JP4637068B2 - 3D image display method and 3D image display system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stereoscopic video display method and a stereoscopic video display system that can easily display a stereoscopic video by using a display such as a commercially available liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display (PDP), or field emission display (FED). And 3D image observation glasses .

  Conventionally, various methods for recognizing a stereoscopic image using a CRT display have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 19 shows a configuration example of a stereoscopic video display system 10 of the prior art. The video cassette recorder 11 outputs a left-eye video signal and a right-eye video signal corresponding to the left and right eyes, respectively. The CRT display 13 displays the left-eye video and the right-eye video alternately via the electronic shutter control device 12. The glasses with electronic shutter 14 open and close alternately on the left and right in synchronization with the display on the CRT display 13. Thereby, the observer can recognize a stereoscopic image by wearing the glasses 14 with an electronic shutter and observing the CRT screen.

US Pat. No. 5,808,588

  In recent years, flat panel displays (FPD) have become widespread. In particular, personal computer (PC) displays are rapidly replacing liquid crystal displays (LCDs) with CRTs.

  In addition, LCDs as well as plasma displays (PDPs) are rapidly spreading in home televisions. Furthermore, display devices such as a field emission display (FED) such as a surface electric field display (SED) and an organic EL have appeared.

  Unlike the CRT, these display devices basically hold the video once written until it is overwritten with the next video. For this reason, when the left-eye video and the right-eye video are alternately displayed, the left-right and right-eye videos are mixed on the upper and lower sides of one screen. Hereinafter, such a display will be appropriately referred to as an “accumulation / overwriting display” for convenience of explanation.

  20A shows the right-eye video R, and FIG. 20B shows the left-eye video L. Further, (a) to (n) of FIG. 21 schematically show time-series transitions of two videos, the left-eye video L and the right-eye video R displayed on the CRT display. is there. Then, the shutters of the left and right eyes of the glasses with electronic shutter are switched between opening and closing in accordance with the left and right images at the timing shown in FIG.

  FIG. 22A shows the timing at which the right-eye video R and the left-eye video L are alternately displayed repeatedly. FIGS. 22B and 22C show the opening / closing timings of the shutters of the glasses with electronic shutter. When the right eye image R is displayed, the right eye portion of the glasses transmits light from the right eye image R as indicated by Ron. At this time, as Loff, the left eye part of the glasses is in a light shielding state. Similarly, when the left eye image L is displayed, the left eye portion of the glasses transmits light from the left eye image L as indicated by Lon. At this time, as Roff, the right eye part of the glasses is in a light shielding state.

  By repeating such an operation, the right eye image R shown in FIG. 20 is correctly recognized by the right eye, and the left eye image L shown in FIG. . The parallax is recognized as a stereoscopic image by the observer.

  On the other hand, in the storage / overwrite display represented by LCD, PDP, and FED, unlike the CRT, the previous video is almost retained without being erased when the next video is written. In a line-sequential writing type storage / overwrite display that is generally distributed, the display is performed in a transition state as shown in FIG. For this reason, even if the shutters of the left and right eyes of the glasses with electronic shutters are switched to open and close at the timing shown in FIG. 22, the images of the left and right eyes are displayed on the right eye, and the left and right eyes are displayed on the left eye. The images appear to overlap each other. For this reason, the observer cannot correctly recognize the stereoscopic video. As described above, even if the conventional electronic shutter glasses are attached to a storage / overwrite type display represented by LCD, PDP, and FED and observed, images of the left eye image and the right eye image are obtained. This is a problem because it does not recognize 3D images because it appears to be doubled.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is a simple and simple combination of a display that is generally distributed, that is, a display that is not a special display designed for stereoscopic video display, and glasses with an electronic shutter. An object is to provide an inexpensive stereoscopic image display method , stereoscopic image system, and glasses for stereoscopic image observation .

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the electronic display that continues to display the previous video signal until the next video signal comes, at least the screen of the electronic display A display step of partially displaying a left-eye image and a right-eye image in part, and at least during the execution of the display step, the left-eye image in the first observation direction and the right-eye image in the second direction And a shutter step for alternately transmitting in each of the observation directions. In the shutter step, light from the electronic display is shielded for a certain period in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction. It is possible to provide a stereoscopic video display method characterized by the above.

