WO1994007233A1

WO1994007233A1 - Method to provide a display of pictures and means for this

Info

Publication number: WO1994007233A1
Application number: PCT/SE1993/000738
Authority: WO
Inventors: Staffan Johansson; Staffan Bertne; Claes Erik RUNÅ; Karl Anders EURÉN
Original assignee: Tunnelvision Ab
Priority date: 1992-09-11
Filing date: 1993-09-10
Publication date: 1994-03-31
Also published as: EP0659294B1; EP0659294A1; AU4836593A; SE9301330L; DE69316017D1; JPH08501398A; SE9301330D0; SE501987C2; ATE161646T1

Abstract

The present invention refers to a method to provide for persons (2) travelling by a vehicle (5) a display of pictures, movies, or other display information (1) on an intended display area outside of said vehicle on a tunnel wall (6) or other surface suitable for this, which surface laterally delimits an intended path (8) for said vehicle, for example a tunnel for a train, a bus, a boat etc. from a display apparatus movable along said path, preferably completed with sound transmission to the interior of the vehicle. A number of LCD plates or the equivalent are used, which are arranged at the area of and/or adjacent to vehicle windows (13), in order to provide by influence of light (23) from at least one side of said plates, external picture display.

Description

Method to provide a display of pictures and means for this.

The present invention refers to a method to provide for persons travelling by a vehicle a display of pictures, movies, video, television broadcasting or other display in¬ formation on an intended display area outside of said vehicle on a tunnel wall or other surface suitable for this, which surface laterally delimits an intended path for said vehicle, for example a tunnel for a train, a bus, a boat etc. from a display apparatus movable along said path, preferably completed with sound transmission to the interior of the vehicle.

It is known to provide display of pictures, movies, information, advertising, etc. , outside windows of vehicles on special display boards in tunnels along tracks, roads and similar paths, through for example US-A-978 854; US-A-4 179 198 and DE-C2-3 105 820. However said known picture display system operates separated from said vehicle. Only light from the vehicle is required to achieve the picture display. The environment in which these picture display apparatus are mounted does not constitute the most suitable for such picture display apparatus, that is dirty, damp, cold, vibratory etc.

It is also known through FR-A-2 120 243 by means of projectors to provide display of pictures on tunnel walls at a low level at the side of the vehicle. A picture which can be seen through the window by the passengers thereby would be difficult to achieve.

Further the quality of the pictures, which up to now have been possible to show along vehicle paths, has not been so good that one could be able to view them continuously without become tired.

It is also known to show movies and pictures etc. , to passengers on boats, trains and so on, in a traditional way operating with transmission of a display picture from a pro^¬ jector to a display screen on board the vehicle etc. For passengers who travel by vehicles, which traffic long tunnels with various paths therein, e.g. underground, for said pas^¬ sengers there is not very much to look at except for staring

SUBSTITUTE SHEET at each other, when they are not reading newspapers, books etc. Information to the passengers is also limited to signs inside the vehicles alternatively ^• small electronic displays located in the carriages as well . Thus, there is a great need to be able to inform the passengers about miscellaneous concerning the journey, line extensions, time tables, vehicle changes, delays, traffic information and so on and also to show advertising, movies, news etc. The main object of the present invention is there¬ fore at first hand to solve among other things the problem men¬ tioned above with well operating means in a satisfactory way.

Said object is achieved by means of a method accor¬ ding to the present invention and which mainly is characterized therein, that a number of LCD-plates or the equivalent are used, which are arranged at the area of and/or adjacent to vehicle windows, in order to create by influence of light from at least one side of said plates a projector which provides external picture display. Means known to achieve a picture display along the path of a vehicle has not operated satisfactory with high picture quality as a result, without disturbances from the out¬ side or requirements of space inside the vehicles, with pro¬ blems occurring therewith, e. g. vibration and cooling pro- blems, risk of damage, service availability etc.

Thus a further object of the present invention is to find means, that simply and effectively solves among other things the problems mentioned above.

Said further object is achieved with means accor- ding to the present invention, and which mainly is charac¬ terized in, that a number of plates of LCD type or the equi¬ valent are arranged at the area of and/or adjacent, preferably above the vehicle windows, that said plates from at least one of the sides thereof can be influenced by lamps or other light source for illuminating through the plates to achieve the intended picture at least outside the vehicle.

In the following the present invention is described as a number of preferred embodiments, whereby is referred to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a sectioned underground carnage with a picture display applied thereto, Fig. 2 shows in a view from the above an underground carnage set with a tunnel picture display along the track,

Fig. 3 shows di agram atical 1 y in a view from the above an underground railway and path extension along the track, with marked units for control sensing of the system,

Fig. 4 shows examples of structure of the object of the invention in active display position,

Fig. 5 shows a section of a tunnel with a path and vehicle received therein in an active display position, Fig. 6 shows an example of a picture display with achieved marked picture frame,

Fig. 7 shows an example of a control sensing system in operation,

Fig. 8 shows a picture display area by preparing the tunnel wall and

Fig. 9 shows a diagrammatic view of examples of the structure of a picture display means.

