JP2008145809A - Full circumference image input/output device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a configuration capable of displaying an image of a full circumference of 360° and also taking an image compatibly. <P>SOLUTION: The full circumference image input/output device 1 includes: a spherical dimming screen 2 that can change the light transmittance and displays the image of the full circumference; an optical modulator 3 which displays the image of the full circumference from the inside of the dimming screen; an optical sensor 4 which takes in light incident from the outside of the dimming screen 2; and a control device 5 which controls the light transmittance of the dimming screen 2 and controls image display of the optical modulator 3 and light taking-in of the optical sensor in accordance with the control of the transmittance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an all-round image input / output device that performs 360-degree image display and 360-degree light capture using a spherical dimming screen.

  Conventionally, there is a technique for capturing images and outputting images over the entire circumference using a 360-degree camera, a multi-screen monitor, or the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that projects an image on a 360-degree spherical surface. Further, as the dimming screen, a watermark screen disclosed in Patent Document 2 and a screen having a writing function disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4 are disclosed.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a camera and a monitor are configured separately, and a 360-degree video is displayed on a flat monitor and is a monitor video without a sense of reality. Patent Document 5 discloses a technique in which a touch panel is provided on a hemispherical screen.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-271094 JP-A-2005-95596 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-233584 JP 2003-121943 A JP-A-8-19005

  However, none of the technologies has been considered for a configuration that can simultaneously display images and capture images over the entire circumference, and each configuration has a limited use and cannot be expanded into various applications. There is.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems. That is, the present invention can change the light transmittance and can control a spherical light control screen that displays an image over the entire periphery, a light modulation element that displays an image over the entire periphery from the inside of the light control screen, and a light control device. A light sensor that captures light incident from outside the light screen, and controls the light transmittance of the dimming screen, and displays the image by the light modulation element and captures the light by the light sensor in accordance with the control of the light transmittance. And an all-round image input / output device.

  In the present invention as described above, the light transmittance of the light control screen is controlled by the control of the control means, whereby the image modulated by the light modulation element is displayed over the entire periphery of the light control screen, Light incident from the outside can be taken in by the optical sensor.

  That is, when it is desired to display an image on the dimming screen, the control means sets the transmittance of the dimming screen to a value such that light is scattered. As a result, the light modulated by the light modulation element is displayed on the dimming screen. On the other hand, when it is desired to capture external light through the dimming screen, the control means sets the transmittance of the dimming screen to a value that allows the desired light to pass through. As a result, external light passes through the dimming screen and is captured by the optical sensor.

  Further, by setting the transmittance of the dimming screen, it is possible to simultaneously display an image by the light modulation element and capture light from the outside.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an apparatus capable of both displaying an image and capturing an image over the entire circumference by integrating a 360-degree display and a 360-degree camera and using common optical components. Is possible. Further, such a configuration can be applied to various applications.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an omnidirectional image input / output device according to the present embodiment. The all-round image input / output device 1 according to the present embodiment can display an image and capture light over the entire circumference, and has the following configuration.

  That is, the all-round image input / output device 1 of the present embodiment can change the light transmittance, and has a spherical dimming screen 2 that displays an image over the entire circumference, and extends from the inside of the dimming screen 2 to the entire circumference. The light modulation element 3 that displays an image, the light sensor 4 that captures light incident from the outside of the light control screen 2, and the light transmittance of the light control screen 2 are controlled, and the light transmittance is controlled according to the control of the light transmittance. A control device 5 that controls display of an image by the light modulation element 3 and capture of light by the light sensor 4 is provided.

  Here, the light source 6 can be turned on instantaneously by mounting a solid light source such as an LED or a laser.

  The light control screen 2 is provided with a light control material capable of changing the transmittance of light such as liquid crystal on the inner surface of a spherical (including hemispherical or elliptical spherical) screen member. Specifically, for example, the inner surface of a spherical screen member is formed by applying a capsule type liquid crystal. Capsule-type liquid crystal is obtained by encapsulating liquid crystal in a microcapsule and mixing or mixing it with a transparent resin such as an ultraviolet irradiation curable resin to apply or coat the inner surface of the screen member. A liquid crystal layer can be uniformly formed on the inner surface of the screen portion by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays and curing it.

  The transmittance is adjusted by applying a predetermined voltage to the applied liquid crystal. For this reason, the transparent electrode is formed in the screen member which apply | coated the liquid crystal. By controlling the voltage application to the transparent electrode by the control device 5, the light transmittance of the dimming screen 2 can be controlled.

  In the present embodiment, the scattering mode in which the light transmittance is low when no voltage is applied to the light control screen 2, and the light transmission is high in a state where a predetermined voltage is applied to the light control screen 2. Mode, and the transmittance can be controlled to a desired value by adjusting the applied voltage.

