JP2002072135A - A 3D image display system that combines both ray reproduction and shadow-type multi-view parallax - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a three-dimensional image display system that combines light beam reproduction and shadow-picture type multi-view parallax that can continuously observe a three-dimensional stereoscopic image from the back to the front of a display unit. SOLUTION: A color filter 22 is arranged on an observer 23 side of a white point light source array 21;
And in a region far from the white point light source, the observer 23 generates a large number of light rays corresponding to the scattered light from each point of the object so that the object appears as if the object exists there. The light from the point light source is
On the other hand, for a point light source that cannot reproduce a sufficient number of light rays by this method, and in the vicinity of the color filter 22, if the image information reaching the eye via the color filter 22 from the white point light source is only left and right, The color filters 22 are used to select and color light rays so as to perform a parallax-type stereoscopic display operation that depends on the viewing angle in the vertical direction, and the two operations are mixed and continuously connected in the intermediate region between the two.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional image display system which uses both light beam reproduction and shadow-type multi-view parallax.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional three-dimensional image recording / reproducing techniques include holography using light coherence and a method using a plurality of images without using coherence. The latter records a plane image for the right eye and the left eye, and a binocular stereoscope type designed so that the right eye can be seen by the right eye and the left eye can be seen by the left eye during playback. It can be roughly divided into multi-view type using images.

[0003] Representative examples of the binocular stereoscope type include a stereoscopic movie using polarized glasses and a stereoscopic television using a lenticular lens. Therefore, even if the viewing position is changed, the image does not change, and it cannot be said that the back side can be seen.

In holography, which is an ideal three-dimensional stereoscopic image recording / reproducing method (hereinafter, three-dimensional stereoscopic image is abbreviated as 3D image), wavefront information of light from an object is used to record stereoscopic image information. . The wavefront information is such that the reference light and the scattered light from the object interfere with each other and the interference fringes are recorded. Therefore, the optical system and the recording medium need to have a spatial resolution close to the optical wavelength, and at least a coherent light source such as a laser is required for recording. Further, since the interference fringe depends on the wavelength, a color image cannot be handled as it is, and not only three lasers of three primary colors are required for color recording, but also a complicated device is required.

[0005]

From the above, full-color large-screen holography is very expensive, and is now used for credit cards and ornaments, which can be small in scale.
Although it is used as a recording medium for digital information, it has not been used for displaying real-time 3D images or stereoscopic movies.

The multi-view type is divided into a multi-view parallax system in which a stereoscope is simply multi-viewed and an integral photography in which a multi-view image taken from multiple viewpoints is re-projected in the reverse process of shooting. A stereoscope observes images from two viewing angles with both eyes and obtains a stereoscopic effect from binocular parallax, whereas these reproduce multiple images with different appearances depending on the viewing position. Moving it changes the way you see it, and has the advantage of not requiring glasses. further,
It has many advantages not found in holography, such as being able to record and reproduce with ordinary light and reproducing scenery at infinity. However, in both the multi-view parallax method and the integral photography, images at all viewing angles are drawn or multiplexed in a certain plane (although only one image can be seen from a specific direction). When the eyes are focused, they appear to be at different positions due to parallax, so the focus position and the visible position do not match, and unnaturalness is inevitable (for example, even if the image is seen in front of the eyes, Is far away). In addition, in integral photography, image recording from multiple viewpoints can be easily performed using a microlens array. However, when this is reproduced in the reverse process, the view from the front can be seen from the back (if the face is reproduced, the face can be seen but the nose can be seen). It has a drawback that it takes a lot of trouble, such as a troublesome turning operation is required.

In any case, at present, there is no sufficiently practical 3D image recording / reproducing apparatus (system), and its appearance is expected. Recording and playback of 3D images, especially moving images, are the most important image information media. They are useful in various fields such as information, broadcasting, movies, and entertainment, and have the potential to become a big industry in the future. Attempts have been made at a number of companies, universities and private and public research institutions, both domestically and internationally, but at present there is no such thing available.

