GB2500218A

GB2500218A - Vehicle with sequence of images forming animation

Info

Publication number: GB2500218A
Application number: GB1204424.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Victor Harris; Mark Victor Harris
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-03-14
Filing date: 2012-03-14
Publication date: 2013-09-18
Also published as: GB201204424D0; GB2500218A8

Abstract

A vehicle, in particular a railway train carriage, is provided with a sequence of regularly spaced apart images 141-149 that form an animation when the vehicle is moving. An illumination system illuminates the moving images in sequence. The illumination system comprises a flashing / strobing light source (200, Fig. 2) which illuminates an image area 135 of the vehicle when that image area is within a defined location relative to the position of the light source and does not illuminate it when the image area is outside that defined location. A detector may be provided for detecting when the image area is in the correct position. The light source may be infra-red and the images may be reflective to infrared light.

Description

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AN ILLUMINATED IMAGE ON A

MOVING VEHICLE

This patent application relates to illuminated images and more specifically to providing an illuminated image on a moving vehicle.

5 Systems and methods have been already proposed which are intended to provide illuminated images to people using public vehicles. United States patent US 4,179,198 discloses an installation for a railway system in which a train moves through an unlighted tunnel. The installation comprises a series of pictures that are mounted along a side wall of the tunnel at regular intervals and at least one light-flash emitting device, the device being mounted on the 10 passenger vehicle and directed toward the pictures. A flash is emitted each time the vehicle has covered a distance equal to the space between two successive pictures. The installation provides passengers riding the transportation system with animated pictures during the course of their journey. The emitted flashes serve to provide a stroboscopic effect. More generally a stroboscopic effect is obtained when a viewer sees an object or image that is mainly 15 illuminated only during a sequence of time intervals that are spaced apart in time. Such a stroboscopic effect can be used to portray movement of an object or to change the apparent speed of moving objects.

United Kingdom patent GB 1289084 discloses a stroboscopic animation display system for use with an internally lighted passenger vehicle. A series of pictures comprising an animation 20 sequence is arranged along a surface which the windows of the vehicle may pass. Each picture has an individual source of high intensity lighting. An individual photo-sensitive device is provided closely adjacent each picture to trigger its respective light source in response to light from a window of the vehicle. Clearly, each picture is only illuminated when it is close to a window. A person looking through a window will see plural images in 25 succession as the window moves past the pictures.

United States patent US 3,951,529 discloses illuminated signs using stroboscopic means for animation along a vehicle pathway. A longitudinal row of spaced apart pictures each contain separated animated figures in a frame depicting separated illuminated phases of a movement of the animated figures along a vehicle pathway, A stroboscopic illumination means is

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mounted in a fixed relation to the frame to sequentially illuminate each picture. A variable control switch means energizes the stroboscopic illumination means to turn on illumination independently of moving in the vehicle along the vehicle pathway, and is adjustable for flashing periodically on and off at a rate between about 80 cycles per second and 100 cycles 5 per second. Although the rate of flashing is adjustable, it is not clear how adjustment of the rate relates to, or depends on, a speed at which the vehicle is moving and therefore the illuminated signs provide limited control of how illuminated images appear to a viewer.

All of the above-described patents are directed to providing a plurality of illuminated images outside a vehicle which can be viewed by a person travelling inside a vehicle, to provide a 10 visual impression of an animated image to a person in the vehicle. The described systems are limited in that they all require a plurality of images to be placed in one fixed location along a path along which the vehicle can travel. It is seen as desirable to provide a way of displaying illuminated images to a person located outside a vehicle, for example a person waiting for a train to arrive at a train station. Such illuminated images can be used to promote or advertise 15 major sporting events for example. Furthermore it is desirable to display illuminated images to people at different locations along a route along which a vehicle may travel, while minimising cost of installing images.

According to one aspect of the invention, an illumination system provides an image that can be illuminated on a moving vehicle. The illumination system comprises a plurality of images 20 that can be transferred onto respective image areas on a vehicle, the image areas being uniformly distributed along at least part of the vehicle in a direction of travel of the vehicle. The system further comprises a light source arranged to illuminate an image area on the vehicle when that image area is within a defined location relative to a position of the light source and arranged to not so illuminate when said image area is outside said defined 25 location.

For example, the light source can be arranged to illuminate the image area when the image area is within a defined range of distance or direction from the light source, for example when the image area is within a range of directions subtending an angle of between ten degrees and 20 degrees. Other angles may be used so long at the light source is arranged to mainly

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illuminate one image at a time. However it will be appreciated that a small portion of light from the light source may leak onto an adjacent image without adverse effect.

