JPH078055B2 - Stereoscopic imaging support device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image pickup apparatus using a video camera, and more particularly to a stereoscopic image pickup support apparatus capable of effectively expressing a stereoscopic effect.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A stereoscopic image pickup apparatus has been developed in which left and right video cameras are synchronized to pick up the same subject and obtain a stereoscopic image signal. This device expresses an image three-dimensionally by superimposing images picked up by left and right video cameras, but there is a point that it is insufficient to effectively express a stereoscopic image.

Generally, in the camera photographing technique, (1)
With the focus on the subject, open the iris
The depth becomes shallow and the focused area is a clear image, but the image in the peripheral area is blurred. Further, (2) if the diaphragm is narrowed down while the focus is on the subject, the depth becomes deeper and a clear image can be obtained up to the area around the focused area.

In the case of photographing with a camera, the above (1),
When the effect of (2) is obtained, the diaphragm and the focus are adjusted, but the shutter speed needs to be further adjusted. That is, when the illuminance of the surroundings is high and the aperture is open, overexposure results, so the shutter speed is increased. In addition, when the illuminance of the surroundings is low while the aperture is narrowed down, the exposure is insufficient, so the shutter speed is slowed down.

The shutter speed is also adjusted depending on whether or not the subject is a moving body. As a moving object, the shutter speed is increased. If the illuminance at this time is sufficient, the diaphragm is narrowed down, but if the illuminance is insufficient and the exposure is insufficient, the diaphragm is opened.

[0006]

By the way, focus adjustment and aperture adjustment are also performed in stereoscopic image pickup using a video camera, but because of the stereoscopic image pickup, an unnatural image is created as an image. Sometimes. For example,
This is the case when the subject is focused and the aperture is narrowed down because the illuminance is high. In this case, the depth becomes deep, and peripheral objects located in front of and behind the subject are also clearly imaged. However, in the case of a stereoscopic image, the stereoscopic effect is obtained by superimposing the left and right images, so that the stereoscopic effect appears in the focused part, but the stereoscopic effect does not appear in the surrounding area. The images are doubled and unsightly and unnatural.

Therefore, the present invention provides a stereoscopic image pickup assisting apparatus which makes only an image of a portion where a stereoscopic effect appears favorably clear and blurs other portions so that an easy-to-see and natural image can be obtained. To aim.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes first and second diaphragm mechanisms for guiding optical images of a subject to first and second solid-state image pickup devices for stereoscopic image pickup, respectively.
First and second signal processing units including an automatic gain control function for converting outputs of the first and second solid-state imaging devices into synchronized first and second video signals, respectively, and the first and second Of the first and second video signals in response to the first and second video signals being respectively supplied from the signal processing unit and the diaphragms of the first and second diaphragm mechanisms being narrowed down. And an image quality control means for reducing the image quality of the signal in the area excluding a part of the main area.

[0009]

By the above means, only the image of the main area in focus becomes clear, and the image of the peripheral area becomes blurred, and when stereoscopically viewed, the image without stereoscopic effect becomes double. It is not conspicuous, and the three-dimensional effect is effectively expressed, and a natural image can be expressed.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. 10
1, 201 are the lens systems of the left and right video cameras,
It has a focus adjustment mechanism. This lens system 10
The optical images that have passed through the first and second 201 are the diaphragm mechanisms 102, 20.
Solid-state image sensor 103, 203 using a CCD
Is imaged on the image pickup surface of. The image pickup signals read from the solid-state image pickup devices 103 and 203 are respectively processed by the signal processing unit 10.
4, 204, and converted into a video signal. The video signals output from the signal processing units 104 and 204 are set to 1 by the partial image quality adjusters 105 and 205, respectively.
The image is adjusted and output in a partial area of the screen. There are various kinds of image quality adjustment contents, for example, signal level adjustment and frequency characteristic adjustment. The video signals output from the partial image quality adjusters 105 and 205 are respectively supplied to the first VTR 301 and the second VTR 302 via the output units 106 and 206, respectively, and are recorded therein. Drive signals for the solid-state imaging devices 103 and 203 and timing signals for the signal processing units 104 and 204 are provided from the system control unit 400.

This system is further provided with a stereoscopic image quality control section 500. The three-dimensional image quality control unit 500 includes
Aperture information is input from the aperture mechanisms 102 and 202. The stereoscopic image quality control unit 500 creates and gives partial gain control signals to the partial image quality adjusters 105 and 205 based on the aperture information.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the control operation by the stereoscopic image quality control unit 500. Figure 2 now
As shown in (A), it is assumed that the first (left) and second (right) video cameras capture the first subject from different angles in order to obtain stereoscopic information. Also, at this time, the first and second
It is assumed that the video camera has a focus on the first subject. Further, at this time, it is assumed that the second subject is on the left rear side of the first subject. In such a case, when the images obtained by the first and second video cameras are overlapped and stereoscopically viewed, the first subject in focus looks like a stereoscopic image. The angles of view are adjusted as shown in FIG. Here, if it is assumed that the second subject looks three-dimensional,
It is necessary to match the angle of view as shown in FIG. In this case, the range in which stereoscopic viewing is possible becomes narrow.

