JP2014233005A - Image display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An image display device capable of suitable display control is provided. An image display device 1 according to the present invention is divided into a plurality of regions R, which can display an image for each divided region R, and block the observation from a predetermined direction for each divided region R. Image display units 20 and 20A having a shielding structure 100 capable of turning on and off functions, a detection unit 51c for detecting the number and positions of observers observing the image display units 20 and 20A, and a detection result by the detection unit 51c Based on the image, an image is displayed in the divided region R corresponding to the position where the observer is detected, and when a plurality of observers are detected, an image displayed for a certain observer is And a control unit 51 that operates the shielding structure 100 so as to be shielded from a person. [Selection] Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device.

As an image display device that displays a digital image or the like, a display device that enables stereoscopic display by combining two hemispherical display surfaces is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In such a spherical display device, when a plurality of observers are observing at the same time, there is a possibility that an observation screen of one observer can be seen by other observers. In mobile devices such as mobile phones, in order to solve such problems, screens capable of turning on and off the peep prevention sheet and the peep prevention function have been commercialized.

Japanese Patent No. 3921205

  However, these peep prevention sheets and screens are premised on application to the entire screen. For this reason, in a display device having a large screen or hemispherical display surface that can be used simultaneously by a plurality of observers, the demands of each observer cannot be satisfied.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image display device capable of suitable display control.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.
The invention according to claim 1 is divided into a plurality of areas, capable of displaying an image for each divided area, and capable of turning on / off a shielding function that makes observation from a predetermined direction impossible for each divided area. An image display unit having a structure; a detection unit for detecting the number and position of observers observing the image display unit; and the division corresponding to the position where the observer is detected based on a detection result by the detection unit. An image is displayed in the area, and when a plurality of observers are detected, a control unit that operates the shielding structure so that an image displayed for a certain observer is shielded from other observers; It is an image display apparatus characterized by comprising.
Invention of Claim 2 is an image display apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: When the position and number of the observers which the said control part detects by the said detection part fluctuate | varied, this position and number The image display apparatus is characterized in that the divided region for operating the shielding structure is changed in accordance with the above.
Invention of Claim 3 is an image display apparatus of Claim 1 or 2, Comprising: When the said control part sees from a certain observer, the said range within the fixed range centering on the observer is the said The image display device is characterized in that the divided area can be observed and the shielding structure is operated so that an image displayed in an area outside the divided area is shielded.
The invention according to claim 4 is the image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shielding function is automatically turned on / off based on a detection result by the detection unit. An image display device comprising: a selection unit capable of selecting either an operation state to be operated or a non-operation state in which the shielding function is always off.
The invention according to claim 5 is the image display device according to claim 4, wherein the selection by the selection unit is possible for each observer.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the image display device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the shielding structure is spherical or multi-sided. .
The invention according to claim 7 switches between a first state that can be observed from the first direction and that cannot be observed from a second direction different from the first direction, and a second state that can be observed from the first direction and the second direction. An image display unit capable of detecting, a first observer observing the image display unit, a detection unit detecting a second observer different from the first observer, and the first observer detected The image display unit is controlled to switch to the second state when the second observer is not detected and to switch to the first state when the second observer is detected for a predetermined region corresponding to a position. And an image display device characterized by comprising a control unit.

  According to the present invention, an image display device capable of suitable display control can be provided.

1 is an external perspective view of an image display apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a notional vertical sectional view of an image display device. It is a functional block block diagram of an image display apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the display element and backlight in an image projection part. It is an example of the image image | photographed by the image imaging part. The image displayed on the screen shows (a) when one person is observing, (b) when two persons are observing, and (c) when three persons are observing. This is the case when people are observing. It is a figure explaining a shielding structure. It is a figure explaining the shielding structure of 2nd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image display device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual longitudinal sectional view of the image display device 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block configuration diagram of the image display device 1.

The image display device 1 is a display device capable of displaying an image on the entire circumference (360 ° circumference) of the hemispherical screen 20.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the image display device 1 includes a base housing 1 </ b> A that is a rectangular parallelepiped hollow member, a display unit 10, an image capturing unit 40, and a control device 50. ing.
The display unit 10 includes a screen 20 and an image projection unit 30.
The screen 20 is formed in a hollow hemispherical dome shape with a transparent material (resin such as acrylic or glass) having a predetermined thickness, and a screen layer (not shown) that irregularly reflects image light irradiated from the inside on the inner peripheral surface thereof. )).

