JPH11146425A - Double eye camera, double eye camera system and double eye camera control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a double eye camera, a double eye camera system and a double eye camera control method capable of photographing a stereoscopic image free from individual difference and observing the stereoscopic image free from the individual difference at a stereoscopic display, etc. SOLUTION: This double eye camera system is composed of this double eye camera 1 provided with two image pickup systems and a personal computer 2 communicable with the double eye camera 1 through an interface. The system is provided with a control means 1001 for performing control so as to match the two controlled variables of controlled objects facing each other inside the double eye camera 1, that are left lightness and right lightness, based on control information generated based on individual difference information from the double eye camera 1 in the personal computer 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a compound-eye camera, a compound-eye camera system, and a compound-eye camera control method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a compound-eye camera suitable for obtaining a panoramic image or a stereoscopic image from both a left image and a right image. The present invention relates to a camera, a compound-eye camera system, and a compound-eye camera control method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has long been known to obtain left and right images having parallax using two cameras and obtain a stereoscopic image by observing the obtained left and right images with the left and right eyes. . By the way, when observing a stereoscopic image, if the balance between the left and right images is lost, the degree of fatigue of the observer becomes remarkable. For example, when the right image is reddish and the left image is bluish, eyestrain is severe. In order to solve this, various proposals have conventionally been made.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-99693 (applicant: Sharp Corporation), a video signal is separated into a luminance signal and a color difference signal, and the luminance signals are used to make the brightness of each of the right and left images equal. A camera provided with aperture control means for controlling the aperture amount, and signal processing means for performing signal processing so that the white balance of each of the right and left images is equal using the color difference signal,
It describes that left and right images having the same brightness level and white balance can be provided.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-158993 (applicant: Sharp Corporation), even if the left and right images are switched by using a clamp circuit that controls the synchronous peak level to be the same, the same level is obtained. It describes that a left and right image can be obtained.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-268297 (Applicant: Sharp Corporation) uses a variable resistor that absorbs a shift in a control amount caused by a rotation position instruction signal in order to equalize the left and right zoom ratios. It is described that the zoom ratio is made constant.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-63638 (applicant:
In order to make the left and right focus states the same, Sharp Corp. eliminates the focus state shift by driving control by a focus detection means for performing focus detection and a comparison means for comparing the focus detection signal. Is planned.

[0007]

The prior art described above is
Both aim to make the two control amounts the same, but they only describe stereoscopic photography, and a means for making the two control amounts the same is built in the camera and serves as a reference. Is also inside the camera.

However, when it is possible to generate not only a stereoscopic image but also a panoramic image, the reference amount and balance, which are the degree of coincidence, differ between stereoscopic photography and panoramic photography. Therefore, in the prior art,
If this is attempted to be controlled, the circuit becomes complicated, and there is a problem that the cost of the camera itself may increase. Further, in the related art, there is a problem that it is not possible to adaptively cope with repeated changes of the standard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a compound eye capable of photographing a three-dimensional image having no individual difference, and also capable of observing a three-dimensional image having no individual difference on a three-dimensional display. It is an object to provide a camera, a compound-eye camera system, and a compound-eye camera control method.

[0010]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compound eye camera having two image pickup systems, wherein a relative position in a compound eye camera body is determined based on control information received from outside. It is characterized by having control means for controlling the two controlled variables of the controlled objects to be controlled to be the same.

In order to achieve the above object, a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the control object is an aperture, and the control amount is image brightness.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the control object is color signal processing means for performing color conversion processing on an image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. .

In order to achieve the above object, a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the controlled object is a clamp means for generating a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level.

In order to achieve the above object, a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the controlled object is a zoom mechanism, and the control amount is a zoom ratio.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the controlled object is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is in a focused state.

In order to achieve the above object, a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized by having display means capable of displaying a stereoscopic image.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that it is possible to collect sound.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compound-eye camera system including a compound-eye camera having two image pickup systems and a device such as a computer capable of communicating with the compound-eye camera. The apparatus further comprises control means for performing control so that two control amounts of opposed control targets in the compound eye camera match based on control information generated based on individual difference information from the compound eye camera in the device. I do.

In order to achieve the above object, a tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the control object is an aperture, and the control amount is brightness of an image.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that the control object is color signal processing means for performing color conversion processing on an image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. .

In order to achieve the above object, a twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the controlled object is a clamp means for generating a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 13 is characterized in that the control object is a zoom mechanism, and the control amount is a zoom ratio.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 14 is characterized in that the controlled object is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is in a focused state.

[0024] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 15 is characterized by having display means capable of displaying a stereoscopic image.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 16 is characterized in that it is possible to collect voice.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 17 is a compound-eye camera control method for controlling a compound-eye camera having two image pickup systems, the method comprising: It is characterized by having a control step of performing control so that two control amounts of opposing control objects coincide.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 18 is characterized in that the control object is an aperture, and the control amount is image brightness.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 19 is characterized in that the control object is a color signal processing step of performing a color conversion process on an image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. .

