WO2004100534A1 - Mirror assembly with integrated display device - Google Patents

Mirror assembly with integrated display device Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2004100534A1
WO2004100534A1 PCT/IB2004/001461 IB2004001461W WO2004100534A1 WO 2004100534 A1 WO2004100534 A1 WO 2004100534A1 IB 2004001461 W IB2004001461 W IB 2004001461W WO 2004100534 A1 WO2004100534 A1 WO 2004100534A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
image
mirror assembly
display device
viewing side
subject
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2004/001461
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Hubertus M. R. Cortenraad
Anthonie H. Bergman
Jan B. A. M. Horsten
Marc J. R. Op De Beeck
Original Assignee
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. filed Critical Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority to JP2006506596A priority Critical patent/JP4814080B2/en
Priority to EP04729948A priority patent/EP1625745B1/en
Priority to DE602004013962T priority patent/DE602004013962D1/en
Priority to US10/555,835 priority patent/US7562985B2/en
Publication of WO2004100534A1 publication Critical patent/WO2004100534A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G02OPTICS
    • G02BOPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B26/00Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
    • G02B26/004Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid
    • G02B26/005Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid based on electrowetting
    • GPHYSICS
    • G02OPTICS
    • G02BOPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B27/00Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
    • G02B27/28Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00 for polarising
    • G02B27/283Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00 for polarising used for beam splitting or combining
    • GPHYSICS
    • G02OPTICS
    • G02BOPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B30/00Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images
    • G02B30/20Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images by providing first and second parallax images to an observer's left and right eyes
    • G02B30/22Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images by providing first and second parallax images to an observer's left and right eyes of the stereoscopic type
    • G02B30/25Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images by providing first and second parallax images to an observer's left and right eyes of the stereoscopic type using polarisation techniques

Definitions

  • the distance between the LCD 5 and the lens 12 exceeds the focal length f of the lens 12.
  • a user 14 viewing the mirror assembly 1 would see his or her own reflection 14 ' . Due to the presence of the lens 12, the user 14 does not see an actual image 15 displayed on the LCD 5, instead seeing a real image 15 ' of the LCD 5 located in the focal plane of the lens 12, which is in front of the plate 2. The user 14 perceives the real image 15 ' as being located in front of their own reflection 14 ' and standing out from the mirror assembly 1 , so that the real image 15' is emphasised.
  • a parabolic mirror may be used as a focussing element in place of the lens 12.

Abstract

A mirror assembly (18) for displaying an image (15) in conjunction with the reflection (14´) of a viewer comprises a mirror (2), which is equipped with a reflective polariser (13), arranged to reflect light (3) incident on its viewing side and transmit light (4) incident on its non-viewing side, where the reflected light (3) and transmitted light (4) may be of different polarisation. The image (15) is displayed by a device (5) located on the non-viewing side and focussed by a focussing element, e.g. one or more lenses (12, 12a), onto an image plane. The image plane may be located between the mirror (2) and viewer (14), so that a perceived image (15´) appears to stand out from the mirror (2). Alternatively, the image plane may be located so that the perceived image (15´) forms a background in which the viewer's reflection (14´) is immersed. The mirror assembly (1) may further comprise one or more detectors (19) for obtaining a silhouette (21) of the viewer (14). The silhouette (21) can be subtracted from an image (15) to produce a modified image (24) for display by device (5), thereby avoiding competition between the perceived image (15´) and viewer reflection (14´).

