Multi-panel video display

• US 6,690,337 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2000
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ergopanel Display Systems, LLC, Panoram Technologies Inc
• Original Assignee: Panoram Technologies Inc
• Inventors: Mayer, Theodore III, Paul, Lawrence S., Chaney, Todd A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M.
• Application Number:
  US09/591,555
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/1.3, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/2.3, 345/3.1, 345/3.2, 345/5, 345/6, 345/9, 345/22, 345/26, 345/28, 345/87-88
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1612 Flat panel monitor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence

Abstract

A multi-panel video display system includes multiple display panels. The display panels are enclosed in a single chassis. The gaps or mullions between the display panels are minimized as to provide a composite display without distraction. The display panels are at an angle with one another as to make the display panels equidistant from the eye point of the user. The multiple display panels may be tilted forward such that display surfaces of the display panels may be at an angle with respect to the plane normal to ground.

Claims

1. A multi-panel video display system comprising:

a plurality of display panels to display a composite image, each display panel including a display area; and

a single housing to contain the plurality of display panels comprising at least three display panels, thereby allowing the display panels to be placed closer to one another as compared to installing each display panel in its own housing,

wherein the plurality of display panels are fixedly mounted in said single housing, are mounted adjacent to one another so as to limit a width of a mullion between adjacent display areas to approximately 3% or less of a total combined width of the display areas, so as to reduce a distracting effect of the mullion on a user, and the adjacent display panels are at a fixed angle, which is greater than or equal to 110 degrees and less than 180 degrees with respect to one another, so as to be substantially equidistant from an eye point of the user.

2. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 wherein the width of the mullion between adjacent display areas is between approximately 1% to approximately 3% of the total combined width of the display areas.

3. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 wherein the width of the mullion between adjacent display areas is less than approximately 1% of the total combined width of the display areas.

4. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of display panels includes three display panels consisting of a left display panel, a center display panel and a right display panel.

5. The multi-panel video display system of claim 4 wherein said single housing is tilted forward so that an angle between a display surface of the center display panel and a plane normal to ground is between approximately 2 degrees and approximately 5.5 degrees.

6. The multi-panel video display system of claim 4 wherein the center panel is mounted in such a way that an eye level of the user is at ¾

th of the way from a bottom of the center panel to a top of the center panel.

7. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of display panels is selected from a group consisting of an LCD panel, a plasma display panel and a digital display panel.

8. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 further comprising;

a support having a upper end and a lower end, said single housing being mounted on the upper end of the support; and

a base which is coupled to the lower end of the support.

9. The multi-panel video display system of claim 8 wherein the upper end of the support is fixedly coupled to the housing, and the lower end of the support is fixedly coupled to the base.

10. The multi-panel video display system of claim 8 wherein the upper end of the support is hingedly coupled to said single housing, so that said single housing can be tiltably adjusted with respect to the support.

11. The multi-panel video display system of claim 8 wherein the support includes a hinge member, and wherein the support can be adjusted about the hinge member.

12. The multi-panel video display system of claim 8 wherein the support is rotatably coupled to the base so that the support can be rotated about an axis normal to ground.

13. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 further comprising a communication/control port for the display panels to communicate with an external device.

14. The multi-panel video display system of claim 13 wherein the communication/control port comprises a USB control port.

15. The multi-panel video display system of claim 13 wherein the communication/control port comprises an RS-232 control port.

16. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 further comprising a video input selected from a group consisting of a composite video input, an RGB video input and an S-video (Y/C) input.

17. The multi-panel video display system of claim 16 wherein the video input selection for the display panels can be made by pressing a single button.

18. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 further comprising a control unit for providing power to the display panels.

19. The multi-panel video display system of claim 1 further comprising a control unit for controlling display characteristics of the display panels.

20. A method of displaying a high resolution image using a plurality of display panels comprising:

fixedly mounting the plurality of display panels comprising at least three display panels at an angle, which is greater than or equal to 110 degrees and less than 180 degrees with respect to one another, in a single housing closely to one another so as to limit a width of a mullion between viewable areas of adjacent ones of the plurality of display panels to approximately 3% or less of a total combined width of the viewable areas, thereby reducing a distracting effect of the mullion on a user,

wherein the angles between the display panels are selected such that the display panels are substantially equidistant from an eye point of the user.

21. The method of displaying a high resolution image using a plurality of display panels of claim 20 further comprising:

providing a portion of a composite image to each of the plurality of display panels so as to display a single high resolution composite image across the plurality of display panels.

22. The method of displaying a high resolution image using a plurality of display panels of claim 20 further comprising;

providing an independent image to at least one of the plurality of display panels so as to display more than one independent images on the plurality of display panels.

23. The method of displaying a high resolution image using a plurality of display panels of claim 20 wherein a single multi-channel visual computer provides an image to each of the plurality of display panels.

24. The method of displaying a high resolution image using a plurality of display panels of claim 20 wherein at least two separate image sources provide images to the plurality of display panels.

25. The method of displaying a high resolution image using a plurality of display panels of claim 20 wherein mounting a plurality of display panels includes mounting a center panel so that an eye level of the user is at ¾

of the way between a bottom of the center panel and a top of the center panel.

26. A method of fabricating a three-panel video display system, each panel comprising a viewable area, for displaying a high resolution image comprising:

calculating a range of angles, greater than or equal to 110 degrees and less than 180 degrees, between a center panel and each of left and right side panels, the range of angles being selected such that the center panel, the left side panel, and the right side panel are substantially equidistant from an eye point of a user when the distance between the center panel and the eye point of the user is between a first predetermined distance and a second predetermined distance; and

fixedly mounting the center panel and the left and right side panels in a single housing with a fixed angle between the center panel and each of the left and right side panels within the range of angles, said display panels being mounted closely to one another so as to limit a width of a mullion between adjacent viewable areas to approximately 3% or less of a total combined width of the viewable areas.

27. The method of fabricating a three-panel video display system of claim 26 wherein mounting the center panel and the left and right side panels includes limiting the width of the mullion between the viewable area of the center panel and the viewable area of each of the left and right side panels to between approximately 1% and approximately 3% , thereby reducing a distracting effect of the mullion on the user.

28. The method of fabricating a three-panel video display system of claim 27 wherein the support includes a hinge member to adjust the height of the support.

29. The method, of fabricating a three-panel video display system of claim 26, further comprising mounting said single housing on a support, wherein a height of the support is selected so that an eye level of the user is at ¾

th of the way from a bottom of the center panel to a top of the center panel.

30. The method of fabricating a three-panel video display system of claim 26 wherein the first predetermined distance is approximately 18 inches and the second predetermined distance is approximately 24 inches.

31. The method of fabricating a three-panel video display system of claim 26 wherein said single housing is tilted forward so that an angle between a display surface of the center display panel and a plane normal to ground is between approximately 2 degrees and approximately 5.5 degrees.