DE68927881T2 - N-DIMENSIONAL DISPLAY ARRANGEMENT OF SCAN TYPE AND DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to an n-dimensional type scanning display method and device by which even an observer moving at high speed can see the display content by utilizing the after image effect of the eyes and which can display a large image with a small number of display elements.

State of the art

As a conventional display method for an advertisement on a store front, a shop window or for an outdoor advertisement, there are generally used a method using a display panel comprising a painted iron sheet or a cut-out plastic material, a method in which a box is formed behind a plastic or glass sheet on which a picture is painted and an illuminator is arranged in the box and a method using an electric display panel comprising a neon lamp or LED. Recently, electric message display systems or Q-vision type display systems of an improved large-screen TV, liquid crystal TVs or LED type display systems such as a jumbotron have been used.

However, in all these conventional display methods, the display is mainly directed at a standing or very slowly moving person, so that the Conventional methods have a problem in that a human moving at high speed near the display device cannot see the display content. With the increase in the speed of vehicles and the reduction in space for constructing display towers and the like, the need for a display device in which the display content can be correctly seen even from a moving vehicle is increasing.

In the method using a display panel or a neon display, the display content such as a displayed character or a displayed image cannot be changed at all or hardly. In contrast, in an electric display panel of a recently developed television type display system, the display content can be easily changed, but the mechanism is complicated.

Furthermore, it is desired to develop a display device having an improved advertisement display function capable of attracting the attention of an ordinary passenger better than a conventional technique.

Against this background, it is an object of the present invention to provide a display device in which the display content can be seen and read even by a person who is in a vehicle moving at high speed and in which a large image can be displayed by a small number of display elements.

US-4,470,044 discloses a 1-dimensional modulated array of lights for presenting a 2-dimensional image an observer whose eyes are moving rapidly with respect to the visual scene. However, it does not disclose any means for sensing the speed of movement of the eyes across the screen or any means for controlling the array based on the output of the sensing means.

US-A-4,160,973 describes a display device in which a three-dimensional image is generated from a two-dimensional array.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for presenting an n-dimensional image to a viewer moving relative to a display device, the device outputting an (n-1)-dimensional display pattern, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying display data to a display device at a spaced time interval; the display device outputting a display pattern in accordance with that data; the relative motion between the viewer and the display device causing the viewer to perceive the display pattern as separated in an n-th dimension, resulting in the viewer perceiving an n-dimensional display; and characterized by sensing the relative velocity between the viewer and the display device; outputting a signal representative of the relative velocity; and varying the spaced time interval in accordance with the signal; the variation of the time interval enabling the perceived length of the display in the n-th dimension to be controlled.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a display device is provided for presenting an n-dimensional image to an observer moving relative to the device, the device comprising:

a display device comprising a plurality of display elements, the display device outputting an (n-1)-dimensional display pattern in accordance with supplied display data; a data shaping device for shaping the display data and supplying it to the display device at spaced time intervals; wherein the relative motion between the observer and the display device results in the observer perceiving the display patterns as being separated in the n-th dimension, whereby the observer perceives an n-dimensional display; and characterized by sensor means which detects the relative velocity between the observer and the display device and outputs a signal representative of the relative velocity; wherein the time intervals are varied in accordance with the signal to enable control of the perceived length of the display in the n-dimension.

When the scanning operation in one direction is thus performed by displacing the moving member for observation and changing the display data in the display device with time, the number of display elements can be reduced, and even in a tunnel or a subway where a displayed image can hardly be seen, a passenger can clearly see the image without moving his neck.

Preferably, the display device is constructed by connecting a plurality of display units, each of which comprising a serial-to-parallel conversion device, a display driving device and a display array device.

By choosing this structure, the number of picture elements in the display device can be easily increased or decreased.

The display array device of the display device is advantageously constructed to have a plurality of display array lines, the number of which is smaller than the number of display picture elements along the above-mentioned movement direction, which are displayed together with the movement of the moving member for observation.

In this structure, by showing the displays of respective display array lines in a time-delayed manner in synchronization with the moving speed of the moving member for observation, the image display time at a certain position seen by the observer can be extended by the number of display array lines. Accordingly, the brightness level of the displayed image can be increased significantly.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the entire circuit structure of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit structure of the sensor device.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the measuring principle of the sensor.

Figure 4 is a control flow chart for assessing the movement speed and direction of the moving limb.

Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating in detail a clock generator of the data shaping device.

Figures 6-(a) and 6-(b) are block diagrams illustrating the structure of the display device.

Figures 7-(a) to 7-(e) are diagrams illustrating the operating principle of the display device of the present invention.

Figures 8-(a) to 8-(c) are diagrams illustrating the structure of an image plane of the present embodiment.

Figure 9 is a timing diagram illustrating the operation of the present embodiment.

Figures 10-(a) to 10-(e) are diagrams illustrating the second embodiment of the present invention in which a three-dimensional image display is obtained with a two-dimensional image display device.

Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the directional characteristic of an LED (indicator element) used as a display element.

Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a picture element is constructed from a plurality of LEDs.

Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the third embodiment of the present invention in which a pseudo-three-dimensional image display is obtained using a one-dimensional display device.

Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating the fourth embodiment of the present invention in which a continuous image display is obtained using a plurality of one-dimensional display devices.

Figure 15 is a block diagram showing an example of the circuit structure of the display zone in the display device of the fifth embodiment having a plurality of display element rows.