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 20 is characterized in that the controlled object is a clamp step for generating a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 21 is characterized in that the control object is a zoom mechanism, and the control amount is a zoom ratio.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 22 is characterized in that the controlled object is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is in a focused state.

In order to achieve the above object, a twenty-third aspect of the present invention is characterized by including a display step capable of displaying a three-dimensional image.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 24 is characterized in that it is possible to collect sound.

[0034]

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

[1] First Embodiment FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a compound-eye camera system according to the first embodiment. The compound-eye camera system includes a compound-eye camera 1 having two imaging optical systems, a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) 2, and a data cable 3. The compound eye camera 1 and the PC 2 are connected by a data cable 3 through which data and commands are transmitted via a digital interface. The control command and control data generated by the PC 2 are transmitted to the compound-eye camera 1 via the data cable 3. In the compound eye camera 1, desired control is performed based on the transmitted control command and control data.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the compound-eye camera 1 constituting the compound-eye camera system according to the first embodiment. The compound eye camera 1 includes a convergence angle driving member 30.
A convergence angle drive motor 31, a zoom drive motor 32,
36, the zoom driving members 33 and 37, and the focusing member 3
4 and 38; focus motors 35 and 39; zoom motor drivers 310 and 312; focus motor drivers 311 and 313;
4, 315, aperture members 316, 318, aperture motors 317, 319, timing generator 320
And CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 321, 32
2, a CCD vertical transfer driver 323, and a CDS / A
GC circuits (correlated double sampling circuits / auto gain adjustment circuits) 324 and 325 and A / D converters (analog
Digital converters) 326 and 327, color signal processing circuits 328 and 329, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) 3.
30, an LCD control circuit 331, and a VRAM (Video
RAM) 332, a memory 333, and a signal processing circuit 33
4, a compression / decompression circuit 335, and a control unit management circuit 336.
, A camera control unit 337, an MPU 338, a work memory 339, a recording medium 340, a digital interface 341, and clamp circuits 342 and 343.

The function of the above-mentioned main part will be described together with the operation. First, when an operator inputs an operation such as recording / reproduction of an image to the camera control unit 337, a signal corresponding to this input is transmitted from the camera control unit 337 to the MPU 338, and the MPU 3
38 controls each unit. In this example, it is assumed that the stereoscopic video shooting mode is selected. Images captured by the two imaging optical systems of the compound-eye camera 1 are CCDs 321 and 32.
An image is formed on two imaging elements.

Images are photoelectrically converted by CCDs 321 and 322, and both images are converted into digital signals by A / D converters 326 and 327 via CDS / AGC circuits 324 and 325 at the next stage. At this time, since the left and right image signals are driven in synchronization with the control of the CCD vertical transfer driver 323 and the timing generator 320, the images captured at the same time in the left and right are processed. The CCDs 321 and 322 have both a frame accumulation mode and a field accumulation mode. In this example, a case where the mode is switched between when displaying on the liquid crystal display 330 and when recording an image will be described as an example. The through display is performed in the field accumulation mode.

The left and right images converted into digital signals by the A / D converters 326 and 327 are sent to respective color signal processing circuits 328 and 329. Color signal processing circuit 32
In steps 8 and 329, the digital signal is subjected to color conversion processing and the like. The left and right digital signals subjected to the color conversion processing are stored in the memory 333 via the signal processing circuit 334. In this case, the memory 333 has the CCDs 321 and 3
There is more space than can accommodate both images from 22.

In the next field, the CCDs 321, 3
The image from 22 is stored in memory 333. However,
This will not be overwritten on the above recorded one, but will be stored in another area of the memory 333. That is, the memory 333 has a capacity of four or more field images. Thus, the CCDs 321, 3
The image from the memory 22 is stored in the memory 333 while being switched for each field.

On the other hand, when the image storage in the memory 333 is sequentially repeated, the address read from the memory area not used for the storage is output from the address encoder (not shown) so that the image is inverted. The image is read according to this address. Thus, in a certain field, one memory area of the memory 333 is used for writing, and the other memory area of the memory 333 is used for reading, and reading and writing are alternately repeated. At this time, since the reading is performed in an inverted manner, a mirror whose image is inverted by a mirror (not shown) used in the imaging head of the compound-eye camera 1 can also be normally read.

The read image is converted to a pixel size of a liquid crystal display (LCD) 330 in a signal processing circuit 334, and the left and right images are alternately combined one line at a time vertically and transferred to a VRAM 332. Signal processing circuit 33
Reference numeral 4 controls signals in both directions in this way. At this point, the signals captured by the CCDs 321 and 322 are stored as images in the memory 333 and the VRAM 332, respectively.

