Stereoscopic observation system

• US 7,046,270 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evident Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Murata, Masanao, Kato, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHEPARD, JUSTIN E
• Application Number:
  US10/177,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20030060679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 348/45, 348/176, 348/178, 600/111, 345/8
• US Class Current: 348/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00048 Constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00194 adapted for three-dimensional imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2415 Stereoscopic endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0471 Vertical positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0478 Horizontal positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/15 for colour aspects of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/183 On-screen display [OSD] information, e.g. subtitles or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/359 Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding

Abstract

A stereoscopic video image is observed by displaying to left and right display devices arranged in front of the left and right eyes of an observer, left and right images formed on an image pick-up device by using a stereoscopic optical system. Then, a read address of image data stored in a memory is changed by operating a display position adjusting pick or the like, thereby simply variably adjusting the display positions of the left and right images. As a consequence, it is possible to respond to the case in which a parallax of the observer is varied.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic video observation system comprising:

an optical adaptor having a stereoscopic optical system;

an image pick-up apparatus to which said optical adaptor is attached, comprising an image pick-up device for forming a stereoscopic image composed of left and right images having a parallax in the left and right directions by said stereoscopic optical system;

a signal processing apparatus for signal processing for processing a signal from said image pick-up device and generating a video signal;

a display control apparatus for controlling a display position of said stereoscopic image in the video signal outputted from said signal processing apparatus said display position being dictated by a position of an observer'"'"'s left and right eyes;

a display apparatus comprising left and right display devices for changing the display position by said display control apparatus so that said left image and said right image are positioned and displayed just in front of and aligned with said observer'"'"'s left and right eyes;

wherein said display control apparatus controlling a display start signal of said left and right display devices of said display apparatus, and supplying a display control signal, corresponding to display pixels of said left and right display devices, for forming said stereoscopic image in said video signal of said left and right display devices, thereby controlling the display positions of said left and right images displayed on said left and right display devices, said display control signal being a two-valued digital signal.

2. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein said display apparatus is detachably attached near the head or the face of the observer, and is a face mounted display comprising said left and right display devices for displaying said left and right images just in front of the left and right eyes of the observer.

3. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein said display control apparatus A/D converts a video signal including said stereoscopic image outputted from said signal processing apparatus, records the A/D converted signal to a memory, and thereafter controls the display position by operating a read memory address.

4. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein the video signals of the left and right images for forming said stereoscopic image are sequentially inputted to said display apparatus in order of fields.

5. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein as means for correcting a parallax upon stereoscopic observation or an error due to the attachment of said optical adaptor, any of a linear pattern, a figure pattern, and a character pattern is used as a calibration mark.

6. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein said image pick-up apparatus having said image pick-up device is a video endoscope having an insertion portion which is inserted into a subject.

7. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 2, wherein said display control apparatus or said face mounted display is portable for an observer.

8. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 2, wherein when transferring sound to said face mounted display, the sound can be muted upon stereoscopic observation.

9. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein a stereoscopic observation time or the remaining stereoscopic observation time is displayed to said display apparatus upon stereoscopic observation.

10. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein said display control apparatus can switch any of an image inverse mode, a Zoom mode, a PinP (picture in picture) mode, and a stereoscopic observation mode.

11. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein said display control apparatus can correct an error of an image forming position of the stereoscopic image onto said image pick-up device, which is caused upon attaching said optical adaptor.

12. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 1, wherein said display control apparatus can independently adjust the display positions of said left and right images displayed on said left and right display devices.

13. A stereoscopic video observation system comprising:

an image pick-up apparatus having an image pick-up device for forming a stereoscopic image composed of left and right images having a parallax in left and right directions by a stereoscopic optical system;

a signal processing apparatus for signal processing for processing a signal from said image pick-up device and generating a video signal;

a display control apparatus for controlling a display position of said stereoscopic image in the video signal outputted from said signal processing apparatus said display position being dictated by a position of an observer'"'"'s left and right eyes;

a display apparatus comprising left and right display devices for changing the display position by said display control apparatus so that said stereoscopic image is positioned and displayed just in front of and aligned with said observer'"'"'s left and right eyes;

wherein said display control apparatus controlling a display start signal of said left and right display devices of said display apparatus, and supplying a display control signal, corresponding to display pixels of said left and right display devices, for forming said stereoscopic image in said video signal of said left and right display devices, thereby controlling the display positions of said left and right images displayed on said left and right display devices, said display control signal being a two-valued digital signal.

14. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 13, wherein said display apparatus is detachably attached near the head or the face of the observer, and is a face mounted display comprising said left and right display devices for displaying said left and right images just in front of the left and right eyes of the observer.

15. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 13, wherein the video signals of the left and right images for forming said stereoscopic image are sequentially inputted to said display apparatus in order of fields.

16. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 13, further comprising correction means for correcting a parallax upon stereoscopic observation or an error due to the attachment of a stereoscopic optical adaptor, said correction means employing any of a linear pattern, a figure pattern, and a character pattern as a calibration mark.

17. A stereoscopic video observation system according to claim 13, wherein said image pick-up apparatus comprising said image pick-up device is a video endoscope having an insertion portion which is inserted in a subject.