JPH03236698A - Picture generating device for both eye stereoscopic view - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To observe an easy to see picture at all times by a both-eye stereoscopic view even when the distance from the visual point of left/right eye camera to an object is fluctuated by devising the device such that an interval between left/right visual points is always an optimum value in response to the distance from the visual point of left/right eye camera to an object. CONSTITUTION:A distance calculation means 13 receives an object data and a visual point position of a left/right eye camera from an object data transmission means 11 and a visual point position input means 12 respectively to calculate a distance V between the visual point of the camera and an object. Then the distance V obtained by the calculation is fed to a visual point interval calculation means 14, which calculates left/right visual point interval of the left/right eye camera in response to the distance V. When the interval between the left and right visual points is calculated, a picture of an object based on the interval between the left and right visual points is displayed stereoscopically on a display means 15. Thus, a prescribed parallax is ensured and the both eye stereoscopic view of an object picture is always brought into easy to see state.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention presents an object as a three-dimensional image using two stereo cameras for left and right eyes (hereinafter simply referred to as cameras), so that a three-dimensional effect can be recognized. The present invention relates to an image generation device.

(Prior art) For example, there is a conventional image generation device as shown in FIG. 6. In other words, FIG. 6(a) shows the state when an object P is photographed with two cameras la and lb. 6(b) is a stereoscopic image SR taken by cameras la and lb.

This is a model representation of the state when the observer 3 observes the SL.

In FIG. 6(a), the left-eye camera 1a and the right-eye camera 1b are spaced apart from each other by a constant left-right viewpoint interval I corresponding to the distance between human eyes, and both cameras la, They are installed so that the optical axes of the lbs intersect. In this state, the object P is photographed by the cameras la and lb, thereby obtaining a binocular stereoscopic image. Note that image generation using this method is similarly applied to the case where an image is generated using computer graphics (CG).

Next, the binocular images obtained in this way are displayed on the screen 4-L as shown in FIG. Then, by observing the image SL for the left eye only with the left eye, the screen 4
The object P is reproduced as a three-dimensional image in the space l2 in the foreground.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such a conventional image generation device, the distance between the cameras 1a and 1b, that is, the left and right viewpoint distance I, is always fixed to a constant value regardless of the position of the object P. Therefore, when the distance V between the object P and the cameras la and lb changes, for example when the object P approaches the viewpoint side of the cameras la and lb, the parallax e, which is the distance between the generated images SR and SL, increases. do. As a result, binocular stereoscopic viewing becomes difficult for the observer 3, and the feeling of eye fatigue increases significantly.

By the way, the limit of the parallax e that can be viewed stereoscopically is generally determined by the angle of view θ
It is about 1 degree.

Incidentally, applications of the above-mentioned stereoscopic vision have become particularly popular in recent years, and under such circumstances, eye fatigue due to an increase in parallax e is becoming a major problem. This change in parallax e is large in entertainment stereoscopic viewing where the object P moves rapidly,
For this reason, the reality is that the running time of typical stereoscopic movies is limited to 15 to 20 minutes to avoid excessive eye fatigue.

Furthermore, when stereoscopic vision is used to display CAD data, not only does stereoscopic observation usually take a long time, but many methods such as enlarging and displaying the viewpoints of the left and right cameras closer to the object are frequently performed. eye fatigue is a serious problem.

This invention was made by focusing on such conventional problems, and its purpose is to change the distance between left and right viewpoints (1) according to the distance #(V) between the viewpoint and the object. An object of the present invention is to provide a binocular stereoscopic image generation device that can make images easier to see and reduce eye fatigue.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the U objective as described above, the present invention provides an object data transmitting means for transmitting data of an object to be displayed;
a viewpoint position input means for inputting the viewpoint positions of the pair of left and right cameras with respect to the object;
distance calculation means for calculating the distance between the viewpoint of the camera and the object; viewpoint interval calculation means for calculating the distance between the left and right viewpoints of the pair of cameras according to the distance; and displaying object data based on the distance between the left and right viewpoints. It is characterized by comprising a display means.

(Operation) The operation of the present invention will be explained with reference to the claim correspondence diagram in FIG. Object data and the viewpoint placement of the left and right cameras are respectively input from the viewpoint position input means 12, and the distance V between the viewpoint of the camera and the object is calculated. Next, the distance V obtained by this calculation is sent to the viewpoint distance calculation means 14, and the left and right viewpoint distance I of the left and right cameras is calculated according to the distance V. Thereafter, when the left and right viewpoint distance I is calculated, an image of the object based on this left and right viewpoint distance I is displayed three-dimensionally on the display means 15.

