Image display system

• US 6,507,359 B1
• Filed: 02/21/1997
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Namba, Atsushi, Hoshi, Hiroaki, Tanaka, Tsunefumi, Fukushima, Nobuo, Iijima, Katsumi, Okauchi, Shigeki, Muramoto, Tomotaka, Tokumitsu, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Vu
• Application Number:
  US08/805,032
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: 348/42, 348/44, 348/36, 348/47, 348/51, 348/52, 348/54, 345/6, 345/8, 345/419, 345/757, 359/462, 359/466, 359/472, 359/477
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• 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 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0088 Synthesising a monoscopic image signal from stereoscopic images, e.g. synthesising a panoramic or high resolution monoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9205 the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9206 the additional signal being a character code signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Convergence angle information and image information of video cameras is transmitted from a multi-eye image-taking apparatus having two video cameras through a recording medium to a displaying apparatus. A convergence angle of display units in the displaying apparatus is controlled in accordance with the convergence angle information of the video cameras, permitting an observer to observe natural images. Since the convergence angle information is made ahead of the image information, the convergence angle of the display units can be changed with a natural feeling.

Claims

1. An image display system comprising:

image taking means for producing a plurality of image signals corresponding to a plurality of optical images from different view points;

control signal outputting means for outputting control signals indicating controlled states of said image taking means while said image taking means is taking said optical images, in order to produce said image signals;

display image signal generating means for generating a first display image signal and a second display image signal based on said image signals;

display means for enabling an observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a first display image based on said first display image signal with one of the eyes of said observer and enabling said observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a second display image based on said second display image signal with the other one of the eyes of said observer,

wherein said display means have a first display device for displaying said first display image based on said first display image signal, a second display device for displaying said second display image based on said second display image signal, a first optical system for enabling said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said first display image displayed in said first display device with said one of the eyes of said observer and a second optical system for enabling said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said second display image displayed in said second display device with said other one of the eyes of said observer; and

controlling means for controlling a displaying state of said display means based on said control signals outputted from said control signal outputting means, while said display means is enabling said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said first display image with said one of the eyes of said observer and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image with said other one of the eyes of said observer,

wherein said controlling means change a spatially relative position between said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image on the basis of said control signals in order to change a convergence angle between an optical axis of an eye of said observer observing said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and an optical axis of the other eye of said observer observing said enlarged virtual image of said second display.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said controlling means change a spatially relative position between said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image by controlling positions of said first and second optical systems with respect to said first and second display devices or image formation states of said first and second optical systems.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said controlling means change said spatially relative position between said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image, from a state where both of said enlarged virtual images are overlapped to a state where said both of the enlarged virtual images are neighboring in parallel.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control signal outputting means output information indicating that said image taking means lie in a state where an image signal for displaying a two-dimensional wide image in said display means is produced or in a state where an image signal for displaying a three-dimensional stereo image in said display means is produced, as said control signal.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said image taking means have a plurality of image taking optical systems in order to obtain an optical image from each of different view points and said control signal outputting means output information indicating a convergence angle between said image taking optical systems, as said control signal.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image signal recording means for recording said image signal produced by said image taking means into a recording medium,

wherein said image signal recording means further record said control signals outputted from said control signal outputting means into said recording medium,

said display image signal generating means produce said first and second display image signals based on said image signal reproduced from said recording medium,

said controlling means control a display state of said display means based on said control signal reproduced from said recording medium, when said display means enable said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said first display image based on said first display image signal with one of the eyes of said observer and enable said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said second display image based on said second display image signal with the other one of the eyes of said observer.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said controlling means control positions of said first and second optical systems with respect to said first and second display devices or image formation states of said first and second optical systems to change a spatially relative position between said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said controlling means change said spatially relative position between said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image from a state where both of the enlarged virtual images are overlapped to a state where said both of the enlarged virtual images are neighboring in parallel.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said control signal outputting means output information for indicating that said image taking means lie in a state where an image signal for displaying a two-dimensional wide image in said display means is produced or in a state where an image signal for displaying a three-dimensional stereo image in said display means is produced, as said control signal.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said image taking means have a plurality of image taking optical systems in order to obtain an optical image from each of different view points and said control signal outputting means output information indicating a convergence angle between said image taking optical systems, as said control signal.

