JPH0622308A - Display - image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the configuration of the display image pickup device compatible with a large screen and to realize low cost by making visual lines of talking parties coincident with each other. CONSTITUTION:A screen comprising very small prism arrays 3 compatible with a large screen and manufactured inexpensively is arranged in front of a display device 1 and made inexpensively. The optical axis center of display and the optical axis center of image pickup are made coincident in front of the screen through the refraction of the very small prisms of the very small prism arrays 3 and then the coincidence of visual lines of talking parties is simply realized without changeover of display/image pickup by means of transmission division. Display or image pickup of a double image is prevented by providing a light interruption slit 4 corresponding to the very small prisms.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display / image pickup device in which a display device and an image pickup device used in a TV telephone or a TV conference system are combined.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, two-way video communication such as a TV telephone and a TV conference system in which remote locations are connected by a video / audio communication network has rapidly spread due to the development of communication technology such as image coding technology. . In the future, it is expected that a more realistic video service can be provided by enhancing the ISDN network and increasing the bandwidth of the transmission network.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of a display / imaging device currently used for two-way video communication. In this device, CRT
The image is displayed on the display device 1 such as a display, the image pickup device 2 is arranged on the upper surface or the side surface of the display device 1, and the image of the user M is picked up. However, since a person who uses such a device usually looks at the display device 1, the user M does not turn his / her eyes toward the image pickup device 2 even when the image pickup device 2 takes an image. Therefore, there is a drawback in that even if it is possible to transmit a highly realistic image, it becomes an unnatural conversation in which the line of sight of the interlocutors do not match.

Therefore, a method using a semi-transparent mirror is used as a method for easily realizing the line-of-sight of the interlocutors (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-61160).
(There are many such as No. -65683). Figure 9
FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a conventional display / imaging device that uses a semi-transparent mirror to match the lines of sight. In this example, since the semi-transparent mirror 6 which is normally inclined by 45 ° is installed on the front surface of the display device 1, the user M can see the screen of the display device 1 through the semi-transparent mirror 6.
Further, the facial expression of the user M is taken as a reflection image from the semi-transparent mirror 6 by the imaging device 2 installed above the semi-transparent mirror 6, so that it is equivalent to taking an image from within the display surface of the display device 1, and between the interlocutors. The eyes can be matched.

A display screen 7 for switching between light transmission / scattering states as shown in FIG. 10 is provided as a system in which the line-of-sight of the interlocutors can be matched with each other and a large screen display used in a TV conference system can be supported. Is used (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-228893). In this method, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the display screen 7, the control device 9, the projection display device 1 ', and the image pickup device 2 constitute a device, and when the display screen 7 is in a scattering state, the projection display device 1'projects the image. The displayed screen is displayed, and in the transmissive state, the user M, who is the subject, is imaged by the imaging device 2 through the screen 7, thereby achieving line-of-sight matching. The control device 9 switches the light transmission / scattering state of the display screen 7 and the display / imaging.

[0006]

However, among the display / imaging devices according to the above-mentioned conventional method, the method of FIG. 9 allows easy line-of-sight matching by using only one semi-transparent mirror 6. Since the semi-transparent mirror 6 is tilted and installed in front of 1, the volume of the entire apparatus increases by the amount of the tilt of the semi-transparent mirror 6, resulting in an increase in size. In order to realize a more realistic display, it is necessary to have a large screen, but with this, a large area of the semi-transparent mirror 6 is required, and the volume occupied by the semi-transparent mirror 6 becomes larger and larger. This method has a drawback that the size of the device is inevitable.

On the other hand, FIG. 10 is also applicable to a large screen display.
In the method using the display screen 7 for switching the light transmission / scattering state shown in FIG. 2, it is necessary to switch the screen state at high speed in order to prevent the display screen and the imaging screen from flickering. An expensive control circuit 9 for controlling 1'and the imaging device 2 at high speed and a screen 7 capable of switching at high speed are indispensable. As a result, the structure of the device itself becomes complicated and the device itself becomes expensive.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to enable line-of-sight matching between interlocutors in a display / imaging device used in a TV telephone, a TV conference system, or the like. The purpose of the invention is to simplify the configuration of the display / imaging device that can handle a large screen and realize a low price.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in a display / image pickup device constituted by disposing an optical screen in front of a display device and an image pickup device, a micro prism as the optical screen. A micro prism plate in which light blocking slits are provided in correspondence with the micro prisms of the optical screen, or a micro prism plate in which micro prisms are arrayed is used as the optical screen. It is characterized in that cross polarizing plates are arranged on the front surface of the image pickup device.

[0010]

In the display / imaging device of the present invention, a screen composed of a micro prism plate which can cope with a large screen and can be manufactured at low cost is arranged in front of the display device and the imaging device, and refraction of these micro prisms is performed. By the action, the center of the optical axis of the display and the center of the optical axis of the image are aligned in front of the screen,
It is possible to easily achieve line-of-sight matching between interlocutors without switching display / imaging in time division. Light-blocking slits provided corresponding to the micro prisms or front surfaces of both the display device and the image pickup device, or, in the case where one device has a polarization function, cross-nicols polarizing plates provided in front of the other device. Prevents the display or imaging of double images.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an optical element used in a display / imaging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1
The optical element shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a micro prism array 3) is configured by arranging a large number of micro prisms having an inclination angle θ with respect to the vertical direction.
When light or an image having a certain angle φ with respect to β is incident, the optical path is changed in the direction normal to the back surface by refraction. On the contrary, the light or image vertically incident on the flat surface of the back surface has its optical path branched from each surface of the prism in the direction of the angle φ. Therefore, a display device such as a display (or an imaging device such as a camera) is located at the position A (the direction of elevation angle φ in the example) and a camera (or the display is located at the position B (the direction of depression angle φ in the example) of FIG. ) Respectively, C in the direction normal to the back surface (horizontal direction in the example)
The display can be seen from this position through this micro prism array 3, and the subject at the position C can also be imaged by the camera through this micro prism array 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the display / imaging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the optical axis of the user M looking at the display device 1 and the optical axis of the image pickup device 2 for image pickup are optically coincident with each other. At the same time, the line of sight is directed to the image pickup apparatus 2. As a result, the line of sight of the interlocutors can be matched.

However, in the optical system described in FIG. 1, the displayed image or the image to be picked up does not pass through a single surface of α or β, but actually passes through both surfaces. As a result, the display image can be viewed not only in the direction of the user M but also in other directions, and a so-called double image is observed. The same applies to image capturing, and an image other than the subject is captured, and a double image is captured.
Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a light blocking slit 4 is provided between the display device 1 and the image pickup device 2 and the micro prism array 3, and the light blocking slit 4 allows, for example, a display image to have an α plane. Only, the image is transmitted only through the β plane, and the other optical paths are blocked by the light blocking slit 4. As a result, the above-mentioned double image can be removed.

The body of the display / imaging device can be seen by the user M due to the optical path used for the image pickup. However, in the body of the display / imaging device, an image other than the display image can be obtained by making the parts other than the display device 1 black and dark. Can be hidden.

The layout of the display device 1 and the image pickup device 2 shown in FIG. 2 is determined by the angle of incidence φ on the prism surface shown in FIG. 1. This φ is the inclination θ of the prism surface and the refraction of the prism material. It can be uniquely determined by the rate. For example, the prism is made of acrylic resin (refractive index ~
1.5), and if the inclination θ of the prism surface is 35 °, φ = 24.4 °.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of the display / imaging device according to the present invention. The major difference between the present embodiment and the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
The point is that a projection type display device 1'is used instead of. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the scattering layer 3a is formed on the α surface so that one prism surface (α surface) of the micro prism array 3 can be used as a substitute for the display screen. You will see the image projected on the layer 3a. In other words, the minute prism array 3 also serves as a display screen for the projection type display device 1'and an optical element for matching the optical paths of display and imaging.

In this embodiment, one prism surface of the micro prism array 3 is the scattering layer 3a, so that the image pickup device 2 does not pick up a double image, but the scattering layer 3 is used.
Since the image projected on a is also captured, the light blocking slit 4 is provided as in the first embodiment to prevent image quality deterioration of the captured image.

In the first and second embodiments,
Although the prism surfaces are arranged on the display device 1 side and the image pickup device 2 side, it is obvious that the same effect can be obtained even if the prism surfaces are arranged on the user M side.

