JPH11284970A - Sight line coincident type video image display and photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact sight line coincident type video image display and photographing device of a simple structure and reduced cost that has an effective sight line coincidence and has practically no obstacle to view a displayed video image. SOLUTION: A holder 42a is projected integrally with a device body 42 from the device body 42 placed to the upper part of a display device 41 along the upper front side of the display device 41, a transparent camera holding member 43 toward the lower side in the vertical direction is fitted to the holder 42a, and a camera 44 such as a CCD is fitted to the lower end of the transparent camera holding member 43. An optical axis of the camera 44 is a position to which a sight line of the user is set.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video communication terminal typified by a video telephone system or a video conference system, and the like, in which a line-of-sight with the other party is required. The present invention relates to an eye-gaze-matched image display and imaging device that is effective when natural self-portrait display by eye-gaze matching is required.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 4-81088 discloses the following technique as a conventional eye-gaze-matched video display / imaging apparatus. 8A and 8B showing a front view and a side view, reference numeral 1 denotes a display device such as a CRT, and 2 denotes a camera support having an area slightly larger than the display device 1 installed in front of the display device 1. The frame 3 is a horizontal camera moving unit and position detecting unit attached to the upper horizontal side of the camera support frame 2, and the vertical camera moving unit and position detecting unit 4 is mounted to the left vertical side of the camera support frame 2. Position detector, 5, 6
Is a camera transparent support plate extending in the vertical and horizontal directions from the horizontal camera moving unit and position detecting unit 3 and the vertical camera moving unit and position detecting unit 4, respectively. A camera head supported by the supporting plates 5 and 6; a camera connection cable 8 extending from the camera head 7; a camera control unit (CCU) 9; a window generation controller 10; (NCU) and 12 are display screen synthesis units. The video signal of the user captured by the camera head unit 7 is transmitted to the camera control unit 9 via the camera connection cable 8, and the video signal from the camera control unit 9 is transmitted together with the audio signal via the network control unit 11. The data is transmitted to the terminal of the other party through the telephone line and is displayed on the display device of the terminal of the other party. If the user's line of sight is directed to the camera head unit 7 or its vicinity, the line of sight of the user displayed on the partner terminal is directed to the front on the screen. The video signal transmitted from the partner terminal is displayed on the screen of the display device 1 via the display screen synthesis unit 12. The line of sight of the displayed person image 13 of the other party also faces the front similarly. In order to prevent external light from being reflected on the display device 1, a filter is mounted in the camera support frame 2. The camera head 7 is moved to a position where it does not interfere with the displayed image of the person image 13 of the other speaker. The camera head unit 7 can be moved in the left-right direction and the up-down direction by the horizontal camera moving unit / position detecting unit 3 or the vertical camera moving unit / position detecting unit 4, respectively. The horizontal and vertical position information of the camera head unit 7 detected by the horizontal camera moving unit / position detecting unit 3 and the vertical camera moving unit / position detecting unit 4 is sent to the window generation control unit 10 to generate a window. The control unit 10 generates display data of the camera window 14 having the size of the display portion hidden by the camera head unit 7 at the current position of the camera head unit 7 based on the position information, and sends it to the display screen synthesizing unit 12. . The display screen synthesizing unit 12 synthesizes the video signal received from the partner terminal and the display data of the camera window 14 and sends out the synthesized signal to the display device 1. As a result, the camera window 14 is displayed at a position corresponding to the camera head unit 7 on the screen of the display device 1. As described above, since the camera head unit 7 is located within the screen of the display device 1, both the line of sight of the user and the line of sight of the other party match the line of sight of the other person image on each screen. You can have a natural and realistic TV conversation while directly checking the expression.

[0003] As another conventional eye-gaze-matched video display and imaging device, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-97663 discloses the following technology as a conventional example. As shown in FIG. 9, a display device 22 such as a CRT is arranged on one side of the half mirror 21, and an imaging device 23 is mounted on the other side of the half mirror 21 so that the intersections of the optical axes with the half mirror 21 coincide with each other. It is arranged. In order to make the imaging device 23 invisible to the user 24, the imaging device 23 is covered with a box 25 that blocks external light. This inevitably leads to a very large size. Display device 22
Since the image is viewed through the half mirror 21, a decrease in luminance is inevitable. It is not suitable for television display because of a large decrease in luminance.