The light source can be arranged to illuminate the image area in a controlled manner by different means singly or in combination. According to one such means, the light source is 5 arranged to emit light in a directional beam having a fairly narrow angle of dispersion, for example ten degrees. This results in a stroboscopic effect when ambient light incident on the vehicle is low-level, for example at night. This stroboscopic effect is because successive images are illuminated by the light source during respective short time intervals and images are not illuminated between these short time intervals. According to another means of 10 controlled illumination, the light source is switched alternately on and off, the light source being switched on when the image area is within the defined location, and off when the image area is outside the defined location.

Optionally and advantageously the system is arranged so that images in different ones of the image areas portray all or part of an object in different respective positions and/or orientations 15 with respect to their respective image areas. For example, such an object could be a person riding a bicycle and the part of the image representing that object can be portrayed as moving in a dynamic manner, for example jumping. Alternatively, only a part of an object may be portrayed as moving, for example the object could be a person's face and the part of the object could be the person's mouth and the mouth could be portrayed as moving to begin 20 smiling.

As can be seen from the above, the images when viewed in sequence can create a visual impression of movement of at least one object. However it should be understood that a static or non-moving image may be displayed alternatively or in addition to a moving object. For example, such a non-moving image might comprise a still picture or text or both.

25 Optionally and advantageously the light source comprises a source of infrared light and the plurality of images comprises an infrared reflective substance. This provides greater contrast between the illuminated images and any surrounding objects which may be within view of a person viewing of the images, particularly in low-light conditions e.g. at dusk or sunset. The

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images are highlighted by the infrared light more than they would be by visible light, when surfaces of the vehicle not comprising part of an image are not infrared-reflective.

Advantageously, the infrared reflective substance may be translucent to visible light. An advantage of this feature is that images can be located at least partly on windows of the 5 vehicle without obscuring the views of passengers in the vehicle through windows of the vehicle,

Preferably the light source, when installed in a position proximal to a path along which the vehicle is constrained to travel, is arranged to emit light in a direction that causes the emitted light to impinge part tangentially on a surface of the vehicle. Preferably, the light source is 10 arranged so that it emits light in a direction that is more tangential than orthogonal to an outer surface of the vehicle (i.e. a direction that is less than 45 degrees from the tangent of the surface e.g. a window surface. For example, the light source is arranged so that it emits light that impinges mostly tangential to windows of the vehicle. This useful feature avoids light being directed directly towards eyes of passengers located inside the vehicle and thereby 15 dazzling them. To this end, the light source can be arranged to emit light in a direction that is non-parallel to the path of the vehicle and more tangential to the path than orthogonal to the path. For example the light source can be directed mainly upwards or downwards relative to the ground and mainly tangential to windows of the vehicle.

Preferably the system further comprises means for determining when an image area on the 20 vehicle surface is within the defined location, and preferably also the light source can be switched, based on the determining of the relative location of the image area, so that it emits light for illuminating an image only when the image area is within the defined location.

Optionally and advantageously, the light source comprises a plurality of similar light sources distributed along, and proximal to, a path along which the vehicle may travel. This provides 25 an advantage that more than one person located in different places along the path of the vehicle can view the images as the images pass near to the persons at different times.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an illumination apparatus for illuminating images on a moving vehicle, the apparatus comprising a light source arranged to

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illuminate an image area on the outside of a vehicle when said image area is within a defined location relative to a position of the light source and to not so illuminate when said image area is outside said defined location.

Preferably, the illumination apparatus further comprises means for determining when an 5 image area is within said defined location, and preferably also the light source is switchable, based on this determining, to emit light for illuminating an image only when the image area is within the defined location.

Optionally and advantageously, the means for determining comprises a detector arranged to detect the presence of the image area within the defined location, and the illumination 10 apparatus further comprises a controller coupled to the detector, the controller being arranged to switch the light source in response to the detection so that the light source emits light for illuminating an image when the image area is within the defined location and the light source does not emit light for illuminating an image when the image area is outside the defined location.

15 Such a detector can comprise a number of different types of detection means. For example, a proximity detector comprising a detection light source and a reflector mounted on the vehicle in, or close to, a image area in which the image is located, one reflector per image area. Alternatively, a source of electromagnetic radiation such as microwave radiation can be used to detect proximity of the vehicle as it approaches the detector and to determine velocity of 20 the vehicle, and can produce a signal that can be used to switch the light source on and off.

