JPH09160143A - Stereoscopic camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily discriminate pictures for the right eye and the left eye and to pleasantly and easily attain stereoscopic vision with the naked eye by constituting a stereo pattern imprinted on the right and left pictures of 1st pattern parts having common shapes each other and 2nd pattern parts having different shapes each other. SOLUTION: The 1st patterns 21a and 22a out of the mask pattern for the right eye 21 and the mask pattern for the left eye 22 are the parts whose shape is common to each other. The relative position in an image for the left eye by a subject image formed at the right half of the 1st pattern for the left eye 22a is made nearly aligned with the relative position in the image for the right eye by the subject image formed at the left half of the 1st pattern for the right eye 21a. The 2nd patterns 21b and 22b being the rest of the mask patterns for the right and the left eyes 21 and 22 are the parts whose shape is different from each other. The 2nd patterns 21b and 22b function as a pattern expressing discrimination information to discriminate whether the imprinted image is for the right eye or the left eye.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereo camera used for simultaneously capturing an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye having different parallaxes of left and right corresponding to the same subject. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a stereo camera of this type is provided with a plurality of image-forming optical systems, and is an observation point in which the same subject is arranged leftward and rightward at a predetermined distance by these image-forming optical systems. A pair of images for the left eye and the right eye, which are obtained by viewing from the right side point and the left side point, are simultaneously exposed on the film surface which is the information recording medium for photographing.

Then, a left-eye print photograph corresponding to the image seen by the left eye and a right-eye print photograph corresponding to the image seen by the right eye, which are obtained by printing the image on the film, are left and right on the desk. Side by side, using a stereo viewing tool such as a stereo viewer, or by directly observing the left-eye and right-eye pictures with the left and right naked eyes respectively without using such tools, The subject can be seen as a stereoscopic image. That is, the stereoscopic effect of the subject image when viewing such a print photograph for the left and right eyes is obtained by the difference in the images produced by the left and right eyes, and the image taken on the left side By viewing with the left eye and with the right eye what is photographed on the right side, the viewer's cranial nerve can perceive a stereoscopic effect equivalent to that when the subject is directly viewed.

Here, there are a parallel method and a crossing method as widely known as an autostereoscopic viewing method for a viewer to obtain a stereoscopic image by viewing with the naked eye. That is, the parallel method is an observation method in which the left-eye photograph is viewed to the left, and the right-eye photograph is viewed to the left, and the crossing method is the left eye toward the right and right eye It is an observation method that is viewed by arranging to the left and is selected as necessary.

In such a conventionally known stereo camera, a pattern representing identification information indicating whether the paired left and right images are for the right eye or for the left eye,
A structure in which both the pattern common to left and right eye photographs for assisting stereoscopic viewing (hereinafter referred to as autostereoscopic viewing) when viewing a stereoscopic image with the naked eye is projected on the film surface. However, for example, JP-A-6-324413
Has been proposed.

In such a conventional stereo camera, the opening provided immediately in front of the film surface is divided into left and right portions at the center, and a screen for obtaining an image for the left eye and a screen for obtaining an image for the right eye are obtained by the dividing means. Are respectively imprinted on the film surface located in the left half and the right half when viewed from the camera back cover side of the opening. Also, in this conventional stereo camera, a partition means for partitioning the left side and the right side of the screen,
It is used as a mark to be imprinted on the film surface. The mark by this partition means is the left and right photographs, which is the reverse of the arrangement in which the print photograph obtained from the image photographed on the film by the above-described structure is in the opposite direction when performing parallel stereoscopic stereoscopic observation or observation by a stereo viewer. This is because it is necessary to cut the image once and rearrange it so that the right half has print images for the right eye and the left half has print images for the left eye.

That is, in the stereo camera described above,
When a photo is taken with a different parallax on the right, the printed photo is positioned so that the left and right sides of the print photo are reversed. Therefore, a print photograph taken with a stereo camera cannot be used as it is for parallel-view autostereoscopic viewing, and it is necessary to cut it once and rearrange left and right. Therefore, in the above-mentioned stereo camera, the cutting position at the time of printing in the left and right images can be accurately recognized by the mark by the partitioning means at the time of shooting, and the print photograph after this cutting is left, It is necessary to make sure that it is possible to identify which one is for the right eye.

Further, in the conventional stereo camera described above, the left and right cutting positions are indicated and the left,
In addition to the mark that also indicates that the image is either the right image, it has been proposed to imprint a circular mark on a part of the screen for the left and right eyes, respectively. That is, in the above-mentioned conventional publication, when viewing the left and right print pictures taken by a stereo camera side by side in the correct order on the left and right,
"By focusing both eyes so that there are three circle-shaped marks on the left and right screens and viewing the images rearranged in this state, both images are unified by the cranial nerves and a stereoscopic effect is obtained. There is no need for a so-called stereo viewer, which is used when stereoscopically viewing such left and right images. ”, And suggests that the above-mentioned circular mark be used as an aid to the naked-eye stereoscopic vision by the parallel method. doing.

[0009] To describe in detail the autostereoscopic vision by the parallel method, the observer can superimpose the above-mentioned circular marks on the surface so that the viewer can see the subject image from the right eye and the left eye from the print image for the right eye. We try to perceive this as a stereoscopic image by superimposing the subject images in the print photograph for the left eye on one photograph. If this can be done successfully, the left and right images will be recognized as one stereoscopic image. That is, the above-mentioned left,
When viewing the print image on the right, the viewer sees the print image for the left eye in the right eye on the left side of the subject image having a stereoscopic effect as described above, and the print image for the right eye on the right side next to the right eye. At the same time, it is possible to see a scene in which three print pictures are displayed at the same time, that is, three substantially identical screens are lined up in the lateral direction. By pushing this, one image having the above-described three-dimensional effect can be recognized. Also, if that doesn't work, either split the middle screen and usually see a total of four screens side by side with each other, or you can usually see the two photos side by side. Is.

