JPH08275206A - Stereoscopic image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the value of use of the display device by obtaining distance information on a stereoscopic image. CONSTITUTION: A processor 18 is provided with an image processing unit 19 applying image processing to left and right video signals obtained from left/right CCDs 12, 14 at a tip of an endoscope and with a mark generating circuit 21 generating left and right separate distance marks corresponding to a parallax of left and right eyes for a stereoscopic vision in order to indicate a depth distance of the stereoscopic image. When the distance mark display mode is selected, the mark generating circuit 21 provides an output of a video signal for left and right distance marks resulting from a numeral indicating the distance to rod marks and the video signal is respectively overlapped onto the video signals of the left and right images. Thus, the distance mark is stereoscopically displayed in the stereoscopic image on a monitor and the distance up to a specific part is discriminated thereby.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device, and more particularly to display contents of a stereoscopic image display device for stereoscopically displaying an image obtained by an endoscope or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a stereoscopic image (video) has been photographed, and the stereoscopic image is obtained by photographing the same subject with left and right image pickup devices and displaying the left and right images alternately on a monitor screen in a time division manner. By alternately seeing the image of
Also, by observing the two screens displayed on the two monitors so that the left and right eyes overlap each other, stereoscopic viewing of the image becomes possible. Such a stereoscopic image is also proposed to be implemented in an electronic endoscope device. In this electronic endoscope device, for example, two CCDs (Ch
It is possible to stereoscopically observe the inside of the observed body based on the video signal captured by the arge coupled device).

[0003]

However, in the stereoscopic image display device as described above, a stereoscopic image with a perspective can be observed, but quantitative information about the distance of the displayed image is obtained. It is not possible. That is, for example, in observing the inside of the observation object with an endoscope, if it is possible to determine how far a specific portion in the display screen is from the endoscope tip portion or from an arbitrary position of the display image, it is derived from the endoscope. There is an advantage that the treatment with the treatment tool can be easily performed, and the position of the specific portion can be accurately grasped during other treatments, and the utility value of the device is improved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a stereoscopic image display device capable of obtaining distance information on a stereoscopic image and having improved utility value. .

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a stereoscopic image display device for displaying a stereoscopic image based on image signals obtained by the left and right image pickup units, in a depth direction of the stereoscopic image. In order to show the corresponding distance of, the mark generation circuit that generates left and right distance marks corresponding to the parallax of the left and right eyes for stereoscopic vision is provided, and the left and right distance marks output from this mark generation circuit are It is characterized in that the images are displayed so as to be superimposed on the left and right images constituting the image.

[0006]

According to the above construction, the generation pattern of the left and right distance marks is set in advance in the mark generation circuit, and the image signal of the left distance mark output from this mark generation circuit becomes the image signal of the left side image. , The image signal of the distance mark on the right side is superimposed on the image signal of the right side image, and the image is displayed on the monitor. Therefore, on the screen to be observed with the left and right eyes, a distance mark with a numerical value on, for example, a bar mark is displayed in the depth direction of the stereoscopic image. It can be judged quantitatively.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the circuit configuration of a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment, and this device is applied to an electronic endoscope. 2 shows the configuration of the distance mark, and FIG. 3 shows the overall configuration of the embodiment apparatus applied to the electronic endoscope. As shown in FIG. 3, a left lens (observation window) 11 and a left CCD are provided at the endoscope tip 10.
12, a right lens 13 and a right CCD 14 are provided,
Further, the irradiation window 15 is arranged so as to be connected to the light guide 16, and the video signals obtained by the CCDs 12 and 14 are supplied to the processor unit 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, an image processing circuit 19 for inputting the video signals output from the left CCD 12 and the right CCD 14 to the processor device 18 and performing image processing for each of the left and right video signals, An output circuit 20 that performs output processing to the monitor is provided. Further, in the device 18, a mark generation circuit 21 that generates left and right distance marks for indicating a corresponding distance in the depth direction of the stereoscopic image, a CPU 22 that controls the control, various operation buttons for image display processing, and the like. An operation unit 23 having a is provided, and an operation button 24 for selecting a mode in which the distance mark is displayed is arranged on the operation unit 23.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the distance mark generated by the mark generating circuit 21, which is 7 m in the embodiment.
Distance marks of m, 15mm, and 30mm shall be displayed at two places on both ends (only one place may be shown). That is, as shown in FIG. 2, at the left and right ends in the visual field space, on the left side, the farther away from the left side, the farther away they are placed.
A bar-shaped distance mark is displayed at the positions of A1 at a distance of 7 mm, A2 at a distance of 15 mm, and A3 at a distance of 30 mm, and similarly on the right side, B1 at a distance of 7 mm, B2 at a distance of 15 mm, and B3 at a distance of 30 mm. In this case, as shown by A _L (left side) and A _R (right side), the distances are long at the positions of the focal plane S where the object points at the respective positions are projected via the left and right lenses 11 and 13. The longer the bar mark is set, the longer. Therefore, the left and right rod-shaped marks A _L and A _R have different arrangement intervals as shown in the figure due to the parallax of the left and right lenses 11 and 13. Then, in the embodiment, a numerical value indicating the distance is added on the bar mark.

Further, B1 and B2 on the right side in the visual field space
, B3, the left and right lenses 11,
At the position on the focal plane S projected at 13, bar marks B _L and B _R that become longer as the distance becomes longer are provided, and the distance marks are given numerical values of the corresponding distance. In such distance marks A _L , A _R , B _L , and B _R , the patterns of the distance marks A _L and B _L are used for the left image, and the patterns of the distance marks A _R and B _R are used for the right image. Accordingly, these patterns (or pattern information) can be stored in, for example, a memory provided in the mark generation circuit 21, and can be read out as appropriate and output as a video signal.

In FIG. 3, a monitor 26 is connected to the processor unit 18, and stereoscopic eyeglasses 27 are provided on the monitor 26. Left and right images forming a stereoscopic image are alternately displayed on the monitor 26 in a time-division manner, and the stereoscopic eyeglasses 27 open and close the left and right lens portions in synchronization with the switching of the left and right images. Is. Other stereoscopic configurations may be adopted.

The embodiment has the above construction, and its operation will be described below. First, by irradiating light from the irradiation window 15 at the tip of the endoscope introduced into the body to be observed,
The inside of the observed body including the specific portion 29 is imaged by the left CCD 12 and the right CCD 14. This left and right CCD 12,1
The video signal obtained in 4 is used as the left and right images forming a stereoscopic image, and the image processing circuit 19 in the processor device 18
Image processing is performed separately by. Then, the video signal from the image processing circuit 19 is output to the monitor 26 via the output circuit 20, and the monitor 26 alternately displays the images of the inside of the object to be observed from the left and right in a time division manner.

On the other hand, the operation button 24 of the operation unit 23
When the mark display mode is selected, the CPU 22 control
The mark generation circuit 21 is activated by the control.
Distance mark A mentioned_L , B_L , A_R , B_R Pattern of
The video signal is supplied to the image processing circuit 19. This image
In the processing circuit 19, the distance mark A_L , B_L Putter
Video signal is superimposed on the video signal of the left image and
Distance mark A_R , B R pattern video signal is on the right
It is superimposed on the video signal of the image.

Then, the above left and right distance marks A _L , B
_The left and right video signals in which _L , A _R , and B _R are superimposed are displayed on the monitor 26 in a time division manner. A stereoscopic image will be observed. In Figure 4,
The distance marks A _L , B _L , A _{R on} the monitor 26,
The display state of B _R is shown, and as shown in the embodiment, the distance mark of the group A is three-dimensional at the positions A1, A2 and A3, and the distance mark of the group B is three-dimensional at the positions B1, B2 and B3. Is displayed. Therefore, by displaying the distance mark, it can be easily determined that the specific portion 29 is at a distance of 30 mm from the distal end portion of the endoscope, for example.

In the above embodiment, the distance marks are bar marks A _L , B _L , A _R , and B _R with numerical values of distance, but other graphic marks with numerical values, only graphic marks. A mark having only numerical values may be used as the distance mark.

Further, in the embodiment, an example in which the electronic endoscope is applied to display of an image currently being picked up is shown. However, when a recorded image is to be stereoscopically displayed, a stereoscopic image other than the endoscope is displayed. In the case of displaying, the present invention can be applied to display the distance mark in three dimensions.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The mark generation circuit generates left and right separate distance marks for indicating the corresponding distance in the depth direction of the stereoscopic image, and the left and right distance marks are displayed so as to be superimposed on the left and right images forming the stereoscopic image. , It becomes possible to obtain distance information on a stereoscopic image. Therefore, there is an advantage that the position of the specific portion in the display image can be accurately grasped, and the treatment with the treatment tool can be easily performed in the endoscope.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration when a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an electronic endoscope.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a distance mark in the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a stereoscopic image display device for an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display state of distance marks on a monitor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Left lens, 12 ... Left CCD, 13 ... Right lens, 14 ... Right CCD, 18 ... Processor device, 19 ... Image processing circuit, 21 ... Mark generation circuit, 26 ... Monitor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a stereoscopic image display device that displays a stereoscopic image based on image signals obtained by the left and right image pickup units, the parallax of the left and right eyes that stereoscopically view in order to indicate the corresponding distance in the depth direction of the stereoscopic image. Is provided with a mark generation circuit for generating separate left and right distance marks corresponding to, and the left and right distance marks output from the mark generation circuit are displayed in an overlapping manner on the left and right images forming a stereoscopic image. 3D image display device.