JPH0530538A - Image recording device and image reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an image recording/reproducing device capable of correctly and quickly selecting and specifying multi-eye image signal indicating a stereoscopic image at the time of reproducing it. CONSTITUTION:Subject images making a pair are inputted by taking lenses 2a, 2b and a pair of stereoscopic image signals are written in a frame memory 6 through CCDs 3a, 3b, a video process circuit 4, and so on. On the other hand, stereo pair code data consisting of a stereo image identifying signal, L and R image identifying signals, a stereo frame numbers, etc., are added to the image signal by a data mixer/writer 8 and the added signal is recorded in a memory card 11. In the reproducing device, the stereo pair codes are decoded and correct stereo pair images are quickly retrieved and reproduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording device and an image reproducing device, and more particularly to a device for recording or reproducing a stereoscopic image by using a multi-view image signal, which manages the multi-view image signal. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various methods for recording and reproducing a stereoscopic image. In recent years, a so-called 2 method is adopted in which two image signals are captured by a photographing lens at different positions due to a video movie or the like and reproduced. An apparatus capable of recording or reproducing an ocular stereoscopic image has been put into practical use, and many proposals for the apparatus have been made. This stereoscopic image recording processing is performed by alternately or simultaneously using two image signals for L (left eye) and R (right eye), which are multi-view image signals, on a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, a solid-state memory, or the like. Recording is performed in different areas of the recording medium. In the reproduction processing, the L and R image signals are alternately read and reproduced in pairs from the recording medium. Then, on the observing side, for example, on / off of the liquid crystal shutters for the left and right eyes is controlled in accordance with the reproduction timing of the L and R image signals, and the L image is for the left eye and the R image is for the R image. Observe each with the right eye and see the stereoscopic image due to the parallax between both eyes. Therefore, it is necessary to correctly associate the L and R images with the eyes on each side at the time of reproduction, and the stereoscopic color television apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-23913 has been proposed as a proposal for this purpose. When recording a stereoscopic image, L,
R image signals are alternately fetched and recorded in a predetermined format. At that time, a determination pulse for identifying L or R is provided for each horizontal scanning line before the start point of the video signal on either L or R side. It is something to insert. Then, the L and R screens are identified on the basis of the L and R identification signals at the time of reproducing the stereoscopic image and reproduced correctly so that the stereoscopic image can be observed.

[0003]

However, the stereoscopic color television set disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-23913 is for shooting a moving image, and when the image is played back, it is always played back in the order of recording. It Therefore, as long as the L and R are identified, the pair of L and R images may shift,
In principle, problems such as combination with other image signals do not occur. However, when it comes to recording and reproducing still images,
At the time of recording, the pair of image data is not always written in the adjacent sequential areas of the recording medium. In particular, when the recording / reproducing apparatus is not dedicated to a stereoscopic image and is a device capable of processing both a stereoscopic image signal of a stereoscopic image composed of L and R images and a monocular image signal of a normal monocular image, a stereo image signal There is a possibility that the recording areas of the monocular image signal are located in a mixed manner. In that case, L, R
The correct correspondence of the image may occur.

For example, when the recording medium is a floppy disc, a stereoscopic image is formed in a portion where the monocular photographing is performed during the stereoscopic photographing or the floppy disc is in a toothless recording state (a state in which recorded tracks are erased before and after). When the signal is recorded, the monocular image signal recording track is interposed between the stereo image signal recording tracks. In that state, the L image signal is not always recorded on the odd-numbered tracks and the R image signal is recorded on the even-numbered tracks, and the combination of the pair of L and R cannot be taken. Specifically, for example, the first
When the L signal of the stereo image pair on the 0th track is recorded as the field image and the R signal is recorded on the following 11th track, when a monocular image is already recorded there, A vacant track is searched for somewhere and a pair of R signals is written to the track. When the stereo image is reproduced, the L image signal can be reproduced, but the R image signal to be paired cannot be reproduced because there is no clue to access the recording track. Even when the L and R signals of the stereo image signal are recorded as frame images, the same problem occurs if the monocular image data is interposed in the middle.