Here, the naked-eye stereoscopic vision as described above is contrasted with other parts of the photograph as shown by black circles c and c in the print photographs a and b showing the left and right images in FIG. 14, for example. It is empirically known that it is easy to do if there is a pattern that is large and has a distinctive index from the surroundings.

[0011]

In the conventional stereo camera having the above-mentioned configuration, the identification mark indicating the left and right is different from the right side in the image for the right eye in the print photograph when viewed from the camera structure. It is located on the left side in the image for the left eye. That is, the relative position of the mark is different between the image for the right eye and the image for the left eye. further,
According to the above-mentioned conventional publication, it is described that a circle-shaped mark is added as a pattern common to the photographs for the left and right eyes for assisting in performing naked-eye stereoscopic vision. Must be at positions where their relative positions are substantially the same in the images for the right and left eyes. Since such a circular mark is provided, inevitably, in at least one of the images for the left eye and the right eye, an identification mark indicating left and right is provided adjacent to the circular shape. I can't.

When visually recognizing such a print photograph by the naked-eye stereoscopic vision, the left-eye screen or the right-eye image is displayed while the gazing point is moved within the range of the screen where the left and right images overlap each other and appear stereoscopically. When the line of sight is directed to a part of the screen that has a mark indicating the left or right partition, the images from both the left and right eyes do not match. Therefore, the two images that were recognized as one stereoscopic image became invisible and became invisible,
It becomes easier to see the image shifted to the left and right. Then, once the above-mentioned two images start to be shifted and appear, in many cases, even if the line of sight is moved to another part without the mark, the shift is not easily resolved, and finally two separate images are obtained. It will be recognized as, and it will not be possible to recognize it as a stereoscopic image unless the work of recognizing two images on the left and the right again is repeated. Moreover, there are two such places, one on the left-eye screen having a partition mark and the other on the right-eye screen having a partition mark.

Therefore, in this type of stereo camera, with a simple structure, the screen for the right eye and the screen for the left eye can be easily identified in the case of a print photograph.
In addition, when a stereoscopic view is made with the naked eye, a mark is provided at an approximately target position in the left and right images, and the viewer observes two left and right photographs with the naked eye to obtain a stereoscopic image. It is desirable to take some measures that can be easily perceived.

Recently, in addition to the still camera using film as an image recording medium as described above, a so-called digital camera of a type in which a photographed image is converted into a digital data signal and the digital data signal is stored in a memory. Is also known, and in this case, a memory is used as an image recording medium for recording image data. Then, even in such a digital camera, the function as the stereo camera described above is provided, and the left and right screens by the image data for the left and right eyes are displayed side by side on the display device of the data processing device such as a personal computer, It is also considered that this can be stereoscopically viewed with the naked eye, and it is desired to consider such a point.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to easily distinguish between a right-eye screen and a left-eye screen in a print photograph, so that stereoscopic viewing with the naked eye is comfortable and easy. The aim is to get a stereo camera that does.

[0016]

In order to meet such a demand, a stereo camera according to the present invention has left and right parallaxes having left and right parallaxes corresponding to the same subject on a photographic film surface. A photographic optical system that forms an image that makes a pair with
At least each of the pair of images is a character, a design, including identification information indicating whether the image is for the left eye or for the right eye,
Equipped with a stereo pattern imprinting device for imprinting a stereo pattern of image patterns such as symbols on the film surface for left eye, right eye images recorded in or near the left and right screens. The stereo pattern to be imprinted on the screen of is composed of a first pattern part having a common shape and a second pattern part having a different shape, and the first pattern part is displayed on the left and right screens. The second pattern portion is provided at a position where the relative positions are substantially equal, and the second pattern portion is provided adjacent to the first pattern portion.

Here, according to the above-mentioned stereo camera, the first pattern portion having a common shape forming the stereo pattern is configured to occupy a larger area than the second pattern portions having different shapes. Or, the left and right stereo patterns on the left and right screens have substantially the same width dimension in the left-right direction, and the first pattern of the second pattern portion on the left and right screens. A stereo pattern that is configured to have the same relative position to each other or that is displayed on the left and right screens also represents information other than identification information that indicates whether each image is for the left eye or the right eye. Is configured as follows.

Further, according to the stereo camera of the present invention, an image forming apparatus for forming a pair of left-eye and right-eye images corresponding to the same subject with left and right parallax, and this image. For the left eye for the left eye formed by the forming device, the recording information based on the image for the right eye, the image recording medium holding the left and right reproduced images obtained by the reproducing means can be viewed at the same time side by side, At least a left-eye and right-eye reproduction image, when reproduced on an image recording medium, has a stereo pattern of image patterns such as characters, patterns, and symbols including identification information indicating whether the image is for the left eye or for the right eye. A stereo pattern recording device is provided for recording so as to appear in the reproduced image for the right eye or in the vicinity thereof, and the stereo patterns recorded by this device and represented in the left and right reproduced images are mutually reproduced. Shape constituted by a common first pattern portion and the shape of different second pattern portion each other,
In addition, the first pattern portion is provided at a position where the relative positions on the left and right reproduced images are substantially equal to each other, and the second pattern portion is provided adjacent to the first pattern portion.

According to the above-mentioned stereo camera, the first pattern portions having the same shape and forming the stereo pattern recorded by the stereo pattern recording device are more likely than the second pattern portions having different shapes. The first pattern portion of the second pattern portion in the left and right reproduced images is configured to occupy a large area, and the widths of the stereo patterns on the left and right reproduced images in the horizontal direction are substantially equal. Relative to each other, or the stereo pattern appearing in the left and right playback images also represents information other than identification information indicating whether each playback image is for the left eye or the right eye. Is configured as follows.