Further, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, at least a screen of the electronic display for a certain period of time during which the light from the electronic display is blocked in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction in the shutter step. It is desirable to include a period in which the left-eye video and the right-eye video are mixed.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the display step, the left-eye video and the right-eye video are alternately displayed only in a predetermined region of at least a part of the screen of the electronic display, and in the shutter step, The left-eye video and the right-eye video are mixed in a predetermined area of the electronic display for a certain period in which light from the electronic display is shielded in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction. It is desirable that the period be

  Further, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the shutter step, the fixed period during which light from the electronic display is shielded in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction can be arbitrarily adjusted. It is desirable.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the left eye displayed on the electronic display based on the video signal for causing the electronic display to alternately display the left-eye video and the right-eye video on at least a part of the screen. A stereoscopic image display system having a shutter unit for alternately transmitting a video for an image in a first observation direction and a video for the right eye in a second observation direction, wherein the shutter unit has the first observation direction The light from the electronic display is shielded for at least a certain period in which the video for the left eye and the video for the right eye are mixed on the screen of the electronic display with respect to both the second observation direction and the second observation direction. 3D video display system can be provided.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the left-eye video and the right-eye video displayed on the electronic display that continues to display the previous video signal until the next video signal arrives are displayed on at least a part of the screen. A pair of glasses for observing a stereoscopic image displayed alternately, and at least a shutter unit for alternately transmitting a left-eye image in the first observation direction and a right-eye image in the second observation direction. And the shutter unit emits light from the electronic display in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction, and at least a left-eye image and a right-eye image on the screen of the electronic display. It is possible to provide 3D image observation glasses characterized in that light is shielded only for a certain period in which images are mixed.

  Further, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the shutter unit further includes a shutter control unit for adjusting the fixed period during which the shutter unit shields light in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction to an arbitrary value. It is desirable.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the shutter unit is preferably liquid crystal shutter glasses.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the left-eye video and the right-eye video displayed on the electronic display that continues to display the previous video signal until the next video signal arrives are displayed on at least a part of the screen. Glasses for observing a stereoscopic image displayed alternately, and a sensor for detecting a discrimination mark for identifying a right eye frame and a left eye frame displayed on an electronic display. And at least a shutter unit for alternately transmitting the left-eye image in the first observation direction and the right-eye image in the second observation direction. The shutter unit is based on a signal from the sensor. Opening and closing and light from the electronic display in both directions of the first observation direction and the second observation direction, the video for the left eye and the video for the right eye are mixed at least on the screen of the electronic display. For a certain period Can provide a stereoscopic image display system, characterized in that the shielding.

  According to the stereoscopic image display method of the present invention, using the storage / overwrite display, in the shutter step, the image for the left eye is moved in the first observation direction, for example, the direction of the left eye of the observer. The images are alternately transmitted in the second observation direction, for example, the direction of the right eye of the observer. Further, in the shutter step, light from the electronic display is shielded for a certain period in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction. Thereby, even when the storage / overwrite display is used, the observer does not recognize the left-eye video and the right-eye video redundantly. As a result, the observer can observe a good stereoscopic image by using the left-eye image and the right-eye image. As described above, a simple and inexpensive stereoscopic image display method can be provided by using a generally available storage / overwrite display.

  Embodiments of a stereoscopic video display method and a stereoscopic video display system according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(3D image display method)
A stereoscopic video display method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows the video display timing of the display step and the shutter opening / closing timing of the shutter step in this embodiment.

  First, in the display step, an electronic display that continues to display the previous video signal until the next video signal comes is used. Examples of such a display include a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, and a field emission display. And as shown to (a) of FIG. 1, the image | video R for right eyes and the image | video L for left eyes are alternately displayed on at least one part of the screen of an electronic display, and the whole screen in a present Example.

  In the shutter step, at least the left-eye image L is alternately transmitted in the direction of the left eye of the observer, and the right-eye image R is alternately transmitted in the direction of the observer's right eye. Here, the direction of the left eye of the observer corresponds to the “first observation direction”, and the direction of the right eye of the observer corresponds to the “second observation direction”. Further, in the shutter step, light from the electronic display is shielded for a certain period in both the left eye direction and the right eye direction.

  Here, the video display procedure of the storage / overwrite display such as a liquid crystal display will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the transition of two videos of the left-eye video L and the right-eye video R on the assumption that the response speed of the display element of the storage / overwrite display is zero, that is, an instantaneous response. This is shown schematically.

  As is apparent from FIG. 2, even in the storage / overwrite display, there is a period in which either the left or right video is displayed independently in the vicinity of the vertical blanking period VBI (Vertical Blanking Interval). For example, the right-eye video R is displayed independently in FIGS. 2A and 2N, and the left-eye video L is separately displayed in FIGS. The electronic shutter on the eye side corresponding to only the period displayed alone is opened (referred to as “on” or “transmission” as appropriate), and both eyes are closed during other periods (appropriately “off”, Referred to as “light shielding”). As a result, only the left-eye video L can be observed for the left eye, and only the right-eye video R can be observed for the right eye. As a result, the observer can recognize a stereoscopic image.

  FIG. 3 illustrates the video display timing and shutter opening / closing timing in more detail in the case of the normal NTSC system. The NTSC method is an interlace method with 525 horizontal scanning lines and 30 frames per second. The horizontal scanning frequency is 15.75 kHz, and the vertical scanning frequency is 60 Hz.

