JPH06311535A - Stereoscopic image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a stereoscopic video signal without deterioration in picture quality due to decreased luminance or crosstalk inexpensively. CONSTITUTION:Right eye information and left eye information transmitted through an image pickup lens 3 are emitted to a lenticular lens 7. High parts M of the lenticular lens 7 are arranged in parallel with an array of a photosensing section A of a CCD 6 and the image of the right eye information and left eye information is formed at an interval of 1/2 picture element pitch in the horizontal direction on the CCD 6. Both left/right ends of the CCD 6 are supported by piezoelectric elements 8, 8 and displaced by 1/2 picture element pitch of the photosensing section A while being vibrated for a field period through the impression of a voltage. Thus, when the CCD 6 is at a 1st position, only the right eye information is formed on each photosensing section A and when the CCD 6 is at a 2nd position, only the left eye information is formed on each photosensing section A. Then the right eye video signal and the left eye video signal are alternately outputted from the CCD 6 for each field.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image pickup device for obtaining a stereoscopic image utilizing binocular parallax.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a stereoscopic image pickup device for taking a stereoscopic image, as shown in JP-A-57-75089, right eye information and left eye information are selectively introduced in a time-sharing manner into a single image pickup device. There is a configuration.

According to the above method, a liquid crystal shutter which is opened and closed alternately in each field cycle is required in each optical path in order to select right eye information and left eye information in a time division manner.

[0004]

However, when the liquid crystal shutter is arranged in the optical path, the amount of light applied to the image pickup device is greatly reduced, and the brightness is lowered.

Further, when the liquid crystal shutter is driven to open and close in a field cycle, the response speed is slow and crosstalk occurs, which causes deterioration of image quality.

Further, the apparatus itself is expensive because it requires two expensive liquid crystal shutters.

The present invention provides a stereoscopic image pickup apparatus which solves the above-mentioned drawbacks.

[0008]

The present invention provides a stereoscopic image pickup apparatus for picking up a stereoscopic image by forming first and second optical images having a parallax with each other on a single image pickup element in a time-division manner. An optical device that alternately forms the first and second optical images at an interval of ½ of a pixel pitch in the horizontal direction of the image sensor, and an image sensor that has a plurality of light-sensitive portions and non-light-sensitive portions that are discretely arranged. A three-dimensional image pickup apparatus comprising: means and a displacement means for displacing the relative position of the image sensor and the optical means in the horizontal direction at a predetermined cycle.

[0009]

With the above means, when the image pickup device is in the first relative position with respect to the optical device, the image pickup device picks up only the first optical image, and the image pickup device has the image pickup device with respect to the optical device. When in the second relative position, the image pickup device picks up only the second optical image, so that the image pickup device alternately obtains video signals corresponding to the first and second optical images at a predetermined cycle. .

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are views showing the configuration of the optical system of the apparatus of this embodiment in different states. Reference numerals 1 and 2 are mirrors that reflect the information for the right eye and guide it to the imaging lens 3.
Reference numeral 5 is a mirror that reflects the information for the left eye and guides it to the imaging lens 3 as well. 6 is a CCD having a plurality of photosensitive parts A and non-photosensitive parts B which are discretely arranged corresponding to pixels, and 7 is this C
The lenticular lens is arranged close to the CD, and one row of the photosensitive portions A is arranged for one mountain M such that the mountain M is parallel to the row of the photosensitive portions A of the CCD 6. The lenticular lens 7 images the information for the right eye and the information for the left eye in the horizontal direction on the CCD 7 at intervals of 1/2 pixel pitch.

Numerals 8 and 8 are piezoelectric elements such as bimorphs which mechanically support the left and right ends of the CCD 6 and which are oscillated in a field cycle by application of a voltage so that a half pixel pitch of the photosensitive portion A is obtained. It is designed to be displaced.

Therefore, when the CCD 6 is in the position shown in FIG. 1A, only the information for the right eye is imaged on each photosensitive section A, and
When in the position B, only the information for the left eye is imaged on each photosensitive portion A.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the synchronization pulse generation circuit 9
The piezoelectric element drive circuit 10 based on the vertical synchronizing pulse a from
Generates a piezoelectric element drive voltage b whose voltage value changes in the field cycle. When this piezoelectric element drive voltage b is applied to the piezoelectric element 8, the piezoelectric element 8 is displaced with a slight response delay like 34c. Therefore, the period during which the CCD 6 moves from the position shown in FIG. 1A to the position shown in FIG. 1B is as shown in FIG. 3D. Then, when the drive voltage is high, the CCD 6 moves to the position of FIG. 1A and picks up only the right eye information, and when it is low, it moves to the position of FIG. 1B and picks up the left eye information only.

On the other hand, the CCD 6 operates in the field accumulation mode, and normally the accumulation is started by the vertical synchronizing pulse a and is accumulated for one field period until the next vertical synchronizing pulse a. However, if the charge is accumulated over the entire period of one field, electric charges are accumulated even during the CCD movement period, which causes blurring of the image.

For this reason, in this embodiment, the CCD 6 is not exposed during movement. That is, the timing pulse generation circuit 11 uses the vertical synchronization pulse a to generate the CCD 6
The charge sweep pulse e is generated in consideration of the movement period of the. When this charge sweep pulse e is supplied to the CCD 6, all the charges accumulated up to that point are swept to the drain (not shown). Then, the charges after this pulse are accumulated, and the charges accumulated by the charge transfer pulse f generated based on the vertical synchronizing pulse a are simultaneously transferred from the photosensitive section to the charge transfer section. Therefore, the exposure period is the period excluding the CCD movement period in one field as shown in FIG. 3G, and no blur occurs. Then, the charges exposed during the exposure period are output from the CCD 6 in the next field as shown in FIG. 3h, and the signal processing circuit 12 performs the camera signal processing similar to the conventional one.

The means for vibrating the CCD 6 may be an electromagnetic type other than the piezoelectric element.

Instead of vibrating the CCD 6, the lenticular lens 7 may be vibrated in the range of 1/2 pitch.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, since it is not necessary to use a liquid crystal shutter, there is no deterioration in image quality due to a decrease in luminance or crosstalk, and a stereoscopic video signal can be obtained at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a stereoscopic imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a drive circuit of the device of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a time chart of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, 4, 5 Mirror 3 Imaging lens 6 CCD 7 Lenticular lens 8 Piezoelectric element

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A stereoscopic image pickup apparatus for picking up a stereoscopic image by forming first and second optical images having a parallax with each other on a single image pickup element in a time-division manner. An image pickup device having a light-sensitive part and a non-light-sensitive part; an optical means for alternately forming the first and second optical images at 1/2 intervals of a horizontal pixel pitch of the image pickup device; Displacement means for displacing the relative position in the horizontal direction with the optical means at a predetermined cycle, and when the image pickup device is in the first relative position with respect to the optical means, the image pickup device has only the first optical image. The three-dimensional image pickup device, wherein the image pickup element picks up only the second optical image when the image pickup element is in a second relative position to the optical unit. 2. The optical means comprises a single imaging lens,
The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of mirrors that guide the first and second optical images to the imaging lens, and a lenticular lens disposed between the imaging lens and the imaging element. 3. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined period is a field period or a frame period. 4. The displacement means is a piezoelectric element.
The stereoscopic imaging device described.