JPH11341517A - Horizontal layout stereoscopic image display system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow the user to view a proper stereoscopic image in every direction independently of a view position in the system where a stereoscopic image by a both-eye parallax image is displayed on an image display plane placed horizontally. SOLUTION: Three or more sets of video cameras 11-14 are used to photograph a display object. An image selection device 43 selects a left eye use camera and a right eye use camera depending on a change in a view position of the user. A time division stereoscopic image synthesizer 46 outputs alternately a left eye image signal and a right eye image signal and an image display device 21 displays them and a liquid crystal eyeglass synchronizing signal is generated synchronously with them to control a liquid crystal eyeglass 26 to shield the visual field of the left eye or the right eye of the user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display system for photographing a binocular parallax image with a plurality of cameras and displaying an image having a stereoscopic effect, particularly when the image display surface is set horizontally. The present invention relates to a horizontally arranged stereoscopic image display system capable of displaying an appropriate stereoscopic image regardless of a user's observation position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image corresponding to each of the left and right eyes of a human is photographed by two cameras arranged in parallel at a distance of about two human eyes, and the images are alternately displayed on an image display device. Then, in synchronization with that, the right or left eye is shielded by the liquid crystal shutter attached to the glasses, so that only the images corresponding to each of the left and right eyes are shown.
There is a time-division stereoscopic image display system for displaying a stereoscopic image.

[0003] In such a time-division stereoscopic image display system, since the display surface is designed on the assumption that the display surface stands upright, the positional relationship in which the user views the screen up and the right side of the screen as right is It was always kept right.

[0004]

However, in order to observe an object placed on a horizontal plane in a natural positional relationship, the image display surface of such a time-division stereoscopic image display system is embedded in a horizontal plane such as a table. In such a case, the user may look at the top of the screen as a direction other than the top.
For example, the direction where the right side of the screen is down (the left side of the screen is up,
When viewed from the bottom (left side, top side right), a binocular parallax stereoscopic image taken from a position shifted in the left-right direction is displayed as a vertically shifted image, and it is displayed as a binocular image. You can't see in 3D even if you look at it.

As described above, in the conventional time-division stereoscopic image display system, when the image display surface is placed horizontally, there is a problem that a stereoscopic image cannot be displayed correctly depending on a user's observation position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and in a stereoscopic image display system having a horizontally installed image display surface, a user can view an appropriate stereoscopic image from any direction regardless of an observation position. The purpose is to be able to.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an apparatus for displaying a stereoscopic image based on binocular parallax images on a horizontally installed image display surface, in which three or more video cameras are arranged. In addition, by selecting a camera for the left eye and a camera for the right eye in accordance with a change in the observation position of the user, an appropriate stereoscopic image can be displayed regardless of the observation position of the user.

That is, the horizontally arranged stereoscopic image display system according to the present invention provides a three-dimensional image display system arranged at a position where the optical axis directions are parallel.
A plurality of video cameras, a position sensor for measuring a position of a user, and an output image signal of the video camera based on an output signal of the position sensor, wherein one of the output image signals of the video camera is used as a left-eye image signal. An image selection device for selecting and outputting another one of the image signals as a right-eye image signal, and a time-sharing method for alternately outputting the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal and synchronizing with that to generate a liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal. A stereoscopic image synthesizing device, an image display device in which a display surface for displaying an image signal output from the time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device is placed at a horizontal or nearly horizontal angle, and a left or right eye of a user according to a liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal. It consists of liquid crystal glasses that block the field of view.

For example, four video cameras are arranged at each vertex of a quadrangle. Alternatively, a camera in which three or five or more video cameras are evenly arranged on the circumference of the same plane may be used to obtain binocular parallax images in a plurality of directions.

The operation of the present invention when four video cameras are used is as follows. Since the four video cameras shoot images with parallax in the upper, lower, left, and right directions, for example, when observing with the lower side of the screen facing down, the left eye observes the image of the lower left camera and the camera of the lower right camera. If the image is viewed by the right eye, stereoscopic viewing can be performed so that the parallax images of the left and right eyes can be observed. In addition, when observing with the upper side of the screen down, the left eye observes the image of the lower right or upper right camera, and the right eye observes the image of the lower left or upper left camera. A parallax image can be observed and a stereoscopic view can be obtained. When observing the screen obliquely, for example, when observing the lower right of the screen at the bottom and the upper left at the top, make sure that the left eye observes the image of the lower left camera and the right eye observes the image of the upper right camera. If this is the case, parallax images of the left and right eyes can be observed, and stereoscopic viewing can be performed.