Therefore, normally, the angles of view are adjusted so that the image areas of the first and second video cameras coincide with each other, as shown in FIG. Here, the angle of view of the second subject is deviated, so that the stereoscopic effect cannot be obtained. For example, it appears in the left and right separated positions at the positions indicated by white circles in FIG. However, an image in which such a stereoscopic effect does not hold is unnatural and annoying to the viewer.

In order to eliminate such an unnatural state,
In the system of the present invention, the stereoscopic image quality control unit 500 and the partial image quality adjusters 105 and 205 shown in FIG. 1 are provided. In other words, in this system, the image quality of the portion of the subject (the first subject in the example in the figure) that is in focus, that is, the portion imaged by the photographer with the expectation of clarity is output with high performance, and the surrounding The quality of the image is reduced. In the example of FIG. 2B, for example, the image quality of a shaded area is reduced and expressed, and only the in-focus subject portion (main area) is clarified.

The signal processing units 104 and 204 are supposed to include an automatic gain control function which is a signal processing function for automatically optimizing the exposure state. Therefore, if the outputs of the signal processing units 104 and 204 are used as they are, a bright image signal controlled to a normal optimum image can be obtained.

FIG. 3 shows a more detailed block configuration of the stereoscopic image quality control unit 500. Aperture mechanism 102, 20
In No. 2, the diaphragm is adjusted in exactly the same manner, but diaphragm information indicating the diaphragm state is detected by the diaphragm information detector 501. When the aperture information detector 501 determines the aperture state, the determination signal is input to the timing adjuster 502. The timing adjuster 502 selects, for example, the gain control memory 504a according to the narrowed state. Further, a read start timing signal is given to the address generator 503 in order to read the image quality control data (gain control data) of the gain control memory 504a in synchronization with the video signal. The read start timing signal is output in synchronization with the timing signal from the system control unit 400 (eg, in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal of the video signal). The gain control memory 504a stores in advance gain control coefficients corresponding to video signals for one field (one screen). In this case, for example, the gain is 1 in the main area A1 at the center of the screen (usually a portion where the focus is adjusted), the gain A is 0.8 in the surrounding area A2, and the area 0.5 is in the surrounding area A3. Further, the area A4 around the area is set to have a gain of 0.3 so that the level of the video signal is gradually lowered. In the figure, the partial image quality adjuster 1
No. 05 is shown, but the other partial image quality adjuster 20
5 is controlled similarly.

By performing such gain control, the image of the region of gain 1 (the part in focus) becomes clear on the screen, and the periphery thereof becomes gradually blurred or dark. When expressed in this way, the viewer pays attention to the image in the clear portion and is insensitive to the image in the blurred portion. Therefore, the viewer sees only the part where the stereoscopic effect is sufficiently exhibited, and the viewer is distracted from the unnatural part. When the stereoscopic image is expressed in this way, the eyestrain of the viewer can be reduced.

The above embodiments have been described as using data stored in memory 504a. However, the range may be switched. A plurality of memories having different gain control coefficient values may be prepared, and the memory may be selected according to the degree of the diaphragm of the diaphragm mechanism. For example, when the degree of diaphragm is large, a memory having a large average coefficient value is selected, and when the degree of diaphragm is small, a memory having a small average coefficient value is selected. This is because the deeper you narrow down, the deeper the depth becomes.
This is to further reduce the image quality, because the front and rear areas in focus are expanded, and the image with insufficient stereoscopic effect is more likely to appear clearly.

In the above embodiment, the partial image quality adjuster 10 is used.
Reference numerals 5 and 205 are gain control amplifiers, and the gain control amplifiers have been described as controlling the gain, but the invention is not limited to this. FIG. 4 shows another example of the partial image quality adjuster 105. The partial image quality adjuster 105 has a plurality of filters F1, F2, F3, and F4 in parallel in the path of the luminance signal.
In the area A1, the low-pass filter F1 having a wide frequency band is passed, and in the area A2, the low-pass filter F2 having a narrow frequency band is passed, so that the selector SEL provided in the input part of the filter group is passed. Are controlled by, for example, the data from the previous memory 504a. By doing so, the image corresponding to the area A1 becomes clear on the screen, but as the distance from this area increases, the high-frequency components are gradually cut, resulting in a blurred image.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of filters having different characteristics are prepared and these are selectively switched. However, if the filter has variable frequency characteristics, the characteristic variable control can be applied to its control terminal. The same effect can be obtained by changing the data for each area.

The coefficient for gain control given from the stereoscopic image quality control unit 500 is converted into an analog amount and given to the partial image quality adjusters 105 and 106. In the system in which the camera system performs digital processing. if there is,
No analog conversion is required.

