JPH0682385B2 - Color vision converter - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a color vision conversion device that converts color information of an image based on the perceptual characteristics of a color blind person to the color.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, an attempt has been made to perform color conversion of an image so that a person with color vision deficiency can simulate or perceive how the color scheme of a graphic image is perceived, or to easily display the image. There is no example.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In general, people with color blindness have color schemes that cannot be distinguished,
By adding a brightness difference or the like corresponding to the color arrangement, it becomes possible to easily identify, and it is unlikely that inconvenience will occur in daily life.

In the past, when designing screen designs, poster designs or danger prediction signals (for example, traffic signals) for teletext, people with color blindness were invited in order to make it easier for not only normal people but also people with color blindness. I have conducted an evaluation experiment.

However, despite the fact that the proportion of people with color blindness accounts for 3 to 7% of boys, due to problems such as privacy,
It was difficult to get a sufficient number of evaluators.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a color vision conversion device capable of simulating the color vision of a color blind person and evaluating it using a normal person by combining the knowledge of color blindness from the past to the present and electronic technology. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a color vision conversion device capable of extracting a color scheme that is difficult to discriminate from a scene viewed by a color vision deficient person and converting it into a color scheme that is easy to discriminate.

[Means for Solving Problems] In order to achieve such an object, in the present invention, a type of color blindness is designated, and a color signal of an image is converted according to the designation in accordance with a designated color vision characteristic. To do so.

That is, a separating unit that separates an input video signal into a plurality of color signals, a specifying unit that specifies the type of color blindness, and a unit that converts the separated color signals according to the color vision characteristics corresponding to the specified type of color blindness. It is characterized by having and.

[Operation] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform color conversion on a graphic image so as to facilitate discrimination of a color arrangement that is difficult for a color blind person to discriminate. Further, it is possible to perform a color vision simulation when a person with a color vision deficiency sees.

[Embodiment] As an embodiment of the present invention, there are two modes, and the present invention can be implemented as a system that selects both of these two modes or an apparatus that has only one of them.

First, the mode I is a color blind person simulation mode, in which a graphic or a natural image created by a normal person is subjected to color conversion based on the perceptual characteristics of various color blind persons in accordance with a keyboard input described later.
In this mode, a normal person can experience the appearance of a color blind person.

Mode II is a color blind person assistance mode, and in the input natural image or computer graphic image,
According to the keyboard input specification described later, the color scheme that is difficult for a color blind person of the type specified by the keyboard to distinguish is extracted,
This is a mode in which the difference in luminance and the difference in saturation are converted to facilitate the determination. For example, the Ishihara type color chart used for color vision tests in elementary schools can read numbers for normal people, but for people with color blindness it looks like a random set of ○ or different numbers. Therefore, when this device is applied, even people with color blindness will be able to see the correct numbers well.

Before specifically explaining the present invention, some color blindness will be described.

People with color blindness are divided into congenital and acquired ones, and here we will focus on the congenital ones.

Table 1 shows the classification.

A certain arbitrary color is given, a color matching experiment is performed correspondingly, and the color is divided into a three-color type, a two-color type, and a one-color type depending on how many colors the subject requires for the color matching. A normal person is a tricolor type that requires stimulation of red, green, blue, and three colors. On the other hand, the two-color type is a person who can have all colors the same color if there is a two-color stimulus, and is called a two-color type (red, green) color blind person. A person with three-color type color vision deficiency needs a three-color stimulus for uniform color, but shows a tendency different from that of a normal person, and is also called color weakness. One-color type color vision deficiency is a person who is able to match any color with one color stimulus, and the number is extremely small. Among the two-color type and three-color type color vision deficiencies, shown in Table 1. It is divided into three types, first, second and third abnormalities. Hereinafter, each color blind person is indicated by the abbreviations, P, D and T shown in this table. Of these, PA (three-color type first abnormal person) is the most common, accounting for 4 to 5% of boys. On the other hand, since girls are sex-linked, there are very few people with color blindness.