Liquid crystal display 330 in compound eye camera 1
In order to generate a stereoscopic video signal, the contents of the VRAM 332 are used. The VRAM 332 is a display memory and has a capacity of an image to be displayed on the liquid crystal display 330. Since the number of pixels of the image held in the memory 333 and the number of pixels of the display image on the liquid crystal display 330 are not always the same, the signal processing circuit 334 has a function of performing the thinning and the interpolation. VRAM3
The left and right images of the right image and the left image written in 32 are alternately displayed on the liquid crystal display 330 via the LCD control circuit 331 for each scanning line. Thereby, the observer can observe the stereoscopic video.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a compound eye camera 1 in a compound eye camera system according to the first embodiment and second and third embodiments to be described later. Yes, it is. Compound eye camera 1
Is a control means 1001 and two imaging systems 1002, 10
03, a zoom mechanism 1004, a focusing mechanism 1005,
A color signal processing unit 1006, a clamping unit 1007,
Display means 1008.

The control means 1001 is based on the control information generated by the personal computer (PC) 2 based on the individual difference information from the compound-eye camera 1, and controls two control amounts of the control object in the compound-eye camera 1. That is, control is performed such that the brightness of the image corresponding to the two imaging systems, the white balance of the image, the clamp level, the zoom ratio, or the in-focus state matches. The control unit 1001 performs display control on the display unit 1008. Control means 10
01 is the MPU 338 in FIG.
6, corresponding to the LCD control circuit 331.

The two imaging systems 1002 and 1003 correspond to the CCDs 321 and 322 in FIG. Zoom mechanism 1
Reference numeral 004 corresponds to the zoom drive motors 32 and 36 and the zoom drive members 33 and 37 in FIG. Focusing mechanism 1005
Corresponds to the focusing members 34 and 38 in FIG. The color signal processing means 1006 is provided in the color signal processing circuit 32 of FIG.
8, 329. The clamp means 1007 corresponds to the clamp circuits 342 and 343 in FIG. The display means 1008 corresponds to the liquid crystal display 330 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the concept of generating a composite image for display in the compound eye camera system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, 40 and 41 are C
Images taken by the CDs 321 and 322, images 42 and 43 are images compressed to half width, and an image 44 is an image synthesized by interlace (scanning method used in a raster scan display). In this example, the following description is given on the assumption that the number of effective pixels of the CCDs 321 and 322 is, for example, 640 * 240 (one field) and the number of display pixels of the liquid crystal display (LCD) 330 is, for example, 320 * 240.

The CCD 3 by the imaging optical system of the compound eye camera 1
The left and right images formed on 21, 21 and 322 become digital signals as described above, are color-converted, and are converted into effective pixels.
1 are 640 * 240 (L0, L1,... L239, R0, R1,.
R239). This signal is held in the memory 333 on the one hand through the signal processing circuit 334, and in the signal processing circuit 334, first, each of the left and right images 40 and 41 is set to 320 * 2 according to the LCD size.
Are converted into images 42 and 43 of size 40 (L0 ′, L1 ′,..., L239 ′, R0 ′, R
1 ′,... R239 ′). This conversion may be simple decimation or may be interpolated.

The left and right images 42 and 43 converted to 320 * 240 as described above are alternately L0 ', R0', L2 ', R2',.
38 '. The synthesized image is VRAM
332 is written. In addition, the operator operates the camera control unit 3.
By selecting the stereoscopic video shooting mode via the 37, the stereoscopic video shooting mode is transmitted to the LCD control circuit 337, and the LCD control circuit 337 sends the liquid crystal display 33.
A video signal to be displayed for 0 is output.

Next, a description will be given, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, of a portion of the PC 2 of the compound eye camera system according to the first embodiment configured as described above, in which the left and right images have the same brightness. I do. In FIG. 5, step S100 is a luminance signal level input unit, step S101 is a unit for determining whether the mode is the stereoscopic mode or the panoramic mode,
Steps S102A and 102B are comparison reference value input units, step S103 is a luminance signal comparison unit, step S104,
Reference numeral 105 denotes an aperture control information update unit, and step S106 denotes an aperture control information output unit. IL, IR luminance signal level, g ¹ _t, g ^r _t is diaphragm control information, alpha, beta is a conversion coefficient.

In the above example, since the left and right images have substantially the same brightness, it is possible to observe a three-dimensional image. However, if the left and right images are out of balance, the operator may be very uncomfortable. . Therefore, the luminance signal levels IL and IR are calculated in the signal processing circuit 334 from the digital signals output from the color signal processing circuits 328 and 329 of the compound eye camera 1, and from the compound eye camera 1 via the digital interface 341 according to the instruction of the MPU 338. Transfer to external PC2.

