JP2000111834A - Stereoscopic picture display device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stereoscopic picture display device for vehicle capable of displaying an easy-to-view stereoscopic picture by utilizing binocular parallax. SOLUTION: Plural parallax pictures which can be respectively viewed from plural different viewing points are recorded in a picture recording part 17 and projected in accordance with light radiated from a light projection part 15, then the plural parallax pictures to which optical directivity is given by an optical directivity projection part 19 are projected toward plural viewing points. Then, the display direction of the projected parallax picture is deflected toward the viewing point by a light deflection part 21, so that the easy-to-view stereoscopic picture utilizing the binocular parallax is displayed at an eye point 25 in an eye range 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular stereo image display apparatus for displaying a stereo image using binocular parallax.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional stereo image display device for a vehicle, for example, as shown in FIG.
No. 84, "Vehicle information display device" has been reported.

[0003] This device alternately displays the outside scene (LID) photographed by the video camera 6 and the route guidance information (RID) output from the navigation device on the liquid crystal display 121 in units of pixels as display contents. Then, the display contents are radiated in the direction of the front window via a lenticular lens 122 disposed on the liquid crystal display 121 and reflected by the reflector 103 provided on the front window, and the outside view of the vehicle to the driver's 123 left eye. (LID) is projected on the right eye so that the route guidance information (RID) can be visually recognized, thereby displaying a stereo image.

[0004]

However, in a conventional stereo image display device for a vehicle, an electronic display device such as a liquid crystal display 121 is used.
The displayed pixel size becomes large. For this reason, a lenticular lens 122 having a lens pitch of such a degree that a commonly used vertically divided image is not bothersome
However, as shown in FIG. 10, only stereoscopic images can be displayed up to the display quality of about two eyes.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, when the left eye position 125L moves to the right eye position 123R,
The left-eye image (2 (L)) emitted from the adjacent lenticular lens is input to the right-eye position 125R, and there is a problem that the parallax of the left and right eyes is reversed and the stereo image cannot be visually recognized.

[0006] In addition, the field of view in which the driver can view stereoscopically is extremely narrower than the eye range, and the display contents are difficult to see over the entire area including the area in which the driver can view stereoscopically. Further, in a conventional stereo image display device for a vehicle,
Because an electronic display device and an image processing device are used,
Many components, high system cost, heavy weight,
Large equipment space was required.

Further, even when an image outside the vehicle is displayed in stereo, the image formation distance due to binocular parallax is limited, and it is difficult to display a display image at an actual distance, and the amount of information of the image is large. However, since the quality of the displayed image is poor, there is a problem that it is difficult for the driver to visually recognize the distance in a short period of time while the vehicle is traveling, and conversely, the visibility is confused.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular stereo image display device capable of displaying a stereoscopic image that is easily visible using binocular parallax.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In order to solve the above problems, in a vehicle stereo image display device that displays a stereo image using binocular parallax,
Light projecting means for irradiating light, image recording means for recording a plurality of parallax images respectively visible from a plurality of different viewpoints, and projecting a plurality of parallax images in accordance with the irradiated light; A light directivity projecting means for giving light directivity to the parallax image and projecting in a plurality of viewpoint directions, and a light deflecting means for deflecting a display direction of the projected parallax image in the viewpoint direction. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a distance detecting means for detecting a distance to a forward obstacle and a parallax image representing a perspective according to the distance information are provided. Light projection control means for controlling light means, the image recording means, according to the area hit by the irradiated light,
The gist is to record parallax images representing different perspectives.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the image recording means comprises a transparent plate or a diffusion plate, and prints and records a parallax image on the plate surface. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, the light directivity projection means comprises an optical element capable of adjusting the light directivity of a viewpoint direction according to an input signal. I do.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the light directivity projecting means includes a rotation moving means for rotating and moving the light directivity in a viewpoint direction in parallel with the image recording means. The point is to prepare.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the rotational movement means controls the angle of the rotational movement in accordance with at least angle information indicating a route guidance direction or a traveling direction of the vehicle. The gist is to provide a means.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of parallax images, each of which can be visually recognized from a plurality of different viewpoints, are recorded, and a plurality of parallax images are projected according to irradiated light. Then, the plurality of parallax images are given light directivity and projected in a plurality of viewpoint directions. Then, by deflecting the display direction of the projected parallax image to the viewpoint direction, a stereoscopic image using binocular parallax that can be easily viewed can be displayed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a parallax image representing a different perspective is recorded in accordance with an area irradiated with the illuminated light. By controlling the light projection so as to obtain a parallax image representing the perspective, the distance to the obstacle in front can be represented with the perspective.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a parallax image is printed by a transparent plate or a diffuser plate and recorded on the plate surface. You can keep.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the viewpoint direction can be adjusted according to the input signal by using an optical element capable of adjusting the light directivity, which becomes the viewpoint direction according to the input signal. Can be.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the stereo image to be displayed can be easily rotated by rotating the light directivity in the viewpoint direction in parallel to the recorded parallax image. You can move.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the route guidance direction and the traveling direction are represented by controlling the angle of the rotational movement in accordance with at least the angle information representing the route guidance direction and the traveling direction of the vehicle. Stereo images can be easily displayed.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of an approach warning system to which a vehicular stereo image display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