In the present invention, the position of the user is measured by the position sensor, and the direction from the position to the center of the image display device is defined as the observation direction. Based on this observation direction, two of the images taken by the four video cameras are
The image selected for the left eye and the image selected for the right eye are selected as the image to be displayed on the right eye and displayed by the time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device in synchronization with the alternating occlusion of the left and right eyes of the liquid crystal glasses. Is presented to the right eye. In this way, by selecting and displaying the images for the left and right eyes from the images captured by the four cameras according to the position of the user, a binocular parallax stereoscopic image having correct parallax can be obtained from any direction. Can be observed.

Even when the number of video cameras is other than four, by selecting the most appropriate combination to obtain binocular parallax images from the respective directions evenly on the circumference and from any direction, Even when watching, a binocular parallax stereoscopic image having correct parallax can be observed.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows an example of an image photographing section of a horizontally arranged stereoscopic image display system according to the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a square camera fixing frame for fixing four video cameras,
11 is a first video camera, 12 is a second video camera, 13 is a third video camera, and 14 is a fourth video camera. Reference numeral 15 denotes a subject placed under the image capturing device. Reference numeral 16 denotes an arrow indicating the position above the camera, that is, above the image.

Four video cameras 11, 12, 13, 1
Numeral 4 indicates that the optical axes are parallel and the direction of the arrow 16 is on the top of each camera, that is, on the image to be photographed, and each camera is installed so as to be in contact with the vertex of the square of the camera fixing frame 10.

FIG. 2 is a use state diagram showing an image display unit and associated devices of the horizontal arrangement stereoscopic image display system of the present invention, a user, and liquid crystal glasses worn by the user.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the user's head of FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes an image display device such as a CRT display for displaying an image; 22, an image display surface of the image display device 21; 23, a transmitter of a position sensor for measuring the position of the user; A liquid crystal glasses synchronizing signal transmitter for controlling the liquid crystal glasses to be worn; 25, a user who views the image; 26, a liquid crystal glasses that the user wears and blocks the left eye, right eye, or both eyes according to the liquid crystal glasses synchronizing signal;
27 is a position sensor receiver for measuring the position of the user,
Reference numeral 28 denotes a liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal receiver that receives the liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal. Reference numeral 29 denotes an arrow indicating the upper part of the display image, that is, the upper part when the captured image is displayed.

In FIG. 2, the user observes the display surface 22 from the upper side of the screen. In this case, the top of the screen is observed as the lower side of the user's field of view. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the horizontally arranged stereoscopic image display system of the present invention. In the drawing, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 correspond to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 41 is a magnetic position sensor for detecting the position of the user by magnetism, and 42 is user viewpoint position information output by the magnetic position sensor 41. An image selection device 43 selects two of the four video cameras 11 to 14 and outputs them as a left-eye image and a right-eye image. Reference numerals 44 and 45 denote left-eye image signals selected and output by the image selection device 43. And the right eye image signal. Reference numeral 46 denotes a time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device which inputs the left-eye image signal 44 and the right-eye image signal 45 and alternately outputs them for each video frame, and simultaneously controls the liquid crystal glasses synchronizing signal transmitter 24. Is a display image signal output by the time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device 46.

Reference numeral 48 denotes a liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal transmitted by the liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal transmitter 24. The liquid crystal glasses synchronizing signal transmitter 24 is controlled by the time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device 46 so that the left eye of the liquid crystal glasses is in a transparent state and the right eye is in a shielded state while the left eye image is being output, and the right eye image is output. During this period, the liquid crystal glasses synchronizing signal 48 is generated so that the right eye of the liquid crystal glasses 26 is in a transmitting state and the left eye is in a blocking state.

The image display device 21 receives and displays a display image signal 47. The liquid crystal glasses 26 are glasses that can set the left eye or the right eye to a transmission state or a blocking state according to the liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal 48, and are provided with a liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal receiver 28 that receives the liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal 48. .

As described above, by synchronizing and controlling the selection and display of an image and the transmission and blocking states of the left and right eyes of the liquid crystal glasses 26, the image for the left eye can be seen only by the left eye, and the image for the right eye can be seen only by the right eye. By inputting images for the left and right eyes for stereoscopic viewing, the user can perform stereoscopic viewing.

Next, the operation of the present system will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram that defines the viewing line-of-sight direction of the user based on the orientation of the image display device 21, and is a diagram in which the image display device 21 is viewed from above.

The image display device 21 displays an image such that the top of the camera, that is, the top of the image indicated by the arrow 16 in FIG. 1 is in the direction of the arrow 29 indicating the top of the display image. I do.

