Production of composite images

Claim 5

A method in accordance with claim 2, including panning and tilting a projector which projects the said image onto the screen in response to the said panning and tilting signals, respectively.

Claim 6

Apparatus for generating a composite image, comprising: a screen of a predetermined color; a foreground television camera for viewing a foreground subject in front of the said screen; a background television camera; means for presenting an image of a background scene to the background camera; mixing means for mixing the signals from the foreground and background cameras in such a manner that the foreground camera signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the foreground subject is represented by the signal from the foreground camera and the background signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the output of the foreground camera represents the colored screen; a pan and tilt transmitter connected to the foreground camera for deriving electric signals representing panning and tilting movement of the foreground camera; and means for moving the background image relative to the background camera in accordance with the said pan and tilt signals in two mutually perpendicular directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the background camera in such a manner that in the output signal from the mixing means the background appears to move in a direction opposite to the direction of panning or tilting of the foreground camera, wherein said background image moving means comprises a first frame mounted on a support for movement relative to the support in one of two mutually perpendicular directions, a second frame mounted on the first frame for movement with respect to the first frame in the other of the said mutually perpendicular directions, the second frame having means for receiving a background picture, said background picture being larger than the shot viewed by said background camera.

Claim 7

Apparatus for generating a composite image, comprising: a screen of a predetermined color; a foreground television camera for viewing a foreground subject in front of the said screen; a background television camera; means for presenting an image of a background scene to the background camera; mixing means for mixing the signals from the foreground and background cameras in such a manner that the foreground camera signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the foreground subject is represented by the signal from the foreground camera and the background signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the output of the foreground camera represents the colored screen; a pan and tilt transmitter connected to the foreground camera for deriving electric signals representing panning and tilting movement of the foreground camera; and means for moving the background image relative to the background camera in accordance with the said pan and tilt signals in two mutually perpendicular directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the background camera in such a manner that in the output signal from the mixing means the background appears to move in a direction opposite to the direction of panning or tilting of the foreground camera, wherein said background image moving means comprises a first frame mounted on a support for movement relative to the support in one of two mutually perpendicular directions, a second frame mounted on the first frame for movement with respect to the first frame in the other of the said mutually perpendicular directions, the second frame having means for receiving a background picture, said background picture being larger than the shot viewed by said background camera.

Claim 8

Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, in which the background image moving means includes two signal generators respectively generating signals representing the position of the said second frame in the said two mutually perpendicular directions, the apparatus further comprising, in a coupling between the foreground camera signal generators and the said support unit, a servo loop responsive to command signals originating at the foreground camera signal generators and also responsive to the position signals from the signal generators of the background image moving means.

Claim 9

Apparatus for generating a composite image, comprising: a screen of a predetermined color; a foreground television camera for viewing a foreground subject in front of the said screen; a background television camera; means for presenting an image of a background scene to the background camera; mixing means for mixing the signals from the foreground and background cameras in such a manner that the foreground camera signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the foreground subject is represented by the signal from the foreground camera and the background signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the output of the foreground camera represents the colored screen; a pan and tilt transmitter connected to the foreground camera for deriving electric signals representing panning and tilting movement of the foreground camera; and means for moving the background image relative to the background camera in accordance with the said pan and tilt signals in two mutually perpendicular directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the background camera in such a manner that in the output signal from the mixing means the background appears to move in a direction opposite to the direction of panning or tilting of the foreground camera, wherein said background image moving means comprises a projector and a background screen and means for moving the projector relative to the background screen in panning and tilting directions, the projected background image being larger than the shot viewed by the background camera.

Claim 10

Apparatus for generating a composite image, comprising: a screen of a predetermined color; a foreground television camera for viewing a foreground subject in front of the said screen; a background television camera; means for presenting an image of a background scene to the background camera; mixing means for mixing the signals from the foreground and background cameras in such a manner that the foreground camera signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the foreground subject is represented by the signal from the foreground camera and the background signal is present in the output of the mixing means whenever the output of the foreground camera represents the colored screen; a pan and tilt transmitter connected to the foreground camera for deriving electric signals representing panning and tilting movement of the foreground camera; and means for moving the background image relative to the background camera in accordance with the said pan and tilt signals in two mutually perpendicular directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the background camera in such a manner that in the output signal from the mixing means the background appears to move in a direction opposite to the direction of panning or tilting of the foreground camera, wherein said background image moving means comprises a projector and a background screen and means for moving the projector relative to the background screen in panning and tilting directions, the projected background image being larger than the shot viewed by the background camera.

Claim 11

Apparatus in accordance with claim 6, in which the background image moving means includes two signal generators respectively generating signals representing the position of the projector in pan and tilt, the apparatus including in a coupling between the foreground camera signal generators and the said background image moving means a servo loop responsive to command signals originating at the foreground camera signal generators and to position signals from the projector pan and tilt signal generators.