Display system, display control apparatus, display apparatus, display method and user interface device

• US 20040125044A1
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Akira
• Application Number:
  US10/655,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125044A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions

Abstract

Image data represented in such a manner as to enclose and surround a user are displayed in a manner such that the image data are divided among a plurality of display apparatus that surround the user. A display control apparatus acquires information indicative of positions of the respective display apparatuses from position sensors, generates images that must be seen in the direction from the user and causes each of the display apparatuses to display the generated images.

Claims

1. A display system, including:

a plurality of display apparatuses; and

at least one display control apparatus, said display apparatus including;

a detector which detects a position of said display apparatus; and

a notifying unit which notifies said display control apparatus of information indicative of the position of said display apparatus detected by said detector, and said display control apparatus including;

a position information acquiring unit which acquires from said notifying unit the information indicative of the position of said display apparatus; and

an image generator which generates images to be displayed on said display apparatus, based on the information, indicative of the position of said display apparatus, acquired by said position information acquiring unit, and which supplies the thus generated images to said display apparatus,

wherein the plurality of display apparatuses display images acquired from said image generator.

2. A display system according to claim 1, wherein in order that image data be displayed in a manner such that the plurality of display apparatuses are interlocked to one another, said image generator generates images to be displayed on the respective image display apparatuses, from the image data.

3. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the image data represents a three-dimensional space.

4. A display system according to claim 3, wherein said display control apparatus further includes a viewpoint acquiring unit which acquires a viewpoint position of a user, and wherein, based on a position of said display apparatus relative to the viewpoint position of the user, said image generator generates images which must be seen in the respective directions of said display apparatuses from viewpoints provided in the three-dimensional space.

5. A display system according to claim 1, further including a plurality of speakers, wherein said display control apparatus further includes an audio generator which generates audio to be outputted from a speaker based on information indicative of a position of said speaker and which transmits the generated audio to said speaker.

6. A display system according to claim 1, further including an input device which inputs a user'"'"'s instruction to said display apparatus or said display control apparatus, wherein a display apparatus or a display control apparatus, disposed in a direction that said input device faces, acquires a signal from said input device and receives the user'"'"'s instruction.

7. A display system according to claim 1, further including an input device which inputs a user'"'"'s instruction to said display apparatus or said display control apparatus, wherein said display control apparatus collectively acquires a signal from said input device and transmits, as appropriate, the user'"'"'s instruction to said display apparatus.

8. A display system according to claim 6, wherein an interface screen which supports input of the user'"'"'s instruction from said input device is displayed on at least one of said plurality of display apparatuses.

9. A display system according to claim 7, wherein an interface screen which supports input of the user'"'"'s instruction from said input device is displayed on at least one of said plurality of display apparatuses.

10. A display system according to claim 8, wherein the interface screen is displayed on a display apparatus disposed in a direction that said input device faces.

11. A display system according to claim 6, wherein said input device has a display screen to display an interface screen that supports input of the user'"'"'s instruction.

12. A display system according to claim 7, wherein said input device has a display screen to display an interface screen that supports input of the user'"'"'s instruction.

13. A display system according to claim 11, wherein said input device includes an execution unit which displays the interface screen and executes a program to receive the input of the user'"'"'s instruction.

14. A display system according to claim 13, wherein, prior to receiving the input of the user'"'"'s instruction, said input device acquires the program from said display control apparatus or said display apparatus.

15. A display system according to claim 6, wherein said display apparatus, said display control apparatus or said input device includes an indicator which indicates to a user an apparatus intended to be operated by said input device.

16. A display system according to claim 7, wherein said display apparatus, said display control apparatus or said input device includes an indicator which indicates to a user an apparatus intended to be operated by said input device.

17. A display control apparatus, comprising:

a position information acquiring unit which acquires information indicative of positions of a plurality of display apparatuses;

an image generator which generates images to be displayed respectively on said plurality of display apparatuses, based on the information, indicative of the positions of said display apparatuses, acquired by said position information acquiring unit.

18. A display apparatus, comprising:

a detector which detects a position of the display apparatus;

a notifying unit which notifies a display control apparatus of information indicative of the position of the display apparatus detected by said detector; and

a display unit which acquires and displays images generated by the display control apparatus according to the position.

19. A display method in which, at the time when image data expressed in a form surrounding a user are displayed by a plurality of display apparatuses interspersed, information indicative of positions of the respective display apparatuses are acquired as appropriate, and images that must be seen in the directions of the respective display apparatuses from the user are generated and displayed on the display apparatuses.

20. A user interface device, including:

a display unit; and

an input device, provided in front of said display unit, which receives and effects an input by a user'"'"'s touching on a surface thereof while the user sees through the display unit,

wherein a transparent layer with a fine concave and convex shape formed on a surface thereof by fixing transparent particles is provided and pasted in front of said input device.

21. A user interface device according to claim 20, wherein the transparent particles are made of resin.

22. A user interface device, including:

a display unit; and

an input device, provided in front of said display unit, which receives and effects an input by a user'"'"'s touching on a surface thereof while the user sees through the display unit,

wherein, in front of the input device, there is pasted and provided a layer formed in a manner such that a plurality of transparent fine fibers are flocked.

23. A user interface device according to claim 22, wherein the fine fiber is an optical fiber.

24. A display system, including:

a plurality of display apparatuses; and

at least one display control apparatus, said display apparatus including;

a notifying unit which notifies characteristic information regarding display or audio output of the display apparatus to the display control apparatus, said display control apparatus including;

a characteristic information acquiring unit which acquires the characteristic information from the notifying unit; and

a characteristic information determining unit which determines a characteristic regarding the display or audio output of the plurality of display apparatuses based on the characteristic information of each display apparatus acquired by the characteristic information acquiring unit, and notifies the determined characteristic to each display apparatus, so that the characteristic regarding the display or audio output of the plurality of display apparatuses added in the display system might be unified,

and wherein the plurality of display apparatuses respectively change their own characteristic to the characteristic notified by the characteristic information determining unit.