Overall three dimensional screen

Abstract

To eliminate a phenomenon that the light of the high luminance part of a video interferes with another dark part and the whole contrast is lowered in a stereoscopic screen in a dome shape or the like.SOLUTION: In a case where an image in which a bright portion and a dark portion are present is projected on a curved surface of a dome-shaped screen seen in a planetarium, an exhibition image, or the like or a projection screen disposed to face and be close to each other, the projection screens interfere with each other and the contrast is extremely lowered, but the screen of the present application has a three dimensional shape composed of a large number of planes, and thus mutual interference cannot physically occur. Therefore, even in the case of an image having a large difference between light and dark, a decrease in contrast in which the luminance of a bright portion interferes with a dark portion does not occur as in the case of a normal flat screen. Further, since a space is provided between the large number of planes, an acoustic problem such as reverberation occurring in a conventional dome screen or the like hardly occurs, and air conditioning is easily performed. In addition, the stereoscreen of the present application connected by the deformable member is foldable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to a screen capable of displaying information, images or videos by means of light. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional dome-shaped screens may have no problem expressing small points of light like stars in planetariums, but As shown in Figure 1, when a bright surface larger than the star is projected onto the screen, the bright area will illuminate other dark areas of the same screen, In particular, in the case of images with large bright areas, the significant reduction in overall contrast has long been a problem.

[0003] Countermeasures include reducing the brightness of the projected image or turning the screen gray to reduce the reflectivity of the screen itself, but these methods do not solve the fundamental problem at all. Since a substantial decrease in contrast is unavoidable, many places accept that "this is what dome images are like" and use projected images that are far removed from the original image. However, in the current situation, it is impossible to express something like "a bright sun shining in the pitch-black universe."

[0004] In addition, the dome screen with a sawtooth cross section as seen in Patent Document 1 has a quadratic curved surface (part of a conical surface), Although vertical interference within the screen, especially near the equator of the dome screen, is certainly reduced, this does not mean that the interference is completely eliminated, as shown in part in Figure 3. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent application No. 1967-76459 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The light projected onto the dome-shaped 3D screen or onto closely spaced screens is reflected and illuminates other parts of the screen. Eliminates the phenomenon of reduced contrast in projected images and videos caused by light from high-brightness areas interfering with other dark areas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The screen of the present application, which can be projected or emits light to display videos, images, optical data, etc., has one or more of the following: multiple flat surfaces, multiple roughly flat elements, or a spiral element consisting of a continuous roughly flat surface, and forms a three-dimensional shape as a whole.

[0008] (Explanation of the principle) An arbitrary point s on a conventional dome screen having a quadratic or cubic curved surface shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is taken as a virtual viewpoint. At this time, from the virtual viewpoint s, it is possible to see another screen on the screen surface having s. This means that if there is a projection point or a light emitting point at the s, that light will interfere with other parts of the screen. Furthermore, in this shape, if most of the image is bright and you want to express a small black dot in the image, the small black dot may be washed out by the brightness of the surroundings. This means that even if there is a place on the screen where you want to express bright and black areas, The interference from the bright areas causes a significant drop in contrast, meaning that it is impossible to express the black areas as intended.

[0009] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, if the screen is flat and an arbitrary point s on the screen is set as a virtual viewpoint, From the virtual viewpoint s, it is not possible to see other screen surfaces, including the screen surface having s itself.

[0010] In addition, even on a collection of flat screens that form a three-dimensional shape such as a dome shape as a whole, or on a continuous spiral-shaped approximately flat screen that forms a three-dimensional shape such as a dome shape as a whole, It is not possible to see the other screen surfaces from any position, including the screen with the virtual viewpoint s that has been placed.

[0011] This means that, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, light emitted from a projected point or emitting point s with high brightness does not reach any other screens, including the same screen with s. A screen with such a structure cannot suffer from a decrease in contrast due to interference (interference caused by light from the high-brightness portion) in which a high-brightness portion affects other portions. This is similar to a traditional flat screen where there is no loss of contrast. (However, for both the screen of the present application and the conventional screen, interference caused by reflections from spectator seats facing the screen other than the screen is excluded.)