Further, in the case of recording and reproducing a stereo image in an image recording / reproducing apparatus of a so-called multi-screen, which is a large screen in which a plurality of screens as units are combined to form one large screen, Each screen is L,
It must consist of a pair of R images. Even in such a case, it may be difficult to correctly extract a pair of image signals because the number of screens that are each element is large only by distinguishing L and R as image management data.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience, and the identification information required because the multi-view image signals for representing a stereoscopic image can be correctly and promptly selected during reproduction. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus that superimposes an image signal on an image signal and record the image signal, and further to provide an image reproducing apparatus that can recognize the above information and reproduce a stereoscopic image correctly and quickly. To do.

[0007]

The image recording apparatus of the present invention is one of multi-view image signals for representing one stereoscopic image.
A first identification signal for the first information for identifying the stereoscopic image, and a second identification signal corresponding to the second information indicating which of the multi-view image signals the image signal is. A mode in which the identification signal generating means for generating, the first identification signal generated by the identification signal generating means, and the second identification signal are kept in a predetermined association with the corresponding one of the multi-view image signals. And associating means for recording. Also,
The image reproducing apparatus of the present invention, for each one of the reproduced or supplied multi-view image signals, a recognition means for recognizing the first information and the second information, and the reproduction or supply based on the recognition by the recognition means. Means for obtaining a signal for reproducing a stereoscopic image corresponding to the generated multi-view image signal.

[0008]

In the image recording apparatus, the first and second identification signals are recorded together with the image signal of the multi-view image signal in a state in which a predetermined correspondence is maintained, and in the image reproducing apparatus, the image recording apparatus is used. The first and second identification signals are recognized from the multi-view image signal obtained by reproducing or supplying the recorded image signal, and the stereoscopic image corresponding to the reproduced or supplied multi-view image signal is reproduced.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a main block configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

This apparatus is an image recording apparatus capable of using a memory card in which image signals of a twin-lens type stereo image and a monocular image are mixed or not recorded, and as shown in FIG. The operation of each control element of this apparatus is controlled by the system controller 1. The control timing of the operation is controlled via the SSG 10 of the synchronization signal generation circuit. And
In the case of recording a stereo image, the pair of taking lenses 2a and 2b arranged at different positions are respectively L (left).
And R (right) pair object images are captured and formed on CCDs 3a and 3b as image pickup devices. CCD 3a,
The image pickup signal from 3b is converted by the video process circuit 4 into two video signals which are a pair of stereo images which are multi-view image signals, that is, an L image signal and an R image signal. The signal is converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion circuit 5 and written in the frame memory 6. The frame memory 6 is not limited to the capacity for one frame and may be capable of writing data of a plurality of frames.

Subsequently, the digitized image signals are compressed by the image data compression circuit 7. On the other hand, a management code including a first identification signal for reproducing a stereo image and a second identification signal, which will be described later, is generated by a management code encoder 9 which is an identification signal generating means according to an instruction from the system controller 1. The code data is added to the compressed image data by a data mixer / writer 8 which is an associating unit for recording the code data in a manner in which a predetermined association is maintained, and is recorded in a removable card memory 11 composed of a solid-state memory. . The management code includes the first identification signal for the stereo image and the second identification signal.
In addition to the stereo pair code based on the identification signal, an identification code indicating a field / frame recording method and the like are also included. Then, this code data is stored in an area preceding the image data area.

The stereo pair code is code data necessary for reproducing a stereo image, and is written in a predetermined nth byte of the management code, and its bit pattern is shown in FIG. . As shown in the figure, the stereo pair code has an 8-bit structure. First, data for identifying the signal of the stereo image / monocular image is written in the data D7 of the 8th bit (bit 7), and 1 is stereo. The image signal, 0 corresponds to the monocular image signal. Data D6 of the 7th bit (bit 6)
Is L of the pair of stereo image signals which is the second information.
L / of the second identification signal for identifying whether the image or the R image
The R identification signal is written, 0 corresponds to the L image signal, and 1 corresponds to the R image signal. The data D5 to D0 of the sixth to first bits (bits 6 to 0) includes the first data for specifying a stereoscopic image.
The frame number of the stereo image of the first identification signal corresponding to the information is written. The stereo pair code in the example of FIG. 3 indicates that the image data is a stereo image signal, of which R image signal, and the frame number of the stereo image is 5.