Therefore, when the distance V from the camera to the object changes, the left and right viewpoint distance ■ changes accordingly, and 1-
The variation between the recording distance V and the left and right viewpoint distance ■ is kept constant. That is, by changing the distance I between the left and right viewpoints of the camera in accordance with the distance V between the L viewpoint and the object, the amount of parallax e is adjusted so that it is always constant. As a result, even if the distance V becomes smaller than a certain value due to a change in the relative trust between the camera and the object, a constant parallax e is ensured, so that the observer can see the object image in binocular stereoscopic view. is always easy to see, reducing eye fatigue.

(Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a blue-red glasses type stereoscopic image generation device showing this embodiment.

In this figure, reference numeral 11 denotes object data sending means for sending out data on objects to be displayed, and here the object data is data on a "car" including road surfaces, walls, etc. 12 is a viewpoint for inputting and setting the viewpoint position of the pair of left and right cameras with respect to the object (%"1. In the formula input step, the car as a display object is, for example, 5 m in front when viewed from M1, and 12 m to the side. Viewpoint positions such as viewing from M2, viewing from M3 at 7 meters in the negative direction, etc. are entered (see Figure 3B).

However, the viewpoint position input method in this case is, for example, "7m
” etc. are not entered digitally, but by holding down the “front switch”, 3 m −”
It is input so that it changes analogously from 4 m to 5 m.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a computer as a control device in which a distance calculation means 13 and a viewpoint interval calculation means 14 are built in, and the distance calculation means 13 calculates the left and right eyes as shown in FIG. This is to calculate the midpoint M between the cameras la and lb, that is, the distance V between the viewpoint and the object 10.The viewpoint interval calculation means 14 also calculates the distance between the left and right viewpoints based on the distance 1llV obtained by the calculation. This computer 16 has a display means 1 such as a CRT.
5 is connected, and it is possible to display the object 1o as a pig based on the left and right viewpoint distance ■.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hardware showing the image generation device using the blue-red glasses method according to the present example.
They can be displayed in blue and red respectively on one display stage 15-1-. These figures 6a and 6b can be observed separately from each other by the observer 3 looking through blue-red viewing glasses 7.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 3A.

In three-dimensional graphics techniques, computers16
To display a three-dimensional figure, a three-dimensional XYZ orthogonal figure called a world reference is usually set inside the computer, and the viewpoints 9a, 9b of the object 10, cameras 1a, 1b, And the projection surfaces 8a, 8b, etc. are rearranged. Then, the valley constituent points of the object 10 are the two-dimensional projection plane 8
Viewpoints 9a, 9 how it is projected onto a, 8bL
It is calculated from the positional relationship between b and the object 10, and the calculation result is displayed on the display stage 15. In this case, in order to obtain the left-eye and right-eye figures 6a and 6b necessary for binocular stereoscopic vision, the object 10 must be viewed from each of the viewpoints 9a and 9b of the pair of cameras la and lb. Blue.

Each can be displayed in red.

In this invention, in order to enable clear binocular stereoscopic vision, first calculate the distance V from the midpoint M of both viewpoints 9a and 9b to the object 10, and divide this value by a constant for the left and right sides. Let the viewpoint interval be ■. According to the experimental results of the present inventors, it has been found that the value of K should be set to about 30 in order to observe a stereoscopic image that is always easy to see. Therefore, the value obtained from the following formula % is defined as the left and right viewpoint interval ■. The f1''1. change of the pair of cameras la and lb is controlled so as to always maintain the left and right viewpoint distance {circle around (2)} calculated in this way.

For example, the viewpoints 9a and 9b of the object 10 and cameras la and lb
When the distance V between them decreases, the pair of cameras la and l
When the distances V become closer to each other and the distance V becomes larger, the pair of cameras la and lb move away from each other so that the left and right viewpoint interval (2) becomes larger in proportion to the distance V.

FIG. 4 shows the viewpoint 9a of the cameras la and lb.

9b is a model diagram showing the geometrical relationship between the three-dimensional image. The distance between the left and right viewpoints of cameras la and lb is ■, the distance between images SL and SR on screen 4, that is, the parallax is e, and the distance from screen 4 to object 10 is When the distance is d and the distance from the screen 4 to the viewpoints 9a and 9b is D, the following relational expression holds true.

d=ed/ (1+e) (1) This formula (1
), in order to bring the object 10 relatively closer to the viewpoints 9a and 9b and increase the amount of protrusion of the object 10 from the screen 4, it is necessary to increase the parallax e. Due to this, stereoscopic vision was difficult to see.

However, in this invention, as described in -l, even if the object 10 and either the cameras la or lb approach or move away from the other, the parallax e with respect to the generated image is kept constant. . As a result, according to the present invention, binocular stereoscopic viewing can be performed in a state where it is always easy to see.