In FIG. 3, T1 to T6 indicate the following contents, respectively.
T1: One frame period T2: Period from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal to the start point of the video signal T3: Period of the video signal T4: Vertical blanking period T5: Open from closing (off) of the electronic shutter of the glasses with electronic shutter Response time to (on) T6: Response time from opening to closing in electronic shutter of glasses with electronic shutter

  When the first field of one frame is used for the video for the right eye and the latter field is used for the video for the left eye, the time from the start of the first vertical synchronization signal of each frame, that is, the vertical synchronization signal of the video for the right eye. It becomes the start point of the video signal R for the right eye after T2. From this point of time, overwriting of the right-eye video R on the left-eye video L that has been displayed until then starts. For this reason, it is necessary to close the shutter of the left eye of the glasses with an electronic shutter that have been opened so far. Considering the response time T6 from opening to closing of the electronic shutter, the signal of the electronic shutter for the left eye is closed after T7 = T2−T6 from the vertical synchronization signal of the video R for the right eye.

  Next, the right-eye video signal R ends after a time T3 from the start point of the right-eye video signal R. For this reason, it is necessary to open the shutter of the right eye of the glasses with electronic shutter by this end point. Considering the response time T5 from closing to opening of the electronic shutter, the signal of the electronic shutter for the right eye is opened after T8 = T2 + T3−T5 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the video signal R for the right eye. This is sequentially repeated, and the signal of the right-eye electronic shutter is closed after time T7 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the left-eye video L. Further, the electronic shutter signal for the left eye is opened after a time T8 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the left-eye video L.

  According to the present embodiment, the period in which the left and right electronic shutters are temporarily closed simultaneously is the overwriting period in which the left and right images are mixed on the display. Thus, the observer does not recognize the left-eye video L and the right-eye video R redundantly even when using the storage / overwrite display. As a result, the observer can observe a good stereoscopic image by using the left eye image L and the right eye image R. As described above, a simple and inexpensive stereoscopic image display method can be provided by using a generally available storage / overwrite display.

(First modification)
Next, a first modification of the first embodiment will be described. When the electronic shutter of the glasses with the electronic shutter is opened and closed at the timing of FIG. 1 as described above, the period during which the electronic shutter is open is relatively short. For this reason, when the display is not bright enough, the observed stereoscopic image may feel dark.

  For this reason, in this modification, when the display is not sufficiently bright, an area for displaying a 3D (stereoscopic) image is limited to a part of the screen. FIG. 4 shows a screen when the 3D video display area is limited.

  FIG. 5 shows the opening / closing timing of the electronic shutter in the glasses with the electronic shutter at this time. When overwriting of the display area of the left-eye 3D video is over and overwriting of the 2D (planar) video area without parallax is started, the electronic shutter of the left eye of the glasses with electronic shutter is opened. The left-eye electronic shutter is closed when entering the overwriting of the right-eye 3D video display area, and the right-eye electronic shutter is opened when the overwriting of the right-eye 3D video display area is completed. By repeating this right and left, the time during which the electronic shutter is opened becomes longer than when the opening / closing timing shown in FIG. 1 is used. As a result, the observed image is felt bright.

  FIG. 6 shows the video signal timing and the shutter opening / closing timing when the 3D display area is limited and displayed by the normal NTSC system. Times T1 to T6 are the same as those in FIG. Time T9 is a period from the start point of the video signal to the 3D video display area start point, and time T10 is a period of the 3D video display area.

  When the first field of one frame is used for the video for the right eye and the subsequent field is used for the video for the left eye, the first vertical synchronization signal of each frame, that is, the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the video R for the right eye It becomes the start point of the video signal for the right eye after time T2, and becomes the start point of the 3D display area in the video signal for the right eye after this time T9. From this point of time, overwriting of the 3D display area of the right-eye image R on the 3D display area of the left-eye image L that has been displayed until then starts. For this reason, it is necessary to close the shutter of the left eye of the glasses with an electronic shutter that have been opened so far.

  Considering the response time T6 from opening to closing of the electronic shutter, the signal of the electronic shutter for the left eye is closed after time T11 = T2 + T9−T6 from the vertical synchronization signal of the video R for the right eye. Next, the 3D display area of the right-eye video signal ends after time T10 from the start point of the 3D display area of the right-eye video signal. For this reason, it is necessary to open the shutter of the right eye of the glasses with electronic shutter by this end point. Considering the response time T5 from closing to opening of the electronic shutter, the signal of the electronic shutter for the right eye is opened after time T12 = T2 + T9 + T10−T5 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the video signal for the right eye. This is sequentially repeated, and the right-eye electronic shutter signal is closed after time T11 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the left-eye video L. Further, the electronic shutter signal for the left eye is opened after time T12 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the left-eye video L.

  With such a timing, a brighter stereoscopic image can be recognized on a liquid crystal display or the like under NTSC control.

(Second modification)
Next, a second modification of the present embodiment will be described. When controlling the electronic shutter of the glasses with the electronic shutter at the timing of FIG. 1 as described above, or the timing of FIG. 5 when the area for displaying the 3D video is limited to a part of the screen, the display element of the display is actually It is affected by the response speed. For example, response speed is generally slow in liquid crystal displays and plasma displays. Also, the effect of response speed varies depending on the panel and model used by the display. In this modification, the opening / closing timing of the shutter is controlled in consideration of the response speed of the display element of the display.

