Image analysis – Applications – 3-d or stereo imaging analysis
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-14
2004-06-29
Au, Amelia M. (Department: 2623)
Image analysis
Applications
3-d or stereo imaging analysis
C382S103000, C348S042000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06757422
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a viewpoint position detection apparatus and method for detecting the viewpoint position of a person to be measured and, more particularly, to a viewpoint position detection apparatus and method which can achieve both high-speed processing and high detection precision.
The present invention also relates to a stereoscopic image display apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus suitably used when image information is stereoscopically displayed on a display device (display) such as a television, video, computer monitor, game machine, or the like, and can be satisfactorily stereoscopically observed without using special spectacles.
As conventional stereoscopic image observation methods, a method of observing disparity images based on different polarized light states by the right and left eyes using polarized light spectacles, a method of guiding predetermined ones of a plurality of disparity images to the eyeballs of the observer using a lenticular lens, and the like have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-311294 discloses an apparatus using a rear cross lenticular scheme.
FIG. 11
is a perspective view showing principal part of an example of a stereoscopic image display apparatus using the rear cross lenticular scheme. Referring to
FIG. 11
, reference numeral
6
denotes a display device for displaying an image. The display device
6
comprises, e.g., a liquid crystal element (LCD). In
FIG. 11
, a polarization plate, color filter, electrodes, black matrix, anti-reflection film, and the like are not shown.
Reference numeral
10
denotes a backlight (surface illuminant) which serves as an illumination light source. A mask substrate (mask)
7
on which a mask pattern having checkered apertures
8
is placed between the display device
6
and backlight
10
. The mask pattern is prepared by patterning a metal deposition film such as chromium, light absorbing material, or the like on the mask substrate
7
formed of glass or a resin. The backlight
10
, mask substrate
7
, and the like are building components of the light source.
First and second lenticular lenses
3
and
4
made of a transparent resin or glass are interposed between the mask substrate
7
and display device
6
. The first lenticular lens
3
is a vertical cylindrical lens array constructed by lining up vertical cylindrical lenses, which are elongated in the vertical direction, in the right-and left direction, and the second lenticular lens
4
is a horizontal cylindrical lens array constructed by lining up horizontal cylindrical lenses, which are elongated in the horizontal direction, in the up-and-down direction.
An image to be displayed on the display device
6
is a horizontal stripe image, which is formed by segmenting right and left disparity images R and L into a large number of horizontal stripe pixels R and L in the up-and-down direction, and alternately arranging these pixels from the top of the screen in the order of, e.g., L, R, L, R, L, R, . . . , as shown in FIG.
11
.
Light coming from the backlight
10
is transmitted through the apertures
8
of the mask substrate
7
and illuminates the display device
6
, and right and left stripe pixels R and L are separately observed by the right and left eyes of the observer.
More specifically, the mask substrate
7
is illuminated with light coming from the backlight
10
, and light components emerge from the apertures
8
. The first lenticular lens
3
is placed on the observer side of the mask substrate
7
, and the lens curvature is designed to locate the mask substrate
7
at nearly the focal point positions of the respective cylindrical lenses. In this section, since the second lenticular lens
4
has no optical effect, a light beam emerging from one point on the aperture
8
is converted into a nearly collimated light in this section.
A pair of aperture and light-shielding portion of the mask pattern are set to nearly correspond to one pitch of the first lenticular lens
3
.
By determining the pitch of the first lenticular lens and that of the pair of aperture and light-shielding portion of the mask pattern on the basis of the relationship between the optical distance from a predetermined position of the observer to the first lenticular lens
3
and that from the first lenticular lens
3
to the mask pattern, light leaving the apertures
8
can be uniformly focused on the right or left eye across the total width of the screen. In this manner, the right and left stripe pixels on the display device
6
are separately observed by the right and left eye regions in the horizontal direction.
The second lenticular lens
4
focuses all light beams emerging from the respective points on the apertures
8
of the mask
7
onto the right- or left-eye stripe pixels on the display device
6
. The light beams which illuminate and are transmitted through the display device
6
diverge only in the vertical direction in correspondence with NA upon focusing so as to provide an observation region where right and left stripe pixels can be uniformly separately observed from a predetermined eye level of the observer over the total height of the screen.
However, as the field angle of such stereoscopic image display apparatus is narrow, when the viewpoint of the observer falls outside the field angle, stereoscopic display cannot be recognized. For this reason, a technique for broadening the stereoscopic view region by detecting the viewpoint position of the observer and controlling image display in response to movement of the viewpoint position has been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-232367 discloses a technique for broadening the stereoscopic view region by moving a mask pattern or lenticular lens parallel to the display surface.
FIG. 12
shows a stereoscopic image display apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-232367. The same reference numerals in
FIG. 12
denote the same building components as those in
FIG. 11
, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Since the stereoscopic image display apparatus shown in
FIG. 12
uses a single lenticular lens, it does not have the second lenticular lens
4
shown in FIG.
11
.
In the stereoscopic image display apparatus with this arrangement, control according to the movement of an observer
54
is done as follows. A position sensor
51
detects any horizontal deviation of the observer
54
from a predetermined reference position, and sends that information to a control unit
52
. The control unit
52
outputs an image control signal to a display drive circuit
50
in accordance with this deviation information. The display drive circuit
50
displays a first or second horizontal stripe image on the display
6
. At the same time, the control unit
52
generates an actuator drive signal based on the deviation information to drive an actuator
53
, which moves the mask pattern
7
in the horizontal direction, thereby moving the mask pattern
7
to the best position where the observer
54
can separate right and left stripe images. As a result, even when the viewpoint position of the observer
54
has changed, a broad stereovision range can be assured.
When display is controlled in accordance with the viewpoint position of the observer, low detection precision and long processing time for detection disturb image display suitable for the viewpoint position of the observer. For this reason, it is very important for the performance of the display apparatus to detect the viewpoint position of the observer with higher precision within a shorter period of time.
As methods for detecting the viewpoint position of the observer (person to be measured), the following methods are available:
1) Method of irradiating observer with infrared light, and detecting light reflected by retina
(Reference 1-a) Banno, “Design Method of Pupil Photographing Optical System for Viewpoint Detection”, Journal of The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers D-II, Vol. J74-D-II, No. 6, pp. 736-747,
Morishima Hideki
Suzuki Masahiro
Takikawa Tomoshi
Taniguchi Naosato
Yamamoto Hiroyuki
Au Amelia M.
LaRose Colin
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