JP2002077948A - Apparatus and method for displaying stereoscopic image as well as storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for displaying a stereoscopic image capable of suitably stereoscopically viewing via two images having different projection angles as well as a storage medium. SOLUTION: In the case of rotary image sequence by photographing N pieces at an equal angle interval of 360 deg. (2π rad), the most approximate image to a parallax when observed at the rotation center O from an observer is selected from the N images. More specially, two images photographed at an angle in which the rotary angle interval 2π/N×n (n: an integer) of the adjacent image and the angle θ formed by an angle ER-O-EL, where binocular positions are ER and EL, becomes the nearest, and the two images are used for images for the right and left eyes. When n=2 is obtained, the image deviated by an angle of two units from the right eye image corresponds to the left eye images. Thus, a plane rotary image is stereoscopically viewed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device, method and storage medium for stereoscopically displaying a plurality of image sequences such as rotated images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been known apparatuses capable of inputting an image in three dimensions, such as CT and MRI in the medical field. In such an apparatus, images are obtained as a plurality of slice images or three-dimensional voxel images. Furthermore, in order to make the image obtained in this way more three-dimensionally understandable to humans, the image may be converted into an image sequence obtained by rotating a three-dimensional imaging target. That is, a three-dimensional position is grasped by rotating a target three-dimensional object and viewing an image projected on a two-dimensional plane from several angles.

On the other hand, as a device for stereoscopically displaying an image, several display devices have been proposed and put into practical use, such as a direct-view type using a lenticular lens and a device using polarizing glasses. Among them, there are those in which the position at which a three-dimensional image is viewed is determined, such as a direct-view type three-dimensional display using a lenticular lens.

[0004]

However, in the case of viewing a series of rotated images, it is possible to grasp a stereoscopic position by switching and viewing two-dimensional images at different angles, but it is possible to perform stereoscopic viewing. There was room for improvement because it was not.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stereoscopic image display device capable of performing appropriate stereoscopic viewing with two images having different projection angles. It is to provide a method and a storage medium.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic image display apparatus comprising: a stereoscopic image display apparatus which provides an image having parallax to left and right eyes; A stereoscopic image display device that allows a viewer to view two images obtained by projecting a three-dimensional object from different angles to left and right eyes of the observer according to the observer's observation position and the distance between the eyes. It is characterized by comprising control means for stereoscopic viewing.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the first aspect, the two images are photographed or rendered while rotating the three-dimensional object. Thus, the image is obtained as a planar image.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the same object, in the configuration according to the first or second aspect, the two images are obtained by projecting the three-dimensional object from different angles. It is characterized by being selected from a plurality of images.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the third aspect, the plurality of images are images obtained at equal rotation angle intervals. The two images are selected from the plurality of images in accordance with an observation position of the observer, an interval between both eyes, and a rotation angle interval of the images.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the stereoscopic image display device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the two images are mutually left and right images by a rotation angle corresponding to parallax. It is an image projected at a shifted angle.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the index of the two images is used as a user interface. Is displayed.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the display as the user interface has a width of at least two lines or more. Is drawn.

In order to achieve the same object, a stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 8 of the present invention is the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the binocular stereoscopic vision is a lenticular lens. This is realized by using

In order to achieve the same object, a stereoscopic image display method according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is to provide a stereoscopic image display method in which binocular stereopsis is performed at a limited observation position by providing images with parallax to left and right eyes. A control step of giving two images obtained by projecting a three-dimensional object from different angles to the left and right eyes of the observer in accordance with the observation position of the observer and the distance between the eyes to stereoscopically view the images. It is characterized by having.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the three-dimensional image display method according to the ninth aspect, the two images are photographed or rendered while rotating the three-dimensional object. Thus, the image is obtained as a planar image.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic image display method according to the present invention, wherein the two images are obtained by projecting the three-dimensional object from different angles. It is characterized by being selected from a plurality of images.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the stereoscopic image display method according to the eleventh aspect, the plurality of images are images obtained at equal rotation angle intervals. The two images are selected from the plurality of images in accordance with an observation position of the observer, an interval between both eyes, and a rotation angle interval of the images.