The flowchart in Figure 5 shows the viewpoint 1"1 when looking at an object such as a car created using computer graphics.
．． This figure shows a procedure for determining the left and right viewpoint distance (2) when producing a three-dimensional animation by changing the viewpoint position little by little from time to time using the viewpoint position input means 12.

In this figure, first, the viewpoint of the integrated camera with respect to the object is determined (Step 1), and the distance V between the object and the viewpoint is calculated based on the determined viewpoint position (Step 2).
). Next, using the obtained distance V1, the calculation formula 1+=V
+/100 to calculate the left and right viewpoint interval {circle around (2)} (step 3), and based on this calculated value, determine the placement adjustment of the left and right viewpoints (step 4).

After that, when the distance between the recorded object and the viewpoint changes from Vl to v2 due to a viewpoint change (step 5), the left and right viewpoint distance is calculated again using the calculation formula 2=V2/100. Step 6), the position of the left and right viewpoints is changed based on this calculated value. Furthermore, after this, when the distance between the object and the viewpoint changes from V2 to V3 due to a viewpoint change, the process returns to step 5 and the operations of step 6.7 described above are repeated in sequence.

In this way, by keeping the distance (2) between the left and right viewpoints constant with respect to the distance V between the object and the viewpoint, an optimal parallax can always be ensured. Therefore, the viewer can observe stereoscopic vision with less fatigue without impairing the stereoscopic effect.

In addition, in binocular stereopsis, in principle, it is necessary to increase or decrease the parallax according to the (X''1. position of the object,
There are various factors other than binocular parallax that cause humans to perceive a three-dimensional effect. In other words, even if the parallax is increased more than necessary, eye fatigue will increase, and stereoscopic vision will eventually become impossible. In fact, according to experiments conducted by the present inventors, it has been confirmed that even if the parallax is increased, the three-dimensional effect of objects and the increase in protrusion are not so noticeable. If we emphasize this experimental fact, it would be foolish to fix the parallax at a certain level, although this is somewhat contrary to the principle.

The stereoscopic effect sacrificed by fixing the parallax may be corrected as appropriate using stereoscopic effects such as perspective and depth cue using computer graphics.

In addition, since this invention has a simple hardware configuration,
It can be easily applied to stereoscopic images created using a computer. For example, 3D movies in which objects are frequently moved towards the audience, 3D display of CAD data in which 3D images are observed in detail while enlarging and contracting 3D data over a long period of time 9 times, and even 3D flow phenomena. It can be effectively and easily applied to 3D display of analysis result data to observe from various viewpoints.

Furthermore, in addition to the blue-red glasses method, the present invention can also be applied to other methods, such as a polarizing filter method or a lenticular lens method that does not use glasses, by simply changing the hardware configuration. Currently, the mainstream is the polarizing filter method that uses a workstation instead of a personal computer, and it has already been put into practical use as a stereoscopic viewing workstation. Therefore, from a practical point of view, the polarizing filter method is superior, and by applying the present invention, even better effects can be expected.

(Effects of the Invention) - As explained above, according to the present invention, the left and right viewpoint interval ■ is always set to the optimum value in accordance with the distance V from the viewpoint of the left and right camera to the object. When observing an object with binocular stereoscopic vision while changing the distance V between the camera and the object, the parallax remains constant even if the recording distance 1Ilv becomes less than Ka, so that the binocular stereoscopic image is always It is possible to observe in an easy-to-see state, and has the effect of reducing the feeling of eye fatigue and lateral force.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of hardware showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the hardware of Fig. 1,
Figure 3A is a layout diagram explaining the relationship between an object and a viewpoint, Figure 3B is a perspective view showing a car as an object, Figure 4 is a geometric model diagram explaining the effect of stereoscopic vision, and Figure 5 is a Flowchart showing the procedure for determining the left and right viewpoint interval, FIG. 6 (a
). (b) is a principle model diagram showing the effect of stereoscopic vision and the situation of observation by the conventional device, respectively. la, lb...pair of cameras P, 10...objects 9a, 9b...viewpoint 11...object data sending means 12...viewpoint positioning input stage 13...distance operator stage 14 ...Viewpoint interval calculation 1 stage 15...Display means 16...Computer

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Object data transmitting means for transmitting data of an object to be displayed; viewpoint position input means for inputting viewpoint positions of a pair of left and right cameras with respect to the object; Distance calculation means for calculating the distance between the camera viewpoint and the object; Viewpoint interval calculation means for calculating the distance between the left and right viewpoints of the pair of cameras according to the distance; and a display that displays object data based on the distance between the left and right viewpoints. A binocular stereoscopic image generation device comprising: means;