Figures 16-(a) to 16-(c) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the fifth embodiment.

Figure 17 is a timing chart illustrating the operation of the fifth embodiment.

Figure 18 is a block diagram illustrating another example of the circuit structure of the display zone of the fifth embodiment.

Figure 19 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in which a display device with a movable structure is arranged.

Figure 20 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the interior of a pedestal portion of the above-mentioned display device.

Figure 21 is a block diagram illustrating the circuit structure of the above-mentioned display device.

Figure 22 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 23 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 24 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the interior of a platform section of the embodiment shown in Figure 23.

Embodiments of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of the first embodiment of the present invention. The overall circuit is roughly divided into three blocks, a sensor zone, a data forming zone and a display zone. The sensor zone comprises a sensor circuit 11 for detecting the movement of a vehicle in which an observer is transported (hereinafter referred to as "moving member") and a judging section 12 for calculating the moving direction and moving speed of the moving member upon receiving information from the sensor circuit 11. The data forming zone comprises a storage section 14, a parallel-to-serial conversion section 15 for converting parallel 8-bit data from the storage zone into serial data, and a clock generator 13 for forming addresses of the storage section 14 and generating control signals for the respective zones. The display zone includes a serial-to-parallel conversion section 16 for receiving the serial data from the data forming section and converting it into parallel data, a display driver section 17 for latching the parallel data and operating display elements, and a display array section 18 which includes appropriate display elements that turn on and off according to a predetermined scanning speed of LED, EL or the like.

The sensor zone is now described in detail with reference to Figure 2.

The sensor circuit 11 includes a first sensor 11A and a second sensor 11B which are arranged with a predetermined distance between them along the moving direction of the moving member. Each of the sensors 11A and 11B uses the triangulation method shown in Figure 3. Namely, each sensor includes an emitting element 11a, a projection lens 11b, a light receiving lens 11c and a position detecting element 11d, and a beam from the emitting element 11a is condensed by the projection lens 11d and projected onto the surface of a substance to be detected, and a part of the scattered and reflected light passes through the light receiving lens 11c and is detected by the position detecting element 11d. Assuming that two bodies A and B are at different distances from the emitting element 11a, the light reflected from the body located at a near position forms a spot at the point of the position element 11d, while the light reflected from the body B located at a far position forms a spot at the point. Accordingly, the distance to the body to be detected can be judged by judging the spot position on the position detecting element 11d.

The calculation section 12 comprises a CPU equipped with an internal clock 12A including an oscillating part 12a, a clock counter 12b and a frequency division ratio calculation part 12c.

Now, as an example, the operation which is performed when an electric car approaches from the first sensor 11A will be described.

Detection signals (assumed to be high level signals) are output from the first sensor 11A and the second sensor 11B in this order, and it is judged that an electric car has come from the side of the first sensor 11A. When the detection output of the first sensor 11A is input to the CPU 12 of the judging section, the clock counter 12b of the internal clock 12A starts counting, and the counting is stopped when the detection output of the second sensor 11B is input to the CPU 12. The frequency division ratio is determined by the frequency division ratio calculation part 12c based on a clock counter value of the oscillating part 12a, and the determined frequency division ratio DIV is supplied as speed information of the electric car to the clock generator 13 of the data forming zone. When the detection signal of the first sensor 11A disappears (low level) before the detection signal of the second sensor 11B is input to the CPU 12, it is judged that the body is not an electric car, and no start signal for the display device is output, and the counter is reset.

The value measured by the timing counter 12b corresponds to the time Ts of passage between both sensors 11A and 11B. Accordingly, since the distance S between the first sensor 11A and the second sensor 11B is known, the moving speed v of the electric car can be determined by the formula v = S/Ts.

Assuming that the distance capable of avoiding the field of vision of a driver is Lm from the head of the electric car, the display device arranged within this distance, and if a relationship l»L exists between this L and the distance l to a first window or door of the electric car from the head of the electric car for passengers, the time t1 between the detection point of the electric car and the point of catching the display device in the field of view of a passenger is expressed as t1 = l/v, and the speed v is expressed as v = S/Ts. t1 is expressed by the equation t1 = l/Ts x Ts. Therefore, by multiplying the time corresponding to the count value by l/S, the time between the detection point of the electric car and the point of entering the display device in the field of view of the passenger can be determined. Therefore, a start trigger for the display device is issued after the lapse of the above-mentioned time l/S x Ts from the detection point of the electric car. In this case, the display device comprises eight display units 50, and the operation timings of the respective display units 50 are controlled by enable signals EN0 to EN7 from the CPU 12. After the enable signal EN0 is output by the above-mentioned start trigger, the enable signals EN1 to EN7 are output in regular sequence. Assuming that the distance between two adjacent display units is D, the time Td of passing through this distance D is expressed as Td = D/v = D/S x Ts since the speed v of the electric carriage is expressed as v = S/Ts. Accordingly, with a delay time of D/S x Ts from the output point of the start trigger of the first display signal, the start trigger for the next display unit is output. The moving direction of the electric carriage is detected by judging which of the detection outputs of the first sensor 11A and second sensor 11B is first generated, as mentioned above. The outputs of the display data should be reversed according to the moving direction of the electric carriage. In the present invention, the order of the detection outputs of the two sensors 11A and 11B is judged by the CPU 12, and, for example, when it is judged that the detection output is first received from the first sensor 11A, the moving direction judging signal is set to a low level, and when it is judged that the detection output is first received from the second sensor 11B, the moving direction judging signal is set to a high level. Thus, the row address is bit-reversed according to the output state of the moving direction judging signal. Therefore, without changing the operation of the address counter, it becomes substantially possible to reverse the display data and output the reversed data, and an image display which conforms to the moving direction of the electric carriage can be obtained. A control flow chart for judging the moving speed and moving direction of the electric car is shown in Figure 4.