The distance information detecting section 11 is composed of a laser radar installed at a position in front of the vehicle 1, and detects distance information from a vehicle ahead, an obstacle, and the like. Further, the distance information detecting unit 1
In place of this laser radar, distance information from a millimeter wave radar, a stereo camera or a navigation device, direction information from outside the vehicle such as a VICS, etc., can be used as 1.

The light projecting control unit 13 controls one of image areas having different parallax amounts (visual distances are substantially similar) recorded in the image recording unit 17 according to the distance information from the distance information detecting unit 11. The light projecting unit 15 is controlled so as to irradiate the light. The light emitting unit 15 uses a light emitting element such as a halogen bulb, a cold cathode tube, an LED, and an EL as a light source, and causes the light emitting element to emit light in accordance with a light emitting signal from the light emitting control unit 13, and the image recording unit 17.
Is illuminated on the lower surface of the. Further, the light from the light projecting unit 13 may be arranged so as to irradiate the image recording unit 15 obliquely from above, reflect the light obliquely upward and irradiate the image recording unit 17.

The image recording unit 17 is made of a transparent resin plate or a diffusion plate made of polypropylene, polycarbonate, acrylic or the like, and has a surface on which a color image or a black image is recorded from a plurality of viewpoints by using a printing method such as silk printing. ing. Further, the image recording unit 17 records a parallax image representing a different perspective in an image area irradiated with the irradiated light.

The light directivity projection unit 19 is composed of a lenticular lens, a parallax barrier, a fly-eye lens, and a hologram plate recording these optical characteristics. Project in the viewpoint direction. In addition, the light directivity projection unit 19 includes a liquid crystal (LC).
D), an acousto-optic element (AOM), a vari-angle prism, a group of micro mirrors (DMD) manufactured by micro machining, etc., and the light directivity of the viewpoint direction can be adjusted according to an external input signal. Optical element.

The light deflecting unit 21 is a combiner made of a translucent or substantially transparent member, and deflects the irradiated light in the direction of the eye range 23 of a driver or a passenger in the room, and is used for a head-up display. It has the same function as the combiner. The light deflected by the light deflecting unit 21 is incident on an eye point 25 in a 95% tile eye range 23 of a driver or a passenger, for example, and a parallax image is projected on the driver or the passenger's eye in a stereo display. You.

Next, the operation when a lenticular lens is used as the light directivity projection unit 19 will be described with reference to FIG. One cell 1 constituting the image recording unit 17
7-1 has details 1 (a) to 1 (f), and has six different viewpoints (a) to (f) arranged in the eye range 23 at an interval of the distance between both eyes k to 62 (mm). ) Are separately recorded in each detail.

For example, based on the maximum width W (mm) of the eye range 23 in the left-right direction and the distance between both eyes k, the required number of viewpoints n is

## EQU1 ## where n = W / k (1), and the number of viewpoints n may be from 6 to 12 even if the allowance is considered.

The lens 19-1 constituting the lenticular lens 19 is in surface contact with the cell 17-1 of the image recording section 17, and details 1 (a) to 1 (a) to 1 constituting the cell 17-1 of the image recording section 17 are provided. The respective parallax images recorded in (f) are given different directivities via the lens 19-1 of the lenticular lens 19, and are separately irradiated to six different viewpoints (a) to (f). . As a result, as shown in FIG.
(C) and (d) have details 1 (c) and 1 respectively.
The parallax image recorded in (d) is incident, and the eye range 2
In 3, the parallax image is displayed in stereo and can be visually recognized without inverting the parallax.

Further, parallax images at intervals smaller than the maximum dimension W may be recorded in the image recording unit 17. Further, the number of images larger than the number n of viewpoints may be recorded in one cell of the image recording unit 17. However, in order not to cause the light diffraction phenomenon, the size of the minute image is limited, and the number n of image viewpoints is also limited.

