Television – Stereoscopic – Picture signal generator
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-26
2003-12-02
Le, Vu (Department: 2613)
Television
Stereoscopic
Picture signal generator
C348S051000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06657655
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic-image display apparatus and method which allows a user to see a stereoscopic image by displaying an image for the left eye to the left eye of the user and displaying an image for the right eye to the right eye of the user, and to a storage medium storing such a method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of stereoscopic display apparatuses which allow a user to see a stereoscopic image by displaying an image for the left eye to the left eye of the user and displaying an image for the right eye to the right eye of the user have been proposed. For example, in a polarizing-spectacle type, left and right images are displayed using plane-polarized light beams whose wave surfaces are polarized in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction, respectively, or vice versa, and the user can see a stereoscopic image by wearing polarizing spectacles.
In a liquid-crystal-shutter-spectacle type, left and right images are displayed by being switched with a frequency of at least 90 Hz, more preferably, 120-150 Hz, and the user can see a stereoscopic image by wearing liquid-crystal-shutter spectacles. In a lenticular-lens type, a lenticular lens is attached on a picture surface, and a stereoscopic image is provided by deflecting optical paths so that one of two adjacent points is seen only by the left eye and the other point is seen only by the right eye. There is also a parallax-barrier type, in which fine slits are attached on a picture surface, and a stereoscopic image is provided by arranging so that one of two adjacent points is seen only by the left eye and the other point is seen only by the right eye.
In an HMD (head mounted display) type, a stereoscopic image is provided by displaying an image for the left eye on the left display surface of an HMD and displaying an image for the right eye on the right display surface of the HMD.
However, in the above-described conventional stereoscopic-image display apparatuses, in order to display a stereoscopic image by reading two image files corresponding to a. pair of left and right stereoscopic images from a storage device, the user must input a file name of each of the two image files (i.e., the user must input file names twice), thereby requiring time and trouble for inputting the file names.
In order to display a plurality of stereoscopic images, the user must assign pairs of left and right stereoscopic images corresponding to the number of stereoscopic images, thereby requiring an increased burden for the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic-image display apparatus and method which can reduce the burden of inputting file names when the user displays a plurality of stereoscopic images, and a storage medium storing such a method.
According to one aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a stereoscopic-image display apparatus for reading and displaying image files of a pair of left and right stereoscopic images. The apparatus includes input means for defining a file name including a portion where a part of a character string regularly changes and a portion where a character string does not change, for each member of a set of image files corresponding to a plurality of images having a parallax between left and right eyes, and for inputting the character string to the portion where the character string does not change, addition means for adding the character string of the regularly changing portion to the character string input by the input means, and image determination means for making images corresponding to file names in each of which the character string has been added by the addition means, to be images corresponding to the left and right eyes.
It is preferable that the image determination means makes images corresponding to an m(a positive integer)-th file name and an n(a positive integer different from m)-th file name to be a first image for the left eye and a first image for the right eye, respectively, and makes images corresponding to an (m+k(k being a positive integer))-th file name and an (n+k)-th file name to be a k-th image for the left eye and a k-th image for the right eye, respectively.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a stereoscopic-image display method for reading and displaying image files of a pair of left and right stereoscopic images. The method includes an input step of defining a file name including a portion where a part of a character string regularly changes and a portion where a character string does not change, for each member of a set of image files corresponding to a plurality of images having a parallax between left and right eyes, and for inputting the character string to the portion where the character string does not change, an addition step of adding the character string of the regularly changing portion to the character string input in the input step, and an image determination step of making images whose file names, for each of which the character string is added in the addition step, to be images corresponding to the left and right eyes.
According to still another aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a storage medium storing a program for reading and displaying image files of a pair of left and right stereoscopic images. The program includes an input step of defining a file name including a portion where a part of a character string regularly changes and a portion where a character string does not change, for each member of a set of image files corresponding to a plurality of images having a parallax between left and right eyes, and for inputting the character string to the portion where the character string does not change, an addition step of adding the character string of the regularly changing portion to the character string input in the input step, and an image determination step of making images whose file names, for each of which the character string is added in the addition step, to be images corresponding to the left and right eyes.
According to yet another aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a stereoscopic-image display apparatus for reading and displaying image files of a pair of left and right stereoscopic images. The apparatus includes input means for inputting a character string of a portion common to two image-file names corresponding to an arbitrary pair of stereoscopic images when selecting the stereoscopic images from a plurality of image files, and identifier addition means for adding an identifier for a left eye or a right eye to the character string input by the input means. Two image files having the identifier added by the identifier addition means are read as a pair of stereoscopic images for the left eye and the right eye.
According to yet a further aspect, the present invention which achieves the above-described object relates to a stereoscopic-image display apparatus for reading and displaying image files of a pair of left and right stereoscopic images. The apparatus includes file-name input means for inputting a character string of one of two image-file names corresponding to an arbitrary pair of stereoscopic images when selecting the pair of stereoscopic images from a plurality of image files, identifier replacement means for replacing an identifier for a left eye or a right eye present at a predetermined position in the character string input by the file-name input means with an identifier for the right eye or the left eye, respectively, and reading means for reading two image files having a file name for the left eye or the right eye input by the file-name input means and a file name for the right eye or the left eye where the identifier has been replaced by the identifier replacement means, as a pair
Iizuka Yoshio
Kawai Tomoaki
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Le Vu
Senfi Behrooz
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