According to the present invention, a stereo pattern imprinting device or a stereo pattern recording device is provided in or near the screen of a pair of left and right printed photographs or reproduced images having parallax for the left and right eyes, respectively. A character including a first pattern portion having a common shape and a second pattern portion having a different shape depending on the device;
A stereo pattern is formed by an image pattern such as a design or a symbol, which allows the left and right screens to be identified.

According to the present invention, in the above-mentioned stereo pattern, the display range of the first pattern portion is larger than that of the second pattern portion. A function as an auxiliary index for superimposing images can be obtained, and two left and right printed photographs or reproduced images can be recognized as stereoscopic images by naked-eye stereoscopic vision.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned stereo pattern, the width dimensions in the left-right direction of the stereo patterns on the left and right screens are made substantially equal to each other, and the first pattern of the second pattern portion thereof is used. By making the relative positions to the parts equal to each other, the whole stereo pattern helps to recognize two images in overlapping when performing autostereoscopic viewing. The image can be recognized as a stereoscopic image by stereoscopic vision.

Further, according to the present invention, the uncommon second pattern portion on the left and right screens of the stereo pattern is adjacent to the first pattern portion having a common shape in both cases. Therefore, when viewing a pair of left and right print photos or playback images as a stereo photo,
When the second pattern part that does not have the same shape is in the field of view, almost the common part is also in the field of view, and the observer sees a stereoscopic image by the naked-eye stereoscopic vision because the images from the left and right eyes do not match. It is possible to avoid the collapse of the recognition state of the image.

According to the present invention, of course, in the second pattern portions having different shapes in the stereo pattern, identification information indicating whether each print photograph or reproduced image is for the left eye or for the right eye is provided. It has the left and right screens.

In claim 1, the stereo pattern imprinting device corresponds to a mask member having a mask pattern provided so as to face a part of a photographing optical system of a camera, or a data imprinting device. In claim 5, the image forming apparatus corresponds to a CCD that reads an image through the photographing optical system. The image recording medium corresponds to a storage device such as a memory that stores digital signals. Further, the stereo pattern recording device includes a device which is electrically incorporated into an image signal by a graphic memory provided in the camera and a control section which controls the graphic memory, but is not limited to this, and a mask having a stereo pattern. It may be configured by exposing the member to the photographing optical system.

[0026]

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of a stereo camera according to the present invention. In these figures, FIG. 1 is a left side showing a display state of a stereo pattern characterizing the present invention. , FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 are a rear view, a perspective view and a schematic view of a photographing optical system showing a stereo camera for photographing the photograph of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a mask member having a mask pattern for imprinting the stereo pattern in FIG. 1. The stereo camera in this embodiment is a still camera using ordinary 135 film.

Explaining such a stereo camera 1, as shown in FIG. 3, on the front surface of the camera body 2 of the camera 1, there are two openings 3a, 3b arranged on the left and the right at predetermined intervals. Is provided, and the light from the subject H (see FIG. 4) enters through these openings 3a and 3b with a parallax of left and right. In FIG. 3, 4 is a release button provided on the upper part of the camera body 2, and 5 is a finder window.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the lens barrel portion 3 having the openings 3a and 3b has a plurality of mirrors 6 inside.
a, 6b, 6c and 6d are provided, and an objective lens 7 is provided as a photographing optical system on the back side thereof. Then, the incident light of the subject H from the opening 3a on the left side passes through the two mirrors 6a and 6b and the objective lens 7 and is on the film 8 with a vertical length of about 24 m, which is one frame of a normal 135 film.
An inverted image h1 of the subject is formed on the right half of the area of m and the width of about 35 mm. Subject image h formed in the right half
1 is the image for the left eye. In addition, the incident light of the subject H from the opening 3b on the right side similarly has two mirrors 6c and 6c.
d, through the objective lens 7, an inverted image h2 of the subject is formed on the left half of the area on the film 8. The subject image h2 formed in the left half becomes an image for the right eye.

As shown in FIG. 2, a winding knob 9 is provided on the back surface of the camera body 2, and when the photographer rotates the film, the film 8 moves from a cartridge (not shown) in the cartridge chamber 11 to the winding chamber 12. The film winding spool 13 is usually wound up by one frame. The photographer can see the photographing range by looking through the finder window 5a. Then, when the release button 4 is pressed, a shutter (not shown) provided behind the objective lens 7 is operated to perform exposure. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 14 is a back cover of the camera body 2.

Such a stereo camera 1 according to the present invention
Then, as shown in FIG. 2, a mask member 20 is provided as a stereo pattern imprinting device, which will be described later, facing a part of the optical path from the objective lens 7 forming the photographing optical system immediately before the film 8. The mask member 20 is a thin sheet-like member arranged at the upper end of an opening (aperture) that limits the range of subject light that is connected to the film 8. This is a light-shielding coating applied on a transparent film material. By leaving a desired portion in an unpainted state, the left-eye mask pattern 21 and the right-eye mask pattern 22 are so-called blank printing. It has been done. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and an equivalent member formed by another method may be used.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the mask patterns 21 and 22 for the left and right eyes on the mask member 20. In this figure, the pattern 21a of the left-eye mask pattern 21 and the pattern 22a of the right-eye mask pattern 22 are portions having a common shape, and these patterns 21a and 22a are called first patterns. Here, the relative position in the image for the left eye by the subject image formed in the right half of the first pattern 21a for the left eye is determined by the subject image formed in the left half of the first pattern 22a for the right eye. The relative position in the image for the right eye is approximately matched.
Further, the rest of the left and right patterns 21 and 22 are portions having different shapes from each other, and these patterns 21
b and 22b are referred to as a second pattern. These second patterns 21b and 22b function as patterns representing identification information for identifying whether the image in which each of them is printed is for the left eye or for the right eye.

