Stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus

• US 20020008757A1
• Filed: 05/17/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Seiji, Kawamura, Akira
• Application Number:
  US09/859,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20020008757A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/24 involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus forms a picture image of an object separated into a first sub-object for a left eye and a second sub-object for a right eye. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus includes: a camera; a lens; a left charge coupled device for picking up the picture image for the left eye, which picture image is introduced by way of the lens; and a right charge coupled device for picking up the picture image for the right eye, which picture image is introduced by way of the lens.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus for forming a picture image of an object separated into a first sub-object for a left eye and a second sub-object for a right eye, the stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus comprising:

a common image-forming means;

a first image pick-up means for picking up the picture image for the left eye, the picture image being introduced by way of the common image-forming means; and

a second image pick-up means for picking up the picture image for the right eye, the picture image being introduced by way of the common image-forming means.

2. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus further comprises an optical means for separating the picture image of the object into the first sub-object for the left eye and the second sub-object for the right eye, and in which each of the first image pick-up means and the second image pick-up means is disposed at an image formation position of the common image-forming means.

3. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the common image-forming means has a zoom function.

4. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the common image-forming means is a lens.

5. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the common image-forming means has a zoom function.

6. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which the common image-forming means is a lens.

7. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which each of the first image pick-up means and the second image pick-up means comprises a charge coupled device.

8. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which each of the first image pick-up means and the second image pick-up means comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor.

9. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the optical means comprises a mirror.

10. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which the mirror of the optical means comprises:

a pair of a first left mirror and a first right mirror disposed on an external peripheral side of the common image-forming means in such a manner as to oppose to each other, each of the first left mirror and the first right mirror forming a predetermined angle with respect to the common image-forming means; and

a pair of a second left mirror and a second right mirror disposed, respectively, substantially in parallel with the first left mirror and the first right mirror, and disposed in such a position as to oppose to the common image-forming means.

11. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the optical means comprises a prism.

12. The stereoscopic picture image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a pair of a third left mirror and a third right mirror disposed in such a manner as to form a predetermined angle therebetween,

the third left mirror being so disposed relative to the first image pick-up means as to allow the picture image for the left eye introduced by way of the common image-forming means to reach the first image pick-up means at the image formation position of the common image-forming means, and

the third right mirror being so disposed relative to the second image pick-up means as to allow the picture image for the right eye introduced by way of the common image-forming means to reach the second image pick-up means at the image formation position of the common image-forming means.