JPH0832871A - Compound-eye image pickup device and compound-eye image pickup recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a compound-eye image pickup recording and reproducing device in which left/right video signals are compressed at a desired compression rate and the signals are recorded/reproduced. CONSTITUTION:Video signals from left/right image pickup systems 10L, 10R are processed by a video signal processing circuit 1, A/D-converted and written in or read from memory units 421, 422 by a memory control section 51. In this case, the signal is compressed by thinning out data in response to the compression rate set by a selector 3. The compressed data are D/A-converted via a selector circuit 43 and converted into a prescribed format by a recording and reproducing processing section 46 and then recorded. A reproduction signal is written ire the memory units 421, 422 from the recording and reproducing processing section 46 and read through expansion and D/A-converted from the selector circuit 43 and converted into a display signal by a display signal generating section 47 and then monitored.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a compound eye image pickup apparatus for obtaining two left and right image signals and a compound eye image pickup / reproduction apparatus for obtaining and recording two left and right image signals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for recording and reproducing a plurality of video signals by temporally compressing a plurality of video signals in the horizontal direction, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-38386, a stereoscopic video is recorded by a plurality of cameras. In some cases, a video signal obtained from each camera is horizontally compressed on the time axis and recorded.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the compression rate for horizontal compression is determined by the number of cameras to be imaged, the compression rate is set according to the recording mode and display mode. I couldn't choose. For example, when a stereoscopic camera inputs two video signals having parallax and stereoscopically views, the photographer cannot set the compression ratio and the like. Further, it is desired to cut out only a part of the screen for recording and reproduction when prioritizing the image quality in compression, but there is no one that satisfies such a demand in the related art.

Further, in the case of inputting a panoramic image by picking up images with a plurality of cameras and adjusting the overlapping portions of the image pickup areas of the image pickup systems, it is better to change the compression ratio according to the aspect ratio in terms of image quality. Is also effective, but there is no such device in the past.

The present invention has been made in view of the above requirements, and an object of the invention of claim 1 is to input an existing two video signals to the left and right with a compound eye camera and to use an existing VTR at a compression rate set by a photographer.
An object of the present invention is to provide a compound-eye imaging device that can be connected to an image recording device and the like for recording.

An object of the present invention is to convert two video signals obtained by a compound eye camera into a signal which has a compression rate set by a photographer and whose image quality deterioration due to compression is reduced, and which is already existing.
An object of the present invention is to provide a compound-eye imaging device that can be connected to a TR or the like to record.

An object of the invention of claim 3 is to provide a compound eye image pickup device capable of inputting two left and right images with a compound eye camera and recording only a screen area corresponding to a cutout amount set by a photographer from each image signal in an existing VTR. To provide.

It is an object of the invention of claim 4 to provide a compound-eye image pickup apparatus in which a photographer can freely set a cut-out position when cutting out a video signal.

It is an object of the invention of claim 5 to add a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup device to record and reproduce the input video signal at a compression rate intended by the photographer, thereby increasing the aspect ratio at the time of display. It is to realize a variable-eye compound recording / reproducing apparatus.

An object of the invention of claim 6 is to add a recording / reproducing function to an image pickup device to record and reproduce an input video signal with a clipping amount intended by a photographer, without deterioration of image quality. It is to realize a compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing device that changes the aspect ratio during display.

It is an object of the invention of claim 7 to add a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup device so as to record and reproduce the input video signal with a cropping amount intended by the photographer, and a cropping position freely set. The object is to realize a compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing device that can change the aspect ratio during display.

It is an object of the invention of claim 8 to provide a compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing a panoramic video from two input video signals by adding a recording / reproducing function to the imaging apparatus.

It is an object of the invention of claim 9 to provide a compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing a panoramic video without image quality deterioration from two input video signals by adding a recording / reproducing function to the imaging apparatus. Especially.

[0014]

According to the invention of claim 1, two image pickup means for picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain video signals, and compression of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup means. Setting means for setting the ratio, compression means for compressing the two video signals in the horizontal direction according to the compression ratio set by the setting means, and one horizontal scan for the two video signals compressed by the compression means. And a conversion means for converting the signal into a signal that has been delivered within a period.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the two image pickup means, the setting means, and the converting means are provided, and the two video signals are subjected to interpolation processing in accordance with the compression ratio set by the setting means to compress in the horizontal direction. A compression means is provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the two image pickup means, the setting means for setting the cutout amounts of the two video signals obtained from the two image pickup means, and a part of each of the two video signals. A cutting-out unit that cuts out according to the cutting-out amount set by the setting unit and a conversion unit that converts each part of the two video signals cut out by the cutting-out unit into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period are provided. There is.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the two image pickup means and the setting means are provided, and the cutout position adjusting means for setting the cutout positions of the two video signals are provided.
Cutting out means for cutting out a part of each of the two video signals according to the cutting out amount set by the setting means and the cutting out position set by the cutting out position adjusting means, and the two video signals cut out by the cutting out means. And a conversion means for converting each part of the above into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the two image pickup means, the compression ratio setting means, the compression means and the converting means of the first aspect are provided, and the signal converted by the converting means is recorded on a recording medium. Recording and reproducing means for reproducing the recording medium and separating and outputting the two left and right video signals are provided.

In the invention of claim 6, the two image pickup means, the cutout amount setting means, the cutout means, the conversion means and the two converted video signals in claim 3 are recorded, and the two video signals are reproduced. The recording / reproducing means is provided separately.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the two image pickup means, the setting means, the cutout position adjusting means, the cutout means and the converting means of the fourth aspect are provided, and the recording / reproducing means of the sixth aspect is provided.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the two image pickup means, the setting means, the compression means and the conversion means of the first aspect are provided, the converted signal is recorded, and the left and right video signals are displayed on the same screen during reproduction. Recording and reproducing means for outputting side by side are provided.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the two image pickup means, the setting means, the cutout means, and the converting means of the third aspect are provided, and the converted signal is recorded, and the two left and right video signals are reproduced on the same screen during reproduction. Recording and reproducing means for outputting the data side by side are provided.

[0023]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the left and right video signals can be connected to an existing VTR or the like and recorded at a compression rate intended by the photographer. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the left and right video signals with the compression ratio intended by the photographer and reduced image quality deterioration can be connected to an existing VTR or the like and recorded. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the left and right video signals can be connected to an existing VTR or the like and recorded with the clipping amount intended by the photographer without deterioration in image quality.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to record the left and right video signals with the clipping amount intended by the photographer, and to connect only the image of the portion to be clipped to the existing VTR or the like without degrading the image quality. According to the invention of claim 5, by adding a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup device, the aspect ratio at the time of display is made variable by recording and reproducing the input video signal at a compression rate intended by the photographer. The environment can be realized with one device. According to the invention of claim 6, by adding a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup apparatus, the input video signal is recorded and reproduced with a cut-out amount intended by the photographer, so that the image quality is not deteriorated during display. It is possible to realize an environment in which the aspect ratio can be changed with one device.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by adding the recording / reproducing function to the image pickup apparatus, the input video signal can be recorded and reproduced with the clipping amount intended by the photographer, and the clipping position can be freely set. However, an environment in which the aspect ratio at the time of display can be changed can be realized by one device. According to the invention of claim 8, by adding a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup apparatus, it is possible to obtain an environment for recording and reproducing a panoramic video from two input video signals. According to the invention of claim 9, by adding the recording / reproducing function to the image pickup device, it is possible to obtain an environment for recording and reproducing a panoramic image without image quality deterioration from the two input image signals.

[0026]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention. For the sake of simplicity, the processing block for the luminance signal is shown, but the same applies to the case of the color signal. In FIG. 1, 10L and 10R are compound-eye imaging systems that input video signals in synchronization with each other, and 1 is a video signal processing unit, which is a video signal obtained from the imaging systems 10L and 10R, and a luminance signal, a color signal, and a synchronization signal. Etc. are output. 2 is a control processor for controlling the operation of each circuit of the entire apparatus, 411 and 412 are A / D conversion circuits, 421 and 4
Reference numeral 22 denotes a memory unit, which is composed of at least two line memories LA, LB and RA, RB, respectively. Reference numeral 51 denotes a memory control unit, which performs writing and reading operations of the memory units 421 and 422 in accordance with instructions from the control processor 2.

Reference numeral 43 is a selector circuit for switching the video signals output from the memory units 421 and 422 according to the signal of the control processor 2, 441 and 442 are D / A conversion circuits, and 46 is a recording / reproducing process for recording / reproducing on / from a recording medium. The unit 47 is a display signal generation unit that generates a signal to be output to a display device (not shown).

Reference numeral 3 is a selection means 3 for setting the compression ratio of the recording signal. As a method of selecting the compression rate by the selection means 3, a method of selecting from a plurality of types of compression rates prepared in advance and setting the compression rate, a method of continuously setting the compression rate, and a combination of both of the above methods are used. The method is used. The image pickup unit and the recording / reproducing unit may be integrated, or may be connected via a cable.

Next, the operation of recording and reproducing a stereoscopic image by this apparatus will be described. First, the operation during recording will be described. After the photographer sets the compression ratio for recording the input video signal by the selecting means 3, the photographing is started and the left and right video signals S _L and S _R are input. The video signal processing circuit 1 extracts a sync signal and a brightness signal from the input video signal, outputs the sync signal to the control processor 2, and outputs the brightness signals Y _L and Y _R to the A / D conversion circuit 41.
Output to 1, 412. The A / D converters 411 and 412 digitize the luminance signals Y _L and Y _R to digitize the luminance signals Y _L and Y _R.
Output to 1, 422. Memory units 421, 422
In, the writing and reading are alternately executed by the control signal from the memory control unit 51.

The selector circuit 43 is a memory unit 42.
The video signals read out from the Nos. 1 and 422 are selected by the control signal of the control processor 2 to select the D / A conversion circuit 44.
Output to 1. The D / A conversion circuit 441 converts the input video signal into an analog signal and records and reproduces it.
Output to. The recording / reproducing processing unit 46 converts the signal into an appropriate format signal according to the recording format and records the signal on the recording medium.

Next, the recording signal generation process will be described.
Here, the setting state of the selecting means 3 at the time of shooting is 1
The case of the compression ratios of / 2 and 1/3 will be described, but the same operation is performed when another compression ratio is selected.

FIG. 2 shows control signals during the write operation of the memory units 421 and 422. Further, FIG. 3 shows a control signal during the read operation. In FIG. 2, 1H represents a horizontal scanning period. 2 and 3, the symbol W is a write operation,
R represents a read operation, and S represents a read / write stop.

As shown in FIG. 2, the A / D conversion circuit 41
Luminance signals Y _LD and Y digitized by 1, 412
_RD is controlled by a control signal from the memory control unit 51, and the memories LA and LB of the memory unit 421 and the memory unit 422 are controlled.
Are alternately written into the memories RA and RB every 1H period. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, reading is started from time T ₁₁ .

FIG. 4 shows an outline of data reading from the memory LB in the case of 1/2 compression. As shown in the figure, in this case, the data is thinned to 1/2 and LB ₀ ,
Reading is performed in the order of LB ₂ , LB ₄ , ... LB _2n . Since the reading of the compressed data from the memory LB is completed at time T _{12 in} FIG. 3, the selector circuit 43 next selects the memory RB and similarly compresses it to ½ to read the data. As a result, at time T ₁₃ , 1/2
The recording signal Y is generated by the signals Y _L1 and Y _R1 which are thinned out and are assigned to different time axes.

FIG. 5 shows the case where the compression rate is set to 1/3. Incidentally, at the time of writing, it is the same as in FIG. When the compression rate is 1/3, as shown in FIG. 5, the data read from the memory LB is performed as LB ₀ , LB ₃ , LB ₆ ... LB _3n.
, And the data is thinned to 1/3.

FIG. 6 shows the reading operation. Reading is started at the time of the T _21. As shown in FIG. 5, the memory control unit 51 performs the read operation while decimating the data to 1/3, and finishes the read from the memory LB at time T ₂₂ . Next, the selector circuit 43 selects the memory RB, and the memory control unit 51 similarly reads from the memory RB from time T _{23 according} to the instruction of the control processor 2. The read operation ends at time T ₂₄ . Next, the reading from the memory LA is started at the time of time T ₂₅ , and the compressed data is read in the same order.

The data read as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 is converted from digital data to analog data in the D / A conversion circuit 441 and output to the recording / reproducing processing unit 46. The recording / reproduction processing unit 46 converts the input signal into an appropriate format according to the recording method and outputs the converted signal.
Record on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape.