The data shaping section will now be described with reference to Figure 5, which is a block diagram describing in detail the clock generator.

A latch circuit 41 is a latch circuit for storing the frequency division ratio DIV obtained by decoding the moving member speed information output from the frequency divider judging section 12. A programmable oscillator 42 comprises a VCO 425 (voltage controlled oscillator) and a phase comparator 423 as main components for maintaining an oscillation frequency a certain progressive number of times as high as the frequency of a reference signal oscillator 422. The frequency oscillated by the VCO 425 is divided by a predetermined ratio by the programmable frequency divider 421 and input to the phase comparator 423. The phases of the two signals are compared by the phase comparator and output as control voltages for the VCO 425 to LPF 424 (low pass filter). Thus, a PLL (phase lock loop) circuit is constructed.

By using this programmable oscillator, an oscillation frequency which is a certain number of times higher than the frequency of the reference signal can be obtained, but the desired function can also be obtained by a method in which a predetermined frequency is obtained by dividing an appropriate frequency by the programmable frequency divider.

ADR-CK is prepared by a counter 43 based on the clock CK obtained by this programmable oscillator, and a load signal LDB is prepared by a condition circuit 45. The count number of an address counter 44 is increased (incremented) by 1 every time the increase of ADR-CK is detected by an address counter of the memory section 14. Based on the outputs of the counter 43 and the address counter 44, a data coupling signal DLCK for the display driving section 17 is prepared by a condition circuit 46. The clock CK output from the programmable oscillator becomes a shift clock SCK of the parallel-to-serial converting section 15, and the clock formed by inverting the above-mentioned clock CK becomes a shift clock of the serial-to-parallel conversion section 16. For example, regarding the case where the speed of the moving member is 40 km/h, the display time is 100 msec, the number of picture elements is 256 x 128, and each picture element contains two color elements of R (red) and G (green) (each being 1-bit), and since 65536 picture elements (256 x 128 x 2 x 1 picture element) are displayed within 100 msec, it is sufficient if the clock CK of the programmable oscillator is generated at about 655 kHz. Assuming that the moving member passes at a speed of 30 km/h, in the state where the oscillation frequency of the programmable oscillator is set so that the moving distance of the moving member for 100 msec is about 83 cm, if the scanning speed of the display device is kept at the same level which is selected when the moving speed of the moving member is 40 km/h, a long display of 128 cm x 83 cm with a shortened width is formed. When the moving member passes at a speed of 50 km/h, a wide display of 128 cm x 139 cm is formed. Accordingly, by detecting the speed of the moving member and changing the scanning speed, the frequency of the clock CK is set to about 492 kHz when the speed of the moving member is 30 km/h or to about 818 kHz when the speed of the moving member is 50 km/h. In this case, the display time is changed to 133 msec or 80 msec, but the display plane of 128 cm x 111 cm can be obtained.

The display zone will now be described with reference to Figure 6.

Since the transfer of data from the data forming region to the display region is carried out in a serial manner, assuming that a display unit is constructed of, for example, eight blocks each consisting of 32 color element dots, the increase or decrease of the number of picture elements in each unit can be easily carried out as shown in Figure 6-(a), and two adjacent units 50 can be sufficiently connected by three lines.

In the display unit 50, as shown in Figure 6-(b), serial data output from the parallel-to-serial conversion section 15 of the data forming zone is input to a shift register 51 on the G side, and latching and shifting are carried out by the shift clock DSCK of the clock generator 13. Then, 32 shifted data are input to a shift register 54, and similarly, 32 shifted data become outputs for the following block. When data of one column is shifted to all units 50 (eight units in the present embodiment), the data in drivers 52 and 55 are latched by the latch clock DLCK of the clock generator 13, and instead of the data of the previous column, the latched data is displayed on G display elements 53 and R display elements 56 of the display array section 18. When the clock obtained by inverting the shift clock DSCK is input as the hold clock DLCK, the data being shifted is displayed to effect color image printing.

Now the principle of displaying an image by this display device will be described.

As an example, the case will now be described where a two-dimensional display consisting of L x M picture elements as shown in Figure 7-(d) is obtained on the display plane. In this case, each picture element comprises a color element R, a color element G and a color element B.

As shown in Figure 7-(a), a one-dimensional display device consisting of (L x 1) picture elements is arranged vertically, and the moving member moves at a speed of x0 m/sec at a point spaced from the display device by a vertical distance hm. The value h is determined by the angle of the field of view of the observer and the display surface. Figure 7-(b) is a plan view of Figure 7-(a).

Assuming that the display time of an image plane is t msec, the observer moves by x m for t msec, as shown by the equation x = (x0 x t)/1000.

At this point, it appears to the observer as if the display device is moving relatively at xm, Figure 7-(c). If new data is displayed every t/M msec on the one-dimensional display device, a display of (L x M) picture elements can be obtained, Figure 7-(d). Assuming that the size of a picture element is Δyx Δx, as shown in Figure 7-(e), Δy is determined by the interval between the display elements of the one-dimensional display devices, and Δx is determined by the movement speed of the observer and the Display change over speed is determined.