In order to realize a device that simulates the color seen by a color blind person, it is necessary to know the color seen by the color blind person. An extremely rare example is a person with normal color vision in one eye and color blindness in the other eye. The result of an experiment conducted by using such a person as a subject is shown in a characteristic diagram of FIG. 5 which shows measured values obtained by matching the colors seen by the left and right eyes of a person with abnormal eyes. This experiment was performed on one subject twice.
As can be seen from FIG. 5, in the dichroic color blind person, all colors with wavelengths of 502 nm (nanometers) or more, which correspond to gray, appear to be 570 nm of the normal person, that is, yellow, and 502 nm (gray).
It was found that the colors of the following wavelengths all appeared to be 470 nm of normal persons, that is, blue. This means that the color vision of an abnormal eye will be the same as either the 470 nm or 570 nm color of a normal eye.

FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram of the spectral sensitivity by the absolute threshold method, and shows the spectral sensitivity of the dichroic color vision deficient persons P and D. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the sensitivity is lower on the long wavelength side in the case of P and lower on the short wavelength side in the case of D as compared with the normal person. Here, the two-color type color vision deficient person accepts the color matching result of the normal person as it is, but vice versa. In other words, the color-matched result of a two-color type color vision deficient person may be a completely different color from that of a normal person. That is, a person with a two-color type color vision deficiency can properly add colors of red and blue to obtain all colors.

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram of the results of the color matching experiment of the two-color type color blind persons (first and second). In the experiment, red and blue were used as the primary stimuli, and P _N and D _N points in the figure indicate the wavelength of the neutral point.

Based on what has been described above, the confusion color line, which is the center of the color vision characteristics adopted in the present invention, is described in
This will be described with reference to the characteristic diagram showing the confusion color line of the two-color type color vision deficient person in the figure. FIGS. 8 (A), (B) and (C) respectively correspond to dichroic color vision deficient persons P, D and T, in which W is a white point and N is a neutral point.

The straight line drawn in the chromaticity diagram is the confusion color line. People with color blindness cannot distinguish the colors on this line. W is the white point, and the point N where the confusion color line passing through the white point W intersects the spectrum locus is the neutral point. This neutral point N shows a monochromatic spectrum in which a person with a dichroic color vision appears white. The interval between one confusion color line and the adjacent confusion color line is set to be equal to the wavelength discrimination threshold Δλ in the characteristic diagram showing the wavelength discrimination ability curves of various subjects shown in FIG.

As can be seen from the characteristics shown in FIG. 5 showing the color seen by the color blind person, the color blind person sees the confusion color line passing through the white point W as white, and the colored light above this line is all yellow and the colored light below is All appear to be blue, and color-blind persons distinguish the colors on each confusion line only by their saturation.

It is said that the dichroic third abnormal person T does not exist congenitally, and even if it is acquired, such an example is extremely rare.

It was stated that the colors on each confusion color line are distinguished by saturation, but there is no data on what kind of color they look like. Therefore, in the present invention, the color seen by the color blind person is determined based on the characteristic diagram (case P) showing an example of the hypothesis of the present invention shown in FIG. FIG. 10 (A) is a characteristic diagram of the confusion color line shown in FIG. 8 (A), and FIG. 10 (B), on the other hand, is based on W and is colored in the range from blue 470 nm to yellow 570 nm. It is a figure showing the degree.

This data can be replaced as soon as measurement data on the appearance of the confusion color line of the color blind person is obtained. FIG. 10 shows the case of the two-color type first abnormal person P, in which the upper side and the lower side of the confusion color line passing through the white point W are yellow and blue, respectively. The saturation of yellow and blue on each confusion color line changes as shown in FIG. 10 (B). Regarding this saturation, a normal person can determine the saturation of yellow or blue equal to the saturation on each mixed color line by the paired comparison method. This utilizes the relationship that the abnormal person accepts the color matching result of the normal person as it is as described above. In the example shown in the tenth figure, 470 nm
The following blue is represented by 470 nm, but the saturation of blue can be defined by the evaluation experiment by the paired comparison method described above. The color of the two-color type second abnormal person D can be determined by the same method.