Next, the operation during reproduction will be described. still,
Here, the luminance signal will be described for simplification, but the same applies to the color signal. The video signals Y _Li and Y _Ri reproduced from the recording medium by the recording / reproducing processing unit 46 are input to A / D converters 411 and 412 and converted into digital signals.
The converted digital signal is stored in the memory units 421, 42.
2 and is written in the memories LA, LB and RA, RB as shown in FIG.

At the time of reading, the data held in each memory is expanded while being doubled, and the selector circuit 43 alternately selects the memories LA, LB and RA, RB for D / A conversion. It outputs to the devices 441 and 442. It is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converters 441 and 442 and output to the display signal generation unit 47. In the display signal generation unit 47, a color signal, a synchronization signal and the like are input from a circuit block (not shown), and video signals S _L1 and S _R1 for display are generated and output to the display device.

FIG. 8 (A) shows images L and R having an aspect ratio of 4: 3 obtained from the left and right image pickup systems, which are compressed and recorded in half, and the signals thereof are reproduced and displayed by the above operation. The reproduced images L ₁ and R ₁ obtained in this case are shown. Also,
FIG. 8B shows a case where the image is compressed and recorded to ⅓ and is reproduced, and in this case, a vertically long image having an aspect ratio of 9: 8 is obtained.

The expansion rate may be newly set by the selecting means 3 during reproduction. That is,
When a 1/2 compressed signal is reproduced, it is possible to display it as a vertically long image with an expansion ratio of 1 and an aspect ratio of 2: 3.

Video signal S to be reproduced again_L1, S_R1Is an example
For example, two polarization filters with orthogonal polarization planes on the left and right monitor planes.
Filter is installed so that the observer can
Method for stereoscopic viewing through optical glasses, or video signal S
_L1, S_R1At the TV field frequency with an electronic switch
Switch and the observer will synchronize to this field frequency
Wearing glasses with liquid crystal shutters that open and close alternately
System, HMD (head mounted device)
Display) using the_L1, S _R1Show
It can be used for various types of stereoscopic display systems such as stereoscopic viewing.
Can be

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the memory controller 51 operates and the memory data is read through the added image processors 431 and 432.

Hereinafter, the memory controller 51 and the image processor 4
The operations of 31, 432 will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, for example, at the time of 1/2 compression, every other data is thinned out at the time of reading data as shown in FIG. 4, but in the present embodiment, the memory control unit 52, as shown in FIG. Data in the memory is transferred to LB ₀ , LB ₁ , LB ₂ , LB ₃
It is sequentially read out and output to the image processing unit 431.
In the image processing unit 431, when compressing the input data by 1/2,

Y _L (i) = (LB _k + LB _{k + 1} ) / 2 (k = 0, 1, 2, ...) ... (1) Compresses by interpolation processing and outputs to the selector circuit 43. Hereinafter, the operation up to recording on the recording medium is the same as in the first embodiment.

When reproducing, the memory unit 421,
The data written in 422 is read out after being expanded twice, but in that case, it may be expanded while being interpolated by the image processing units 431 and 432, or it may be expanded twice by reading the same data twice. May be.

The expansion rate may be newly set by the selecting means 3 during reproduction. That is,
When a 1/2 compressed signal is reproduced, it is possible to display it as a vertically long image with an expansion ratio of 1 and an aspect ratio of 2: 3. Here, the linear interpolation is performed by the equation shown in the equation (1), but it is obvious that other methods such as spline can be used as the interpolation method.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 11, selector means 30 for setting the cutout amount and cutout position adjusting means 31 from the memory are provided. In addition to this, the present embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that the memory control unit 51
Is the operation. A feature of the operation of the memory control unit 51 is that when compressing each video signal, a part of the video signal is cut out and read out. The operation of the memory controller 51 is shown in FIG.
It is shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 schematically shows the memory LA holding the video signal for one line at a certain time. It is assumed that addresses 0 to n-1 are assigned to the memory LA. In the selecting means 30, for example, when the cutout amount is set to 1/2, the memory control unit 5
1 is from address k to k + n / 2−1 during the read operation
The data is sequentially read until the data amount is halved.