  As a configuration for displaying an image on the inner surface of the light control screen 2, a light source 6, a condenser lens L1, a light modulation element 3, a mirror M1, a projection lens L2, and a conical aspherical reflection mirror M2 are provided. Some of these configurations are arranged inside the dimming screen 2, and the other part is arranged, for example, on the base portion of the dimming screen 2.

  In order to perform image display in this configuration, the light emitted from the light source 6 is converted into parallel light by the condenser lens L1 and is incident on the light modulation element 3. The light modulation element 3 is a liquid crystal display device, and the light transmittance changes according to the image to be displayed.

  The light (image) modulated via the light modulation element 3 is reflected by the reflection mirror M1 and applied to the conical aspherical reflection mirror M2 via the projection lens 2. The light (image) applied to the conical aspheric reflection mirror M2 reaches the inner surface of the spherical light control screen 2 over the entire circumference. This serves as a 360 degree display.

  In the present embodiment, not only the entire display of the image on the dimming screen 2 but also light incident from the outside to the inside of the dimming screen 2 can be taken in by the optical sensor 4. As a configuration for capturing light, a conical aspherical reflection mirror M2, a projection lens L2, a reflection mirror M1, and an optical sensor 4 are provided. Among these, the conical aspherical reflection mirror M2, the projection lens 2, and the reflection mirror M1 are shared with the above-described configuration for image display.

  With this configuration, light incident from the entire outer periphery of the light control screen 2 is concentrated at the center by the conical aspherical reflection mirror M2, and reaches the optical sensor 4 through the projection lens 2 and the reflection mirror M1. When this light is detected by the optical sensor 4, it functions as a 360-degree camera.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, in order to realize a 360-degree display and a 360-degree camera with one optical system, the light modulation element 3 and the light sensor 4 are integrally formed on the same substrate.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a sensing display device applied as a liquid crystal display device in the present embodiment. That is, the basic configuration of this device is a liquid crystal display device, a TFT substrate S1 on which a driving transistor 10 is formed for each pixel, and a counter substrate S2 on which a counter electrode S2 and a microlens ML or a black matrix BM are formed. Are bonded at a predetermined interval, and the liquid crystal 30 is sealed in the interval.

  In the liquid crystal display device, an on-chip spacer 31 is provided at a predetermined position in order to control the gap between the TFT substrate S 1 and the counter substrate S 2, and the drive transistor 10 is configured so that unnecessary light does not enter the drive transistor 10. A light shielding film 11 is provided above and below.

  Based on the configuration of such a liquid crystal display device, in the present embodiment, the one in which the photodiode 20 is formed on the TFT substrate S1 side for each pixel is used. The photodiode 20 is disposed for each pixel at a position that does not affect the transmitted light of the image display by the liquid crystal 30.

  When an image is displayed by this sensing display device, irradiation light is incident from the counter substrate S2 side, and modulated light (image) is output (transmitted) to the TFT substrate s1 side through the microlens ML and the liquid crystal 30. This transmitted light becomes an image and is projected onto the light control screen 2 via the reflection mirror M1 and the projection lens L2 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, in order to capture light, light incident from the TFT substrate S1 side is received by the photodiode 20 provided for each pixel. Since the photodiode 20 is provided for each pixel, it is possible to acquire position information such as from which position of the dimming screen the incident light and to capture the captured light as an image (360-degree camera image). You can also get as

  Thus, by performing image display and light reception with a single device, the system configuration of the all-round image input / output device can be significantly reduced.

  The control device 5 controls voltage transmission to the dimming screen 2 described above to control the light transmittance at the dimming screen 2. Further, the control device 5 drives the light modulation element 3 to control display of an image to be displayed. Further, the control device 5 controls the position of the light captured by the optical signal detected by the optical sensor 4 on the dimming screen 2 and the capture of an image corresponding to the position.

  That is, the control device 5 controls the light transmittance of the dimming screen 2 in accordance with each operation mode of image display and capture, drives the light modulation element 3 in conjunction with it, and processes the signal captured by the optical sensor 4. Will do.

  Here, the control device 5 shown in the figure is configured to perform all the functions in one, but is divided for each control such as control of the light control screen 2, control of the light modulation element 3, and control of the light sensor 4. It may be configured.

  Next, the operation mode by the all-round image input / output device of this embodiment will be described. FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams for explaining each operation mode. FIG. 3A shows the case of the omnidirectional image display mode, FIG. 3B shows the case of the omnidirectional image input mode, and FIG.

  First, the all-around image display mode (360-degree display mode) shown in FIG. In this mode, no voltage is applied from the control device 5 to the dimming screen 2, and the light transmittance of the dimming screen 2 is set to the scattering mode (transmittance capable of displaying an image as a projection display).

