US005187571A
United States Patent [19] [ii] Patent Number: 5,187,571
Braun et al. [45] Date of Patent: Feb. 16, 1993
[54] TELEVISION SYSTEM FOR DISPLAYING MULTIPLE VIEWS OF A REMOTE LOCATION
[75] Inventors: David A. Braun, Denville; William A.
E. Nilson, III, Bridgewater; Terence
J. Nelson, New Providence; Lanny S.
Smoot, Morris Township, Morris
County, all of N.J.
[73] Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc., Livingston, N.J.
[21] Appl. No.: 649,025
[22] Filed: Feb. 1,1991
[51] Int. CI.' H04N 7/14
[52] U.S. CI 358/85; 358/87;
358/93; 358/181
[58] Field of Search 358/181, 185, 225, 85,
358/86, 87, 93, 103, 104, 108; 455/3, 5, 6; 379/53, 54; 354/94, 95; 352/69, 70, 133;
359/403, 419
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
3,697,678 10/1972 Belleson 340/709
4,355,328 10/1982 Kulik- 358/183
4,400,727 8/1983 Aron 358/103
4,613,898 9/1986 Bagnall-Wild 358/87
4,797,942 1/1989 Burt 358/87
4,870,314 12/1989 Judd 358/87
5,023,725 6/1991 McCutchen 358/93
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 0194788 8/1990 Japan .
Primary Examiner—James J. Groody
Assistant Examiner—Sherrie Hsia
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Leonard Charles Suchyta;
Loria J. Baskerville
[57] ABSTRACT
A television system (100) comprises a sending station (70), a composing system (80) and a receiving station (90). The sending station (70) comprise a sequence of cameras (1,2,3, . . . ,N) arranged so that the fields of view merge contiguously to form an aggregate field of view. The composing station (80) includes circuitry which enables a local viewer at the receiving station (90) to select an arbitrary and continuously variable subsection of the aggregate field of view for display on a local monitor (200).
17 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
