JPH08201940A - Stereoscopic image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a device capable of obtaining three-dimensional video information in an easily visual and hardly fatigued state by aligning a gaze point with a focal position, as for a three-dimensional image pickup device using a parallax between both eyes. CONSTITUTION: The stereoscopic image pickup device is provided with a pair of lens barrels 1 and 2 rotatably supported with leaving an interval of a prescribed base length for obtaining image pickup information for a left eye, or a right eye, focusing lenses 105A and 105B incorporated in the lens barrels 1 and 2 and for focusing, a position sensor 133 for detecting each position of the focusing lenses 105A and 105B and a CPU for performing the rotational control of each convergence angle of the lens barrels 1 and 2 so as to align the gaze point of the lens barrels 1 and 2 with the focal position based on the information outputted from the position sensor 133, the information on the focal distance of a zoom lens and the information on the base length of the pair of lens barrels 1 and 2.

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 apparatus, and more specifically, a pair of photographing optical systems is used to photograph left-eye and right-eye images to obtain stereoscopic image information utilizing parallax between both eyes. The present invention relates to a stereoscopic photographing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been known to obtain a stereoscopic image by observing and fusing images of both eyes using the principle of binocular parallax. As a stereoscopic photographing apparatus for obtaining the stereoscopic image, as shown in FIG.
1, 202 is a device for setting the optical axes O1 and O2 of the lens system toward a subject 204 with a fixed interval, that is, a base line length, for the stereoscopic image through the lens system 201 and 202. A stereoscopic imaging device 203 that obtains the left-eye image information and the right-eye image information is widely known.

Among the above-mentioned three-dimensional image pickup apparatuses, there are one in which the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of lens systems, that is, the angle of convergence is fixed, and one in which the angle of convergence can be changed according to the position of the subject. . As the latter optical axis variable stereoscopic imaging device,
There is a three-dimensional imaging device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-25842. This apparatus is configured such that the subject is first focused and the convergence angle of the lens system is changed so as to correspond to the obtained distance information to the subject.

[0004]

In a stereoscopic image pickup device to which the two optical systems having fixed convergence angles (hereinafter referred to as 3D lens systems) are applied, the object is an intersection point of the left and right lens optical axes, that is, a gazing point. When it is located near the intersection, it is good, but when it is out of the intersection, there is no subject at the positions where the left and right lens systems are gazing. And
When stereoscopically viewing the left and right screens photographed in such a state, the observer observes the screen in a state of more open eyes or eyes, which causes a great feeling of fatigue.

Further, in the three-dimensional photographing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 25842/1990, a 3D lens system for changing the convergence angle according to the position of the subject is applied, so that the subject is focused and the subject is focused. The procedure is to detect the distance to and change the convergence angle of the lens system according to the distance. However, considering the case where there is a movement in the subject, or when the shooting conditions have changed such as when performing pan and tilt operations, distance measurement and focusing drive for the subject are performed again, and the convergence angle is adjusted again to that distance. Since the procedure is taken, it becomes impossible to quickly adjust the gaze distance and the focus distance, which again causes the observer to feel tired.

When the photographing is restarted after the power is turned off, especially when a scene completely different from the previous photographing is taken, the convergence angle and the focal length are set at the previous photographing. If it is left as it is, depending on the condition of the subject, the left and right images cannot be fused, or the field of view is narrow, making it difficult to observe.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and stereoscopic photographing capable of quickly adjusting the convergence angle of a pair of photographing optical systems and suppressing a feeling of fatigue given to an observer. A first object is to provide a device. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic photographing device capable of quickly focusing on a focus position corresponding to the angle of convergence of a pair of photographing optical systems and suppressing a feeling of fatigue given to an observer. . Also, after turning off the power once,
A third object is to provide a stereoscopic imaging device that allows easy observation at the start of imaging even when it is turned on again.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the stereoscopic image pickup is automatically performed so that the point where the optical axes of the pair of image pickup optical systems intersect and the in-focus position substantially coincide with each other. In a stereoscopic imaging apparatus that is controlled dynamically, a focus optical member for performing focus adjustment, a position detection unit that detects the position of the focus optical member, output information from the position detection unit, and information unique to the imaging optical system are included. Based on this, there is provided a convergence angle control means for controlling the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems so that the point where the optical axes intersect and the in-focus position substantially coincide with each other. In the stereoscopic photographing device, based on the output information from the position detection means and the information specific to the photographing optical system, the pair of photographing optical systems is arranged so that the point where the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems intersect and the in-focus position coincides. The convergence angle drive of the system is performed.

A stereoscopic photographing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a stereoscopic photographing apparatus which is automatically controlled so that a point where the optical axes of a pair of photographing optical systems intersect with each other and a focusing position substantially coincide with each other. In, the focus optical member for adjusting the focus, the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems, and the point where the optical axes intersect based on information specific to the photographing optical system and the focusing position are substantially And a focus control means for controlling the position of the focus optical member so as to coincide with. In the stereoscopic photographing device, the focus optical member is arranged so that the point where the optical axes intersect and the in-focus position substantially match based on the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems and information specific to the photographing optical system. The position of is controlled.

A stereoscopic photographing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is a stereoscopic photographing apparatus which is automatically controlled so that a point where the optical axes of a pair of photographing optical systems intersect and a focusing position substantially coincide with each other. In, the focus optical member for performing focus adjustment, the power switch, and when the power switch is turned off, the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems and the position of the focus optical member are set to a predetermined reset state. Reset control means for shutting off the power supply to the device. In the stereoscopic photographing device, when the power switch is turned off, after the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems and the position of the focus optical member are reset to a predetermined state, the power supply to the device is cut off. .

In the stereoscopic photographing apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, the reset state in the stereoscopic photographing apparatus according to claim 3 is such that the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems is substantially 0 degree. The position of the focus optical member is set to the infinity in-focus position, and the focal length is set to the shortest vicinity.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A stereoscopic image pickup apparatus as a first embodiment of the present invention is a stereoscopic image pickup apparatus which observes left and right images with parallax with left and right eyes and fetches left and right image information for obtaining a stereoscopic image by a fusion effect. FIG. 1 shows the main block configuration of the stereoscopic imaging device. The stereoscopic photographing apparatus according to the present embodiment uses a camera block 51 that obtains left-eye and right-eye image information for stereoscopic images using binocular parallax, and the left and right image information described above.
It is a block that reproduces a stereoscopic image by the fusion method, and is composed of a reproduction block 52 that is also used as a finder at the time of shooting.

The camera block 51 is for taking in object image pickup information for the left and right eyes, and is for the chassis 3
0 (see FIG. 3) rotatably mounted on the left lens barrel 1 and the right lens barrel 2 as a pair of photographing optical systems, and image pickup output signals of CCDs 3 and 4 which are image pickup elements in the lens barrel. And the image pickup circuit 5 for the left and right lenses which outputs the left and right image information to a CPU 9 described later, and the CPU 9 as a control unit that controls the entire apparatus and also controls the image processing, and the lens mirror. A camera drive circuit 7 for driving a focus lens for adjusting the focus of the barrels 1 and 2, a zoom lens for zooming, an iris drive for exposure adjustment, and a position detecting means for the lens barrel. Of the focus lens, zoom lens position sensor, lens barrel rotation angle sensor, and the like, and the camera detection circuit 8 and the lens barrels 1 and 2 are rotated.
The angle formed by the two optical axes, that is, the motor drive circuit 17 and the convergence angle drive motor 18 for changing the convergence angle, and characteristic information for focus control of the lens barrel and the like are stored,
A memory 19 including a ROM, a power supply circuit 21 for supplying electric power to the control units such as the motor drive circuit 17 and the camera drive circuit 7, a power supply switch 20 for turning the power supply circuit 21 on and off, and the CPU 9 An image recording circuit 10 for recording the photographed image information processed through the recording medium, for example, a magnetic tape 11 and the like, and an external input detection circuit 12 for giving the CPU 9 instructions for setting photographing conditions and starting photographing. It is configured.

The reproduction block 52 is the CPU 9
Controlled by the image processing circuit 13 that captures the output of the image pickup circuit 5 and outputs the video signal to the image reproduction circuit 14, and the output of the image processing circuit 13 to capture the monitor 15 or an HMD (head) described later. mount
An image reproduction circuit 14 for outputting a video reproduction signal to a display 16 and a stereoscopic image monitor 15 of a lenticular lens type or a polarization type for stereoscopic image observation for monitoring left and right video signals, or for left and right images. 2 sets of liquid crystal displays and an HMD 16 composed of a reproduction optical system for observing the display image as a virtual image.

The CPU 9 has the image pickup circuit 5
The distance calculation circuit 9a for calculating the object distance based on the left and right image outputs of the above and the output of the camera detection circuit 8 and the focus lens focus control means, convergence angle control means and the like based on the above calculation results are incorporated. The camera drive circuit 7 is controlled.

The pair of lens barrels 1 and 2 are
The photographic lens having the optical axis O1 or O2 and the CCDs 3 and 4 which are the image pickup devices are built in, respectively, and are rotatably attached to the chassis 30 (see FIG. 3) at intervals of the base line length a. Each of them has the same structure, and the details thereof will be described below with reference to the longitudinal sectional view of the lens barrel of FIG.

The lens barrels 1 and 2 are lens barrels having a four-group construction, and the lens barrel 100 has a first group lens 10 in its lens frame 100.
The second and third lens groups 104 are fixed and held. In addition, a second group lens holding frame 108 that holds a second group lens (hereinafter, referred to as a zoom lens) 103 that is a zoom lens, and a lens barrel 1 side fourth group lens 105A as a focus optical member, or The fourth group lens holding frame 109 that holds the fourth group lens 105B on the lens barrel 2 side (hereinafter, both are referred to as focus lenses) is the guide shafts 112 and 1 supported by the lens frames 100 and 101, respectively.
It is held by 13 so that it can move back and forth in the optical axis direction. Further, the focus lens (fourth lens group) 105A,
Alternatively, the optical filter 106 and the C
CD3 or 4 is provided.

As a drive structure for the second group lens holding frame 108, a nut 125 is screwed onto the feed screw 111 as shown in the "D" partial section in FIG.
The structure is such that it is driven in the optical axis direction via the nut 125. During the zooming operation, the feed screw 111 is rotationally driven by the zoom motor 121 via the gear train 123 to move the lens holding frame forward and backward. The amount of movement of the zoom lens is detected by the zoom lens position sensor 126 as information unique to the photographing optical system, and is captured by the CPU 9 via the camera detection circuit 8.

On the other hand, a focus lens (fourth lens group)
The fourth lens group holding frame 109 for holding 105A or 105B has a nut 132 screwed onto the feed screw 115, and positioning is performed in the optical axis direction through the nut, which is used during focusing operation or zooming focus. At the time of correction, the feed screw 115 is driven to rotate by the focus motor 131 to move back and forth. The movement amount of the focus lens is detected by a focus lens position sensor 133 as a position detecting means of the focus optical member, and is taken into the CPU 9 via the camera detection circuit 8.

The above-mentioned left lens barrel 1 or right lens barrel 2 has a chassis 30 as shown in the schematic layout view of FIG.
Further, they are rotatably assembled at intervals such that the base line length a as information peculiar to the photographing optical system is obtained. The lens barrel 1 and the lens barrel 2 use the convergence angle drive motor 18 as a drive source, and the connecting gears 31 and 32 and the drive pulleys 33 and 3 are used.
4. It is rotatable via driven pulleys 35 and 36 and belts 37 and 38 in directions opposite to each other, and changes the optical axis O1 or O2 direction of each lens barrel to change the subject 4
It is possible to gaze at 1 or 42.
The rotation amounts of the lens barrels 1 and 2 are detected by the rotation angle sensors 39 and 40, and the CPU 9 is detected via the camera detection circuit 8.
Is taken into. Therefore, the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of lens barrels 1 and 2, that is, the vergence angle is calculated. As the drive structure, a structure in which only one lens barrel is rotatable may be applied. Further, a gear unit may be applied instead of the belt as the drive system.

The AF (autofocus) operation and the convergence angle changing operation by the stereoscopic image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described below. Now, in the schematic view showing the shooting state of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the subject 41 at a distance L1 from the lens barrels 1 and 2 is being shot. At this time, it is assumed that the lens barrels 1 and 2 are focused on the distance L1 and the convergence angle, which is the angle formed by the optical axes O1 and O2, is
It is assumed that the angle is set to an angle θ1 for gazing at the subject 41.

Considering the case where the subject 41 moves to the position 42, the movement of the subject reduces the contrast of the photographed image captured by the photographing system of the lens barrel 1,
The CUP 9 detects this and determines that the focus is out of focus. Therefore, focus lens (4th group lens)
The so-called AF operation is performed by driving 105A to a position where the subject 42 is in best focus. At this time,
The focus lens 105B of the lens barrel 2 uses the AF information of the lens barrel 1 as it is, and the focus lenses 105A and 105B make substantially the same movement.

Simultaneously with the driving of the focus lens 105A, the current position of the zoom lens (second group lens) 103 is detected by the zoom lens position sensor 126, and that is taken in as focal length information. Further, the position of the focus lens 105A is set to the focus lens position sensor 1
It is detected by 33, and it is taken in as focus lens position information. Based on the focal length information and the focus lens position information, the object distance information, that is, the distance information up to the currently focused position is called by the data previously written in the memory 19.

The relationship between the focus lens position information, the focal length information and the subject distance information written in the memory 19 is shown in the characteristic diagram of FIG. The characteristic diagram of FIG. 5 is the focal length information of the zoom lens. The subject distance L and the focus lens position, that is, the focal length fT at the tele end, the standard focal length fS, and the focal length fW at the wide end are parameters, that is, The relationship with the feeding position is shown.

Then, the lens barrels 1 and 2 are rotationally driven so as to gaze at the position which is currently in focus, and the convergence angle θ is changed so that the lens barrels 1 and 2 are followed. It is necessary to calculate the angle θ. for that purpose,
First, as described above, the convergence angle θ is calculated from the subject distance L read from the data of the memory 19 and the base line length (lens system interval) a based on the extension position and the focal length of the focus lens 105A. The calculation is calculated by the following formula. That is, from the relationship of tan (θ / 2) = (a / 2) / (L ² − (a / 2) ² ) ^1/2 (1), the convergence angle θ is θ = 2 × tan ^{− 1} - the {(a / 2) / ( L 2 (a / 2) 2) 1/2} ......... (2).

The calculation of the equation (2) is performed in the CPU 9, and the convergence angle drive motor 18 is driven according to the calculated θ. The lens barrels 1 and 2 are rotationally driven through the belt drive system, and the distance at which the lens barrel is in focus is always watched.

FIG. 6 shows the AF and the convergence angle changing process.
Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the shooting state of FIG. 4, the focus lenses 105A and 105 are initially set.
It is assumed that B is in focus at the distance L1 of the subject 41 and the convergence angle of the lens barrels 1 and 2 at that time is the angle θ1. If the subject 41 moves to the position of the subject 42, a focus shift is detected in step S1, and the lens barrels 1 and 2 operate to focus on the subject distance L2 in step S2.

In step S3, the amount of extension of the focus lens 105A at that time is detected by the focus lens position sensor 133 and is taken into the CPU 9. Further, in step S4, the zoom lens position sensor 1
The current zoom position of the zoom lens 103 is detected by 26 and is fetched into the CPU 9.

In step S5, the focus distance stored in the memory 19 from the focus lens position information and the zoom lens position information, that is, the focus object distance L.
Read 2. In step S6, the subject distance L2 is applied, and the CPU 9 calculates the vergence angle .theta.2 of the corresponding lens barrel based on the equation (2). However, (2)
In the equation, the distance L corresponds to the distance L2 and the angle θ corresponds to the angle θ2.

In step S7, the rotational driving of the lens barrel is started with respect to the convergence angle θ2 obtained by the above calculation.
After the AF operation of the focus lens is completed, step S
In step 8, the drive of the focus lens is stopped, and after the convergence angle of the lens barrel reaches the angle θ2, step S9
Then, the drive of the convergence angle motor 18 is stopped, and this routine is finished. In this way, the vergence angle of the pair of lens barrels always changes in association with the subject distance.

As described above, according to the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of this embodiment, the convergence angle θ formed by the optical axes of the lens barrels 1 and 2 is the subject distance L.
It is possible to change the convergence angle θ of the lens barrel by interlocking with the movement of the focus lens 105A corresponding to the subject distance by using the fact that it is a function of It is possible to match the distance at which the eyes are converging.

Further, since the angle of convergence of the lens barrel also changes in association with the AF operation, the point (subject) that is always in focus, such as when the subject is moving or when panning or tilting is performed, is the center of the screen. This eliminates the need to look at the direction of the line of sight further into the eyes or open eyes, and prevents fatigue due to the observation of stereoscopic images.