  Corresponding to FIG. 2, the transition of the video displayed on the actual general liquid crystal display is shown in FIG. For example, when the left-eye video L is overwritten on the right-eye video R, the pixel at the position on the display where the left-eye video signal has been written corresponds to the written value after the display-specific response time has elapsed. It becomes a predetermined brightness. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, an area in the middle of rewriting from the right-eye video R to the left-eye video L exists at the boundary between the right-eye video R and the left-eye video L.

  This response speed is a value specific to the display. Even in the same display, the response speed differs depending on the combination of the written video signal value and the overwritten video signal value. Therefore, when the combination of the display used for observation and the electronic shutter of the glasses with the electronic shutter can be fixed in advance, and the area for displaying the 3D video on the display can be fixed, the electronic shutter is attached based on the maximum response time of the display. The opening / closing timing of the electronic shutter in the glasses can be fixed.

  On the other hand, when a display arbitrarily selected by the user is used, or when an area for displaying 3D video is made variable according to video content, the opening / closing timing of the electronic shutter can be set according to the combination. It is desirable to keep it.

  FIG. 8 shows the opening / closing timing of the electronic shutter in the glasses with the electronic shutter at this time. After the overwriting of the display area of the left-eye 3D video is over and the time corresponding to the response speed has elapsed from the time when the 2D video area without parallax is overwritten, the electronic shutter of the left eye of the glasses with electronic shutter is opened.

  The left-eye electronic shutter is closed at the stage of entering overwriting of the right-eye 3D video display area, overwriting of the right-eye 3D video display area is terminated, and the right-eye electronic shutter is opened after the time corresponding to the response speed has elapsed. . Such a procedure is repeated for the left and right eyes. FIG. 9 shows a screen when the 3D video display area is limited and the response speed of the display is taken into consideration.

  Here, according to the response speed and refresh rate of the display, the response speed of the electronic shutter of the glasses with the electronic shutter, and the position and size of the display area of the content 3D video, the electronic shutter of the glasses with the electronic shutter is determined from the vertical synchronization signal. It is desirable to be able to arbitrarily set and control the time until opening and the open duration. Thereby, it becomes possible to deal with a wide range of hardware that is generally commercially available and distributed, such as displays and contents.

  FIG. 10 shows video display timing and shutter opening / closing timing when video is displayed by the NTSC system and the response speed of the display is taken into consideration. Times T1 to T6 are the same as in FIG. Times T9 to T11 are the same as those in FIG. Time T13 is the maximum response time of the display.

  As in FIG. 6, the first field of one frame is used for the right-eye video, and the subsequent field is used for the left-eye video. In this case, the right-eye image is displayed on the 3D display area of the left-eye image L that has been displayed until time T11 has elapsed since the start of the first vertical synchronization signal of each frame, that is, the vertical synchronization signal of the right-eye image R. Overwriting of the 3D display area of the video R starts.

  Here, it is actually possible to make the time T11 longer in consideration of the response time of the display. However, the display gradually begins to change from the time when writing into the 3D display area starts. For this reason, it is desirable to close the electronic shutter at the same timing as in FIG.

  The right-eye video signal 3D display area ends after a time T10 from the display start point of the right-eye video signal 3D display area. Further, after the maximum response time T13 has elapsed, the display on the display is also completed for the 3D display area. For this reason, the shutter of the right eye of the glasses with electronic shutter is opened at this end point. Considering the response time T5 from closing to opening of the electronic shutter, the signal of the electronic shutter for the right eye is opened after T14 = T2 + T9 + T10 + T13-T5 from the start point of the vertical synchronizing signal of the video signal for the right eye. This is sequentially repeated, and the right-eye electronic shutter signal is closed after time T11 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the left-eye video L. The signal of the left-eye electronic shutter is opened after time T14 from the start point of the vertical synchronization signal of the left-eye video L.

  Thereby, when the 3D display area is limited by the NTSC system and the response speed of the display is taken into consideration, a bright stereoscopic image can be easily recognized.

  Next, a stereoscopic video display system 100 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 shows a schematic configuration of the stereoscopic video display system 100. A DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player 101 reproduces a DVD created for 3D video with the odd field and the even field as images for the left and right eyes, respectively. The DVD player 101 corresponds to a video signal generation unit. The video signal SI from the DVD player 101 is input to the liquid crystal television 103 via the electronic shutter control device 102. The liquid crystal television 103 corresponds to an electronic display.

