portion of the environment surrounding the second display captured by the camera; and

c) the second display, located remotely to the first display, for displaying the second two-dimensional images of the scene to the other eye of the viewer, such that the viewer perceives three dimensional images of the scene, while another viewer of the second display that is not wearing a monocular device views two-dimensional images of the scene.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the image delivery system is adapted to further provide synchronized first and second two-dimensional images with first and second different perspectives to the monocular device and the second display respectively.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second display is a television, a cell phone display, a computer monitor, or a head mounted display.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the image delivery system further includes a wireless communication system between the image delivery system and the monocular device to provide the first two-dimensional images to the monocular device.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the image delivery system is adapted to further provide a series of synchronized sequential first and second two-dimensional images to the monocular device and the second display.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the wireless image delivery system is a radio system, a wifi system, a bluetooth system or an infrared system.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first display is an opaque display.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first display is a see-through display.

9. A method for viewing images of a scene on a first and second displays comprising:

(a) providing a viewer with a monocular device including the first display and a camera;

(b) using the camera to capture images of the second display along with images of a portion of an environment surrounding the second display;

(c) using a processor to produce combination images comprised of first two-dimensional images of the scene along with images of the portion of the environment surrounding the second display captured by the camera;

(d) displaying the combination images on the first display to provide a first perspective of the scene to one eye of the viewer; and

(e) providing a second display, that is remote from the first display, for viewing with the other eye second two-dimensional images having a second perspective of the scene, wherein the second perspective is different from the first perspective so that the viewer perceives three dimensional images of the scene, while one or more other viewers, not wearing monocular devices, can simultaneously view the second display with both eyes and see two-dimensional images of the scene.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the second display is a television, a cell phone display, a computer monitor, a tablet display, a billboard display, a hardcopy image or any other two-dimensional display.

11. The method of claim 9 further including providing synchronized first and second two-dimensional images for simultaneous viewing on the first and second displays respectively.

12. The method of claim 11 further including providing a series of synchronized sequential first and second two-dimensional images to the monocular device and the second display.

13. The method of claim 9 further including providing synchronized alternating first and second two-dimensional images for viewing in a repeating alternating fashion on the first display and the second display respectively.

14. The method of claim 9 further including providing wireless communication to the monocular device.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the first two-dimensional images have a lower resolution than the second two-dimensional images.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the first two-dimensional images have a lower bit depth than the second two-dimensional images.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the first display is a see-through display.