When a stereo image is recorded by the image recording apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above, the stereo image data taken in through the pair of taking lenses 2a and 2b is used for the above-mentioned control. Processed in the circuit,
It is recorded in a predetermined area of the memory card 11 in a state of being mixed with the generated stereo pair code and other management codes. Also, when recording monocular images,
The monocular image data taken in through one of the taking lenses 2a and 2b is similarly processed by the above-mentioned respective control circuits, and is mixed with the generated management code in a predetermined state of the memory card 11. Recorded in the area. In this case, the data of D7 of the stereo pair code is set to 0. As described above, in the present embodiment, even if recording is performed in the same memory card in a state where both stereo / monocular image signals are mixed, the L and R image data of the stereo image is reproduced at the time of reproduction. It is possible to reproduce accurately without making a mistake in the combination.

Further, the stereo pair code can be applied to a device for recording and reproducing a stereo image on a large screen by the multi screen, and L and R for each unit screen constituting the multi screen. For the image data corresponding to, the same stereo pair frame number code data, stereo identification code, L / R identification code, etc. are also recorded as a stereo pair code, and many configuration screens are reproduced during playback. A pair of images can be quickly identified and searched from the inside by a stereo pair code, and a multi-screen can be reproduced. Although the solid-state memory is used as the recording medium in the present embodiment, it goes without saying that a floppy disk as a magnetic recording medium may be used for image recording. In this case, the data of the management code is recorded on the image signal by frequency division multiplex recording. Further, although the present recording device had an image pickup optical system, it does not necessarily require the image pickup optical system, and the stereo image data recorded by another image pickup optical system is taken into the frame memory, The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus for recording a stereo image signal by mixing the above stereo pair code.

Next, an image reproducing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a main block configuration diagram of the image reproducing apparatus. This reproducing apparatus uses the memory card recorded by the recording apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment, and similarly, even if the memory card is a mixture of twin-lens stereo image and monocular image signals, An image reproducing device capable of reproducing an image. In the case of stereo image reproduction, the image is observed using a liquid crystal shutter. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation of each control element of the present apparatus is controlled by the system controller 21. Moreover, the control timing of the operation is controlled via the SSG 29 of the synchronization signal generation circuit. When reproducing the image data, first, the memory card 11 in which the stereo image signal is recorded by the recording device is attached to the reproducing device. Then, L to R are passed through the data reader / separator 22.
The composite data of the image data and the management code data of is acquired and the image data and the code data are separated. The management code data includes a code indicating a field / frame recording method in addition to the stereo pair code based on the first identification signal and the second identification signal for a stereo image. The code is decoded by the management code decoder 27 and taken into the system controller 21 which is the identification means of the identification signal. On the other hand, the image data is
The image data expansion circuit 23 expands the compressed data and writes it in the frame memory 24. The frame memory 24 is not limited to one frame, but may have a plurality of frame capacities.

Therefore, the system controller 21 discriminates the stereo pair code, and if it is a stereo image, it is the data of the R or L image to be paired, and the stereo pair code data D5 to D0. Image data with the same frame number recorded in the memory card 1
The data is retrieved from 1 and stored in the frame memory 24. Subsequently, if the L and R image data taken in the frame memory 24 are field recording data, they are alternately time-division controlled for each field, and the D / A conversion circuit 2
D / A converted in 5 and video signal encoder 26
Then, it is converted into a video signal of the NTSC system or the like and output to the TV monitor 30. At that time, the system controller 21 is a means for obtaining a signal for reproducing a stereoscopic image corresponding to the stereo image signal, and the LR pulse generator 2
Via L, in synchronization with the output of the L and R image data described above.
Outputs a pulse for turning on / off the R liquid crystal shutter 31,
The liquid crystal shutter 31 is turned on / off to enable observation of a stereoscopic image. If it is found that the reproduced image is a monocular image by reading the stereo pair code,
As it is, the monocular image is reproduced without searching for the pair image.