Therefore, this publication makes the following proposal. FIG. 10 (a) showing a front view and a side view,
In (b), reference numeral 31 denotes a display device, 32 denotes a camera support frame having a slightly larger area than the display device 31 installed in front of the display device 31, and 33 denotes a camera support frame 32 attached to the camera support frame 32 at an angle of 45 degrees. Mirror, 34 is a mirror moving unit,
Reference numeral 35 denotes a camera support frame 32 in a vertical posture directly above a mirror 33.
Reference numeral 36 denotes a mirror image processing unit that performs a left-right reversal process on an image captured by the camera 35 via the mirror 33. The mirror 33 is arranged near the upper side of the display screen of the display device 31 so as to partially overlap the display screen. FIGS. 11A and 11B show another example, in which a half mirror 37 is used instead of a mirror. The half mirror 37 is arranged near the upper side of the display screen so as to entirely overlap the display screen. When the size of the display device 31 is large (for example, 20 inches), the user's gazing point is set to 1/3 of the total height of the display screen, thereby increasing the elevation angle at which the user looks at the camera 35. Allowable limit value 10 °
It is described that it is possible to suppress the angle of view to 9 °, which is smaller than that, so that the eyes can be almost matched.

[0005]

In the former prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 4-81088, what is the significance of masking the display portion hidden by the camera head 7 with the camera window 14? Unknown. Although masking, the display of the camera window 14 is
This is performed behind the camera head 7. It's like camouflage, but it's not. In addition, the display itself of the camera window 14 lacks the original video information. Although the camera transparent support plates 5 and 6 are transparent, they are long over the entire height and width of the screen of the display device 1, and refraction and reflection are inevitable. Cause obstacles. A window generation control unit 10 requiring complicated software is used, and a display screen synthesis unit 12 is used.
In addition, since the horizontal camera moving unit and position detecting unit 3 and the vertical camera moving unit and position detecting unit 4 are also required, the entire apparatus becomes large-scale, which leads to an increase in cost. Although it is possible to move the camera head 7 to a position that does not interfere with the image of the displayed person image 13 of the other party, the camera head 7 can be moved, and the camera head 7 can be moved behind the camera head 7. Displaying the camera window 14 is too problematic in terms of structural simplicity and compactness. In addition, the user is made to be more conscious of the existence of the camera head unit 7 than necessary.

The latter prior art is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 4-97663.
In the publication, in the case of the mirror 33, the camera 35 is reflected and seen by the user, and there is no difference in appearance from a case where the camera is normally placed in front of the display screen. Also,
Image information behind the mirror 33 is lost. In the case of the half mirror 37, since the brightness of the display screen is an obstacle and the mirror effect cannot be obtained, the image of the user by the camera 35 via the reflection from the half mirror 37 becomes dark. . Since the mirror 33 and the half mirror 37 need to cover the photographing range of the camera 35, the camera 35
As the distance increases, a larger area is required. Therefore, when the mirror 33 and the half mirror 37 are disposed deep in the display screen, the size of the mirror 33 and the half mirror 37 becomes very large, and the obstacle is large.

When the image pickup means is arranged in front of the display screen as a method of matching the line of sight, the image pickup means itself cannot have full light transmittance in principle. It is unavoidable that the means remain visible. However, the method in which the imaging means is not arranged at the front of the display screen requires a high-level special technique or has a large-scale structure that covers the entire apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an effective eye-gaze coincidence with a simple structure, a compact structure, a low cost burden, and a visual image. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaze-matched video display / imaging device having almost no obstacles.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an eye-gaze coincidence type video display / imaging apparatus having the following configuration. That is, a display device such as a CRT and a camera for photographing a user are used to display a person image of a partner speaker transmitted through a telephone line or the like or a self-portrait of the user photographed by the camera. By placing the camera at the position where the user places his or her line of sight, the line of sight of the user looking at the screen and the line of sight of the communication partner image or the self-portrait displayed on the screen almost match A line-of-sight image display / imaging device configured to perform the above operation, and extend a transparent camera holding member from the device main body to a position corresponding to the line of sight when arranging the camera at the position where the user places the line of sight on the front of the display screen. A camera is attached to the transparent camera holding member. Since only the transparent camera holding member is used for mounting the camera, the structure for mounting is very simple and compact, and it is effective in displaying the communication partner image or self-portrait while reducing the cost burden. In particular, since the camera holding member that holds the camera is transparent, there is no loss of image information except for the camera part, and obstruction in viewing the displayed image is important. rare.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a line-of-sight image display / imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the transparent camera holding member is formed in a housing shape, and a main body portion of the camera is built in a free end portion of the housing. It is fixed. Since the camera is fixed in the housing-shaped camera holding member, the holding and protection of the camera can be ensured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a line-of-sight image display / imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the transparent camera holding member is a combination of a smooth curved front member and a parallel flat rear member. The thickness of the curved front member along the line of sight is uniform over the entire width. The optical path length through which light passes is uniform over the entire width of the transparent camera holding member, and no distortion occurs in a display image viewed through the transparent camera holding member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an eye-gaze coincidence type image display / imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the transparent camera holding member is subjected to antistatic treatment on both the inner and outer surfaces. is there. In particular, when the transparent camera holding member is attached to the front of a CRT display, the transparent camera holding member is prevented from being charged by static electricity generated by the CRT, dust is prevented from adhering due to the charging, and the transparency of the camera holding member is maintained for a long period of time.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the eye-gaze coincidence type video display / imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the transparent camera holding member is divided by a dividing line which does not cross the front surface thereof. An opening is formed, and a transparent lid is detachably attached to the opening. When fine particles such as dust and smoke adhere to the inner surface of the transparent camera holding member and the transparency is reduced, the transparency is restored by removing the transparent lid and cleaning the inside through the opening.