[Embodiment 3] FIG. 5 shows another sectional view of an optical element used in the third embodiment of the present invention. First of FIGS. 1 and 2
The difference from the embodiment is that a light blocking layer 5 equivalent to the light blocking slit 4 of FIG. 2 is formed on the back surface of the prism surface as shown in FIG. 5, and the light blocking slit 4 and the micro prism array 3 of FIG.
This is the point where

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a display / imaging device using the optical element shown in FIG. In this embodiment, since the micro prism array 3 and the light blocking layer 5 as a light blocking slit are integrally formed, the optics of the micro prism array 3 and the light blocking slit 4 required in the first embodiment of FIG. There is an advantage that no physical alignment is required.

[Embodiment 4] FIG. 7 shows another configuration of the display / imaging device according to the present invention. The micro prism array 3 has a structure with a scattering layer shown in FIG. 4, and instead of the light blocking slit 4 in FIG.
a and 8b are installed in front of the projection type display device 1'and the image pickup device 2. If the light blocking slit 4 is not provided, the display image projected by the scattering layer is reflected on the imaging device 2, but the linear polarization of the projection image by the polarizing plate 8a installed on the front surface of the projection display device 1 '. And the direction of linearly polarized light by the polarizing plate 8b installed on the front surface of the image pickup apparatus 2 is 90 °.
Since they are different, the display image does not appear in the imaging device 2. With such a configuration, the optical alignment between the light blocking slit 4 and the minute prism 3 which is necessary in FIG. 2 becomes unnecessary. Further, when a liquid crystal projector is used for the projection display device 1 ', since the projection light itself is linearly polarized, it is not necessary to install the polarizing plate 8a on the front surface of the projection display device 1', and the polarizing plate 8a is not necessary. It is possible to prevent the deterioration of the brightness of the display image due to.

In this embodiment, the projection type display device 1'is used as an example. However, the same effect can be obtained by using the normal direct-view type display device 1 and installing the polarizing plate 8a on the front face of the display device 1. It is clear that

In the above first to fourth embodiments, the case where the image pickup device 2 is installed above the display device 1 (or 1 ') is shown. Needless to say, it can be installed in. Regarding the orientation of the micro prism array, the same effect can be obtained whether the surface on which the micro prisms are formed is arranged on the user M side or the surface on which the micro prisms are not formed is arranged on the user side M. That is clear. As described above, the present invention can be applied in various ways in accordance with the gist thereof and can take various embodiments.

[0025]

As described above, in the display / imaging device of the present invention, the screen can be operated only by installing the optical element (fine prism plate) composed of the micro prisms in front of the display device and the imaging device. It is possible to easily realize a display / imaging device that can correspond to a large screen and can match the line of sight without switching to a light transmission / scattering state by division. In that case, the optical element used in the present invention can easily and inexpensively produce a large-area element by using a technique for producing a lenticular lens or a Fresnel lens used in a projection type display device, and achieve a large-screen display line-of-sight match. There is an advantage that the cost increase for doing so can be made extremely small. Therefore, the line-of-sight can be matched only by installing this optical element in a conventional display / image pickup device that does not match the line-of-sight. Further, as compared with the conventional method in which the screen state is time-divided into light transmission / scattering states, there is no need for an expensive circuit or screen for controlling the time division, and thus there is an advantage that it can be realized at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an optical element used in a display / imaging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a display / imaging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of a display / imaging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an optical element used in a display / imaging device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an optical element used in a display / imaging device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of a display / imaging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment of a display / imaging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a conventional display used for two-way video communication.
Configuration diagram of imaging device

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a conventional display / imaging device that realizes line-of-sight matching using a semi-transparent mirror.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a conventional display / imaging device that realizes line-of-sight matching for large-screen display.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Display device 1 '... Projection type display device 2 ... Imaging device 3 ... Micro prism array 4 ... Light blocking slit 5 ... Light blocking layer 8a, 8b ... Polarizing plate

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shigenobu Sakai 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nihon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A display / imaging device configured by disposing an optical screen in front of a display device and an imaging device, wherein a microprism plate in which microprisms are arranged is used as the optical screen, and the microprism of the optical screen is used. A display / imaging device characterized in that a light blocking slit is provided correspondingly. 2. A display / imaging device configured by disposing an optical screen in front of a display device and an imaging device, wherein the display device and / or the imaging device uses a microprism plate in which microprisms are arranged as the optical screen. A display / imaging device characterized in that crossed Nicols polarizing plates are arranged on the front surface of the device.