Description

DESCRIPTION
MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH INTEGRATED DISPLAY DEVICE
The invention relates to a mirror assembly with an integrated display device and is particularly suitable for applications in which an image is to be emphasised over the user's reflection and applications in which an image is displayed in a form that complements to the user's reflection.
A vanity console comprising a mirror and a built-in display device is described in US 2002/0196333 A1. The display device is installed behind the mirror and connected to a camera, projector, video or Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) player. When activated, the display device outputs light that is transmitted through the mirror, so that the user can view their reflection and images from the display device simultaneously. In one suggested application a user may, by means of this device, preview their appearance when wearing make-up, without needing to physically apply the cosmetics.
In a co-pending application, WO 2003/79324A, a mirror assembly is disclosed which comprises a surface that reflects light with a first polarisation and transmits light with a second polarisation. A built-in liquid crystal display (LCD) device emits light with the second polarisation, so images may be displayed to a user through said mirror. The images are displayed alongside the user's reflection, so that a user may view news, weather reports, television or other information, such as instructions to be followed, while performing activities such as shaving, cleaning teeth, bathing, styling hair or applying makeup.
A user of either of these prior art arrangements would see the images as displayed, so that the images appear to be located in the plane of the display device and in front of the user's reflection. These arrangements cannot, therefore, be used effectively in applications that require images to be located in another plane. For example, the prior art arrangements described above cannot be used to produce an image that provides an "immersive" environment by displaying an alternative background to the user's reflection, as the user will always perceive his reflection as being located behind the image.
Instead, in a conventional method for projecting a user's image onto an alternative background, the user's image is recorded in front of a plain background, such as a blue screen. An image processing routine is then used to combine the user's image with a background image. However, this method requires recordal and display of the user's image, which may lead to loss of image quality. In addition, when displayed, the combined image produced by this method is limited to a single two-dimensional plane.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mirror assembly arrangement that overcomes one or more of the problems described above.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a mirror assembly comprises an element with a viewing and a non-viewing side, configured to reflect light incident on the viewing side and to pass light incident on the non-viewing side to the viewing side, and a display device on the non-viewing side of the element, the assembly being configured so that an image output by the display device is focussed onto an image plane that does not coincide with the location of the display device. A focussing element, such as a lens or a parabolic mirror, may be located on the non-viewing side of the element and arranged to focus the image output by the display device onto said image plane. The inclusion of a focussing element between the display device and element allows the image projected by the display device to be focussed so that the user perceives the image to be located at a desired image plane, other than that of the display device. An image can be displayed alongside a user's reflection in a less restrictive manner, in order to enhance the combination of reflection and image. For example, the image plane may be selected so that a user can view the displayed image and their reflection without refocussing, or so that the image is emphasised or provides an alternative background to the user's reflection. Where the focussing element comprises a lens, a second lens may be provided in order to reduce the dimensions of the mirror assembly.
Alternatively, a lens may be provided in an optical system with a variable focal length, such as those based on electro-wetting lenses, so that the location of the image plane can be adjusted.
Preferably, the element reflects light with a first kind of polarisation and transmits light of a second polarisation. Furthermore, the display device may emit or reflect light of the second kind of polarisation. In these scenarios, the first and second polarisations may be linear and perpendicular to one another or circular or elliptical polarisations with opposite senses or "handedness". The element may be a cholesteric mirror, in particular where the first and second polarisations are circular or elliptical polarisations.
The display device may be a liquid crystal display device that emits light of a particular polarisation. The mirror assembly may further comprise audio output means in order to present sounds associated with the displayed image, for example, in order to provide an enhanced "immersive environment" for the user's reflection.
The mirror assembly may also comprise monitoring means, for example a camera, for imaging or determining the position of a user and processing means for using such information to modify the image to be displayed accordingly. A movement detector may also be provided for this purpose.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a mirror assembly comprises a reflective element arranged to reflect light incident on a viewing side and to transmit light incident on a non-viewing side, a display device and a focussing element, wherein the display device and focussing element are disposed on the non-viewing side of the reflective element and the focussing element is arranged to focus an image output by the display device onto an image plane that does not coincide with the location of the display device.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a method of displaying an image in a mirror assembly comprising a reflective surface, comprising the steps of capturing an image of a subject located at a viewing side of the reflective surface, superimposing a silhouette corresponding to the subject image with a second image to form a display image and displaying said display image on a display device located at a non-viewing side of the reflective surface.
This method modifies an image to be output by a display device in a mirror assembly so that an area in the image that, when viewed by a user, will coincide with their reflection is removed. This ensures that the user's reflection is not obscured by the displayed image, even if there is a significant difference between their respective brightness levels.
The step of capturing a subject image may comprise recording images on more than one camera and/or detecting movement of the subject. Such images and data, or similar, may be used to provide information on the position of the subject, so that the display image may be corrected in accordance with the position of the subject. For example, corrections may be made to correct distortions in the image as seen by a viewer at a position that is not on an optical axis of the mirror assembly.
