Display system and method with multi-person presentation function

• US 7,369,100 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Wertheimer, Alan L., Archie, William C., Telek, Michael J., Marino, Frank, Zacks, Carolyn A., Harel, Dan, Taxier, Karen M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro; Leonid
• Application Number:
  US10/795,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.3, 345/2, 345/7, 345/9, 345/169, 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/368 for two or more viewers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Display systems, control systems for a display and a method for operating a display are provided in which people are detected a presentation space within which content presented by the display can be observed. Viewing areas are defined for each person with each viewing area comprising a less than all of the presentation space and including an area corresponding to each person. One channel of image content is obtained for presentation to each person and a combination image is presented on the display. The combination image is modulated so that each area of the combination image presented by the display is viewable only in selected areas of the presentation space. The combination image has image content from each channel of image content arranged in areas of said combination image so that, when modulated, the image content from each channel of image content is viewable only in a viewing area defined for the person for whom the content is obtained.

Claims

1. A control system for a display, the control system comprising:

a presentation space monitoring system sampling a presentation space within which images presented by the display can be observed, and generating monitoring signals from which the location of people in the presentation space can be determined;

an image modulator positioned between the display and the presentation space with the image modulator adapted to control the spatial distribution of image light emitted by the display so that light that is emitted by particular portions of the display travel to particular areas in the presentation space; and

a controller adapted to determine the location of each person in the presentation space based upon the monitoring signal, to determine an individual viewing area for each located person, and to obtain at least one channel of content for presentation to each person;

wherein the controller is further adapted to cause the display to present a combination image with images from each channel of content obtained for each person arranged in the form of a pattern of light that is spatially distributed by the image modulator to the viewing area determined for that person;

wherein the processor is further adapted to analyze the monitoring signals during presentation of the content to detect movement of a person during presentation of the image content and to adjust the viewing area used to present content obtained for each moving person so that the content obtained for the moving person can be viewable by the person; and

wherein the controller further analyzes the monitoring signals to detect when one person moves to a location that coincides with the viewing area of at least one other person, determines content for presentation to both persons based upon privileges associated with both persons, obtains the determined content and presents the determined content so that it is observable in a common viewing space occupied by the people.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to determine a profile for each person in the presentation space and wherein the processor obtains content for presentation to each person based upon the profile for the person and a profile for available content.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the presentation space monitoring system comprises an image capture system adapted to capture an image of the presentation space and the controller detects people in the presentation space by analyzing the captured image.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the presentation space monitoring system comprises a radio frequency signal detection system adapted to detect signals in the presentation space and the processor detects each person in the presentation space based upon the detected radio frequency signals.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the profile for each person comprises viewing privileges and the content profile contains access privileges and wherein the processor combines the viewing privileges in an additive manner and selects content for presentation based upon the combined viewing privileges and the access privileges.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the profile for each person comprises viewing privileges and the content profile contains access privileges and wherein the processor combines the viewing privileges in a subtractive manner and selects content for presentation based upon the combined viewing privileges and the access privileges.

7. A display system comprising:

a display capable of presenting separate channels of image content to separable viewing areas;

a multi-channel source of changing pictorial content;

a source of audio content providing audio signals containing audio content associated with each of channel of changing pictorial content;

an audio transducer to convert audio content into audible signals;

an acoustic driver adapted to direct selected audible signals to selected viewing areas;

a monitoring system adapted to monitor areas in which pictorial content can be viewed to locate people in the monitored areas;

a controller connected to multi-view display, the source of changing pictorial content, the source of audio content, the audio transducer and the acoustic driver,

the controller adapted to cause the multi-view display to display separate channels of pictorial content in separate viewing areas each defined proximate to a person located by the monitoring system and to cause the audio transducer and acoustic driver to separately direct audio content associated with each channel of the changing pictorial content presented in each viewing area to that viewing area;

wherein the monitoring system determines an identifier for each detected person and wherein the controller is further adapted to determine a personal profile for each detected person, to determine a profile for each channel of content and to define a channel of content and associated audio content for presentation to each person based upon the personal profile and the profiles for each channel of content.