Therefore optionally the detector comprises a proximity detector that is arranged to detect proximity of a image area (for example, the centre of a image area) to the light source.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a graphic medium comprising a plurality of images located in respective image areas of the graphic medium, wherein each of 25 the plurality of images is transferable onto a respective image area on a vehicle, the image areas of the graphic medium being uniformly distributed along at least part of a length of the graphic medium.

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According to one embodiment, the graphic medium comprises a stencil having at least one aperture for each image through which paint or ink or other marking means can be transferred onto a vehicle over which or on which the transfer is positioned.

According to an embodiment, the graphic medium comprises a sheet to which the plurality of 5 images are removably attached.

For example the images may comprise removable planar objects, preferably flexible, that are adhesive on a side of the images facing the a side of the sheet having a non-adhesive surface e.g. wax-coated, the sheet forming a backing sheet for the images. When an image is removed from the sheet, this adhesive side of the image object may be placed against a 10 surface of the vehicle.

Alternatively or in addition, the graphic medium, in the form of a sheet, has one or more images which each comprise a pressure-transferrable sticker that is applied to the surface of the vehicle by pressure applied from the opposite side of the medium to the side on which the image is located.

15 The plurality of images may comprise infrared reflective material. Furthermore, preferably the infrared reflective material is translucent to visible light.

Preferably the light source is arranged to illuminate each image while one point on the image moves through a distance relative to the light source and in a direction of travel of the vehicle of less than three metres.

20 As an example, adjacent image areas may be spaced three metres apart so that the centre of one image area is three metres distant from the centre of another image area adjacent to that one image area, and the light source is arranged to illuminate each image while one point on the image moves through a distance relative to the light source and in a direction of travel of the vehicle of around one metre.

25 An embodiment will now be described by way of example only and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a carriage of a train on which plural images are located; and

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FIG. 2 shows a zoomed-in view of part of the carriage of FIG. 1 and also shows an illuminating apparatus proximal to the train.

Turning to FIG. 1, a train carriage 100 has a roof 110 and a side 120 facing towards a person viewing the figure, the side 120 of the carriage comprising plural image regions or image 5 areas 131-139 in each of which an image may be located. Plural images 141-149 of a person riding a bicycle are located in respective ones of the image areas 131-139. Different ones of the plural images 141-149 are located in different positions and/or orientations relative to the respective image areas 131-139 in which the images are located.

In this example, each shown image area 131-139 contains a window 150 of the train carriage 10 100 and the image areas 131-139 are defined by boundaries (indicated by vertical dashed lines 160) between adjacent windows 150 and by a top edge 172 and a bottom edge 174 of the side 120 of the train carriage 100. Like references in FIGs. 1 and 2 refer to the same respective objects.

In FIG. 2, an illuminating apparatus 200 comprises a light source (not shown, but part of the 15 apparatus 200) arranged so that it emits light towards the side 120 of the train 100 at an oblique angle to the surface of the side 120 of the train, that is, part-tangential to the surface of the train and preferably more tangential than orthogonal to the windows 150 of the train. It should be understood that, according to a variation of the embodiment, the light source may be arranged to emit light so that the emitted light is directed towards the top 110 of the train 20 carriage 100 from above the carriage so that an image located on the roof of the carriage may be viewed from above the train. Alternatively, the illuminating apparatus may be located nearer the top of the carriage and be arranged to emit light downwards and obliquely relative to the side surface of the carriage.

A beam of emitted light illuminating an image 145 is shown in the figure as being bounded by 25 two divergent lines 210,212. In practice the beam will diverge outwards within a divergence angle, However it is preferable that the divergence angle is minimal so as to reduce a portion of the emitted light that falls on an adjacent image (no adjacent image being shown in FIG. 2).

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The apparatus 200 comprises a detector (not shown) arranged to detect when an image area on the train is within a defined location relative to a position of the light source. The detector is a proximity detector comprising a detection light source and a light-sensitive detector (each not shown). A reflector 220 is mounted on the vehicle in, or close to, a image area in which the 5 image is located, one reflector per image area. Preferably, as shown, the reflector 220 is mounted towards the bottom of the train carriage 100 so that it not conspicuous. The reflector comprises an array of corner cubes and is therefore directional in a similar way that a known light reflector for a bicycle is directional. Clearly other types of reflector may be used so long as they reflect sufficient light that can be detected by the light detector of the illumination 10 apparatus 200. The apparatus also comprises a controller coupled to the detector and to the light source, the controller being arranged to switch the light source in response to the detection so that the light source emits light for illuminating an image only when the image area is within said defined location.