A touch panel 21 (see FIG. 3, not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) is also provided on the outer peripheral surface of the screen.
The touch panel 21 outputs an operation signal for operating the image display device 1 when the observer touches the surface of the screen 20 with a finger. The touch panel 21 has a fine input area divided in a grid pattern on an image projection range (display area of the screen 20) by the image projection unit 30 described later. When contact is made with the touch pen (touch operation, tracing operation), the input area at the contact position is turned on.
The touch panel 21 outputs information for specifying the position of the input area on the touch panel 21, for example, a coordinate value, as an operation signal of the touch panel 21 to the control circuit 51 described later.

In the image projection unit 30, a projection lens 31, a display element 32, a backlight 33, and a projection drive unit 34 are integrally formed, and the vicinity of the central axis of the hemispherical body of the screen 20 inside the base housing 1A. Is arranged.
The projection lens 31 is, for example, a fisheye lens having a projection angle of approximately 180 °, and projects a light image generated by the display element 32 described later onto the inner wall surface of the screen 20.
The display element 32 is configured by a transmissive liquid crystal panel, for example, and is driven by a drive signal from the projection drive unit 34 to form an image in which the light transmittance of the liquid crystal layer for each pixel is changed.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a display element and a backlight in the image projection unit. As shown in FIG. 4, the backlight 33 is configured by two-dimensionally arranging a plurality of LEDs 33a on a substrate 33b so as to be a surface light source having a uniform light emission amount as a whole.
The backlight 33 is disposed on the back side of the display element 32 so as to irradiate the display element 32 with irradiation light. The backlight 33 illuminates the display element 32 with brightness according to the current supplied by the projection drive unit 34 in accordance with a control signal from the control circuit 51 in the control device 50.

  The projection drive unit 34 controls and drives the display element 32 (generates a drive signal for the display element 32 according to the projection image data generated by the image processing unit 51a) in accordance with a control signal from the control circuit 51 described later. . The projection driving unit 34 controls and drives the backlight 33 in accordance with a control signal from the control circuit 51.

  The image projection unit 30 configured as described above is controlled and driven by the projection drive unit 34 based on information from the control circuit 51, and the display element 32 modulates the illumination light of the backlight 33 according to the image signal to generate a light image. Then, the projection lens 31 projects the optical image onto substantially the entire area of the inner wall surface of the screen 20 (except for a PAL lens 41 portion in the image photographing unit 40 described later).

  The display unit 10 including the screen 20 and the image projection unit 30 converts the light image projected from the image projection unit 30 into the light projected from the image projection unit 30 on the screen layer of the inner peripheral surface. The image is displayed as an image that can be observed from the outside.

The image photographing unit 40 is a small camera having an optical system capable of photographing the outside of the image display device 1 in all directions (360 degrees in the horizontal direction), for example, PAL (Panoramic Annual Lens). Is provided.
The image photographing unit 40 includes a PAL lens 41, a photographing lens 42, and an image sensor 43.

  The PAL lens 41 is made of a barrel-shaped transparent body, and has an outer peripheral surface 41a, an upper end surface 41b, and a lower end surface 41c formed in a convex shape around an axis Z indicated by a one-dot chain line. The upper end surface 41b is a concave curved surface, and acts as a convex reflecting surface for the light passing through the transparent body and reaching this. The lower end surface 41c is a plane perpendicular to the axis Z, and acts as a lens surface (refractive surface) for light that passes through the transparent body and reaches this surface.

  The outer peripheral surface 41a is divided into an upper outer peripheral surface 41r and a lower outer peripheral surface 41m by a plane perpendicular to the axis Z, and the upper outer peripheral surface 41r acts as a lens surface (refractive surface) on which the surrounding three-dimensional image is incident. The lower outer peripheral surface 41m acts as a concave reflecting surface for light that enters from the upper outer peripheral surface 41r, passes through the transparent body, and reaches this surface.

  In the PAL lens 41 having the above-described configuration, the three-dimensional image of the 360 ° cylindrical space P around the PAL lens 41 is captured with the width of the space angle formed by the upper outer peripheral surface 41r. The light that has entered the PAL lens 41 through the upper outer peripheral surface 41r is reflected by the opposed lower outer peripheral surface 41m, then reflected by the upper end surface 41b, and emitted from the lower end surface 41c. At this time, the light beam emitted from the lower end surface 41 c forms a virtual image in the PAL lens 41.

