JP2011205385A - Three-dimensional video control device, and three-dimensional video control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a stereoscopic video control apparatus capable of obtaining a better stereoscopic video effect while reducing a feeling of fatigue given to a viewer.
A stereoscopic video camera 100 including a stereoscopic video control device of the present invention is a device for controlling a convergence angle of a stereoscopic video composed of a left-eye video and a right-eye video, and is a main subject within the angle of view of the stereoscopic video. Angle-of-view position acquisition unit 110 that acquires the position of the image, and a convergence angle control unit 120 that controls the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video according to the position of the main subject within the angle of view.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a stereoscopic video control apparatus and a stereoscopic video control method for controlling a stereoscopic video composed of a left-eye video and a right-eye video.

  In recent years, 3D (3D) image technology is generally spreading in the field of movie content and the like.

  The mechanism for obtaining a stereoscopic view from a stereoscopic image is as follows. When a human sees the subject with the naked eye, the convergence angle, which is the angle between the line connecting the left eye and the subject and the line connecting the right eye and the subject, depends on the distance to the subject due to the difference in the positions of the left and right eyeballs. Different. A human recognizes the size of the distance to each subject based on the sense of the convergence angle when the line of sight is brought to the subject, and obtains a stereoscopic view. Three-dimensional video technology creates a left-eye video and a right-eye video that have a subtle difference (parallax) in the position of the image within the angle of view, and makes each appear to the viewer's left and right eyes, as if in front of the eyes. It gives viewers the illusion that a three-dimensional object exists.

  The difference between the image when viewing a real three-dimensional object (hereinafter referred to as “real image”) and the three-dimensional image is that the actual distance from the eye to the image and the image formation distance obtained in a pseudo manner by the angle of convergence. Whether there is a difference between them. There is no difference in the case of a real image, and there can be a difference in the case of a stereoscopic image. This is because, in order to obtain a three-dimensional effect, the imaging distance is set in order to obtain a three-dimensional effect, although the distance between the position of the video plane where the stereoscopic video actually exists (for example, the display surface of the display panel) and the viewer does not change. This is for various changes.

  Such a difference between the actual distance from the eye to the image and the imaging distance obtained in a pseudo manner by the convergence angle is generally referred to as “convergence angle contradiction”.

  The situation where there is no convergence angle contradiction in the stereoscopic video is a situation where the distance to the video plane is equal to the imaging distance. Under this circumstance, the display positions on the screen of the image projected to the left eye and the image projected to the right eye substantially coincide. In short, it is known that when viewing a video with the glasses for stereoscopic viewing removed, the target image does not appear to be doubled but is seen as one image. In other words, if the image appears double when the glasses are removed, it can be said that there is a convergence angle contradiction in the target image.

  In a 3D movie or the like, a convergence angle contradiction is intentionally applied to a subject that a viewer wants to show to the viewer, or the convergence angle is changed. As a result, an effect of making the subject appear as if it has jumped out of the image plane or in a position where it has been retracted deeply is realized, and an attractive stereoscopic image with higher performance is realized.

  Conventionally, in stereoscopic video technology, it has been widely performed to take a left-eye video and a right-eye video using two cameras arranged side by side (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, the 3D image technology uses a convergence angle (hereinafter referred to as “stereoscopic video”) for a subject displayed on a 3D video screen with respect to a vergence angle (hereinafter referred to as “original convergence angle”) with respect to an actual subject when viewed with the naked eye. Control of the convergence angle is performed. For example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 are known as techniques for controlling the convergence angle.

  The techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 determine the trimming ranges for the left-eye video and the right-eye video according to the distance from the camera to the subject, and trim the left-eye video and the right-eye video. As a result, the position of the image within the angle of view can be controlled, and the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video can be controlled.

JP 2007-194694 A JP-A-7-95623 JP-A-7-38267 JP 2009-129420 A

  Incidentally, the appropriate convergence angle with respect to the edge of the screen (the boundary between the screen and the peripheral portion of the screen, that is, the edge of the angle of view) is usually constant regardless of the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video. This is because the picture frame (for example, the outer frame part of the TV) that exists at the edge of the angle of view is a three-dimensional object that actually exists in that place, and when the human eye sees this three-dimensional object, it is completely at a physical distance. The vergence angle of both eyes is determined in a state corresponding to, and vergence angle contradiction does not occur. On the other hand, stereoscopic images often have a contradiction in convergence angle.

  When watching the image frame and 3D image at the same time, the difference in whether there is a contradiction in the convergence angle (difference in whether there is a convergence angle contradiction or not) is visually perceived as a significant mismatch, and the viewer feels a great sense of discomfort. May give.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to reduce the contradiction of the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video by using the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above. Thereby, a feeling of fatigue can be reduced for the viewer. However, if the convergence angle contradiction is reduced in this way, the change in the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video is limited to a narrow range. In other words, since the imaging distance always coincides with the distance to the image plane, it is not possible to obtain a sufficient effect such as projection and depth in a stereoscopic view.