In order to achieve the same object, a stereoscopic image display method according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the stereoscopic image display method according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the two images are mutually left and right images by a rotation angle corresponding to parallax. It is an image projected at a shifted angle.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the same object, the three-dimensional image display method according to any one of the ninth to thirteenth aspects is characterized in that an index of the two images is used as a user interface. Is displayed.

In order to achieve the same object, according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the stereoscopic image display method according to the fifteenth aspect, the display as the user interface has a width of at least two lines or more. Is drawn.

In order to achieve the same object, a stereoscopic image display method according to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the stereoscopic image display method according to any one of the ninth to fifteenth aspects, wherein the binocular stereoscopic vision is a lenticular lens. This is realized by using

In order to achieve the same object, the storage medium according to the present invention is a stereoscopic image display method for providing binocular stereoscopic vision at a limited observation position by giving left and right eyes images having parallax. A storage medium storing a program to be used, according to the observation position of the observer and the distance between the eyes,
A code for a control step of giving two images obtained by projecting a three-dimensional object from different angles to the left and right eyes of the observer and stereoscopically viewing the images is stored.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

This device comprises a stereoscopic display unit 1 (display means), a display control unit 2, a display operation unit 3, an arithmetic control unit 4 (control means), a secondary storage unit 5, and an input / output control unit 6. You. The secondary storage unit 5 is connected to the operation control unit 4 via the input / output control unit 6. The stereoscopic display unit 1 is connected to an arithmetic control unit 4 via a display control unit 2 and a display operation unit 3, respectively.

In this embodiment, the stereoscopic display unit 1
Is configured as a liquid crystal display using a lenticular lens, and the position where it can be three-dimensionally viewed is limited. Further, it is assumed that line-sequential binocular stereo image data is input as the format of the input data.

That is, in the present stereoscopic image display apparatus, the right-eye image and the left-eye image previously photographed in stereo are alternately arranged for each scan line of the display (non-interlace) of the stereoscopic display unit 1. Then, by a lenticular lens (not shown) arranged on the front of the display, the right eye and the left eye respectively
Since the image for the right eye and the image for the left eye arranged for each line of the display are supplied, binocular stereoscopic vision can be performed. In this apparatus, since the observation position where stereoscopic viewing is possible is limited, it is designed in consideration of the observation distance.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the stereoscopic display section 1 as long as it is possible to give images prepared for the left and right eyes in advance as stereoscopic images and to perform stereoscopic display. As long as the system allows stereoscopic viewing only at a limited position, other systems can be applied. Also, the stereo data format given to the stereoscopic display unit 1 does not necessarily have to be line-sequential data, but in the present embodiment, line-sequential data is assumed for ease of explanation. The display control unit 2 and the arithmetic control unit 4 are arranged on the stereoscopic display unit 1 so as to convert the images into line-sequential images and to be visible to the left and right eyes, respectively.

The display controller 2 controls the display of the stereoscopic display 1. The display operation unit 3 includes a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. For example, various operations can be performed on a screen displayed on the stereoscopic display unit 1 with a GUI. Operation control unit 4
Controls the entire device. The secondary storage unit 5 holds a rotation sequence image created by imaging with a device such as CT or MRI.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a rotation angle when obtaining a rotation sequence image.

In the present embodiment, a plane image is obtained by photographing or rendering while rotating a three-dimensional object. For example, as shown in the figure, a plurality of images can be obtained by determining a rotation center O with respect to an object serving as a subject, and rotating the image 360 degrees while changing the angle toward the rotation center O to photograph. Such a plurality of images are rotation sequence images. The image data obtained in this way is
A file name is given and stored according to the following rules.

File01.bmp, file02.bmp, file03.bmp,...…, FileNN.bmp... (1) Here, “file” is an arbitrary name (alphanumeric character),
The lower two digits after "le" indicate an image index, and are represented by a two-digit integer. In the case of one digit, 0 is added to the upper part. 36
The number of shots at 0 degrees is N, and “NN” represents the index of the last image in the series by two digits. When the number of series images is 100 or more, the number of digits of the index may be increased according to the number of images. “.Bmp” is an extension representing an image format and represents a bitmap format. The rotation direction of the image is clockwise in FIG. The index is swung so that the subject rotates from left to right when viewed from below.