In PC2, the left and right luminance signal levels I
L and IR are input from the compound eye camera 1 (step S10).
0) Then, it is determined whether the photographing by the compound-eye camera 1 is stereoscopic photographing or panoramic photographing (step S101). If it is determined that the image is stereoscopic, the reference value ε is set to “ε stereoscopic” (step S102A). If it is determined that panorama shooting has been performed, the reference value ε is set to “ε panorama” (step S102B). Subsequently, a difference between the luminance signal levels IL and IR is calculated, and the calculated difference between the luminance signal levels IL and IR is a reference value ε (a reference value “ε three-dimensional” for stereoscopic photography, and a reference value for panoramic photography). “Ε panorama”) is determined (step S103).

The difference between the luminance signal levels IL and IR is equal to the reference value ε.
If it is determined as follows, or the luminance signal levels IL and IR
Difference is based on the respective determination results when it is determined that not less than the reference value epsilon, any stop state and the stop control information that do I g ¹ _t, respectively, and updates the g ^r _t (step S104, 105). For example, in this example, α =
(-1) * β, and α is set to a small value as a conversion coefficient. Thus, when the update is necessary, gradually diaphragm control information g ¹ _t, g ^r _t it will be approached from both directions.

[0054] updated diaphragm control information g ¹ _t, g ^r _t is, P
The control unit management circuit 33 from the aperture control information output unit of C2 via the digital interface 341 of the compound eye camera 1
6 (step S106). The control section management circuit 336 reads the aperture control information and sends a signal to the aperture motor drivers 314 and 315 to control the respective aperture members 316 and 318. Along with this, the aperture motor drivers 314 and 315
19 are respectively driven and controlled. As a result, the aperture members 316 and 318 are each driven, and the control is repeatedly performed so that the difference between the luminance signal levels detected on the PC 2 disappears or becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

Next, recording of an image in the compound-eye camera system according to the first embodiment will be described. As the recording medium 340 of the compound-eye camera 1, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like can be used. In this example, a flash memory will be described as an example.

An interface (not shown) to the recording medium 340 saves the stereoscopic video signal as a file in a free area of the recording medium 340 in a digital format, and also performs registration in the file management area. The storage and registration are started when the operator (photographer) inputs a desired operation to the camera control unit 337 to start recording.
When identified by 338, the CCDs 321 and 322 are changed from the field accumulation mode to the frame accumulation mode, processed as described above, and held in the memory 333.

This is because the memory 333 has a capacity for four CCD fields, so that the storage mode is set to the frame storage mode. Has sufficient capacity. That is, since the capacity for two frames is the capacity for four fields, recording can be performed by using all areas of the memory 333.

The contents held in the VRAM 332 are as follows.
The flow of data from the memory 333 and the like, which is displayed on the liquid crystal display 330 as it is and before the recording operation is started, is temporarily stopped, and a stationary screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 330. The contents stored in the memory 333 are sent to the compression / decompression circuit 335 to compress the information, and the compressed data is held in the work memory 339. For example, JPEG (Joi
nt Photographic Expert Group: a compression method of a color still image by the same organization).

The compressed data is held in the work memory 339, and the compressed data includes, for example, s001L.
jpg, s001R.jpg, and records as a file to be managed as a pair of left and right compressed images. At this time, identification information for identifying the pair is also recorded in the file management area. Further, a thumbnail image is recorded together with the main image. Here, the thumbnail image refers to an image reduced from the main image, for example, an image having a size of 80 * 60.

As in the case of creating a compressed image of the main image, the content of the memory 333 is once reduced to a size of 80 * 60, and then sent to the compression / decompression circuit 335 to compress the information, thereby compressing the thumbnail image. The saved data is stored in the work memory 339.
Is held. This also uses JPEG as an example of compression.

The compressed data is held in the work memory 339, and the compressed data includes, for example, ss001.
A file name such as L.jpg, ss001R.jpg is given, and the left and right thumbnail compressed images are recorded as a pair to perform file management. At this time, identification information for identifying the pair is also recorded in the file management area at the same time as the main image.

The flow of stereoscopic image recording has been described above. The operator of the compound-eye camera 1 can observe a stereoscopic image on the liquid crystal display 330 and perform a recording operation only when desired. Thereby, the degree of freedom in photographing is large, and the stereoscopic effect can be confirmed even when the user moves with the compound eye camera 1 during photographing.

Next, the recording medium 34 of the compound-eye camera 1 will be briefly described.
The reproduction of the stereoscopic video recorded on the “0” will be described. Since a plurality of file stereoscopic images are recorded on the recording medium 340, the management area of the recording medium 340 is checked first, and the image file registration data is sent to the MPU 338. MPU3
At 38, in this case, an image file that can be reproduced as a stereoscopic image is selected, the corresponding image file name data is arranged in an arbitrary display format, an image file equivalent to a thumbnail image is read from the recording medium 340, and 339.