Reference numeral 51 denotes a line-of-sight direction 1. Gaze direction 1 is
This is a viewing direction of a general stereoscopic image in a direction directly facing the screen. Reference numeral 52 denotes a line-of-sight direction toward the center of the image display device 21 in a direction inclined by 45 degrees from the line-of-sight direction 1, which is referred to as line-of-sight direction 2. Similarly, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 and 58 are respectively 90 degrees, 135 degrees and 180 degrees from the line-of-sight direction 1.
, 225 degrees, 270 degrees, and 315 degrees in the direction of the line of sight toward the center of the image display device 21. These are the line of sight 3, line of sight 4, line of sight 5, line of sight 6, and line of sight, respectively. 7, the viewing direction is 8. The user 25 shown in FIG. 2 is observing the display image from the line-of-sight direction 5.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the viewing direction in which the user observes the image display device 21 and the images selected as the left-eye image and the right-eye image. The numbers in the table in FIG. 6 represent the numbers of the cameras that shoot the images to be displayed.

The method of selecting an image will be described with reference to an example. <Example 1 of Image Selection Method> When the user observes the image display device 21 from the line-of-sight direction 1, based on the table in FIG. 6, an image captured by the first video camera 11 is displayed on the left eye, and the right eye is displayed. Displays an image captured by the second video camera 12. In the photographing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the second video camera 12 is located to the right of the first video camera 11, and if these are displayed on the left and right eyes, respectively, the first and second video cameras 11 and A binocular parallax image having an interval between the video cameras 12 is displayed, and the user can perform stereoscopic viewing.

<Example 2 of Image Selection Method> A case where the user observes the image display device 21 from the line of sight 5 will be described. In this case, based on the table of FIG. 6, the image taken by the fourth video camera 14 is displayed on the left eye,
An image taken by the third video camera 13 is displayed on the right eye.

When the user observes the image display device 21 from any direction, the image is displayed such that the direction of the arrow 16 indicating the top of the image is the same as the direction of the arrow 29 indicating the top of the display image. The line of sight direction 5 is a direction in which observation is performed from a direction above the image display device 21, so that the user views the display image upside down. That is, the user observes the image with the upper part of the display image being below the field of view. In FIG. 1, when four cameras are viewed from a direction in which the top of the image is below the field of view, that is, a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 16 indicating the top of the image, a third video camera 14 is located on the right of the fourth video camera 14. Since the video cameras 13 are located at the left and right eyes, respectively, a binocular parallax image having a parallax at the interval between the fourth video camera 14 and the third video camera 13 is displayed. , The user can perform stereoscopic viewing.

<Example 3 of Image Selection Method> A case where the user observes the image display device 21 from the line-of-sight direction 3 will be described. In this case, based on the table in FIG. 6, an image captured by the second video camera 12 is displayed on the left eye, and an image captured by the fourth video camera 14 is displayed on the right eye.

Regardless of which direction the user observes the image display device 21, the image is displayed such that the direction of the arrow 16 indicating the top of the image and the direction of the arrow 29 indicating the top of the display image are the same. Since the line of sight direction 3 is a direction in which the image is viewed from the right side of the image display device 21, the user observes the image with the direction of the arrow 16 indicating the top of the image as the right side of the field of view. In FIG. 1, when four cameras are viewed from a direction in which the top of the image is to the right of the field of view, that is, the direction of arrow 16 indicating the top of the image is rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees,
A fourth video camera 14 is located on the right of the second video camera 12.
Are located, and if these are displayed on the left and right eyes, respectively, the second video camera 12 and the fourth video camera 1 are displayed.
A binocular parallax image having a parallax of 4 is displayed, and the user can perform stereoscopic viewing.

<Example 4 of Image Selection Method> A case where the user observes the image display device 21 from the line-of-sight direction 2 will be described. In this case, based on the table of FIG. 6, the image captured by the first video camera 11 is displayed on the left eye, and the image captured by the fourth video camera 14 is displayed on the right eye.

When the user observes the image display device 21 from any direction, the image is displayed such that the direction of the arrow 16 indicating the top of the image is the same as the direction of the arrow 29 indicating the top of the display image. The line of sight direction 2 is a direction in which the image is viewed from the lower right direction of the image display device 21. Therefore, the user views the image with the direction of the arrow 16 indicating the upper side of the image as the upper right of the visual field. In FIG. 1, when four cameras are viewed from a direction in which the top of the image is in the upper right of the field of view, that is, the direction of arrow 16 indicating the top of the image is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise, the first video camera is viewed. Since the fourth video camera 14 is located to the right of 11, the binocular parallax image having the parallax of the interval between the first video camera 11 and the fourth video camera 14 is displayed by displaying the left and right eyes respectively. Is displayed, and the user can perform stereoscopic viewing.