The photographing lens 42 is constituted by, for example, a relay lens, and forms a light beam from the 360-degree direction around the image display device 1 formed with a virtual image by the PAL lens 41 as an erect image on the image sensor 43 as described later.
The image pickup device 43 is configured by, for example, a CCD or a CMOS, picks up an image formed on the image pickup surface via the PAL lens 41 and the photographing lens 42, and sends the image signal to the control device 50 described later via the cable 60. Output.
Further, the image photographing unit 40 is configured to be small so as not to disturb the image projection from the image projecting unit 30 to the screen 20 as much as possible.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 50 includes a control circuit 51, an image memory 52, an external interface 53, and a card interface 54.
The control circuit 51 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown), and is an arithmetic circuit that controls each component of the image display device 1 and executes various data processes based on a control program. The control program is stored in a nonvolatile memory (not shown) in the control circuit 51. The control circuit 51 controls driving of the image capturing unit 40 and the display unit 10 (image projection unit 30).

The control circuit 51 functionally includes an image processing unit 51a and a person detection unit 51c.
The image processing unit 51 a performs various image processing on the image signal input from the image capturing unit 40. Further, the image processing unit 51 a generates display image data (projected image data for projecting an image on the screen 20 by the image projecting unit 30) based on the image data recorded in the image memory 52. To do.
The person detection unit 51c detects the number and positions of persons (observers) around the outside of the image display device 1 by a known face detection process or the like.

  The external interface 53 is a USB interface for connecting an external device such as an electronic camera or a personal computer to the image display device 1, for example. The image display apparatus 1 inputs an image file or the like from an external device via the external interface 53. The card interface 54 is an interface to which the memory card 70 can be attached and detached. The card interface 54 is an interface circuit that writes an image file to the memory card 70 and reads an image file recorded on the memory card 70 based on the control of the control circuit 51. The memory card 70 is a semiconductor memory card such as a compact flash (registered trademark) or an SD card.

  The image memory 52 is a nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk. In the image memory 52, an image file input from an external device or the memory card 70 via the external interface 53 or the card interface 54 is recorded.

  The control device 50 configured as described above controls the projection drive unit 34 on the basis of the operation input of the touch panel 21 described above by the observer to control a recording medium or the like (an external device via the image memory 52 and the external interface 53). Various images held by a memory card connected to the card interface 54 are displayed on the screen 20 of the display unit 10. Further, the image photographing unit 40 captures an image of the external periphery of the image display device 1, displays the image on the screen 20, and records the image on a recording medium or the like according to a command.

  In the present embodiment, the screen 20 is divided into a plurality of regions (eight from R1 to R8 in the present embodiment) in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. Each divided region R has a shielding structure 100 that can be individually controlled (only the shielding structure 100 in the region R3 is illustrated).

  As will be described later, the shielding structure 100 can be automatically turned on / off based on the detection result of the person detection unit 51c, and the non-operational state is always off, as will be described later by operating the switch 101 (FIG. 3) connected to the control unit 51. (That is, a state that does not operate regardless of the situation) can be selected. For example, the switch 101 can be turned on and off by a touch panel operation of an image (interface) displayed on the screen 20. In the ON state, the shielding structure 100 can activate a shielding function that shields all or part of the screen from a predetermined line-of-sight direction.

  The shielding structure 100 is, for example, a liquid crystal that can electrically control the viewing angle of the screen, and controls the orientation of liquid crystal molecules by applying a voltage. According to this structure, normally, a wide viewing angle can be displayed as in a general liquid crystal display, but if necessary, light can be transmitted only in the front direction and light to the left and right can be blocked. If you look at the screen from the side at this time, the screen is dark and very difficult to see. However, it is not limited to this shielding structure 100, and other shielding structures 100 may be used.

  This shielding structure 100 is intended to prevent peeping, and does not have to be exactly the same shape as the hemispherical screen 20. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the shielding structure 100 is formed by combining a plurality of planar members each having the shielding structure 100 (three for each region R in FIG. 1) on the screen. Yes. In this way, when a plurality of planar members are bonded together, a planar shielding member can be used, and manufacturing is easy and inexpensive.

  According to this embodiment, the image photographed by the above-described image photographing unit 40 is as shown in FIG. The image processing unit 51a performs image processing on this image, and the processed image is analyzed by the person detection unit 51c to determine whether or not a person exists within the angle of view. When there is a person, the person detection unit 51c further calculates the number and coordinates of the person. For example, in the case of FIG. 5, it is calculated that the person A is alone at a position of 180 °.

Based on the calculated coordinates and the number of people, the control circuit 51 instructs the image projection unit 30 to display an image with the position closest to the position where the person A exists on the screen 20 as the center.
FIG. 6 shows an image displayed on the screen 20.
FIG. 6A is an example of a screen display when the person A is observing alone as shown in FIG. In this case, a set of images (interfaces) is displayed with the position a on the screen closest to the person A as the center.