In the present embodiment, in mode I of color blindness simulation, the input image is subjected to the characteristic diagram based on the hypothesis shown in FIG.
Converts an image with only saturation changes from yellow to blue. At this time, the same brightness as that of the input image is used. This allows
It is possible for a normal person to experience the same color vision as a person with a color blindness. In addition, in mode II for assisting people with color blindness,
On the color scheme, if the adjacent colors are on the same confusion line and the brightness difference is small, change the saturation between yellow and blue or increase the brightness difference according to the characteristic diagram shown in FIG. 10. It is processed and converted into a color scheme that is easy for a color blind person to see.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by way of examples with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is an input terminal for inputting a video signal. Reference numeral 2 is an encoder for CIE of the three primary color signals of R, G and B.
Convert to X, Y, Z digital data of color system. Reference numeral 3 denotes a color vision conversion data memory table circuit, which reads out the color vision conversion data corresponding to the color vision abnormality. Reference numeral 4 is a decoder and 5 is a display.

Reference numeral 6 is a keyboard, and 7 is a CPU. The keyboard 6 designates the type of color vision abnormality and the color vision registration code, and the CPU 7 calculates and selects the address of the color vision conversion data memory table circuit 3.

Reference numeral 8 is a block memory, and 9 is a comparator. The confusion color line number and brightness from the color vision conversion data memory table circuit 3 are stored in the block memory 8 and the comparator 9 compares the confusion color line number and brightness of surrounding colors. Compare. Reference numeral 10 denotes a color luminance meter, which measures reproduced colors from a display image on the display 5 to calibrate the decoder 4.

SW is a switch, which switches between designation of mode I for simulating color blindness and mode II for assisting people with color blindness, and inputs it to the CPU 7.

First, the video signal R (red), G input from the input terminal 1
The encoder 2 converts (green) and B (blue) into CIE color coordinate system X, Y, Z, and at the same time becomes digital data. This digital data is converted into a part of the memory table reading address in the color vision conversion data memory table circuit 3. Another address system of this memory table is
It is an address for each color vision type supplied from the CPU 7. CPU
In 7, whether the simulation mode I is the auxiliary mode II,
The type-specific address of the color blindness is calculated based on what kind of color blindness is designated by the keyboard 6.

Further, particularly in the case of the auxiliary mode II, the CPU 7 and the keyboard 6 can be used to perform color vision registration for each individual regarding a three-color type abnormality having a relatively different appearance.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an example of the color vision conversion data memory table circuit 3 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, 11 is a spectral sensitivity correction unit, and 12 is a chromaticity conversion unit.

The spectral sensitivity correction unit 11 converts the spectral sensitivity of a color vision deficient person into the spectral sensitivity of the normal person in the mode I based on the data of FIG. 6, for example. Based on the hypothesis of FIG. 10, the chromaticity conversion unit 12 sets the yellow-blue color on the same confusion color line in mode I, and the color on the same confusion color line in mode II or , Convert so that the colors have different brightness.

The operation procedure is as shown in FIG. 1, in which the confusion color line number CN and the luminance Y from the color vision conversion data memory table circuit 3 are stored in the block memory 8, and the confusion color line number CL _P and the luminance Y of the surrounding colors are stored. _The comparator 9 compares _P with _P. When the confusion color line numbers are the same and the luminance difference is smaller than the threshold value, the comparator 9 generates a control address and instructs the color vision conversion data memory table circuit 3 to convert the data. The chromaticity data newly obtained in this way is X ′.
Y'Z ', and based on this, the X'Y'Z' → RGB decoder 4 generates R, G, B signals for driving the display 5.

By the way, the display color of the display 5 is CRT.
Therefore, it is necessary to calibrate in advance so that a correct color can be reproduced due to different phosphors, different dyes in the liquid crystal, different characteristics of the drive circuit of the decoder 4, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of display color luminance calibration for calibrating the color reproduction of the display 5 described above.

First, the minimum step width and the maximum step number L, M, N are determined for each digital data of the three primary colors R, G, B based on the color reproduction resolution of the display 5 measured in advance. After that, follow steps S1 and S according to the flowchart.
In 2 and S3, the value of each R, G, B register is increased by one step. Then, in step S4, the data of the color / luminance meter 10 is read at each stage. Further, in step S5, X'Y'Z '→
Write the XYZ values to the RGB address of the RGB decoder 4. In steps S6, S7 and S8, the calibration data of the display 5 is completed by repeating the above operation until the digital values of the R, G and B registers reach the highest level.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 101 denotes a color vision converter, which corresponds to the main part of the configuration of the first embodiment shown in the figure and converts an input image signal into a color or a brightness difference that can be discriminated by a color blind person.
Reference numeral 102 denotes a drive circuit, which drives a filter 105R or 105L made of liquid crystal or light control glass, which will be described later, by conversion data from the color vision conversion unit 101.

