JPS6348093A - Stereoscopic television system and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain a natural stereoscopic vision by providing two sheets of polarizing films having different polarizing direction corresponding to the divisioning of L and R images on the front surface of displayer. CONSTITUTION:Prisms 5 and 5' are used so that an image is seen through a left eye P and a right eye Q and points AL and AR united stereoscopically in a brain are converged to a center point A light outputted from the point AL is transmitted through an optical path from AL to P, refracted by the prism 5, proceeds from P to P' and enters the left eye P. In such a case, the point AL is seen as a point A that is located on the line extending from the path P through P'. The same as the above happens to the right eye Q. Rays of light outputted from points BL and BR are refracted in the same degree of angle as said refraction, and floated at the front of the point A. The polarizing films 6 and 6' corresponding to the polarizing screen on the front surface of the displayer are provided separately or integrally with an optical path changing body. As a result, a natural stereoscopic vision is attained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a stereoscopic viewing method mainly aimed at a display such as a CRT, and a device necessary therefor.

Reproduction of stereo images can be roughly divided into projection methods using a screen, such as in a movie, and integrated reproduction methods, such as a television. These two problems involve many problems that cannot be solved using the same idea, due to differences in image reproduction methods, screen size, distance to the screen, image quality, etc. In the latter method, in which it is difficult to distinguish between LR images, time division, grid-like or mosaic-like space division is performed, and both require two pixels, left and right. Conventional methods include recording LR pixels alternately and shielding one eye during viewing.If the information of a conventional monaural pixel is 1, half of this information is applied to one pixel and reproduced.

However, practical implementation did not progress due to equipment issues, and only a time-division system using a liquid crystal shutter was finally put into practical use.In this case, it was limited to playing video software using a specific disc format, and it was not widely used. There is a problem in that it cannot record and play back images on its own like a video camera.

The present invention provides a stereo television that can be easily enjoyed using a video camera or video deck, which is popular among many enthusiasts, and will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a conventionally known stereo attachment. When you attach this to your camera and take a picture, the second
A pair of stereo images shown in the figure are obtained. Figure 4 shows the attachment for upper and lower division, mirrors (2), (2'
) are located above and below and intersect.

(3) and (3') are thin prisms that refract the optical path upward or downward, respectively.
1) and (1') may be slightly inclined upward or downward. FIG. 5 is a reproduced image using the attachment shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a reproduced image when the camera is tilted 90 degrees to the side and the attachment shown in FIG. 4 is used horizontally. In this case, the display is also tilted 90 degrees in the same direction as the camera.

In the present invention, the above three types of LR images are divided, and depending on the division of the LR images, the polarizing film (4a) shown in FIG.
(4b), the polarization direction is changed by 90 degrees for the L image and the R image, and a single polarizing screen (
4). At this time, if it is made into a square as shown in FIG. 9, it can be used in all of the above three division methods. Standard composite screens for viewing stereo television in three types of LR image divisions are shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 8, respectively.

Next, the optical path change used in the present invention will be explained.

Take a picture of point A at infinity and point B in front of it, and
Assume that the image shown in the figure is played back. Point A is the center A of the L image
Point B located in the center AR of the L and R images and in front is
Located on the inner BL and BR. To view this image with the left eye P and right eye Q shown in Fig. 11, and to fuse the stereoscopic vision in the brain, as an easy-to-understand example, in order to bring AL and AR to the central point A, prism (5) and ( 5') is used.

The light that exits AL passes through the optical path AL-P' and passes through the prism (5
), it is refracted as P'-P and reaches the left eye P.

At this time, AL appears at point A on the extension of P-P', and the same thing is done for the right eye Q. Next, BL, B
R is also refracted by the same angle and floats in front of point A. (6) and (6') are polarizing films corresponding to the polarizing screen in front of the display, and are provided alone or integrally with the optical path changing body.