The thumbnail image held in the work memory 339 is JPEG-compressed as described above.
The PU 338 selects, for example, nine thumbnail images, sends them to the signal processing circuit 334 as data, and displays them on the liquid crystal display 330. The operator selects an image file to be reproduced from the displayed thumbnail images and inputs the selected image file to the camera control unit 337. The input signal is sent from the camera control unit 337 to the MPU 338, and the data of the selected file is read from the recording medium 340 and transferred to the work memory 339.

Thereafter, the information in the work memory 339 is expanded via the compression / expansion circuit 335 and sent to the memory 333. After that, as described above, the size is converted to the VRAM 332 and the image is interlaced and displayed on the liquid crystal display 330 as a stereoscopic image. In this way, the captured stereoscopic video can be easily reproduced. Further, by arranging a microphone (not shown) together with each imaging optical system, a more three-dimensional effect can be obtained not only for video but also for audio.

The structure of the imaging head is the IAF by the present inventor.
1198 and IAF 1030, detailed description is omitted, and this embodiment is simply shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, 500 is two mirrors, 501 is 2 mirrors.
The system lens groups 321, 322 are the above-mentioned CCDs. At the time of three-dimensional imaging, the two imaging systems are opened and the base line length is separated as shown in FIG. In panoramic photography, the imaging head is as shown in FIG. 6B, and the base line length is reduced.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the compound-eye camera system is connected to the compound-eye camera 1 having two image pickup systems, and the personal computer 2 capable of communicating with the compound-eye camera 1 via an interface. And the two control amounts of the control target in the compound-eye camera 1 based on the control information generated based on the individual difference information from the compound-eye camera 1 by the personal computer 2, that is, the brightness of the left and right images Has a control unit 1001 that controls so as to match, so that a stereoscopic image or a panoramic image that can be observed by the observer without causing discomfort can be generated. That is, a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be photographed, and a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be observed on the liquid crystal display 330.

[2] Second Embodiment A compound-eye camera system according to a second embodiment includes a compound-eye camera 1, a PC 2, and a data cable 3 (see FIG. 3). The compound-eye camera 1 and the PC 2 are connected by a data cable 3 through which data and commands are transmitted via the digital interface 341 shown in FIG.

The compound-eye camera 1 constituting the compound-eye camera system according to the second embodiment includes a convergence angle driving member 3
0, convergence angle drive motor 31, and zoom drive motor 3
2, 36, zoom driving members 33 and 37, focusing members 34 and 38, focus motors 35 and 39, zoom motor drivers 310 and 312, focus motor drivers 311 and 313, and an aperture motor Driver 3
14, 315, aperture members 316, 318, aperture motors 317, 319, timing generator 320
, CCDs 321, 322, a CCD vertical transfer driver 323, CDS / AGC circuits 324, 325,
/ D converters 326 and 327, a color signal processing circuit 328,
329, a liquid crystal display 330, an LCD control circuit 331, a VRAM 332, a memory 333, a signal processing circuit 334, a compression / decompression circuit 335, a control unit management circuit 336, a camera control unit 337, and an MPU 338.
, A work memory 339, a recording medium 340, a digital interface 341, a clamp circuit 342,
43 (see FIG. 2 above).

The compound-eye camera 1 in the compound-eye camera system according to the second embodiment includes a control unit 1001
, Two imaging systems 1002 and 1003, and a zoom mechanism 1
004, focusing mechanism 1005, color signal processing means 100
6, a clamp 1007, and a display 1008 (see FIG. 1).

The overall configuration of the compound-eye camera system according to the second embodiment, the detailed configuration of the compound-eye camera 1, and the functional block configuration of the compound-eye camera 1 have been described in detail in the first embodiment. It shall be omitted.

In the second embodiment, a description will be given of a portion where the white balance and the clamp state of the left and right images are made the same. In the first embodiment, the left and right images have substantially the same white balance, so that a three-dimensional image can be observed. However, if the white balance is lost, it is very unpleasant.

Therefore, the color signal processing circuit 3 of the compound eye camera 1
Image information is transferred from the digital signals output from the digital signals 28 and 329 via the signal processing circuit 334 to the external PC 2 via the digital interface 341 in accordance with an instruction from the MPU 338. Further, the clamp circuits 342, 34
3, the clamp level signal is transferred to the PC 2 via the control unit management circuit 336.

The PC 2 calculates the difference between the white balances on the basis of the left and right image information, obtains a coefficient indicating what kind of white balance should be obtained, and returns the coefficient information via the digital interface 341 of the compound-eye camera 1 again. The data is transferred to the control unit management circuit 336. As for the clamp information, the difference is calculated from the clamp level and the image information, and the clamp level change information is transferred to the control unit management circuit 336 in order to reduce the difference.

