JP2009031337A - Video display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video display device for preventing visibility of a display video from being deteriorated due to reflection of a background, and allowing a user to view a high-quality video image. <P>SOLUTION: In the video display device which displays a predetermined video image on a display screen, user's position is detected based on a first picked-up image obtained by a first imaging means, so as to specify a background area recognized by the user by being reflected on the display screen based on the detected user's position. The specified background area is imaged by the second imaging means and the image quality of the video image is adjusted based on the obtained second picked-up image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video display device, and more particularly, to a video display device having a display screen such as a plasma display panel that is likely to be reflected.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a video display device such as a television receiver, there is a so-called reflection problem that a user's background is reflected on a display screen by a light source such as room lighting or sunlight, making it difficult to see the video. This problem of reflection is particularly noticeable in plasma display panels and cathode ray tubes that use glass on the surface.

  By the way, as a measure to eliminate the reflection of the background on the display screen of the television receiver, for example, it is easy to darken the room by turning off the lighting or closing the curtain to block the light from the window. It is valid. However, viewing the displayed video for a long time in a dark space leads to a problem different from the reflection, such as a reduction in visual acuity.

In view of this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 proposes a technique related to a display device that corrects and displays a display image based on a reflected image reflected on a display screen.
Specifically, a subject facing the display screen is imaged by an imaging unit provided in the vicinity of the display screen, and the position of the user is detected based on the captured image. Then, a reflected image that is reflected on the display screen and can be recognized by the user is generated from the captured image captured by the imaging unit at a depth of field that is substantially the same as the depth of field of the user's eyes, and the reflected image is generated by the user. The original image is corrected so as not to be recognized.

In Patent Document 1, the imaging unit may be configured with a plurality of imaging devices that capture images in different directions, and a wide range may be imaged by the plurality of imaging devices. It is described that the direction can be changed. Further, based on the detected position of the user, the direction of the subject that is reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user may be specified, and the background image may be picked up by changing the imaging direction to the direction of the specified subject. Is described.
JP-A-2005-346012

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the area of the background image captured by the imaging unit is wider than the area of the reflected image reflected on the display screen (see Paragraph 0032 and FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1). The entire image is not reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user. Therefore, a complicated process of generating (cutting out) a reflected image from the captured background image is required.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a video display device that can prevent the visibility of a display video from being deteriorated due to the reflection of a background, and allows a user to view a high-quality display video.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, in a video display device that displays a predetermined video (original video: television broadcast, DVD) on a display screen, an image of a subject facing the display screen is captured. Based on a first imaging means, a user position detecting means for detecting a user position based on a first captured image taken by the first imaging means, and a user position detected by the user position detecting means. A background area specifying means for specifying a background area (direction, angle of view) reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user, and a second image pickup for picking up the background area specified by the background area specifying means. And image quality adjusting means for adjusting the image quality of the video displayed on the display screen based on the second captured image captured by the second image capturing means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the video display device according to the first aspect, the image quality adjusting unit identifies a high luminance area having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined value in the second captured image, and identifies the specified high The image quality of the area in the display screen corresponding to the luminance area is adjusted.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the video display device according to the first or second aspect, the first imaging unit is provided in the vicinity of the display screen and images a direction perpendicular to the display screen. The user position detecting means, based on the position of the user in the plurality of first captured images captured by the plurality of imaging cameras and the distance from the display screen to the user, A direction of a user with respect to the display screen is detected.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the video display device according to the third aspect, the plurality of imaging cameras are provided in the vicinity of four corners of a rectangular display screen.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the video display device according to the fourth aspect, the background area specifying unit is configured to determine the direction of the user from the four corners of the display screen (for example, the angle with respect to the perpendicular at the four corners of the display screen) ) To calculate the incident direction of each light ray that is reflected at the four corners of the display screen and reaches the user, and specifies the angle of view of the background region based on the calculated incident direction (that is, calculated) The second imaging unit captures an image of the background area based on the specified angle of view of the background area. The direction and the angle of view of the imaging region are adjusted.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a video display device that displays a predetermined video on a rectangular display screen, a plurality of images that are provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the display screen and capture a direction perpendicular to the display screen. The first imaging means having the imaging camera, the position of the user in the plurality of first captured images captured by the plurality of imaging cameras, and the distance from the display screen to the user, with respect to the display screen Based on the user position detecting means for detecting the user's direction and the user's direction with respect to the display screen, the incident direction of each light beam that is reflected at the four corners of the display screen and reaches the user is calculated. A background region specifying means for specifying a background region that is reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user by determining a field angle of the background region based on an incident direction; Second imaging means for imaging the background area specified by the background area specifying means by adjusting the imaging direction and the angle of view of the imaging area so as to image the background area based on the angle of view of the scene area And specifying a high-brightness area having a brightness equal to or higher than a predetermined value in the second picked-up image picked up by the second image pickup means, and adjusting the image quality of the area in the display screen corresponding to the specified high-brightness area Image quality adjusting means.

