JP2659555B2 - 3D TV video system - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a multi-directional image reproduction type stereoscopic television video system without glasses, and in particular, to a multi-directional image reproduction type capable of reducing the required amount of stereoscopic image information. 3D television video system.

(Summary of the Invention) The present invention relates to a multi-directional image reproduction type stereoscopic television video system, in particular, a plurality of medium paths having a function of transmitting, recording or storing a multi-directional image signal. A transmission line) is configured as a transmission line for a high information amount and a transmission line for a low information amount.
Each of the image signals passing through the plurality of transmission paths is converted into the high information amount transmission path every one field period except for a single image signal generated when the number of transmission paths is odd. And the low-information-amount transmission path is alternately switched over in time.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, a stereoscopic image is composed of a left-eye image and a right-eye image.
One image is taken, transmitted / recorded, reproduced, and separated and projected to the left and right eyes by any method, and presented as a binocular stereoscopic image. However, in this case, as a method of separation, the degree of freedom for the viewer has been lost, for example, the user must wear so-called special glasses or place his or her eyes at a specific position with respect to the reproduced image device. Further, as for the three-dimensional image itself, even when the observer goes around the object, only the three-dimensional image from a specific direction is seen, distortion occurs, and an unnatural three-dimensional image that follows is observed.

The stereoscopic television image system according to the present invention is a method of projecting an image on a screen having directivity, such as a large convex lens, a lenticular lens or an auto-reflector lens, and viewing the multidirectional image at a predetermined observation position. In realizing the above, the transmission direction of the signal is improved. The multi-directional image is an image that is taken from different directions by arranging the camera position in a horizontal direction when photographing a subject. A stereoscopic image requires at least two directions, but the number of directions is as large as possible in order to make the observation position continuous and wide. For example, four to eight or more directional images are transmitted and reproduced. A method of displaying a directional image having a uniform image quality has been adopted. In general, the image quality is limited by a required frequency band, and a higher image quality requires a wider frequency band.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the method of projecting and observing a multidirectional image reproduction type stereoscopic image, that is, a multidirectional image on a directional screen, for example, a screen such as a large convex lens, a lenticular lens, and an auto reflector lens. In general, if the number of directions is small, the observation position is not free, and is limited to a predetermined position. In order to make the observation position continuous and wide, it is necessary to increase the number of directions of the image as much as possible. For this reason, the image information necessary for reproducing the stereoscopic image requires several times the image information amount of one directional image. In addition, since a higher quality image requires a wider frequency band, a stereoscopic image has required a very wide frequency band several times more.

This applies not only to the transmission band but also to, for example, a multi-directional image projection type reconstructed image apparatus, where storage of an image signal is required for controlling the display position of an image, and has already been filed by the same inventor as the present invention. Also in the invention (Japanese Patent Application No. 62-281117, "3D television image apparatus"), the capacity of the storage circuit must be increased in accordance with the amount of image information.

The following describes some of the visual properties on which the invention is based.

First, in general, when a sharp image of the same image and a slightly blurred image are alternately presented at a speed at which they are temporally fused, there is a degree of blurring in which almost no deterioration in image quality is recognized. The frequency band of the blur is about half in the NTSC television system. The reason is that the time-frequency characteristic of visual sensitivity to high spatial frequency components (so-called image edges) of the visual image is a reduction characteristic, and it is difficult to recognize changes in the high frequency components, and the high spatial frequency components This is for suppressing the frequency component (blurred image) so as to cover it. Therefore, by presenting each direction image alternately with the high information capacity and the low information capacity, the entire information capacity of each path can be reduced.

Secondly, as a characteristic of binocular stereoscopic vision, in a binocular stereoscopic image, if one image has a considerably high resolution, the stereoscopic effect is changed as a binocular image even if the resolution of the other image is somewhat low. In addition, the image itself has the property of appearing almost equal to a high-resolution image.

For example, a document [NHK Giken Monthly Report 1970, 7pp307-311 “Binocular parallax and stereoscopic effect” Otani et al.] Describes that even if one is set to about 7 MHz and the other is set to about half, the stereoscopic image is not changed.

In the case of a binocular image having the same image quality, it is experienced that the image quality is improved as compared with a case where one of the images is viewed alone, but this also shows the same property.

Furthermore, the spatial frequency characteristics of depth perception due to binocular parallax, as seen in the literature [ME Journal 1982, 20-3pp16-23 “Depth signal separation type stereoscopic image device and measurement of binocular vision function” Nagata] Since the frequency band is up to 5 cpd, it is considered that the frequency component of the binocular image for stereoscopic viewing may be smaller than 10 cpd based on the contrast spatial frequency characteristic of luminance by the sampling theorem.

In view of the above, the present invention effectively solves the problems of the prior art, and when reproducing a multidirectional image, all images are not reproduced with the same amount of image information, and less image information is reproduced. It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensional television image system capable of observing a multi-directional image three-dimensional image without glasses without deterioration in image quality in a small amount.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a plurality of transmission paths including three or more transmitting multidirectional image signals from the imaging side to the display side, respectively. Almost half of the plurality of transmission lines are configured as transmission lines for high information amount, and the remaining transmission lines are configured as transmission lines for low information amount, and each image signal passing through the plurality of transmission lines, Except for a single image signal generated when the number of transmission lines is odd, all the image signals are alternately time-sequentially transmitted to the high information amount transmission line and the low information amount transmission line every field period. It is characterized by being switched and passed.

(Operation) With such a stereoscopic video system, the required amount of image information can be significantly reduced. Based on the data of the above-mentioned literature, if one direction image is transmitted in the 7 MHz frequency band in the current television system and the other is made about half of that, the total information capacity required for the medium path such as the transmission path becomes Where N is the number of directions, N × 7 MHz to N × 7 × (1 + 0.5) / 2 = N × 7
× 0.75MHz. Considering the fact that the frequency band of high-definition television (HDTV) images is 20 MHz, the degree of this decrease is a significant decrease, and is equivalent to the case where images in each direction are reproduced with images of the same high information capacity. A stereoscopic image having the image quality can be observed.

(Example) Next, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a three-dimensional television image system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a reproduction state diagram of FIG. The stereoscopic television image system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 employs, for example, a lenticular projection system as a multi-directional image re-formation stereoscopic image system. Then, six cameras are set to C (C1, C
2, ... C6), the multi-directional image signals from the camera C
(CS1, CS2,... CS6), each of which has a function of transmitting, recording, or storing the image signal CS. One half of the image signal CS has a high information capacity (high frequency band) h and the other half has Let T (T1h, T2h, T3h, T4l, T5l, T6l) be a path composed of a low information capacity (narrow frequency band) l. An image display for reproducing the image signal CS and projecting it on the lenticular directional screen 2 is denoted by D (D1, D2,... D6).

In the first field, the image signals CS1, CS2, and CS3 pass through the paths T1h, T2h, and T3h, and the image signals CS4, CS5, and C3
The switches S1, S2 provided before and after the path T are connected so that S6 passes through the paths T41, T51, T61.

In the second field, the connection of the switches S1 and S2 is
Switching is performed by the switching signal SS, and the image signals CS1, CS2, and CS3 pass through the path T.
4l, T5l, and T6l, and the image signals CS4, CS5, and CS6 pass through the paths T1h, T2h, and T3h. To switch to

Note that, of the reproduced images E (E1, E2, E3,... E6) of the multidirectional images, if the high-resolution image is h and the low-resolution image is 1, the reproduction position of each directional image (both eyes) When the interval of (position) 3 corresponds to the pupil distance, the reproduced images E1, E2, E3 reflected by both eyes are arranged as h, h, h, l, l, l as shown in FIG. Every time, the image is switched between the high-resolution image h and the low-resolution image l. In other words, in the first field, E1h, E2h or E2h, E3h, or E2h, E3h in the left and right eyes, depending on the viewing position, and in the second field, vice versa (h is 1). it can. By alternately switching between the first field and the second field, the same state is displayed at any viewing position.

Also, when the left and right eyes are looking at the reproduced images of E3 and E4,
Alternatively, when the eye position moves forward from this state and the reproduction position interval of each directional image becomes half of the pupil interval, E2,
E4 or E3, E5 becomes a pair of images, if only looking at a certain field, the left and right eyes will see images with different resolutions, but in this case, the stereoscopic effect does not change from the binocular vision described above, Looks like a high resolution image. Therefore, the disadvantage that the unbalanced stimulus state places an excessive burden on the visual system, or the disadvantage that the evaluation of the image resolution differs depending on the viewing position for an observer whose visual function such as visual acuity has a large difference between the left and right eyes. Will be resolved.

Thus, the subject 1 reproduces the multidirectional image signals CS1, CS2,... CS6 obtained by the cameras C1, C2,... C6 on the multidirectional television image displays D1, D2,. , And the reproduced images E1, E2,... E6 in the respective directions are reproduced in front of the screen 2. In the present embodiment, a case is shown in which the interval between the reproduction positions corresponds to the pupil distance, and by setting each position as the binocular position 3, each direction image enters the eye and a stereoscopic image is observed.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, in the stereoscopic video system, a large number of paths having a function of transmitting, recording, or storing a multidirectional image signal, and a half having a high information capacity are provided. The other half is composed of a low information capacity, and the high information capacity and the low information capacity are alternately switched on a field-by-field basis, and the respective directional images are reproduced and shown to the eye, thereby causing the problems of the prior art. Is effectively resolved, and in order to reproduce a multi-directional image stereoscopic image, all images are not reproduced with the same image information capacity, image quality is not reduced with less information capacity,
In addition, there is no defect of the two-lens type stereoscopic image, and there is an effect that a multidirectional image stereoscopic image can be observed without using glasses.

Further, in this embodiment, the description has been made on the parallel paths of the multidirectional images. However, in the case of transmission, various multiplex transmission methods known so far can be used.

In addition, even in the case of another compression transmission method in which another directional image is transmitted based on one directional image by a position shift signal and a correction signal, the multidirectional image can be transmitted with high information capacity (wide frequency band). It can be configured with a low information capacity (narrow frequency band).

Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to a multi-directional image reproducing stereoscopic video system other than the lenticular projection system according to the present embodiment. For example, when a multi-directional image is stored and the image signal of the image of each direction image is read out and reproduced according to the pitch of the lenticular lens, the storage circuit of each direction image is stored in the medium path of the transmission path. Accordingly, the same effect can be obtained by configuring this with a high information capacity and a low information capacity.

The same applies to the case of transmitting a multidirectional image and forming a multiplex holographic stereoscopic image on the reproducing side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a reproduction state diagram of FIG. C (C1, C2, ... C6): camera, CS (CS1, CS2, ... CS6): multidirectional image signal, T (T1h, T2h, ... T61): path, D (D1, D1)
2, ... D6): Image display, S1, S2: Switch, E (E1, E2, ... E)
6): Reconstructed image, 2: Lenticular directional screen, 3:
Binocular position.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In a three-dimensional television video system, a plurality of transmission paths, each of which transmits three or more multi-directional image signals from an imaging side to a display side, are increased by almost half of the plurality of transmission paths. The transmission path for the information amount and the remaining transmission paths are each configured as a transmission path for the low information amount, and each image signal passing through the plurality of transmission paths is converted into a single signal generated when the number of the transmission paths is odd. A stereoscopic television, wherein all the image signals except for the image signal are alternately passed through the high information amount transmission line and the low information amount transmission line in one field period alternately. Video system.