Even when the cutout amount is set to 1/3, the data is sequentially read from the addresses k ₁ to k ₁ + n / 3-1 and the data of 1/3 is output.

The read start address from the memory can be set by a signal from the cut-out position adjusting means 31. However, the read start address may be uniquely determined when the cutout amount is set by the selection unit 30 as the default mode.
The output data is recorded after being converted into an appropriate format by the recording signal processing unit 64.

The reproducing operation is the same as in the first and second embodiments. However, in this embodiment, since the amount of data is reduced by clipping, the clipped video signal itself is not compressed, and as a result, image quality deterioration does not occur. Therefore, the expansion operation is not performed when forming the display data, and the signals read by the recording / reproducing processing unit 46 and A / D converted are written in the memory units 421 and 422 as shown in FIG.

Next, at the time of reading, the memory controller 51 receives the signal from the control processor 2 and, after a delay T, starts reading. The read-out video signal is the selector circuit 4
The D / A converters 441, 4 are alternately switched by 3
42 is output. The video signal converted into the analog signal is converted into an appropriate signal in the display signal reproducing unit 47, and is displayed on the display device as a vertically long image having an aspect ratio of 2: 3 (1/2 compression).

Incidentally, the reproduction of the 1/2 compressed signal has been shown here, but the same operation is carried out with other cutout amounts. Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the compression method of the first and second embodiments and the compression method of the cutout of the present embodiment can be switched by a switch or the like to select either one.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 14 shows a block of the fourth embodiment. The parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. Here, a characteristic example will be shown when recording is performed using a recording medium having a format capable of recording a video signal having an aspect ratio of 4: 3 or more.
An example of displaying the output video on a display having an aspect ratio of 16: 9 will be shown.

In FIG. 14, a switch 32 is a means for switching the format to be recorded, and by this means, it is possible to cope with both a normal aspect ratio image of 4: 3 and a higher aspect ratio image, for example, 16: 9. . The image processing units 433 and 434 are connected to the memory unit 4
A compressed signal is generated from the video signals read out from Nos. 21, 422 by arithmetic processing.

The operation will be described below. Imaging system 10
The operations from inputting the video signals S _L and S _R obtained from L and 10 _R to writing them in the memory units 421 and 422 are the same as in the first embodiment. Incidentally, here, the imaging system 1
The case where the aspect ratio of the sensors of 0L and 10R is 4: 3 is shown. The video signal written in the memory is
The image processing units 433 and 434 perform processing according to the states of the switch 32 and the selection unit 3. Here, a case where compression and recording are performed according to the aspect ratio of 16: 9 will be described.

FIG. 15 shows the processing of the image processing units 433 and 434. The data L and R held in the memory units 421 and 422 correspond to the aspect ratio of 4: 3, as shown in FIG. The image processing unit 433,
At 434, the horizontal compression ratio is set to 2/3 and each video data is converted into an aspect ratio of 8: 9. As the compression method, linear interpolation may be used, or an interpolation method such as spline may be used.

By the above processing, as shown in FIG. 15A, two image data L ₁ and R ₁ having an aspect ratio of 8: 9 are obtained.
Is generated, and is output while being alternately switched by the select circuit 43, and is assigned to different time axes as shown in FIG. 15B. This signal is D / A converted, converted into an analog signal, and then converted into a signal according to the recording format in the recording / reproducing processing unit 46 and recorded.

At the time of reproduction, the video signal recorded from the recording medium is read out and input to the recording / reproduction processing unit 46. The recording / reproducing processing unit 46 extracts the video signal from the input signal and
It outputs to / D conversion 411,412. The signal converted from the digital signal to the analog signal is stored in the memory unit 42.
It is output to 1, 422. Memory units 421, 42
2 is a control signal from the memory control unit 51, which alternately writes each signal as shown in FIG.