According to the present invention, in a video display device such as a television receiver, a reflected image (background image, second captured image) reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user is accurately captured, and the reflected image is displayed. Since the image quality of the display image is adjusted based on the image, it is possible to effectively prevent the visibility of the display image from deteriorating due to the reflection of the background.
Further, by using the video display device according to the present invention, the user can enjoy a high-quality display video without worrying about the reflection.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage pattern of a television receiver according to an embodiment of a video display device of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the television receiver 10 is a large-screen television installed in, for example, an indoor living room. ) To view the displayed video. At this time, the user's background may be reflected on the display screen 112 due to the illumination of the room or the sunlight from the window when there is a window nearby.
That is, the light beam reflected by the display screen 112 and incident on the eyes of the user U is recognized by the user as a reflection on the display screen 112. For example, when the viewing position is as shown in FIG. 1, the background area B is reflected on the display screen 112, and the background area B differs depending on the positional relationship between the user and the display screen 112. In particular, when the display screen 112 is large, the background area reflected on the display screen 112 varies greatly depending on the position of the user U (for example, the position in the left-right direction).

  In the television receiver 10 of the present embodiment, a reflected image (background region B) that can be recognized by the user U is acquired (captured) easily and accurately, and the original video is corrected based on the acquired image. Is trying to reduce.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the television receiver 10 according to the present embodiment.
The television receiver 10 of this embodiment includes a control unit 101, an antenna 102, a receiving unit (tuner) 103, a signal processing unit 104, a decoder 105, an operation unit 106, a first driving unit 107, a user detection camera 108, a background. The camera 109 includes a photographing camera 109, a second drive unit 110, a display video generation unit 111, a display unit 112, and an audio output unit 113. Although omitted in FIG. 2, a video signal from an external AV device such as a DVD player may be input.

Specifically, the receiving unit 103 selectively receives a television broadcast signal (for example, terrestrial digital broadcast, BS digital broadcast, CS digital broadcast) via the antenna 102.
The signal processing unit 104 demodulates the broadcast signal received by the receiving unit 103 and separates the demodulated broadcast signal into content information (specifically, video data and audio data) and program information. The separated content information is supplied to the decoder 105. On the other hand, the separated program information is supplied to, for example, an EPG generation unit (not shown) and used to generate an electronic program guide.

  The decoder 105 decodes the content information supplied from the signal processing unit 104 to generate a video signal and an audio signal. The decoded video signal is output to the display video generation unit 111 as original video data, and the decoded audio signal is output to the audio output unit 113.

  The operation unit 106 is, for example, a remote control device having a plurality of operation buttons or an operation panel provided in the main body, and channel change and volume adjustment are executed based on an input signal from the operation unit 106.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the user detection camera 108 is provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the display screen 112 and images a subject (user) facing the display screen 112. The user detection camera 108 includes, for example, a lens group composed of a plurality of lenses capable of focus control, and an image sensor such as a CCD. Then, the light collected by the lens group on the entire area of the imaging surface of the imaging device is output as a video signal for each pixel by photoelectric conversion, and a captured image (first captured image) is generated.

  The first drive unit 107 is for adjusting the imaging direction, imaging angle of view, and focus of the user detection camera 108, and includes a drive motor and a power transmission mechanism. The four user detection cameras 108a to 108d are provided for each of the four user detection cameras 108a to 108d, and the imaging directions and the like of the four user detection cameras 108a to 108d can be independently adjusted. By driving and controlling the first drive unit by the control unit 101 described later, the imaging direction, the imaging angle of view, and the focus of the user detection camera 108 are adjusted.

That is, the user detection camera 108, the first drive unit 107, and the control unit 101 constitute a first imaging unit in the present invention.
According to the configuration described above, the user detection camera 108 can change the imaging direction, but in order to simplify the process for detecting the user position, the display screen 112 is displayed. It is desirable that the vertical axis be the imaging direction.