The display image may be focussed onto an image plane that does not coincide with the display device, for example, a plane located between the reflective surface and subject. The method may further comprise selecting an image plane by adjusting a variable focal length lens system. The image is preferably displayed by emitting or reflecting light substantially of a predetermined polarisation. Audio signals associated with the image may also be output.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a mirror assembly comprises a reflective element arranged to reflect light incident at a viewing side and to transmit light incident on a non-viewing side, a display device located at a non-viewing side of the reflective element and means for capturing an image of a subject and transmitting said subject image to a processor, wherein the processor is configured to superimpose a silhouette corresponding to the subject image with a second image to form a display image and to display said display image on the display device. Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an exploded view of a mirror assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of part of the mirror assembly of Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 shows the optical geometry of the mirror assembly of Figure 1 when arranged to produce an image that is perceived as being located in front of the mirror;
Figure 4 shows the optical geometry of a mirror assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 5 is an exploded view of a mirror assembly according to a third embodiment of the invention;
Figure 6 is an exploded view of a mirror assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; Figures 7a to 7d depicts a procedure in which an image of a user is used to modify the image displayed by the mirror assembly of Figure 6; and
Figure 8 is a flowchart of the procedure shown in Figure 7.
Referring to Figure 1 , a mirror assembly 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention comprises a glass plate 2 with a reflective surface and equipped with a reflective polariser, arranged to reflect light of a first polarisation 3 incident at a viewing side and to transmit light of a second polarisation 4 incident at a non-viewing side. In this example, the first and second polarisations are linear and mutually orthogonal. A display device, such as an LCD 5, is mounted behind the glass plate
2, that is to say, on a non-viewing side of the reflective surface and connected to an image source 6, such as a computer, a DVD or video player. As shown in Figure 2, the LCD 5 comprises a liquid crystal 7 disposed between two substrates 8, 9, of suitable material such as glass or plastic, a backlight 10 and a first polariser 11. The light 4 produced by the LCD 5 is substantially of the second polarisation. The light is then refracted by a positive lens 12, such as a Fresnel lens, and passes through the reflective polariser 13 mounted on the glass plate 2 before being transmitted through the reflective surface.
With reference to Figure 3, the distance between the LCD 5 and the lens 12 exceeds the focal length f of the lens 12. A user 14 viewing the mirror assembly 1 would see his or her own reflection 14'. Due to the presence of the lens 12, the user 14 does not see an actual image 15 displayed on the LCD 5, instead seeing a real image 15' of the LCD 5 located in the focal plane of the lens 12, which is in front of the plate 2. The user 14 perceives the real image 15' as being located in front of their own reflection 14' and standing out from the mirror assembly 1 , so that the real image 15' is emphasised.
The mirror assembly 1 also includes an audio device 16, such as a loudspeaker, for outputting audio signals associated with the image 15. For example, if the image 15 is from a video or DVD recording, an associated soundtrack can be played to the viewer. In this particular embodiment, the first polariser 11 and the reflective polariser 13 are linear polarisers which transmit horizontally polarised light. However, if a linear polarisation selective mirror is used in place of the glass plate 2, the reflective polariser 13 can be omitted altogether.
The polarisation orientation of the LCD 5 and reflective polariser 13 are preferably aligned in order to minimise light loss. However, in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the glass plate 2 is mounted so that it can be rotated relative to the LCD 5 about an axis that is substantially perpendicular with respect to the reflective surface. This allows the user 14 to vary the transmission factor for the light output by the LCD 5, as this will depend on the alignment between the polarisation axis of the reflective polariser 13 and the polarisation direction of the light 4. In this particular example, the first polariser 11 and the reflective polariser 13 are arranged to transmit horizontally polarised light 4 output by the display device 5. The brightness of the image from the LCD 5 can be adjusted by the user 14 rotating the glass plate 2, thereby rotating the polarisation axis of the reflective polariser 13 relative to that of the first polariser 11. In this manner, the image can be dimmed or obscured completely, A second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to Figure 4, in which a mirror assembly has a similar configuration to that shown in Figure 1, but is distinguished by the LCD 5 and the lens 12 being separated by a distance that is less than the focal length f. As before, the user 14 viewing the mirror assembly would see his or her own reflection 14'. However, in this case, the user 14 sees a virtual image 15' of the image 15, which appears to be located in an image plane that is further from the user 14 than the LCD 5.
This arrangement can be used to produce virtual images 15' located in the same plane as the user's reflection 14', where the image 15' is to be superimposed on the user's image, for example for simulating the user's appearance with a different hair style or make up, or to allow the user to view an image 15' and their reflection 14' without having to refocus. Alternatively, this arrangement can be used to produce a virtual image 15' that would be perceived as being behind the user's reflection 14', so that the reflection 14' is "immersed" in a background. For example, Figure 4 depicts an example in which a virtual image of a house 15' is displayed to form a background to the user's reflection 14'.
In this embodiment, where the image 15 provides an alternative background for the user's reflection 14', such as an image of a beach or jungle, associated audio signals can be played to the viewer through the loudspeaker 16.
However, a potential disadvantage arising from the inclusion of a lens 12, as shown in Figure 1, is the depth d of the mirror assembly 1, which is greater than the depth of prior mirror assemblies. Figure 5 depicts a mirror assembly 17 according to a third embodiment of the invention, in which this increase in depth d is mitigated using a second lens 12a. The separation s between the two lenses 12, 12a is less than either of their respective focal lengths. In the case where the lenses 12, 12a are identical, the effective focal length of the lens combination is half the focal length of the individual lenses 12, 12a, allowing the LCD device 5, lens 12 and glass plate 2 to be placed in closer proximity to each other when compared with the first embodiment. The use of a second lens 12a therefore permits a reduction in the depth d2 of the mirror assembly 17 when compared with the depth d of the mirror assembly 1 shown in Figure 1.
