WO2002062075A1

WO2002062075A1 - Method for distributing stereoscopic image

Info

Publication number: WO2002062075A1
Application number: PCT/JP2002/000269
Authority: WO
Inventors: Junichi Takeno; Kazuo Okamoto
Original assignee: Junichi Takeno; Kazuo Okamoto
Priority date: 2001-01-29
Filing date: 2002-01-17
Publication date: 2002-08-08

Abstract

A business for distributing a stereoscopic image produced by a frame sequential method through a digital communication line, and a business method for sale by using storage media. A person who receives a distribution service or a person who purchases a service medium pays for the service information. This business can distribute a stereoscopic image of high resolution at a highest end through a regular digital communication line, and can monitor the images at a remote place, remotely operate a robot, stereoscopically exhibit Internet-commodities or distribute a three-dimensional movie. Alternatively, this business can sell a stereoscopic image of high resolution at a highest end by utilizing a storage medium such as a compact disk, and can sell the storage medium with a three-dimensional movie, etc. recorded therein. A customer pays the charge for information on the stereoscopic image by the frame sequential method to a distribution company.

Description

Description Method of distributing stereoscopic video

The present invention is a business technique of distributing stereoscopic video images by a frame sequential method through a digital network and a business of selling stereoscopic images through a storage medium. Here, the stereoscopic video by the frame sequential method is defined as the information recorded in the distribution or storage media of an image frame (full field) obtained from at least two mutually synchronized cameras. Information that is information and that exists in a compressed or uncompressed form while maintaining its synchronism, where all image frames (full builds) of at least two cameras are simultaneously displayed. This business guarantees high-end, high-end resolution.This business is based on the fact that a receiving customer who has received a stereoscopic video image using the frame sequential method on a digital network can send the delivery information to the sender. A customer who purchases a storage medium that records stereoscopic video images by paying the price and using the frame sequential method. There is a method to pay the price. BACKGROUND

The conventional technology will be described.

A well-known technology that has succeeded in transmitting stereoscopic images is shown in the US Patent of Stereographics, Inc. of the United States (US Patent No. 4,523,226). Recently, Canon has clarified the technology through a patent application 'public information' for a technology for delivering stereoscopic images using the Internet (JP 2000-184396 JP 2000-197074A). The former company's technology converts the video signals of two different left and right image cameras into one video signal format as a result, so it is necessary to reduce the amount of image information of each camera by half. The 3D images that can be observed at are not the highest-end resolution. The technology of the latter company is the same as the author's purpose of delivering stereoscopic images over the Internet, but the technology is to first reduce the images of the different left and right cameras by half in the vertical direction, One image information is created by linking in the directions, and the linked image is compressed and distributed to the Internet. In other words, it can be concluded that both technologies reduce the resolution of the left and right camera images by half. Therefore, it can be concluded that the resulting stereoscopic image does not have the highest end high resolution.

With these features, stereoscopic images generated from images obtained from at least two video cameras can be easily converted to normal communication lines (for example, telephone lines, broadcast lines or LANs in Fig. 1) without reducing the resolution. Communicate using a normal computer network line) There is no device that can do this. In addition, there is already a business that distributes stereoscopic video using digital line communication, etc., but there is no system that distributes stereoscopic images to remote locations that can display high-end, high-resolution stereoscopic images on stereoscopic display devices. .