Next, the reproducing process of the reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The memory card is inserted, the reproduction process is started, and the image signal of one screen recorded in the memory card is read. Then, in step S11, the stereo pair code recorded in the image signal is read to determine whether or not it is a stereo image (step S12). If the image is not a stereo image, the process jumps to step S16, normal monocular image processing is executed, and this routine ends. If the image is a stereo image, the process proceeds to step S13 to search the image data recorded in the memory card for L or R image data having the same stereo frame number (step S1).
4). Then, when one data is incompletely recorded at the time of recording and there is no paired data,
The process jumps to step S17 to display a warning that there is no pair data, and ends this routine. When there is a pair of data, the image data is taken into the frame memory 24, and the image data of the L and R pairs are alternately output, and the LR liquid crystal shutter is turned on / off in synchronization with the output timing of the image data. Then, the stereoscopic image can be observed (step S15).

Regarding the method of erasing the stereo image data in this apparatus, when erasing the data of the pair of L and R at the same time, it suffices to search for and erase only the same stereo frame number. become. Further, when only one data is erased, if the stereo / monocular identification code of the stereo pair code is rewritten to 0, the image data can be used as monocular image data thereafter. Also, when playing a stereo image,
Flickering occurs due to switching between the L and R screens,
The flicker can be suppressed by increasing the number of time-division cycles for reproduction during reproduction of stereo pair images.

This reproducing apparatus can also be applied to the reproduction of a stereo image by a liquid crystal projector. In that case, a pair image is projected on the projector side with polarized light corresponding to the L and R screens, and an observer observes it. On the side, it will be observed with polarized glasses. Also in this case, correct stereo images can always be reproduced by applying the stereo pair code. Further, even when reproducing a stereoscopic image using the holographic technique, a correct stereo image can be reproduced by applying the stereo pair code to the management code. Further, the stereo pair code, when the stereo image is printed on the original image of the stereo viewer and used, the stereo image is stereo / monocular, L / R,
Furthermore, by printing the frame number of the stereo image,
It is very useful for the user to select the original image to be inserted into the viewer device from the similar original images. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to still images but also to a moving image recording / reproducing apparatus.

[0020]

As described above, in the image recording apparatus and the image reproducing apparatus of the present invention, which one of the multi-view image signal is the first identification signal for specifying the stereoscopic image and the image signal in the recording apparatus. A second identification signal indicating whether the signal is a signal is superimposed on each image signal and recorded, and further, the reproducing apparatus recognizes the above information and reproduces a stereoscopic image. According to the above, the L and R image data that form a pair of stereo images at the time of image reproduction are correct and
It has a number of remarkable effects such that it can be selected quickly and can be applied to the reproduction of various stereoscopic images.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of an image reproducing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a bit pattern of a stereo pair code applied to the image recording apparatus of FIG.

4 is a flowchart of a reproduction process of the image reproducing apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

8 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Management code encoder (identification signal generation) 21) System controller (identification signal recognition means) 28 LR pulse generator (means for obtaining a signal for reproducing a stereoscopic image corresponding to a multi-view image signal) )

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. For each one of the multi-view image signals for representing one stereoscopic image, a first for specifying the stereoscopic image.
Identification signal generating means for generating a first identification signal corresponding to information and a second identification signal corresponding to second information indicating which of the multi-view image signals the image signal is, and the identification A first identification signal generated by the signal generating means,
And an associating unit for recording the second identification signal with a corresponding one of the multi-view image signals in a predetermined association. . 2. For each one of the reproduced or supplied multi-view image signals, the first information for specifying the stereoscopic image to which the multi-view image signal belongs and the same multi-view image signal are among the multi-view image signals. Recognition means for recognizing the second information indicating which of the signals, and a signal for reproducing a stereoscopic image corresponding to the reproduced or supplied multi-eye image signal based on the recognition by the recognition means. An image reproducing apparatus comprising: