JPS63194497A - Stereoscopic video conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To confirm the expression of the eye of the attendance of a conference by picking up an image with a camera synchronizing with a received video signal, opening the shutter of the television camera having the shutter while the shutters of both eyes of glasses with the shutter are opened to pickup the image. CONSTITUTION:The right side shutter of the glasses 3 with the shutter opens the shutter during a period when the video signal for the right eye is displayed and a vertical fly-back line period in the vicinity thereof, namely, during all the period of an even number field and during the next vertical fly-back line period and during a period when the video signal for the left eye is displayed, namely during a period excluding the vertical fly-back line period of an odd number field, the shutter is closed. On the contrary, the left side shutter of the glasses 3 having the shutter is opened during a period when the video signal for the left eye is displayed and the vertical fly-back line period in the vicinity thereof. The television cameras 1A, 1B having the shutters receive a camera shuttering pulse from a camera shuttering pulse generating part 6, open the shutter during the vertical fly-back line period and picks up the state in which both shutters for the left eye and the right eye of the glasses are opened.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] "Industrial Application Field" This invention is a three-dimensional video conference system in which a meeting is held while watching a three-dimensional television using glasses with shutters. Conventionally, for example, odd fields are image information for the left eye, and even fields are image information for the right eye, and are displayed on a television receiver (monitor). There is a method of displaying using glasses with a shutter that closes the left eye (for example, a liquid crystal shutter).Figure 3 shows the shutter opening/closing timing of glasses with a shutter according to the conventional method. During the entire section, one side was open and the other side was closed.

When conducting a 3D video conference using this conventional method, when capturing images of conference participants wearing glasses with shutters, one of the glasses is always closed in each field, making it difficult to see the expressions in the eyes of the conference participant. There are drawbacks that make it difficult.

This invention shifts the opening and closing timing of the shutters on the left and right sides of the shutter-equipped glasses, and allows video conference participants wearing the shutter-equipped glasses to participate in the conference by photographing them with a shutter-equipped television camera while both shutter-equipped glasses are open. The purpose is to provide a 3D video conference system that allows you to see the facial expressions in people's eyes.

"Means for Solving the Problem" According to the present invention, the synchronization of the video signals of both conference rooms is made the same, and the shutter opening/closing timing of the shutter-equipped glasses is shifted, for example, during the vertical retrace period, the shutter of the shutter-equipped glasses is For example, by using a television camera that opens and closes its shutter in synchronization with a vertical synchronization signal, both of the shutters are open, and in other words, the glasses for the left eye and the right eye of the video conference participant who uses the shutter-equipped glasses are used. Images are taken while both shutters of the conference room are open. Therefore, compared to when holding a 3D video conference using a conventional 3D display method, the synchronization of the video signals in both conference rooms is consistent. The difference is that a TV camera with a shutter is used, and the timing of opening and closing the shutter of glasses with a shutter is shifted.

"Example" Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment showing the configuration of a three-dimensional television conference using the present invention, in which television cameras IA and IB with shutters are shown.
can image the subject from behind the monitor (receiver). Glasses 3 with shutters are worn on the person who is the subject. In the control section 4, a field multiplexing section 5 for the outputs of the television cameras IA and IB, a camera shutter ring pulse generation section 6, a glasses shutter ring pulse generation section 7, and a synchronization signal separation section 8 are provided.

The received video signal sent from the other party's control unit is sent to terminal 11.
The signal enters the synchronization signal separation section 8, where the synchronization signal is separated, and then the separated synchronization signal is input to the external synchronization input terminal of the shunter-equipped television camera IA, IB, and the received video signal and camera video are input. The synchronization with the signal is matched. The video signals captured by the shutter-equipped television cameras IA and 1B are field multiplexed by the field multiplexing unit 5 so that, for example, odd fields are for the left eye and even fields are for the right eye, and then sent as transmitted video signals to the other party's control. from the terminal 12 to the section. The received video signal from the terminal 11 is separated into a vertical synchronizing signal by a synchronizing signal separator 8, and is inputted to a camera shutter ring pulse generator 6 and a glasses shutter ring pulse generator 7 to generate shutter ring pulses for glasses and cameras respectively. occurs. Further, this received video signal is input to the monitor 2 and displayed as an image. Note that the configuration of the other party's conference room is also similar.

FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of the received video signal, the glasses 3 with shutters, and the television cameras LA and IB with shutters. The right shutter of the shutter-equipped glasses 3 opens during the period in which the video signal for the right eye is displayed and the vertical retrace period before and after that, that is, the entire period of the even field and the next vertical retrace period. The shutter is closed during the period when the left eye video signal is displayed, that is, during the period excluding the vertical retrace period of the odd field. On the contrary, the left shutter of the shutter-equipped glasses 3 opens during the period when the video signal for the left eye is displayed and the vertical retrace period before and after that, and only during the period when the video signal for the right eye is displayed. The shutter is closed. Glasses with shutter 3
receives the timing signal from the glasses shutter ring pulse generator 7.

The shutter-equipped television cameras IA and IB receive and receive the camera shutter ring pulse from the camera shutter ring pulse generator 6, open the shutter during the vertical retrace period, and
A state in which both the left eye shutter and right eye shutter of the glasses are open is captured. Note that the shutter ring timings of the glasses with shutters and the television camera with shutters are the same in the other party's conference room.

Furthermore, even if a conference participant wearing the shutter-equipped glasses is imaged using a regular television camera with pulsed illumination during the vertical retrace period, the same effect can be obtained as when the image is captured using a shutter-equipped television camera. be able to.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, according to the present invention, an image is captured by a camera synchronized with a received video signal, and the shutter of a television camera with a shutter is activated while the shutters of both eyes of glasses with shutters are open. It has the advantage of being able to confirm the facial expressions in the eyes of conference participants by opening the camera and taking an image.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a three-dimensional video conference using the present invention, FIG. FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the opening and closing of shutters of glasses with shutters according to the conventional method.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Synchronization means that synchronizes the video signals of both conference rooms, and controls the shutter opening/closing timing signals for the left eye and right eye of the shutter-equipped glasses in synchronization with the video signal, so that both shutters open simultaneously. A three-dimensional television conference system comprising: a shutter timing control means for glasses having a period during which the glasses have a shutter timing, and an imaging means for taking an image with a television camera while both shutters of the shutter-equipped glasses are open.