[0012] Furthermore, this application is not limited to a screen that "forms a dome shape as a whole," but also includes a screen in which elements are gathered together to form a polyhedron such as a cube as a whole, as shown in FIG. 11, a screen in which elements are gathered together to form a part of a curved surface as a whole, Even when the screens are arranged close to each other and facing each other in a generally flat plane, as shown in FIG. 13A, no interference occurs between the projected images.

[0013] Incidentally, if at least a portion of the multiple screen members of the present application is not an ideal planar shape but is substantially planar, it is natural that slight interference will occur in the screen. However, this is still far less than the reduction in contrast caused by light interference in a conventional dome screen.

[0014] The component (element) having a screen member that forms a three-dimensional shape as a whole in the present application is: They may be parallel or approximately parallel to each other, but do not necessarily have to be parallel or approximately parallel to each other depending on the projection conditions and the three-dimensional shape of the screen.

[0015] (spiral screen) Incidentally, the term "approximately flat and parallel screen" used in this application means: For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a screen may be considered in which the screen members are not formed of a plurality of planes but are connected in a spiral and made up of a continuous member. By combining this spiral screen member with a holding member that maintains the dome shape when in use, it can be folded compactly for storage or transportation. The screen of the present application may also be a combination of such a spiral member and one or more planar elements.

[0016] (Edge of flat screen) If the edge of the flat screen has a thickness 9 as shown in 10A of Fig. 10, and that part is painted black to prevent interference with other parts, The projection is not reflected in that area, so the black area stands out. Therefore, it is advisable to make the cross section of the end of the flat screen wedge-shaped as shown in FIG. 10B, or to use a thin member as the flat screen, which extends beyond the screen holding member toward the end, as shown in FIG. 10C. Furthermore, if the screen holding member is not provided separately, the flat screen is preferably made as thin as possible while still having the mechanical strength required to function as a screen.

[0017] However, even if the thickness portion 9 of the end portion is the same color as the screen, if interference with the end portion itself can be practically ignored, the thickness portion 9 may be the same color as the screen.

[0018] Furthermore, as shown in 10D and 10E of Figure 10, a bent portion may be provided in a direction intersecting with the surface of the thin member, or a member may be joined in a direction intersecting with the surface of the thin member, thereby giving the thin member mechanical strength and eliminating the need for the reinforcing member.

[0019] (back surface treatment of element) The screen structure of the present application does not affect other screen portions on the three-dimensionally arranged screens due to the reflected or emitted light of the screen. When the rear surface of the screen of an element that faces the screen surface of an adjacent element receives light from the screen surface of the element, the rear surface may become a new light source and illuminate the screen of another element. Therefore, the back side of the screen surface of each of the elements is The surface should be black or have a mirror-like surface that can reflect light from inside the stereoscopic screen toward the outside of the stereoscopic screen, thereby suppressing diffuse reflection.

[0020] In this application, the term "mirror-like" may refer to a so-called mirror-like surface that is capable of total reflection, or may refer to a glossy smooth surface, such as a glossy black mirror-like surface. At this time, the light reflected by the mirror surface is always reflected outward from the screen, so the light received by the rear surface of the screen does not enter the screen.

[0021] (Member that maintains the spacing between elements) As shown in Figs. 15 and 16, the members for maintaining the spacing between the elements of the present application (in the case of a spiral screen, the members for maintaining the spiral spacing between the elements) are: The elements are connected to each other by a deformable member that does not extend in the longitudinal direction, such as a string-like member, a member with a joint (hinge) that includes a portion that can be connected to other members, a chain member, etc. The assembly of elements can be used as a three-dimensional screen by hanging it from the top or stretching it in the direction in which the elements are connected, By removing a stretching force (such as gravity) from the deformable connecting member and compressing it in the opposite direction to the stretching force, The dome-shaped screen can be folded to a small size in the height direction, which is advantageous for storage and transportation.