In the above embodiments, the image 15 is simply displayed over, or alongside, the reflection 14' of the user. However, in certain circumstances, for example where the room lighting is low, this may lead to the image 15 and reflection 14' competing, so that the reflection 14' cannot be clearly seen by the user 14 over the image 15. It is possible to configure the processor 6 to control the lighting in an area in which the mirror assembly is installed, so that the reflection is sufficiently bright to overcome this. Alternatively, this effect can be prevented by omitting a part of the image 15 that, when displayed, coincides with the user's reflection 14', as will now be described.
Figure 6 depicts a fourth embodiment of the invention, in which a mirror assembly 18 further comprises monitoring means in the form of a camera 19. The camera 19 is positioned so that its field of view covers the area reflected by the reflective surface of the glass plate 2, referred to hereafter as the mirror field, for example by placing the camera 19 close to, or behind, the glass plate 2.
Referring to Figures 7a-7d and 8, the camera 19 records an initial image 20 that covers the mirror field (step s8.1), as shown in Figure 7a. After a predetermined time period t1 (step s8.2), the camera 19 records a current image 21 of the mirror field (step s8.3) and compares it with the initial image 20 using background subtraction (step s8.4). If there are no differences between these images 20, 21 (step s8.5), that is to say, if there have been no changes in the area reflected by the mirror assembly 18, the processor 6 repeats the steps of waiting for a time period t1 , recording a current image and comparing it with the initial image 20 (steps s8.2-s8.4). If the processor 6 determines that the second image 21 differs from the initial image 20, for example if the current image 21 includes an image 22 of a user 14 who has entered the mirror field as shown in Figure 7b, the processor determines the portion of the image 15' that would coincide with the reflection 14' of the user 14. This portion may be defined by presuming that any differences found in the background subtraction procedure form part of the user image 22. A silhouette 23 of the user reflection 14' is defined, in terms of a corresponding portion in the image 15 that is to be displayed by the LCD 5 (step s8.6). A modified display image 24 is then defined, as depicted in Figure 7c. The modified display image 24 consists of the original image 15 with the silhouette 23 superimposed (step s8.7). In other words, the data corresponding to the original image 15 is removed in the area coinciding with the silhouette 23, as indicated by the shaded portion in Figure 7c (step s8.7).
The modified display image 24 is then output by the LCD 5 (step s8.8). The user 14 can then view their reflection 14' superimposed with part of the original image 15, as shown in Figure 7d.
The time period t1 is selected according to the application for which the mirror assembly 18 is being used. In many cases, a time period t1 will be chosen that permits real-time generation of the modified display image 24. Alternative methods for determining the silhouette 23 may be employed as well as, or instead of, the background subtraction procedure described above. For example, the mirror assembly may include a movement detector, where the processor 6 is configured to presume that any moving objects form part of the user image 21. Infra-red detection and lighting can also be used to obtain a user image 21 without disturbing the user 14 with increased lighting in the visible waveband. Pattern recognition, for recognising the human body, or skin tone recognition can also be used to enhance the various methods described above.
In a modification of the mirror assembly 18, the exact position of the user 14 to be determined using a second camera and/or ultra-sound location methods. This information can then be used by the processor 6 to correct for optical displacement of the image when the user 14 is not located on the optical axis of the mirror assembly 18.
From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the design, manufacture and use of mirror assemblies, display devices and component parts thereof and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein.
For example, the glass plate 2 may be substituted by another component provided with a reflective surface that transmits the light 4, including flexible plastic material. The lens 12 may extend over the whole area of the glass plate 2, or its equivalent, instead of being limited to a small portion of this area as shown in Figure 2.
The mirror assembly may comprise more than one display device. Furthermore, the type of display device is not important. For example, the display device need not comprise a backlit LCD or may comprise one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) or a cathode ray tube (CRT) instead of an LCD. A display device may include a reflective surface that reflects, rather than emits, light 4 of the second polarisation.
In the above embodiments, the first and second polarisations are linear. However, the first and second polarisations may be elliptical or circular polarisations of opposite "handedness". In this case, the mirror may be a cholesteric mirror. The reflectivity of such a mirror may be tuned by altering the polarisation state of its liquid crystal material, thereby providing an alternative method for a user 14 to adjust the contrast between their reflection 14' and the displayed image 15'. Where elliptical or circular polarisations are used, the lens 12 may be cholesteric lens.
Alternatively, the invention may be implemented using a semi- transparent mirror, which reflects some or all of the light 3 incident at its viewing side and transmits a fraction of the light 4 incident at its non-viewing side, regardless of any polarisation of the light 3, 4. In such an embodiment, the reflective polariser 13 could be omitted.
It is not necessary for the lens 12 to be provided as a separate component of the mirror assembly. For example, the lens could be provided in the form of a layer of refractive material attached to the display device 5, reflective polariser 13, the non-viewing side of the glass plate 2, or equivalent components to these. The lens 12 may also be provided in an optical system with a variable focal length f. An example of such a variable lens is disclosed in US6369954 B1, in which the focal length f may be adjusted using an electro-wetting arrangement. In this manner, the plane in which a user 14 perceives as the location of the image 15' can be selected by adjusting the focal length f of the variable lens.
Alternatively, a parabolic mirror may be used as a focussing element in place of the lens 12.
Although Claims have been formulated in this Application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel features or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any Claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention. The Applicants hereby give notice that new Claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present Application or of any further Application derived therefrom.