Accordingly, the present inventors project a multi-viewpoint image group on a color filter with a white point light source array to artificially generate a light ray group corresponding to scattered light from an object and create a 3D image. A “light beam reproduction method” has already been proposed (JP-A-10-239785). This is similar to integral photography in that a multi-viewpoint image group is used, but differs in that it reproduces a 3D image itself with a large depth and does not use parallax, and is rather similar to holography (if a camera image is taken, it is not a focusing unit. Blurs). Almost satisfactory 3D images have already been successfully generated with simple objects. The biggest problem with this device is that an image cannot be reproduced in the vicinity of a point light source array or a color filter unit (referred to as a display unit). To solve this problem, the inventor of the present application has previously given up the reproduction of a three-dimensional image for the image information near the display unit, and has now gathered all the images on the surface of the white point light source array without parallax. A “stereoscopic image reproducing device with background” for reproducing as a background (or foreground) has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-43742). However, a background that does not change even when the viewing angle is changed is suitable for a signboard that pops out, but its use is still limited. The development of a display system capable of obtaining a stereoscopic image having a deep depth from the rear of the display unit to the near side including the display portion from the rear of the display unit by some means has been awaited.

Hereinafter, the conventional technique will be described with reference to a principle diagram that allows a stereoscopic view.

In FIG. 10, two points P and Q having different directions and distances are shown.
Is the observation object. The azimuth of the object can be known from the direction of the light beam coming toward the observer 101, and the distance can be detected from the parallax angle between the two eyes looking through the point object. Here, the rays are represented by finite lines, but in reality there are countless rays. If such light rays can be generated, the observer should be able to see two points in this way even without the actual two points P and Q. The light beam reproduction method artificially generates such light beams so that a three-dimensional image can be observed.

FIG. 11 shows a basic configuration of the light beam reproducing method. Here, since it is impossible to reproduce an infinite number of light rays, a method of reproducing only light rays passing through the white point light source array 102 distributed in a plane is adopted. White point light source array 1
02 and a point-type color filter 103 (which may be a liquid crystal panel) that can transmit only one point in space corresponding to each point light source on the image filter placed opposite thereto,
A colored light beam that travels in a linear direction connecting the two points (point light source and transmission point) can be reproduced. If these light rays are condensed by a lens at one point P ', the observer 104 observes as if the light rays from P' are coming and P 'is 3
It looks dimensionally. As shown in FIG. 11, the observed image is displayed on the display unit (white point light source array 102 and color filter 1).
03) can be formed at the front (on the observer 104 side, for example, P 'in the figure) and at the rear (on the side opposite to the observer 104, Q' in the figure).

A three-dimensional object is a set of points, and if a multi-viewpoint transmission image is recorded on the color filter 103 instead of a point, the three-dimensional object is reproduced with this configuration.

The biggest problem of this method is that an image cannot be reproduced around the white point light source array 102 and the color filter section. However, points located in areas away from the color filter for light beam reproduction and the white point light source (referred to as a display unit), that is, P 'and Q' in FIG. 11 and P in FIG. Since many light beams pass from the light source, the observer actually recognizes that there is an object (in this case, a point object), and it is necessary to focus on these points even when photographing with a camera.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a problem of the light beam reproducing method, where 110 is a display unit, 111 is a white point light source array,
Reference numeral 112 denotes each point light source, 113 denotes a color filter, 114 denotes each section of the color filter corresponding to each point light source 112, and 115 denotes an observer.

As shown in this figure, in the vicinity of the display unit 110, there are only one or two rays from the point light source 112 for reproducing the R point and the S point in total. The three-dimensional image cannot be reproduced near the display unit 110 by the light beam reproduction method.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems.
Conventional light-reproduction-type three-dimensional image display is performed in an area distant from the display unit, and three-dimensional image reproduction is not performed in the vicinity of the display unit where there are few reconstructed light beams. By creating a color filter so that it can be expressed as a three-dimensional image, natural three-dimensional image reproduction can be realized behind and in front of the display unit. In the middle region, both are mixed, and as a result, both light reproduction and shadow-type multi-view parallax, which can continuously observe a three-dimensional stereoscopic image from the back to the front of the display unit, are used.
It is an object to provide a three-dimensional image display system.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides: [1] A light source that can be used for both light ray reproduction and shadow-type multi-view parallax.
In the three-dimensional image reproduction system, a color filter is arranged on the observer side of the white point light source array, and in an area away from the color filter and the white point light source, the observer can see as if an object exists there. The light from the white point light source is selected and colored by the color filter so as to generate a large number of light rays corresponding to the scattered light from each point of the object. For a point light source and a color filter vicinity, the color filter is such that image information reaching the eye from the white point light source via the color filter performs a parallax-type stereoscopic display operation that depends not only on the left and right but also on the top and bottom depending on the viewing angle. Is used to select and color light rays, and furthermore, in the middle range between the two, these two operations are mixed and connected continuously.

[2] In the three-dimensional image display system according to [1], wherein one of a plurality of lenses is provided between the color filter and the viewer, The arrangement is characterized by giving a degree of freedom to the appearance and the filter design.