  The electronic shutter control device 102 extracts the vertical synchronization signal SV from the video signal SI from the DVD player 101 and detects the vertical synchronization signal SV. Then, after the time set by the switch 105 elapses, the electronic shutter for the right eye of the glasses with electronic shutter 104 is opened. Further, after the right-eye electronic shutter is opened, the right-eye electronic shutter of the glasses with electronic shutter 104 is closed when the time set by the switch 106 has elapsed. When the next vertical synchronization signal SV is detected, the same operation is performed for the left-eye electronic shutter of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter. This is repeated in the left-right order. Further, by switching the switch 107, the order of processing of the right eye and the left eye can be reversed.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the case of an interlace signal in the NTSC system, there are 59.94 fields per second. Therefore, it is about 16.68 milliseconds including the blanking period per field. Here, a liquid crystal television 103 is connected to the DVD player 101 as shown in FIG. The electronic shutter controller 102 is connected to the eyeglasses 104 with an electronic shutter.

  FIG. 12 shows the opening / closing timing of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter. First, the switches 105 and 106 are set in advance to around 8.34 milliseconds, which is 1/2 of 16.68 milliseconds. The DVD player 101 reproduces a DVD created for 3D video with the odd and even fields as left and right eye images, respectively.

  Next, when the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter are attached and the liquid crystal television 103 is observed, a portion where a stereoscopic image can be correctly observed and a portion where the left and right images can be seen double appear. When attention is paid to the lower part of the screen of the liquid crystal television 103 and the value of the switch 105 is gradually adjusted to be larger, the part where the stereoscopic image can be correctly observed moves to the lower part of the screen, and the part which is seen double becomes smaller. For this reason, the switch 105 is fixed at the place where this double-viewed portion disappears almost completely.

  Next, paying attention to the upper part of the screen, the value of the switch 106 is decreased. Then, a portion where a stereoscopic image can be correctly observed spreads above the screen, and a portion that looks double is getting smaller. For this reason, the switch 106 is fixed where the double-viewed portion is completely eliminated. Here, when the phases of the left and right images are reversed, the left and right electronic shutters are reversed by the switch 107. By such a procedure, a stereoscopic video can be correctly observed on the entire screen of the liquid crystal television 103.

  Note that the video used for the adjustment described above may be a 3D video in which a general odd field and an even field are images for the left and right eyes, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an image created exclusively for adjustment may be used. At this time, the adjustment becomes easier.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the observer uses any combination of commercially available devices is described as an example. For this reason, the case where it adjusts manually is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the devices to be combined are determined to some extent, the values of the switch 105 and the switch 106 are clarified in advance and only set to predetermined values. Further, when the combination of devices can be fixed in one way, the switch 105 and the switch 106 can be omitted and fixed values can be set on the circuit.

  Next, a stereoscopic video display system 200 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 shows a schematic configuration of the stereoscopic video display system 200. The personal computer 108 reproduces a video file created for 3D video with the odd and even frames as left and right eye images, respectively. The personal computer 108 corresponds to a video signal generation unit. The video signal SI from the personal computer 108 is input to the liquid crystal monitor 110 via the electronic shutter control device 109.

  The electronic shutter control device 109 extracts the vertical synchronization signal SV and the horizontal synchronization signal SH from the video signal from the personal computer 108. Then, when the number N1 of horizontal synchronization signals SH set by the switch 111 is detected after detecting the vertical synchronization signal SV, the electronic shutter for the right eye of the glasses with electronic shutter 104 is opened. Furthermore, when the number N2 of horizontal synchronization signals SH set by the switch 112 is detected after the right-eye electronic shutter is opened, the right-eye electronic shutter of the glasses with electronic shutter 104 is closed. When the next vertical synchronization signal SV is detected, the same operation is performed for the left-eye electronic shutter of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter. This is repeated in the left-right order. Further, the order of processing of the right eye and the left eye can be reversed by switching the switch 113.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The video signal SI from the personal computer 108 to the liquid crystal monitor 110 is set to a size of 1024 × 768 and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Further, the area for displaying the 3D video is 50% of the entire screen as shown in FIG.

  The number of lines per frame is 768 lines excluding the blanking period, and the 3D display area is 384 lines, which is half of that. Here, the liquid crystal monitor 110 is connected to the personal computer 108 as shown in FIG. Further, the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter is connected to the electronic shutter control device 109.

  FIG. 15 shows the opening / closing timing of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter in the present embodiment. First, the switches 111 and 112 are preset to 384. The personal computer 108 uses the odd and even frames as left and right eye images, and reproduces a video file created so that 3D video is displayed in the center 50% of the screen.

  Next, when the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter are attached and the liquid crystal monitor 110 is observed, a portion where a stereoscopic image can be correctly observed and a portion where the left and right images can be seen double appear to be mixed. Here, paying attention to the lower part of the 3D display area of the liquid crystal monitor 110, the value of the switch 111 is gradually increased. Then, the part where the stereoscopic image can be correctly observed moves to the lower part of the screen, and the part which is double-viewed becomes smaller. For this reason, the switch 111 is fixed at a place where the double-viewed portion disappears almost completely.