Claims

1. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) comprising: an element (2) with a viewing and a non-viewing side, configured to reflect light (3) incident on the viewing side and to pass light (4) incident on the non-viewing side to the viewing side; and a display device (5) on the non-viewing side of the element (2); the assembly being configured so that an image (15) output by the display device (5) is focussed onto an image plane that does not coincide with the location of the display device (5).
2. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) comprising: a reflective element (2) arranged to reflect light (3) incident on a viewing side and to transmit light (4) incident on a non-viewing side; a display device (5); and a focussing element (12); wherein the display device (5) and focussing element (12) are disposed on the non-viewing side of the reflective element (2) and the focussing element (12) is arranged to focus an image (15) output by the display device onto an image plane that does not coincide with the location of the display device (5).
3. A mirror assembly (1, 17, 18) according to claim 2, wherein the image plane is located between the reflective element (2) and a viewer (14).
4. A mirror assembly (1, 17, 18) according to claim 2, wherein the image plane is located on the non-viewing side of the reflective element (2).
5. A mirror assembly (1, 17, 18) according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the focussing element (12) is a variable focal length lens system.
6. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the reflective element (2) reflects light (3) of a first polarisation and transmits light (4) of a second polarisation.
7. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) according to claim 6, wherein the display device (5) emits or reflects light (4) of the second polarisation.
8. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first and second polarisations are linear and mutually orthogonal.
9. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first and second polarisations are opposite circular polarisations.
10. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first and second polarisations are opposite elliptical polarisations
11. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the reflective element (2) is a cholesteric mirror.
12. A mirror assembly (1 , 17, 18) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an audio output device (16).
13. A mirror assembly (17) according to any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein the focussing element comprises first and second lenses (12, 12a).
14. A mirror assembly (18) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising means (19) for capturing an image (22) of a viewer (14) and transmitting said viewer image (22) to a processor (6) associated with the display device (5).
15. A mirror assembly (18) according to claim 14, wherein the processor (6) is configured to: define a silhouette image (23) corresponding to the viewer image (22); form a display image (24) by juxtaposing said silhouette image (23) with a second image (15); and transmit said display image (24) to the display device (5).
16. A mirror assembly (18) according to claim 14 or 15, wherein said capturing means (19) comprises one or more cameras.
17. A mirror assembly (18) according to claim 14, 15 or 16, further comprising a movement detector.
18. A mirror assembly (18) according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein said processor (6) is further configured to correct said display image (24) in accordance with the position of a viewer (14) in the viewer image (22).
19. A method of displaying an image in a mirror assembly (18) comprising a reflective element (2), comprising the steps of: capturing an image (22) of a subject (14) located at a viewing side of the reflective element (2); superimposing a silhouette (23) corresponding to the subject image (22) with a second image (15) to form a display image (24); and displaying said display image (24) on a display device (5) located at a non-viewing side of the reflective element (2).
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the step of capturing a subject image (22) comprises recording images using more than one camera (19).
21. A method according to claim 19 or 20, further comprising detecting movement of the subject (14).
22. A method according to claim 19, 20 or 21 , further comprising: determining the position of the subject (14); and modifying said display image (24) in accordance with the position of a subject (14) in the subject image (22).
23. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the display image (24) is focussed onto an image plane that does not coincide with the location of the display device (5).
24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the image plane is located on the non-viewing side of the reflective element (2), behind a second image plane associated with a reflection (14') of the subject (14).
25. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the step of displaying said display image (24) includes selecting an image plane using a variable focal length lens system.
26. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 25, wherein the image (24) is displayed by emitting or reflecting light (4) substantially of a predetermined polarisation.
27. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 26, wherein the step of displaying the display image (24) further comprises outputting audio signals associated with the second image (15).
28. A mirror assembly (18) comprising: a reflective element (2) arranged to reflect light (3) incident at a viewing side and to transmit light (4) incident on a non-viewing side; a display device 5 located at a non-viewing side of the reflective element (2); and means (19) for capturing an image (22) of a subject (14) and transmitting said subject image (22) to a processor (6) associated with the display device (5); wherein the processor (6) is configured to superimpose a silhouette (23) corresponding to the subject image (22) with a second image (15) to form a display image (24) and to display said display image (24) on the display device (5).
29. A mirror assembly (18) according to claim 28, wherein the capturing means (19) comprises one or more cameras.
30. A mirror assembly (18) according to claim 28 or 29, further comprising a movement detector.
31. A mirror assembly (18) according to any one of claims 28 to
30, wherein the processor (6) is further configured to: determine the position of the subject (14); and modify said display image (24) in accordance with the position of a subject (14) in the subject image (22).
32. A mirror assembly (18) according to any one of claims 25 to 28, further comprising a focussing element (12), the focussing element (12) being arranged to focus the display image (24) onto an image plane that does not coincide with the location of the display device (5).
33. A mirror assembly according to claim 32, wherein the image plane is located behind the non-viewing side of the reflective element (2), behind a second image plane associated with a reflection (14') of the subject (14).
34. A mirror assembly (18) according to claim 32 or 33, wherein the focussing element (12) is a variable focal length lens system.
35. A mirror assembly (18) according to any one of claims 28 to 34, wherein the display device (5) emits or reflects light (4) substantially of a predetermined polarisation.
36. A mirror assembly (18) according to any one of claims 28 to 35, further comprising an audio output device (16).
PCT/IB2004/001461 2003-05-09 2004-04-28 Mirror assembly with integrated display device WO2004100534A1 (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2006506596A JP4814080B2 (en) 2003-05-09 2004-04-28 Mirror assembly with integrated display device
EP04729948A EP1625745B1 (en) 2003-05-09 2004-04-28 Mirror assembly with integrated display device
DE602004013962T DE602004013962D1 (en) 2003-05-09 2004-04-28 MIRROR ARRANGEMENT WITH INTEGRATED DISPLAY DEVICE
US10/555,835 US7562985B2 (en) 2003-05-09 2004-04-28 Mirror assembly with integrated display device

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0310654.9 2003-05-09
GBGB0310654.9A GB0310654D0 (en) 2003-05-09 2003-05-09 Mirror assembly with integrated display device

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2004100534A1 true WO2004100534A1 (en) 2004-11-18

Family

ID=9957724

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2004/001461 WO2004100534A1 (en) 2003-05-09 2004-04-28 Mirror assembly with integrated display device

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US7562985B2 (en)
EP (1) EP1625745B1 (en)
JP (1) JP4814080B2 (en)
CN (1) CN100394774C (en)
AT (1) ATE396585T1 (en)
DE (1) DE602004013962D1 (en)
GB (1) GB0310654D0 (en)
WO (1) WO2004100534A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7679809B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2010-03-16 Gentex Corporation Variable reflectance mirrors and windows
CN102098522A (en) * 2009-10-28 2011-06-15 精工爱普生株式会社 Retro-reflective light diffusing display systems
US8282224B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2012-10-09 Gentex Corporation Rearview mirror assemblies with anisotropic polymer laminates
US9910310B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2018-03-06 Gentex Corporation Variable reflectance mirror system
US10427606B2 (en) 2008-07-10 2019-10-01 Gentex Corporation Rearview mirror assemblies with anisotropic polymer laminates

Families Citing this family (36)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5910854A (en) 1993-02-26 1999-06-08 Donnelly Corporation Electrochromic polymeric solid films, manufacturing electrochromic devices using such solid films, and processes for making such solid films and devices
US5668663A (en) 1994-05-05 1997-09-16 Donnelly Corporation Electrochromic mirrors and devices
US6891563B2 (en) * 1996-05-22 2005-05-10 Donnelly Corporation Vehicular vision system
US6326613B1 (en) 1998-01-07 2001-12-04 Donnelly Corporation Vehicle interior mirror assembly adapted for containing a rain sensor
US6124886A (en) 1997-08-25 2000-09-26 Donnelly Corporation Modular rearview mirror assembly
US6172613B1 (en) 1998-02-18 2001-01-09 Donnelly Corporation Rearview mirror assembly incorporating vehicle information display
US8294975B2 (en) 1997-08-25 2012-10-23 Donnelly Corporation Automotive rearview mirror assembly
US8288711B2 (en) 1998-01-07 2012-10-16 Donnelly Corporation Interior rearview mirror system with forwardly-viewing camera and a control
US6690268B2 (en) 2000-03-02 2004-02-10 Donnelly Corporation Video mirror systems incorporating an accessory module
US6445287B1 (en) 2000-02-28 2002-09-03 Donnelly Corporation Tire inflation assistance monitoring system
US6693517B2 (en) 2000-04-21 2004-02-17 Donnelly Corporation Vehicle mirror assembly communicating wirelessly with vehicle accessories and occupants
US6329925B1 (en) 1999-11-24 2001-12-11 Donnelly Corporation Rearview mirror assembly with added feature modular display
US6477464B2 (en) 2000-03-09 2002-11-05 Donnelly Corporation Complete mirror-based global-positioning system (GPS) navigation solution
US7167796B2 (en) 2000-03-09 2007-01-23 Donnelly Corporation Vehicle navigation system for use with a telematics system
US7855755B2 (en) 2005-11-01 2010-12-21 Donnelly Corporation Interior rearview mirror assembly with display
US7370983B2 (en) 2000-03-02 2008-05-13 Donnelly Corporation Interior mirror assembly with display
US7581859B2 (en) 2005-09-14 2009-09-01 Donnelly Corp. Display device for exterior rearview mirror
US7255451B2 (en) 2002-09-20 2007-08-14 Donnelly Corporation Electro-optic mirror cell
AU2002251807A1 (en) 2001-01-23 2002-08-19 Donnelly Corporation Improved vehicular lighting system for a mirror assembly
US6918674B2 (en) 2002-05-03 2005-07-19 Donnelly Corporation Vehicle rearview mirror system
US7329013B2 (en) 2002-06-06 2008-02-12 Donnelly Corporation Interior rearview mirror system with compass
WO2003105099A1 (en) 2002-06-06 2003-12-18 Donnelly Corporation Interior rearview mirror system with compass
US7310177B2 (en) 2002-09-20 2007-12-18 Donnelly Corporation Electro-optic reflective element assembly
US7274501B2 (en) 2002-09-20 2007-09-25 Donnelly Corporation Mirror reflective element assembly
US7446924B2 (en) 2003-10-02 2008-11-04 Donnelly Corporation Mirror reflective element assembly including electronic component
US7308341B2 (en) 2003-10-14 2007-12-11 Donnelly Corporation Vehicle communication system
EP1883855B1 (en) 2005-05-16 2011-07-20 Donnelly Corporation Vehicle mirror assembly with indicia at reflective element
GB0522004D0 (en) * 2005-10-28 2005-12-07 Benn Alastair Vanity unit
US7830368B2 (en) * 2006-06-06 2010-11-09 3M Innovative Properties Company Keypad with virtual image
US8154418B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2012-04-10 Magna Mirrors Of America, Inc. Interior rearview mirror system
CN101702052A (en) * 2009-11-26 2010-05-05 王霖华 Concave mirror device for viewing display screen
DE102010023605B4 (en) * 2010-06-12 2015-08-20 Wenglor Sensoric Gmbh photocell
JP6027764B2 (en) * 2012-04-25 2016-11-16 キヤノン株式会社 Mirror system and control method thereof
WO2015186734A1 (en) * 2014-06-05 2015-12-10 シャープ株式会社 Mirror display and mirror display unit
KR102266468B1 (en) * 2014-07-18 2021-06-17 삼성전자주식회사 Method for a focus control and electronic device thereof
KR102193581B1 (en) * 2020-02-11 2020-12-23 아이콘에이아이 주식회사 Smart makeup mirror device having a display integrating with voice assistant