[3] In the three-dimensional image display system according to [1] or [2], wherein a lens is inserted between a white point light source array and the color filter, It is characterized by giving a degree of freedom in appearance and filter design.

[4] In the three-dimensional image display system according to the above [1], [2] or [3], wherein a white light source and a scattering plate are used as the white point light source array. , And a pinhole array in combination.

[5] In the three-dimensional image display system according to [1], [2], [3] or [4], wherein the color filter is dynamically controlled, As a spatial modulation panel capable of
It is characterized in that a two-dimensional image is converted into a moving image.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail.

Hereinafter, a parallax system using a barrier without using glasses, which is necessary for understanding the present invention, will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the basic principle of a binocular parallax stereogram which is the simplest in a system utilizing parallax.

In this figure, 1 is a screen or panel on which an image is drawn, 2 is a barrier with an opened slit 2a, 3 is an observer (3a is a right eye, 3b is a left eye), and 4 is a right eye. Image 5 is an image for the left eye.

The screen or panel 1 has a left eye,
Vertically sliced images of parallax for the right eye are drawn alternately, so that the right eye 3a sees only the right eye image 4 and the left eye image 5 is cut off. A barrier 2 having an open slit 2a is disposed in front of the left side so that the right side and the left side are exchanged. Although the viewing position is limited and there is no vertical three-dimensional effect, there are many advantages such as simplicity and no glasses. There are many modifications such as a method using a prism or a special screen instead of the barrier 2. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the face is changed so as to change the appearance when the face is moved. This is the multi-view parallax method.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes a panel or screen on which an image is drawn, 12 denotes a slit array or a two-dimensional pinhole array, and 13 denotes an observer.

The image drawn on the panel or screen 11 is not for the right eye or the left eye, but is an image viewed from various viewing angles. In the case of using the slit array 12, a slice image viewed from the left and right viewing angles is drawn. , The three-dimensional feeling of the top and bottom cannot be obtained. This is a horizontal multi-view angle version of the parallax stereogram shown in FIG. On the other hand, those using a two-dimensional pinhole array instead of the slit array have a three-dimensional effect of up, down, left, and right. In this case, one image is composed of a group of stipples visible from the pinhole array, and it is possible to observe a stereoscopic image in which the image changes depending on the viewing position as well as the images entering the right and left eyes. However, since depth information is obtained by parallax, unnaturalness remains at the in-focus position of the eye.

It is equivalent to seeing the picture beyond the slit (horizontal only parallax method) or pinhole (horizontal and vertical parallax method) well, but there are many different directions passing through the slit or pinhole. In order to separate these rays, the slits and pinholes cannot be made too narrow or small.

Although not shown, an integral photography is the only arrangement of a microlens array in place of a pinhole array, and a simplified version thereof uses a pinhole array instead of a microlens array. Therefore, it is exactly the same as the pinhole type multi-lens parallax method.

Further, the positional relationship between the drawn images is such that the left and right and up and down sides of the image reproduced in the foreground are upside down, which is a feature of the conventional multi-view parallax system or integral photography. In the parallax method according to the present invention described later, neither up, down, left or right are reversed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a three-dimensional image display system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which uses both light beam reproduction and shadow-type multi-view parallax.

In this figure, 21 is a white point light source array, 22 is a color filter having a function of an image filter for generating a light beam in the distant place and a multi-view parallax type image reproducing function in the near view, and 23 is an observer. .

The light beam emitted from the white point light source array 21 is given an appropriate intensity and color by the color filter 22, and is converted into a light beam that forms a light-reproducing 3D image at a portion away from the display unit. On the other hand, for image reproduction in the vicinity of a display unit (the white point light source array 21 and the color filter 22 are collectively referred to as such) in which light rays from a number of point light sources cannot pass, there is an object there. The color filter 22 is configured to color the color of the virtual object at the exit (on the observer side) of the light group passing through the virtual object among the light groups from the white point light sources. .
In the vicinity of the display unit, for an object spread over one pitch of the point light source, each point light source becomes a sample point of the image and is stereoscopically viewed as a multi-view parallax image with a resolution of about one pitch of the array. .

In FIG. 3, the ray reproduction method is used for reproducing the point images P and Q, and the multi-view parallax method is used for reproducing the small object R 'near the display section. As can be seen from FIG. 3, a parallax (parallax) occurs in light rays (thick lines) that pass through the virtual object R ′ and enter both eyes of the observer 23. The method of coloring the two color filters 22 for the distant portion and the near portion of the display unit is not completely different, but changes continuously depending on the distance between the reproduced object and the display unit.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the present invention in which a white point light source array is substituted by a white light source, a scattering plate, and a pinhole array.

In this figure, 31 is a plate-like white light source, 3
Reference numeral 2 denotes a scattering plate, 33 denotes a pinhole array, 34 denotes a white point light source array, 35 denotes a color filter having a function of an image filter for generating a light beam in a distant place, and a multi-view parallax type image reproduction function in a near view, and 36 denotes a color filter. An observer, 37 is an image reproduced by multi-lens parallax, 38 is a stereoscopic image reproduced by light beam reproduction, and 39 is a reproduced light beam.

The structure of FIG. 4 is similar to the pinhole type multi-view parallax system shown in FIG. 2 or a simplified version of integral photography using a pinhole array. Therefore, the difference is clarified. First, in the configuration of FIG. 4, a panel on which a multi-viewpoint image is drawn is located closer to the observer than the pinhole array, which is the opposite of the configuration of FIG. Therefore, in the configuration of FIG. 2, it is necessary for the multi-view image information to pass through the pinhole without losing the information,
The size of the pinhole cannot be too small as described above. On the other hand, in the configuration of FIG. 4, the size of the pinhole may be small as long as the white light of the backlight passes. Thus, both have completely different configurations and functions.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which a lens is inserted between a color filter and an observer.
1 is a white point light source array, 42 is a color filter or a liquid crystal panel, 43 is a lens, 44 is an observer, 45 is a reproduced image using a lens, and 46 is a reproduced image without a lens.

As a result, it is possible to give variety to the generation of the stereoscopic image, such as enlargement or reduction of the stereoscopic image, change of the depth position of the observation image, and change of the observable viewing angle.

The principle, effect and operation of the image generation in the area farther from the display unit are the same as those of the light beam reproduction type three-dimensional image display device described in the description of the prior art, and the prior proposal " The description is omitted because it is the same as the “stereoscopic image reproducing device with background”.

The reproduction of an object in the vicinity will be described.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the principle of operation in the vicinity of the display unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In this figure, 50 is a display unit, 51 is a white point light source array, 52 is each white point light source, 53 is a color filter, 54 is each section of the filter, 55 is an observer, and 56 and 57 are objects to be reproduced. That is, reproduction of an object 56 shaded with hatching and an object 57 filled with dots are considered. Only three rays passing through an arbitrary point R on the hatched object 56 can be reproduced, and most of them cannot enter the both eyes, so that a three-dimensional image cannot be reproduced or viewed. On the other hand, it is possible to generate an infinite number of light rays that are emitted from a small number of white point light sources 52 and pass through the two objects 56 and 57, and some of them reach both eyes. (Since the interval between the white point light source array and the color filter section is usually about several millimeters, an object having a size of about several millimeters is assumed.) Although the light beam arrives in this way has a spatial resolution of about the light source interval of the object, but also includes parallax information in addition to the image information of the object, the stereoscopic effect is as large as the light beam reproduction method. Is not obtained, but the object can be recognized with a three-dimensional effect equivalent to that of the multi-view parallax method described later.

In FIG. 6, two objects 56,
57 are separated but overlapped in the left eye 55b, and the directions of light rays from the respective objects 56 and 57 are also different, so that it can be understood that parallax exists.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of parallax stereoscopic image reproduction in the vicinity of the display unit according to the present invention.

In this figure, 60 is a display unit, 61 is a white point light source array, 62 is a white point light source, 63 is a color filter, 64 is an observer, 65 is a light group, and a light group 65 in this direction is a color group. At the intersection with the filter 63, this visual image information is written. Many directions are similar.

The configuration of the multi-view parallax system here is significantly different from that described with reference to FIG. In other words, it can be said that the color filter 63 on which the picture corresponding to each viewing angle is drawn is closest to the observer 64 and is illuminated from behind by the white point light source 62, so to say, seeing a shadow picture.

On the other hand, in the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the user looks in through a slit or a pinhole and looks at the picture behind it. Alternatively, in integral photography, an image of a phantom lamp or an image of a pinhole photograph through a pinhole is viewed through the lens from the opposite side in the air. This difference is illustrated in FIG.
Then, the image seen in the foreground is the same as the positional relationship of the drawn image, but it can also be seen from the fact that in the configuration of FIG.