  Therefore, a technique for making it difficult to see the image at the end of the angle of view has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4).

  The technique described in Patent Document 3 covers the edge of the angle of view with a virtual frame. The technique described in Patent Document 4 blurs the edge of the angle of view. Thereby, it is possible to make it difficult to recognize the contradiction of the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video at the end of the angle of view.

  However, with the techniques described in Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient stereoscopic effect. This is because, in order to sufficiently express the stereoscopic effect, it is desirable to use the field angle as much as possible in order to display the subject with a large convergence angle. However, in the techniques described in Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4, the edge of the field angle is used. This is because it is not possible to make practical use of.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a 3D image control apparatus and a 3D image control method capable of obtaining a better effect of a 3D image while reducing a feeling of fatigue given to a viewer.

  A stereoscopic video control apparatus according to the present invention is a stereoscopic video control apparatus that controls a convergence angle of a stereoscopic video composed of a left-eye video and a right-eye video, and an image for acquiring a position of a main subject within the angle of view of the stereoscopic video. An in-corner position acquisition unit; and a convergence angle control unit that controls a convergence angle of the stereoscopic image in accordance with the position of the main subject within the angle of view.

  The stereoscopic video control method of the present invention is a stereoscopic video control method for controlling a convergence angle of a stereoscopic video composed of a left-eye video and a right-eye video, and acquiring a position of a main subject within the angle of view of the stereoscopic video. And a step of controlling a convergence angle of the stereoscopic image in accordance with a position of the main subject within the angle of view.

  According to the present invention, the convergence angle contradiction is increased at the central portion of the angle of view where the stereoscopic effect of the image should be produced, and the convergence angle contradiction is reduced at the end of the angle of view where the difference in presence or absence of the convergence angle is easily recognized. This makes it possible to obtain a better stereoscopic effect while reducing the feeling of fatigue given to the viewer.

The figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the stereoscopic video camera containing the stereoscopic video control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a stereoscopic video camera according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an in-view angle position acquisition unit according to the first embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the whole operation | movement of the stereoscopic video camera which concerns on this Embodiment 1. The figure for demonstrating an example of the acquisition process of a view angle subject position in this Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure for demonstrating the other example of the acquisition process of a view angle subject position in this Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is a first diagram for explaining subject distance acquisition processing and subject convergence angle calculation processing in the first embodiment; FIG. 6 is a second diagram for explaining subject distance acquisition processing and subject convergence angle calculation processing in the first embodiment; The figure which shows the 1st example of the correction coefficient in this Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 2nd example of the correction coefficient in this Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the image of how the main subject looks in this Embodiment 1. The figure for demonstrating the effect with respect to the lack of the image of the main subject in this Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the mode of use of the stereoscopic video camera containing the stereoscopic video control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a stereoscopic video camera according to the second embodiment The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the in-view angle position acquisition part which concerns on this Embodiment 2. FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of the whole operation | movement of the stereoscopic video camera which concerns on this Embodiment 2. The figure which shows an example of the coordinate system which defines the space subject position in this Embodiment 2. FIG. 13 is a first diagram for explaining the process of obtaining the field angle subject position in the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a second diagram for explaining the processing for obtaining the field angle subject position in the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a third diagram for explaining the processing for obtaining the field angle subject position in the second embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the correction coefficient in this Embodiment 2. The figure which shows an example of a tracking speed when the view angle subject position exists in the center of the view angle in the embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the 1st example of the follow-up speed when the view angle subject position in the embodiment of the present invention is in the vicinity of the view angle end. The figure which shows the 2nd example of a follow-up speed when the view angle subject position in embodiment of this invention exists in the vicinity of the view angle edge part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a stereoscopic video camera including the stereoscopic video control apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a home video camera capable of shooting a stereoscopic video.

  In FIG. 1, the stereoscopic video camera 100 includes a left camera unit 200, a right camera unit 300, a control unit 400, a display unit 500, and an input unit 600.

  Each of the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 is a video camera that captures a left-eye image and a right-eye image that form a binocular stereoscopic image, and is, for example, an electronic component that includes an optical lens and an image sensor. Hereinafter, when the left-eye video and the right-eye video are not particularly distinguished, they are simply collectively referred to as “video”. The left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “camera” as appropriate) correspond to the eyes of the viewer, and have an appropriate distance so that a stereoscopic effect can be obtained from the captured stereoscopic video. Is placed horizontally. The angle formed by the optical axis direction of the left camera unit 200 and the optical axis direction of the right camera unit 300 (hereinafter referred to as “camera convergence angle”) is determined by at least one pan control (controlling the optical axis direction in the left-right direction). Can be adjusted.

  The control unit 400 is an electronic component that controls the operation of the entire stereoscopic video camera 100 and performs camera driving, imaging, video processing, and the like. The control unit 400 acquires a position within the angle of view of the stereoscopic video (hereinafter referred to as “view angle subject position”) of the main subject displayed in the stereoscopic video. Note that the main subject refers to an object that the viewer should mainly focus on among the subjects displayed in the stereoscopic video or a target that the stereoscopic video producer wants the viewer to focus on. The main subject can be a variety of subjects such as a person, an animal, and a model. Then, the control unit 400 reduces the convergence angle contradiction of the main subject when the view angle subject position is in the vicinity of at least one of the left end portion and the right end portion of the view angle (hereinafter collectively referred to as “view angle end portion”). In this way, the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video is controlled. Specifically, the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image is controlled so that the convergence angle of the main subject approaches the same convergence angle as when a physical object (for example, a television frame) at the end of the corresponding field angle is observed. .

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 400 performs pan control (hereinafter simply referred to as “pan control”) of at least one of the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300, thereby setting the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video to a desired angle. To control.

  The display unit 500 is a user interface for presenting information and images to the user, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display.

  The input unit 600 is used by the user to operate the stereoscopic video camera 100, and is a user interface for accepting user operations such as pointing, determination, and cancellation. The input unit 600 includes, for example, at least one of a button, a lever, a keypad, and a touch panel arranged integrally with a liquid crystal display. A specific implementation method of accepting user operation in the input unit 600 may refer to a well-known user interface technology widely adopted in general electronic devices such as home video cameras and personal computers.

  The left camera unit 200, the right camera unit 300, the display unit 500, and the input unit 600 are each integrally provided in the control unit 400. The control unit 400 includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), a storage medium such as a ROM (read only memory) storing a control program, and a working memory such as a RAM (random access memory), although not shown. The function is realized by execution of the control program by the CPU.

  Such a stereoscopic video camera 100 can reduce the convergence angle contradiction of the main subject only when the main subject is located in the vicinity of the end of the angle of view of the stereoscopic video.

  Next, the configuration of the stereoscopic video camera 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part of the description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the stereoscopic video camera 100.

  In addition to the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300, the stereoscopic video camera 100 includes an in-view angle position acquisition unit 110, a convergence angle control unit 120, and a storage unit 130. The convergence angle control unit 120, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110, the left camera unit 200, and the right camera unit 300 are connected to each other. The storage unit 130 is connected to the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300.

  The in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 identifies the main subject, and acquires the view angle subject position and the distance from the camera to the main subject (hereinafter referred to as “subject distance”). Then, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 outputs the acquired view angle subject position and subject distance to the convergence angle control unit 120.

  The convergence angle control unit 120 performs the above-described pan control based on the input view angle subject position and subject distance. Specifically, the convergence angle control unit 120 determines whether or not to reduce the contradiction of the convergence angle of the main subject in the stereoscopic image from the angle of view subject position, and how much to reduce it. That is, the convergence angle control unit 120 determines a target value of the convergence angle of the main subject (hereinafter referred to as “adjusted video convergence angle”). Then, the convergence angle control unit 120 calculates a camera convergence angle (hereinafter referred to as “adjusted camera convergence angle”) that realizes the determined adjusted video convergence angle from the subject distance. Then, the convergence angle control unit 120 performs camera pan control so as to match the calculated adjusted camera convergence angle.

  The left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 output the left-eye video and the right-eye video to the storage unit 130, respectively.

  The storage unit 130 stores the input left-eye video and right-eye video as time-series data of a plurality of still image frames in a state that can be read from the outside in a state where the time axes are associated with each other. Specifically, the storage unit 130 performs predetermined processing such as image quality adjustment, generation of a still image frame, and conversion to a moving image recording format on the video data, and a recording medium (for example, HDD, memory card, disk) ). The storage unit 130 includes, for example, a Blu-ray disc recorder and a Blu-ray disc attached to the recorder.

  The stereoscopic video camera 100 may include a communication unit that outputs video data to an external device by wire or wireless instead of or together with the storage unit 130.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 includes an image recognition unit 111, a display unit 500, and an input unit 600.

  For example, the display unit 500 displays only the image of the left-eye video input from the left camera unit 200. The display unit 500 may display a right eye image. However, when the pan control is performed by fixing one camera unit and moving only the other camera unit, it is desirable to display an image of the fixed camera unit.

  For example, the image recognition unit 111 accepts a user operation for an image displayed on the display unit 500 via the input unit 600, and identifies a main subject from the displayed image. In addition, the image recognition unit 111 tracks, for example, the main subject once identified in the video. Then, the image recognition unit 111 sequentially acquires the view angle subject position and outputs it to the convergence angle control unit 120. The angle of view subject position may be, for example, the position of the entire video area occupied by the image of the main subject within the angle of view, or the position of a representative point such as the center or the center of gravity of the image of the main subject. However, in order to perform appropriate convergence angle control regardless of the size of the main subject image, the angle of view subject position may have information on the left and right end positions of the main subject image. desirable. This is because, even when the center of the main subject is near the center of the angle of view, if the subject is displayed greatly up, the end of the main subject may hang over the end of the angle of view. Note that the image recognition unit 111 shown in FIG. 3 and the convergence angle control unit 120 and the storage unit 130 shown in FIG. 2 are included in the control unit 400 shown in FIG.

  By having such a configuration, the stereoscopic video camera 100 can detect when the main subject is located in the vicinity of the field angle end of the stereoscopic video. The stereoscopic video camera 100 can produce an effect of reducing the convergence angle contradiction only when it is detected that the main subject is located at the end of the angle of view.

  Next, the operation of the stereoscopic video camera 100 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall operation of the stereoscopic video camera 100. Here, a rough flow of processing will be described first, and details of each processing will be described later.

  The left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 continuously output the left-eye image and the right-eye image to the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 in units of frames during the operation of the stereoscopic camera 100.

  First, in step S1000, the image recognizing unit 111 recognizes a main subject from the video based on a user operation on the display video of the display unit 500 or the like.

  In step S <b> 2000, the image recognition unit 111 acquires the view angle subject position for the recognized main subject and outputs the acquired view angle subject position to the convergence angle control unit 120. Further, the image recognition unit 111 acquires the subject distance for the recognized main subject based on the left-eye video and the right-eye video and the parameters of the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300, and outputs them to the convergence angle control unit 120. The process for obtaining the view angle subject position and the process for obtaining the subject distance will be described later.

  In step S3000, the convergence angle control unit 120 determines whether or not the view angle subject position is near the end of the view angle. The convergence angle control unit 120 proceeds to step S4000 when the view angle subject position is near the view angle end (S3000: YES), and when the view angle subject position is not near the view angle end (S3000). : NO), the process proceeds to step S5000.

  In step S4000, the convergence angle control unit 120 adjusts the camera convergence angle so that the contradiction of the convergence angle of the main subject is reduced, that is, the convergence angle of the main subject approaches the convergence angle of the view angle end. Specifically, the convergence angle control unit 120 calculates the original convergence angle of the main subject with respect to the camera (hereinafter referred to as “subject convergence angle”) from the subject distance. Then, the convergence angle control unit 120 calculates a value obtained by applying the correction coefficient to the subject convergence angle as the adjusted camera convergence angle. The correction coefficient is a parameter for smoothly changing the convergence angle of the main subject when the main subject moves within the angle of view. The subject convergence angle calculation process, the correction coefficient, and the adjusted camera convergence angle calculation process will be described later. Then, the convergence angle control unit 120 performs camera pan control so that the camera convergence angle matches the adjusted camera convergence angle.

  In step S5000, the stereoscopic video camera 100 captures a stereoscopic video at the set post-adjustment camera convergence angle. That is, the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 have the normal camera convergence angle when the corner subject position is not near the view angle end, and after adjustment when the corner subject position is near the view angle end. Three-dimensional images are respectively shot at the camera convergence angle. At this time, in the recording mode, the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 output the left-eye video and the right-eye video to the storage unit 130, respectively, and record them as stereoscopic video data.

  In step S6000, the stereoscopic video camera 100 determines whether or not the end of the process is instructed by a user operation or the like. If the end of the process is not instructed (S6000: NO), the stereoscopic video camera 100 returns to step S1000, and if instructed to end the process (S6000: YES), the series of processes is ended. .

  By such an operation, the stereoscopic video camera 100 reduces the convergence angle contradiction when the main subject is located in the vicinity of the view angle end, and the original convergence angle contradiction when the main subject is not located near the view angle end. 3D images can be taken while maintaining the above.

  The details of the above-described processing for obtaining the view angle subject position, the subject distance obtaining process, the subject convergence angle calculating process, the correction coefficient, and the adjusted camera convergence angle calculating process will be described in order below.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing for obtaining the field angle subject position. In this example, the main subject is specified by user designation for the image.

  The display unit 500 displays, for example, a subject designation screen 710 as shown in FIG. The subject designation screen 710 displays a pointer 713 that can be moved by a pointing operation of the input unit 600 while being superimposed on an image 712 including the subject 711. The image 712 is, for example, the latest left-eye video or the past left-eye video input from the left camera unit 200. The pointer 713 is a virtual display object that is drawn over the image 712, and can be moved to an arbitrary position by a pointing operation of the input unit 600 and can accept a designation operation for the arbitrary position. That is, the user can designate the main subject by designating the subject 711 displayed on the subject designation screen 710 of the display unit 500 with the pointer 713. Note that the pointer 713 is not necessarily required when the input unit 600 includes a touch panel.

The image recognition unit 111 performs image recognition processing on an area around the position where the designation operation is performed in the video 712 displayed on the subject designation screen 710. As a result, the image recognition unit 111 identifies the subject specified by the user. Then, the image recognition unit 111 treats the identified subject as the main subject, performs tracking by image processing, and continues to acquire the position within the angle of view of the main subject (view angle subject position). That is, the image recognition unit 111 first obtains representative points of the main subject determined at the time of pointing. Then, the image recognizing unit 111 sequentially calculates the position in the image that is estimated as the movement destination of the obtained representative point at each subsequent time on the basis of the image feature, and the angle of view subject position (X _s , Y _s ) Get as. Thereby, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 can continue to acquire the position of the main subject moving within the view angle.

  In addition, as a specific method for specifying an object by pointing and a specific method for tracking an object by image processing, various known methods widely used in, for example, digital still cameras and digital video cameras may be appropriately employed. good.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of the process of acquiring the view angle subject position. In this example, identification of the main subject is performed by image recognition processing for the characteristics of the main subject.

  In this example, each of the main subjects to be photographed is equipped with a device that emits a predetermined marker. The marker is, for example, a light emission signal and has a predetermined characteristic that can be optically identified in the wavelength, luminance, blinking cycle, blinking pattern, and the like, thereby ensuring the uniqueness. In this case, the display unit 500 displays, for example, a subject designation screen 720 as shown in FIG. On the subject designation screen 720, an image 722 in which a plurality of subjects 721 are projected is displayed.

  The image recognition unit 111 searches for the marker 723 from the video 722 displayed on the subject designation screen 720, and performs image recognition processing on the area around the searched position of the marker 723. Thereby, the image recognition unit 111 recognizes the image of the subject on which the marker 723 is attached. Thereby, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 can continue to acquire the position of the main subject even when the main subject moves within the view angle.

  Note that the image recognition unit 111 may switch the type of marker to be handled as a marker for the main subject. In this case, for example, the image recognition unit 111 searches for the yellow marker when it is designated that the subject with the yellow marker is the marker of the main subject. Then, the image recognition unit 111 searches for the red marker when it is designated that the subject with the red marker is the marker of the main subject. Thereby, the stereoscopic video camera 100 can switch the subject as the main subject without switching the marker of the main subject.

  In addition, as a marker, a mark having a predetermined optical pattern attached to the subject, a visual feature that the subject has in advance (for example, a clothing color, a pattern drawn on the clothing, a personal feature of the body, etc.) Various other image features may be employed.

  In addition, as a specific method for specifying a main subject by image recognition, various methods employed in a known image processing technique and signal processing technique may be appropriately employed.

  Next, subject distance acquisition processing and subject convergence angle calculation processing will be described. The image recognizing unit 111 includes a ratio of a shift amount of the position of the main subject between the left-eye image and the right-eye image to the angle of view, an angle of view of the image, and an angle formed by the optical axes of the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300. From this, the subject distance is obtained. Then, the image recognition unit 111 calculates the subject convergence angle from the subject distance and the distance between the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 based on the triangulation method.

  7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining subject distance acquisition processing and subject convergence angle calculation processing.

  As shown in FIG. 7, since the stereoscopic camera 100 has different viewpoints of the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300, the left-eye image 730 and the right-eye image 740 are the same even if the images are captured simultaneously. It is not a video. In general, even if the images of the same object, a difference occurs between the position of the object image 731 in the left-eye image 730 and the position of the object image 741 in the right-eye image 740.

  For example, when the image recognizing unit 111 recognizes the image 731 as the main object in the left-eye video 730, the image recognition unit 111 searches the right-eye video 740 for the image 741 of the same object. For the search method of the image 741, for example, known image processing techniques such as feature extraction and pattern matching using luminance, color, shape, and combinations thereof may be appropriately employed.

Then, the image recognizing unit 111 uses, for example, the following expression (1) to calculate the ratio of the position difference (parallax) d of the images 731 and 741 in the horizontal direction of the view angle to the width w of the view angle as the parallax amount D. Calculate as
D = d / w (1)

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the distances from the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 to the intersection of the optical axis of the left camera unit 200 and the optical axis of the right camera unit 300 are approximately the same. Is the distance v. The following formula (2) is established for the camera convergence angle θ _c , the base line length b that is the distance between the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300, and the distance v to the optical axis intersection.
v = b / tan θ _c (2)

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, in approximately the angle of the view angle and the right camera unit 300 of the left camera 200 and the same angle theta _f. Since the camera convergence angle θ _c is a parameter controlled by the convergence angle control unit 120, it can be acquired from the convergence angle control unit 120, for example.

When the camera convergence angle θ _c approximates zero, the following equation (3) is established.
2dz · tan (θ _f / 2) = b (3)

Accordingly, in this case, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 calculates the subject distance z using, for example, the following equation (4).
z = b / {2d · tan (θ _f / 2)} (4)

  On the other hand, when the convergence angle contradiction is zero, that is, when the distance in the z-axis direction from the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 to the intersection of the respective optical axes coincides with the subject distance z, the following formula (5) and Formula (6) hold.

2v · tan (θ _c / 2) = b (5)
2 (v−z) · tan (θ _c / 2) = 2dz · tan (θ _f / 2) (6)

That is, in this case, the following expression (7) is established.
b-2z · tan (θ _c / 2) = 2dz · tan (θ _f / 2) (7)

Accordingly, in this case, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 calculates the subject distance z using, for example, the following equation (8).
z = b / {2 · tan (θ _c / 2) + 2d · tan (θ _f / 2)} (8)

  In this way, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 calculates the subject distance z and outputs it to the convergence angle control unit 120.