  Next, paying attention to the upper part of the screen, the value of the switch 112 is decreased. Then, a portion where a stereoscopic image can be correctly observed spreads above the screen, and a portion that looks double is getting smaller. For this reason, the switch 112 is fixed at a place where the portion that appears to be double is almost completely eliminated. If the left and right video phases are reversed, the left and right electronic shutters are reversed by the switch 113. By such a procedure, the entire 3D display area of the liquid crystal monitor 110 is in a state where a stereoscopic image can be correctly observed.

  Note that the image used for the adjustment may be a 3D image in which a general odd frame and an even frame are images for the left and right eyes, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an image created exclusively for adjustment may be used. At this time, the adjustment becomes easier.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the observer uses any combination of commercially available devices is described as an example. For this reason, the case where it adjusts manually is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the devices to be combined are determined to some extent, the values of the switch 111 and the switch 112 are made clear in advance and set to predetermined values. Further, when the combination of devices can be fixed in one way, the switch 111 and the switch 112 can be omitted, and a fixed value on the circuit can be used.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 14, the 2D areas at the top and bottom of the screen can be used for logos, explanations, and the like. In the example of FIG. 14, the fish name and scientific name are displayed at the top of the screen. A 3D video image of the fish is displayed in the 3D video display area. At the bottom of the screen, a description of the displayed fish is displayed. Thereby, the observer can observe as if he was looking into the aquarium tank. The present embodiment can also be used to display advertisements and operation guides. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, an image of the water surface may be displayed at the top of the screen, and a bottom sand image may be displayed at the bottom of the screen. This is an example of displaying an image without a feature point that positively generates parallax. As a result, the observer can view the video in a natural atmosphere as if it were a full screen display.

  Next, a schematic configuration of a stereoscopic video display system 300 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention is shown. The notebook personal computer 114 displays the odd and even frames from the 3D graphics file as left and right eye images, respectively. The notebook personal computer 114 combines the functions of a video signal generator and an electronic display.

The notebook personal computer 114 outputs the following data to the electronic shutter control device 115 via the USB interface.
(1) Vertical synchronization signal SV
(2) Signal for identifying right eye frame and left eye frame (3) Open delay time and open time of electronic shutter of glasses 104 with electronic shutter

  The electronic shutter control device 115 includes memory means for storing the open delay time and the open time of the electronic shutter of the glasses with electronic shutter 104 read from the USB interface. Similarly, the electronic shutter control device 115 detects the vertical synchronization signal SV read from the USB interface and the identification signal for the right eye frame or the left eye frame, and then opens the electronic shutter stored in advance. When the delay time has elapsed, the electronic shutter of the eye corresponding to the identification signal of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter is opened. Further, when the electronic shutter opening time stored in advance has elapsed since the electronic shutter was opened, the electronic shutter of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter is closed. When the next vertical synchronization signal SV is detected, the same operation is performed for the electronic shutter for the other eye of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter. This is repeated in the left-right order.

  Next, the operation in this embodiment will be described. The display image on the built-in liquid crystal monitor of the notebook personal computer 114 is set to a size of 1024 × 768 and the refresh rate is set to 60 Hz. The area for displaying the 3D video is 50% of the entire screen, which is the central portion of the screen. The drawing time per frame is 16.67 milliseconds including the blanking period, and the 3D display area is 8.34 milliseconds, which is half of that. Here, as shown in FIG. 17, glasses 104 with an electronic shutter are connected to a notebook personal computer 114 via an electronic shutter control device 115.

  FIG. 18 shows the opening / closing timing of the eyeglasses 104 with the electronic shutter. First, the environment setting software is activated on the notebook personal computer 114. Thus, 8.34 milliseconds are sent to the electronic shutter control device 115 as the open delay time of the electronic shutter and the open period of the electronic shutter, respectively, through the USB interface. The electronic shutter control device 115 stores the sent open delay time and open period in a memory means (not shown).

  Next, the environment initial setting software executed by the notebook personal computer 114 sequentially creates a right eye frame and a left eye frame from the adjustment graphics file. The right eye frame and the left eye frame are displayed on the built-in liquid crystal monitor. In addition, the notebook personal computer 114 sends the vertical synchronization signal SV and the identification signal for the right eye frame or the left eye frame to the electronic shutter control device 115 through the USB interface.

  Next, the observer wears glasses 104 with an electronic shutter and observes the built-in liquid crystal monitor of the notebook personal computer 114. At this time, a portion in which the 3D image can be correctly observed in the 3D display area and a portion in which the left and right images can be seen double appear to be mixed. While paying attention to the lower part of the 3D display area, the open delay time of the electronic shutter of the environment initial setting software executed by the notebook personal computer 114 is gradually set to a large value. Next, the open delay time of the electronic shutter is sent from the notebook personal computer 114 to the electronic shutter control device 115 via the USB interface.

  The electronic shutter control device 115 takes a long time to open the electronic shutter from the vertical synchronization signal SV. As a result, the part where the stereoscopic image can be correctly observed moves to the lower part of the screen, and the part that appears double is reduced. For this reason, the open delay time of the electronic shutter is fixed when the portion that appears double is almost completely eliminated.