FIG. 8 shows examples of photographs of the three-dimensional image reproduced by the present invention taken from various angles by a camera. The near side and the back side of the building are light ray reproduction images. The center of the depth of the building is a light source array position, and the vicinity thereof is parallax reproduction. When a three-dimensional image of a light beam reproduction type was formed, it was confirmed that a cross section of the image was in focus by placing a frosted glass plate or the like. The image is formed as if formed by a lens at the position where the image can be seen.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a color filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, as a three-dimensional object to be reproduced, FIG.
Cube with three patterns as shown in (a) (2 × 2 ×
2) A, B, and C are arranged, and their upper surfaces are separated from the point light source by 1, 2, and 5, respectively.

FIG. 13 (b) may be used as a color filter for reproducing this. The size of one section of the color filter is 0.25 × 0.25. For the cube A closest to the display section, the shape of the cube A is left in a large pattern over several sections on the color filter. It can be seen that the filter is colored so that the color transition changes depending on the viewing position. A large pattern like the cube A remains for the cube B that is slightly away, but the pattern of the object B appears in each color section. For the cube C that is sufficiently far away, the entire cube C from different sights is drawn for each section, but a large pattern over several sections is not visible.

From this, it can be seen that the cube A is colored with multi-view parallax, and the cube C is colored with the light beam reproducing method. The cube B is in the middle of these.

The present invention can be applied to a wide range of fields such as video technology, broadcasting technology, the art industry, the multimedia industry, advertising, and photography.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0057]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a natural three-dimensional image can be reproduced behind and in front of the display unit, and near the display unit, a vertical and horizontal multi-view parallax can be used. Stereoscopic vision is realized, and in the middle region, both are mixed, and as a result, a three-dimensional stereoscopic image can be continuously observed from the entire region, that is, from the back to the front of the display unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the basic principle of a binocular parallax stereogram.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a multi-view parallax.

FIG. 3 is a basic configuration diagram of a three-dimensional image display system according to the present invention, which is used for both light beam reproduction and shadow picture type multi-view parallax.

FIG. 4 is another configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another configuration (using a lens) of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of image reproduction in the vicinity according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing parallax stereoscopic image reproduction near a display unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a three-dimensional image reproduced according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a color filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the principle of stereoscopic vision.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a light beam reproducing method.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a problem of a light beam reproducing method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,11 Screen or panel 2 Barrier with slit 2a Slit 3,13,23,36,44,55,64 Observer 3a, 55a Right eye 3b, 55b Left eye 4 Image for right eye 5 Image for left eye Image 12 Slit array or two-dimensional pinhole array 21 White point light source array 22, 35, 42, 53, 63 Color filter 31 Plate-like white light source 32 Scattering plate 33 Pinhole array 34, 41, 51, 61 White point light source array 37 Image reproduced by multi-view parallax 38 Stereoscopic image reproduced by light beam reproduction 39 Reconstructed light beam 43 Lens 45 Reconstructed image when lens is used 46 Reconstructed image when lens is not used 50, 60 Display unit 52, 62 White point light source 54 Each section of the filter 56, 57 Object to be reproduced

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 13/04 H04N 13/04

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A color filter is arranged on an observer side of a white point light source array so that an observer can see an object in an area away from the color filter and the white point light source as if an object exists there. The light from the white point light source is selected and colored by the color filter so as to generate a large number of light rays corresponding to the scattered light from each point of the object. Light source, near the color filter, the color filter so that the image information reaching the eye from the white point light source via the color filter performs a parallax type stereoscopic display operation that depends not only on the left and right but also on the vertical Ray reproduction and shadow picture type multi-view, characterized in that the two actions are mixed and connected continuously in the middle range between the two. A three-dimensional image reproduction system that also serves as parallax. 2. The three-dimensional image display system according to claim 1, wherein one or more lenses are arranged between the color filter and the observer. Thus, a three-dimensional image reproduction system that combines light ray reproduction and shadow picture type multi-lens parallax, which has a degree of freedom in appearance and filter design. 3. A three-dimensional image display system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a lens is inserted between a white point light source array and said color filter to obtain a view and a filter. A three-dimensional image reproduction system that combines light ray reproduction and shadow picture type multi-lens parallax, which has a degree of freedom in design. 4. A three-dimensional image display system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the white point light source array includes a white light source, a scattering plate, and a pinhole array. A three-dimensional image reproduction system that combines light beam reproduction and shadow picture type multi-view parallax, which is characterized by being used in combination. 5. The three-dimensional image display system according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the color filter is a spatial modulation panel capable of dynamically controlling the color filter. A three-dimensional image reproducing system that combines ray reproduction and shadow picture type multi-lens parallax, characterized in that a reproduced three-dimensional image is animated.