JPH10253925A - Lens plate having plural focal points, and stereoscopic image display device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive stereoscopic image display device without requiring the use of glasses, and a lens plate to be a premise of its purpose. SOLUTION: This display device is constituted of a lens plate 1 successively providing unit lens elements 11A...11N arranging plural division lens elements 21A...21N, 22A...22N respectively different from each other in focal position in the horizontal direction on the same plane, and having plural focal points making coincide plural focal point positions of respective unit lens elements 11A...11N with each other, a light transmissive display surface 3 displaying an image for a right eye or a left eye on division display parts 41A...41N, 42A...42N answering to respective division lens elements 21A...21N, 22A...22N having different focal points of respective unit lens elements 11A...11N and a light source 5, and the lens plate 1 having plural focal points and the light transmissive display surface 3 are arranged close to each other, and the light source 5 is arranged backward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens plate having a plurality of focal points used for a stereoscopic image display device, and a stereoscopic image display device using a lens plate having a plurality of focal points.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional stereoscopic image display device, there is a spectacle system using polarized glasses, in which an observer wears spectacles, and the right and left eyes are displayed on the image display surface with polarized light having different properties. The image for use can be observed only with the right eye and the left eye using the left and right sorting function of the glasses.

A typical lenticular system as a display device using no glasses is a lenticular system. As shown in FIG. 10, left and right images 51 and 52 are arranged in the form of vertical stripes on a focal plane of a lenticular lens plate 50. When observing through the lenticular lens plate 50, the left and right images are separated by the directivity of the lens plate 50 and separately enter the left and right eyes to view a stereoscopic image.

[0004] Alternatively, "Proc. SPIE vol 26
53 "Time multiplexed color
autostereoscopic display "
(Paper #: 2563- 01) ", there is a time-division scheme. As shown in FIG.
The image displayed on the LCD 3 is formed by forming a liquid crystal shutter 54 with a lens 55 adjacent thereto, and a Fresnel lens 56 is disposed on the image forming surface. Left and right images are displayed on a high-speed CRT 53 in response to opening and closing of the liquid crystal shutter 54. Then, images corresponding to the left and right eyes are included, and a stereoscopic image can be viewed.

[0005] Further, an apparatus using a liquid crystal panel instead of an image is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-159723.

[0006]

In the above-mentioned lenticular system using a lenticular lens plate, a bright image can be obtained. However, since the field of view is narrow and an image is formed in the time-division system, lens aberration is a problem. However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-159723, there is no problem of lens aberration, but the apparatus becomes large-scale, and there is a problem of lack of versatility.

[0007] In view of these points, the present invention provides a compact and inexpensive three-dimensional image display device having no aberration and a lens plate which is a premise of the purpose.

[0008]

A lens plate according to the present invention is composed of a plurality of unit lens elements each having a plurality of segmented lens elements, each of which has a different focal position in the horizontal direction, connected on the same plane. Are made to coincide with each other.

Further, the invention of the three-dimensional image display device is characterized in that the right-eye image or the left-eye image is displayed on the lens plate having a plurality of focal points and on the divided display sections corresponding to the divided lens elements having different focal points of the unit lens elements. A light-transmitting display surface for displaying, and a light source, wherein the lens plate having a plurality of focal points according to claim 1 and the light-transmitting display surface are installed close to each other, and a light source is arranged on a rear surface. It is.

Since the lens plate has a plurality of focal points shifted in the lateral direction, light from the light source can be condensed at different positions, and the positions of the left and right eyes of the observer coincide with these condensed positions.
If an image for the left eye or the right eye is displayed on the section display section of the light transmissive display surface corresponding to the section lens element of each focal point, the light source light on the rear side enters the left and right eyes through the lens plate and a three-dimensional image Can be seen.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a lens plate having a plurality of focal points according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment, in which a Fresnel lens is used.

The lens plate 1 is composed of a large number of segmented lens elements with a fixed row width, and the odd-numbered segmented lens elements 21A, 21B, 21C... Each section lens element 22A, 2
2N, 2B, 22C... 22N are formed in a plate shape continuously with the two focal points coincident with each other and shifted in the horizontal direction.
2A is a unit lens element 11A, and unit lens elements 11B, 11C,.

In FIG. 1, a Fresnel lens is used. However, since the lens plate of the present invention only needs to be thin and capable of condensing light at different places at the same time, it is composed of a large number of lenses as shown in FIGS. However, the thickness can be reduced, and at the same time it can be made bifocal. In this case, the lens plate 1 is composed of a large number of unit lens elements 11 having a fixed size, each unit lens element is connected in the vertical and horizontal directions, and each of the unit lens elements 11AA.
1NM have a common focal point and a separate segmented lens element 22A
A ... 22NM has another common focus. The advantage of connecting the unit lens elements in a certain size in the vertical and horizontal directions is that the size of each of the divided lens elements is adjusted to the size of the pixel on the transmissive display surface, and the connection of each of the divided lens elements or each of the unit lens elements. Can be adjusted to the connection part of each pixel, so that the blocking of the light transmitted through the pixel can be reduced.

A lens plate 1 having two focal points shifted laterally by a cylindrical lens having a focal point only in the lateral direction.
Can also be configured. For example, the configuration as shown in FIG. 8 is an example of such a configuration, in which light is condensed at two locations in the horizontal direction but not in the vertical direction. Further, a cylindrical lens having a focal point only in the vertical direction may be provided behind it, and the light may be focused first in the vertical direction.

As a result, the lens plate 1 has two focal points, and if a light source is disposed at the rear, the light is condensed at two places in the front that are shifted laterally. When optical plastics, silicon, or the like is used, press molding using a mold is also possible.

The connection of the unit lens elements is not limited to the vertical and horizontal sections, but may be a diagonal section. Further, the number of focal points may be three or more. For example, three focal points are set, and images taken from three cameras are transferred to the transmissive display surface 3 and condensed at different positions A, B, and C by a device described later. And observers A and B
It is possible to see a stereoscopic image from, and from B and C.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a large number of unit lens elements 11A, 11B, 11C,.
This is a lens plate 1 having a bifocal point formed of 11N. A light transmissive display surface 3 is provided near the front surface thereof, and a light source 5 is further provided behind.

The light-transmissive display surface 3 has divided lens elements 21A, 21B, 21C... 21N having a common focal point and other divided lens elements 22A, 22B, 22 having a common focal point.
C ... 22N corresponding to the section display sections 41A, 41B, 41
C ... 41N and other division display parts 42A, 42B, 42C ...
42N, and divided display sections 41A, 41B, 41C,...
41N displays the image for the right eye,
A, 42B, 42C... 42N are for displaying the image for the left eye.

For the light transmissive display surface 3, for example, a transmissive liquid crystal display can be used, and the positions of the segmented lens elements 21 and 22 of each unit lens element 11 of the lens plate 1 and
It is assumed that the positions of the pixel rows of the divided display sections 41 and 42 of the transmissive liquid crystal display are matched. The positional relationship between the front and rear of the lens 1 and the light transmissive display surface 3 may be either.

Reference numerals 6R and 6L denote video cameras arranged at the distance between the eyes, and the focus is adjusted with respect to the object 7. The video signals of the video cameras 6R, 6L are displayed by the video signal selection circuit 8 on the right video camera 6R on the odd-numbered display sections 41A, 41B,. 42A,
42B... At this time, the lens elements 21 and 22 of the lens plate 1 having two focal points respectively focus the incident light of the light source 5 on different places 12R and 12L, and can observe the images taken from the video cameras 6R and 6L, respectively. It becomes an image.

By using a plurality of light sources as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of observers can simultaneously observe a stereoscopic image.

The two images input to the light transmissive display surface 3 are not limited to real images from a video camera, but may be images created by a computer. The light transmissive display surface 3 corresponds to the segmented lens elements 21A to 21N. Image for the right eye
A photographic film having left-eye images recorded at positions corresponding to the other segmented lens elements 22A to 22N may be used. If an image is displayed using the light transmission display surface 3 of each pixel including RGB colors, a three-dimensional color image can be observed. On the other hand, as described in the embodiment relating to the lens plate 1, the image to be condensed is not limited to two places, but may be three or more places. The information may be displayed at a plurality of places by connecting the points.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a stereoscopic image display apparatus according to a second embodiment of the stereoscopic display apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 9 denotes a tracking camera for photographing the face of the observer 10, reference numeral 19 denotes a movable light source, and a video camera, the arrangement of the lens plate 1 and the light transmissive display surface 3, and the light transmissive display surface. The display on 3 is the same as in the embodiment of FIG. First, the relative orientation of the face of the observer 10 with respect to the stereoscopic display device is detected. As a detection method, for example, an image of a human face portion is stored in a computer, an image including an observer 10 captured by a tracking camera 9 is input to the computer, and the face of the observer is determined based on the degree of correlation with the storage portion. Is detected and its direction is determined.

The light source position is adjusted in real time so that the azimuth, the center position of the lens plate screen, and the position of the light source 5 are on a straight line. Because of the movement, the observer 10 can visually recognize the stereoscopic image while moving. As a method of adjusting the light source position, switching between multiple light sources and movement of a single light source can be considered. In the multiple light source switching method, a large number of individual light emitting elements, for example, white light LEDs, may be installed along a curve, a curved surface, a straight line, or a face, and electrically switched. In that case, a black and white display such as a black and white CR
T or a black and white liquid crystal display may be used as the light source. In the single light source movement method, the light source may be mechanically moved along a curved line or a straight line. Also, regardless of the type of adjustment of the light source position, the light source may be a point light source or a vertical line light source. Various light sources and displays other than those described here can be used as the light source of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the face of the observer is detected by correlation and the relative orientation is determined. However, the position or orientation of the observer may be determined by another method. For example, using a black-and-white display as a light source, the face may be illuminated from the lateral direction with special light, and the image may be image-processed and displayed on a black-and-white display. A method of illuminating a necessary portion according to the detection position is also conceivable. Further, other position and orientation detection methods using magnetism, ultrasonic waves, light, and the like can be used.

In this embodiment, the case where a pair of binocular parallax images is used has been described. However, parallax images taken from multiple directions by a large number of video cameras are used, and both parallax images in that direction are used in accordance with the position of the observation image. If a parallax image is selected and displayed on the light transmissive display surface, it is possible to display a tertiary image that appears to wrap around.

Further, by using a plurality of movable light sources, a plurality of observers can observe a stereoscopic image while moving.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the stereoscopic display device, in which a lens surface 15 on which a plurality of lens plates 1 having a plurality of focal points are juxtaposed and a display portion of each lens plate 1. In this embodiment, a liquid crystal display 17 having a plurality of light sources 16 is superposed, and a light source assembly 14 in which a plurality of light sources are arranged as a light source is disposed at the rear. The light source assembly may be a black and white display.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment for reducing the front and rear width of the apparatus. In this case, light from the light source 5 is reflected by a reflecting plate 18 such as a mirror.

[0030]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, an image dividing means using a lens plate having a plurality of focal points capable of condensing incident light at a plurality of positions, and a video signal from a plurality of video signals. A means for selecting and displaying a video signal arrangement image serving as an eye parallax image is provided, and the observer can observe a stereoscopic image by placing the right eye and the left eye at the above-described plurality of locations.

Also, since the lens plate of the present invention has two focal points, one light source can make a pair of observation sites for both the left and right eyes, and a plurality of light sources can make a plurality of pairs of observation sites. Multiple observers can observe simultaneously. If the light source is moved, the position of the observable place also moves. Therefore, if the position of the light source is moved according to the position of the eyes of the observer, a stereoscopic image can be seen even if the observer moves. Further, if an image viewed from the position of the observer is displayed on the light transmissive display surface in accordance with the moving position of the observer, a three-dimensional image that appears to wrap around can also be displayed.

The lens plate can be made of optical plastics, silicon, glass, or the like. When optical plastics, silicon, or the like is used, the lens plate can be molded in place by a mold, and thus has an advantage that it can be easily manufactured at low cost. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a lens having a plurality of focal points according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of another embodiment of a lens having a plurality of focal points according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of another embodiment of a lens having a plurality of focal points according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating a stereoscopic image display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing an extended example of the first embodiment of the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a cylindrical lens plate having a plurality of focal points according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the stereoscopic image display device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a conventional lenticular system.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of an example of a conventional time division method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lens plate 21, 21A ... 21N Sectional lens element 21AA ... 21NM Sectional lens element 22, 22A ... 22N Sectional lens element 22AA ... 22NM Sectional lens element ... 41N section display section 42, 42A, 42B. Observation place for right-eye image 12L, 12AL, 12BL Observation place for left-eye image 14 Monochrome display 15 Lens surface 16 Display unit 17 Liquid crystal display 18 Reflector

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A unit lens element in which a plurality of segmented lens elements each having a different focal position in the horizontal direction are connected on the same plane, and a plurality of focal positions of each unit lens element are matched. Having multiple focal points. 2. A light transmission for displaying a right-eye image or a left-eye image on a section plate corresponding to each of the lens plates having a plurality of focal points according to claim 1 and each section lens element having a different focus of each unit lens element. 2. A lens having a plurality of focal points, comprising: a lens plate having a plurality of focal points according to claim 1; and a light source disposed on a rear surface thereof, the lens plate having a plurality of focal points. A three-dimensional image display device using a plate.