When the negative film 8 photographed by the stereo camera 1 having such a structure is developed and printed as in the case of obtaining a print photograph from an ordinary 135 film, a print photograph as shown in FIG. 1 is obtained. 30 can be obtained. In the print photograph 30, the left half is a photograph printed with the “subject image formed in the right half”, and becomes the image 31 for the left eye corresponding to the scene of the subject H viewed from the left. The right half becomes the right-eye image 32 similarly to this.

Furthermore, these print photographs 30 (3
1 and 32), both ends of the mask pattern 2 are blackened in a strip shape by the coating portion of the mask member 20 blocking the light from the subject H at the lower end during photographing.
Patterns 33 and 34 formed by the subject light that has passed through 1 and 22 are formed. These are the stereo pattern 33 for the left eye and the stereo pattern 34 for the right eye. At this time, the patterns 33, 3 on the print photograph 30
The color and brightness of No. 4 reflect the color and brightness of the subject light poured into this portion, but FIG. 1 shows the case where this is relatively bright. These stereo patterns 3
3 and 34 are as shown in FIG. 1 from the mask patterns 21 and 22 shown in FIG.

These left and right stereo patterns 33, 3
Since 4 is a different pattern for the left and right as described above, the viewer can easily understand that the patterns of the stereo patterns 33 and 34 are for the left eye and the right eye, respectively. Left eye image 31 and right eye image 3
You can tell two. As described above, it is desirable that the stereo patterns 33 and 34 be designed for the right eye and the left eye, which are easy to remember.

The advantage that the left-eye image 31 and the right-eye image 32 can be easily distinguished by these stereo patterns 33 and 34 will be described below. Here, prior to the description, autostereoscopic viewing will be described. The naked-eye stereoscopic vision is a parallel method or a crossing method by seeing the images for the left eye and the right eye with the left and right eyes without using a tool such as a stereo viewer. "Refer to the publication in 1993 by the art publisher).
In the parallel method, the right-eye print picture is viewed on the right side from the viewer, and the left-eye print picture is viewed on the left side. Then, the viewer makes the left and right eyes unnatural.

For example, when performing autostereoscopic vision by the parallel method, the focus of the eyes of the viewer is adjusted to the position where the printed photograph is actually placed, which is normally about 20 to 40 cm, but the convergence angle of one eye is adjusted. (The angle at which the left and right eyes point inward to capture the same object in the center of each field of view) is the same as when looking at normal infinity. This is an unnatural condition that would not normally occur. For this reason, although there is some difficulty in such viewing, empirically, the adjustment of the vergence angle and the focus adjustment work well in this order. That is, since a blurred image may be used at first, the left and right images are made to overlap each other, and then the image is sharpened by gradually focusing. Actually, as a concrete method of the parallel method, for example, by paying attention to a distant scene and suddenly interrupting the stereo picture paired left and right in front of the scene, or by bringing the stereo picture right in front of the face. hand,
A common method is to first remove the opposite right and left eye screens from the left and right eye fields of view, and then move them to a normal distance. In any of these cases, the first stage corresponds to optimization of the convergence angle at the expense of focus adjustment.

In the other crossing method, the viewer gazes at the right-eye print photograph with the right eye and at the left-eye print photograph with the left eye, but the viewer tries to perceive them in the same manner as the parallel method. . However, because they are located on the left and right sides, respectively, the vergence angle of the viewer's eyes is more inward than when looking at the closest thing that can normally be focused by the eyes (so-called cross-eyed state). )Must. On the other hand, the eyes of the viewer must be focused on the position of the printed photo. As described above, the parallel method and the crossing method have different unnatural eye states. Therefore, some training is required depending on each eye state, and which method is easy for each individual viewer. Therefore, by confirming which method is easier for the viewer and selecting them, more viewers can enjoy viewing more easily.

Further, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of both of the above-mentioned methods, the parallel method has an advantage that it can be used also as a photograph when a stereo viewer is used, while the interval between print photographs is limited to the eye interval. Therefore, there is a drawback that the width of each print photograph is limited and it cannot be greatly expanded. If you arrange printed photos that are stretched by force, the distance between each printed photo will be wider than the line of sight of the human eye, and the convergence angle must be wider than when looking at infinity. It's very difficult. On the other hand, the intersection method does not have such a restriction on the arrangement interval of the print photographs, and is applicable even when a large photograph is arranged such as a poster. This allows multiple people to watch the same work at the same time.
However, on the other hand, using the intersection method, compared to the parallel method,
The stereoscopic image feels small (and compared to a normal photo taken without stereoscopic viewing from the same distance). For this reason, when viewing stereoscopic images of the same size, the details are harder to understand than the parallel method, and there is also the disadvantage that it is not powerful.

As described above, since the parallel method and the cross method have advantages and disadvantages, it is convenient to use both of them for various reasons such as the aim of the photographer and the admiration situation in addition to the advantage and disadvantage of the viewer. . For this proper use, it is necessary to easily distinguish the left-eye image and the right-eye image. For example, in the case of the print photograph 30 shown in FIG. 1, the image 32 for the right eye and the image 31 for the left eye may remain as they are when the naked-eye stereoscopic vision is performed by the parallel method, but if the images are viewed by the crossing method, the left and right images are displayed. It is necessary to change the arrangement of. For this reason, for example, once the original printed photograph is cut off to the left and right, there is a risk of confusing the two. Also these left,
The same problem occurs when the right images 31 and 32 are printed on different pieces of paper in advance.