[0014]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gaze-matching type video display and imaging apparatus according to the present invention.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a front view of a visual line matching type video display / image pickup apparatus according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part partially cut away, and FIG. A
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB 'in FIG. 3. A hollow rectangular parallelepiped holder 42a is provided at a central position of an upper side portion of a front portion of the display device 41 from a device body 42 installed as a set top on a cabinet 41a of a display device 41 such as a CRT (cathode ray tube).
Is formed integrally with the device main body 42, and a transparent camera holding member 43 which is directed downward in the vertical direction is attached to the holder 42a. A camera 44 such as a CCD is attached to the lower end of the transparent camera holding member 43. The optical axis of the camera 44 is the line of sight. Examples of the transparent material forming the camera holding member 43 include acrylic resin, polycarbonate, and glass.
Although the camera holding member 43 is present in front of the screen of the display device 41 but is transparent, the user can see the image on the display screen through the camera holding member 43. The camera 44 is opaque, but adopts the latest and smallest camera so as to make obstruction in viewing the displayed image as low as possible. Also, a part of the area hidden by the camera 44 can be seen by moving the viewpoint.

The transparent camera holding member 43 is provided with a front member 43 for ensuring the holding and protection of the camera 44.
a and a rear member 43b. Its shape is almost a hollow rectangular parallelepiped. Front member 43a includes a front plate portion 43a _1, a side plate portion 43a ₂ of the series integral at right angles to the left and right ends of the front plate portion 43a _1, the front plate 43a
It has an upper plate portion 43a ₃ Metropolitan series integrally at right angles to the _first and the left and right upper end of the side plate portion 43a _2. Through holes 43a ₄ for the front plate portion 43a ₁ for inserting the barrel portion of the camera 44
Are formed. Rear member 43b includes a bottom plate portion 43b ₁ for placing holding the camera 44, the plate portion 43b ₂ after a series integrally at right angles to the rear end of the bottom plate portion 43b _1, a series integrally perpendicularly at the upper end of the rear plate portion 43b ₂ It consists of the upper plate portion 43b ₃ Metropolitan. The front member 43a and the rear member 43b are simply elastically fitted to each other, and are integrated by an elastic pressure contact force and a frictional force therebetween. By fitted into the upper plate portion 43a ₃ and the upper plate portion 43b ₃ in the holder 42a, but a transparent camera holding member 43 is attached to the holder 42a, integral with the front member 43a and the rear member 43b by the fitting insertion Has been reinforced.

Since the transparent material has a refractive index different from that of air, a change in thickness causes a lens effect, which may distort the image displayed behind. To avoid this, the front member 43a
The rear member 43b has a uniform thickness throughout. When viewed from the front, but b is larger side plate portion 43a ₂ of thickness in the range as compared to the thickness in the range of a shown in FIG. 4, since the range of the b is sufficiently small width, not a few problems. In the range of a, the front plate portion 43a ₁ and the rear plate portion 43b
_Since the thickness of ₂ is small, and both are parallel flat plates and have a uniform thickness, no image distortion occurs. Also in the fitting of the front member 43a and the rear member 43b, a structure that causes image distortion, such as a fitting structure of the locking claw and the locked claw, should be avoided. It is an elastic fit that provides a good surface contact. In addition, that is also preferable from an aesthetic viewpoint. The attachment of the transparent camera holding member 43 to the device main body 42 is performed in a holder 42a that does not need to be transparent. The mounting of the rectangular parallelepiped main body of the camera 44 to the transparent camera holding member 43 is performed only in the immediate vicinity of the camera 44, which is inevitably opaque. These attachments may be permanently fixed with an adhesive, but are preferably attached in a disassembled state using screws or the like for maintenance. c is a fixed portion. Although a camera connection cable for the camera 44 is not shown, the camera connection cable is wired in a housing-like camera holding member 43 and is passed through the holder 42a to the inside of the device main body 42.