The convergence angle control unit 120 calculates, for example, θ _c ′ satisfying the following expression (9) as the subject convergence angle from the subject distance z and the base line length b.
tan (θ _c '/ 2) = b / 2z (9)

  As described above, the convergence angle control unit 120 adjusts the camera convergence angle so that the convergence angle contradiction of the main subject is reduced when it is determined that the view angle subject position is near the end of the view angle.

  The determination as to whether or not it is near the angle of view can be made, for example, based on whether or not it is outside a predetermined range from the center of the screen. As a simplest example, for example, the predetermined range is defined as a range of 70% or less when the center of the angle of view is 0% and the left and right ends of the angle of view are 100%. In this case, when the main subject is at a position exceeding 70%, the convergence angle control unit 120 determines that the view angle subject position is near the end of the view angle, and the main subject is at a position equal to or less than 70%. At this time, it is determined that the view angle subject position is not near the end of the view angle. For example, when the view angle subject position includes the left end position and the right end position of the main subject image as described above, the convergence angle control unit 120 is at a position where at least one of these two points exceeds 70%. At this time, it is determined that the view angle subject position is near the end of the view angle.

  The convergence angle control unit 120 calculates the adjusted camera convergence angle by applying a predetermined correction coefficient to the subject convergence angle.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the correction coefficient. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the correction coefficient. 9 and 10, the horizontal axis indicates the view angle center as 0%, the left and right ends of the view angle as 100%, the view angle subject position as a percentage, and the vertical axis indicates the correction coefficient as a percentage. When the angle of view subject position includes the left end position and the right end position of the main subject image as described above, the convergence angle control unit 120 sets the left end of the angle of view as 100% on the left side of the screen, and sets the main subject. The position of the left end of the image is the field angle subject position. Then, the convergence angle control unit 120 determines a correction coefficient and calculates a subject convergence angle. On the other hand, for the right side of the screen, the convergence angle control unit 120 determines the correction coefficient by setting the right end of the angle of view as 100% and the right end position of the main subject image as the angle of view subject position, and calculates the subject convergence angle. To do.

  The convergence angle control unit 120 stores correction coefficients 751 and 752 in advance as shown in a graph in FIG. 9 or FIG. 10, for example. The correction coefficients 751 and 752 shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are substantially zero corresponding to the position in the range not more than the above-mentioned predetermined distance from the center of the view angle, and more than the above-mentioned predetermined distance from the view angle center. The farther away, the closer to 100. The change is a smooth increase. The correction coefficient 751 shown in FIG. 9 increases toward 100 as a quadratic function. On the other hand, the correction coefficient 752 shown in FIG.

The convergence angle control unit 120 acquires a correction coefficient p (i) corresponding to the view angle subject position. Here, the symbol i indicates the field angle subject position. Here, the convergence angle corresponding to the projected amount of the main subject intended in the scene is defined as the basic convergence angle θ _c0 . The basic convergence angle θ _c0 can be arbitrarily determined by the user. For example, when the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ is larger than the basic convergence angle θ _c0 , the main subject appears to be positioned in front of the screen. Conversely, the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ is When it is smaller than the basic convergence angle θ _c0 , the main subject appears to be located behind the screen.

For example, the convergence angle control unit 120 calculates the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ from the subject convergence angle θ _c ′, the basic convergence angle θ _c0 , and the correction coefficient p (i) using the following equation (10). To do.
θ _c ″ = θ _c0 + (θ _c ′ −θ _c0 ) p (i) / 100 (10)

The state where the post-adjustment camera convergence angle θ _c ″ coincides with the subject convergence angle θ _c ′ is a state in which the optical axes intersect at the subject distance, and the left eye image and the right eye image have the same position within the angle of view. In other words, when the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ matches the subject convergence angle θ _c ′, there is no contradiction in the convergence angle of the main subject. The difference of the subject convergence angle θ _c ′ with respect to the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ is the difference of the convergence angle of the main subject with respect to the convergence angle of the image frame in the stereoscopic video.

When the correction coefficient 751 shown in FIG. 9 and the correction coefficient 752 shown in FIG. 10 are applied, the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ is equal to the basic convergence angle θ _{c0 as the} main subject moves from the center of the angle of view to the end. To the subject convergence angle θ _c ′, that is, when the main subject photographed by performing pan control so that the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ is located at the center of the angle of view. It looks like the projected amount of the scene, and approaches the distance of the image frame as it approaches the edge of the angle of view.

  Compared with the case where the correction coefficient 751 shown in FIG. 9 is applied, the case where the correction coefficient 752 shown in FIG. Stereoscopic vision can be realized. Further, when the correction coefficient 752 shown in FIG. 10 is applied, the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video can be controlled more easily because the camera convergence angle can be adjusted more smoothly.