[0022] Furthermore, a flexible spring-like member may be used in combination with the connecting member, which is capable of maintaining the spacing between adjacent elements and is detachable.

[0023] (Part division) Furthermore, by using a flexible material such as a string as shown in Figure 16, it becomes possible to flexibly respond to dimensional changes in the element due to thermal expansion. In the case of a dome-shaped screen, the elements constituting it may be divided into a plurality of parts, for example, at a plane intersecting the circumferential direction of the entire screen.

[0024] In the case of a hanging dome-shaped screen, a large load is concentrated on the top of the dome-shaped screen, so an auxiliary means for dispersing the force may be used. Alternatively, instead of using the deformable connecting member as described above, the member that holds the elements of the present application may be made detachable. The deformable connecting member and the member for holding the elements may be used in combination.

[0025] (Screen type) The screen of the present application is not necessarily limited to a shape having an opening in a part of the solid as a whole, For example, in the case of a layout in which the screens are simply arranged close to each other and the screens other than the screen are open, as shown in 13A of FIG. In the case of a normal screen, even in the case where the brightness of the screens interferes with each other, the interference can be avoided by using the means of the present application.

[0026] (Uniform screen brightness) In addition, the imbalance in reflected brightness due to differences in the distance between the screen and the projector and differences in the angle of incidence in this application is The reflective brightness can be made uniform by changing the reflectivity of the screen (or by painting it), The brightness of the projected or displayed image itself may be adjusted to suit the projection location.

[0027] (Screen material) As shown in 6 and 6a of FIG. 10, the thickness of the screen members connected to each other by the screen holding members in the height direction is Taking into consideration mechanical strength, it is preferable to use a member that is as thin as possible.

[0028] (Avoid screen deformation due to thermal expansion) When the screen is made of a thin member 6, if the member has a length relative to its thickness, Changes in environmental temperature can cause the thin member to loosen or tighten, which can partially lose its flatness and smoothness. In particular, the larger the dimensions of the thin member, the greater the risk depending on the combination with the member 4 that reinforces the thin member.

[0029] To prevent such a problem, as shown in FIG. 12, the thin member may be divided into a plurality of parts in the circumferential direction or the longitudinal direction, thereby reducing the change in size.

[0030] Furthermore, the method of fixing the thin members may be the same as that for preventing thermal expansion in railway rails, in that adjacent members have gaps between them that can accommodate longitudinal expansion and contraction due to temperature changes, or the members may be made to overlap and slide against each other like an expansion joint in a rail. Furthermore, by fixing the components with a flexible adhesive such as silicone sealant, it becomes possible to accommodate deformation of the components due to changes in the environmental temperature.

[0031] (Continuity of Elements) The screen of the present application is made up of a plurality of elements, and each of the elements of the screen that forms a three-dimensional shape as a whole does not necessarily have to be continuous and closed around the entire periphery; it may be partially open, and its arrangement may be random. Naturally, even if the screen is spiral as a whole, it may be divided into a plurality of sections.

[0032] The arrangement intervals of the elements in the dome-shaped screen of the present application in the height direction are arbitrary, but the arrangement intervals of the elements in the part closest to the viewer are as follows: It is desirable for the spacing to be denser compared to the spacing of the elements that are further away from the viewer.

[0033] In the multiple screen configuration method of the present application, the screens do not interfere with each other, As with a normal flat screen, there may be some interference from the color and brightness of the floor, seats, and costumes of the audience facing the screen.

[0034] The screen member of the present application may be a member having sound absorbing properties.

[0035] (definition, etc.) In this application, a screen surface or display surface is It refers to a surface that can display light information such as videos, images, light patterns, and signals by emitting light or projecting it.

[0036] In this application, the term "overall three-dimensional" refers to the screen members being arranged so as to be spread out in the vertical, horizontal and height directions.

[0037] Similarly, the screen member is This refers to a component that can display videos, images, light patterns, signals, etc. by emitting light or projecting it.