The camera 44 in the camera holding member 43
In order to hide a part of the camera holding member 43, an opaque material may be arranged on the inner surface or the outer surface of the camera holding member 43, or paint may be applied only around the camera 44.

As described above, the structure for mounting the camera is very simple and compact, the cost burden is small, and it is possible to provide effective line-of-sight matching in displaying a communication partner image or a self-portrait. it can. As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 44 is very small,
Since the camera holding member 43 holding the camera 44 is transparent, there is almost no obstacle in viewing the displayed image.

[Embodiment 2] In the case of Embodiment 1,
Large thickness as viewed from the front of the side plate portion 43a ₂ of the range of b in FIG. 4, but said not a few problems for distorting the displayed image because the width is small. Embodiment 2
Aims to eliminate this slight image distortion. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part partially broken away, and FIG. 6A is a sectional view taken along line CC ′ in FIG. The transparent camera holding member 43 is composed of a symmetrical front member 43c that is smoothly curved and a flat plate-shaped rear member 43d,
Both are fitted and fixed. The fitting and fixing are the same as in the first embodiment. A rectangular parallelepiped main body of the camera 44 is inserted into the lower end of the transparent camera holding member 43, and the rear surface of the camera 44 is attached to the rear member 43d. The through hole 43c ₃ formed in the front member 43c extends through the barrel portion of the camera 44.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the front member 43
c has an uneven thickness structure. FIG. 6B is a comparative diagram for explaining the inconvenience when the front member 43c has a uniform thickness. The thickness along the line-of-sight direction D differs depending on the position in the lateral direction. The thickness becomes smaller toward the center and becomes larger at the side where the inclination increases, and t ₁
<T ₂ . In other words, the optical path length through which the light passes becomes non-uniform depending on the position in the horizontal direction, so that a lens effect is generated, which causes distortion of the displayed image. In order to avoid this inconvenience, the front member 43c has an uneven thickness structure as shown in FIG. Front side 43c ₁ of the front member 43c is a left-right direction central portion is a smooth curved surface convex to the front, a left and right sides smooth curved convex backward and shaped to their curved surfaces are continuous smoothly with one another It is symmetrical.
It is not always necessary to be symmetrical. Rear side 43
c _2, the front and the sides 43c ₁ is parallel moved shape along the line-of-sight direction D, front side 43c ₁ and the rear side surface 43c
₂ has the same shape. Therefore, the thickness of the front member 43c along the line of sight D is constant regardless of the position in the lateral direction. Front side 4
3c _1, the slope change in the posterior surface 43c ₂ curved surface, so as not to cause extreme thickness reduction, it is desirable to some extent moderate. Front side 43c ₁ , rear side 43c ₂
Both are linear in the vertical direction. The thickness of the front member 43c along the line of sight D is constant regardless of the position in the lateral direction, and the thickness of the rear member 43d is also constant. A lens effect does not occur over the entire width of the member 43, and distortion of a displayed image to be seen through can be avoided over the entire width.

Although the two embodiments have been described above, the present invention includes the following configurations.

(1) As a modification of the second embodiment, the fitting structure at both ends of the front member 43c and the rear member 43d is shown in FIG.
It may be configured as follows.

(2) Forming the transparent camera holding member 43 in a housing shape is advantageous for securing the fixing accuracy of the camera 44, protecting the camera 44, securing the strength of the camera holding member 43 itself, etc. When dust adheres to the camera, there is a possibility that the transparency of the camera holding member 43 cannot be maintained. In particular, when used as a set top type on a CRT display, the camera holding member 43 immediately in front of the display screen is strongly affected by static electricity, and adhesion of dust is promoted by charging. Therefore, by applying a transparent antistatic agent to both the inner and outer surfaces of the transparent camera holding member 43, electrostatic charging is prevented, and adhesion of fine particles such as dust and smoke is prevented.
The transparency of the camera holding member 43 is maintained for a long time.

(3) Unless the transparent camera holding member 43 in the form of a housing is integrated in a completely sealed state, a minute gap due to a temperature difference may not occur at the fitting point, the lens barrel, or the insertion point of the camera connection cable. Inevitably, it is difficult to completely prevent dust from entering the inside of the transparent camera holding member 43. Therefore, a part of the transparent camera holding member 43 is divided along a dividing line to form an opening and to form a transparent lid for opening and closing the opening. In normal times, the transparent lid is attached to the opening, but when contamination inside the transparent camera holding member 43 has progressed due to long-term use, the transparent lid is removed and the inside is cleaned through the opening. The dividing line that forms the opening is the transparent camera holding member 4
3 so as not to cross, and pass through the side portion near the camera 44. Since the dividing line does not cross the front part, the visibility of the displayed image is not adversely affected.