FIG. 6B shows the case where the person A and the person B facing the person A across the image display device 1 are observing.
In this case, the positions a and a ′ where the persons A and B exist are connected, and along the curve bb ′ (thick chain line) orthogonal to the curve aa ′ passing through the center O of the screen and the center O of the screen. The screen is divided.
An image (interface) for the person A is displayed in one of the divided areas (R1 to R4), and an image (interface) for the person B is displayed in the other divided area (R5 to R8). Is done.

FIG. 6C shows a display example when the person C is added to the position b while the person A and the person B are observing the screen.
In this case, the image display apparatus 1 captures the person C by the image capturing unit 40, and the image processing unit 51a and the person detection unit 51c detect the presence and position of the person C. Then, the display area of the person A and the person B is narrowed to form a new boundary line of the display area, a new area (R4, R5) is secured in front of the person C, and the screen (interface) is displayed.

That is, the position c between the position b where the person C exists and the position a of the person A, the position d between the position b where the person C exists and the position a ′ of the person B, and the center O of the screen A dividing line (thick chain line) is formed as a curve cO and a curve dO.
The curve b-O among the curves b-b 'in FIG. 6B is not a dividing line, but the curve b'-O remains a dividing line.

An image (interface) for the person A is displayed in a region R1-R3 between the curve b'-O and the curve c-O, and regions R4, R5 between the curve cO and the curve dO are displayed. An image (interface) for the person C is displayed, and an image (interface) for the person B is displayed in a region R6-R8 between the curve dO and the curve b'-O.
That is, when the number of people increases, images (interfaces) for the number of people are displayed so as to be positioned in front of each person.

  Here, in the case of FIG. 6A, since the person observing the screen is one of the person A, the shielding structure 100 may not be operated even if the shielding structure 100 is turned on.

  In the case of FIG. 6B, there are two persons, person A and person B, who are observing the screen. In the present embodiment, since the person A and the person B are located on the opposite sides, the images of each other cannot be seen.

However, when there are two persons, the images of each other may be seen depending on the position. Therefore, when there are two persons, the distance between the persons is detected, and when the distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, it is considered that the possibility of peeping is low. In such a case, the shielding structure 100 is operated.
This predetermined value is determined based on the widest interval when the display area of another person can be seen without the shielding structure 100 depending on the shape of the display and the position of the person.

  In the case of FIG. 6C, there is a possibility that the images of the persons A and B are removed by the person C, and the images of the person C are removed by the persons A and B. Therefore, the shielding structure 100 corresponding to the region facing the person C is automatically turned on.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the shielding structure 100 in the case of FIG.
FIG. 7A shows the field of view of the person A.
The screen R4 displayed for the person C cannot be observed because the shielding structure 100 is on. Since R5 to R8 cannot be observed from the position of the person A, not only the on / off state of the shielding structure 100, the shielding structure 100 may be on or off with respect to the field of view of the person A. .

FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating the field of view of the person B.
The screen R5 displayed for the person C cannot be observed because the shielding structure 100 is on. Since R1 to R4 cannot be observed from the position of the person C, not only the on / off state of the shielding structure 100, the shielding structure 100 may be on or off with respect to the field of view of the person C. .

FIG. 7C is a view showing the field of view of the person C.
The screen R3 displayed for the person A cannot be observed because the shielding structure 100 is on. The screen R6 displayed for the person B cannot be observed because the shielding structure 100 is on. Note that R1, R2, and R7, R8 cannot be observed from the position of the person B, not only the on / off state of the shielding structure 100, so that the view of the person C is off even if the shielding structure 100 is on. There may be.

  That is, in the case of this positional relationship, if at least the shielding structures 100 from R3 to R6 are turned on, peeping each other is prevented. Note that the area where the shielding structure 100 is turned on depends not only on the number of persons but also on the position thereof, so the shielding structure 100 may need to be turned on even in the case of two persons, or in the case of three persons. The area to be turned on differs depending on the position of the person.

If it is considered that the shielding operation by the shielding structure 100 is unnecessary, the persons A, B, and C can turn off automatic on / off by operating the switch 101 (that is, always off).
This operation can be performed by persons A, B, and C, respectively. For example, even when the person A does not deactivate the automatic on / off of the shielding function for the image displayed on the person A, the persons B and C do not deactivate the automatic on / off of the shielding function for the own image. The shielding of the images of persons B and C is operable.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the area on the screen is divided into a plurality of areas, and the shielding structure 100 that can be turned on / off independently is provided for each area, and whether or not there is a person in front of the screen of each area. Convenience is improved because it is configured to be linked to the determination.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Second Embodiment The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the screen 20A is a plane. Similarly to the first embodiment, the image photographing unit may be provided in the center of the screen 20A, and the image photographing unit is provided inside the housing so as to photograph and detect a person from the gap of the screen 20A. It may be a structure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display state of the screen 20A in the second embodiment.
FIG. 8A is a display example of the screen 20A when one person A is observing. In this case, a set of images (interfaces) is displayed with the position a on the screen closest to the person A as the center.