  In addition, the angle of view is set so that the imaging regions of the respective user detection cameras 108a to 108d are adjacent to each other or partially overlap, and further, the region facing the display screen 112 can be imaged over a wide range. In particular, as a viewing mode of the television receiver 10, since it can be assumed that the viewing position of the user U does not fluctuate up and down, it is desirable to set so as to capture a wide range of images in the left-right direction. As a result, the user's position can be detected even when the user's viewing position is greatly displaced in the left-right direction with respect to the front of the display screen 112.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the background photographing camera 109 is provided at the upper center of the display screen 112 and images the background region B that is reflected by the display screen 112 and recognized by the user U. Similar to the user detection camera 108, the background photographing camera 109 includes, for example, a lens group composed of a plurality of lenses capable of focus control, and an image sensor such as a CCD. Then, the light collected by the lens group on the entire area of the imaging surface of the imaging device is output as a video signal for each pixel by photoelectric conversion, and a captured image (second captured image) is generated.

The second drive unit 110 is for adjusting the imaging direction, imaging angle, focus, and the like of the background photographing camera 109, and includes a drive motor and a power transmission mechanism. By driving and controlling the second drive unit by the control 101 described later, the imaging direction, imaging angle of view, and focus of the background photographing camera 109 are adjusted.
That is, the background imaging camera 109, the second drive unit 110, and the control unit 101 constitute a second imaging unit in the present invention.

The display video generation unit 111 generates video data to be displayed, for example, by correcting the original video data from the decoder 105 (or from the external AV device), and outputs the video data to the display unit (display screen) 112. For example, the brightness and color of the original video are corrected so that the reflection on the display screen 112 is canceled based on the second captured image captured by the background photographing camera 109.
The display unit 112 displays a video based on the display video data from the display video generation unit 111.
The audio output unit (speaker) 113 outputs audio based on the audio signal from the decoder 105.

The control unit 101 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, and controls each unit of the television receiver 10.
Specifically, the CPU controls the entire television receiver 10 by reading out a processing program or the like stored in the ROM, developing it in the RAM, and executing it.
The RAM expands a processing program executed by the CPU in a program storage area in the RAM, and stores input data and a processing result generated when the processing program is executed in the data storage area.
The ROM is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory and stores a processing program, data, and the like in advance. In the ROM, for example, an image quality adjustment program for reducing the reflection, an imaging program for adjusting the imaging direction and focus of the user position detection camera 108 and the background imaging camera 109, and capturing a desired image, Etc. are stored.

For example, the CPU reads out an image quality adjustment program stored in the ROM, develops it in the work area of the RAM, and executes it to perform image quality adjustment processing.
In this image quality adjustment process, for example, the position of the user U is detected based on the first captured image captured by the user detection camera 108 (user position detection means). Further, based on the detected position of the user U, the background area reflected on the display screen 112 and recognized by the user U is specified (background area specifying means). Further, in the second captured image captured by the background photographing camera 109, a high luminance region having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined value is specified. Further, the image quality of the area in the display screen 112 corresponding to the specified high brightness area is adjusted (image quality adjusting means).
That is, the control unit 101 constitutes a user position detecting unit, a background area specifying unit, and an image quality adjusting unit in the present invention.

Further, the CPU adjusts the imaging direction, the imaging angle of view, and the focus of the user detection camera 108 by executing the imaging program stored in the ROM and controlling the first driving unit 107. Similarly, by controlling the second drive unit 110, the imaging direction, imaging field angle, and focus of the background photographing camera 109 are adjusted. This imaging program may be provided separately for the user detection camera 108 and the background photography camera 109.
A known autofocus technique can be used for the automatic focusing process.

  The television receiver 10 of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, detects the position of the user U, and captures a reflected image on the display screen 112 recognized by the user U. Since the image quality of the display video is adjusted based on this reflected image, the video recognized by the user U is the same as the original video.

Next, the image quality adjustment process for reducing the reflection on the display screen 112 will be specifically described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of image quality adjustment processing executed in the television receiver 10. This image quality adjustment process is realized by the CPU executing an image quality adjustment program in the ROM. For example, this is a process executed when the television receiver 10 is turned on and any video is displayed on the display screen 112.

