SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE
ON INTERNET
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system for providing a three-dimensional image on the Internet, and more particularly, to a system capable of providing, through the Internet, a moving picture configured in a manner that one image is displayed together with the other image symmetrical with respect thereto, and allowing a customer to view a three-dimensional image by using a reflecting mirror disposed at the central portion of a computer monitor.
Background Art
In general, a moving picture provided on the Internet shows an image accurately corresponding to an object photographed. Users reproduce the moving picture by using a variety of programs for reproducing moving pictures. Of course, such a moving picture may be distributed while being contained in a compact disk (CD) as well. That is to say, since only the image recorded by one camera (although several cameras were used, only one camera is adopted in an editing process) is provided, a viewer doesn't feel it is a three-dimensional image despite of moving picture and just can view a two-dimensional planar image that fails to express a three-dimensional sense.
To solve the problem, there has been used means for enabling a user to stereoscopically feel an image displayed on a screen by 3D-stereoscopicly producing the image and letting the user observe it through 3D-stereoscopic eyeglasses. At this time, the image was photographed by at least two cameras. Respective films having a predetermined difference in photographic angle depending on a location where the respective cameras record the images are combined into one film and projected. Although the user can view the image in a three-dimensional manner through polarizing eyeglasses, he/she cannot observe the image without them. In addition, this approach causes the user to have eyestrain and feel dizzy, thereby lacking popular appeal. Besides the moving picture, a measure to make books, such as pictorials, look stereoscopic were disclosed in Korean Patent Registration Nos. 148435 and 235921. Such conventional prior arts are disadvantageously restricted to applications for the case
where planar pictures of books need to look stereoscopic.
Disclosure of Invention
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system for providing a three- dimensional image on the Internet that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for providing a three- dimensional image on the Internet, which enables a customer to view a three- dimensional moving picture through a reflecting mirror disposed at the central portion of a computer monitor by providing, through the Internet, the moving picture configured such that one image is displayed on a screen together with the other image symmetrical with respect thereto.
Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a system for providing a three-dimensional image through the Internet, the system comprising: a moving picture database for storing a moving picture configured in such a manner that one image and the other image are symmetrically displayed on both the right and left sides of a computer screen, respectively; an Internet network; and an Internet site for transmitting the moving picture stored in the moving picture database and a program for reproducing the moving picture on the computer screen to a user in response to a request from a customer computer which accessed the Internet site through the Internet network.
Here, the customer computer is provided with a reflecting mirror at the central portion of a monitor thereof such that the moving picture reproduced on the monitor screen can give a three-dimensional effect to a viewer by superposing an image reflected in the reflecting mirror on an unreflected image.
Further, the Internet site is adapted to be connected with a video-processing device for producing the moving picture configured as above so as to receive the moving picture from the video-processing device.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the entire configuration of a system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a customer computer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the configuration of a video- processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a system using the video- processing device of FIG. 4 FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the configuration of a video- processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a system using the video- processing device of FIG. 6.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention The present invention will now be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, customers access an Internet site 30, which provides a moving picture service in accordance with the present invention, through the Internet
network 20 by using customer computers 11 and 12.
The Internet site 30 is adapted to be connected with various databases to provide the service. If the Internet site is a site for providing a moving picture to only members, it can be connected with a member information database 31-1 as well, which manages member information. Such a database may be arbitrarily configured and is well known in general. Accordingly, a detailed description of a technique for configuring the database will be omitted.
The moving picture in accordance with the present invention is stored in and managed by a moving picture database 31-2. The moving picture in accordance with the present invention is configured in such a manner that one image and the other image symmetrical with respect thereto are displayed on both the right and left sides of a screen.
Further, the Internet site 30 transmits the moving picture and a program for reproducing the moving picture on the screen of the customer computers 11 and 12 as well in response to from a request of the customer computers 11 and 12. The moving picture reproducing program functions to display the two symmetrical images which constitute the moving picture on both the right and left sides of the screen of the customer computer in accordance with conditions set by a customer, or display only either image. The latter is performed when the customer wants to view a general image, but not a moving picture. If the moving picture is manufactured into such a type as to be reproduced by a general moving picture player, there is no necessity for providing the moving picture reproducing program as a matter of course.
Meantime, each of the customer computers 11 and 12 is provided with a reflecting mirror on the central portion of a monitor thereof. The customer can enjoy a three-dimensional sense when the moving picture reproduced on the screen of the monitor is viewed by superposing an image reflected in the reflecting mirror on an unreflected image.