  Next, in this state, light is emitted from the light source 6 under the control of the control device 5, and the light modulation element 3 is driven according to the display image to modulate the light emitted from the light source 6. The modulated light (image) is irradiated from the mirror M1 to the conical aspherical reflection mirror M2 through the projection lens L2, and is reflected in the 360 ° direction and irradiated to the inner surface of the light control screen 2.

  As a result, an image over 360 degrees is projected from the inside to the outside of the light control screen 2. Therefore, the user can refer to the 360-degree image projected on the surface of the spherical dimming screen 2 from the outside of the dimming screen 2.

  Next, the all-round image input mode (360-degree camera mode) shown in FIG. In this mode, a predetermined voltage is applied from the control device 5 to the dimming screen 2, and the light transmittance of the dimming screen 2 is set to the transmission mode (transmittance capable of guiding light from outside to the inside). To do.

  As a result, light incident from around 360 degrees is transmitted through the light control screen 2, reflected by the conical aspherical reflection mirror M2, and incident on the optical sensor 4 via the projection lens L2 and the reflection mirror M1. .

  Since the optical sensor 4 is composed of a photodiode 20 formed for each pixel as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to detect from which position of the dimming screen 2 light is incident according to the received position. Also, by capturing this light as an image, a 360-degree camera image can be acquired.

  Next, the simultaneous mode shown in FIG. In this mode, a predetermined voltage is applied from the control device 5 to the light control screen 2, and the light transmittance of the light control screen 2 is set between the scattering mode and the transmission mode.

  Next, in this state, light is emitted from the light source 6 under the control of the control device 5, and the light modulation element 3 is driven according to the display image to modulate the light emitted from the light source 6. The modulated light (image) is irradiated from the mirror M1 to the conical aspherical reflection mirror M2 through the projection lens L2, and is reflected in the 360 ° direction and irradiated to the inner surface of the light control screen 2. As a result, an image over 360 degrees is projected outside the dimming screen 2. The user can refer to the 360-degree image projected on the surface of the spherical dimming screen 2 from the outside of the dimming screen 2.

  Simultaneously with this image display, light incident from around 360 degrees is transmitted through the dimming screen 2 and reflected by the conical aspherical reflection mirror M2, and is incident on the optical sensor 4 via the projection lens L2 and the reflection mirror M1. Incident. Thereby, it is possible to detect from which position of the dimming screen 2 the incident light and to obtain an image as a 360-degree camera.

  In this simultaneous mode, when the dimming screen 2 is irradiated with strong light such as a laser pointer and detected, the light transmittance is set to the same as in the scattering mode shown in FIG. May be. Thereby, 360-degree image display can be performed clearly, and it is possible to detect which position on the dimming screen 2 is irradiated with light by detecting light such as a laser pointer incident from the outside. become.

  As described above, the 360-degree display and the 360-degree camera can be integrated to form a compact system, and the cost can be reduced by sharing the optical components.

  Moreover, you may enable it to detect the contact position by a finger etc. by attaching the touch sensor 7 (refer FIG. 1) to the light control screen 2. FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of use of the all-round image input / output device of the present embodiment. In this usage example, an image of the earth is displayed on the dimming screen 2 as a 360-degree image, for example, as shown in FIG. In order to display an image, the scattering mode described above may be used.

  In this state, when a user touches a desired position with a finger, the position is detected by a touch sensor, and the control device performs an enlarged display of an image centered on the position. FIG. 4B shows a state where an enlarged display of the position touched by the user's finger is made.

  The control device can also perform control that sequentially expands according to the number of times the user touches the finger. Further, this enlargement operation can be continuously performed while the finger is in contact. Thereby, the user can enjoy the image | video which zooms in a short time to the position on the earth which contacted with the finger from the outside of the earth. The user can also rotate (scroll) the 360-degree display position by sliding the desired position while touching it with a finger.

  Furthermore, the control device can also display on the dimming screen 2 various information related to the location on the map corresponding to the position where the user touched with a finger. For example, it is possible to display information related to the place such as weather, a tour guide, and detailed map information of the place where the user has touched with a finger.

  Moreover, you may output this relevant information as an audio guide or a moving image as needed. Thereby, the user can acquire information with a sense of reality.

  Furthermore, by providing communication means in the all-round image input / output device 1 of the present embodiment, it can be used as a bidirectional communication system via a network. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a plurality of omnidirectional image input / output devices are connected via a network. Each omnidirectional image input / output device 1 is provided with communication means for connecting to a network N such as a LAN or the Internet.

  The communication means can input / output information conforming to the communication protocol of the corresponding network N, output its own information to the outside via the network N, and receive information sent from the outside via the network N can do.