In these cases, if the above-mentioned stereo pattern is imprinted, the left and right can be easily identified, and it is easy to arrange the photographs, and even after sticking on the mount or putting on the frame, it is easy. Has the advantage of noticing mistakes.
Furthermore, even when using the method of printing the right eye image and the left eye image on the same photographic paper sequentially in an array in which the left eye image is replaced, both images may be mistaken for each other or the same image may be printed on both left and right sides. It has the advantage of being easily discoverable. Alternatively, when arranging a pair of stereo photograph images side by side on a display such as a CRT by electronic image processing and arranging them in a desired arrangement,
Similarly, it is easy to find an error if the left and right discriminations are easy.

The print photograph 3 shown in FIG.
In 0, there are first patterns 33a and 34a which are patterns reflecting the first pattern portions 21a and 22a which are common to each other among the mask patterns 21 and 22, and these have a common shape with each other. And the relative position of the image for the right eye substantially match. These patterns work as an aid when performing stereoscopic viewing with the naked eye in both the parallel method and the cross method.
Here, in general, the naked-eye stereoscopic view including the crossing method has a pattern having a large contrast like the black circles c and c in FIG. 14 and which is a prominent index from the surroundings, as in the case of the parallel method described above. It is empirically known that it is easy to do. For this reason, even commercially available books can be converted into stereo photographs as shown in Figure 1.
Black circles etc. are attached like 4.

This phenomenon is probably related to the fact that the above-mentioned combination of the vergence angle of the eyes and the adjustment state of the focus must be different from any combination performed by a person in daily life. In order to achieve such a combination, it is easier for the viewer to adjust the convergence angle at the expense of focusing first, and then gradually adjust the focus, so it is easy to focus in the first half of the process. It is considered that the index as described above is useful because it is easy to recognize the degree of image overlap. In order for a stereoscopic image to be stereoscopically viewed with the convergence angle adjusted in such a process, it is, of course, necessary that the intervals between the images for the right eye and the left eye of the stereoscopic image and the intervals between the indexes are almost equal. . The first pattern 33 in each stereo pattern 33, 34 in FIG.
It can be said that a and 34a have a large contrast and the interval also satisfies the above condition.

However, the above-mentioned stereo pattern 33,
Second patterns 33b, 34 different from each other
The part b is an obstacle to the naked-eye stereoscopic vision if these are the only ones. However, since it is smaller than the above-described first patterns 33a and 34a having a common shape, the effect of the obstacle is slight, and there is practically no problem in stereoscopic vision with the first patterns 33a and 34a. Also, the second patterns 33b and 34b having different shapes are on the left side,
Since it is adjacent to the common first patterns 33a and 34a on the right side, it is virtually impossible to mistakenly gaze only at the different portions. That is, since the pattern shapes that are common to each other are always included in the field of view, there is no problem that the stereoscopic vision state is unraveled because the pattern portions that are different from each other are erroneously observed after the stereoscopic vision is possible.

Next, as a second embodiment, an enlarged view of the vicinity of the pattern on the mask member 20 is shown in FIG. 6, and the patterns 23 and 24 of the mask member 20 are formed on the left and right print photographs 30. The patterns 35 and 36 to be formed are shown in FIG. These drawings correspond to FIG. 5 and FIG. 1 in the above-described first embodiment, respectively, and are the same as those in the first embodiment except for the mask pattern and the pattern formed on the print photograph. is there. In these figures, the pattern for the left eye is “L” and the pattern for the right eye is “R”, and it is easy to confirm which is left or right.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 23 is a mask pattern for the left eye and 24 is a mask pattern for the right eye, and a part of the design is used as a portion having a common shape. That is, the first
Patterns 23a and 24a, which are configured such that their relative positions substantially match the left and right images. In FIG. 7, reference numerals 35 and 36 are patterns on the print photograph 30 corresponding to the above-mentioned mask patterns 23 and 24, of which the first patterns 35a and 36a.
Plays the role of an index to assist the naked-eye stereoscopic vision. on the other hand,
The second part, which has a different shape on the mask member 20
The second pattern 35 of the patterns 23b and 24b of
b, 36b and the first patterns 35a, 36a, respectively, the stereo pattern 35 on the printed photograph 30,
The numeral 36 has a different shape as a whole, and this distinguishes the left side and the right side of the image.

In this embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiments, the first pattern 24a, which is a portion having a common shape, is more than the second pattern 24b, which is a portion having a different shape. Not big. However, in this embodiment, the left and right patterns 23 and 24 have the same total width dimension in the left-right direction, and the relative positions occupied by the left and right common portions 23a and 24a are the same. Equal to each other. Therefore, even on the print photograph 30, the entire widths of the patterns 35 and 36 are the same, and the relative positions occupied by the first patterns 35a and 36a are the same. With such a configuration, the portions having different shapes are less likely to be an obstacle to stereoscopic viewing with the naked eye, although they are not smaller than the common portion.
Further, the operation and effect obtained by adjoining the portion having a common shape and the portion having a different shape are the same as those in the above-described first embodiment.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the light transmitted through the mask member 20 is the light from the subject, so that the subject image formed by the transmitted light is inside the pattern on the print photograph 30. Overlap. Therefore, if an image of a high contrast portion such as the edge portion of the subject happens to be formed on the light transmitting portion, it becomes difficult to understand the pattern shape on the print photograph 30. Therefore, a semitransparent member having diffusivity may be installed in front of the mask member 20 to reduce the contrast of transmitted light. Further, the illumination light from a light emitting means such as an LED may be guided to the front of the mask member 20 so that the left and right stereo patterns can be surely captured brightly regardless of the brightness of the subject. Further, in the two embodiments described above, the mask member 20 in which the pattern is formed on the light-shielding base with the transparent portion is used. On the contrary, the pattern is formed on the transparent sheet with the light-shielding ink or the like. You may use what formed.