Next, the operation of the approach warning system shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, the distance information detection unit 11 measures the distance to a vehicle or an object traveling ahead of the vehicle 1 and outputs a distance signal to the light emission control unit 13. The light emitting control unit 13 determines, for example, three levels of “safety”, “caution”, and “danger” based on the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle speed represented by the distance signal, and To output the light emission signal. In addition, the light projection control unit 13 may determine three levels of “far”, “medium (suitable)”, and “near” representing the perspective based on only the inter-vehicle distance.

Then, the light projecting unit 15 turns on the light sources at the respective positions corresponding to the three-step light emitting signals output from the light projecting control unit 13, and causes the light sources at the designated positions to emit light. Light is emitted from the lower surface of the image recording unit 17.

Since a color image or a black image from a plurality of viewpoints is recorded on the surface of the transparent resin plate or the diffusion plate by silk printing or the like in the image recording unit 17, the light is irradiated from the light projecting unit 15. Light projects these color or black images onto the light directional projection unit 19. As a result, the image recording unit 17 projects one of the parallax images representing different perspectives onto the image area irradiated with the emitted light.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the light directivity projection unit 19 is given different directivities through the lens of the lenticular lens 19 and irradiates the light deflection unit 21. The light deflecting unit 21 separately irradiates the light emitted through the light directivity projection unit 19 to six different viewpoints (a) to (f) in the eye range 23 direction, and applies the light to the eyes of the driver and the passenger. A parallax image is projected and a stereo image is displayed. As a result, an easily recognizable stereo image using binocular parallax can be displayed in the eye range 23.

At this time, the parallax image may include not only the parallax in the depth direction but also a parallax image having a parallax that jumps out of the screen. In this case, the distance information and the parallax amount are substantially similar. Or a logarithmic relationship that is a human sense. As a result, an intuitively understandable perspective can be transmitted to the observer.

As shown in FIG. 3, a part of the structure after the light projecting section 15 may be changed. As shown in FIG. 3, the light projecting unit 15 includes a small light bulb 33 and a diffusion plate 35 arranged near the focal point of the parabolic mirror 31. Switch 30 according to optical signal
On / off control.

The light emitted from the small light bulb 33 provided in the light projecting section 15 is reflected by the parabolic mirror 31, radiated to the diffusion plate 37 and diffused, and then recorded in the image recording section 15. Through the light directivity projection unit 19, each pixel is separated in the direction of each viewpoint, and passes through a louver filter 39 used to prevent the incidence of extraneous light. The light is reflected or diffracted in the direction of the driver's eye point 25 via the light deflecting unit 21 (not shown), enters the driver's or passenger's eyeball, and is visually recognized as visual information.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a part of the configuration of the light projecting section 15 may be changed. As shown in FIG. 4, a light emitting element 41 such as a cold-cathode tube, an LED, or an EL may be used as the light projecting unit. A parallax image is printed on the upper surface of the diffusion plate 37 using black. Further, a parallax image may be printed on the plane side of the lenticular lens constituting the light directivity projection unit 19. Further, a light diffusion mechanism may be provided on the lenticular lens, and a parallax image may be printed on the surface thereof to form an integral structure.

As described above, the parallax images having different parallax amounts are recorded in the image recording unit 17, and the light source of the light projecting unit 15 is switched according to the inter-vehicle distance so that the light is projected and displayed. It is possible to provide a stereo image that makes it easy to visually recognize the perspective.

Further, since the parallax image is printed and recorded on the plate surface of the image recording section 17 composed of a transparent plate or a diffusion plate, the parallax image can be recorded with a simple configuration. Furthermore, by configuring the light directivity projection unit 19 from an optical element that can adjust the light directivity that becomes the viewpoint direction according to the input signal, the viewpoint direction can be adjusted according to the input signal. The position of the eye range 23 where the stereo image can be visually recognized can be adjusted.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an approach warning system to which a vehicular stereo image display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 6 is a mechanism diagram for adjusting the rotation angle of the light directivity projection unit 19.

In FIG. 5, the light deflecting unit 21 is attached to the front window 51 on the indoor side. In FIG. 6, the motor control unit 53 generates a step pulse signal to be output to the stepping motor 55 according to the input angle signal, and controls the rotation angle. The stepping motor 55 rotates the gear 57 to adjust the position of the gear 59 meshing with the gear 57, and adjusts the rotation angle formed by the light directivity projection unit 19 with respect to the image recording unit 17.