11. An image display system comprising:

multi-eye image taking means having a plurality of video cameras;

display image signal producing means for producing a first display image signal and a second display image signal based on image signals from said multi-eye image taking means;

state detecting means for detecting a signal indicating a state of said multi-eye image taking means when taking an image is performed by said multi-eye image taking means;

displaying means for enabling an observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a first display image based on said first display image signal with one of the eyes of said observer and enabling said observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a second display image based on said second display image signal with the other one of the eyes of said observer;

controlling means for controlling displaying states of said display means based on said signal indicating said state outputted from said state detecting means, while said display means is enabling said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said first display image with said one of the eyes of said observer and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image with said other one of the eyes of said observer and;

wherein said controlling means change a spatially relative position between said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and said enlarged virtual image of said second display on the basis of said detected signal indicating said state in order to change a convergence angle between an optical axis of an eye of said observer observing said enlarged virtual image of said first display image and an optical axis of the other eye of said observer observing said enlarged virtual image of said second display.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising adjusting means for supplying said display means with said signal indicating said state at a time before the time when said image signal is obtained.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein said signal indicating said state indicates convergence angle information of said multi-eye image taking means.

14. An image display system comprising;

multi-eye image taking means having a plurality of video cameras;

display image signal producing means for producing a first display image signal and a second display image signal based on image signals from said multi-eye image taking means;

state detecting means for detecting a signal indicating a state of said multi-eye image taking means when taking an image is performed by said multi-eye image taking means;

displaying means for enabling an observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a first display image based on said first display image signal with one of the eyes of said observer and enabling said observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a second display image based on said second display image signal with the other one of the eyes of said observer;

controlling means for controlling displaying states of said display means based on said signal indicating said state outputted from said state detecting means, while said display means is enabling said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said first display image with said one of the eyes of said observer and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image with said other one of the eyes of said observer; and

adjusting means for supplying said display means with said signal indicating said state at a time before the time when said image signal is obtained,

wherein said adjusting means have a memory for memorizing at least one of said image signals and said signal indicating said state,

whereby a phase of said signal indicating said state is advanced ahead of a phase of said image signal by timing when memorized signals are read out.

15. An image display system comprising:

multi-eye image taking means having a plurality of video cameras;

display image signal producing means for producing a first display image signal and a second display image signal based on image signals from said multi-eye image taking means;

state detecting means for detecting a signal indicating a state of said multi-eye image taking means when taking an image is performed by said multi-eye image taking means;

displaying means for enabling an observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a first display image based on said first display image signal with one of the eyes of said observer and enabling said observer to observe an enlarged virtual image of a second display image based on said second display image signal with the other one of the eyes of said observer;

controlling means for controlling displaying states of said display means based on said signal indicating said state outputted from said state detecting means, while said display means is enabling said observer to observe said enlarged virtual image of said first display image with said one of the eyes of said observer and said enlarged virtual image of said second display image with said other one of the eyes of said observer;

adjusting means for supplying said display means with said signal indicating said state at a time before the time when said image signal is obtained; and

a plurality of reproducing heads for reproducing said image signal and said signal indicating said state recorded into a recording medium,

whereby a phase of said signal indicating said state is advanced ahead of a phase of said image signal according to the arrangement of said plurality of reproducing heads.

16. A multi-eye image taking apparatus for taking an image displayed in a display comprising:

a plurality of video cameras;

convergence angle adjusting means for adjusting convergence angle between said video cameras;

convergence angle detecting means for detecting said convergence angle between said video cameras adjusted by said convergence angle adjusting means to output convergence angle detection information; and

adjusting means for advancing said convergence angle information ahead of said image information so that said convergence angle information obtained at a time before the time when said image information is obtained is supplied to said display means when a first display image information and a second display image information are produced based on each image information from said video cameras to display a first display image based on said first display image information and a second display image based on said second display image information in said display,

wherein said apparatus changes over a stereo image taking mode and a panorama image taking mode and initial values of said convergence angle adjusting means are set according to said changing over said stereo image taking mode and said panorama image taking mode.