Further, as a device for imprinting the left and right stereo patterns, the known principle of the device for imprinting data such as date may be applied without using the mask member 20 described above. . An example thereof will be described as a third embodiment with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. Here, the stereo camera 1 in this embodiment has an automatic winding device, and is a device for imprinting a pattern by selectively emitting light in a row of dot-shaped LEDs in synchronization with film winding immediately after shooting. It is an application. Such an imprinting device is used for a date imprinting on a commercially available compact camera, and an arbitrary pattern can be imprinted by changing a control program of the device. .

In this embodiment, the pattern shown enlarged in FIG. 8 is formed on the print. The entire view of the print photograph 30 obtained as a result is shown in FIG. In these figures, what is formed in the image 31 for the left eye is the pattern 3 to be imprinted by the imprinting device (not shown).
7, a pattern 38 similarly imprinted is formed in the right-eye image 32. 37a-37 of each
d, and 38a to 38d are the first with a common shape.
, The relative positions in the image 31 for the left eye and the image 32 for the right eye are formed to be equal to each other. On the other hand, 37e and 38e are second pattern portions having different shapes, which are adjacent to the set of constituent elements of the above-mentioned first pattern and are smaller than them.

Here, the first of these common shapes is common.
As can be seen from the figure, the pattern portions 37a to 37d, 38a to 38d of FIG. 3 also indicate the date, and even if the second patterns 37e and 38e are added to them, the date is easy and natural. Can understand. As a result, the stereo pattern 3 displayed on the print photograph 30 is displayed.
Since 7 and 38 also have a date display function as shown in FIG. 9, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a date imprinting device is separately provided, and the image in the printed photograph becomes complicated, which is originally It prevents the image of the subject from being damaged.

Further, FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment using the imprinting apparatus similar to the above-mentioned embodiment. In this example, the pattern shown in FIG. 10 is imprinted on a print photograph. Further, except for this pattern to be imprinted, it is the same as that of the third embodiment described above. That is, in FIG. 10, 39a and 39b of the patterns 39 formed in the image 31 for the left eye (see FIG. 9 and the like) and the image 3 for the right eye.
Of the patterns 40 formed in 2, the portions 40a and 40b are the first pattern portions having the same shape, and the relative positions of the left-eye image 31 and the right-eye image 32 are equal to each other. .

In this embodiment, the second pattern portions having different shapes are 39c, 39d in 39,
In 39, 40c and 40d are larger than the common first pattern portion described above, as can be seen in the figure. However, the entire width of the pattern 39 (the left end of 39a to the right end of 39d) and the entire width of 40 (the left end of 40a to the right end of 40d) are equal, and the relative positions occupied by the portions having the same shape in each are equal. The effect of this is as described in the second embodiment described above. Also in this embodiment, these patterns 39 and 40 are 40a.
(Abbreviation), 40c (last two digits of year), 40b (month) indicate the year and month, and 39b (month) and 39d (day) indicate the month and day, thereby also serving as the date display.

Further, various modifications of the above-described stereo pattern are conceivable. However, as in the above-described first and third embodiments, the first pattern having a common shape is used. 2nd part whose shape is different from each other
And the left and right stereo patterns have substantially the same width dimension in the left-right direction as in the second and fourth embodiments described above.
In addition, the second pattern portions having different shapes may have the feature that the relative positions of the second pattern portions with respect to the first pattern portion having the same shape are the same.

The fifth example of such a stereo pattern is
11 shows an embodiment of the above. This figure shows a stereo pattern on a printed photograph. In the figure, reference numerals 41 and 42 are stereo patterns for the left eye and the right eye, respectively. Among these, the part where 41c, 41d and 41e in the left side pattern 41 are combined and the part where 42c, 42d and 42e in the right side pattern 42 are combined are the first pattern parts having a common shape. On the other hand, the remaining patterns 41a and 42a,
The shapes of 41b and 42b are different from each other even though they are at positions corresponding to each other. That is, 4 in pattern 41
1a and 41b, and 42a and 42b in the pattern 42 are second pattern portions having different shapes.
As is clear from this figure, these stereo patterns 41 and 42 have the above-mentioned two characteristics in combination.

Further, the stereo patterns 41 and 42 in the fifth embodiment are each a pattern symbolizing a human face with one eye closed. That is, in the stereo pattern 41 for the left eye, 41c and 41e represent the contours of the face, 41d represents the mouth, 41a represents the open eyes, 41b represents the closed eyes, and only the left eye is opened as a whole. Represents the mirror image of. On the other hand, the stereo pattern 42 for the right eye
Represents a mirror image of the face with only the right eye open. Therefore, there is an advantage that the pattern 41 is for the left eye and the pattern 42 is for the right eye, which is easy to intuitively understand and easy to remember.

Further, these stereo patterns include
A feature similar to this is that it can be easily printed with a typewriter or printer using general symbols. That is, the pattern 41 on the left side described above is changed to “(· _
-) ", And the pattern 42 on the right side can be set to" (-_.) ". In this way, it is convenient to create a description of how to perform stereoscopic viewing with the naked eye, for example.
In addition, when a similar pattern, which is familiar to us, is pasted on a stereo photograph that has not been given such a pattern because it was taken by another camera, the stereo pattern is also produced. There is also an advantage that it can be done easily.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the structure described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the shape, structure, etc. of each portion can be appropriately modified or changed. For example, the arrangement of the left and right images formed on the film surface by shooting is not limited to the example described in the above embodiment, but the reverse arrangement order or
A stereo camera having a structure in which left and right images are formed in different positions, such as a structure in which left and right images are formed on a film surface by photographing at intervals of several frames, may be used. An example of a camera having the latter structure is shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-40320.