In the above description, the area A1 has been described as being set at the center of the screen, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the area A1 may be movable. This is because the focused subject is not always captured in the center of the screen.

In order to set the area A1 at an arbitrary position on the screen, the address generation timing of the address generator 503 may be adjusted. To move the area A1 to the right side of the screen, an adjustment signal is given to the manual adjuster 502 with respect to the timing adjuster 502.

FIG. 5 shows a region variable circuit, which is provided inside the timing adjuster 502. A horizontal counter 701 counts clocks to count elapsed time in the horizontal direction when a timing pulse synchronized with the vertical synchronization signal is given from the system control unit 400. When the clock for one horizontal period is counted, the carry output (horizontal timing pulse) is self-reset, and this horizontal timing pulse is supplied to the clock input terminal of the vertical counter 703. The vertical counter 703 counts horizontal timing pulses, and when it counts horizontal timing pulses for one field, for example, it obtains a carry output and resets itself.

The count value of the horizontal counter 701 is the comparator 7
It is input to 02 and is horizontally compared with the comparison data. The count value of the vertical counter 701 is also given to the comparator 704 and compared with the vertical comparison data. The comparison data is provided from the manual adjuster 600, and can be changed according to the user's adjustment. Now, assuming that the comparison data is all 0s, when a timing pulse is input from the system control unit 400, a immediate horizontal address timing signal is obtained,
Further, the vertical address timing signal is obtained after one horizontal period has elapsed. Therefore, in this case, the data of the initial address of the memory 504a is accessed in synchronization with the vertical synchronizing signal. Since the area A1 corresponds to the center of the screen in the data pattern of the memory 504a, the image quality is controlled so that the center of the screen is clear and the periphery thereof is blurred.

Next, when the horizontal comparison data becomes variable and becomes large, the output of the horizontal address timing signal is delayed. Then, the read timing in the horizontal direction with respect to the memory 504a is delayed from the vertical synchronizing signal which is the field start position of the video signal, so that the image quality can be controlled by moving the area A1 to the right with respect to the screen. If the horizontal comparison data is further increased, the area A1
Can be moved to the left side of the screen. The same applies when moving the area A1 in the vertical direction, and in this case, the horizontal comparison data may be changed. In the above embodiment, the area A
Although 1 is set to a round shape, the shape is not limited to this and may be a quadrangle.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since a stereoscopic image is acquired, a means for reducing the image quality is provided in an area where an unnatural image is generated, and only the image of the portion where the stereoscopic effect appears well is made clear, and the other portions are blurred so that it is easy to see and natural. You can get a video.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural explanatory view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram shown for explaining a characteristic phenomenon in stereoscopic imaging.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing in detail the stereoscopic image quality control unit of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the stereoscopic image quality control of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing still another part of the stereoscopic image quality control of FIG. 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 101, 201 ... Lens system, 102, 202 ... Tightening mechanism, 103, 203 ... Solid-state imaging device, 104, 105 ...
Signal processing unit, 105, 205 ... Partial image quality adjuster, 10
6, 206 ... Output unit, 301, 302 ... VTR, 400
... System control unit, 500 ... Stereoscopic image quality control unit, 600 ...
Manual adjustment unit.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A first diaphragm mechanism and a second diaphragm mechanism for guiding an optical image of a subject to first and second solid-state imaging devices for stereoscopic imaging, respectively, and the first and second solid bodies. First and second signal processing sections including an automatic gain control function for converting the outputs of the image pickup apparatus into synchronized first and second video signals, respectively, and the first and second signal processing sections from the first to second, A second video signal is respectively supplied, and in response to the diaphragms of the first and second diaphragm mechanisms being narrowed down, a part of the main area is excluded from the first and second video signals. A stereoscopic imaging support device, comprising: an image quality control unit that reduces the image quality of a signal of a region. 2. The image quality control means includes first and second gain control amplifiers to which first and second video signals are respectively input, and a memory which synchronizes with the first and second video signals. 3. The stereoscopic imaging support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for reading out the gain control data of 1) and applying the gain control data to the gain control terminals of the first and second gain control amplifiers, respectively. 3. The image quality control means includes a first filter which receives the first video signal to obtain a variable characteristic, and a second filter which receives a second video signal to obtain a variable characteristic. 2. The stereoscopic imaging support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a filter group of 1), and a unit that switches the filter characteristics of the first filter and the second filter in synchronization with each other in accordance with data from the memory. . 4. The stereoscopic imaging support according to claim 1, wherein the image quality adjusting means has a memory means for storing image quality control data of each part corresponding to the screens of the first and second video signals. apparatus. 5. The image quality control means adjusts the data read start timing of the memory means to move the main area to any one of the screens by the first and second video signals. The stereoscopic imaging support device according to claim 4, further comprising means. 6. The stereoscopic imaging support apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the memory means includes a plurality of memories corresponding to the screens, and the range of the image quality control data stored in each memory is different.