JP2005045338A - In-vehicle monitor system for three-dimensional display - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-vehicle monitor system for three-dimensional display which can express a stereoscopic effect with more reality, even if a wide angle stereoscopic camera is used. <P>SOLUTION: The in-vehicle monitor system 1 for three-dimensional display is provided with a stereo camera 2 mounted in a vehicle to image the surrounding of the vehicle from directions having viewpoints different from side to side, a distortion correcting means 3 for adjusting a distortion quantity of an image distorted by the camera, a superimposing means 4 for composite-displaying a distance marker corresponding to the distance from the vehicle together with a three-dimensional image, a three-dimensional image synthesizing means 5 for generating a synthesized image for displaying a three-dimensional image on the basis of a video signal of one of the superimposed cameras and a video signal of the other camera, and a three-dimensional display monitor 6 for displaying an image by the three-dimensional image synthesizing and displaying means 5 on the basis of a video signal from one camera 7 and a video signal from the other camera 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement of a vehicle-mounted three-dimensional display monitor system capable of expressing a stereoscopic effect even more realistically.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in-vehicle camera systems, for example, in-vehicle rear camera systems, are known that display a distorted image around a vehicle behind a vehicle imaged using a wide-angle camera on a monitor in a plane ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2003-169323 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since this conventional in-vehicle rear camera system is configured to display a planar image having distortion on the monitor, it is difficult to intuitively obtain a sense of distance simply by looking at the monitor.
[0005]
In this in-vehicle rear camera system, a wide-angle image is required. Accordingly, a wide-angle camera that is inappropriate as a stereo camera used for three-dimensional display is used, and a parallax between the center and the periphery of the monitor screen is used. Changes, the stereoscopic effect of the image displayed on the monitor is unnatural.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle-mounted three-dimensional monitor capable of expressing the stereoscopic effect even more realistically even when a wide-angle stereo camera is used. Provide a system.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 1 includes a pair of cameras that are mounted on a vehicle and images the periphery of the vehicle from different directions in the left-right direction. Stereo cameras that output video signals based on each,
Distortion correction means for adjusting the distortion amount of the image subjected to distortion by the pair of cameras;
In order to synthesize and display a distance marker according to the distance from the vehicle together with a three-dimensional image at a position on the screen corresponding to the distance from the vehicle, image information indicating the distance marker in the video signal and the parallax of the pair of cameras Superimposing means that is generated by calculation based on the position to be displayed on the screen;
3D image synthesis means for generating a composite image for displaying a 3D image based on the superimposed video signal of one camera and the video signal of the other camera;
It has a three-dimensional display monitor for displaying by a three-dimensional display means based on the video signal from the one camera and the video signal from the other camera.
[0008]
The in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 2, wherein the video signal output from the one camera and the video signal output from the other camera are output in synchronization with each other. It is characterized by being.
[0009]
4. The in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 3, wherein the pair of stereo cameras alternately switch between a video signal field of one camera and a video signal field of the other camera, and a subsequent processing circuit. It has the changeover switch which outputs to.
[0010]
The on-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 4 is characterized in that the distortion correction means can adjust a distortion correction amount by a manual operation.
[0011]
The in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 5 is characterized in that the in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor is a liquid crystal monitor having a lenticular lens.
[0012]
The on-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 6 is characterized in that the stereo camera is directed in a direction in which the rear of the vehicle is imaged.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle-mounted three-dimensional display monitor system 1 according to the present invention. This in-vehicle three-dimensional monitor system 1 is generally composed of a stereo camera 2, a distortion correction device 3, a superimposing means 4, a three-dimensional image synthesizer 5, and a three-dimensional display monitor 6.
[0014]
The stereo camera 2 has cameras 7 and 8 arranged on the left and right. As shown in FIG. 2, the cameras 7 and 8 are roughly made up of lenses 7a and 8a and CCDs (two-dimensional image pickup devices) 7b and 8b disposed at the imaging positions of imaging light beams obtained through the lenses 7a and 8a. Composed. It is desirable to use a stereo camera 2 that has as little image distortion as possible. However, since a wide-angle image is required here, the in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system 1 uses a wide-angle camera to connect the stereo camera 2. It is configured. Here, the stereo camera 2 is assumed to output an NTSC video signal. Accordingly, a video signal is output at a rate of 30 frames per second.
[0015]
When the cameras 7 and 8 are operated at different timings, images with different imaging timings are output, and a three-dimensional image cannot be constructed. Therefore, the video signal G1 of one camera 7 and the video of the other camera 8 It is necessary to synchronize with the signal G2. However, if synchronization is performed by the distortion correction device 3 at the subsequent stage, a buffer circuit dedicated for synchronization adjustment is necessary. Therefore, here, the oscillator 9 is provided in the stereo camera 2. The oscillator 9 controls the DSP circuits 10 and 10 'in synchronization, and outputs synchronized video signals G1 and G2 to the subsequent distortion correction device 3 via the two video signal output lines 10A and 10B. I am going to let you.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, the distortion correction apparatus 3 includes a first distortion correction unit 3A and a second distortion correction unit 3B. The components of the first distortion correction unit 3A and the second distortion correction unit 3B are the same. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the contents thereof will be described. The distortion correction units 3A and 3B include an interface unit 11, an information processing unit 12, a deformation pattern memory 13, a decoder 14, an input memory 15, an image correction unit 16, an output memory 17, and an encoder 18. Each video signal is converted into digital data by the decoder 14 and temporarily stored as image data in the input memory 15.