It should be noted that the lens barrels 1 and 2 are not of the zoom lens type as in the apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment, but the same configuration can be applied when they are single focus lenses. In that case, The subject distance L is the focus lens 105
It is guided only at the positions of A and 105B. Other configurations, operations, effects, etc. are similar to those of the apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment. In the AF operation of the stereoscopic imaging apparatus of the above-described embodiment, a so-called wobbling operation is performed, in which the focus lens is vibrated in a small amount in the optical axis direction to detect the direction and amount of out-of-focus, which is a modified example. The device proposed as is a focus lens 105 based on the above wobbling.
The vergence angle θ is not changed with respect to the movement of A. In the case of this modification, since the movement of the focus lens due to the above-mentioned wobbling is very small, the shift between the gazing point and the focus position due to the movement is small, there is almost no fatigue, and practical problems do not occur.

Further, the AF processing in the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment adopts a passive method, but as a modification thereof, an AF method using infrared is adopted as a distance measuring method to a subject. I can propose. In this modified example, since the distance to the subject is directly detected, the focal length data is not necessary, and the memory unit can be reduced. Further, since the wobbling operation as described above is not required, it is not necessary to distinguish between the normal driving and the wobbling, and the control becomes simple.

Further, the focusing of the object in the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment is the AF processing, but it is possible to propose a modification in which it is performed by the manual focusing. Even in this case, if the position of the focus lens 105A is manually determined, the optimum convergence angle is set for the subject selectively focused by the same method as described above.

Further, in the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the processing is performed so that the convergence angle of the lens barrel is adjusted to the subject to be gazed, but it is still in the initial stage of photographing and It is difficult to set the vergence angle when is not captured by the taking lens. Therefore, it is possible to propose a device that can quickly set the convergence angle of the lens barrel even when the subject cannot be captured by the taking lens, as a device of the modification.

In the apparatus of the above modification, the current focus lens position information is fetched and the position information is used to determine the vergence angle based on the equation (2). Then, the convergence angle changing process of the lens barrel with respect to the convergence angle is executed. In the case of this modified example, the convergence angle can be set quickly in the initial stage, which improves usability.

Further, in the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment, the AF processing is performed by moving out the focus lenses 105A and 105B. As a modified example, the CCDs 3 and 4 as the focus optical members are used.
AF by moving the camera back and forth in the optical axis direction with respect to the shooting lens system.
It may be configured to operate.

Next, a stereoscopic photographing apparatus showing the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the optical device of the present embodiment, when focusing on a certain subject, first, the convergence angle of the lens barrel of the pair of photographing optical systems is changed, and following that, the lens barrel is changed. A method of driving the focus lens so that the focus point is always in focus is applied. The rest of the configuration is the same as the configuration of the apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Therefore, the same reference numerals will be used for the components.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, when focusing is performed, it is necessary to calculate the distance L to the gazing point from the present convergence angle θ of the lens barrel. Referring to the shooting state as shown in FIG. 4, the calculation formula is L = a × {1 + tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 / {2 × tan (θ / 2)} (3) .

The focus lens 105 is driven back and forth in consideration of the focal length of the lens barrel so that the distance L obtained by the above equation (3) is in focus.

It should be noted that the rotational driving direction of the lens barrel when changing the angle of convergence can be known from the focus information whether it is currently in the front pinning state or the rear pinning state. It determines the direction of rotation of the tube, and thus the direction in which the vergence angle should be changed. After that, the drive of the focus lens and the convergence angle drive are stopped when a subject in focus can be detected.

As described above, the convergence angle θ of the pair of lens barrels
By changing the extension positions of the focus lenses 105A and 105B in conjunction with, the point of gaze, that is, the point of converging and the point of focus and the point of focus are always in agreement. The feeling of fatigue can be suppressed even when observing.

In the apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment, the rotational drive of the lens barrel is automatically driven in a certain direction of the subject.
As a device of the modification, it is also possible to propose a stereoscopic imaging device in which the convergence angle is changed by manual operation when focusing on a subject. In the case of this modification, by manually determining the angle of convergence of the lens barrel, and therefore the point-of-regard distance, it is possible to focus on the subject that has been selectively focused in the same manner as in the above-described example. .

Next, a stereoscopic photographing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. When the power switch 20 which is the main switch of the apparatus is turned off, the stereoscopic imaging apparatus of the present embodiment sets the convergence angle of the lens barrel, the extension position of the focus lens, and the focal length of the zoom lens to predetermined values described below. Power circuit 2 after moving to the reset position
The power supply of No. 1 is completely turned off. Therefore, again
When the power switch 20 is turned on and shooting is restarted,
In the state of convergence angle, focus and zoom, the image captured in the reset state is stereoscopically observed.
The configuration of this device is similar to that of the device of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Therefore, the same reference numerals will be used for the components.