Incidentally, adjusted camera convergence angle theta _{c "may} not always close to the basic convergence angle theta _c0 until exactly matches the base vergence angle theta _c0. In this case, for example, as a maximum value of 80% The correction coefficient p (i) is adopted, so that the feeling of fatigue given to the viewer can be reduced while giving priority to the effect of the stereoscopic image.

  Hereinafter, an effect obtained by controlling the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image described above will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an image of how the main subject is seen in the stereoscopic video generated by the stereoscopic video camera 100.

  As shown in FIG. 11, it is assumed that the main subject 762 moves from the right end portion to the left end portion of the image frame 761. When the main subject 762 is positioned in the vicinity of the end of the image frame 761, the viewer 763 recognizes the image frame 761 stronger. On the other hand, when the main subject 762 is located at the center of the image frame 761, the viewer 763 hardly recognizes the image frame 761. In the stereoscopic video generated by the stereoscopic video camera 100, the main subject 762 appears to be approximately the same distance as the image frame in the section near the right end and the section near the left end of the image frame 761, and is intended in the section in between. It appears at a distance corresponding to the amount of popping out.

  The distance of the main subject 762 in stereoscopic view changes according to the position of the image frame 761. However, the position of the main subject 762 in the virtual space in stereoscopic view is obtained not by the absolute distance of the main subject but mainly by the relative positional relationship with other subjects such as the background. Therefore, even if the convergence angle is adjusted as described above and the distance of the main subject 762 changes, the position of the main subject 762 in the virtual space hardly changes and it can be said that there is little discomfort given to the viewer.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the effect on the missing image of the main subject.

  When the main subject is located at the end of the image frame and the camera convergence angle does not coincide with the subject convergence angle, as shown in FIG. 12, due to the lack of image, an image 771 in the left eye image and an image 772 in the right eye image May vary greatly. If the images 771 and 772 are so different from each other, it is difficult to obtain a stereoscopic view of the main subject.

  In this regard, in the stereoscopic video generated by the stereoscopic video camera 100, when the main subject is located at the end of the image frame, the left-eye video and the right-eye video are in the same position within the angle of view, so that a lack has occurred. The images 771 and 772 are almost the same.

  Therefore, the stereoscopic video generated by the stereoscopic video camera 100 can be displayed using the screen to the maximum without impairing stereoscopic vision as much as possible.

  As described above, in the stereoscopic video camera 100 according to the present embodiment, when the view angle subject position is close to the view angle end, the convergence angle of the main subject approaches the convergence angle of the view angle end. Controls the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image to be shot. That is, particularly when the main subject is located near the image frame, the stereoscopic video camera 100 controls the convergence angle according to the subject distance and the angle of view subject position so that the contradiction of the convergence angle of the main subject is reduced. Form a video.

  Thereby, the stereoscopic video camera 100 reduces the convergence angle contradiction only when the main subject is located in the vicinity of the end of the angle of view of the stereoscopic video, that is, when the convergence angle contradiction is easily recognized. The original convergence angle contradiction can be maintained. That is, it is possible to display a stereoscopic image by using the screen to the maximum without impairing the stereoscopic effect originally aimed by the image creator (here, the photographer) as much as possible. That is, the stereoscopic video camera 100 can form an image that has less feeling of fatigue and discomfort to the viewer, and that retains as much as possible the presentation effects unique to stereoscopic video, such as popping out and depth in stereoscopic viewing.

  In addition, the stereoscopic video camera 100 determines whether or not the main subject is located in the vicinity of the end of the angle of view of the stereoscopic video, and appropriately controls the convergence angle according to the determination result. Thereby, for example, the photographer or the video editor does not need to manually adjust the convergence angle according to the position of the main subject.

  Note that the method of controlling the convergence angle of a stereoscopic image is not limited to camera pan control. For example, in the stereoscopic video camera 100, the camera convergence angle is physically fixed (in this case, it is desirable that the optical axis of the camera is parallel, that is, the camera convergence angle is zero), and the captured video is trimmed. Thus, the angle of convergence may be controlled.

  In this case, the stereoscopic video camera 100 may include, for example, a video forming unit that cuts out (trims) a specified range for the left-eye video and the right-eye video output from the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300. .

For example, the video forming unit stores in advance a correspondence relationship between the camera convergence angle and the trimming range, and performs trimming in the corresponding trimming range based on the adjusted camera convergence angle θ _c ″ calculated by the convergence angle control unit 120. Alternatively, the video forming unit may determine the trimming range so that, for example, the position of the main subject in the right-eye image matches the position of the main subject in the right-eye image. The video forming unit determines the trimming range so that the deviation amount between the trimming range of the left-eye video and the trimming range of the right-eye video matches the parallax amount D when the camera convergence angle is zero.

  In the above description, the upper and lower ends of the angle of view are usually horizontal straight lines, and it is rare that objects that are easily visible are arranged around the screen. The description about the case where it is located near the lower end is omitted. However, the stereoscopic video camera 100 can apply the present invention so as to reduce the convergence angle contradiction even when the main subject is located in the vicinity of the upper and lower ends. As a result, the stereoscopic video camera 100 can reduce the feeling of fatigue given to the viewer even when the top / bottom of the angle of view is not a horizontal straight line or when an object that is easily visible is arranged around the screen. It is possible to generate a stereoscopic image that retains the effect of the image.