The control section management circuit 336 reads the above-mentioned coefficient information and clamp level change information, and sends a coefficient information signal to each of the color signal processing circuits 328 and 329 for white balance. Accordingly, the color signal processing circuits 328 and 329 change the coefficients of the color signal processing to change the white balance. As a result, the left and right white balances are changed, and the respective white balances are controlled on the PC 2 so as to be equal to each other or equal to or less than the reference value.

The clamp level change information is sent to the clamp circuits 342 and 343 to change the clamp level. This is also repeated periodically as in the first embodiment to keep the same state.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the compound-eye camera system is connected to the compound-eye camera 1 having two image pickup systems, and the personal computer 2 capable of communicating with the compound-eye camera 1 via an interface. Based on control information generated based on individual difference information from the compound-eye camera 1 by the personal computer 2, that is, two control amounts of opposed control targets in the compound-eye camera 1, that is, white balance of left and right images. Since the control means 1001 for controlling the left and right clamp states to be coincident with each other, it is possible to generate a stereoscopic image or a panoramic image that can be observed without causing the viewer to feel uncomfortable. That is, a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be photographed, and a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be observed on the liquid crystal display 330.

[3] Third Embodiment A compound-eye camera system according to a third embodiment includes a compound-eye camera 1, a PC 2, and a data cable 3 (see FIG. 3 described above). The compound-eye camera 1 and the PC 2 are connected by a data cable 3 through which data and commands are transmitted via the digital interface 341 shown in FIG.

The compound-eye camera 1 constituting the compound-eye camera system according to the third embodiment has a convergence angle driving member 3
0, convergence angle drive motor 31, and zoom drive motor 3
2, 36, zoom driving members 33 and 37, focusing members 34 and 38, focus motors 35 and 39, zoom motor drivers 310 and 312, focus motor drivers 311 and 313, and an aperture motor Driver 3
14, 315, aperture members 316, 318, aperture motors 317, 319, timing generator 320
, CCDs 321, 322, a CCD vertical transfer driver 323, CDS / AGC circuits 324, 325,
/ D converters 326 and 327, a color signal processing circuit 328,
329, a liquid crystal display 330, an LCD control circuit 331, a VRAM 332, a memory 333, a signal processing circuit 334, a compression / decompression circuit 335, a control unit management circuit 336, a camera control unit 337, and an MPU 338.
, A work memory 339, a recording medium 340, a digital interface 341, a clamp circuit 342,
43 (see FIG. 2 above).

The compound-eye camera 1 in the compound-eye camera system according to the third embodiment includes a control unit 1001
, Two imaging systems 1002 and 1003, and a zoom mechanism 1
004, focusing mechanism 1005, color signal processing means 100
6, a clamp 1007, and a display 1008 (see FIG. 1).

The overall configuration of the compound-eye camera system according to the third embodiment, the detailed configuration of the compound-eye camera 1, and the functional block configuration of the compound-eye camera 1 have been described in detail in the first embodiment. It shall be omitted.

In the third embodiment, the left and right focus states,
The part for making the left and right zoom ratios the same will be described. In the first embodiment, the left and right images can be observed as a three-dimensional image because the in-focus state and the zoom ratio are almost the same. However, if this balance is lost, a very unpleasant feeling is caused.

Therefore, first, in the focused state, the compound-eye camera 1
The focus state level is calculated in the signal processing circuit 334 from the digital signals output from the color signal processing circuits 328 and 329, and transferred to the external PC 2 via the digital interface 341 according to the instruction of the MPU 338.

The PC 2 calculates the difference between the left and right in-focus state levels, and transfers information on what in-focus state should be achieved to the control unit management circuit 336 via the digital interface 341 of the compound-eye camera 1 again. I do.

The control section management circuit 336 reads the above information and sends signals to the focus motor drivers 311 and 313 to control the respective focusing members 34 and 38. Accordingly, the focus motor driver 31
Reference numerals 1 and 313 drive and control the focus motors 35 and 39, respectively. As a result, the focusing members 34 and 38 are each driven, and the control is repeatedly performed so that the difference between the focusing state levels detected on the PC 2 disappears or becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

As for the zoom ratio, image information is sent from the signal processing circuit 334 of the compound-eye camera 1 to the PC 2, the difference in the zoom ratio is calculated in the PC 2, and the zoom control information is sent to fill the difference. The transmitted zoom control information controls the zoom motor drivers 310 and 312 via the control unit management circuit 336 to control the zoom drive motor 32,
36 is controlled. Thereby, the zoom driving members 33, 3
7 has the same zoom ratio as the movement.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the compound-eye camera system is combined with the compound-eye camera 1 having two image pickup systems, and the personal computer 2 capable of communicating with the compound-eye camera 1 via an interface. And the two control amounts of the control target in the compound-eye camera 1 based on the control information generated based on the individual difference information from the compound-eye camera 1 by the personal computer 2, that is, the left and right focus states, Since the control unit 1001 for controlling the left and right zoom ratios to match is provided, it is possible to generate a stereoscopic image or a panoramic image that can be observed without causing a viewer to feel uncomfortable. That is, a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be photographed, and a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be observed on the liquid crystal display 330.

