Stereo-graphic system

• US 5,835,132 A
• Filed: 06/29/1994
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okino, Toshiyuki, Iinuma, Toshiya, Kanayama, Hideyuki, Murata, Haruhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US08/268,011
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 348/42, 348/43, 348/51, 348/49, 348/54, 348/55, 348/56, 348/57
• US Class Current: 348/42
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/15 for colour aspects of image signals
• 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 13/167 Synchronising or controlling 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 13/218 using spatial multiplexing
• 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 13/257 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• 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 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A stereo-graphic system has an optical apparatus, an imaging apparatus and a recording and reproducing apparatus. The optical apparatus has a first optical device for providing right eye picture information which has a first direction. The optical apparatus also has a second optical device for providing left eye picture information which has a second direction which is coincident with the first direction. The right eye picture information and the left eye picture information are compressed along the first direction. The imaging apparatus has an imaging device which has an imaging area for providing an output image signal. The imaging area has a right region and a left region. A focusing device in the imaging apparatus focuses the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information on the right region and the left region respectively. The recording and reproducing apparatus has a recording medium, a recording device and a reproducing device. The recording device records the output image signal from the imaging device on the recording medium. Further, the reproducing device reproduces a reproducing signal from the recording medium. The reproducing signal is provided to a converter which expands the compressed right eye picture information and the compressed left eye picture information.

Claims

1. A stereo-graphic system having an optical apparatus, an imaging apparatus and a recording and reproducing apparatus, the stereo-graphic system comprising:

a first optical device in the optical apparatus for providing right eye picture information having a first direction, the right eye picture information being compressed along the first direction;

a second optical device in the optical apparatus for providing left eye picture information having a second direction which coincides with the first direction, the left eye picture information being compressed along the second direction, the first optical device and the second optical device being disposed along the first direction;

an imaging device in the imaging apparatus, the imaging device having an imaging area and providing an output imaging signal, the imaging area having a right region and a left region, the right region and the left region being disposed along the first direction;

a focusing device in the imaging apparatus, the focusing device focusing the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information on the right region and the left region of the imaging device, respectively;

a recording device in the recording and reproducing apparatus, the recording device recording the output imaging signal on a recording medium;

a reproducing device in the recording and reproducing apparatus, the reproducing device reproducing a reproducing signal from the recording medium, the reproducing signal including the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information; and

a converter for receiving the reproducing signal and providing an expanded right eye picture information and an expanded left eye picture information along the first direction and the second direction, respectively, based upon the reproducing signal.

2. A stereo-graphic system defined in claim 1, wherein the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information are compressed by about half by the first and the second optical devices, respectively, and the converter expands at least one of the left eye picture information and the right eye picture information by about twofold to provide the at least one of the expanded right eye picture information and the expanded left eye picture information.

3. A stereo-graphic system defined in claim 2, wherein each of the first and the second optical devices comprises an anamorphic optical system.

4. A stereo-graphic system defined in claim 3, wherein each anamorphic optical system comprises an anamorphic lens and a plurality of plane mirrors.

5. A stereo-graphic system defined in claim 3, wherein each anamorphic optical system comprises a convex mirror and a concave mirror.

6. A stereo-graphic imaging apparatus comprising:

a first optical device for providing right eye picture information having a first direction, the right eye picture information being compressed along the first direction;

a second optical device for providing left eye picture information having a second direction which coincides the first direction, the left eye picture information being compressed along the second direction, the first optical device and the second optical device being disposed along the first direction;

an imaging device, having an imaging area and providing an output imaging signal, the imaging area having a right region and a left region being disposed along the first direction;

a focusing device focusing the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information on the right region and the left region of the imaging device, respectively; and

a converter for receiving the output image signal and providing expanded right eye picture information and expanded left eye picture information along the first direction and the second direction, respectively, based upon the output imaging signal from the imaging device.

7. A stereo-graphic system defined in claim 6, wherein at least one of the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information are compressed by about half by the first and the second optical devices, respectively, and the converter expands at least one of the left eye picture information and the right eye picture information by about twofold to provide the at least one of the expanded right eye picture information and the expanded left eye picture information.

8. A stereo-graphic imaging apparatus defined in claim 7, wherein each of the first and the second optical devices comprises an anamorphic optical system.

9. A stereo-graphic imaging apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein each of the anamorphic optical systems comprises an anamorphic lens.

10. A stereo-graphic imaging apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein each of the first and the second optical device comprises a convex mirror and a concave mirror.

11. A method for recording and reproducing a stereoscopic image, the method comprising:

providing right eye picture information through a first optical device, the right eye picture information having a first direction, the right eye picture information being compressed along the first direction;

providing left eye picture information through a second optical device, the left eye picture information having a second direction which coincides with the first direction, the left eye picture information being compressed along the second direction, the first optical device and the second optical device being disposed along the first direction;

focusing the right eye picture information to project onto a right region of the imaging area of an imaging device, the imaging device having an imaging area, the imaging area having left and right regions, the right region and the left region being disposed along the first direction;

focusing the left eye picture information to project onto the left region of the imaging area of the imaging device;

providing output imaging signals from the imaging device based upon at least one of the right eye picture information to project onto the right region and the left eye picture information to project onto the left region;

recording the output imaging signals on a recording medium;

reproducing a reproducing signal from the recording medium, the reproducing signal including the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information; and

providing at least one of an expanded right eye picture information and an expanded left eye picture information along the first direction and the second direction, respectively, based upon the reproducing signal.

12. A the method of claim 11, wherein the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information are compressed by about half by the first and the second optical devices and the expanded right eye picture information is expanded by about twofold over the right eye picture information of the reproducing signal and the expanded left eye picture information is expanded by about twofold over the left eye picture information of the reproducing signal.

13. The method of claim 12, the method further including providing the compressed right eye information and compressed left eye information through an anamorphic optical system.

14. The method of claim 13, the method further including providing the compressed right eye information and compressed left eye information through an anamorphic optical system having an anamorphic lens and a plurality of plane mirrors.

15. The method of claim 13, the method further including providing the compressed right eye information and compressed left eye information through an anamorphic optical system having a convex mirror and a concave mirror.

16. A method for recording and reproducing a stereoscopic image, the method comprising:

providing right eye picture information through a first optical device, the right eye picture information having a first direction, the right eye picture information being compressed along the first direction;

providing left eye picture information through a second optical device, the left eye picture information having a second direction which coincides the first direction, the left eye picture information being compressed along the second direction, the first optical device and the second optical device being disposed along the first direction;

focusing the right eye picture information to project onto a right region of the imaging area of an imaging device, the imaging device having an imaging area, the imaging area having left and right regions;

focusing the left eye picture information to project onto the left region of the imaging area of the imaging device;

providing an output imaging signal based upon at least one of the projection of the right eye picture information onto the right region and the projection of the left eye picture information onto the left region; and

providing at least one of expanded right eye picture information and expanded left eye picture information along the first direction and the second direction, respectively, based upon the output imaging signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the right eye picture information and the left eye picture information are compressed by half by the first and the second optical devices and the expanded right eye picture information is expanded by about twofold over the right eye picture information of the output imaging signal and the expanded left eye picture information is expanded by about twofold over the left eye picture information of the output imaging signal.

18. The method of claim 17, the method further including providing the compressed right eye information and compressed left eye information through an anamorphic optical system.

19. The method of claim 18, the method further including providing the compressed right eye information and compressed left eye information through an anamorphic optical system having an anamorphic lens and a plurality of plane mirrors.

20. The method of claim 18, the method further including providing the compressed right eye information and compressed left eye information through an