FIG. 8B shows a case where, in addition to the person A, a person B facing the person A across the image display device 1 is observing the screen 20A.
In this case, the screen 20A is divided into two on the person A side and the B side. An image (interface) for the person A is displayed in the divided area on the A side, and an image (interface) for the person B is displayed in the divided area on the B side.

FIG. 8C shows a display example when the person C and the person B are observing the screen and the person C is added to the position b ′ between the person A and the person B.
In this case, the screen is divided into three. The image (interface) for the person A is displayed in the area on the A side that is narrower than the state of FIG. 8B, and the image (interface) for the person B is displayed in the area on the B side that is narrower than the state of FIG. ) Is displayed. In the area on the C side, an image (interface) for the person C is displayed.

  Here, in the case of FIG. 8B, in the second embodiment, since the screen 20A is planar, the screen of the other person can be seen even with two persons. For this reason, the shielding structure 100 is turned on, and when viewed from the person A, the screen on the person B side cannot be seen.

  In the case of FIG. 8C, when viewed from the person A, the images of the persons A and B may be seen. Therefore, the shielding structure 100 corresponding to the region facing the person C and the person B is automatically turned on.

  As described above, also in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the area on the screen is divided into a plurality of areas, and the shielding structure 100 that can be turned on and off independently is provided for each area. Since it is configured so as to be linked with the determination of whether or not there is a person in front of the area screen, convenience is improved.

(Deformation)
In addition, although embodiment and a deformation | transformation form can also be used in combination suitably, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
(1) In the embodiment, the screen surface is divided into eight regions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be 8 or more or 8 or less.
(2) In the embodiment, the shielding structure is a liquid crystal that can electrically control the viewing angle of the screen, and the structure in which the orientation of liquid crystal molecules is controlled by applying a voltage is not limited thereto. . Any other known method may be used.
(3) Although the hemispherical or spherical screen has been described in the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and any other shape such as a cone, a cylinder, a prism, or a polyhedron may be used.
(4) In the embodiment, the shape in which three planar shielding members are provided in one region has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number may be larger or smaller. Moreover, not only a planar shape but a curved surface shape may be sufficient.

  R: divided area, 1: image display device, 10: display unit, 20: screen, 20A: screen, 21: touch panel, 30: image projection unit, 31: projection lens, 32: display element, 50: control device, 51 : Control circuit, 51a: image processing unit, 51c: person detection unit, 100: shielding structure, 101: switch

Claims (7)

An image display unit having a shielding structure that is divided into a plurality of regions, capable of displaying an image for each divided region, and capable of turning on and off a shielding function that disables observation from a predetermined direction for each divided region;
A detection unit for detecting the number and position of observers observing the image display unit;
Based on the detection result by the detection unit, an image is displayed in the divided region corresponding to the position where the observer is detected, and is displayed for a certain observer when a plurality of observers are detected. A control unit that operates the shielding structure so that the image is shielded from other observers;
An image display device comprising: The image display device according to claim 1,
The controller is
When the position and number of the observers detected by the detection unit change, the divided region that operates the shielding structure is changed according to the position and number,
An image display device characterized by the above. The image display device according to claim 1 or 2,
When viewed from a certain observer, the control unit can observe the divided area within a certain range centered on the observer, and an image displayed in an area outside the divided area is shielded. Operating the shielding structure as follows,
An image display device characterized by the above. The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A selection unit capable of selecting whether the shielding structure is in an operation state in which the shielding function is automatically turned on or off based on a detection result by the detection unit or a non-operation state in which the shielding function is always off. Providing
An image display device characterized by the above. The image display device according to claim 4,
The selection by the selection unit is possible for each observer;
An image display device characterized by the above. The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The shielding structure is spherical or multi-faced;
An image display device characterized by the above. An image display unit capable of switching between a first state that can be observed from a first direction and that cannot be observed from a second direction different from the first direction, and a second state that can be observed from the first direction and the second direction;
A detection unit for detecting a first observer observing the image display unit and a second observer different from the first observer;
The predetermined region corresponding to the position where the first observer is detected is switched to the second state when the second observer is not detected, and is changed to the first state when the second observer is detected. An image display device comprising: a control unit that controls the image display unit so as to be switched.

Images