The present invention may be applied to a system constituted by a plurality of devices or to an apparatus constituted by a single device. A storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or the apparatus executes the program code stored in the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by executing the reading.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

Examples of a storage medium for supplying the program code include a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, and CD.
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

Further, when the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS and the like running on the computer are actually executed based on the instructions of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the above-described processing is performed, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0093]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compound-eye camera provided with two image pickup systems, and a control object in the compound-eye camera body based on control information received from outside. Since the control means for controlling the two control amounts to coincide with each other, it is possible to photograph a stereoscopic image having no individual difference and to observe a stereoscopic image having no individual difference.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the control target of the compound-eye camera is an aperture, and the control amount is the brightness of the image, the brightness of the image corresponding to the two image pickup systems of the compound-eye camera is reduced. By performing control so that the three images coincide with each other, a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be captured, and a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be observed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the control object of the compound-eye camera is a color signal processing means for performing color conversion processing on the image, and the control amount is the white balance of the image. By controlling the images corresponding to the imaging system so that the white balances of the images match, it is possible to photograph a stereoscopic image having no individual difference and to observe a stereoscopic image having no individual difference.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the control target of the compound-eye camera is a clamp means for generating a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level. By controlling the clamp levels to be the same, it is possible to photograph a stereoscopic image having no individual difference and to observe a stereoscopic image having no individual difference.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the control target of the compound-eye camera is a zoom mechanism and the control amount is a zoom ratio, the control is performed so that the zoom ratios of the two image pickup systems of the compound-eye camera match. By doing so, a three-dimensional image without individual differences can be photographed, and a three-dimensional image without individual differences can be observed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the control target of the compound-eye camera is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is a focused state, the focused states of the two imaging systems of the compound-eye camera coincide. By performing such control, a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be photographed, and a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be observed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the compound eye camera is
Since there is a display means capable of displaying a three-dimensional image, a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be taken, and a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be observed by the display means.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the compound eye camera is
Since sound can be collected, a more three-dimensional effect can be obtained not only for the image but also for the sound.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compound-eye camera system including a compound-eye camera having two image pickup systems and a device such as a computer capable of communicating with the compound-eye camera. Based on the control information generated based on the individual difference information from the, since it has a control means to control the two control amounts of the control object in the compound eye camera opposite to each other, a stereoscopic image without individual differences It is possible to photograph and observe a stereoscopic image with no individual difference.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the control target of the compound-eye camera system is an aperture, and the control amount is the brightness of the image, the brightness of the image corresponding to the two image pickup systems of the compound-eye camera is controlled. Is controlled so as to match with each other, a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be captured, and a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be observed.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the control target of the compound eye camera system is a color signal processing means for performing color conversion processing on the image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. By controlling the white balances of the images corresponding to the two imaging systems to match, it is possible to capture a stereoscopic image with no individual difference and to observe a stereoscopic image with no individual difference.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the controlled object of the compound-eye camera system is a clamp means for generating a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level. By controlling the clamp levels to be the same, it is possible to capture a stereoscopic image having no individual difference and to observe a stereoscopic image having no individual difference.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, since the control target of the compound-eye camera system is a zoom mechanism and the control amount is a zoom ratio, the zoom ratios of the two image pickup systems of the compound-eye camera are matched. By performing the control, a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be photographed, and a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be observed.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the control target of the compound-eye camera system is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is in a focused state. By performing such control, a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be photographed, and a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be observed.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, since the compound-eye camera system has display means capable of displaying a three-dimensional image, it is possible to capture a three-dimensional image having no individual difference, and to display the three-dimensional image with no individual difference. You can observe a stereoscopic image without any.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, since the compound-eye camera system can collect sound, it is possible to obtain a three-dimensional effect not only on the image but also on the sound.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compound-eye camera control method for controlling a compound-eye camera provided with two image pickup systems, wherein a control target of an opposite control object in the compound-eye camera body is controlled based on control information received from outside. Since there is a control step of performing control so that the two control amounts match, it is possible to photograph a stereoscopic image having no individual difference and to observe a stereoscopic image having no individual difference.

According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, since the control target of the compound-eye camera control method is an aperture, and the control amount is the brightness of the image, the brightness of the image corresponding to the two imaging systems of the compound-eye camera is controlled. By controlling so that the three images match each other, it is possible to photograph a stereoscopic image having no individual difference and to observe a stereoscopic image having no individual difference.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the control target of the compound-eye camera control method is a color signal processing step of performing color conversion processing on an image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. By controlling the white balances of the images corresponding to the two imaging systems so as to match each other, a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be photographed, and a stereoscopic image having no individual difference can be observed.

