Modular display system

• US 6,611,241 B1
• Filed: 11/25/1998
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MEC Management, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlin, Donald Barry, Singh, Bawa, Burstyn, Herschel Clement, Firester, Arthur Herbert, McGinn, Joseph Thomas, Bechis, Dennis John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M.
• Application Number:
  US09/200,081
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.3, 345/9, 345/903, 345/2.1, 345/3.3, 348/383, 348/658
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/3026 Video wall, i.e. stackable semiconductor matrix display modules video wall control systems G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026

Abstract

Large visual displays are comprised of an array of smaller display devices or modules, each of which displays a portion of the image to be displayed so that together the array of smaller display devices displays the complete image. Unlike conventional large displays which necessarily seek to minimize the edge areas of the smaller display elements that do not display an image so as to minimize the “seams” or gaps between the image portions, the present display device projects image portions scanned from less than the entire display area of the smaller display devices in an array to create an image on a substantially flat panel that is substantially free of visual “seams” or gaps between the image portions. Thus the display device may employ display elements that do not have narrow edges and that are not contiguous to generate overlapping sub-images. Image pixels in what would otherwise be “seams” or gaps are generated from the image data and are displayed in proper position and brightness in the displayed image, such as in the overlap regions of overlapping sub-images. Where the scanning beams are electron beams, the flat panel is a faceplate that includes phosphors that are excited by the electron beam to produce light, and where the beams are light beams, the flat panel is a distributor of light, such as a diffuser panel.

Claims

1. A display system for displaying a source image having a plurality of pixels in predetermined positions, said system comprising:

a screen;

at least two image generators generating overlapping adjacent portions of the source image on said screen, wherein the overlapping adjacent portions of the source image overlap and wherein unadjusted pixels of the overlapping adjacent portions of the image need not correspond to the pixels of the source image in position and/or intensity; and

an image processor providing source image data to said image generators including pixel data representative of particular pixels of the source image in the overlap that are adjusted for position and intensity so that the respective pixels generated in the overlap by said two image generators combine to form on said screen the particular pixels of the source image at the predetermined positions of the source image.

2. The display system of claim 1 wherein said image generator generates a beam of light illuminating said screen and wherein said screen is a distributor of light.

3. The display system of claim 2 wherein said image generator is selected from the group consisting of an optical projector and a liquid crystal display having a source of light.

4. The display system of claim 1 wherein said image generator generates a beam of electrons illuminating said screen and wherein said screen includes elements responsive to said electrons to generate light.

5. The display system of claim 4 wherein said image generator includes a plurality of one of field emission elements and thermionic electron sources.

6. The display system of claim 4 wherein said beam of electrons is electrostatically scanned across said screen.

7. The display system of claim 1 wherein said image processor adjusts the pixel data by apportioning at least a given characteristic of the particular pixel to the respective pixels generated by each respective image generator.

8. The display system of claim 7 wherein said given characteristic of the particular pixel includes at least one of pixel brightness and pixel position.

9. The display system of claim 1 wherein said image processor adjusts the pixel data of particular pixels generated by said two image generators that are not in the overlap.

10. The display system of claim 1 further comprising a sensor positioned for sensing at least pixels in the image overlap and wherein said image processor is responsive to said sensor for adjusting the pixel data representative of particular pixels at least in the image overlap.

11. The display system of claim 10 wherein said sensor and said image generator are both located on one side of said screen.

12. The display system of claim 11 wherein said screen includes an emitter material responsive to the intensity of a beam of electrons produced by said image generator, and wherein said sensor is responsive to emission from said emitter material.

13. The display system of claim 12 wherein said emitter material is an ultra-violet emitting phosphor and wherein said sensor is responsive to ultra-violet radiation.

14. The display system of claim 5 wherein said image generator includes an addressable array of field emitters.

15. The display system of claim 14 wherein said image processor addresses selected ones of said addressable array of field emitters for positioning said beam of electrons illuminating said screen.

16. The display system of claim 15 wherein said image processor addresses said selected ones of said addressable array of field emitters for said positioning said beam of electrons on said screen in one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

17. The display system of claim 15 wherein said image processor addresses said selected ones of said addressable array of field emitters by changing the times at which all of said selected ones of said addressable array of field emitters are addressed.

18. The display system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of said image generators, wherein each of said plurality of image generators generates at least one beam illuminating said screen, and wherein the respective beams generated by all of said plurality of image generators are scanned on said screen in synchronism.

42. The display system of claim 1 wherein said image generator comprises a projector of light illuminating said screen, and

wherein said projector of light is selected from the group consisting of an optical projector, a cathode ray tube, and a liquid crystal display including a light source.

19. A display system comprising:

a screen for displaying a source image;

a plurality of image generators each generating a portion of said source image on said screen, wherein portions of said source image generated by adjacent image generators overlap in regions at their respective peripheries but need not, absent weighting, correspond in position and intensity to said source image; and

an image processor providing image data to said image generators wherein image data for pixels of the portions of said source image at least in the overlap regions are weighted relative to position and intensity to combine to display said source image.

