JPH09236880A - Three-dimensional picture display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a real three-dimensional picture. SOLUTION: Two picture display systems 10 and 10 having a light source 11, a lens 12 and a liquid crystal display 13 are arranged and coupled through a half mirror 21. By the displays 13 and 13, a picture obtained by reflecting both-eye parallax and movement parallax is displayed within visual fields Vk and Vk+1 on an observation surface V based on image signal G1 and G2 from a controller 30 by utilizing light from fixed slits Si and Sj as a back light. Thus, an observer K can recognize the three-dimensional picture by simultaneously observing the visual fields Vk and Vk+1 by using both eyes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional image display device capable of displaying a realistic three-dimensional image reflecting both binocular parallax and motion parallax.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When displaying a realistic three-dimensional image,
It is essential to consider motion parallax in addition to binocular parallax. However, the binocular parallax is a difference between stereoscopic images obtained by the left and right eyes, and provides information for recognizing the depth of an object. The motion parallax is a difference in stereoscopic images that changes as the observer moves and the viewpoint direction moves, and gives information about the observable surface and the unobservable surface of the object from the viewpoint direction.

A three-dimensional image display device considering both binocular parallax and motion parallax has a two-dimensional display as a light source,
It can be configured by combining a lens and a liquid crystal display (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-504786). The two-dimensional display is arranged in the focal plane of the lens, and by moving the light spot on the screen, it is possible to project parallel light rays in different directions through the lens. So the liquid crystal display
Such parallel rays are used as a backlight, and by repeatedly displaying images reflecting binocular parallax and motion parallax according to the projection direction of the parallel rays, it is realistic for the observer observing the liquid crystal display. It is possible to recognize a three-dimensional image. However, the liquid crystal display has a light spot on the two-dimensional display so that the display cycle of the display image for each specific direction and the blank time that occurs when switching the display image are sufficiently shorter than the afterimage time of the observer's eye. It shall be operated at a sufficiently high speed following the movement of the.

Since this system projects a spot of light moving on the screen of a two-dimensional display as parallel rays in different directions through a lens, at the same time, a plurality of observers simultaneously observe the third order on the liquid crystal display from different directions. There is an advantage that the original image can be observed.

[0005]

According to the prior art, the liquid crystal display follows the spot of light moving on the screen of the two-dimensional display, and the image reflecting the binocular parallax and the motion parallax is sufficiently fast. Since it must be switched to and displayed, the response must be extremely fast, and the control device that sends the image signal to the liquid crystal display also prepares image information in all directions in which the liquid crystal display can be observed, Since it has to be sent to the liquid crystal display as image signals in sequence, high-speed processing capability of a large amount of image data is indispensable, the entire device becomes complicated and expensive, and a single observer, such as a game machine, is required. There was a problem that the performance was excessive and the feasibility was poor for the target so-called personal use.

Therefore, in view of the problems of the prior art, the object of the present invention is to be sufficiently suitably applied to a so-called personal use by providing two image display systems connected through a half mirror. An object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional image display device.

[0007]

The structure of the present invention for achieving the above object comprises two systems of image display systems connected via a half mirror and a control device for controlling a display image of the image display system. Each image display system forms different images in adjacent visual fields on the observation plane, and the control device reflects binocular parallax and motion parallax based on the position of the observer on the observation plane. The gist is to send the image signal of the image to each image display system.

Each image display system includes a light source, a lens that focuses the light from the light source, a liquid crystal that transmits the light from the lens, and displays an image based on an image signal from the control device via a half mirror. And a display.

Further, each light source may have a plurality of fixed slits or a single moving slit.

Further, the light amount of each light source may be adjustable.

[0011]

According to the structure of the present invention, the two image display systems are connected through the half mirror to form different images in the adjacent visual fields on the observation surface. Further, the control device controls the display image of each image display system, the binocular parallax,
The image signal of the image reflecting the motion parallax is sent to each image display system. Therefore, the observer can observe a realistic three-dimensional image by simultaneously observing the images in the adjacent visual fields with both eyes. Here, the field of view on the observation plane is arranged at a distance between the eyes of the observer or at a pitch that is an integer fraction of the distance between the eyes of the observer, and therefore It is assumed that the display images of the two image display systems existing in the adjacent visual fields can be simultaneously observed through the, and when the observer moves, the control device reflects the motion parallax to display each image display system. The image signals to be sent to are sequentially switched.

The adjacent visual fields mentioned here are visual fields in which different display images are formed by the two image display systems, and when the array pitch is equal to the distance between the two eyes of the observer. Are physically adjacent to each other literally, but are physically separated by the distance between both eyes when the arrangement pitch is an integer fraction of the distance between both eyes.

When each image display system is constructed by including a light source, a lens and a liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal display uses the light from the light source incident through the lens as a backlight, and the image signal from the control device. Display an image based on. When the surface on which the image of the liquid crystal display is formed by the lens is the observation surface, the light source, the lens,
The observation planes are arranged so as to form a series of optical systems in which 1 / a + 1 / b = 1 / f. However, a and b are the distance from the light source to the lens and the distance from the lens to the observation surface, and f is the focal length of the lens.

When each light source has a plurality of fixed slits, each image display system can form a plurality of fields of view alternately on the observation surface by utilizing the light passing through the respective fixed slits. , The observer is
Adjacent fields of view, that is, fields of view formed by two image display systems can be observed simultaneously. Therefore, for example, if the polarization directions of the visual fields formed by the respective image display systems are made different from each other, the control device detects the polarization directions of the visual fields observed by the observer,
It is possible to easily detect the movement of the observer and switch the display image of each image display system. At this time, the arrangement pitch p of the fixed slits is set with respect to the distance P between both eyes of the observer.
It may be determined as p = P / (nb / a), where n is
It is an integer of 1 or more, and b / a is the magnification of the lens.

When each light source has a single moving slit, each image display system forms a single visual field on the observation surface by utilizing the light passing through the moving slit. Therefore, these fields of view may be made adjacent to each other on the observation plane, and the observer may simultaneously observe these fields of view with both eyes. It should be noted that the moving slit moves following the movement of the observer, and the observer always observes both fields of view simultaneously with both eyes.

Here, the fixed slit and the moving slit are
In addition to a general mechanical slit that partially transmits the light from the light source, even a liquid crystal panel type slit that partially controls the transparency of the light-shielding panel and transmits the light from the light source in a slit shape Alternatively, the functions of the light source and the slit may be realized by a single device by partially emitting light from a flat light emitting device such as a CRT display or an LED array.

The light source whose light amount can be adjusted can make the brightness of the field of view uniform even if the observer moves by adjusting the light amount through the control device. In general,
According to its viewing angle, a liquid crystal display has the brightest display image when the incident angle of light used as a backlight is in the right-angle direction, and the display image becomes darker as the incident angle departs from the right-angle direction. Then,
It is unavoidable that the brightness of the field of view on the observation plane changes. However, the control device can effectively correct and erase the change in the brightness of the visual field on the observation surface by adjusting the light amount of the light source based on the position of the observer.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The three-dimensional image display device includes a half mirror 21.
It is provided with two systems of image display systems 10 and 10 that are connected via a controller and a control device 30 (FIG. 1).

The half mirror 21 includes image display systems 10 and 1.
The optical axes 0 are commonly arranged at 45 °. Further, each image display system 10 is configured by arranging a light source 11, a lens 12, and a liquid crystal display 13 on the optical axis.
One light source 11 has fixed slits Si (i = 1, 3,
5) is attached, and the other light source 11 has a fixed slit Sj (j = i + 1 = 2, 4,
A light shielding plate 11a having 6) is attached. However,
Each light source 11 is a flat light source, and the light shielding plate 11a is
It is assumed that the fixed slits Si and Sj are open vertically (FIG. 2). However, FIGS. 2A and 2B are front views of the respective light shielding plates 11a of the image display systems 10 and 10, respectively.

The light source 11 of each image display system 10 projects light onto the lens 12 through the fixed slit Si or the fixed slit Sj, and the lens 12 focuses the light from the light source 11 and projects it onto the liquid crystal display 13. . Therefore, the liquid crystal display 13 can transmit the light from the lens 12 and display an image on the observation surface V via the half mirror 21. However, the observation plane V here is not a physical screen, but a visual field Vk (k = 1, 2) corresponding to each specific fixed slit Si, Sj of the image display system 10, 10.
6) is a virtual plane arranged in a line. In addition,
The lenses 12 and the liquid crystal display 13 are substantially integrally formed, and the fixed slits Si and Sj are arranged so that one of them complements the other (FIG. 3).

Therefore, the fixed slit S is formed on the observation surface V.
The visual field Vk corresponding to i and the visual field Vk + 1 corresponding to the fixed slit Sj = Si + 1 are continuously and alternately formed. However, in FIG. 3, the light sources 11, 11 and the light shielding plate 1 of FIG.
1a, 11a, lenses 12, 12, liquid crystal display 1
The reference numerals 3 and 13 are shown together as a unit.

Therefore, the observer K on the observation plane V
The image display system such that the distance P between both eyes and the arrangement pitch p of the fixed slits Si and Sj in the light shielding plates 11a and 11a are 1 / a + 1 / b = 1 / f p = P / (b / a). If the optical specifications of 10 and 10 are determined, the observer K will see the image display system 1 with both eyes.
Adjacent fields of view Vk and Vk + 1 on the observation plane V formed by 0 and 10 can be observed simultaneously. However,
a is the distance from the light source 11 and the light shielding plate 11a to the lens 12, b is the distance from the lens 12 to the observation surface V, and f is
The focal length of the lens 12, b / a, is the magnification of the lens 12.

Each of the lenses 12 in FIGS. 1 and 3 focuses light only in the direction parallel to the paper surface and does not focus light in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, such as cylindrical lenses, cylindrical lens arrays, ordinary convex lenses, and convex lenses. In addition to the array, a Fresnel lens or the like equivalent to them is assumed.

On the other hand, the observer K is provided with a position sensor Ka (FIG. 1), and the output of the position sensor Ka is input to the position detection device 31 of the control device 30 (FIG. 4). The output of the position detection device 31 is input to the image signal generation device 32 as the position x of the observer K in the observation plane V direction, and the image signal generation device 32 is provided with the image data storage device 33. The output of the image signal generator 32 is passed through the signal amplifiers 34, 34 to generate the image signal G1,
It is input to the liquid crystal displays 13 and 13 of the image display systems 10 and 10 as G2.

The image signal generator 32 is a computer graphic device having a three-dimensional rendering function, and based on arbitrary image data D stored in the image data storage device 33, an image signal of an image having binocular parallax. G1 and G2 can be generated and sent to the liquid crystal displays 13 and 13. At this time, based on the position x of the observer K detected via the position sensor Ka and the position detecting device 31, the image signal generator 32 determines the visual fields Vk and Vk + 1 corresponding to both eyes of the observer K. Depending on which image display system 10 each corresponds to, the liquid crystal display 1
It is assumed that the image signals G1 and G2 for displaying the images for the left eye and the image for the right eye are correctly selected and transmitted to 3 and 13.

For example, in FIG. 1 and FIG.
The left eye and the right eye correspond to the visual fields V3 and V4, respectively, and the visual fields V3 and V4 are fixed slits S3 and S4, respectively.
It is formed by the light from 4. Therefore, the image signal generator 32 at this time sends the image signal G1 for displaying the image for the left eye to the liquid crystal display 13 of the image display system 10 having the fixed slit S3, and has the fixed slit S4. An image signal G2 for displaying an image for the right eye is sent to the liquid crystal display 13 of the image display system 10 on the side. Therefore, the observer K can recognize a stereoscopic image having a depth by simultaneously observing the display images of the liquid crystal displays 13 in the visual fields V3 and V4 through both eyes.

On the other hand, the observer K moves in the direction of arrow x in FIG. 1, the left eye of the observer K corresponds to the visual field V4, and the right eye of the observer K is the visual field V.
If it corresponds to 5, the image signal generator 3 at this time
2 switches the image signals G1 and G2 to the image for the right eye and the image for the left eye based on the position x of the observer K from the position detection device 31 and reflects the motion parallax due to the change in the position x. The contents of the image signals G1 and G2 are changed. That is, at this time, the liquid crystal display 13 of the image display system 10 on the side of the fixed slit S4 corresponding to the visual field V4 displays the image for the left eye via the image signal G2, and the liquid crystal display 13 on the side of the fixed slit S5 corresponding to the visual field V5. The liquid crystal display 13 of the image display system 10 displays the image for the right eye via the image signal G1 and, in this way, the liquid crystal displays 13 and 1
The image displayed in the visual fields V4 and V5 by 3 is an image in which the viewpoint is shifted to the right according to the variation amount of the position x, compared with the image previously displayed in the visual fields V3 and V4. Has become.

Similarly, the image signal generating device 32
Based on the position x of the observer K, the image display system 10 displays the image signals G1 and G2 of the image reflecting the binocular parallax and the motion parallax.
Since it is transmitted to the liquid crystal displays 13 of the observer 10, the observer K can view the adjacent visual fields Vk and Vk + 1 through his eyes.
It is possible to observe a realistic three-dimensional image by observing the image inside.

In the above description, the fixed slits Si,
Sj may be provided for each of the light sources 11, 11 by an arbitrary number of 2 or more. The arrangement pitch p of the fixed slits Si and Sj is p = P / (nb / a) (where n is
It may be an integer of 1 or more). At this time, the observer K
Can simultaneously observe the visual fields Vk and Vk + 2n-1 having odd and even subscripts k with both eyes, and can observe the same three-dimensional image. Therefore, in this specification,
The adjacent visual fields Vk and Vk + 1 include the visual fields Vk and Vk + 2n-1.

On the other hand, the light sources 11 and 11 can control their respective light amounts via the light source control devices 41 and 41 that branch and input the position x of the observer K (FIG. 5).

Generally, the liquid crystal displays 13, 13 are
According to the viewing angle, the brightness of the display image changes depending on the incident angle of the light from the fixed slits Si and Sj, but the light source control devices 41 and 41 use the light amounts of the light sources 11 and 11 based on the position x of the observer K. The brightness of the visual fields Vk and Vk + 1 observed by the observer K can be kept uniform by controlling the. For example, in FIG.
When observing 1, V2 and fields of view V5, V6, the light source control devices 41, 41 increase the light amount of the light sources 11, 11 as compared to when the observer K observes the fields of view V3, V4. It is possible to uniformly control the brightness of Vk and Vk + 1. When observing the visual fields V1, V2 and V5, V6, the light source control devices 41, 41 make the light sources 1 such that the respective visual fields Vk, Vk + 1 have the same brightness.
It is preferable to control the light amounts of 1 and 11 independently of each other (FIG. 5).

The position sensor Ka can be of any type as long as it can detect the position x of the observer K, in particular the position x of its head, directly or indirectly. For example, the position x may be detected by photographing the observer K from the front or the rear with an appropriate camera device and recognizing the image, or a chair or seat on which the observer K is seated via an appropriate drive device. The position x may be detected by moving right and left and detecting the drive amount of the driving device. Furthermore, the position x of the observer K can be directly detected without contact by using an appropriate magnetic sensor for distance measurement, an acoustic wave sensor, an optical sensor, a laser sensor, or the like. Alternatively, the position x may be detected by using a gyro sensor that detects the acceleration of the moving object in an arbitrary direction and integrating the acceleration of the observer K in the direction of the arrow x in FIG. 1 to calculate the amount of movement.

When the visual fields Vk and Vk + 1 formed by the image display systems 10 and 10 are formed by polarized light in the vertical direction and the polarized light in the horizontal direction (FIG. 6), the position sensor Ka operates in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. An even number of polarization detecting elements Ka1, Ka1 ... Which detect only one polarized light can be horizontally connected. Polarization detector Ka1, Ka1 ...
The reason is that it is possible to detect that the observer K has moved in the same direction by sequentially changing the state to on or off from the right side or the left side. However, in FIG. 6, the vertical and horizontal arrows indicate the polarization directions in each visual field Vk, and the symbols Ker and Kel indicate the right and left eyes of the observer K. The position sensor Ka is an observer K.
By fixing it above one eye Key (y = r, l), half of the polarization detection elements Ka1 and Ka1 have changed states, so that the position x of the observer K changes and the observer K observes. It can be detected that the visual fields Vk and Vk + 1 to be changed to the visual fields Vk-1 and Vk (FIG. 6) or the visual fields Vk + 1 and Vk + 2.

[0035]

Other Embodiments The control device 30 may be constructed by introducing a camera control device 35 for connecting a plurality of camera devices C, C ... In place of the image signal generation device 32 and the image data storage device 33. Yes (Figure 7).

The camera devices C, C, ...
The image data D, D ... Corresponding to k can be output. Therefore, the camera controller 35 determines the position x of the observer K.
On the basis of the image data D from the camera device C, the image signals G1 and G2 of the image reflecting the binocular parallax are generated, and the image display system 1 is selected.
It may be sent to the 0, 10 liquid crystal displays 13, 13. In addition, the arrangement pitch of the camera devices C, C ...
In accordance with the distance P between the two eyes of the camera, the camera control device 35 associates the image data D, D from the two adjacent camera devices C, C with the images in the adjacent visual fields Vk, Vk + 1. Alternatively, D and D may be directly transmitted as the image signals G1 and G2.

The observer K can directly observe the live image photographed by the camera devices C, C ... As a three-dimensional image.

The light sources 11, 11 of the image display systems 10, 10 are provided with a light shielding plate 1 having a single moving slit Sa, Sb.
1b and 11b can be attached (FIG. 8).

The light-shielding plates 11b and 11b are made of flexible endless light-shielding material and wound around the drums 11b1 and 11b1 on both sides of the corresponding light source 11 so as to surround the light source 11. Further, one of the drums 11b1 is connected to a servo motor M, and the servo motors M, M are driven by a servo motor drive device 42 for branching in the position x of the observer K (FIG. 9).

The image display systems 10 and 10 are provided with adjacent visual fields Va by the light from the respective moving slits Sa and Sb.
, Vb can be formed on the observation plane V (FIG. 8),
The observer K can simultaneously observe the visual fields Va and Vb with both eyes. When the observer K moves along the observation surface V (direction of arrow x in FIG. 8), the servo motor driving device 42 causes the moving slits Sa and Sb to move along the light sources 11 and 11 via the servo motors M and M. By moving the eyes, the relative positional relationship between the visual fields Va and Vb on the observation plane V and both eyes of the observer K can be maintained unchanged. Therefore, the liquid crystal displays 13 and 1 of the image display systems 10 and 10
3 is sufficient if the image for the left eye or the right eye of the observer K is continuously displayed regardless of the position x of the observer K, for the left eye,
There is no need to switch and display images for the right eye.

8 and 9, the light source control devices 41, 41 of FIG. 5 may be installed together. Field of view Va, V
In b, the moving slits Sa and Sb are the image display systems 10 and 10.
If it deviates greatly from the optical axis of, the liquid crystal display 13,
Since the brightness decreases according to the viewing angle of 13, the light source control devices 41 and 41 can correct the change in the brightness of the viewing fields Va and Vb by controlling the light amounts of the light sources 11 and 11 at this time. it can.

In FIGS. 1 and 8, the lenses 12, 12
May also focus light in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper. Light source 1
1, 11, fixed slits Si and Sj, movable slit Sa
, Sb can be reduced in length in the direction perpendicular to the respective paper surfaces, and the overall size of the device can be reduced.

Further, the fixed slits Si and Sj and the movable slits Sa and Sb are provided with mechanical light-shielding plates 11a and 11 shown in the figure.
Instead of being formed in b, a liquid crystal panel type light-shielding panel may be used. This is because the liquid crystal panel type light-shielding panel can partially control the transparency, form a transparent portion having an arbitrary shape at an arbitrary position, and move the transparent portion arbitrarily. The light sources 11 and 11 are C
A flat-plate light emitting device such as an RT display or an LED array may be used, and only the portions corresponding to the fixed slits Si and Sj and the movable slits Sa and Sb may be made to partially emit light. Further, the light sources 11, 11 are fixed slits Si,
A plurality of independent light emitting devices may be arranged in parallel corresponding to Sj.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing two image display systems, each image display system can display an image reflecting the binocular parallax in the adjacent visual fields on the observation surface. The image should be switched to an image that reflects the motion parallax only when the observer moves.
Since it is not necessary to constantly display an image that reflects both motion parallax at high speed, it is possible to simplify the entire device, and it is possible to apply it sufficiently suitably for so-called personal use. effective.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration.

[Fig. 2] Front view of the light shielding plate

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation (1).

[Figure 4] Overall block system diagram

[Fig. 5] Block system diagram of main parts

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view (2).

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the main part of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

K ... Observer V ... Observation surface Vk (k = 1, 2 ...), Va, Vb ... Field of view Si (i = 1, 3 ...), Sj (j = 2, 4 ...) ... Fixed slit Sa, Sb ... Moving Slits G1, G2 ... Image signal x ... Position 10 ... Image display system 11 ... Light source 12 ... Lens 13 ... Liquid crystal display 21 ... Half mirror 30 ... Control device

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An image display system comprising two systems connected via a half mirror and a control device for controlling a display image of the image display system, wherein each image display system is adjacent to an observation surface. Forming a different image in the field of view, the control device, based on the position of the observer on the observation surface, binocular parallax, to send the image signal of the image reflecting the motion parallax to each of the image display system A three-dimensional image display device characterized by. 2. Each of the image display systems is based on a light source, a lens that focuses the light from the light source, a light from the lens, and an image signal from the control device via the half mirror. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid crystal display that displays an image. 3. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 2, wherein each of the light sources has a plurality of fixed slits. 4. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 2, wherein each of the light sources has a single moving slit. 5. The three-dimensional image display device according to claim 2, wherein the light amount of each light source is adjustable.