By the way, when the observer follows the display device with his own eyes, the display area becomes smaller than x m. The reason is that the display area changes relatively with the angle of the observer's field of view. Accordingly, there is a reciprocal relationship between the observer's movement speed and the distance h to the display device.

The relationship between the movement speed of the observer and the distance h to the display device is now described.

The speed of motion that can be felt by a human is (1) 15 º/sec when the eyes are fixed, or (2) 25 - 30 º/sec when the eyes are moved with the moving object, and (3) the upper limit speed of motion that can be felt (beyond which only a band of light is observed) is 50 º/sec.

Thus, the feeling of a moving body by the eyes is defined by the angular velocity, and in Figure 7-(b) the relationship of the distance x between A and B to the distance h is expressed by the equation x = 2 x h x tan θ/2. This means that there is a proportional relationship between h and x.

Accordingly, in order to obtain a desired image scanning operation, it is necessary that the moving speed of the moving member increases with the increase of the distance h between the display device and the moving member should be increased.

The case where a two-dimensional display is obtained by the device of the present invention using the above-mentioned display principle will now be described.

In this case, the LED display pigment has a chip R and a chip G arranged in it, and thus the explanation is made on the assumption that one picture element comprises two color elements R and G and creates a one-bit display.

Referring to Figure 8, the observer sees on the moving member the display zone which has a length of about 128 cm and comprises (256 x 1) picture elements. Assuming that the moving member moves to the left in the drawing at a speed of 40 km/h, it appears to the observer that the display zone moves relatively as shown in Figure 8-(a). Assuming that the display time is 100 msec, the display zone moves to the right by about 111 cm during the display time as shown below:

111 = 400 x 1000 x 100/60 x 60 x 10

Namely, a display of 128 cm x 111 cm can be obtained for 100 msec, Figure 8-(b). When data of the display zone is switched at an interval of 78 µsec, a display of (256 x 128) pixels can be obtained since 78 µsec = 100 msec/128, as shown in Figure 8-(c).

The data flow in the above-mentioned example will now be described with reference to the timing diagram of Figure 9.

When the moving member passes the sensor zone, the sensor circuit 11 detects the movement, and based on this detection information, the judging section 12 detects the movement direction and movement speed to give the decoded data and the start trigger to the data shaping section. Image plane data is read out from the data shaping section one by one, and image planes 0, ... M, ... are displayed as shown in the timing chart. In this case, the image plane data of one image includes 128 rows of column data. Data of each column includes 32 of the read data R and G from the memory section 14, which has an 8-bit structure. The read data is transmitted as serial data from the data shaping section to the display section.

More specifically, when decoded data (frequency division ratio data DIV) is input to the latch circuit of the clock generator 13 at a speed of 40 km/h from the sensor zone as mentioned above, the oscillation frequency of the programmable oscillator is set to 655 kHz based on the above data to generate the clock CK. The output timings of the address clock ADR-CK which determines the address shaping timing of the memory section 14, the load signal LDB which determines the data loading timing within the memory section 14, the shift clock SCK which determines the data transfer timing from the parallel-to-serial converting section 15, the shift clock DSCK which determines the data loading timing of the serial-to-parallel conversion section 16 and the data hold clock DLCK which determines the data hold timing of the display driving section 17 are determined by the clock generator 13 on the basis of this frequency of 655 kHz, and these clocks are output at the specified timings.

The address within the memory section 14 is designated by a signal from the address counter 44 in which the count number is increased by one at each rise of the address clock ADR-CK. Read data of 8 bits in the designated memory address is loaded as parallel data into the parallel-to-serial conversion section 15 at the rise of the shift clock SCK when the load signal LDN is at a low level. Then, the data is transferred as serial data from the parallel-to-serial conversion section 15 to the serial-to-parallel conversion section 16 at each subsequent rise of the shift clock SCK and taken into the serial-to-parallel section at each rise of the shift clock DSK, which is the inverse clock of the shift clock SCK. When data of 256 bits each of R and G are completely shifted to the display region consisting of 8 display units in the above-mentioned manner, the above-mentioned data are latched in the display driver section 17 by the latch clock DLCK from the clock generator 13 and are displayed as column data COLn of one column in the display array section 18. At the same time, the transfer of following column data is started. Thus, when 128 columns of data are transferred, an image plane having a size of 128 cm x 111 cm composed of (256 x 128) picture elements is displayed.

When the display device having the above-mentioned structure is used, the display device can be arranged at a position where a conventional display device cannot be arranged because the distance between the observer and the wall surface is too narrow, such as in a subway or a tunnel, and the display content cannot be read due to the movement of the observer. Furthermore, the size of the display image plane can be easily changed based on the movement speed of the observer by electronic scanning. Also, since an n-dimensional image plane can be obtained by the (n-1)-dimensional display device, the number of display elements can be significantly reduced compared with the number of display elements in the conventional technique, and therefore the structure of the device can be simplified.

Furthermore, a modification can be chosen in which three sensors are arranged, and when a change in speed is caused, the acceleration at this speed change is calculated and the display switching speed is corrected according to the speed change.

In the foregoing embodiment, a two-dimensional image display was illustrated, but a three-dimensional display can be effected.

Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the second embodiment in which three-dimensional image display is effected. The display section shown in Figure 1 is formed as a display plane of (L x M) picture elements, unlike the one-dimensional display section. When the moving member moves to the left in the drawing as shown in Figure 10-(a), the display section appears to the observer as moving to the right, Figure 10-(b). Accordingly, although the amount of data increases, the data is changed by the data forming section shown in Figure 1 at the switching speed set according to the moving speed of the moving member, thereby obtaining a steric display of (L x M x N) picture elements as shown in Figure 10-(c).

This embodiment will now be described with reference to the display of a sphere as an example. As shown in Figure 10-(d), sectional data of the sphere is sequentially transmitted to the two-dimensional display section. At this point, sectional data of the sphere may be fed out at predetermined intervals as shown in Figure 10-(d), or sectional data may be fed out at different feed timings as shown in Figure 10-(e). If the feed timings of the transmission of data are made finer, a display image of a smoother sphere is obtained.

In the case where an LED is used as a display element, the directional characteristic of the LED element becomes as shown in Figure 11, and it sometimes happens that the angle of the visual field is greatly limited. In this case, in order to expand the display area, a plurality of LED elements are arranged in different directions and adjusted to effect the display of one picture element. By this arrangement, the angle of the visual field can be effectively expanded.

Figure 13 illustrates the third embodiment in which a plurality of one-dimensional display devices are arranged in the depth direction to effect a pseudo-three-dimensional display.

In this case, in which three one-dimensional devices are arranged and the moving member moves from right to left in the drawings as shown in Figure 13-(a), the display devices shown in Figure 13-(a) move relatively to the right and are seen by the observer on the moving member as three planes having a depth as shown in Figure 13-(b). For example, a background is shown in the deepest plane (c), a product or a person is shown in the second plane (b), and a brand name or an article to be highlighted is shown in the front plane (a) as shown in Figure 13-(c). An impressive advertisement having depth as shown in Figure 13-(d) is obtained.

Figure 14 shows the fourth embodiment in which one-dimensional display devices are arranged in the moving direction of the moving member. In the case where the moving member moves from right to left in the drawings as shown in Figure 14-(a), if the space between two adjacent one-dimensional display devices is suitably set, a continuous long display of image planes 1, 2, 3 ... can be obtained as shown in Figure 14-(b), or a discontinuous image-by-image display as shown in Figure 14-(c). For example, if the speed of the moving member is 16.7 m/sec and the display time is 1/30 sec, a continuous display can be obtained when the display devices are arranged at intervals of about 56 cm. Of course, when a discontinuous frame-by-frame display is obtained as shown in Figure 14-(c), it is not necessary to arrange the display devices side by side as mentioned above.

Further, there may be adopted a method in which overlapped portions are formed in view of the movement of the eyes as shown in Figure 14-(d), and a method in which a plurality of display devices are arranged so as to cope with the speed change of the moving member and the display devices are switched on the basis of the detected speed data.

The fifth embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

The overall structure of this embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment shown in Figure 1, but in the present embodiment, a plurality of rows of display elements are arranged in the display zone to form a display array section 18.

In Figure 15, N (N = 1, 2, ...) display element rows 33, 36, ... 39 are arranged in the display zone, and N drivers 32, 35, ... 38 and N flip-flop circuits (hereinafter referred to as "F/F") 31, 34, ... 37 are connected to corresponding display element rows. A shift register 30 for receiving serial data from the data shaping zone is connected to the first-stage F/F 31.

The function is now described with reference to Figure 16.

For simplicity of illustration, the case where a two-dimensional display plane is obtained will now be described. For example, in the case of a display image plane consisting of (L x M) picture elements as shown in Figure 16-(a), assuming that the length-width ratio is 1/1, if the element interval in L picture elements is d (mm), the display interval in M elements is d. Assuming that the passing speed of the observer is v (m/s), the time of the display interval is expressed by the formula t0 = v/d. Hereinafter, this is referred to as "unit time".

In the above-mentioned scanning display device, the display data is renewed at intervals of t0, and by the after-image effect in the eyes, a display image plane of (L x M) picture elements can be obtained. In the present embodiment, in each row of display devices comprising a plurality (N) of display element rows as in the previous embodiments, display data is renewed at intervals of t0, and by supplying display data to the adjacent row of display elements at intervals of t0, the display time for data of one row becomes N times and the brightness level is increased.

More specifically, in the case where the observer passes at a speed of v (m/s), as shown in Figure 16-(b), the fixed indicator is moved by the observer as moving to the right at a speed of v (m/s). In Figure 16-(c), display data in the n-th line at time t is data a, and at time (t + t0) after passing the unit time, new display data b is displayed in the n-th line, and the data a is displayed in the (n + 1)-th line. Since the observer moves by the element interval d during this time, it appears to the observer that the data a is displayed at one position for a time which is twice as long as in the conventional device. Then, the display data is transferred to adjacent lines one after another, and therefore a display time which is N times longer than the display time in the conventional technique can be obtained, and the brightness level can be increased significantly.

Of course, N can be set in accordance with the desired brightness level, and it goes without saying that N can be determined independently of the number M of picture elements in the lateral direction.