In order to effectively and simply be able to achieve display of pictures, movies, video, television broadcast or other desired display information 1, which for example may consist of still pictures or moving pictures for persons 2 on at least one ntended display area 3 externally

4 of the vehicle 5 in question, intended visual information is provided on a tunnel wall or other appropriate surface 6 for this, which surface laterally delimits a path 8 for the vehicle

5 in question, for example a tunnel for track bound trains, underground carnages, for bus, car, boat etc from an intended display apparatus 9, which is arranged on board the vehicle 5- IΠ question, movable in direction 10 along said path 8. Said external picture display preferably may be completed by sound transmission to the interior 11 of the vehicle.

According to the invention a number of plates 12 of LCD type or the equivalent, such as for example in fig. 9, and which are arranged at the area of and/or at the area adjacent an intended vehicle window 13, in order to at influence by light from at least one side 14 of said plates 12 create a projector which produces an external picture display.

The present picture display method for showing pictures 1 etc. on at least tunnel walls 6 or other suitable areas is based on the use of so called liquid crystal displays (LCD) as media to create for example a moving high resolution picture in colour for example.

In order to be able to transmit intended desired pictures 1, and preferably also pertaining sound information, which can be provided to be transmitted to the passengers 2 etc. in the vehicles 5 as complement to the display i nforma- tion, which is shown externally of the vehicle 5, for example through the ordinary loudspeakers 15 of the vehicle for the sound transmission to the display information with the sound arranged to be transmitted and controlled by the unit that controls said picture display according to the following, recorded material, directly transmitted material can be pro¬ jected from the vehicle in question, or centrally transmitted material controlled by control means 16 acting along the vehicle path 8. Picture and sound that is going to be pro¬ jected, may emanate from three different types of trans- missions, namely a) pre-recorded material, which is stored on for example a CD-disc, b) transmission within said means of transport, from for example the driver or other personnel, c) transmission from a command/communication cen¬ tral by either a number of transmitters, which are located along the tunnel etc. in question on suitable mutual distances or from a so called leaking cable.

In order to obtain irreproachable function of the first mentioned transmitting method, the computer unit which controls the transmission, for example has to know where the means of transportation is located along the route, which the vehicle in question has to follow, at which velocity the vehicle is travelling or if the vehicle stands still .

A control means 16 for said purpose should be cheap but yet rugged and almost free of maintenance. The preferred solution implies that a so called bar code system is used for reading of bar codes of a suitable number located along the path 8. For example bar codes 17 can be located at even intervals, for example 25 - 100 m, on the tunnel wall 6, along the roadbed 18, in the roof 19 of the tun- nel 20. By means of bar code readers 21 on board said vehicle 5 exact position indications and accurate velocity estimates can be mediated to the control units of the intended picture display apparatuses 9 which by guidance of information obtained may select correct display information, so that the desired communication message is transmitted at the right moment and the right location. For example at standstill the vehicle 6 by said communication can inform the exact position by already existing communication systems to for example the command/ communication center for further connection of transmission via transmitter/leaking cable to the track section in question.

In order to achieve an improved picture display outside said vehicle 5 and obtain a more harmonic and comp¬ rehensible picture 1 on the display surface 3, the picture 1 can be provided with a preferably white frame 22. Said frame 2 covers a certain part of the periphery edge of the picture area by for example some percent. The covering can be carried out digitally at mixing or when the picture material is played in the control unit on board the vehicle 5 or in the video circuit of the LCD-plate in question. Improved picture quality, for instance in cases when external disturbing electrical fittings etc are present on the tunnel wall 6 can be achieved by providing said tunnel wall 6 with an improved reflection surface suitable for picture display. Either fixed textile or metal screens can be mounted as covers over longitudinal fittings 50, of type cables and the like. Longitudinal fittings may also be covered by thin threads 6A type cobweb, which is sprayed over for example the cables. Various types of th s product are available on the market.

Because of the thinness and adhesiveness the cables are covered without formation of contours. When thereafter the particles which normally occur in the tunnels settle on the threads an even projection surface is created. By this method no fixed fittings are needed, cables and the like are easily accessible for service and repair works after the tunnel walls have been washed, something that occurs at even intervals, a new layer of covering thin threads simply can be sprayed on, as a sugges- tion by an apparatus on the carriage that operates the high pressure wash .

