Stereo-observation system

• US 20040263613A1
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Morita, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,298,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/51
• 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 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes

Abstract

A stereo-observation system includes a stereo imaging unit which has at least two entrance pupils and an imaging means forming a first image for the left eye and a second image for the right eye which have parallax and a stereo display unit which has two image display means displaying two images formed by the stereo imaging unit. In this case, the stereo display unit is constructed so that an angle of vergence α2 is made by the line of sight of the left eye of the observer viewing the center of the first image displayed by the image display means with the line of sight of the right eye of the observer viewing the center of the second image displayed by the image display means, and the angle of vergence α2 satisfies the following condition:

(α1−2 tan⁻¹(d/2L))×(w2/w1)×0.83 ≦α2≦{2 sin⁻(G/2D)−(2 tan⁻¹(d/2S)−α1)×(w2/w1)}×1.2

where α1 is the angle of vergence (the inward angle) of the stereo imaging unit, d is a distance between the centers of the two entrance pupils of the stereo imaging unit, L is a distance from a far point of the depth of field of the stereo imaging unit to the entrance pupils of the stereo imaging unit, S is a distance from a near point of the depth of field of the stereo imaging unit to the entrance pupils of the stereo imaging unit, w1 is the field angle of the stereo imaging unit, w2 is the field angle of the stereo display unit, G is an interpupillary distance of the observer, and D is a distance from the pupil position of the observer to the observation image.

Claims

1. A stereo-observation system comprising:

a stereo imaging unit having at least two entrance pupils and imaging means forming a first image for the left eye and a second image for the right eye which have parallax; and

a stereo display unit having two image display means displaying two images formed by the stereo imaging unit,

wherein the stereo display unit is constructed so that an angle of vergence α

2 is made by a line of sight of a left eye of an observer viewing a center of the first image displayed by the image display means with a line of sight of a right eye of the observer viewing a center of the second image displayed by the image display means, and the angle of vergence α

2 satisfies the following condition;

α

1−

2 tan<sup>−

1</sup>(d/2L) )×

(w2/w1)×

0.83≦

α

2≦

{2 sin<sup>−

1</sup>(G/2D−

(2 tan<sup>−

1</sup>(d/2S)−

α

1)×

(w2/w1)}×

1.2

where α

1 is an angle of vergence (an inward angle) of the stereo imaging unit, d is a distance between centers of the two entrance pupils of the stereo imaging unit, L is a distance from a far point of a depth of field of the stereo imaging unit to the entrance pupils of the stereo imaging unit, S is a distance from a near point of the depth of field of the stereo imaging unit to the entrance pupils of the stereo imaging unit, w1 is a field angle of the stereo imaging unit, w2 is a field angle of the stereo display unit, G is an interpupillary distance of the observer, and D is a distance from a pupil position of the observer to an observation image.

2. A stereo-observation system according to claim 1, further satisfying the following condition:

0.7≦

α

1/α

2≦

1.7

3. A stereo-observation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stereo imaging unit has the depth of field at least 10 times the distance between the centers of the two entrance pupils.