[0017]
The information processing unit 12 stores the characteristics, structure, and the like of the stereo camera 2 and creates an image deformation pattern according to the distortion correction value, the image magnification, and the like input from the interface unit 11. This image deformation pattern is stored in the deformation pattern memory 13. The deformation pattern memory 13 can be changed manually by the operator.
[0018]
The image correction unit 16 corrects the distortion of the image data stored in the input memory 15 according to the image deformation pattern, and the corrected image data is stored in the output memory 17. This correction process is performed for each frame.
[0019]
The distortion-corrected image data stored in the output memory 17 is output to the subsequent encoder 18 for each frame. The encoder 18 converts the image data after distortion correction into an analog signal. The analog signal after the distortion correction is output toward the superimposing means 4 at the subsequent stage. Details of the distortion correction apparatus 3 are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-366538. When the distortion correction apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-366538 is used, the amount of distortion can be adjusted. As a result, the stereoscopic effect can be adjusted, and a three-dimensional image desired by the operator can be constructed. If there is no need for screen adjustment, a uniform stereoscopic image can be constructed.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, the superimpose means 4 is composed of superimpose synthesis units 4A and 4B, and each superimpose synthesis unit 4A and 4B has storage means 19 for storing data of the stereo camera 2, etc. The computer 20, the image memory 21, and the image synthesizer 22 are roughly configured.
[0021]
The microcomputer 20 receives data such as snake angle information and the data of the stereo camera 2, and the microcomputer 20 sets a distance marker corresponding to the distance from the vehicle on the screen corresponding to the distance from the vehicle. In order to display a composite image together with a 3D image, it plays a role of calculating 2D image information indicating a distance marker based on the parallax of a pair of cameras and a position to be displayed on the screen. This two-dimensional image information is stored in the image memory 21. A video signal is input to the image synthesizer 22 and two-dimensional image information from the image memory 21 is input. The image synthesizer 22 sets a three-dimensional distance marker corresponding to the distance from the vehicle to the distance from the vehicle. 2D image information indicating a distance marker to be displayed together with the 3D image at a position on the screen corresponding to is superimposed and output as a video signal. Thereby, additional information such as a distance marker is added to the three-dimensional information corresponding to the left and right parallaxes.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 4, the three-dimensional display monitor 6 includes a three-dimensional display liquid crystal monitor. The three-dimensional display monitor 6 has a lenticular lens 6C in which a large number of cylindrical lenses 6B are arranged in parallel on the front surface of the liquid crystal display screen 6A. On the liquid crystal display screen 6A, as shown in FIG. 5, image data captured by the left and right cameras 7 and 8 are alternately arranged in a vertical line.
[0023]
For example, the odd field F1 image of one camera 7 and the even field F2 image of the other camera 8 are alternately displayed. Thus, when the image displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 6A is viewed through the lenticular lens 6C, the image is stereoscopically viewed due to the difference in parallax. The three-dimensional image synthesizer 5 constructs a video signal so that the odd field image of the one camera 7 and the even field image of the other camera 8 are alternately displayed on the display screen.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 6, the three-dimensional image synthesizer 5 is roughly composed of an image synthesis unit 5A and an image synthesis unit 5B. The image synthesis units 5A and 5B are composed of a switch circuit 23, a synchronization signal extraction circuit 24, and a control circuit. 25.
[0025]
In this 3D image synthesizer 5, when a video signal is input, a synchronization signal is extracted for each vertical column, and a video signal corresponding to an odd-numbered screen on the vertical column of one camera 7 is output based on the synchronization signal. Then, the switch circuit 23 is switched so that a video signal corresponding to the even-numbered screen of the other camera 8 is output.
[0026]
In the embodiment of the present invention, a monitor having a lenticular lens 6C provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal display screen 6A is used as the three-dimensional display monitor 6. However, as disclosed in JP-A-07-104261. Alternatively, a cell structure may be used by attaching a liquid crystal panel to the glass surface.
(Modification 1)
In an in-vehicle device, it may be desired to transmit an image via one video signal output line (cable) 10C. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 7, the stereo camera 2 is provided with a buffer memory 24, and the video signal for each frame is divided into an even field F2 and an odd number every 1/60 second in the case of the NTSC system, for example. A changeover switch 25 is provided for switching between the field F1 and the video signal of one field of a frame of the video signal output from one camera 7 is transmitted via the cable 10C, and then output from one camera 7. The video signal of the other field that is a frame corresponding to the received frame and is output from the other camera 8 and temporarily stored in the buffer memory 24 is transmitted via the cable 10C. It is a thing.