The operation in the display zone of the present embodiment will now be described. Data DDTA of one column read into the shift register 30 by the shift clock DSCK set according to the moving speed of the moving member is latched at the F/F 31 by the latch clock DLCK generated every unit time t0, and the display element row 33 is driven by the display driver 32 to display display data DDAT. Data of the F/F 31 at a previous time is latched at the F/F 34 and displayed in the display element row 36 by the driver 36. In Figure 16-(c), namely, display data a of the n-th line at time t is displayed as data of the (n + 1)-th line at time (t + t0). Similarly, in the N-th F/F 37, data held by the display element line 39 is displayed by the driver 38. As mentioned before, at the moment the column data is held at the adjacent column, data a is considered to be stationary since the passenger on the moving member moves by the same distance as the display element line interval. Accordingly, data a can be displayed for a time which is N times longer than the display time in the case of one display line.

A timing chart of data transfer is shown in Figure 17. It is now assumed that the display of column 1 of the display data DDTA starts, and the preceding data is . The data DDTA transferred to the shift register 30 by the shift clock DSCK is held by the hold clock FLCK at F/F 31, but at time t1, only the display element row 33 displays the data of column 1, but the display disappears at other display elements because zero data is held by the F/F. At time t2, the data of column 1 is held at F/F 34, and the data of column 2 is held at F/F 31. Therefore, column data 2 is displayed in ad element row 33, and column data 1 is displayed in ad element row 34. Similarly, at time t3, column 3 data is displayed in ad element row 1, column 2 data is displayed in ad element row 2, and column 1 data is displayed in ad element row 3.

Figure 18 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of the display zone.

Some standard ICs include a shift register and a flip-flop. If sweet potato vein-like structures incorporating such shift registers are adopted, the wiring line amount can be reduced and expansion can be easily performed. By directly inputting the outputs of the shift register 500 into the shift register 504 of the adjacent row, the distance between adjacent rows is expanded while adopting the same circuit structure in respective rows. When the hold clock DLCK is stopped according to needs, a plurality of display arrays behave like a device displaying a stationary image. Accordingly, the device can be used as a display device for guiding and escaping passengers in an emergency such as an accident.

In the foregoing embodiments, the display device is fixed. However, the display can be carried out similarly even if the display device is moved. An embodiment of the display device of this type will now be described.

In Figure 19, a rotary motion display section 62 projects from a base 61, and a display element array 63 is arranged on the motion display section 62. The arrangement direction of the display element array 63 is parallel to the axial direction of the rotary shaft 64, and the display plane becomes a cylinder plane by rotation.

The internal structure of the base is shown in Figure 20. The movement display section 62 is supported by the rotary shaft 64, and the rotary shaft 64 is rotatable in the base 61 by a bearing 65. A driven pulley 66 is fixed to the rotary shaft 64, and a belt 69 is stretched between the driven pulley 66 and a drive pulley 68 which is attached to a shaft of a motor 67 fixed to the base 61. A slip ring 70 is attached to the rotary shaft 64 so that electric power is supplied to the movement display section 62 from the base section. A reflection type encoder disk 71 is attached above the base 61, and an encoder sensor 72 including a reflection type optical sensor is attached below the rotary movement section. The encoder sensor 72 includes a Z sensor 72A which produces only the output of the start point and an A sensor 72B which outputs the angle of rotation. The pattern of the encoder disk 71 corresponds to that of the encoder sensor 72. A light cover 73 covering the encoder disk is attached to the lower portion of the motion display section.

Figure 21 is a circuit diagram of the present embodiment. The electric power input from the power source terminal by the turning-on operation of the power switch SW is supplied to a motor drive circuit 74 and a power supply circuit 75. The motor drive circuit 74 is connected to the motor 67. A display control circuit 76 is connected to a ROM 77 for storing display data, a shift register 78 and a circuit 81 for waveform processing of the encoder signal. A parallel output of the shift register 78 is input to a latch circuit 79, and the output of the latch circuit 79 is input to a driver 80. The output of the driver 80 is connected to the display element array 63. The encoder sensor 72 is connected to the circuit 81 for waveform processing of the encoder signal.

The operation of this circuit is now described.

When the power switch SW is closed, the motor 67 is rotated to drive the motion display section 62 through the drive pulley 68, the belt 69, the driven pulley 66 and the rotary shaft 64, and the encoder sensor 72 generates a signal. When a start point detection signal from the Z sensor 72A is input to the reset terminal of the display control circuit 76, the ROM address pointer (pomter) in the display control circuit 76 points to the first line of the display data. When a rotation angle signal is input from the A sensor 72B, data of the first line is input from the ROM 77 which stores display data and is fed out to the shift register 78. When the output of data of one line is completed, the display control circuit 76 increments the address by one line and outputs a hold signal to the hold circuit 79 to output the output of the shift register 78 as a hold output. One-dimensional data corresponding to the hold output is displayed on the display elements. This operation cycle is repeated every time the rotation angle signal from the A sensor 72B of the encoder sensor 72 is received, and therefore the display data is instantaneously changed according to the rotation position to provide a two-dimensional display.

The deviation of the display position is prevented by a rotary encoder, which corresponds to the rotation position and the display is performed accurately at the predetermined position. When a pulse motor is used as the motor, the deviation of the position can be prevented by synchronizing a pulse motor drive pulse with a data display clock even when an encoder is not used. Further, a method may be adopted in which the motor is driven at a constant speed and a display clock signal is generated by dividing the clock. The electrical connection between the rotary portion and the fixed portion is effected in the base 61 through the slip ring as shown in Fig. 19. This method is advantageous in that the electric power is supplied only through two contacts. In this case, even the display control circuit 76, the ROM 77, the encoder waveform processing circuit 81, the shift register 78, the hold circuit 79 and the driver 80 should be mounted on the moving portion, but the above-mentioned circuit using the semiconductor technology is very light in weight and small in size and can be practically realized.