In the reset position or state of the apparatus of this embodiment, the convergence angle of the lens barrel is 0.
In other words, the parallel state is set to the reset state, the reset position of the focus lens is set to the infinite (infinity) focus position, and the vicinity of the shortest focal length (wide end) of the zoom lens is set to the reset state.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing when the power switch is off. When the power switch 20 is turned off, the zoom lens 103 is moved to the wide end focal length fW in step S11. To In step S12, the convergence angles of the lens barrels 1 and 2 are reset to 0 °, that is, the parallel state. In step S13, the focus lenses 105A and 105B are moved to the infinity in-focus position. After that, the power supply from the power supply circuit 21 is cut off in step S14.

As described above, in the apparatus of this embodiment,
When the power is turned off, the turning position of the lens barrel is set to a convergence angle of 0 °, the focus lens is reset to the infinity in-focus position for a far object, and the zoom lens is reset to the wide end. . Therefore, when the power is turned on and the photographing is started again, the photographing is started in the reset state described above.
Since the observation is performed with a wide field of view, even if the state of the subject this time is completely different from the scene at the time of the previous shooting, the entire scene can be grasped first and the degree of fatigue is reduced.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing the fusion-enabled area for each focal length and vergence angle. As a result of an experiment, the range of the angle formed by the line of sight of the human beings was confirmed. As a result, the range of -2 ° (diffused vision) to + 6 ° (converged vision) was obtained. , 9 are calculated fusion areas under each photographing lens condition based on the above results.

8 and 9, it can be said that the shorter the focal length f is, that is, the wider the fusion end area is, the wider the fusion possible area is. Further, it can be said that the fusion angle is 0 °, that is, the fusionable area in FIG. 9 showing the case of parallel viewing is wider than the area of FIG. 8 showing the case of convergence angle 4 °. In the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of the third embodiment, immediately after the power is turned on, the convergence angle of the lens barrel is 0 °, the focusing lens is in the infinity focusing state, and the zoom lens is Since the focal lengths are reset to the short and wide sides, respectively, it can be seen that the field of view is wide and the fusion range is very large.

(Supplementary Note) Based on the above-described embodiment, the stereoscopic photographing device described below can be proposed. That is, (1) a focus lens for performing focus adjustment, a sensor for detecting the position of the focus lens,
A pair of photographing optical systems, each of which has a sensor for detecting a focal length, driving means for rotationally driving the optical axes of the photographing optical system in a direction intersecting with each other, and an optical axis of the photographing optical system. A pair of detecting means for detecting the direction, a memory for storing the relationship between the focal length, the focus lens position and the subject distance, and a calculation section for calculating the data are provided. The stereoscopic photographing device characterized in that the power is turned off after driving the angle formed by the optical axis of the photographing optical system and the focus lens position to a predetermined reset position. According to the stereoscopic imaging device, since the convergence angle of the imaging optical system and the position of the focus lens are in a predetermined reset state when the power is off,
At the start of use when the power switch is turned on, the observer can observe an appropriate visual field range.

(2) In the reset state, the angle formed by the pair of optical systems is 0 degree, and the focal length is in the vicinity of the wide side.
According to the above-described stereoscopic photographing apparatus, when the power is off, the convergence angle of the pair of photographing optical systems is reset to 0 ° and the focal length is reset to the wide end side. A person can observe a stereoscopic image with a wider field of view and a wider fusion range.

(3) A pair of optical systems each having a focus lens for focus adjustment, a sensor for detecting the position of the focus lens, and a sensor for detecting the focal length, and the optical system described above. Drive means for rotationally driving in a direction in which the optical axes of the system intersect, detection means for detecting the direction of the optical axis of the optical system, and memory for storing the relationship between the focal length, the focus lens position, and the subject distance. And an arithmetic unit for calculating those data, and changing the angle formed by the two optical axes of the pair of optical systems in accordance with the position and the focal length of the focus lens. A stereoscopic imaging device. According to the stereoscopic imaging device, during imaging, it is possible to reduce the fatigue of the observer by keeping the distance to the gazing point due to the vergence of the pair of imaging optical systems in agreement with the focusing distance, Further, even when the subject does not exist at the point of gaze, it is possible to perform the quick convergence angle drive corresponding to the gaze point.

