Stereoscopic display that controls binocular parallax between two images and controls image reconstitution according to parallax data

• US 6,449,309 B1
• Filed: 03/12/1997
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Tabata, Seiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, RICHARD J
• Application Number:
  US08/816,175
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, H04/N.712, 348/42, 348/43, 348/46, 348/51, 348/53, 348/54, 348/55, 349/15, 349/1, 349/5, 359/462, 359/464, 359/466, 359/476, 375/240.01
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/24 involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/117 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by viewer tracking
• 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 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• 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 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

A signal representing an eyeball accommodation detected by an eyeball accommodation detector 18 provided for the left eye 10L is supplied to a shift amount calculator 34. The shift amount calculator 34 calculates necessary shift amounts of a right eye and left eye image corresponding to the eyeball accommodation, and supplies signals representing the necessary shift amounts to image shifters 32R and 32L. According to these signals, the image shifters 32R and 32L horizontally shift a right eye and a left eye image signal from an image generator 31 on a right eye and as left eye LCDs 11R and 11L, respectively, to obtain an adequate binocular parallax.

Claims

1. A stereo image display apparatus comprising:

parallax distribution data generating means for generating parallax distribution data representing a parallax distribution status viewed in relation to one of left eye and right eye images having a binocular parallax at each predetermined position in the other eye display region;

transmitting means for transmitting only the other eye image data from among one eye and other eye image data representing one eye and other eye images and the parallax distribution data;

receiving means for receiving the other eye data and the parallax distribution data transmitted by the transmitting means;

desired parallax data holding means for holding predetermined desired parallax data;

parallax difference data deriving means for extracting data representing a parallax in particular coordinates among the parallax distribution data received by receiving means and deriving data representing the difference between the extracted parallax data and the desired parallax data held in the desired parallax data holding means; and

parallax distribution data correcting means for correcting the entire parallax distribution data received by the receiving means by an equal amount according to the difference data from the parallax difference data deriving means.

2. The stereo image display apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises data compressing means for compressing the first eye image and the parallax distribution data before transmission, and data expanding means for expanding the compressed first eye image and parallax distribution data after transmission.

3. A stereo image display apparatus, comprising:

a parallax distribution data generating unit constructed and arranged to generate parallax distribution data representing a parallax distribution status viewed in relation to a first image in relation to a second image;

a transmitter in communication with said parallax distribution data generating unit, said transmitter transmitting image data representing said first image and said parallax distribution data;

a receiver in communication with said transmitter, said receiver receiving said first image data and said parallax distribution data transmitted by said transmitter;

a desired parallax data holding unit constructed and arranged to hold predetermined desired parallax data;

a parallax difference data deriving unit constructed and arranged to extract data representing a parallax in particular coordinates among the parallax distribution data received by the receiver and deriving data representing a difference between the extracted parallax data and the desired parallax data held in the desired parallax data holding unit;

a parallax distribution data correcting unit constructed and arranged to correct the entire parallax distribution data by an equal amount according to the difference data from the parallax difference data deriving unit; and

an image data generating unit constructed and arranged to generate second corrected image data representing the second image according to the first image data received by the receiver and the corrected parallax distribution data from the parallax distribution data correcting unit, and supplying the received first image data and the second corrected image data to a predetermined display unit.

4. A stereo image display apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a data compressing unit constructed and arranged to compress the first image and the parallax distribution data before transmission, and a data expanding unit constructed and arranged to expand the compressed first image and parallax distribution data after transmission.

5. A stereo image display apparatus, comprising:

a parallax distribution data generating unit constructed and arranged to generate parallax distribution data representing a parallax distribution status viewed in relation to one of first and second images having a binocular parallax at each predetermined position in the other image display region;

a transmitter constructed and arranged to transmit only the other image data from among one of first and second image data representing first and second images and the parallax distribution data;

a receiver constructed and arranged to receive the other image data and the parallax distribution data transmitted by the transmitter;

a desired parallax data holding unit constructed and arranged to hold predetermined desired parallax data;

a parallax difference data deriving unit constructed and arranged to extract data representing a parallax in particular coordinates among the parallax distribution data received by said receiver and deriving data representing the difference between the extracted parallax data and the desired parallax data held in the desired parallax data holding unit; and

parallax distribution data correcting unit constructed and arranged to correct the entire parallax distribution data received by the receiver by an equal amount according to the difference data from the parallax difference data deriving unit.