Although it is conceivable to form a cleaning hole for inserting a cleaning tool into the camera holding member 43 at a position off the display screen, a special cleaning tool is required, and cleaning is difficult. Cleaning unevenness and scratches are likely to occur, and the antistatic agent may peel off or dust or foreign matter may enter through the cleaning hole. Therefore, a structure in which the transparent lid is detachably attached to the opening as described above is more preferable.

The above items (1) to (3) are independent of each other, and may be used alone or in any combination.

[0028]

According to the invention according to the first aspect of the eye-gaze-matching type video display / imaging device, since the element for mounting the camera at the position where the user places his / her gaze is only the transparent camera holding member, the mounting of the camera is not required. Structure can be made very simple and compact, and while reducing the cost burden, it is possible to provide effective eye-gaze matching in displaying the communication partner image or self-portrait, and in particular, the camera holding member that holds the camera is transparent. Therefore, when the camera part is removed, the displayed image can be viewed well in a natural manner without any loss of image information, and the camera itself can be made almost inconspicuous.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by forming the transparent camera holding member in a housing shape, it is possible to reliably hold and protect the camera fixed thereto.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the curved front member combined with the parallel plate-shaped rear member is made uniform over the entire width along the line of sight, thereby allowing the transparent camera holding member to pass through. Thus, it is not necessary to cause distortion in the displayed image, and the visibility can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the inner and outer surfaces of the transparent camera holding member are subjected to an antistatic treatment, thereby preventing the transparent camera holding member from being charged by static electricity generated by the CRT, thereby preventing dust caused by the charging. And the transparency of the camera holding member can be maintained for a long period of time.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, when the transparency of the camera holding member is reduced, the transparent lid is removed,
Transparency can be restored by cleaning the interior through the opening.

In the specification (particularly, the detailed description of the invention and the claims) or the drawings relating to the present case, any matter (arbitrary element or arbitrary element or connection relation / combination relation of arbitrary elements) described at the beginning of the application ) Is reserved. Furthermore, the possibility of adding any matter not described in the claims but described in the detailed description of the invention or in the drawings to the claims and the possibility of changing the description accompanying the additions is described. Reserve That is, it is assumed that such omission, addition, or change is directly and unambiguously guided, and that no new matter is added.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a visual line matching type video display / imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a partly broken view of the eye-gaze coincidence type video display / imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB ′ in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a main part of a visual line matching type video display / imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 2.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC ′ in FIG. 5 and a partial cross-sectional view for comparison.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing a modified embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a front view and a side view of a line-of-sight image display / imaging apparatus according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a gaze-matched video display / imaging apparatus according to another related art.

FIG. 10 is a front view and a side view of a gaze-matched image display / imaging apparatus according to still another conventional technique.

FIG. 11 is a front view and a side view of a gaze-matched video display / imaging apparatus according to still another conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

41 Display device 42 Main body 42a Holder 43 Transparent camera holding member 43a Front member 43a ₁ Front plate 43a ₂ Side plate 43a ₃ Top plate 43b Rear member 43b ₁ Bottom plate 43b ₂ Rear plate 43b ₃ Upper plate 43c Front member 43c ₁ Front side 43c ₂ Rear side 43d Rear member 44 Camera

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus such as a videophone having a camera for photographing a user and a display unit for displaying a portrait image, a transparent camera holding member extending from a main body of the apparatus to a position on the front of a display screen where the user looks. And a line-of-sight type image display / imaging apparatus in which a camera is attached to the transparent camera holding member. 2. The eye-gaze coincidence image display / imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transparent camera holding member is formed in a housing shape, and the camera is built in and fixed to a free end portion of the housing. 3. A transparent camera holding member comprising a combination of a smooth curved front member and a parallel plate-shaped rear member, wherein the curved front member has a uniform thickness along a line of sight. The eye-gaze coincidence type video display / imaging apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The eye-gaze coincidence type video display / imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an antistatic treatment is applied to both inner and outer surfaces of the transparent camera holding member. 5. The transparent camera holding member according to claim 1, wherein the transparent camera holding member is divided by a dividing line that does not cross the front surface of the transparent camera holding member to form an opening, and a transparent lid is detachably attached to the opening. A line-of-sight image display / imaging device according to any one of the above.