When picture display occurs by achieving said display information 1 by light beams 23 which come from a display projector 9, which is arranged to be drivable by said vehicle 5 along said path 8 in the direction 10 of movement of the vehicle 5, a distorsion of the picture occurs because the picture display area 3 is not located at an angle of 90° with respect to the beam from the projector apparatus 9, so called keystone effect. A similar effect, which happens when slides are shown from a projector that is tilted at the wrong angle on a base.

According to the present invention means are used to reduce such so called keystone effect of a picture 1 shown, and preferably also to completely reduce such keystone effect by tilting the present LCD-plates etc 12. Tilting of the plates to a desired degree creates a distorsion of a picture shown, whereby the fact is counteracted that the display angle against intended wall etc 6 is less than 90°.

Combined with or alternatively in those cases where the inclination of the tunnel wall or possible installation of display apparatus 9 in the vehicle does not allow a display angle X, that can be compensated by tilting the plates about an axis 24, that in main extends along the drive direction 8 of the vehicle according to the above, the picture distortion instead can be neutralized by prerotating the picture by a digital, electronic method. Such prerotation is carried out at mixing of pre-recorded picture display material , of the control unit of the projectors or in the video circuit 12 in respective LCD-plate.

The display information 1 is preferably sent di¬ rectly on the wall 6 of the tunnel in question from a number of projectors 9, 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, 9E ... , supported by the vehicle 5, for example several projectors 9-9E distributed along the intended side of the vehicle 5 and for example six units on each vehicle carriage. Thereby is made possible with distributed projectors 9-9B; 9C-9E that the display information 1 is effected along substantially the complete length of the vehicle, where persons 2 reside in the vehicle 5.

Display information 1 is appropriately achieved with limitation at least laterally 10 between transmitted picture 1, which is transmitted from respective projector 9-9E, pre- ferably a picture frame 22.

Control of the display information 1 most suitably can be provided by means 17, that is situated along an inten¬ ded path 8, on which the vehicle 5 is conveyed in a tunnel 20 or at another location, e.g. at the location 25,26 adjacent a station 27, 28, tunnel end etc. Control sensing units 60, 61 situated along a path 8 are intended to be able to control the system may also be included in the invention.

The stated method according to the above in order to provide intended display information 1 comprises at least one display apparatus 9-9E, Which is arranged to be able to project a display information 1 on an intended display area 6 outside windows 13 of a vehicle 5. Said apparatus 9-9E is arranged supported movable along an intended path 8, along which the vehicle 5 in question is intended to be conveyed, such as e.g. a tunnel 20 for train, car, bus, boat. etc.

Means in order to be able to achieve said display further comprises that said display apparatus consists of a display projector 9-9E, which operates with picture display by transmission of light beams 23 and is supported movable along said path 8.

A number of display projectors are appropriately supported by the vehicle 5 in question distributed along the length of the vehicle. The display area, on which the infor¬ mation is going to be shown, is the tunnel wall directly, without the need for the same to be processed in any special way with for example an extra surface treatment to be made even and/or clean, or covered by an extra sprayed surface layer 6A.

Control of display information 1 is provided to be able to cooperate with said display projector 9-9E and /or its control apparatus. Preferably this can be carried out by provision of control transmitters and receivers, for example at suitable locations along the path 8.

A centrally located tape recorder , transmitter etc. 29 which for example operates with so called laser disks, can be provided for interconnection with all apparatus 9-9E at a vehicle, a carriage etc. 5, for example via lines 30, wireless etc. At signal transmission from the central tape recorder etc 29 all apparatus 9-9E can be arranged to be controlled thereof mainly for example simultaneously, e.g. for picture switching etc. For example the apparatus 9-9E are arranged to simul- taneously show the same picture and preferably there movable. Even still picture display is possible by showing on intended display surface 6 preferably a tunnel wall 6.

Said display plates 12, of LCD type or other simi¬ lar plates with the same function, are arranged at the area of and/or the area adjacent vehicle windows 13, preferably above vehicle windows 13. Said display apparatuses 9 kan be arranged such that said plates 12 can be influenced by means of for example lamps 31,32 from at least one side 14,33 of the plates. Still another light source kan be used for illuminating through the plates with light 23, 34 to achieve an intended picture 1, 35 at least outside 4 of the vehicle 5.

Thus at the inwards facing side 14 a main light source 31, preferably a lamp and necessary optics 36,37 on corresponding side of the plates 12 is provided. The optics 36 may consist of an internal main re¬ flector 38 and an internal main refractory lens 39 and more¬ over an external lens 37. The external picture display ad- vantageously can be combined with showing pictures inside the vehicle 5 itself. In fact, during travel by e.g. underground (or other type of vehicle tunnel) there can be a reason to show pictures on a small screen inside the vehicle 5. This makes disturbances on the tunnel wall - cables, side paths, long distance to the opposite tunnel wall at double tracks and so on - less important. This is for example advantageous when the external picture is distorted because the display screen/tunnel wall does not lie in 90° angle with the beam from the projector (so called keystone effect). In addition an internal screen makes it possible to show pictures also during the stops at the stations when the main light source of the projectors is shut off. One can solve this problem by projecting a picture on a back projection screen 40 of the inside 11 of the carriage. When applying projectors 9 at for example the upp¬ er part of vehicle walls 41 above the windows 13 and by til¬ ting the LCD plate 12 a space is also created in order to by means of an additional light source 32 and necessary additio¬ nal optics illuminate the LCD-plate from the other direction viewed from the main light source 31. Through this method a reversed picture is created in a direction, which is almost opposite from screen/tunnel wall 6.