The configuration of the customer computers 11 and 12 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, fixtures 11-3 having a coupling groove 11-4 are attached to the upper and lower portions of the center of the front surface of a monitor
11-1 of the customer computers 11 and 12. On the fixture 11-3, is coupled a mirror 11- 2 having coupling projections 11-5, which reflects either of two symmetrical images and then superposes the same on the other image, whereby the image is exhibited not in a planer view but in a three-dimensional view. As previously mentioned, various moving pictures are stored in the moving picture database 30. To this end, the Internet site 30 is preferably configured to be connected with a video-processing device 40, which is capable of producing a moving picture according to the present invention. The Internet site 30 allows the moving picture received from the video-processing device 40 to be stored in the moving picture database 31-2.
The video-processing device 40 according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail as follows.
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the configuration of a video- processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, it is desirable that the video-processing device 40 comprises two cameras 41-1 and 41-2 which simultaneously photograph an object at the same height, adjacent positions, and different angles to obtain a first image, a first image processing part 42 for inverting either image among images photographed by the two cameras 41-1 and 41-2, and a frame processing part 43 for forming right and left frames such that the originally photographed image and the inverted image are symmetrically arranged on both the right and left sides of the screen.
The serving operation of the three-dimensional image providing system using the video-processing device according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. That is, when the two cameras 41-1 and 1-2 simultaneously photograph the object toward a target point, they do at the same height and adjacent positions in a such a manner as to form a predetermined angle from the target(S511). Therefore, there can be obtained two images simultaneously photographed with respect to one object.
Thereafter, one image photographed by either of the two cameras 41-1 and 41-2 is inverted(S512) and then disposed on a screen so as to be symmetrical with respect to the original image(S513).
The moving picture composed of frames produced at S513 is transmitted to the
Internet site 30 and stored in the moving picture database 31-2. The stored moving picture is provided to the customer computers 11 and 12 through the Internet network when there is a request of a moving picture providing service from the customer computers 11 and 12(S514). Then, the moving picture is reproduced in the customer computers 11 and 12 to be displayed on the monitor screen(S515).
At this time, the monitor of the customer computers 11 and 12 is coupled with a reflecting mirror(S516) in the same way as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. A customer can view a three-dimensional image by observing the moving picture shown on the monitor screen through the reflecting mirror(S517). FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the configuration of a video- processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 6, the video-processing device 40 desirably comprises one camera 41-1 for photographing an object to obtain a first image with respect to the object, a second image processing part 44 for copying the first image to process the copied image in such a manner that it has a predetermined difference in angle with respect to the first image and then for inverting the processed image, and a frame processing part 43 for forming right and left frames such that the original image and the inverted image are symmetrically displayed on both the right and left sides of the screen.
The servicing operation of the three-dimensional image providing using the video processing device according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7.
That is, an object is photographed by one camera(S711), differently from the first embodiment where an object is photographed by two cameras. The first photographed image is copied such that the first image and the copied image are processed to have a predetermined difference in angle and thereafter the copied image is inverted(S712). Right and left frames are formed such that the two processed images are symmetrically displayed on both the right and left sides of the screen(S713). It should be appreciated that the first image and the copied image have a predetermined angle difference from each other for the purpose of achieving a three-dimensional effect, which is similar to that achieved when two cameras photograph an object at different angles as illustrated in FIG. 4.
The moving picture composed of the frames produced at S713 is transmitted to
the Internet site 30 for allowing it to be stored in the moving picture database 31-2 and provided to the respective customer computers 11 and 12 through the Internet network 20(S714) in response to a request from the customer computers 11 and 12. The moving picture is reproduced by the customer computers 11 and 12 and displayed on the monitor screen of the customer computers 11 and 12(S715).
At this time, the monitor of the customer computers 11 and 12 is coupled with a reflecting mirror(S716), similarly to the example of FIGS. 2 and 3. The customer can view a three-dimensional image when observing the moving picture displayed on the monitor screen through the reflecting mirror(S717). On the other hand, since the image photographed at S711 is a single image, the image inputted at S712 may not be an image photographed by a camera but an image synthesized through computer graphics, such as a background for games.
From the foregoings, the system for providing a stereoscopically processed moving picture through the Internet has been explained but it goes without saying that such a moving picture can be distributed while being recorded in an optional digital data storage medium, such as CD-ROM, etc.
Industrial Applicability
As stated above, even though the planar images are symmetrically provided on both the right and left sides of a monitor screen of a customer computer, they can express a depth sense by virtue of the reflecting mirror, whereby a customer can enjoy an animated image. Here, in the event that the reflecting mirror is not present, if either image is displayed in a normal state, the customer can be prevented from feeling eyestrain.
While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.