8. A display system comprising:

a display capable of presenting separate channels of image content to separable viewing areas;

a multi-channel source of changing pictorial content;

a source of audio content providing audio signals containing audio content associated with each of channel of changing pictorial content;

an audio transducer to convert audio content into audible signals;

an acoustic driver adapted to direct selected audible signals to selected viewing areas;

a monitoring system adapted to monitor areas in which pictorial content can be viewed to locate people in the monitored areas;

a controller connected to the multi-view display, the source of changing pictorial content, the source of audio content, the audio transducer and the acoustic driver,

the controller adapted to cause the multi-view display to display separate channels of pictorial content in separate viewing areas each defined proximate to a person located by the monitoring system and to cause the audio transducer and acoustic driver to separately direct audio content associated with each channel of the changing pictorial content presented in each viewing area to that viewing area;

wherein the acoustic driver comprises a phased-array directional audio transducer with associated driver and audio preprocessing and phased-array driver and a phased-array transducer beam steering controller, the beam steering controller connected to the audio preprocessing and phased-array driver and wherein the phased-array directional audio transducer is arranged to direct a beam of sound to a specific viewing position corresponding to a particular view.

9. A method for presenting multiple channels of image content using a light emitting display, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting people in a presentation space within which content presented by the display can be observed;

defining a viewing area for each person with each viewing area comprising less than all of the presentation space and including area corresponding to each person;

obtaining one channel of image content for presentation to each person;

presenting a combination image on the display; and

modulating the presented combination image so that each area of the combination image presented by the display is viewable only in selected areas of the presentation space;

wherein the combination image has image content from each channel arranged in areas of said combination image so that, when modulated, the image content from each channel of image content is viewable only in the viewing area defined for the person for whom the content is obtained; and

wherein the display space is monitored during presentation of the content to detect whether more than one person enters a common viewing space, combining the profiles of each person in the common viewing space and obtaining content for presentation in the common viewing space based upon the combined profiles of the viewers and a profile for each channel of content.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of classifying each detected person and wherein the step of obtaining a channel of content for presentation to each person comprises obtaining a channel of content that is selected based upon the classification for that person.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of obtaining a channel of audio content that corresponds each channel of image content, forming an audible signal and modulating the audible signal so that it is audible only in a viewing area that corresponds to a presentation space in which the corresponding image content is presented.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of obtaining content for presentation to each person comprises obtaining a profile for each detected person and for each channel of image content and selecting image content for presentation where the profiles for the detected elements correspond to the content profile.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of detecting people in the presentation space comprises capturing an image of the presentation space and analyzing the image to detect the people.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of detecting movement of a person during presentation of the image content and adjusting the viewing area used to present content obtained for each moving person so that the content obtained for a person can be viewable by the person even where the person moves outside of a viewing area initially defined.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of analyzing the monitoring signal to detect when one person moves to a location that coincides with the viewing area of another person, determining content for presentation to both persons based upon viewing privileges associated profiles with both people, obtaining the determined content and presenting the determined content so that it is observable in a common viewing space occupied by the persons.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of detecting people in the presentation space comprises using ultrasonic beam to scan the presentation space and to locate people in the presentation space using ultrasonic carrier.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of modulating the audible signal so that is audible only in a viewing area that corresponds to a presentation space in which the corresponding image is presented comprises modulating the audible signal using an ultrasonic carrier and wherein the step of detecting people in the presentation space comprises using the ultrasonic carrier to scan the presentation space and to locate people in the presentation space.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of detecting a person approaching the presentation space and determining a profile for each person approaching the presentation space and adjusting the presentation of content based upon the determined profile for the approaching person.

19. A method for presenting multiple channels of image content using a light emitting display, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting people in a presentation space within which content presented by the display can be observed;

selecting different channels of content for the detected people;

defining a separate viewing area for each detected person with each viewing area comprising less than all of the presentation space and including space corresponding to a detected person; and

forming an image that comprises a combination of the image content from each different channel of content with the combination image incorporating image content from different channels in different areas of the combination image;

presenting the combination image in the form of a paftern of image modulated light; and

directing the image modulated light so that light from different portions of the display is directed toward different areas of the presentation space;

wherein the combination image contains image information from each channel of content arranged so that image modulated light formed based upon the content selected for each person will be directed to the viewing area defined for that person; and

further comprising the steps of detecting when one person moves to a location that coincides with the viewing area of at least one other person, determining content for presentation to both persons based upon privileges associated with both persons, obtaining the determined content and presenting the determined content so that it is observable in a common viewing space occupied by the people.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein light is directed toward different areas of the presentation space by passing the light through an array of microlenses.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining an audio signal for at least one of the channels of image content; and

generating an audible output based upon each obtained audio signal, said output being audible only in a viewing area in which the content is presented.