Further, by reading out the video signals held in the memory units 421 and 422 while expanding them twice as shown in FIG. 16, the left and right video signals are converted into analog signals by the D / A converters 441 and 442. To be converted.
The analog-converted video signal is output to the display signal generation unit 47, where it is converted into an appropriate signal according to the form of the display device and output. By using a display having an aspect ratio of 16: 9 as a display device, it is possible to enjoy a stereoscopic image with a high angle of view and a realistic feeling. When the video signal is compressed by the method of cutting out a part of the screen as shown in the third embodiment, it can be easily dealt with by changing the memory control unit.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the above fourth embodiment,
The case where the wide aspect stereoscopic image is provided by using the recording medium and the recording method for recording the format with the aspect ratio of 16: 9 has been described, but the fifth embodiment provides the panoramic image. FIG. 17
Shows a fifth embodiment, in which the switch 32 of FIG. 14 is added to FIG. 18A schematically shows a stereoscopic camera, and FIG. 18B shows an image obtained by the stereoscopic camera. Generally, when a stereoscopic image is to be obtained, as shown in FIG. 18, images are taken so that the fields of view of the cameras overlap. However, as shown in FIG. 19 (A), when the convergence angle of each camera is made variable to adjust the overlapping area of the field of view of each camera, FIG.
It is also possible to generate a panoramic video as shown in. Here, an apparatus for recording and reproducing a panoramic video as shown in FIG. 19 will be described.

In FIG. 17, the difference from the first embodiment is that the recording signal processor 46 and the memory controller 5 during reproduction are different.
1 and the operation of the display signal generation unit 47. Therefore, the operation at the time of recording is similar to that of the first embodiment. Also, here, a case will be described in which a panoramic video signal having an aspect ratio of 16: 9 is recorded and reproduced with a compression ratio of 2/3.

The operation during reproduction will be described below with reference to FIGS. 17 and 20. Recording / playback processing unit 46 from recording medium
The playback signal input to the
Only output to the D converter 411. The video signal input here is converted into a digital signal and then written in the memory unit 421 by a control signal of the memory control unit 51. At this time, the memory unit 422 is inoperative. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, the memory LA of the memory unit 421 is
, And the digitized video signal is written in LB.

Further, at the time of reading, the video signal is alternately read from the memories LA and LB by the control signal of the memory control unit 51 without performing the expansion processing. The read video signal is output to the selector circuit 43. The selector circuit 43 is controlled by the control processor 2 so that only the memory unit 421 is selected for panorama reproduction.

The signal output from the selector circuit 43 is D
The signal is converted into an analog signal by the / A converter 441 and input to the display signal generation unit 47. Display signal generator 47
In step 1, the signal is converted into a signal form for output to a display having an aspect ratio of 16: 9, and a panoramic video is output.

When the compression of the video signal is realized by the method of cutting out a part of the screen as shown in the third embodiment, it can be easily dealt with by changing the memory control unit 51.

[0068]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, the left and right video signals can be connected to an existing VTR or the like and recorded at a compression rate intended by the photographer. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the left and right video signals with the compression ratio intended by the photographer and reduced image quality deterioration can be connected to an existing VTR or the like and recorded. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the left and right video signals can be connected to an existing VTR or the like and recorded with the clipping amount intended by the photographer without deterioration in image quality.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the left and right video signals can be recorded by the photographer's intended cropping amount, and only the image of the portion desired to be clipped can be connected to the existing VTR or the like without image quality deterioration. According to the invention of claim 5, by adding a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup device, the aspect ratio at the time of display is made variable by recording and reproducing the input video signal at a compression rate intended by the photographer. The environment can be realized with one device. According to the invention of claim 6, by adding a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup apparatus, the input video signal is recorded and reproduced with a cut-out amount intended by the photographer. An environment in which the aspect ratio can be changed can be realized by one device.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by adding the recording / reproducing function to the image pickup apparatus, the input video signal is recorded / reproduced with the clipping amount intended by the photographer and the clipping position is freely set. However, an environment in which the aspect ratio at the time of display can be changed can be realized by one device. According to the invention of claim 8, by adding a recording / reproducing function to the image pickup apparatus, it is possible to obtain an environment for recording and reproducing a panoramic video from two input video signals. According to the invention of claim 9, by adding the recording / reproducing function to the image pickup device, it is possible to obtain an environment for recording and reproducing a panoramic image without image quality deterioration from the two input image signals.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of the memory.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the operation of the memory.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a memory read operation.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a read operation of the memory.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the memory.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an operation during reproduction.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing an operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a read operation of the memory.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram showing an operation of a memory.

FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram showing the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a timing chart showing an operation during reproduction.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a configuration diagram showing stereoscopic imaging by a compound-eye imaging system.

[Fig. 19] Fig. 19 is a configuration diagram showing panoramic imaging by a compound-eye imaging system.

FIG. 20 is a timing chart showing an operation during reproduction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 video signal processing circuit 2 control processor 3, 30 selecting means 31 cutting-out position adjusting means 32 switch 421, 422 memory unit 43 selector circuit 431, 432, 433, 434 image processing section 46 recording / reproducing processing section 47 display signal generating section 51 memory Control unit 10L, 10R First and second imaging system

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A two image pickup means for picking up a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, a setting means for setting a compression ratio of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup means, and the two video images. A compression means for compressing the signal in the horizontal direction according to the compression ratio set by the setting means, and a conversion means for converting the two video signals compressed by the compression means into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period. Compound eye imaging device. 2. An image pickup device for picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, a setting device for setting a compression ratio of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup devices, and the two video images. The signal is subjected to interpolation processing according to the compression ratio set by the setting means to compress in the horizontal direction, and two video signals compressed by the compression interpolating means are converted into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period. A compound-eye image pickup device including a conversion unit for converting. 3. An image pickup device for picking up a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, a setting device for setting a cutout amount of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup devices, and the two video images. Clipping means for clipping each part of the signal in accordance with the clipping amount set by the setting means, and converting each part of the two video signals clipped by the clipping means into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period. A compound-eye image pickup device including a conversion unit. 4. An image pickup device for picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, a setting device for setting a cutout amount of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup devices, and the two video images. A clipping position adjusting means for setting a clipping position of the signal, and a clipping means for clipping each part of the two video signals according to the clipping amount set by the setting means and the clipping position set by the clipping position adjusting means. A compound-eye image device comprising: a conversion unit that converts each part of the two video signals cut out by the cutting-out unit into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period. 5. Image pickup means for picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, setting means for establishing a compression rate of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup means, and the two video images. Compression means for compressing the signal in the horizontal direction according to the compression ratio set by the setting means; conversion means for converting the two video signals compressed by the compression means into signals stored in one horizontal scanning period; A compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a recording / reproducing means for recording the signal converted by the converting means on a recording medium, reproducing the recording medium, and separating and outputting the two left and right video signals. 6. Two image pickup means for picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, setting means for setting a cutout amount of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup means, and the two video images. Clipping means for clipping each part of the signal in accordance with the clipping amount set by the setting means, and converting each part of the two video signals clipped by the clipping means into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period. A compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a converting means; and a recording / reproducing means for recording the signal converted by the converting means on a recording medium and reproducing the recording medium to separately output two left and right video signals. 7. An image pickup device for picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, a setting device for setting a cutout amount of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup devices, and the two video images. A clipping position adjusting means for setting a clipping position of the signal, and a clipping means for clipping each part of the two video signals according to the clipping amount set by the setting means and the clipping position set by the clipping position adjusting means. Converting means for converting a part of each of the two video signals cut out by the cutting means into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period; and recording the signal converted by the converting means on a recording medium, and recording the same. A compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing device comprising a recording / reproducing device for reproducing a medium and separating two left and right video signals from each other and outputting them. 8. An image pickup device for picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints to obtain a video signal, a setting device for setting a compression rate of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup devices, and the two video images. Compression means for compressing the signal in the horizontal direction according to the compression ratio set by the setting means; conversion means for converting the two video signals compressed by the compression means into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period; A compound-eye imaging recording / reproducing apparatus provided with recording / reproducing means for recording the signal converted by the converting means on a recording medium and reproducing the recording medium to output two left and right video signals side by side on the same screen. 9. Two image pickup means for obtaining a video signal by picking up an image of a subject from left and right viewpoints, a setting means for setting a cutout amount of two video signals obtained from the two image pickup means, and the two video images. Clipping means for clipping each part of the signal in accordance with the clipping amount set by the setting means, and converting each part of the two video signals clipped by the clipping means into a signal stored in one horizontal scanning period. Compound-eye imaging recording / reproduction including conversion means and recording / reproduction means for recording the signal converted by the conversion means on a recording medium and reproducing the recording medium to output two left and right video signals side by side on the same screen. apparatus.