[0027]
With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, the video signal of the odd field F1 and the video signal of the even field F2 of the same frame of one camera 7 and the other camera 8 can be transmitted alternately. The video signals of the two cameras 7 and 8 can be transmitted using one cable 10C, and the odd field F1 of the same frame captured at the same timing of one camera 7 and the other camera 8 is used. The even field F2 can be used alternately, and a video signal with little deterioration in image quality can be transmitted even with a single cable.
[0028]
7 shows a state in which a video signal corresponding to, for example, an image in the even field F2 of a frame of one camera 7 is output from the changeover switch 25, and the buffer memory 24 has a frame of one camera 7. The state in which the video signal of the odd field F1 of the frame of the other camera 8 is imaged and stored at the same timing is shown.
[0029]
In this case, the distortion correction device 3 may correct distortion for each field image, and the same distortion correction processing can be performed for both odd and even fields. For example, the distortion correction unit 3A shown in FIG. Any one of 3B may be used. Similarly, the same applies to the superimpose combining units 4A and 4B and the image combining units 5A and 5B.
(Modification 2)
Further, the DSP processing circuits 10 and 10 'of the stereo camera 2 are configured as a single unit as shown in FIG. 8, and one camera 7 uses video signals of only the odd field F1, and the other camera 8 uses only the even field F2. The video signal may be transmitted using a single cable 10C by switching the changeover switch 26 every 1/60 second. In the case of the stereo camera 2 shown in FIG. 8, it is insufficient for three-dimensional display of an object that moves at high speed. However, in the case of image display such as when parking, the change of the image is not high speed. Therefore, it is considered that there is almost no trouble in displaying a stereoscopic image using this.
[0030]
Also in this case, the same correction device 3 as that of the first modification can be used.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
In a conventional monocular in-vehicle monitor system, it is difficult to recognize a three-dimensional object. However, according to the present invention, a three-dimensional image can be presented directly to the driver in the situation around the vehicle, so that the sense of security is higher. Image information can be provided.
[0032]
Furthermore, by correcting distortion, it is possible not only to obtain an image without distortion, but also to display a 3D image with a sense of depth on the entire screen by adjusting the parallax between the left and right cameras as appropriate. It becomes.
[0033]
In other words, in a conventional monocular in-vehicle monitor system that uses the video signal of a wide-angle camera as it is, the stereoscopic effect is emphasized near the center of the image and the stereoscopic effect tends to disappear at the peripheral part. , Can display a uniform three-dimensional effect on the entire screen.
[0034]
In addition, by intentionally applying distortion using the distortion correction device, the effect of changing the stereoscopic effect can be emphasized, and the stereoscopic effect can be emphasized in a blind spot area such as directly behind the vehicle.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a vehicle-mounted three-dimensional monitor system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the stereo camera and the distortion correction apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;
3 is a block circuit diagram of superimposing means shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the three-dimensional display monitor shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
5 is a perspective view for explaining a liquid crystal display screen of the three-dimensional display monitor shown in FIG. 4; FIG.
6 is a block circuit diagram of the three-dimensional image synthesizer shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of Modification 1 of the stereo camera shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a block circuit diagram of a second modification of the stereo camera shown in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle-mounted three-dimensional display monitor system 2 ... Stereo camera 3 ... Distortion correction apparatus (distortion correction means)
5 ... 3D image synthesizer (3D image composition display means)
6 ... 3D display monitor 7, 8 ... Camera

Claims (6)

A stereo camera that is mounted on a vehicle and includes a pair of cameras that capture the periphery of the vehicle from different directions in the left-right direction, and each outputs a video signal based on an image formed by each camera;
Distortion correction means for adjusting the distortion amount of the image subjected to distortion by the pair of cameras;
In order to synthesize and display a distance marker according to the distance from the vehicle together with a three-dimensional image at a position on the screen corresponding to the distance from the vehicle, image information indicating the distance marker in the video signal and the parallax of the pair of cameras Superimposing means for generating by calculation based on the position to be displayed on the screen;
3D image synthesis means for generating a composite image for displaying a 3D image based on the superimposed video signal of one camera and the video signal of the other camera;
An in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system comprising: a three-dimensional display monitor for displaying by a three-dimensional display unit based on a video signal from the one camera and a video signal from the other camera . The in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system, wherein the video signal output from the one camera and the video signal output from the other camera are output in synchronization with each other. . 3. The pair of stereo cameras includes a changeover switch that alternately switches between a video signal field of one camera and a video signal field of the other camera and outputs the switched signal to a subsequent processing circuit. The on-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system described. The on-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system characterized in that the distortion correction means can adjust a distortion correction amount by a manual operation. The in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor is a liquid crystal monitor having a lenticular lens. The in-vehicle three-dimensional display monitor system according to claim 1, wherein the stereo camera is directed in a direction in which the rear of the vehicle is imaged.

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