According to the twentieth aspect, the control target of the compound-eye camera control method is a clamp step for generating a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level. By performing control so that the corresponding clamp levels match, a stereoscopic image without individual differences can be captured, and a stereoscopic image without individual differences can be observed.

According to the twenty-first aspect of the present invention, since the control object of the compound-eye camera control method is a zoom mechanism and the control amount is a zoom ratio, the zoom ratios of the two image pickup systems of the compound-eye camera match. In this way, it is possible to photograph a stereoscopic image having no individual difference, and to observe a stereoscopic image having no individual difference.

According to the twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the control target of the compound-eye camera control method is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is a focused state. By performing control so that the three images coincide with each other, a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be captured, and a three-dimensional image having no individual difference can be observed.

According to the twenty-third aspect of the present invention, the compound-eye camera control method has a display step capable of displaying a three-dimensional image. It is possible to observe a three-dimensional image without images.

According to the twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, since the compound-eye camera control method can collect sounds, it is possible to obtain a more three-dimensional effect not only on images but also on sounds.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a compound-eye camera system according to first to third embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a compound-eye camera constituting the compound-eye camera system according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the compound eye camera system according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a concept of generating a composite image for display in the compound-eye camera system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an individual difference correction process in the PC of the compound eye camera system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an imaging optical head unit of the compound eye camera system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
(A) is an explanatory diagram at the time of stereoscopic imaging, and (b) is an explanatory diagram at the time of panoramic imaging.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 compound eye camera 2 personal computer 3 data cable 33, 37 zoom drive member 34, 38 focusing member 316, 318 aperture member 321, 322 CCD 328, 329 color signal processing circuit 338 MPU 341 digital interface 342, 343 clamp circuit 1001 control Means 1002, 1003 Imaging system 1004 Zoom mechanism 1005 Focusing mechanism 1006 Color signal processing means 1007 Clamping means 1008 Display means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04N 15/00 H04N 15/00

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. A compound-eye camera having two image pickup systems, comprising: control means for controlling two control amounts of opposed control targets in a compound-eye camera body based on control information received from the outside. A compound eye camera characterized by having. 2. The compound eye camera according to claim 1, wherein the control target is an aperture, and the control amount is brightness of an image. 3. The compound eye camera according to claim 1, wherein the control target is a color signal processing unit that performs a color conversion process on the image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. 4. The compound eye camera according to claim 1, wherein the control target is a clamp unit that generates a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level. 5. The compound eye camera according to claim 1, wherein the control target is a zoom mechanism, and the control amount is a zoom ratio. 6. The compound eye camera according to claim 1, wherein the control target is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is in a focused state. 7. The compound eye camera according to claim 1, further comprising display means capable of displaying a stereoscopic image. 8. The compound eye camera according to claim 1, wherein a sound can be collected. 9. A compound-eye camera system including a compound-eye camera provided with two image pickup systems and a device such as a computer capable of communicating with the compound-eye camera, wherein the device also obtains individual difference information from the compound-eye camera. And a control means for controlling the two control amounts of the opposing control objects in the compound-eye camera based on the generated control information. 10. The compound eye camera system according to claim 9, wherein the control target is an aperture, and the control amount is brightness of an image. 11. The compound-eye camera system according to claim 9, wherein the control target is a color signal processing unit that performs a color conversion process on the image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. 12. The compound eye camera system according to claim 9, wherein the control target is a clamp unit that generates a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level. 13. The compound eye camera system according to claim 9, wherein the control target is a zoom mechanism, and the control amount is a zoom ratio. 14. The compound-eye camera system according to claim 9, wherein the control target is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is in a focused state. 15. The compound eye camera system according to claim 9, further comprising display means capable of displaying a stereoscopic image. 16. The compound eye camera system according to claim 9, wherein sound can be collected. 17. A compound-eye camera control method for controlling a compound-eye camera having two image pickup systems, wherein two control amounts of opposed control targets in the compound-eye camera body match based on control information received from outside. And a control method for controlling the compound-eye camera. 18. The compound-eye camera control method according to claim 17, wherein the control object is an aperture, and the control amount is brightness of an image. 19. The compound-eye camera control method according to claim 17, wherein the control target is a color signal processing step of performing a color conversion process on the image, and the control amount is a white balance of the image. 20. The compound-eye camera control method according to claim 17, wherein the control target is a clamp step for generating a clamp level signal, and the control amount is a clamp level. 21. The control method according to claim 17, wherein the control object is a zoom mechanism, and the control amount is a zoom ratio.
The compound eye camera control method as described in the above. 22. The compound-eye camera control method according to claim 17, wherein the control object is a focusing mechanism, and the control amount is a focused state. 23. The compound eye camera control method according to claim 17, further comprising a display step capable of displaying a stereoscopic image. 24. The compound-eye camera control method according to claim 17, wherein sound can be collected.