Since this picture is reversed, it suits perfectly to illuminate a so called back projection screen 40 of for example dimmed armoured glass, which is placed above the window 13 and thereby completes the picture, that can be seen on the screen/tunnel wall 6 through the window 13.

The function and usefulness of the invention should have been evident from the above stated and the drawings shown, on which the invention is exemplified. The invention is however not limited to the embodiments, but can be varied within the scope of the patent claims, without departing from the inven¬ tive concept.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A method to provide for persons (2) travelling by a vehicle (5) a display of pictures, movies, video, television broadcasting or other display information (1) on an intended display area (3) outside (4) of said vehicle (5) on a tunnel wall (6) or other surface suitable for this, which surface laterally (7) delimits an intended path (8) for said vehicle (5), for example a tunnel (20) for a train, a bus, a boat etc, from a display apparatus (9) movable along said path (8), pre¬ ferably completed with sound transmission to the interior of the vehicle ( 11 ) , characterized therein that a number of LCD-plates (12) or the equivalent are used, which are arranged at the area of and/or adjacent to vehicle windows (13), in order to create by in¬ fluence of light (23) from at least one side of said plates (12), a projector which provides external picture display.

2. A method according to patent claim 1, characterized therein that recorded material, directly transmitted material from the vehicle is projected or centrally transmitted material controlled by control means (16) acting along the vehicle path (8).

3. A method according to patent claim 2, characterized therein that a so called bar code system is used for reading of bar code information (17) located along the path (8).

4. A method according to any of the patent claims sta¬ ted above, characterized therein that means to reduce the so called keystone effect of a picture shown, is used in the form of tilting the present LCD plates etc (12) and/or by neutralizing picture distorsion by prerotating the picture by a digital, electronic method at mixing of pre-recorded ma¬ terial, of the control unit of the projectors or in the video circuit in respective LCD-plate.

5. A method according to any of the patent claims sta¬ ted above, characterized therein that said plates (12) are illuminated (34) from the opposite side so that pictures are projected on a back projection screen inside in the vehicle, placed e.g. above the window (13) and/or included in the window structure, e.g. inserted between window layers.

6. A method according to any of the patent claims sta¬ ted above, characterized therein that intended surface along tunnel wall (6) is treated by thread formed web (6A), which is sprayed out to cover existing installation (50) forming a display surface.

7. A method according to any of the patent claims sta- ted above, characterized therein that the picture (1) shown is provided with a preferably white frame (22) covering a certain part of the periphery edge of the picture field, digitally by mixing with intended picture material in a con¬ trol unit or in the video circuit of said plate.

8. Means to carry out a method to provide for persons (2) travelling by a vehicle (5) a display of pictures, movies, video, television broadcasting or other display information (1) on an intended display area (3) outside (4) of said vehicle (5) on a tunnel wall (6) or other surface appropriate for this, which surface laterally (7) delimits an intended path (8) for said vehicle (5), for exan le a tunnel (20) for a train, a bus, a boat etc. from a display apparatus (9) movable along said path, pre¬ ferably completed with sound transmission to the interior of the vehicle (11), according to any of the above stated patent claims, characterized therein that a number of LCD-plates (12) or the equivalent are used, which are arranged at the area of and/or adjacent preferably above vehicle windows (13), that said plates (12) from at least one of its sides (14) can be in¬ fluenced by means of lamps (31) or other light source for through illumination of the plates (12) to achieve intended picture (1) at least externally of the vehicle.

9. Means according to patent claim 8, characterized therein that the plates (12) in question are connected to a picture transmission unit (29) for recorded material, for example is stored on a picture CD-disc, and/or material , that is transmitted from said vehicle (5), for example from a driver and/or material that is transmitted from a command/corrmuni- cation central , 'for example by transmitters along the path (8), from a so called leaking cable, and that at least on one side (14) of said plates (12) a main light source (31) is present, preferably a lamp and necessary optics (36).

10. Means according to any of the above stated patent claims 8-9, characterized therein that the plates (12) in question are settable to tilt or that means is present to prerotate intended pictures digitally, electronically by mixing of recorded material e.g. by the control unit of the projectors or in the video circuit of said plates.