In the above explanation, points AL and AR are superimposed on one point, but in this case, point A at infinity becomes the screen position, and although it is possible to jump out from the screen, it is not possible to add depth to the back of the screen. Can not. Conventional stereoscopic viewing of stereo images is
There is a false sense of emphasizing the surface that pops out from the screen, but in reality we need to ensure that the range of the viewer extends from the screen, and that we also retract several times as far from the screen to infinity. The former is a special case such as a ball thrown at the viewer or a stick sticking out, while the latter is the natural case in which we view the outside world as a close-up, mid-range, and distant view.

To do this, one point (vanishing point) at infinity of the LR image, which is a condition for natural stereoscopic viewing, is the distance to the reproduced image,
Binocular distance (approximately 62-70MM) regardless of screen size
The distance between these two points determines the depth from the screen. Existing methods are incomplete in this respect, but it is desirable to ensure a certain degree of distance discrimination at least from the back of the screen. For reference, stereoscopes for stereoscopic photography, which are also used for academic purposes, completely meet this condition.

In the present invention, since the optical path is changed by the optical path changing body in front of the eye, it is possible to arbitrarily overlap the optical path at one point as shown in FIG. The divided LR images are superimposed vertically,
Furthermore, it is also possible to spread the beam horizontally to the left and right, since the only difference is the direction of refraction. In this case, a method using two prisms or a design in which the ridgeline of the prism is made oblique and a single prism is used is also possible.

The front optical path changing body shown in FIG. 12 reduces the original optical angle PAQ toward zero degrees by refraction, and can spread the LR image at the same position to the left and right. It can be used and improved in stereo televisions, etc.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are plane views in which the front optical path changing body is a mirror. The angle of the optical path can be changed by changing the angle of the mirror, and can also be done by using a prism in addition to the mirror.

FIG. 15 shows a device composed of a half mirror (7) and a mirror (8), where the left eye P on the half mirror side looks directly at the screen, and the right eye Q changes the optical path by a reflecting means.

By changing the angle of either mirror, you can change the optical path to any desired angle, making it a versatile device that allows you to view stereo images as well as reduce the light angle and view monaural images with depth. . The advantage is that by viewing a slightly reduced screen with only one eye, the roughness of the scanning line, flickering, image noise, etc. are compensated for by the images reflected in the left and right eyes, and a finer image can be obtained through the optic nerve. Ru.

This concept of complementation can also be used when photographing.

Next, I will add about the attachments used during shooting.

The base length, which is the parallax of the LR image, is equal to the binocular distance for a standard lens, and needs to be longer for a telephoto lens. In this case, depending on the telephoto ratio, the mirror (1
) and (1'), it is also a good idea to use an attachment that can extend the baseline horizontally, and the best is a mechanism that is linked to the zoom of the camera. Also, mirror (1),
If (1') or (2) and (2') are made variable in angle, then
In addition to the parallel optical axes of standard LR images, optical axes suitable for close-up photography can be directed inward and intersected. For "vignetting" that occurs at the mirror (1) and (1') boundary,
This can be alleviated by increasing the distance from the camera lens.
For the production of video software for professional use, it is sufficient to use a long-body attachment that includes the functions described above, and the mirror (2)
, (2') would be more convenient if the shapes shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 could be changed by replacement or the like.

FIG. 16 shows unidirectional prisms (5), (5') and polarizing films (6), (6') in a spectacle frame (9).
It is fitted so that it can rotate freely. This is a front-of-eye optical path changing body that integrates a polarizing film that allows the refraction direction and refraction angle of the prism to be freely changed, and the polarization direction of the polarization film to be changed separately from the prism. In addition to the various methods of stereo television according to the present invention, there is also a highly versatile device that can be used for "quasi-stereoscopic viewing of monaural images using optical angle change" previously proposed by the inventor, existing stereo television systems, stereo photography, etc. If the prism can be replaced and the polarizing film can be removed, the range of use will be expanded.

The following method is used to photograph and view stereo television using the device of the present invention.

(b) Attach a stereo attachment to the front of the video camera. This can be done by using normal monaural and stereo together, or shooting as part stereo.