20. The display system of claim 19 wherein said image processor weights the image data by proportionately weighting at least a given characteristic of particular pixels between the respective particular pixels generated by each respective image generator.

21. The display system of claim 20 wherein said given characteristic of the particular pixel includes at least one of pixel brightness and pixel position.

22. The display system of claim 19 wherein said image processor weights the image data by proportionately weighting the image data of said pixels in the overlap regions.

23. The display system of claim 19 wherein said image processor weights the image data by weighting at least a given characteristic of particular pixels in the neighborhood of the particular pixels.

24. The display system of claim 23 wherein said given characteristic of the particular pixels in the neighborhood includes at least one of pixel brightness and pixel position.

25. The display system of claim 19 further comprising a sensor positioned for sensing at least pixels in the overlap regions and wherein said image processor is responsive to said sensor for adjusting the weighting of the image data representative of particular pixels in the overlap regions.

26. A modular display system comprising:

a screen on which a unitary image is to be displayed; and

a plurality of image generating modules positioned adjacent each other and on a side of said screen opposite that on which the unitary image is to be viewed, wherein each said image generating module comprises;

at least one image generator responsive to image data for generating a predetermined portion of the unitary image on said screen, wherein pixels thereof along each edge of the predetermined portion include pixels that are also along adjacent edges of adjacent predetermined portions of the unitary image that are generated by respective adjacent image generator modules, whereby adjacent predetermined portions of the unity image overlap in an overlap region near their adjacent edges;

an image processor for generating the image data representative of said predetermined portion of said unitary image responsive to predetermined portions of unitary image data and to sensor data; and

a sensor located proximate said screen for generating sensor data representative of at least pixels of the predetermined portion of the unitary image on said screen in the regions of overlap of adjacent predetermined portions of the unitary image.

27. The modular display system of claim 26 wherein said screen includes a plurality of screen portions in contiguous edge-to-edge relationship, and each said screen portion is associated with a respective one of said plurality of image generating modules.

28. The modular display system of claim 27 wherein pixels along a first edge of the predetermined portion of the unitary image generated by a first one of said image generating modules are displayed in a region near an edge of the screen portion associated with a contiguous one of said image generating modules that is contiguous to the first one of said image generating modules.

29. The modular display system of claim 26 wherein each pixel of said unitary image has a given value, and wherein respective image processors of adjacent ones of said image generating modules apportion the given value of pixels in the overlap region of said adjacent ones of said image generating modules between the respective image data of said adjacent ones of said image generating modules.

30. The modular display system of claim 29 wherein the combination of the pixel values of pixels in the overlap region of said adjacent ones of said image generating modules is substantially said given value.

31. The modular display system of claim 29 wherein said image processors of said adjacent ones of said image generating modules are responsive to said sensor data for apportioning the given value of the pixels in the overlap region of said adjacent ones of said image generating modules.

32. A method of forming a pixelated image comprising:

forming two contiguous pixelated sub-images having a region of overlap at their common edge;

determining the value of particular pixels of the pixelated sub-images at least in said region of overlap;

determining a correction function for changing the determined value of the particular pixels of the pixelated sub-images in at least said overlap region to a given value representative of pixels of the pixelated image in corresponding positions of the pixelated image; and

applying said correction function to respective pixel values of each of said pixelated sub-images for each of said particular pixels at least in said overlap region.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein determining the value of particular pixels of the pixelated sub-images at least in said region of overlap includes determining the combined value thereof, and wherein determining a correction function includes changing the determined combined value of the particular pixels to the given value.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said determining a correction function includes reducing by a ratio of said given value to said determined combined value.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein said determining a correction function includes weighting in accordance with a number of pixels contributing to said determined combined value.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein said determining the value includes sensing at least one of the brightness and the position of the particular pixels, and wherein the value of the particular pixels is determined from the at least one of the sensed brightness and position thereof.

37. The method of claim 32 further comprising applying said correction function to respective pixel values of each of said pixelated sub-images for others of the pixels in said overlap region.

38. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

determining the value of particular pixels in respective regions of said two contiguous sub-images other than said region of overlap;

determining a second correction function for changing the determined value of the particular pixels in said respective regions of said two contiguous sub-images to a second given value; and

applying said second correction function to respective pixel values of each of said pixelated sub-images for each of said particular pixels in said respective regions of said two contiguous sub-images other than said overlap region.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein at least one of said determining a correction function and said determining a second correction function comprises:

weighting at least a given characteristic of the values of particular pixels of at least one of said two contiguous pixelated sub-images.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said weighting at least a given characteristic includes weighting at least one of pixel brightness and pixel position.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein said weighting at least a given characteristic includes weighting the respective given characteristic of particular pixels in a neighborhood of said at least one of said two contiguous pixelated sub-images.