Method and system for displaying an image

• US 6,815,680 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2002
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Kormos, Alexander L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Application Number:
  US10/163,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20030226966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 250/330, 250/332, 250/334
• US Class Current: 250/330
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method and apparatus for displaying an image includes selecting a camera unit horizontal field of view (FOV) of about eighteen degrees and selecting a system magnification of between 0.4 and 1.0. The method and apparatus also includes determining an aspect ratio for the image based on the selected camera unit horizontal FOV and the selected system magnification, receiving energy from a scene for forming the image and displaying the image on a display.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an image on a display, comprising:

selecting a camera unit horizontal field of view (FOV) of about eighteen degrees;

selecting a system magnification of approximately 0.5 to 0.6;

determining an aspect ratio for the image based on the selected camera unit horizontal FOV and the selected system magnification;

receiving energy from a scene for forming the image; and

displaying the image on a head-up display of an automobile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a system magnification of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 comprises selecting a system magnification of approximately 0.55.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

selecting a camera unit horizontal field of view (FOV) of about eighteen degrees comprises selecting a camera unit horizontal FOV of eighteen degrees;

selecting a system magnification of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 comprises selecting a system magnification of approximately 0.55; and

determining an aspect ratio for the image based on the selected camera unit horizontal FOV and the selected system magnification comprises determining an aspect ratio for the image of approximately 10;

3.3.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the image on a display comprises reflecting the image onto an imaging minor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the image on a display comprises displaying the image on a liquid crystal display (LCD).

6. A method for displaying an image on a display, comprising:

selecting a camera unit horizontal field of view (FOV) of about eighteen degrees;

selecting a system magnification from approximately 0.5 to 0.6;

determining an aspect ratio for the image based on the selected camera unit horizontal FOV and the selected system magnification;

receiving energy from a scene for forming the image at each of a plurality of detector elements;

converting the energy received at each detector element into information representative of the received energy;

forming the image using the information representative of the received energy; and

displaying the image on a head-up display of an automobile.

7. The method of claim 6, displaying the image on a display comprises projecting the image onto a fold mirror and reflecting the visible image to an imaging mirror using the fold mirror.

8. A system for displaying an image, comprising:

a camera unit having a horizontal field of view (FOV) selected to be about eighteen degrees;

a system magnification selected to be from approximately 0.5 to 0.6; and

a head-up display of an automobile coupled to the camera unit, the display operable to display the image, the image having an aspect ratio determined based on the selected camera unit horizontal FOV and the selected system magnification.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a system magnification selected to be between 0.4 and 1.0 comprises a system magnification selected to be approximately 0.5 to 0.6.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

a camera unit having a horizontal field of view (FOV) selected to be about eighteen degrees comprises a camera unit having a horizontal FOV selected to be eighteen degrees;

a system magnification selected to be between 0.4 and 1.0 comprises a system magnification selected to be approximately 0.55; and

the image having an aspect ratio determined based on the selected camera unit horizontal FOV and the selected system magnification comprises the image having an aspect ratio of approximately 10;

3.3.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the display comprises the imaging mirror and further comprising a fold mirror operable to display the image onto the imaging mirror.

12. The system of claims 8, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD).

13. A system for displaying an image, comprising:

a camera unit having a horizontal field of view (FOV) selected to be about eighteen degrees;

a system magnification selected to be from approximately 0.5 to 0.6;

a head-up display of an automobile coupled to the camera unit, the display operable to display the image, the image having an aspect ratio determined based on the selected camera unit horizontal FOV and the selected system magnification;

a lens system operable to direct energy from a scene toward a detector;

a display unit comprising the display, the display unit coupled to the detector, the display unit operable to form the image using information received from the detector; and

wherein the detector includes an array of detector elements, each detector element operable to receive energy from a portion of the scene and to convert the received energy into information representative of the received energy and to send the information associated with at least some of the detector elements to the display unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display unit comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) operable to project the image onto a fold mirror, the fold mirror configured to reflect the visible image to an imaging mirror.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the detector comprises a vanadium oxide bolometer.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the detector comprises a thin-film ferrolectric bolometer.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the detector comprises an alpha-silicon bolometer.