Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
1997-06-27
2001-03-06
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2779)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
C348S042000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198484
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic display system, and more particularly to a stereoscopic display system which automatically adjusts the stereoscopic display conditions in accordance with changes of a displayed scene, thereby reducing viewer's discomfort.
Conventionally, a binocular stereoscopic display system has been known in which images for right and left eyes (i.e., images viewed by the right and left eyes, respectively, and hereinafter, referred to as right- and left-eye images or right and left images) are displayed certain on a display screen, i.e., a two- dimensional plane, and both the images are fused by the viewer's brain into a single, three-dimensional image. This system has an essential problem of a discrepancy between accommodation and convergence of eyes. That is, the viewer's eyes are always adjusted so that they are focused on the display screen.
On the other hand, the position of a gazing point on which the viewer's right and left eyes are fixed by eye-ball movement (convergence) depends on the distance between the left and right images on a display screen, normally parallax; thus, in most cases, that point is not located on the display screen.
When such discrepancy is not so large, humans will have the capacity for fusing the right and left images into a single, three-dimensional image. When the degree of discrepancy is large, on the other hand, humans will become unable to fuse the right and left images, or, they will feel fatigue in their eyes. In such a case, it becomes impossible or difficult for them to obtain stereoscopic vision.
Therefore, users used to adjust the stereoscopic display conditions on a trial and error basis to solve the problem. This adjustment work is relatively easy for still images. However, for motion images, it is required to change the setting of the stereoscopic display conditions for each scene because the position of the viewer's gaze point changes with displayed objects of shooting. This is very troublesome. For motion pictures, therefore, the fact is that no change is made to the stereoscopic display conditions.
On the display screen in a stereoscopic display system are often displayed graphical user interface components such as character information, menus, buttons. However, when these graphical user interface components are not adequately displayed in accordance with the change of stereoscopic display conditions, viewers often have strange feeling for the images.
The recent development of the media like digital versatile disks (DVDs) has realized a system in which viewers can freely see the images from various viewpoints. The function for presenting good stereoscopic images are required in such a system. To realize the function, it is strongly desired to solve the above-described problems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic display system which implements a function of automatically adjusting stereoscopic conditions in accordance with scene changes to thereby relieve users of the burden of complicated operations and prevent the users getting eye fatigue.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic display system which implements a function of displaying graphical user interface (GUI) components so that the image of GUI components match with the model to thereby prevent the users getting eye fatigue a feeling of weariness.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of creating information for changing stereoscopic conditions in accordance with changing scenes and a storage medium, such as a DVD, which stores the information created by that method together with right-eye and left-eye image information.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic display system for displaying a model stereoscopically using a pair of images seen from two different viewpoints and adapted for the right eye and the left eye, comprising gaze range determining means for determining a range to which a viewer is likely to fix his or her eyes with respect to the model, model move means for moving the model in a direction perpendicular to a display screen so that the gaze range determined by the gaze range determining means comes in a region in which stereoscopy is easy by changing data of the model, model enlargement/reduction means for enlarging/reducing a size of the model moved by the model move means according to a distance over which the model is moved by changing data of the model changed by the model move means, and image data creating means for creating image data to be displayed on the display according to data of model which has been moved by the model move means and whose size has been changed by the model enlargement/reduction means.
According to this configuration, the gaze range including a gaze point is estimated by the gaze range estimating means and the model is moved in the direction of depth so that the gaze range enters the easiness-of-stereoscopy region. And the size of the model is changed by the model enlargement/reduction means according to the distance over which it has been moved. The model data thus changed is sent to the image data creating means which, in turn, produces image data to be displayed on the display screen.
The system should preferably further comprises depth distance reducing means for setting a scale in the direction of depth seen from the viewer so that at least the main part of the model that has been moved by the model move means enter the easiness of stereoscopy region.
According to this, the depth distance is changed so that at least the main(major) part of the model enters the easiness-of-stereoscopy region.
The system should preferably further comprises out-of-field data removing means for removing data on that portion of the model which is situated outside the field of view.
According to this configuration, since data on that portion of the model which is situated outside the field of view before the gaze point is estimated is removed, the gaze point can be estimated more quickly and accurately.
The system should preferably further comprises gaze range detecting means for detecting viewer's gaze direction and point on the images displayed on the display screen, and wherein the model move means moves the model in a direction normal to the display screen on the basis of the gaze point detected by the gaze range detecting means.
According to this configuration, since the stereoscopic conditions are calculated on the basis of the gaze point on actually displayed images, more suitable stereoscopic conditions can be calculated according to the personality of the viewer.
The system should preferably further comprises gaze range detecting means for detecting viewer's gaze direction and point on the images displayed on the display screen, and the out-of-field data removing means should preferably calculate a field of view on the basis of the gaze direction detected by the gaze range detecting means and remove data for the outside of the detected field of view.
According to this configuration, since the visual field is calculated on the basis of visual lines on actually displayed images, a model situated outside the field of view can be determined more suitably according to the viewer's personality and model data for the outside of the field of view can be removed. Thus, the gaze point can be estimated more accurately.
The system should preferably further comprises tone change means for changing the tone of the model displayed on the display screen so that the further away from the viewpoint, the closer the tone becomes the background tone.
According to this configuration, since the tone of the model is displayed so that the further away from the viewpoint, the closer the model tone becomes the background tone, the effect of seeing objects through air is achieved, providing more effective stereoscopy.
The model moving means should preferably include means, when a chang
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Nguyen Thu
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Powell Mark R.
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