[0038] In this application, the term "mirror-like" includes a surface of a member that is in a state of nearly total reflection, that is, a so-called mirror-like state, as well as a state that is simply glossy.

[0039] In this application, the light that can be displayed on the screen is In addition to visible light, it also includes ultraviolet light (UVA, UVB, UVC) and infrared light up to 1000 μm.

[0040] The present application has a screen member that forms a three-dimensional shape as a whole and that can project and display optical signals, images, or pictures, A unit of one or more planar or substantially planar screen members is called an element. Furthermore, the assembly of the elements forms a three-dimensional shape such as a dome shape as a whole.

[0041] However, in the case of a spiral screen such as that shown in Figure 14, the elements may be continuous in a spiral shape. In this case, the elements are arranged in the height direction and are not independent, so for convenience they are divided into each turn of the spiral and called an element. The helical member may be made up of a plurality of separate members. Furthermore, one or more elements and one or more continuous spiral shapes of the spiral shapes may be mixed in one three-dimensional screen.

[0042] In this application, interference refers to "the effect that brightness on the screen has on other places."

[0043] In this application, the term "not extensible" in "not extensible in the longitudinal direction" means The screen as a whole, which is a three-dimensional screen in this application, will not break even if a load three times the total weight of the screen is applied. In this case, even if the material stretches, the change in dimensions is limited to less than 2%.

[0044] (Overall screen shape) The screen in this application may have an arrangement of elements that is a part of a sphere having a curved surface as a whole, or may have a part of a curved surface or a three-dimensional shape of a polyhedron as a whole. Furthermore, the opening of the stereoscopic screen (the viewing position of the screen) does not necessarily face downward, and there is not necessarily only one opening, but in this application, the description is mainly of a stereoscopic screen with an opening facing downward. [Effects of the Invention]

[0045] When the elements of the present application are laid out in a hemispherical or three-dimensional shape as a whole, even if light is projected onto the screen members of the elements or the elements themselves emit light, the light from the screen members, including the elements themselves, does not interfere with each other.

[0046] (Projection environment on the screen of this application) Furthermore, with conventional dome screens, the sound from inside the dome is reflected by the curved screen, causing problems in acoustic design. It was necessary to take measures such as giving the curved screen itself sound-absorbing properties. However, in the present application, since there are gaps between the screen members, it is possible to place sound sources such as speakers along the screen, and the acoustic characteristics of the screen of the present application are greatly improved compared to the conventional dome screen. It also makes it easier to air-condition and ventilate the inside of the dome.

[0047] (Screen brightness) Furthermore, unlike conventional dome screens, the screen of the present application does not require reducing the reflectivity of the screen or the brightness of the projected image or video or the luminance of the projector as a countermeasure against interference, so even a projector with a smaller output than conventional ones can produce a sufficiently practical projected image.

[0048] (foldable screen) Conventional dome-shaped screens made of continuous curved surfaces usually cannot be folded. The foldable structure can be achieved by collapsing the gaps between the elements of the present application.