(4) A pair of optical systems each having a focus lens for focus adjustment, a sensor for detecting the position of the focus lens, and a sensor for detecting the focal length, and the optical system described above. Driving means for rotationally driving the optical axis of the system, detection means for detecting the direction of the optical axis of the optical system, and memory for storing the relationship between the focal length, the focus lens position, and the subject distance. And a calculation unit for calculating those data, and changing the position of the focus lens according to the angle and the focal length formed by the pair of optical systems. According to the above-mentioned stereoscopic photographing device, focusing is performed on the gazing point corresponding to the convergence angle while changing the vergence angle of the pair of photographing optical systems, and the gazing point and the focus position are consistent with each other, and the feeling of fatigue is suppressed. To be

[0055]

According to the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, during photographing, the distance to the gazing point due to the converging vision of the photographing optical system and the focusing distance are always matched. The fatigue of the person can be reduced, and even if the subject does not exist at the point of gaze, quick convergence angle drive corresponding to the gaze point can be performed.

According to the stereoscopic photographing device of the second aspect of the present invention, focusing is performed on the gazing point corresponding to the vergence angle of the photographing optical system while changing the vergence angle of the photographing optical system, and the gazing point and the focus position are always consistent. I am able to suppress the feeling of fatigue.

According to the stereoscopic photographing apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, since the convergence angle of the photographing optical system and the position of the focus optical member are in a predetermined reset state when the power is off, the power switch is turned on again. At the beginning of use, the observer can observe an appropriate visual field range.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the power-off state, the convergence angle of the photographing optical system is reset to 0 ° and the in-focus position of the focusing optical member. When the power switch is turned on again and the use is started, the observer can observe a wider field of view in a state where the fusion range is large.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a stereoscopic image pickup apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a lens barrel applied to the stereoscopic imaging apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic layout view showing a state in which a lens barrel of the stereoscopic imaging device of FIG. 1 is assembled in a chassis.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a photographing state by a lens barrel of the stereoscopic photographing device of FIG.

5 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the subject distance and the focus lens extension position, which is the data written in the memory of the stereoscopic imaging apparatus of FIG. 1 and has each focal length of the zoom lens as a parameter.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of AF and convergence angle changing processing of the stereoscopic imaging apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a power switch-off process in the stereoscopic photographing apparatus showing the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fusible area in the case of a convergence angle of 4 ° for explaining the fusible area in the stereoscopic imaging apparatus of FIG. 7;

9 is a diagram showing a fusion possible area in the case of a convergence angle of 0 ° for explaining the fusion possible area in the stereoscopic imaging apparatus of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a photographing state in a conventional stereoscopic photographing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ………… Left lens barrel (a pair of photographing optical systems) 2 ………… Right lens barrel (a pair of photographing optical systems) 9 ………… CPU (convergence angle control means, focusing control means, reset) Control means) 18 ... Convergence angle drive motor (convergence angle control means) 20 ... Power switch 131 ... Focus motor (focus control means) 133 ... Focus lens position sensor (position detection means of focus optical member)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A focusing optical member for performing focusing adjustment in a stereoscopic photographing apparatus automatically controlled so that a point where the optical axes of a pair of photographing optical systems intersect and a focusing position substantially coincide with each other. A position detecting means for detecting the position of the focus optical member, and a focus position and a point where the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems intersect based on the output information from the position detecting means and the information peculiar to the photographing optical system. A stereoscopic imaging apparatus comprising: a convergence angle control unit that controls an angle formed by the optical axes so as to substantially coincide with each other. 2. A focus optical member for performing focus adjustment in a stereoscopic photographing apparatus automatically controlled so that a point where the optical axes of a pair of photographing optical systems intersect and a focusing position substantially coincide with each other. And the position of the focus optical member is controlled so that the point where the optical axes intersect and the in-focus position substantially match based on the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems and the information unique to the photographing optical system. A stereoscopic image pickup apparatus comprising: 3. A focus optical member for performing focus adjustment in a stereoscopic photographing apparatus automatically controlled so that a point where the optical axes of a pair of photographing optical systems intersect and a focusing position substantially coincide with each other. And a power switch, and when the power switch is turned off, the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems and the position of the focus optical member are reset to a predetermined reset state, and then a reset for cutting off the power supply to the apparatus is performed. A stereoscopic imaging apparatus comprising: a control unit. 4. In the reset state, the angle formed by the optical axes of the pair of photographing optical systems is substantially 0 degrees, and the position of the focus optical member is at the infinity in-focus position. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 3, wherein is set to be the shortest distance.