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2899860A (en) * 1959-08-18 Fashion previewing projector
JPH1073785A (en) * 1996-09-02 1998-03-17 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Presence display device
US5808589A (en) * 1994-08-24 1998-09-15 Fergason; James L. Optical system for a head mounted display combining high and low resolution images
US6195104B1 (en) * 1997-12-23 2001-02-27 Philips Electronics North America Corp. System and method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs
WO2003079318A1 (en) * 2002-03-18 2003-09-25 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Mirror with built-in display

Family Cites Families (23)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4434467A (en) * 1979-04-12 1984-02-28 Dale Scott Hair coloring calculator
US5257130A (en) 1992-01-30 1993-10-26 The Walt Disney Company Apparatus and method for creating a real image illusion
JPH0638202A (en) * 1992-07-16 1994-02-10 Sony Corp Display system
GB9414723D0 (en) 1994-07-21 1994-09-07 Central Research Lab Ltd An apparatus for displaying an image
US5644323A (en) 1994-12-21 1997-07-01 Siliscape, Inc. Miniature synthesized virtual image electronic display
JPH1074052A (en) * 1996-08-30 1998-03-17 Nippon Telegr & Teleph Corp <Ntt> Stereoscopic display device
US5782547A (en) * 1996-11-08 1998-07-21 Videotronic Systems Magnified background image spatial object display
US6042235A (en) * 1996-11-08 2000-03-28 Videotronic Systems Videoconferencing eye contact spatial imaging display
US5944403A (en) * 1996-11-15 1999-08-31 Krause; Detlef Virtual image projection device
JPH11142961A (en) * 1997-11-10 1999-05-28 Seiko Epson Corp Screen, video projection system, combiner and display device
US6262841B1 (en) * 1997-11-24 2001-07-17 Bruce D. Dike Apparatus for projecting a real image in space
US5913591A (en) * 1998-01-20 1999-06-22 University Of Washington Augmented imaging using a silhouette to improve contrast
JP2002511596A (en) 1998-04-15 2002-04-16 オロ − ゴーン、エルエルシー Optical image projection device
JP3574751B2 (en) * 1998-10-30 2004-10-06 日本電信電話株式会社 Three-dimensional display method and apparatus
US6598976B2 (en) * 2001-09-05 2003-07-29 Optical Products Development Corp. Method and apparatus for image enhancement and aberration corrections in a small real image projection system, using an off-axis reflector, neutral density window, and an aspheric corrected surface of revolution
US6935747B2 (en) * 1999-04-27 2005-08-30 Optical Products Development Image enhancement and aberration corrections in a small real image projection system
KR20010044267A (en) 2001-01-30 2001-06-05 최재학 Three dimensional image display apparatus using aspherical mirrors
US20020196333A1 (en) * 2001-06-21 2002-12-26 Gorischek Ignaz M. Mirror and image display system
JP3918487B2 (en) * 2001-07-26 2007-05-23 セイコーエプソン株式会社 Stereoscopic display device and projection-type stereoscopic display device
US20030035086A1 (en) * 2001-08-20 2003-02-20 Robinson Douglas L. Real image projection device incorporating e-mail register
AU2003253703A1 (en) 2002-03-15 2003-09-29 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Electrophoretic active matrix display device
US6984039B2 (en) * 2003-12-01 2006-01-10 Eastman Kodak Company Laser projector having silhouette blanking for objects in the output light path
EP1870764B1 (en) * 2006-06-20 2010-02-03 France Telecom Optical system alternating image capture and image projection