In the present embodiment, display data can be changed only by replacing the ROM 77 for storing display data. Further, the above-mentioned ROM can be replaced by a rechargeable ROM or RAM such as an EEPROM, and data can be changed by an external device. After a certain time from the point of scanning, a subsequent display can be provided. Alternatively, the display section can be continuously rotated. The timing of output of image plane data, which is started by the start trigger by the signal from the Z sensor 72A, is set in the same manner as the timing of Fig. 9 previously described in illustrated in connection with the first embodiment. Therefore, an explanation of this output timing is omitted.

By using this display device, a peculiar impression can be given by a letter or picture floating in space, and the advertising effect which attracts the attention of passers-by is increased. Furthermore, the portion beyond the display can be seen through the display, and therefore a product or the like can be placed beyond the display, and a composite display becomes possible. This is another characteristic advantage of the present invention.

Another embodiment is shown in Figure 22.

In this embodiment, the moving display section 62 is designed so that the moving section 62 rotates around the horizontal axis of the base 61, and the display plane has a disk shape. In this embodiment, images and letters to be displayed are of a polar coordinate system. The circuit structure is substantially the same as those of the previous embodiments, and therefore explanation is omitted. However, since the moving speed is different between the center and the periphery, in order to maintain the same display brightness between the periphery and the center, it is necessary that the brightness among the display elements should be changed.

Figure 23 shows a further embodiment in which a rod-shaped movement display section 62 protrudes from the base 61 and is moved laterally. In this case, the Display plane a tetragonal shape (rectangular shape or parallelogram shape).

Figure 24 is a diagram showing the movement structure of the movement display section 62 of the embodiment shown in Figure 23.

A slide shaft 91 is fixed inside the base 61, and a slide member (not shown) is attached to this slide shaft 91, and the motion display section 62 is attached to the slide member. A pair of gears 92 driven by a driving machine (not shown) is arranged inside the base 61, and a chain 93 is stretched over the gears 92. One of the connecting pins 94 of the chain 93 is fitted into a notch formed in the lower part of the motion display section 62 to drive the motion display section 62. The illustrated movement mechanism is only an example, and other structures may be adopted.

The circuit structure is essentially the same as in the previous embodiments. However, since a reciprocating movement is performed, a slip ring need not be arranged. It goes without saying that the encoder for detecting the display position is a linear encoder.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, according to the present invention, by the relative movement of the (n-1)-dimensional display device and the moving member for observation, an n-dimensional display of images can be effected by utilizing the after-image effect of the eyes.

Therefore, displayed images can be recognized by an observer even from a vehicle moving at high speed without moving his neck. Accordingly, even in a position where the conventional display device cannot be arranged because the distance between the wall surface and the observer is too narrow, for example, in a position in a subway or a tunnel, the display device of the present invention can be arranged. Moreover, an image display can be obtained which has an optional size according to the moving speed of the moving member and the switching speed of the image display data. Furthermore, since the number of display elements can be drastically reduced, the installation space can be reduced and the present invention is advantageous from an economical point of view.

Furthermore, in the structure in which the display device is moved, displayed letters or images are seen as floating in space and a peculiar impression is given to a passerby, and the advertising effect that attracts the attention of the passerby is improved. Furthermore, when a product or the like is placed beyond the display, a composite display can be created since the portion beyond the display can be seen through the display. In this case too, the number of display elements and the installation space can be reduced.

Industrial applicability

As is obvious from the foregoing description, the scanning type n-dimensional display method and the apparatus thereof of the present invention can be arranged even in a subway or a tunnel in which the conventional image display device cannot be arranged, and therefore a very large practical effect can be achieved as an advertisement display device or the like.

Claims (29)