(b) A polarizing screen compatible with a stereo attachment is installed on the front of the monitor that serves as the display. This means that even if you wear the watch all the time and watch it in monaural mode, there will be no problem as it reduces reflected light and makes the black color stand out because the phosphor does not glow.

(c) An optical path changing body such as a prism and a polarizing film are placed in front of the eyes, either close to each other or a little apart, using an appropriate means such as an eyeglass frame or handheld. The degree of overlapping of the LR images is adjusted by the angle of optical path change or the distance to the display, but it does not need to be precise and can be quite rough.

Further, even if the stereo reproduction is viewed with the naked eye, there is no problem since the images are two normal images arranged side by side.

As is clear from the above explanation, stereoscopic viewing by parallel reproduction of LR images according to the present invention is possible for all types of images such as photographs and prints, in addition to television systems using CRTs as displays, and is applicable to all types of images such as photographs and prints. are also included within the scope of the rights of the present invention. The effects of the present invention are listed below.

(b) In addition to playing video disc software, they can also play video tape software and record themselves using a video camera.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to video tape and video disc formats.

(b) Stereoscopic viewing on stereo television is made possible by simple optical means rather than conventional electronic or mechanical devices, so it is simple, lightweight, and low cost, and all existing video equipment can be used. Therefore, it is highly practical.

(c) In conventional stereo televisions, the screen size does not change, but one eye is time-divisionally blocked, which results in poor image quality and flicker due to switching.

On the other hand, this method has the disadvantage that the screen size is halved, but since the LR images are always superimposed using binocular vision, it is a method that is much superior in terms of fine-grained, flicker-free image quality. In addition, as a method to cover the screen size, it is easy to select from three types of aspect ratios and to use monaural and stereo images together.

(d) In addition to the conventional stereoscopic vision that pops out from the screen,
Natural stereoscopic viewing is possible, giving a sense of infinite distance from the screen to the back.

(E) A part of the optical path changing body used in the present invention can eliminate the flatness of the playback screen even for monaural images, enjoy images with depth as if looking directly at the outside world with binoculars, and have other uses. wide.

(F) The stereoscopic vision of the present invention has a wide range of uses in addition to the entertainment field, in specialized fields such as information and academic fields because of the ease of recording and reproduction.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 4 are plan views of the stereo attachment. FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 are reproduced images showing division of LR images. FIG. 3, FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 are reproduced images that have been stereoscopically fused. FIG. 9 is a front view showing the polarizing screen. 1st
Figure 0 is an explanatory diagram showing the positions of two near and far points. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the effect of changing the optical path. Figures 12 to 15 are
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a first example of an optical path changing body. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the optical path changing body. (1) (1') (2) (2')...Reflector (mirror). (4) Polarizing screen. (5) (5
')····prism. (6) (6')...Polarizing film. (9)... Spectacle-like frame.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stereo television system using the following method. (b) A stereo image consisting of LR images with left and right parallax is divided into two on a single screen horizontally or vertically and photographed. (b) Reproducing the above image on a display such as a CRT. (c) Two polarizing films having different polarization directions are provided in front of the display in correspondence with the division of the LR images. (d) an optical path changing means for changing the optical path in front of the viewer's eyes;
A polarizing film corresponding to the polarizing film on the front surface of the display is provided to superimpose the divided and reproduced images and distinguish between the LR images. 2. A stereo television device comprising video software such as a tape or disc, characterized in that stereo images with left and right parallax are recorded in parallel on the left and right or top and bottom of the same screen. 3. A stereo television device in which two types of polarizing films with crossing polarization directions are arranged on the left and right, or on the top and bottom, respectively, to form a single transparent screen. 4. In viewing stereo images reproduced horizontally or vertically in parallel, the optical path is changed in front of at least one of the eyes in a direction in which the LR images are superimposed, using a combination of thin prisms or reflectors in front of the eyes. A stereo television device consisting of an optical path changing body. 5. A polarizing film that corresponds to the polarizing film in front of the reproduced LR stereo image and reaches only the left eye for the L image and only the right eye for the R image is provided integrally with the front optical path changing body,
A stereo television apparatus according to claim 4.