  Next, paying attention to the upper part of the screen, the opening time of the electronic shutter of the environment initial setting software executed on the notebook personal computer 114 is gradually set to a small value. Next, the opening time of the electronic shutter is sent from the notebook personal computer 114 to the electronic shutter control device 115 via the USB interface. The time from when the electronic shutter control device 115 opens the electronic shutter to when it closes is shortened by the vertical synchronization signal SV. As a result, a portion where a stereoscopic image can be correctly observed spreads above the screen, and a portion that looks double is reduced. For this reason, the electronic shutter opening time is fixed where the double-viewed portion is almost completely eliminated. By such a procedure, the entire 3D display area of the built-in liquid crystal monitor can be correctly observed. This completes the initial environment setting.

  Further, in this embodiment, the case where the observer uses any combination of commercially available devices is taken as an example. For this reason, the case where it adjusts manually is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when an apparatus to be combined in advance is known, the electronic shutter opening delay time and the electronic shutter opening time can be simply calculated from the number of display pixels, the refresh rate, and the 3D display area. Therefore, the automatically calculated value can be sent from the notebook personal computer 114 to the electronic shutter control device 115.

  Next, a stereoscopic video display system 400 according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 23 shows a schematic configuration of the stereoscopic video display system 400. The opening / closing timing of the eyeglasses 404 with the electronic shutter in this embodiment is the same as the timing described in the above embodiments. This embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that the opening / closing timing of the eyeglasses 404 with the electronic shutter is performed based on the signal from the sensor 402.

  In this embodiment, the liquid crystal monitor 402 displays a discrimination mark (flip mark) for identifying the right eye frame and the left eye frame. (A) of FIG. 24 has shown the state which is displaying the frame for right eyes. At this time, a discrimination mark 405R is displayed at the right end of the screen. FIG. 24B shows a state in which the left eye frame is displayed. At this time, a discrimination mark 405L is displayed at the right end of the screen.

  Returning to FIG. 23, the description will be continued. The sensor 402 is attached to the position of the discrimination marks 405R and 405L on the liquid crystal monitor 401. The sensor 402 is, for example, a photo sensor. The arithmetic processing circuit 403 recognizes the discrimination marks 405R and 405L. For this recognition technique, for example, a known identification method or circuit disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-2497 can be used. For example, the determination signal addition circuit for the right eye frame adds the determination signal (the determination mark 405R) to the video signal for the right eye obtained by the right eye imaging camera. The discrimination signal adding circuit for the left eye frame adds a discrimination signal for the left eye (a discrimination mark 405L) to the video signal for the left eye obtained by the left eye imaging camera. The left-eye frame and the right-eye frame are alternately switched and displayed. The sensor 402 detects the discrimination marks 405R and 405L in the displayed frame. The discrimination marks 405R and 405L may have any pattern shape, pattern color, etc., as long as the patterns can be distinguished from each other. The arithmetic control circuit 403 identifies the detected discrimination marks 405R and 405L. Then, the arithmetic control circuit 403 performs the same operation as that in each of the above embodiments based on the determination marks 405R and 405L for the electronic shutter of the glasses with electronic shutter 404. This is repeated in the left-right order.

  An IC or CPU can be used as the arithmetic control circuit 403. In the case of an IC, the timing of the electronic shutter can be adjusted by adjusting the positions of the discrimination marks 405R and 405L and adjusting the volume of the IC. In the case of the CPU, the timing adjustment of the electronic shutter can be performed by adjusting the positions of the discrimination marks 405R and 405L or by user's arbitrary settings. When the CPU is used, an optimum value such as shutter opening / closing is stored in accordance with individual differences in response characteristics of the liquid crystal monitor 401, and can be automatically discriminated.

  Further, the arithmetic processing circuit 403 and a computer (not shown) can be connected by, for example, a USB interface. Thereby, communication control of the arithmetic processing circuit 403 can be performed from the outside.

  In general, if the processing performance when controlling the opening / closing timing of the electronic shutter is insufficient, the so-called reverse viewing phenomenon may occur in which the correspondence between the opening / closing timing of the electronic shutter and the display image is shifted. According to the present embodiment, the opening / closing timing of the electronic shutter can be reliably controlled based on the displayed image. For this reason, it is possible to always observe a good stereoscopic image.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a stereoscopic image can be recognized using glasses with an electronic shutter in a storage / overwrite display represented by LCD, PDP, and FED. For this reason, an inexpensive stereoscopic video apparatus can be provided by a combination of a display in general distribution and glasses with an electronic shutter, not a special display designed for stereoscopic video display. The present invention can take various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  As described above, the present invention is useful when a storage / overwrite display is used.