[0049] Furthermore, with the structure of the present application, in the case of a screen (which can be a single screen) installed outdoors, wind passes through, so it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of reinforcement required against wind. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0050] [Figure 1]An example of the behavior of reflected light on a conventional dome screen [Figure 2] An example of the behavior of reflected light on a screen made of a part of a sphere [Figure 3] An example of the behavior of reflected light on a shape that forms part of a conical surface, as seen in Patent Document 1 [Figure 4] An example of the behavior of reflected light in the flat screen (element) of the present application [Figure 5] Explanation of the behavior of reflected light in a three-dimensional object constructed with a flat screen in this application [Figure 6] An example of the dome-shaped screen of the present application (side view) [Figure 7] An example of the dome-shaped screen of the present application (three-dimensional view) [Figure 8] An example of the dome-shaped screen of the present application (three-dimensional cutaway model) [Figure 9] An example of the dome-shaped screen of the present application (three-dimensional view, from below, from the screen side) [Figure 10] Examples of screen edge shapes (cross-sectional views) in this application [Figure 11] An example of a box-shaped screen surrounded by four or five sides [Figure 12] An example of countermeasures against thermal expansion of screen components [Figure 13] Projector placement example [Figure 14] An example of a foldable screen made of spiral screen elements [Figure 15] An example (detail) of a folding, hinged connecting member holding the elements together. [Figure 16] An example (part) of a method for holding elements using a foldable string-like connecting member. *Note that the back surface of the screen (7) in Figures 7 and 14 to 16 does not include anti-reflection features like those in Figures 1 to 4, in order to avoid complicating the drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Conventional dome screens consisting of continuous curved surfaces Part of a screen with a 2, 1 or 3-dimensional curved surface 3. A part of the screen having a part of a conical surface 4. Screen material that can be expected to be strong due to its thickness 5. Flat screen with wedge-shaped cross section 5a-5d, Flat screen (element) 6. Thin screen material 6a, thin screen material processed by bending 6b: Thin screen member with a separate member added 7. Back of the screen (anti-reflective surface such as black paint) 8. Screen surface (white paint, etc.) 9. Screen end 10. Spiral screen member 10A, Example of a strong material in the screen itself 10B, Example of a component with a wedge-shaped screen edge 10C, Example of a thin screen member and its supporting member 10D: An example of a thin screen member whose strength has been increased by bending part of the member itself. 10E: Example of a component reinforced by connecting a separate component to a thin screen component 11. Projector 12. Hinged connecting member 13. String-like connecting member 13A, Example of the arrangement of the screen and projector of this application facing each other 13B, Example of dome screen and multiple projector arrangement 13C, Example of dome screen and one fisheye lens projector layout 14A, an example of a spiral-shaped screen (approximately flat and approximately parallel) member 14B, Example of a spiral screen folded vertically Examples of elements with spacing maintained by 15A and 12 (partial) An example of minimizing the spacing between elements by tilting 15B and 12 (partial example) Examples of elements with spacing maintained by 16A and 13 (partial) Examples of minimizing the spacing between elements by loosening 16B and 13 (partial) a, Projectable area on the screen member b, the non-projected portion of the screen member s, projections, or luminous highlights, or virtual viewpoints g. Gap between screen members (for thermal expansion buffering) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] The inventors actually prototyped a screen of the present application shape shown in Figures 6 to 9, which has a dome shape with an inner diameter of 25 cm, the screen surface painted white and the back surface painted black, and has 27 rows of elements. Since the attenuation of a point light source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, these conditions are quite severe for an experiment on internal interference using such a very small test model compared to the actual dome, which has a diameter of several meters to several tens of meters.

[0053] When a 1mW green laser pointer was irradiated onto the prototype screen, No matter where inside the dome the light was projected, there was no visible difference between the bright and dark areas that occurs when projecting onto a regular flat screen, and no reduction in contrast was observed.

[0054] Furthermore, when the inside of a conventional hemispherical dome screen with a diameter of 25 cm was painted white in the same color as the prototype screen and the same test was carried out, The inside of the dome-shaped screen is illuminated in a green light due to the interference of the light from the green laser pointer, even in areas that should be dark. Compared with the screen of the present invention, the decrease in contrast was significant. Even based on this simple experiment, the effects of the present application are clear.

Claims

1. A screen that can project or emit light and display images, pictures, light data, etc. has one or more of the following: multiple flat surfaces, multiple roughly flat components, or a spiral component consisting of a continuous roughly flat surface, and forms a three-dimensional object as a whole.

2. The screen member according to claim 1 has at least one screen member whose back surface (the surface opposite to the surface that functions as a screen, or the back surface of the element having the screen) is processed or painted to prevent diffused reflection of light, or whose back surface is mirror-finished, or both.

3. The connecting member for maintaining the spacing between the plurality of screens or the spacing between the spirals of the spiral screen in claim 1 or 2 is It has at least one or more components that are not stretchable in the longitudinal direction, are deformable, such as string-like or chain-like components, or have joints that can be connected to other components.

Images