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2899860A (en) * 1959-08-18 Fashion previewing projector
US5808589A (en) * 1994-08-24 1998-09-15 Fergason; James L. Optical system for a head mounted display combining high and low resolution images
JPH1073785A (en) * 1996-09-02 1998-03-17 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Presence display device
US6195104B1 (en) * 1997-12-23 2001-02-27 Philips Electronics North America Corp. System and method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs
WO2003079318A1 (en) * 2002-03-18 2003-09-25 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Mirror with built-in display

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 1998, no. 08 30 June 1998 (1998-06-30) *

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7679809B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2010-03-16 Gentex Corporation Variable reflectance mirrors and windows
US7916380B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2011-03-29 Gentex Corporation Variable reflectance mirrors and windows
US8282224B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2012-10-09 Gentex Corporation Rearview mirror assemblies with anisotropic polymer laminates
US9910310B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2018-03-06 Gentex Corporation Variable reflectance mirror system
US10466524B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2019-11-05 Gentex Corporation Variable reflectance mirror system
US10427606B2 (en) 2008-07-10 2019-10-01 Gentex Corporation Rearview mirror assemblies with anisotropic polymer laminates
CN102098522A (en) * 2009-10-28 2011-06-15 精工爱普生株式会社 Retro-reflective light diffusing display systems

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JP2006526168A (en) 2006-11-16
US20080106705A1 (en) 2008-05-08
US7562985B2 (en) 2009-07-21
DE602004013962D1 (en) 2008-07-03
EP1625745B1 (en) 2008-05-21
JP4814080B2 (en) 2011-11-09
EP1625745A1 (en) 2006-02-15
GB0310654D0 (en) 2003-06-11
CN100394774C (en) 2008-06-11
ATE396585T1 (en) 2008-06-15
CN1784888A (en) 2006-06-07

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7562985B2 (en) Mirror assembly with integrated display device
US11006102B2 (en) Method of utilizing defocus in virtual reality and augmented reality
US11042035B2 (en) See-through computer display systems with adjustable zoom cameras
US6445365B1 (en) Image display apparatus and image photographing apparatus therefor
US10054797B2 (en) Combining a high resolution narrow field display and a mid resolution wide field display
US6078427A (en) Smooth transition device for area of interest head-mounted display
US6324001B2 (en) Stereo image display apparatus
US9990008B2 (en) Modular multi-mode virtual reality headset
US11178380B2 (en) Converting a monocular camera into a binocular stereo camera
IL294102A (en) Optical systems and methods for eye tracking based on redirecting light from eye using an optical arrangement associated with a light-guide optical element
JP3531348B2 (en) Optical components
KR20180062953A (en) Display apparatus and method of displaying using context display and projectors
JP2000089157A (en) Head mount display
KR101988629B1 (en) Hr box
US10928894B2 (en) Eye tracking
JPH11298779A (en) Image capturing device
US20230115411A1 (en) Smart eyeglasses
JP2006246511A (en) Stereoscopic video display device
US20230258937A1 (en) Hybrid waveguide to maximize coverage in field of view (fov)
CN116149051A (en) Lens assembly, infrared light supplementing method and eye movement tracking method and system
CN117724240A (en) Eye tracking system with in-plane illumination
WO1998010322A1 (en) Head worn stereoscopic display device, particularly for displaying television pictures
CN110703457A (en) Optical path system for naked eye 3D imaging
JP2003057596A (en) Three-dimensional display device
CN109963141A (en) Vision display system and method and head-wearing display device

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AE AG AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BW BY BZ CA CH CN CO CR CU CZ DE DK DM DZ EC EE EG ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MA MD MG MK MN MW MX MZ NA NI NO NZ OM PG PH PL PT RO RU SC SD SE SG SK SL SY TJ TM TN TR TT TZ UA UG US UZ VC VN YU ZA ZM ZW

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): GM KE LS MW MZ NA SD SL SZ TZ UG ZM ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GQ GW ML MR NE SN TD TG

121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 2004729948

Country of ref document: EP

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 10555835

Country of ref document: US

Ref document number: 2006506596

Country of ref document: JP

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 20048125105

Country of ref document: CN

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 2004729948

Country of ref document: EP

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 10555835

Country of ref document: US

WWG Wipo information: grant in national office

Ref document number: 2004729948

Country of ref document: EP