103R and 103L are eye movement detection sensors for the right and left eyes,
A detection circuit 104 detects the line-of-sight position by the detection sensors 103R and 103L. 105 glasses, 105A glasses frame, 105B
It is a vine with glasses. The above-mentioned 105R and 105L are filters for the right and left eyes, which are attached to the eyeglass frame 105A and control dimming by the output from the drive circuit 102 described above.

Reference numeral 106 denotes an ultra-small camera, which captures a field of view and inputs an image signal to the color vision conversion unit 101 described above.

The present embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is intended to be used for assisting a person with color vision deficiency corresponding to the mode II in the embodiment shown in FIG. The visual field discrimination is facilitated.

The operation will be described below with reference to FIG. A microscopic camera 106 for visual field photographing and eye movement detection sensors 103R and 103L are attached to glasses 105 with filters 105R and 105L using liquid crystal or light control glass. In the operation, the eye movement detection sensors 103R and 103L detect the position of the visual field by the detection circuit 104, determine the positions of the central vision and the peripheral vision, and calculate the central vision and peripheral vision addresses.

The output of the ultra-small camera 106 that is shooting the field of view is the color vision conversion unit 1
Added to 01. When the color-converted output from the color-blind converter 101 and the output from the detection circuit 104 are added to the drive circuit 102 and it is difficult to determine the color arrangement according to the designation of the central vision and peripheral vision addresses, the filter is used. It controls the dimming of 105R and 105L and converts the brightness or saturation of that part.

Further, in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to achieve ultra-miniaturization by means such as exchanging the ROM storing the color conversion data for each individual who wears the present embodiment. By doing so, a color blind person can perform the same work as a normal person.

[Effects of the Invention] As is apparent from the above, according to the present invention, (a) a normal person can simulate an evaluation experiment that has conventionally been performed only by collecting color-blind persons with subjects.

Character screen, character of character generator, poster,
When conducting an evaluation experiment on product design, etc., only the normal subjects can perform all the tests, so that the evaluation can be performed efficiently.

(B) The color scheme of the screen, which is difficult to identify for people with color vision deficiencies, can be converted so that even people with color vision deficiencies can easily see it.

(C) Since a normal person can experience the color vision of a color-blind person by simulation, it is possible to eliminate the signs and designs that make the color-blind person indistinguishable, which leads to a more equal society. Can be realized.
This is considered to be an extremely important and effective means for the purpose of broadcasting to provide information in a generally equal manner.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an example of color vision conversion, FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example of color luminance of display, calibration, and FIG. Is a block diagram showing the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing measured values obtained by matching the colors seen by the left and right eyes by a person with abnormal eyes, and FIG. 6 is a spectrum by the absolute threshold method. Sensitivity characteristic diagram, FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram of the color matching experiment results of the dichroic color blind persons (first and second), and FIGS. 8 (A), (B) and (C) are dichroic color vision. Fig. 9 is a characteristic diagram showing a confusion color line of an abnormal person, Fig. 9 is a characteristic diagram showing wavelength discrimination ability curves of various subjects, and Figs. 10 (A) and (B) are characteristic diagrams showing an example of the hypothesis of the present invention. is there. 1 ... Input terminal, 2 ... Encoder, 3 ... Color vision conversion data memory table circuit, 4 ... Decoder, 5 ... Display, 6 ... Keyboard, 7 ... CPU, 8 ... Block memory, 9 ... Comparator, 10 ... Color luminance meter, 11 ... Spectral sensitivity correction unit, 12 ... Chromaticity conversion unit, 101 ... Color vision conversion unit, 102 ... Driving circuit, 103R, 103L ... Eye movement detection sensor, 104 …… Detection circuit, 105 …… glasses, 105A …… glass frame, 105B …… glasses, 105R, 105L …… filter, 106 …… microminiature camera

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A separating means for separating an input video signal into a plurality of color signals, a designating means for designating a type of color blindness, and the separated colors according to a color blindness characteristic corresponding to the designated type of color blindness. A color vision conversion device comprising means for converting a signal.