It is a figure which shows the control timing of the stereoscopic video display method which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the transition state of the image | video of a storage and overwrite type | mold display. It is a figure which shows the control timing when using an NTSC system in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a screen in a first modification example of the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the control timing in the 1st modification of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the control timing when using the NTSC system in the 1st modification of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the transition state of the image | video of the storage and overwriting type display in the 2nd modification of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the control timing in the 2nd modification of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the screen in the 2nd modification of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the control timing when using the NTSC system in the 2nd modification of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the stereo image display system of Example 2. FIG. It is a diagram showing a control timing of the stereoscopic image display system of the second embodiment. It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a stereoscopic image display system of the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a screen according to a third embodiment. It is a diagram showing a control timing of the stereoscopic image display system of the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is another diagram illustrating a configuration of a screen according to the third embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the three-dimensional video display system of Example 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows the control timing of the three-dimensional-video display system of Example 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the stereoscopic image display system of a prior art. It is a figure which shows the image | video for left eyes, and the image | video for right eyes. It is a figure which shows the transition of the image | video in a CRT display. It is a figure which shows the control timing of a prior art. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the three-dimensional video display system of Example 5. FIG. It is a figure which shows the discrimination mark in Example 5. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Stereoscopic image display system 101 DVD player 102 Electronic shutter control apparatus 103 Liquid crystal television 104 Glasses with electronic shutter 105, 106, 107 Switch 108 Personal computer 109 Electronic shutter control apparatus 110 Liquid crystal monitor 111, 112, 113 Switch 114 Notebook personal Computer 115 Electronic shutter control device 200 3D image display system 300 3D image display system 400 3D image display system 401 Liquid crystal monitor 402 Sensor 403 Arithmetic processing circuit 404 Glasses with electronic shutter 405R, 405L
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 3D image display system 11 Video cassette recorder 12 Electronic shutter control apparatus 13 CRT
14 Glasses with electronic shutter

Claims (9)

In the electronic display that continues to display the previous video signal until the next video signal comes, a display step of alternately displaying the left-eye video and the right-eye video on at least a part of the screen of the electronic display;
A shutter step for alternately transmitting the left-eye image in the first observation direction and the right-eye image in the second observation direction during the display step ,
In the shutter step, the stereoscopic image display method is characterized in that light from the electronic display is shielded for a certain period in both directions of the first observation direction and the second observation direction. In the shutter step, for a certain period of time during which light from the electronic display is shielded with respect to both the first observation direction and the second observation direction, at least on the screen of the electronic display The stereoscopic video display method according to claim 1, including a period in which video and the right-eye video are mixed. In the display step, the left-eye video and the right-eye video are alternately displayed only in a predetermined region of at least a part of the screen of the electronic display,
In the shutter step, for a certain period of time during which the light from the electronic display is shielded in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction, the left region is left in the predetermined area of the electronic display. The stereoscopic video display method according to claim 1, wherein the period is a period in which the video for the eye and the video for the right eye are mixed.   In the shutter step, the fixed period during which the light from the electronic display is shielded can be arbitrarily adjusted in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction. Item 4. The stereoscopic image display method according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The left-eye video displayed on the electronic display in the first observation direction based on a video signal for alternately displaying the left-eye video and the right-eye video on at least a part of the screen on the electronic display , A stereoscopic image display system having a shutter unit for alternately transmitting the right-eye image in the second observation direction,
  The shutter unit emits light from the electronic display in both directions of the first observation direction and the second observation direction, and at least the left-eye image and the right eye on the screen of the electronic display. A stereoscopic video display system characterized in that light is shielded for a certain period of time when video for use is mixed.   To observe a stereoscopic image that is displayed on an electronic display that continues to display the previous video signal until the next video signal is displayed, with the left-eye video and the right-eye video displayed alternately on at least part of the screen Glasses,
  At least a shutter unit for alternately transmitting the left-eye image in the first observation direction and the right-eye image in the second observation direction;
  The shutter unit emits light from the electronic display in both directions of the first observation direction and the second observation direction, and at least the left-eye image and the right eye on the screen of the electronic display. 3D image viewing glasses characterized by shielding light for a certain period of time in which video images are mixed.   The shutter control unit for adjusting the certain period during which the shutter unit shields light in both the first observation direction and the second observation direction to an arbitrary value. 6. The stereoscopic image observation glasses according to 6.   The stereoscopic shutter glasses according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the shutter unit is liquid crystal shutter glasses.   To observe a stereoscopic image that is displayed on an electronic display that continues to display the previous video signal until the next video signal is displayed, with the left-eye video and the right-eye video displayed alternately on at least part of the screen Glasses of the
  A sensor for detecting a discrimination mark for identifying a right eye frame and a left eye frame displayed on the electronic display,
  The glasses include at least a shutter unit for alternately transmitting the left-eye image in the first observation direction and the right-eye image in the second observation direction,
  The shutter unit opens and closes based on a signal from the sensor, and at least emits light from the electronic display in both directions of the first observation direction and the second observation direction. A three-dimensional video display system characterized in that light is shielded for a certain period in which the left-eye video and the right-eye video are mixed on a screen.

Images