Head mounted displays linked to networked electronic panning cameras

Abstract

A system (300) for combining a panning camera (308) with one or more displays (304), such as head-mounted displays, is provided. A panoramic view from an electronic panning camera may be provided to an electronic panning control circuit (510). The electronic panning control circuit may be responsive to a view selector (306), such as a head-tracker located on a user's HMD. The electronic panning circuit selects the desired portion of the panoramic view to send to the user's display. A stereoscopic, view providing for a depth-of-field effect simulating actual vision, stereo view is achieved by locating a first electronic panning camera (502) in an optically horizontally offset relation with a second electronic panning camera (504). An image splitter (510), such as a half silvered mirror, sends the same, slightly horizontally offset, to both cameras. Individually pannable views may be delivered to users via a communications network (312). One or more electronic panning cameras may output stereoscopic views to a communications network using high bandwidth lines (because the electronic panning cameras typically output a signal having a bandwidth equivalent to several video signals). The panoramic views may be received by local central offices (806) which include electronic panning circuits responsive to users' HMDs. The desired portions of the stereoscopic view may be extracted and sent to the user via conventional video bandwidth lines (because the selected views are typically equivalent to one or two video signals).