In addition, there is already a business that records and sells stereoscopic images on a storage medium such as a compact disc. The information recorded as stereoscopic images is called a field sequential method. The left and right different image information captured by the left and right cameras can have only half the image information respectively, because the field sequential method combines two different video signals (for example, NTSC video signals) obtained from the two left and right cameras. Image information of two different video signals obtained from the two cameras on the left and right sides to convert them into one stereoscopic video signal. In the example of the NTSC signal, (a) and (b) in Fig. 1 are different video image signals obtained from the right and left force camera. In the field sequential method, Z = 0. In the conventional field sequential method, the first field image information Roi (or Lol) of the right camera (or left camera) is first used as the first field of the stereoscopic video. Then, the second field image information Lei (or Rei) of the left (or right) camera is adopted as the second field of the stereoscopic video video, and one field information coming from the left and right cameras in that order. By skipping, the result is the synthesis of a stereoscopic video signal ((f) in Fig. 1) in which the left and right image fields alternate, and this (Γ) signal maintains the format of the NTSC video signal. The advantage is that the video-related equipment that has been used in the past can be used, but the image information from the left and right cameras is reduced by half, It can be said that the three-dimensional image is not a Haiesute command high resolution. Next described problems to be Solved by the Invention.

In order to deliver stereoscopic video at high-end and high-resolution, or to record on a storage device, each frame (bullfield) image obtained from at least two image input devices multiple combined to require force ^s Mel make one image information stream] VI a.

In order to distribute the information M, the information is sent to a digital line or the like, and each image is synchronously transmitted to a high-end high-end image display device such as a computer used for displaying the information. Must be presented at resolution and without pre-icker.

In addition, in order to record the information M on a storage medium and sell it, the information must be recorded on a storage medium such as a compact disk. When the information is displayed and the information is displayed, it is necessary that the image obtained from each of the original image input devices be synchronously presented at a high-end high-resolution. In order to construct high-end and high-resolution stereoscopic image information using at least two image input devices and distribute it to a remote location, or to record it on a storage medium, the image input devices must be synchronized. It is easy to acquire the image information of each image input device in the form of an image frame (flufino redo), combine the information into one piece of information by some method, distribute it, or record it on a storage medium. Must be changed. Disclosure of the invention

Means for solving the conventional problems are as follows.

The basic technology for solving the above problems is to use at least synchronized (Fig. 1d) image information output from two image input devices (R, L in Fig. 1) (Fig. 1 (a) and (b)) are image-compressed (or uncompressed) by a plurality of image compressors N operating in parallel and synchronously, and each information is multiplexed while maintaining synchronization. (Q in Fig. 1) to create one image information stream] VI ((f) in Fig. 1) by the frame sequential method. Rk 'in (f) of Fig. 1 means information obtained by image compression of field information Rok and Rek output from the camera R (k is a natural number). Lk 'is the same. At least two cameras need to be synchronized, but if the synchronization signal of each camera is successively delayed by Z time, the timing of the displayed image at the time of image capture and the time of image display can match, It goes without saying that a better stereoscopic display may be obtained. In the example, Z = 1/60 second, 1/120 second, and so on.

If the cameras R and L are interlaced, al = l / 30 seconds and a2 = l / 60 seconds are examples. In the case of the progressive type, (a ') and (b') are examples of output signals (Fig. 1).

If stereoscopic information can be converted into a single image information stream M by the frame sequential method using the above technology, the M can be stored in a computer or recorded on a media recording / playback device P (Fig. It can be easily distributed using digital communication lines, etc. (device P) in Fig. 1 (device D in Fig. 1). Device S is an information transmitting device, and device F is an information receiving device. It goes without saying that the image information also includes audio information attached to the image. The distribution company K outputs the information M from the device En to the digital communication line through the device D, or converts the storage medium C1 such as a compact disk into the P using And output information M to the digital communication line through device D. Further, the sales company K can send information M from the device En to the device P and record the information M on a storage medium Ck such as a compact disk (k is a natural number).

It goes without saying that Ck records the image information stream M by the frame sequential method.

The customers ΑΙ, ΒΙ receive the distribution or insert Ck into the ear recording / reproducing device 接続 connected to a PC, etc., and read out one image information stream M by the frame sequential method (k is a natural number) . The information M is input to the separation device of the PC. At least, it is separated into compression information from two cameras, and each compressed information is image-decompressed synchronously and parallelly (if it is non-compressed information, there is no need to process the image decompression). Is output. At this time, the output image information from each camera can be restored to a frame (full field), resulting in a high-end, high-resolution stereoscopic display. One of the display methods is a method called the vertical division method, which has the feature of being inexpensive, but is not particular about the display method.

The customers Al and B1 watch the distributed stereoscopic video by the frame sequential method, and pay the distribution company gk for the obtained information of the stereoscopic video.

Alternatively, the customers Al and B1 pay the price g k to the sales company K for the purchase of the storage medium Ck on which the stereoscopic video is recorded by the frame sequential method (k is a natural number). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Fig. 1 is an outline of the business method of distributing stereoscopic video images by the frame sequential method using digital communication lines, or the business method of selling stereoscopic images using storage media.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the invented business method.

In order to establish a business for distribution, the distribution company K creates a stereoscopic video information stream M by the frame sequential method, which is information to be transmitted by the distributor, using the device En and the media recording / reproducing device? Then, it is necessary to send M from the information transmitter S to the digital network line (LAN in Fig. 1) through the information distribution device D of the distribution company K. In addition, a business to sell storage media is established In order to perform this, the media sales company K creates an information stream M of the stereoscopic video by the frame sequential method using the device En, and writes M: (the media owned by the media sales company K). It is necessary to record a large number of data on a storage medium Ck such as a compact disk (k is a natural number) using the recording / reproducing device P. The device En is connected to at least two synchronized cameras R and L. Frey The input image (Fig. 1 (a) and (b)) is used as input information (Fig. 1 (a) and (b)) at the same time or with the phase of the synchronization signal shifted by Z time. After the image is compressed, it is continuously combined and combined by the information multiplexing device Q to create an output information stream M ((f) in Fig. 1) called the frame sequential method. It is stored in the internal memory of the computer, that is, in the information distribution device D, and is further transmitted from the information transmitter S to a digital network line (LAN in FIG. 1). The information transmitter S can also read out the image information stream M called the frame sequential method recorded on the key C1 and send it to the distribution device D, so that a digital network line (see FIG. (LAN of 1).

Information M is transmitted by the information receiver F through a digital network line (LAN in Fig. 1). It is received and displayed as a high-end, high-resolution stereoscopic image on an image display device such as a PC held by the customer. The customer (A1, B1 in Fig. 1) pays the distribution company K (gk in Fig. 1) for the received image information stream M information in the frame sequential format (k is a natural number). .

Alternatively, the output information M can be easily recorded on a recording medium (for example, C k) using a media recording / reproducing device P as image information of a computer. Selling recording media C k. Purchased this storage media (for example, C4 in Fig. 1) (hi in Fig. 1). The customer uses the media recording / playback device P to output by the frame sequential method. The information stream M is displayed as a high-end, high-resolution stereoscopic image on an image display device such as a PC, etc. The customer (（, の in Fig. 1) uses the frame sequential method recorded in the storage media. The price (gk in Fig. 1) is paid to the media sales company K for the image information stream 。.

In the distribution business, stereoscopic images can be distributed to remote locations using the frame sequential method using ordinary digital lines, so remote control of robots, exhibition of Internet products using stereoscopic vision, or stereoscopic movies High-end distribution at the high-end end of Japan. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily sell stereoscopic video information that guarantees high-end, high-resolution using a storage medium by using a frame sequential method that was impossible in the past. Become. Therefore, it is possible to purchase a storage medium that allows the viewer to watch a high-quality stereoscopic movie such as a DVD movie. For example, a tourist guide video of a tourist spot or a video of a movable or real estate can be introduced as a high-quality stereoscopic video such as a DVD movie through a storage medium.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. The present invention relates to a business of distributing stereoscopic video image information by a frame sequential method using a digital communication line or the like and a business of selling and using storage media. The purchaser pays for the information, and the information of the stereoscopic video by the frame sequential method here means that at least two pieces of information distributed or recorded in the storage medium are stored. Image frame (Fonore field) information obtained from mutually synchronized cameras and image information that exists while maintaining its synchronization in a compressed or uncompressed form. If there is audio information attached to the information, it is included in the information.