In the present embodiment, an image obtained from CT or MRI is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this.
A rotating series image obtained as shown in FIG. 2 can be applied to images in not only the medical field but also various fields.
Further, the object to be photographed may be not a real image but an image obtained by CG synthesis.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the observer and the image.

In the figure, ER and EL indicate the positions of the right and left eyes of the observer, respectively. The distance between the eyes of the observer is D, and the distance between the rotation center O and the observer is L. However,
The distance L is a distance from the center of rotation O to a position where a point on the circle in the figure can be normally stereoscopically viewed at the positions ER and EL of both eyes. Assuming that the angle ER-O-EL is the angle θ, tan θ = D / 2L.

Assuming that the number of images to be taken at equal angular intervals at 360 degrees (2π radians) is N, the interval between adjacent images is 2π / N when represented by a rotation angle (radians). In the present embodiment, an image that is closest to the parallax when viewing the rotation center O from the observer is selected from the N images.
Specifically, n times the rotation angle 2π / N (n = 1, 2, 3
..) And two images photographed at an angle such that the angle θ is closest to each other, and these are used as left and right eye images.

That is, (2π / N × n) and atan (D /
2L) (= tan ^-1 D / 2L), the integer n closest to the value
Should be obtained. The calculation of the integer n is performed by the calculation control unit 4.
For example, when N = 36 and n = 2, the images of both eyes correspond as follows.

Left eye image: file01.bmp, file02.bmp, fil
e03. bmp, …………, file34. bmp, file35. bmp, file3
6. bmp, file01.bmp, ………… Right eye image: file03.bmp, file04. Bmp, file05. Bmp,…
………, file36. Bmp, file01. Bmp, file02. Bmp, file
03.bmp,... As described above, an image whose angle is shifted by two from the right-eye image corresponds to the left-eye image. That is, the right eye image
filePP.bmp and the left eye image as fileQQ.bmp, P = Q +
An image is selected so as to be n. Where PP and QQ are
Assuming that the index of the file is P and Q, if P and Q are single digits, they are represented by two digits by adding 0 to the upper digit. At the end of the sequence, the index is circulated and considered continuously.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display on the stereoscopic display unit 1. As shown in FIG. The stereoscopic display unit 1 displays an operation screen (GUI). In this operation screen, various operations can be performed using a mouse or the like of the display operation unit 3.

A series image as in the above (1) is read by a file reading unit (not shown). Here, it is assumed that the number of sequence images is N = 36, and the index difference of a file corresponding to parallax is n = 2. The image is displayed on the display screen 1a of the stereoscopic display unit 1. The minimum index (N = 1) and the maximum index (N = 36)
Are displayed in the display columns 15 and 16, respectively. The scroll bar 21 displays the index position of the binocular image. For example, the index position of the left eye image is position 11
, And the index position of the right eye image is displayed at position 12. Values (N = 18, 21) indicating the index positions of the left and right eye images are displayed in the display columns 13 and 14, respectively.

The index positions of the left and right eye images are determined from the ratio with the current index when the entire length of the scroll bar 21 corresponds to the maximum index. Also, a series of series images is
Automatic switching (continuous image display) starts by pressing 8,
Stop operation is possible. In the case of continuous display, the next index after the maximum index is treated as “01”.

When a thin line is drawn on a line-sequential three-dimensional display, only one of the eyes is seen, giving a sense of incongruity. Therefore,
Display as user interface should be at least 2
Draw with a diagram having a width equal to or greater than the line. In other words, all buttons, scroll lines, and other drawing lines and characters on the operation screen are drawn on the screen so as to have a width of at least two dots in the vertical direction.

According to the present embodiment, when a three-dimensional position is determined, when displaying a sequence of rotated images, the observation position (distance L) of the observer and the distance (D) between the eyes are determined. A multiple n is obtained in accordance with the rotation angle interval (or the number N of images), and images at different angles shifted from each other by an index corresponding to parallax to the left and right eyes as left and right images, thereby providing a planar image. The rotated image can be optimally stereoscopically viewed.

Further, by displaying the index of the left and right images as a user interface, usability can be improved. Furthermore, since the display as the user interface is drawn with a diagram having a width of at least two lines, it is possible to prevent a sense of incongruity such as being recognized by only one eye and perform a natural display. .

A storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the stereoscopic image display device, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the stereoscopic image display device stores the storage medium. It is needless to say that the object of the present invention is also achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

Further, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by executing the readout program code by the computer, but also the OS or the like running on the computer is executed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. Needless to say, a CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0050]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
According to the three-dimensional image display device according to the third aspect, the three-dimensional image display method according to the ninth aspect, or the storage medium according to the seventeenth aspect, it is possible to perform appropriate three-dimensional viewing with two images having different projection angles.

According to the three-dimensional image display device of the present invention or the three-dimensional image display method of the tenth aspect, it is possible to perform appropriate three-dimensional viewing from a two-dimensional rotated image.

According to the three-dimensional image display device or the three-dimensional image display method of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform an optimal three-dimensional view according to the observer and the obtained two-dimensional image. it can.

According to the three-dimensional image display device or the three-dimensional image display method of the present invention, the usability can be improved.

According to the three-dimensional image display device of the present invention or the three-dimensional image display method of the fifteenth aspect, it is possible to perform a natural display while preventing a sense of incongruity such as recognition by only one eye. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a rotation angle when a rotation sequence image is obtained.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between an observer and an image.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of display on a stereoscopic display unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 stereoscopic display section (display means) 2 display control section 3 display operation section 4 operation control section (control means) 5 secondary storage sections 13 and 14 display field 21 scroll bar

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A stereoscopic image display device for providing binocular stereopsis at a limited viewing position by providing images with parallax to left and right eyes, wherein the stereoscopic image display device is configured to respond to an observer's viewing position and a distance between the two eyes. A stereoscopic image display device comprising: a control unit that applies two images obtained by projecting the three-dimensional object from different angles to the left and right eyes of the observer so as to perform a stereoscopic view. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two images are images obtained as plane images by photographing or rendering while rotating the three-dimensional object.
The stereoscopic image display device as described in the above. 3. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 1, wherein the two images are selected from a plurality of images obtained by projecting the three-dimensional object from different angles. 4. The plurality of images are images obtained at equal rotation angle intervals, and the two images are determined according to the observation position of the observer, the interval between both eyes, and the rotation angle interval of the image. ,
The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 3, wherein the three-dimensional image display device is selected from the plurality of images. 5. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 4, wherein the two images are images projected as right and left images at angles shifted from each other by a rotation angle corresponding to parallax. 6. The user interface according to claim 2, wherein
The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays an index of one image. 7. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 6, wherein the display as the user interface is drawn by a diagram having a width of at least two lines. 8. The binocular stereoscopic vision is realized by using a lenticular lens.
The stereoscopic image display device according to any one of the above items. 9. A stereoscopic image display method for providing binocular stereopsis at a limited observation position by giving images with parallax to left and right eyes, wherein the method is based on an observer's observation position and an interval between the eyes. A stereoscopic image display method comprising: providing two images obtained by projecting a three-dimensional object from different angles to the left and right eyes of the observer so as to perform stereoscopic viewing. 10. The stereoscopic image display method according to claim 9, wherein the two images are images obtained as a planar image by photographing or rendering while rotating the three-dimensional object. 11. The three-dimensional image display method according to claim 9, wherein the two images are selected from a plurality of images obtained by projecting the three-dimensional object from different angles. 12. The plurality of images are images obtained at equal rotation angle intervals, and the two images are determined according to an observation position of the observer, an interval between both eyes, and an image rotation angle interval. 12. The stereoscopic image display method according to claim 11, wherein the image is selected from the plurality of images. 13. The three-dimensional image display method according to claim 12, wherein the two images are left and right images projected at angles shifted from each other by a rotation angle corresponding to parallax. 14. The stereoscopic image display method according to claim 9, further comprising a display step of displaying an index of the two images as a user interface. 15. The stereoscopic image display method according to claim 14, wherein the display as the user interface is drawn by a diagram having a width of at least two lines. 16. The binocular stereoscopic vision is realized by using a lenticular lens.
15. The stereoscopic image display method according to any one of items 15 to 15. 17. A storage medium storing a program used in a stereoscopic image display method for providing binocular stereoscopic vision at a limited observation position by giving an image with parallax to left and right eyes, According to an observation position and an interval between both eyes, a code of a control step of giving two images obtained by projecting a three-dimensional object from different angles to left and right eyes of the observer and stereoscopically viewing the images is stored. Storage media.