  With the omnidirectional image input / output device 1 connected to the network N, the omnidirectional image input / output device 1 is set to the simultaneous mode, thereby displaying a video of a predetermined destination on the dimming screen 2 360 degrees. At the same time, the user's own video and peripheral video can be captured at 360 degrees and transmitted to the other party via the network N.

  The all-round image input / output device 1 of the other party via the network N displays the video sent from the other all-round image input / output device 1 on its own dimming screen 2. If audio is transmitted and received together with video, a videophone system and video conference system with an omnidirectional video via the network N can be constructed.

  Further, when the all-round image input / output device 1 is connected to the network N, desired information is acquired from various information servers such as a Web server and a mail server connected to the network N, and 360 degrees to the dimming screen 2. While being able to display, the command instruct | indicated via the touchscreen of the light control screen 2 can also be sent to various information servers.

  Recently, a network battle type game has been realized. However, if the all-round image input / output device 1 of this embodiment is used as a video input / output terminal, a realistic monitoring or a three-dimensional game is realized. Can be realized.

  Furthermore, by installing this system all over the world, it is possible to monitor the scenery and scenes of the whole world in 360 degrees display, which is expected to be useful for the realization of future security society.

  Furthermore, it can be used as a display of a globe, a constellation, etc., or lighting equipment utilizing the characteristics of hemispherical display, and a new application such as an educational toy combined with a touch sensor can be realized.

The following applications are expected as main applications of the all-round image input / output device in the present embodiment.
(1) A business-use monitoring and monitoring system is provided with a hemispheric display with a touch sensor and a bidirectional advertisement / information terminal function, making it possible to use both security and advertising revenue, and it can be used in various stores and hotel rooms. There is expected.
(2) When installed in an automobile or the like, 360-degree monitoring and display are possible.
(3) The light control screen can be applied to a three-dimensional shape such as a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, or a polyhedron other than a spherical one.

It is a schematic diagram explaining the omnidirectional image input / output device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic cross section explaining the structure of the sensing display device applied in this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining each operation mode, (a) is an omnidirectional image display mode, (b) is an omnidirectional image input mode, (c) is a figure which shows simultaneous mode. It is a schematic diagram explaining the usage example of the omnidirectional image input / output device of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state by which the several perimeter image input / output device was connected via the network.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... All-round image input / output device, 2 ... Light control screen, 3 ... Light modulation element, 4 ... Optical sensor, 5 ... Control device, 6 ... Light source, 7 ... Touch sensor, L1 ... Condenser lens, L2 ... Projection lens, M1 ... reflection mirror, M2 ... conical aspherical reflection mirror

Claims (9)

A spherical dimming screen that can change the light transmittance and display an image all around the circumference,
A light modulation element for displaying an image over the entire circumference from the inside of the dimming screen;
A light sensor that captures light incident from outside the dimming screen;
Control means for controlling the light transmittance of the light control screen and controlling the display of an image by the light modulation element and the capture of light by the light sensor according to the control of the transmittance. An all-round image input / output device. In the first mode for displaying an image on the dimming screen, the control means controls the light transmittance of the dimming screen to a value at which the image can be displayed, thereby controlling the display of the image by the light modulation element. The all-round image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein In a second mode for capturing light incident from the outside of the dimming screen, the light sensor controls the light transmittance of the dimming screen to a value at which the light can be transmitted from the outside to the inside by the control means. The all-round image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein the light capturing control is performed by the control unit. In the third mode in which an image is displayed on the dimming screen and at the same time the light incident from the outside of the dimming screen is captured, the image can be displayed by the control means and the light transmittance of the dimming screen can be displayed. The all-round image input according to claim 1, wherein the display control of the image by the light modulation element and the capture control of the light by the light sensor are performed by controlling the light to a value that can be transmitted from the outside to the inside. Output device. The all-round image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein the light modulation element and the light sensor are integrally formed on the same substrate. The all-round image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein the light sensor detects a position on the light control screen when the light is incident. A conical aspherical reflection means is provided at the inner apex portion of the light control screen in a spherical shape,
2. The all-round image according to claim 1, wherein an image is displayed by the light modulation element via the conical aspherical reflection means and light incident from outside the light control screen is captured by the light sensor. I / O device. The dimming screen is provided with a touch sensor that reads the coordinates of the surface thereof,
The all-round image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls display of an image by the light modulation element based on coordinates detected by the touch sensor. A communication means for performing at least image input / output communication with an external device;
The control means displays an image transmitted from the outside received by the communication means on the dimming screen by the light modulation element, and an image based on the light captured by the photosensor via the dimming screen. The all-round image input / output device according to claim 1, wherein control for outputting to an external device is performed by communication means.

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