1. A method for presenting an n-dimensional image to a viewer moving relative to a display device, the device outputting an (n-1)-dimensional display pattern, the method comprising the steps of: - supplying display data to a display device at a spaced time interval; the display device outputting a display pattern in accordance with that data; - wherein the relative movement between the viewer and the display device causes the viewer to perceive the display pattern as being separated in an n-th dimension, resulting in the viewer perceiving an n-dimensional display; marked by: - Detecting the relative speed between the observer and the display device; - Outputting a signal (DIV) which represents the relative speed; and - Changing the spaced time interval in accordance with the signal (DIV); - where changing the time interval allows controlling the perceived length of the display in the n-th dimension. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative speed is the result of the operation of moving the display device (62) in a direction that is not parallel to the display device (62). 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative velocity is a result of the movement of the observer. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the order in which the display data (DDAT) are supplied is changed in accordance with the direction of movement of the viewer. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein n is 2. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein n is 3. 7. A display device for presenting an n-dimensional image to a viewer moving relative to the device, the device outputting an (n-1)-dimensional display pattern, the device comprising: - a display device (16, 17, 18) comprising a display array section (18) having a plurality of display elements (53, 56), wherein the display device outputs an (n-1)-dimensional display pattern in accordance with the display data (DDAT) supplied thereto; - a data forming device (13, 14, 15) for forming the display data (DDAT) and supplying the data to the display device (16, 17, 18) at spaced time intervals; - wherein the relative movement between the viewer and the display device (16, 17, 18) results in the viewer perceiving the display patterns as separated in the nth dimension, whereby the viewer perceives an n-dimensional display; marked by: - a sensor device (11, 12) which detects the relative speed between the observer as a moving member for observation and the display device and outputs a signal (DIV) which represents the relative speed; - wherein the time intervals are varied in accordance with the signal (DIV) to enable control of the perceived length of the display in the n-th dimension. 8. A display device according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of said sensor devices are arranged at predetermined intervals along the direction of relative movement between the moving member for viewing and the display device. 9. A display device according to claim 7, wherein a sensor device (11, 12) comprises a sensor circuit (11A, 11B) for detecting the moving member of either the display device or the observer, and a calculating section (12) for calculating the relative direction and speed of the moving member of the display device and the observer, based on the output signals of the sensor circuit, and wherein the sensor device outputs signals representing the relative speed and direction (DIR) to the data forming device (13, 14, 15). 10. A display device according to claim 9, wherein first (11A) and second (11B) sensors of the sensor device (11, 12) are arranged at a predetermined interval along the movement direction of the moving member for observation, and the calculation section (12) calculates which of the two sensors (11A, 11B) first detects the moving member, calculates the movement direction of the moving member, thereby outputting movement direction information (DIR) to the data forming device (13, 14, 15). 11. A display device according to claim 9, wherein the first and second sensors (11A, 11B) of the sensor device (11, 12) are arranged at a predetermined interval along the direction of movement of the moving member for observation, and the calculation section (12) calculates the difference in detection time between the two sensors (11A, 11B) calculated, the movement speed of the moving member for observation is calculated on the basis of the calculated value, thereby outputting movement speed information (DIV) to the data forming device (13, 14, 15). 12. Display device according to claim 71, wherein the data forming device (13, 14, 15) comprises a control signal generating device (13) for generating various display change control signals (DSCK, DLCK, LDB, SCK) based on the movement information (DIV, DIR) of the moving member for viewing from the sensor device (11, 12), a storage device (14) for storing image display data and for outputting display data based on an address signal (ADR-CK) generated in the control signal generating device (13), and a parallel-to-serial converting device (15) for converting the parallel display data output from the storage device (14) into serial display data (DDAT) and for transmitting the serial display data (DDAT) based on a data transmission signal (SCK) from the control signal generating device (13). 13. A display device according to claim 12, wherein the control signal generating device (13) comprises a holding circuit (41) for holding the movement information (DIV) of the moving member for observation from the sensor device (11, 12), a programmable oscillator (42) for generating a clock signal (CK) of a predetermined frequency on the basis of the movement information (DIV) held at the holding circuit (41). movement information (DIV), an address signal generating circuit (44) for generating an address signal (ADR-CK) to the memory device (14) based on the clock signal (CK) of the programmable oscillator, a data input control signal generating circuit (45) for generating a display data input control signal (LDB) to the parallel-to-serial conversion device (15) based on the clock signal (CK) of the programmable oscillator (42), and a display drive control signal generating circuit (46) for generating a display drive control signal (DLCK) to the display device (16, 17, 18) based on the clock signal (CK) of the programmable oscillator (42). 14. A display device according to claim 12, wherein said display device (16, 17, 18) comprises a serial-to-parallel conversion device (16) for receiving the serial display data (DDAT) transmitted from said parallel-to-serial conversion device (15) on the basis of the data input control signal (DSCK) from said data shaping device (13, 14, 15) and for converting the received serial display data (DDAT) into parallel display data, a display drive device (17) for holding the parallel display data of said serial-to-parallel conversion device (16) on the basis of the display drive control signal (DLCK) from said data shaping device (13, 14, 15), and a display array section (18) having a plurality of display elements transmitted from said Display drive device (17) can be operated to display the held display data. 15. A display device according to claim 14, in which the display device (16, 17, 18) comprises a plurality of display units (50) side by side, each display unit (50) comprising the serial-to-parallel conversion device (16), the display drive device (17) and the display array section (18). 16. A display device according to claim 71, in which each display element of the display array section (18) is an LED. 17. A display device according to claim 16, in which the LED comprises at least one red (R) emission element and one green (G) emission element. 18. A display device according to claim 7, in which a picture element of the (n-1)-dimensional display pattern displayed on the display array section (18) comprises a display element. 19. A display device according to claim 18, in which the display element comprises an emission chip. 20. A display device according to claim 18, in which the display element comprises a plurality of emission chips. 21. A display device according to claim 7, in which a picture element of the display array section (18) displayed (n-1)-dimensional display pattern comprises a plurality of display elements. 22. A display device according to claim 21, in which the plurality of display elements are display elements of the same color. 23. A display device according to claim 21, in which the plurality of display elements are display elements of different colors. 24. A display device according to claim 15, in which each display unit (50) comprises the display array section having a red (R) display element (56) and a green (G) display element (53), and the serial-to-parallel conversion device (51, 54) and the display drive device (52, 55) for each of the red (R) display elements (56) and green (G) display elements (53). 25. A display device according to claim 7, wherein n is equal to 2. 26. A display device according to claim 7, wherein n is equal to 3. 27. A display device according to claim 7, in which the display array section (18) of the display device (16, 17, 18) comprises a plurality of display array rows arranged along the direction of movement of the moving member for observation. 28. A display device according to claim 27, in which a display data storage section and a display array drive section (32, 35, 38) are arranged for each array row. 29. A display device according to claim 28, in which the display data of the display data storage section of each display array row is inputted to the display data storage section of the adjacent display array row one after another.