  In step S <b> 101, the user detection camera 108 images a subject facing the display screen 112. At this time, the user detection camera 108 captures an image with an axis perpendicular to the display screen 112 as an imaging axis.

  In step S102, it is determined whether the user U can be detected in the images captured by the user detection cameras 108a to 108d using an image recognition technique. When the user U can be detected, the process proceeds to step S103, and when the user U cannot be detected, the process proceeds to step S101.

In step S103, the detected position of the user U is calculated (user position detecting means). At this time, for example, an image obtained by focusing on the user's face using face recognition technology is used as the first captured image, and the position of the user U is calculated based on the first captured image. The position can be calculated accurately.
Specifically, based on the location where the user U is captured in the first captured image and the distance to the user U (also used for focusing), the imaging axes of the respective user detection cameras 108a to 108d The direction of the user U (strictly speaking, the direction of the face of the user U) is calculated.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the first captured image P1 captured by each of the user detection cameras 108a to 108d. FIG. 4 shows a case where the user U is located directly in front of the user detection camera 108b arranged at the lower left of the display screen 112 (viewed from the user U).

That is, the image of the user U is located at the lower center of the first captured image (FIG. 4A) by the user detection camera 108 a disposed at the upper left, and the first captured image by the user detection camera 108 b (FIG. 4A). 4 (b)) is located at the center, and in the first captured image (FIG. 4 (c)) by the user detection camera 108c arranged at the upper right, it is located at the lower right and is arranged at the lower right. In the first captured image (FIG. 4D) obtained by the user detection camera 108d, the user U is directly in front of the user detection camera 108b when positioned at the center right part.
Further, based on the distance from the display screen 112 to the user U at that time, the direction (angle) of the user with respect to the imaging axis of each of the user detection cameras 108a to 108d is calculated.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the user may or may not be captured in all the first captured images captured by the four user detection cameras 108a to 108d. If the user is captured in at least one first captured image among the first captured images captured by the user detection cameras 108a to 108d, the direction of the user can be specified based on the first captured image. it can.

In step S104 of FIG. 3, based on the calculated position of the user U, a background area that is reflected on the display screen 112 and can be recognized by the user U is determined (background area determination means). Specifically, each of the user detection cameras 108a to 108d with respect to the respective imaging axes (perpendicular to the display screen 112) of the user detection cameras 108a to 108d disposed corresponding to the four corners of the display screen 112. The background area is determined by regarding the direction symmetric to the direction of the user U from a line that defines the angle of view of the background area reflected on the display screen 112 (see FIG. 1).
For example, the user detection camera 108b in FIG. 1 will be described. The direction of the user U from the user detection camera 108b is an angle θ with respect to the imaging axis. In this case, the direction of the angle (−θ) with respect to the imaging axis is a line for defining the angle of view of the background area.

In step S105, the determined background area is imaged by the background imaging camera. Specifically, the second drive unit 110 is controlled so that the determined background area is photographed, and the second photographing is performed after adjusting the photographing direction, the angle of view, and the focus of the background photographing camera 109. Generate an image.
Thus, in the television receiver 10 of the present embodiment, the reflected image on the display screen 112 that should actually be recognized from the position of the user U is acquired as the second captured image. As a result, the second captured image can be handled as an image reflected on the display screen 112 as it is, so that the processing relating to the image adjustment after step S106 is facilitated.

  In step S <b> 106, a high luminance region having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined value is detected in the second captured image. Specifically, the brightness of each pixel of the second captured image is detected, and an area that is significantly different from the surrounding brightness is specified as a high brightness area.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the second captured image P2 captured by the background photographing camera 109. As illustrated in FIG.
In FIG. 1, for example, when there is a window on the right side of the user U toward the display screen 112, an image having the window W on the left side of the background area as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained as the second captured image P2. It will be. Then, the area corresponding to this window W is specified as the high luminance area.

In step S107, the reflection area on the display screen 112 is specified based on the detected high luminance area.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a reflected image on the display screen 112, and shows an image reflected on the display screen 112 when the background image shown in FIG. 5 is obtained. That is, when the user U views the display screen 112 from the viewing position shown in FIG. 1, the window W is reflected on the right side of the display screen 112.
As shown in FIG. 6, the second captured image (see FIG. 5) that is horizontally reversed becomes a reflected image on the display screen 112. And the area | region corresponding to the high-intensity area | region in a 2nd captured image becomes a reflection area of a light source. In this manner, since an image that actually appears on the display screen 112 can be easily generated based on the second captured image, it is possible to easily identify an area whose image quality should be adjusted.