In the case of observation from the line of sight 4, the line of sight 6, the line of sight 7, and the line of sight 8 other than those described above, similarly, FIG.
If an image is selected and viewed with the left and right eyes as shown in the table, stereoscopic viewing with binocular parallax can be performed.

In actual use, since the user's line of sight does not always coincide with the line of sight 1 to 8, the closest line of sight is used approximately to determine the display image.

[Second Embodiment] The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
An embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of cameras and a viewing line of sight of a user according to the second embodiment of this invention.

In the second embodiment, six cameras are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference. In FIG.
Reference numeral 17 denotes an arrow pointing above the camera, that is, above the image.
Reference numeral 18 denotes a camera fixing frame for fixing the camera. 71 is a first video camera, 72 is a second video camera, 73 is a third video camera, 74 is a fourth video camera, 75
Is a fifth video camera, and 76 is a sixth video camera.

711, 712, 713, 714,
Reference numerals 715 and 716 denote viewing directions when the user observes an image displayed on the image display device 21. Even in the case of six cameras, as in the case of the first embodiment, by selecting and displaying a left-eye image and a right-eye image from images captured by a plurality of cameras, stereoscopic vision based on binocular parallax is achieved. It can be performed.

A method for selecting an image will be described with reference to an example. For example, when observing an image from the gaze direction 1 (711) shown in FIG. 7, the image is captured such that the captured image of the sixth video camera 76 is viewed by the left eye and the captured image of the second video camera 72 is viewed by the right eye. Select and display. Thus, for the same reason as described in the first embodiment, the second video camera 72 is located to the right of the sixth video camera 76 when viewed from the line of sight direction 1. When these are displayed on the left and right eyes, respectively, a binocular parallax image having an interval between the sixth video camera 76 and the second video camera 72 is displayed, and the user can perform stereoscopic viewing. .

As in the case of the first embodiment, in the case of actual use, the gaze direction of the user does not always coincide with the gaze directions 1 to 6, so that the closest gaze direction is approximated. Used to determine the display image.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the display surface of the time-division stereoscopic image display device is placed horizontally,
By selecting and displaying left-eye and right-eye images from images captured by a plurality of video cameras according to the user's observation position, a stereoscopic image having appropriate binocular parallax can be displayed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image photographing unit of a horizontally arranged stereoscopic image display system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a use state diagram illustrating an image display unit and associated devices thereof, a user, and liquid crystal glasses worn by the user in the horizontally arranged stereoscopic image display system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the user's head of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the horizontally arranged stereoscopic image display system of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram that defines an observation line-of-sight direction of a user based on the orientation of the image display device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a correspondence between a line of sight of a user, an image for a left eye, and an image selected as an image for a right eye.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of cameras and a viewing line of sight of a user according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Camera fixed frame 11 1st video camera 12 2nd video camera 13 3rd video camera 14 4th video camera 15 Subject 16 Arrow showing above a camera, ie, an image 21 Image display device 22 Display surface 23 Position Sensor transmitter 24 Liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal transmitter 25 User 26 Liquid crystal glasses 27 Position sensor receiver 28 Liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal receiver 29 Arrow indicating the top of the displayed image 41 Magnetic position sensor 42 User viewpoint position information 43 Image selection device 44 Image signal for left eye 45 Image signal for right eye 46 Time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device 47 Display image signal 48 LCD glasses synchronization signal

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Shimada 3-192-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Susumu Ichinose 3-192-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Telephone Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus comprising: three or more video cameras arranged at positions where optical axis directions are parallel; a position sensor for measuring a position of a user; and an output image of the video camera based on an output of the position sensor. An image selection device for selecting and outputting one of the signals as a left-eye image signal and another one of the output image signals of the video camera as a right-eye image signal; Are output alternately,
A time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device that generates a liquid crystal glasses synchronizing signal in synchronism therewith, and an image display device in which a display surface for displaying an image signal output from the time-division stereoscopic image synthesizing device is placed at a horizontal or nearly horizontal angle. And a liquid crystal glasses system for blocking the visual field of the user's left or right eye according to a liquid crystal glasses synchronization signal. 2. The horizontally arranged three-dimensional image display system according to claim 1, wherein the three or more video cameras are arranged at equal intervals on a circumference on the same plane. system.