Optionally the controller comprises a processor and a memory including instructions for the 15 processor to carry out so as to perform its function of controlling the light source. Optionally the processor can calculate times at which an image area on the vehicle will be in the defined location relative to the position of the light source based on location information provided to it, and the processor is arranged to provide a signal to the light source responsive to the detection, to control the light source to emit light when the image area is within the defined 20 location and to not emit light when the image area is not within the defined location. The location information can relate to a location of another part of the train and it can include velocity information from a speed sensor forming part of, or coupled to, the illuminating apparatus 200.

The illuminating apparatus 200 is located below the train carriage 100 and to the side of the 25 train carriage 100 so that emitted light is directed upwards relative to the ground along which the train travels and towards the side 120 of the train carriage 100, in a suitable direction to avoid directing light directly towards eyes of passengers in the train carriage.

The images 141-149 comprise infrared-reflective paint that is translucent to visible light. As the train carriage 100 passes the illuminating apparatus 200, the illuminating apparatus acts to

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illuminate the plurality of images 141-149 in quick succession thereby providing, to a person looking towards the carriage from outside the carriage, an impression of an animated image of a person riding a bicycle .

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An illumination system for providing an illuminated image on a moving vehicle, the system comprising a plurality of images that can be located in respective image areas on a vehicle, the image areas being uniformly distributed along at least part of the length of the

5 vehicle, said system further comprising a light source arranged to illuminate an image area of the vehicle when that image area is within a defined location relative to a position of the light source and not so illuminate when said image area is outside said defined location.

2. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein images, when they are in different ones of said image areas, portray all or part of an object in different respective positions and/or

10 orientations with respect to their respective image areas, so that the plurality of images together form an animated image.

3. A system as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the light source comprises a source of infrared light and the plurality of images comprise a substance that is reflective to infrared light.

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4. A system as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the infrared-reflective substance is translucent to visible light.

5. A system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the light source, when installed in a position proximal to a location through which the vehicle will travel, is arranged to emit light in a direction that is more tangential than orthogonal to the surface of the vehicle when

20 the vehicle is at that location.

6. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising means for determining when an image area on the vehicle surface is within said defined location, and wherein the light source is switchable, based on said determining, to emit light for illuminating an image only when the image area is within said defined location.

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7. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of similar light sources distributed along, and proximal to, at least part of a path along which the vehicle may travel.

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8. An illumination apparatus for illuminating images on a moving vehicle, the apparatus comprising a light source arranged to substantially illuminate an image area on the outside of a vehicle when said image area is within a defined location relative to a position of the light source and to not so illuminate when said image area is outside said defined location.

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9. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the light source comprises a source of infrared light.

10. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, wherein the light source is arranged to, when the light source is installed in a position proximal to a spatial corridor in which the vehicle is constrained to travel, emit light in a direction that is more tangential than orthogonal to an

10 outer region of the spatial corridor.

11. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, further comprising means for determining when an image area is within said defined location, and wherein the light source is switchable, based on said determining, to emit light for illuminating an image only when the image area is within said defined location.

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12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the means for determining comprises a detector arranged to detect the presence of the image area within the defined location, and a controller coupled to the detector and arranged to switch the light source in response to the detection so that the light source emits light for illuminating an image only when the image area is within said defined location.

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13. An apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 12, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of similar light sources distributed along, and proximal to, at least a portion of a path along which the vehicle may travel.

14. A graphic medium comprising a plurality of images located in respective image areas of the graphic medium, wherein each of the plurality of images is transferable onto respective

25 image areas on a vehicle, the image areas of the graphic medium being uniformly distributed along at least part of a length of the graphic medium.

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15. A graphic medium as claimed in Claim 14, comprising a stencil having at least one aperture defining an image of said plurality of images, through which aperture paint can be transferred onto a vehicle when the transfer is positioned close to an outer surface of the vehicle.

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16. A graphic medium as claimed in Claim 14, wherein different ones of said plurality of images are transferable from the graphic medium onto a surface of a vehicle.

17. A graphic medium as claimed in Claim 16, comprising a sheet to which the plurality of images are removably attached.

18. A graphic medium as claimed in any one of Claims 14 to 17, wherein the plurality of 10 images comprises infrared-reflective material.

19. A graphic medium as claimed in Claim 18, wherein the infrared-reflective material is translucent to visible light.

20. An illumination system substantially as described herein and as illustrated in one or more of the accompanying drawings.

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21. An illumination apparatus substantially as described herein and as illustrated in one or more of the accompanying drawings.

22. A graphic medium substantially as described herein and as illustrated in one or more of the accompanying drawings.