The rotational motion of the stepping motor 55 is transmitted by gearing the gears 57 and 59. Alternatively, a wire or a rod may be added to the light-directing projection unit 19 to transmit the light. May be adjusted. When a liquid crystal display element or a vari-angle prism (mirror) is used, an electrical position movement process can be performed instead of mechanical angle adjustment.

Next, the operation of the approach warning system shown in FIG. 5 will be described. First, the motor control unit 53 receives a steering angle by steering, an angle component of a vehicle behavior detected by a gyro, and an angle signal relating to an angle such as route guidance or road shape information output from a navigation device. I have. Then, the motor control unit 53 generates a step pulse signal according to the magnitude represented by the input signal, outputs the generated step pulse signal to the stepping motor 55, and rotates the gear 57. A gear 57 is provided at the tip of the rotation shaft of the stepping motor 55, and the gear 57 is
And meshes with a gear 59 provided on the end face of the motor.

As a result, according to the angle signal input to the motor control unit 53, the image recording unit 17 and the light directivity projection unit 1
9 is adjusted, and a spatial shift occurs in an image position incident on the light directivity projection unit 19.

For example, when the angle signal input to the motor control unit 53 indicates an angle of 0 degree, the image recording unit 17 and the light directivity projection unit 19 are connected as shown in FIG. Since the angle is 0 degrees, the image displayed to the driver or the occupant includes a road representing a straight traveling state and a figure representing an arrow as shown in FIG. 7B.

On the other hand, when the angle signal has a predetermined degree of angle, as shown in FIG.
Since the light 7 and the light directivity projection unit 19 are shifted from each other at a predetermined angle, the image displayed to the driver or the passenger shows a right curve or a right arrow as shown in FIG. 8B. The figure is displayed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the parallax image in the screen is projected such that the parallax amount of the parallax image increases toward the top of the screen.

As described above, by rotating and moving the light directivity projection unit 19 in parallel to the parallax image recorded in the image recording unit 17 to rotate the light directivity in the viewpoint direction,
The displayed stereo image can be easily rotated and moved. Further, by controlling the angle of the rotational movement at least in accordance with the angle information indicating the route guidance direction or the traveling direction of the vehicle, a stereo image representing the route guidance direction or the traveling direction can be easily displayed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of an approach warning system to which a vehicular stereo image display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an operation when a lenticular lens is used as a light directivity projection unit 19;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration from a light projecting unit 15 to a louver filter 39;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another configuration from the light projecting unit 15 to the louver filter 39.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a block configuration of an approach warning system to which a vehicular stereo image display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a mechanism diagram for adjusting a rotation angle of the light directivity projection unit 19;

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing that the angle formed between the image recording unit 17 and the light directivity projecting unit 19 is a parallel state where the angle is 0 degrees, and FIG. ).

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing that the image recording unit 17 and the light directivity projecting unit 19 are out of alignment at a predetermined angle, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a right curve or a right arrow. .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a conventional vehicle stereo image display device.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a problem in a conventional vehicle stereo image display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 3 Approach warning system 11 Distance information detection unit 13 Light emission control unit 15 Light emission unit 17 Image recording unit 19 Light directivity projection unit 21 Light deflection unit 23 Eye range 25 Eye point

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vehicular stereo image display device for displaying a stereo image using binocular parallax, comprising: a light projecting unit for irradiating light; and a plurality of parallax images which can be visually recognized from different viewpoints. Image recording means for projecting a plurality of parallax images in accordance with the emitted light, and light directivity projecting means for giving light directivity to the plurality of projected parallax images and projecting the plurality of parallax images in a plurality of viewpoint directions. And a light deflecting means for deflecting the display direction of the obtained parallax image toward the viewpoint. 2. A distance detecting means for detecting a distance from a preceding obstacle, and a light emitting controlling means for controlling the light emitting means so as to obtain a parallax image representing a perspective according to the distance information, The stereoscopic image display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the image recording unit records a parallax image representing a different perspective depending on an area irradiated with the irradiated light. 3. The stereo image display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said image recording means comprises a transparent plate or a diffusion plate, and prints and records a parallax image on the plate surface. 4. The stereoscopic image display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said light directivity projection means comprises an optical element capable of adjusting light directivity, which is a viewpoint direction according to an input signal. 5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the light directivity projection means includes a rotation moving means for rotating and moving the light directivity in a viewpoint direction in parallel to the image recording means. Stereo image display device. 6. The rotation control means according to claim 5, wherein said rotation movement means includes rotation control means for controlling an angle of said rotation movement in accordance with at least angle information indicating a route guidance direction and a traveling direction of the vehicle. A stereo image display device for vehicles.