  In step S108, the image quality of the reflection area of the light source specified in step S107 is adjusted (image quality adjusting means). Specifically, by adjusting the brightness and color of the image based on the original video data, a display image in which the reflection is reduced, in other words, the reflection is blurred is generated and output.

According to the television receiver 10 of the present embodiment, a reflected image (background image, second captured image) reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user is accurately captured, and based on this reflected image. Since the image quality of the display image is adjusted, it is possible to effectively prevent the visibility of the display image from deteriorating due to the reflection of the background.
Further, by using the video display device according to the present invention, the user can enjoy a high-quality display video without worrying about the reflection.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the user detection cameras 108 are provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the display screen 112, but the arrangement of the user detection cameras 108 is not limited thereto. For example, it is conceivable that two are arranged near the center of the opposing short sides of the display screen 112 or two are arranged at diagonal positions.

  The present invention is not limited to the television receiver shown in the above embodiment, but may be applied to, for example, a display device for displaying video based on video data output from an external AV device, or a monitor connected to a personal computer. Can be applied.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the usage condition of the television receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of the video display apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the television receiver 10 which concerns on this embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of image quality adjustment processing executed in the television receiver 10; It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the 1st captured image imaged by each user detection camera 108a-108d. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the 2nd captured image imaged with the camera 109 for background imaging | photography. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the reflection image on the display screen.

Explanation of symbols

10 Television receiver 101 Control unit (user position detecting means, background area specifying means, image quality adjusting means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Antenna 103 Reception part 104 Signal processing part 105 Decoder 106 Operation part 107 1st drive part 108a-108b Camera for a user detection (1st imaging means)
109 Background photographing camera (second imaging means)
110 Second drive unit 111 Display image generation unit 112 Display unit (display screen)
113 Audio output unit

Claims (6)

In a video display device that displays a predetermined video on a display screen,
First imaging means for imaging a subject facing the display screen;
User position detection means for detecting the position of the user based on the first captured image captured by the first imaging means;
Based on the user position detected by the user position detecting means, a background area specifying means for specifying a background area reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user;
Second imaging means for imaging the background area specified by the background area specifying means;
Image quality adjusting means for adjusting the image quality of the video displayed on the display screen based on the second captured image captured by the second imaging means;
A video display device comprising:   The image quality adjustment means identifies a high-brightness area having a luminance of a predetermined value or more in the second captured image, and adjusts the image quality of the area in the display screen corresponding to the identified high-brightness area. The video display device according to claim 1. The first imaging means has a plurality of imaging cameras that are provided in the vicinity of the display screen and capture a direction perpendicular to the display screen;
The user position detecting means detects a user direction with respect to the display screen based on a position of the user in a plurality of first captured images captured by the plurality of imaging cameras and a distance from the display screen to the user. The video display device according to claim 1, wherein:   The video display device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of imaging cameras are provided near four corners of a rectangular display screen. The background region specifying means calculates the incident direction of each light beam that is reflected at the four corners of the display screen and reaches the user based on the direction of the user from the four corners of the display screen, and the calculated incident direction Based on the background area angle of view,
The second imaging unit adjusts an imaging direction and an angle of view of the imaging area so as to image the background area based on the specified angle of view of the background area. Video display device. In a video display device that displays a predetermined video on a rectangular display screen,
First imaging means provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the display screen and having a plurality of imaging cameras for imaging in a direction perpendicular to the display screen;
User position detection means for detecting the user's direction relative to the display screen based on the position of the user in the plurality of first captured images captured by the plurality of imaging cameras and the distance from the display screen to the user;
Based on the direction of the user with respect to the display screen, the incident direction of each light beam reflected at the four corners of the display screen and reaching the user is calculated, and the angle of view of the background area is determined based on the calculated incident direction. A background area specifying means for specifying a background area reflected on the display screen and recognized by the user;
Based on the angle of view of the specified background area, the background area specified by the background area specifying means is imaged by adjusting the imaging direction and the angle of view of the imaging area so as to image the background area. Two imaging means;
An image quality that specifies a high-brightness area having a luminance of a predetermined value or higher in the second captured image picked up by the second image pickup means and adjusts the image quality of the area in the display screen corresponding to the specified high-brightness area Adjusting means;
A video display device comprising:

Images