Also, the stereo camera format is not limited to the simple still camera as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, but one having a separate lens type for each of the left and right images, and a photographic optical system. Switch some or all of the system,
Alternatively, the left and right images may be recorded with a time difference while moving the camera. Further, the present invention is not limited to a camera that always performs stereo photography, but is, for example, a single-lens reflex camera with an adapter attached in front of a photographing lens, or two cameras that are originally arranged side by side at fixed intervals and are fixed and connected to a tuning device to simultaneously release shutters. A normal camera may be temporarily switched to a stereo camera, such as a cut-off camera. Here, in the case of a single-lens reflex camera, it is advisable to attach an imprinting device having the same principle as the date imprinting device to the back cover, but in this case, a changeover switch is attached and normal photographing such as normal date It may be something that can be imprinted. Alternatively, a structure may be adopted in which the stereo camera is automatically switched by detecting attachment / detachment of an adapter or a tuning device.

Further, as in the above-described first to fifth embodiments, not a camera using a silver salt type film,
For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a recording device 52 using a recording medium such as an IC or a magnetic disk for an image electronically detected by an image pickup device 51 such as a CCD like an electronic still camera.
The present invention can be applied to the case of recording in the above.
In this case, the stereo pattern recording device for imparting a stereo pattern to the left and right images may be a method of optically forming a pattern image on an image sensor or the like, as in the case of the camera using the silver salt film described above. Good, but not limited to
Somewhere in the process of writing the detected image on the recording medium 52, by processing the signal by an electronic circuit such as mixing the data signal from the graphic memory 53 into the signal system by the mixer 54 in FIG. Alternatively, a format in which a stereo pattern is added may be used. The one using the electric circuit as shown in FIG. 12 is mechanically simpler and has an advantage that the cost can be further reduced.

Here, although the detailed description of the configuration of FIG. 12 is omitted, the CCD 51 is connected via the photographing optical system and the diaphragm device.
The captured image that was captured in the amplifier, signal processing circuit, A /
It is configured such that it is led to the above-mentioned mixer 54 via the D converter and recorded in the recording device 52. put it here,
The stereo pattern recording device corresponds to the mixer 54, the graphic memory 53, and the control circuit 56 thereof. Further, an image may be displayed on the liquid crystal display from the recording device 52 via the D / A converter. Further, FIG. 13 shows a flowchart regarding recording of a stereo pattern in such an electric circuit.

[0061]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As a stereo camera 1, a still camera using a photographing film 8 as an image recording medium for recording a photographed image is adopted. In such a still camera, the left and right print photographs 3 are formed by the mask patterns 21 and 22 formed on the mask member 20 attached to the aperture.
The stereo pattern information is recorded at 1 and 32. Such stereo patterns 33 and 34 have left and right images 3
1, 32 consists of image patterns such as characters, designs and symbols including identification information indicating whether they are for the left eye or for the right eye,
First pattern portions 33a and 34a having the same shape as each other
And second pattern portions 33b, 34 having different shapes from each other
b.

[0062]

As described above, according to the stereo camera of the present invention, a pair of left and right eyes having left and right parallax is formed corresponding to the same subject on the photographic film surface. A photographic optical system that forms an image and a stereo pattern of an image pattern such as characters, designs, and symbols including identification information indicating whether each of the paired images is for the left eye or the right eye is a film surface. Equipped with a stereo pattern imprinting device for imprinting images for the left eye and the right eye on the left and right screens or in the vicinity thereof,
As a result, a stereo pattern to be imprinted on the left and right screens is composed of a first pattern part having a common shape and a second pattern part having a different shape, and the first pattern part is composed of the left and right patterns. Since the second pattern portion is provided adjacent to the first pattern portion while the relative positions on the screen are substantially equal to each other, the various configurations described below are achieved in spite of the simple configuration. It has an excellent effect.

That is, according to the present invention, the stereo pattern imprinting device shares a common shape with each other in the screen or in the vicinity of a pair of left and right printed photographs having parallax for the left eye and the right eye. A stereo pattern is formed by an image pattern of characters, patterns, symbols, etc., including a first pattern portion and a second pattern portion having different shapes, which makes it very easy to identify the left and right screens. You can do it reliably.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned stereo pattern, the display range of the first pattern portion having a common shape is made larger than that of the second pattern portion having a different shape, so that the naked eye It is easy to obtain the function as an auxiliary index for recognizing two images in superimposition when performing stereoscopic vision, and it is easy to obtain with this first pattern part, and two left and right printed photographs are compared by naked eye stereoscopic vision. It can be recognized as a stereoscopic image easily.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned stereo pattern, the width dimensions in the left-right direction of the stereo patterns on the left and right screens are made substantially equal to each other, and the first pattern of the second pattern portion thereof is used. By making the relative positions to the parts equal to each other, it is possible to assist the entire stereo pattern in recognizing two images when performing stereoscopic viewing with the naked eye.
The two print photographs or reproduced images on the right can be recognized as a stereoscopic image relatively easily by naked-eye stereoscopic vision.

Further, according to the present invention, the uncommon second pattern portion on the left and right screens of the stereo pattern is adjacent to the first pattern portion having a common shape in both cases. Therefore, when viewing a pair of left and right printed photographs as a stereo photograph, if the second pattern portion that does not have a common shape is in the field of view, almost the common part is also in the field of view. It is possible for a person to avoid erroneous recognition of the recognition state of a stereoscopic image by naked-eye stereoscopic vision due to the fact that the images from both the left and right eyes do not match.

Of course, according to the present invention, among the stereo patterns, the second pattern portions having different shapes have identification information indicating whether each print photograph is for the left eye or the right eye, The left and right screens can be easily identified, an error in arranging photographs during viewing can be prevented, and a stereoscopic image can be comfortably and easily viewed by the naked eye.

Further, by using the stereo pattern described above, information other than the identification information indicating whether each image is for the left eye or the right eye is displayed, thereby diversifying the display information on the left and right photographs. Can be achieved. For example, by displaying the date display information, the cost can be reduced compared to the case where a date information adding means is separately provided, and the screen becomes complicated as when the date is displayed at another place on the screen. It is possible to prevent the original impression of the subject above from being disturbed.

