WO2004068458A1

WO2004068458A1 - A projection display system with image source memory and additional integrated memory for storing supplementary images

Info

Publication number: WO2004068458A1
Application number: PCT/IB2003/006127
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paulus C. R. Teeuwen
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2003-01-29
Filing date: 2003-12-18
Publication date: 2004-08-12
Also published as: TW200421003A; AU2003288615A1

Abstract

A presentation display system comprises an image source, first selection means for accessing said image source for selecting an image, and a projection system fed by the first selection means for facilitating a remote projection of a selected image on a remote surface.In particular, the system comprises an integrated memory for storing one or more control images that are substantially character-based. The integrated memory has second selection means for selecting an image for feeding to the projection system to project a control information image as being supplementary to images from the source.

Description

A PROJECTION DISPLAY SYSTEM WITH IMAGE SOURCE MEMORY AND ADDITIONAL INTEGRATED M EMORY FOR STORING SUPPLEMENTARY IMAGES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a presentation display system comprising image source means, first selection means for accessing said image source means for selecting an image, and a projection system fed by said selection means for facilitating a remote 5 projection of a selected image on a remote surface, as being furthermore recited in the preamble of Claim 1. Such systems have come into wide usage to support lectures, presentations and various meetings, in presenting a sequence of images, text, short films, and other audiovisual matter, in that the conveying of visual matter has been found to be a boon to audiences. The invention does not relate to the completely different fields of desk-top

10 computers and other comprehensive devices.

The present inventor has however recognized that the presentation of such images would benefit from displaying additional control information, in particular, where there is an appreciable physical distance between the image source and the remote surface, that may be several metres or more away, and where the audience may consist of quite a

15 large group of persons, wherein 1-10 is considered a small group and several hundreds would by no means represent an exception.

SUMMARY TO THE INVENTION

In consequence, amongst other things, it is an object of the present invention 0 to allow adding of such control information to the sequence of projected imaging, for structuring of the latter, for giving notices to the audience, and for the overall smoothing of lectures, presentations, and the like.

Now therefore, according to one of its aspects, the invention is characterized according to the characterizing part of Claim 1. Further advantageous aspects of the invention 25 are recited in dependent Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

These and further features, aspects and advantages of the invention will be discussed more in detail hereinafter with reference to the disclosure of preferred embodiments of the invention, and in particular with reference to the appended Figures that illustrate:

Figure 1, an overall system according to the invention; Figure 2, an artist's view of an actual usage environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to the invention, a projector is proposed that has an integrated memory to store images that can be downloaded thereto, and which integrated memory may contain information to facilitate and control a meeting, such as a title page of a meeting, lecture, or other, the agenda or part thereof, a message for the audience or a selection therefrom, and other. The various screens are quickly accessible. Preferably, a clock facility, together with timer circuitry and other features are used to control the progress of a meeting. In doing so, the efficiency of a meeting or other presentation may be improved by showing repeated images such as the agenda, to so obviate confusion regarding the progress of the meeting through offering electronic solutions to the presentation display.

In fact, lightvalve-based projection systems are becoming more and more popular for electronic presentations. The matter for projection is being prepared in portable computers, but during a meeting, the powering-up, the connecting and the subsequent disconnecting of those portable computers may cause an appreciable amount of confusion. Therefore, the present invention provides pre-storing of such presentation material in a memory that is associated to the projection facility. Furthermore, the integrating of timer circuitry and the visualization of elapsed and remaining time allow improved self-control by the performing persons, and so would reduce the necessary interventions by chairpersons and the like. Figure 1 illustrates an overall system according to the invention, hi the arrangement, bus 20 interconnects various subsystems, as follows. CPU 22 executes all necessary data processing, such as address calculations, and various system management tasks. Memory 24 stores data in RAM, and program in ROM. Mass memory 26 is a background memory for foreground memory 24, as well as semi-permanent storage of presentation screens or separate message items, as the case may be. In many cases, the storing of some hundred "general" screens could be sufficient, as compared with some ten "message" or control screens. User interface 28 allows a user person or operator to interact with the system, such as through input by mouse, keyboard, and the like, and also receive output by visual display. If appropriate hard copy I/O and/or speech I/O would be feasible. The controlling by the operator could cause the downloading of one or more complete screens, the composing of messages, and other. Detacheable user memory 30, such as pertaining to a lecturer's laptop, allows to present user screens or other images to the system. Under control of user selection on interface 28, or rather automatically, such information is read from memory 30 and via bus 20 stored in randomly accessible mass memory 26. The random selectability is effected on a relatively long time scale, such as seconds; on a lower level, the access may be sequential, inasmuch as the mass storage could be effected on the basis of solid state, or rather through an optical disk or another serial storage organization. The detaching is through temporary interconnection plug 31. Now, the main presentation is through frame memory 32, that gets successive frames through the addressing of memory 26. If appropriate, frame memory 32 allows to store one or more further frames or screens by way of look-ahead, look-back, or other selection mechanism. The stored screen information is scan-wise accessed and through interconnection 38 presented to projection valve 40, that via optical system 42 will generate an image on a remote surface 44.

Next to the above, info memory 34 allows to store an information or control screen or part thereof. The information of this screen is not related to the content of the screens from memory 32, but may represent a title page, an agenda, a message, or other information relevant to the audience or to one or more members thereof. Memory 34 is read out in a comparable procedure as memory 32 to project its contents on screen 44. A first manner for effecting such projection is through having interconnection 38 comprise a multiplexing facility, not shown for brevity, so that displaying from memory 34 would overrule the displaying from memory 32. Another manner would be to have memory 34 superposing its screen on the screen from memory 32. Both approaches can be followed for the whole screen, or rather, only for the part effectively used for the frame from memory 34. The superposition may be effected by analog mixing: black pixeled characters could therein be present on a background that represents the original screen.

Controlling the displaying from memory 34 can be effected in various manners. A first one is through immediate user control on interface 28. A second one is recurrently, such as once every few minutes during a few seconds. A third one is under timer control from timer 36, such as at five minutes, two minutes, and one minute before the envisaged termination of the current lecture or presentation. All such timings may be set by a user person in the clock facility 36, and be effected through the user interface module 28. Figure 2 illustrates an artist's view of an actual usage environment. In the middle, the screen display 44 shows a company's letterhead and a four-item agenda. Furthermore, several attendant persons are shown that view the display (at right), and discuss the contents or other regarding the presentation proper (at left). Right in the middle, the scene shows the projection display apparatus 40, and a remote control device 29 as part of the user interface.

Now, the present invention has hereabove been disclosed with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications and changes may be made thereto without exceeding the scope of the appended Claims. In consequence, the embodiments should be considered as being illustrative, and no restriction should be construed from those embodiments, other than as have been recited in the Claims.

Claims

CLAMS:

1. A presentation display system comprising image source means (26, 32), first selection means (28) for accessing said image source means for selecting an image, and a projection system (40, 42) fed by said first selection means for facilitating a remote projection of a selected image on a remote surface (44), said system being characterized by comprising an integrated memory (34) for storing one or more control images that are substantially character-based, said integrated memory having second selection means (36) for selecting an image for feeding to said projection system to project a control information image as being supplementary to images from said source means.

2. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said control information image is projected in overruling an actual selection from said source means (32).

3. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said control information image is physically superposed on an actual selection from said source means (32).

4. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said control information image is actuated under automatic system control (36).

5. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said control information image is actuated under temporal prespecified data.

6. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said control information image comprises one or more of a title page, an agenda or an out-of-order message.