According to the stereo camera of the present invention, the left-eye and right-eye images formed by the image forming apparatus on the image recording medium are held as recording information, and the recording information is reproduced by the reproducing means on the left and right sides. A stereo pattern of image patterns such as characters, designs, and symbols including identification information indicating whether the left and right reproduced images are for the left eye or for the right eye when they are obtained as reproduced images and viewed side by side at the same time. By providing a stereo pattern recording device for recording so as to appear in the reproduced image for the left eye and the right eye during reproduction on the image recording medium or in the vicinity thereof,
It is possible to achieve substantially the same operational effects as described above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a stereo camera according to the present invention and exemplifying left and right print photographs taken by the stereo camera.

FIG. 2 shows the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a rear view of the stereo camera with the back cover opened.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the stereo camera shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a photographing optical system of the stereo camera shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

5 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of a mask pattern of a mask member in the stereo camera of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a stereo camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention and is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a mask pattern of a mask member.

7 is an enlarged view showing a display state of a stereo pattern in left and right print photographs taken using the mask member of FIG.

FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of a stereo camera according to the present invention, in which a left image captured by using this stereo camera,
It is an enlarged view of the stereo pattern vicinity in the print photograph on the right.

9A and 9B are diagrams showing left and right print photographs whose enlarged views are shown in FIG. 8 and a display state of a stereo pattern for them.

FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of a stereo camera according to the present invention, and is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a stereo pattern in left and right print photographs taken using this stereo camera.

FIG. 11 shows a fifth embodiment of a stereo camera according to the present invention, and is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a stereo pattern in left and right print photographs taken using this stereo camera.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram for explaining a signal processing system in the entire camera showing a sixth embodiment to which a digital camera is applied as a stereo camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining shooting processing by the stereo camera in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example in which a conventional stereo photograph is devised to assist naked-eye stereoscopic vision.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Stereo camera, 8 ... Photographic film, 20 ... Mask member (stereo pattern imprinting device) 21, 23 ...
Right eye mask pattern, 22, 24 ... left eye mask pattern, 21a, 22a ... first pattern, 21b, 22
b ... 2nd pattern, 30 ... Stereo photograph, 31 ... Left eye image, 32 ... Right eye image, 33, 35, 37, 39,
41 ... Stereo pattern for left eye, 34, 36, 38, 4
0, 42 ... Stereo pattern for right eye, 33a, 34a ...
First pattern, 33b, 34b ... Second pattern, 5
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image sensor, 52 ... Recording device, 53 ... Graphic memory, 54 ... Mixer, 56 ... Control circuit.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A photographic optical system for forming a paired image for the left and right eyes having parallaxes of left and right corresponding to the same subject on a photographic film surface, and at least the paired image , A character including identification information indicating whether each is for the left eye or the right eye, a pattern,
A stereo pattern imprinting device for imprinting a stereo pattern of an image pattern such as a symbol on the film surface for recording left-eye and right-eye images in or near the left and right screens is provided. A stereo pattern to be imprinted on the left and right screens by the embedding device, the first pattern portion having a common shape with each other and the second pattern portion having a different shape from each other; A stereo camera characterized in that the second pattern portion is provided adjacent to the first pattern portion while the relative positions on the left and right screens are substantially equal to each other. 2. The stereo camera according to claim 1, wherein the first pattern portions forming the stereo pattern and having a common shape occupy a larger area than the second pattern portions having different shapes. This is a stereo camera. 3. The stereo camera according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the left and right stereo patterns on the left and right screens are substantially equal in width in the left-right direction by the pair of left-eye and right-eye images.
In addition, the first of the second pattern portion on the left and right screens
A stereo camera characterized in that the relative positions to the pattern part of are equal to each other. 4. The stereo camera according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein a stereo pattern to be imprinted on the left and right screens on which images for left eye and right eye are paired is formed. A stereo camera characterized in that it is configured to also represent information other than identification information indicating whether the image is for the left eye or for the right eye. 5. An image forming apparatus for forming a pair of images for the left eye and the right eye having parallaxes of left and right corresponding to the same subject, and a left eye and a right eye formed by the image forming apparatus. An image recording medium which holds recorded information based on the image for use, and which can be viewed simultaneously by arranging the left and right reproduced images of the left-eye and right-eye images side by side by the reproducing means, at least the above Characters including identification information indicating whether each of the left and right reproduced images is for the left eye or for the right eye, a pattern, a stereo pattern of an image pattern such as a symbol and the like for the left eye when reproduced on the image recording medium. A stereo pattern recording device is provided for recording so as to appear in the reproduced image for the right eye or in the vicinity thereof, and the left side is recorded by the stereo pattern recording device.
The stereo pattern represented in the reproduced image on the right is configured by a first pattern portion having a common shape and a second pattern portion having a different shape, and the first pattern portion is formed by the left and right portions. The stereo camera, wherein the second pattern portion is provided adjacent to the first pattern portion while the relative positions on the reproduced image are substantially equal to each other. 6. The stereo camera according to claim 5, wherein the first pattern portions having a common shape forming the stereo pattern recorded by the stereo pattern recording device are more than the second pattern portions having different shapes. A stereo camera characterized by being configured to occupy a large area. 7. The stereo camera according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the left and right reproduced images of the pair of left-eye and right-eye images have substantially the same width dimension in the left-right direction. Moreover, the stereo camera is characterized in that the relative positions of the second pattern portion with respect to the first pattern portion in the left and right reproduced images are equal to each other. 8. The stereo camera according to claim 5, 6, or 7, wherein the stereo patterns appearing in the left and right reproduced images, which form a pair of images for the left eye and the right eye, respectively, A stereo camera characterized in that it is configured to also represent information other than identification information indicating whether a reproduced image is for the left eye or for the right eye.