(Embodiment 2)
The second embodiment of the present invention is an example in which the main subject and the view angle subject position are specified based on the position of the main subject in the real world.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how the stereoscopic video camera including the stereoscopic video control apparatus according to the present embodiment is used, and corresponds to FIG. 1 of the first embodiment. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the stereoscopic video camera 100a according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 400a different from the control unit 400 of the first embodiment and a subject position acquisition unit 800a.

  For example, the subject position acquisition unit 800a acquires the position of the wireless communication device 900a, that is, the position of the main subject in the real world, based on a wireless signal emitted from the wireless communication device 900a worn by the main subject. For example, the wireless communication device 900a includes a wireless tag, and the subject position acquisition unit 800a includes a tag reader.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the stereoscopic video camera 100a according to the present embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 2 of the first embodiment. The same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  The stereoscopic video camera 100a includes an in-view angle position acquisition unit 110a different from the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110 of the first embodiment. The in-view angle position acquisition unit 110a receives a predetermined wireless signal from the subject position transmission unit 910a provided in the wireless communication device 900a worn by the main subject.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110a according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 15, the in-view angle position acquisition unit 110a includes a subject position acquisition unit 800a, an view angle acquisition unit 112a, and an in-view angle position calculation unit 113a.

  The subject position acquisition unit 800a acquires the relative position and orientation of the subject position transmission unit 910a with respect to the stereoscopic video camera 100a (hereinafter referred to as “spatial subject position”) based on the received wireless signal from the subject position transmission unit 910a. To do. Then, the subject position acquisition unit 800a outputs the acquired spatial subject position to the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a.

  For example, a method using GPS (global positioning system) information can be employed as a method for measuring the position of a spatial subject using a wireless signal. In this case, the subject position transmitter 910a has a GPS receiver, acquires its own position information (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) by the function of the GPS receiver, and transmits a radio signal including this position information. . The subject position acquisition unit 800a includes a GPS receiver, an azimuth meter (compass) that acquires its azimuth from the direction of geomagnetism, and an elevation meter (tilt sensor) that obtains its elevation angle from the direction of gravitational acceleration. Have Then, the subject position acquisition unit 800a calculates the spatial subject position using its own position, azimuth, and elevation angle, and the position information of the main subject received from the subject position transmission unit 910a.

  Alternatively, for example, a method using distance measurement by UWB (ultra wide band) communication can be adopted as a method for measuring the position of the space subject using a wireless signal. In this case, the subject position transmission unit 910a has a UWB antenna, and the subject position acquisition unit 800a has a plurality of UWB antennas fixed to the stereoscopic video camera 100a. Then, the subject position acquisition unit 800a calculates the spatial subject position based on the round trip time of the wireless signal between the subject position transmission unit 910a and the subject position acquisition unit 800a and the triangulation method.

  Note that the method of measuring the spatial subject position is not limited to the above-described example, but it is desirable that the method can measure even when there is a shielding object such as a wireless connection using radio waves (electromagnetic waves).

  The angle-of-view acquisition unit 112a acquires the angle of view of the video imaged by the camera (hereinafter referred to as “shooting angle of view”), and outputs the acquired shooting angle of view to the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a. The acquired shooting angle of view may be the shooting angle of view of the left camera unit 200 or the shooting angle of view of the right camera unit 300. However, the pan control is performed by fixing one camera unit and moving only the other camera unit, and is fixed when the left camera unit 200 and the right camera unit 300 have different shooting angles of view. It is desirable to obtain the shooting angle of view of the other camera unit.

  The shooting angle of view is related to the lens setting and the zoom level. Therefore, the angle-of-view acquisition unit 112a acquires a focal length from, for example, a lens zoom mechanism (not shown), and converts the acquired focal length into a shooting angle of view. The focal length may be acquired using a method of reading the amount of rotation of the rotating portion of the zoom mechanism with a rotary encoder, which is used in a commercially available video camera or the like. The conversion from the focal length to the shooting angle of view may be performed using a simple multiplication / division operation using a fixed value unique to the camera.

  The in-view angle position calculation unit 113a calculates the view angle subject position from the space subject position and the shooting view angle. Further, the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a acquires the subject distance from the spatial subject position, for example.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall operation of the stereoscopic video camera 100a, and corresponds to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. The same parts as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same step numbers, and description thereof will be omitted.

  First, in step S1100a, the subject position acquisition unit 800a reads a wireless signal emitted from the subject position transmission unit 910a, and acquires the presence position (spatial subject position) of the subject position transmission unit 910a. Then, the subject position acquisition unit 800a outputs the acquired spatial subject position to the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a. The subject position acquisition process will be described later.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of subject position transmission units 910a, the subject position acquisition unit 800a preferably selects one of them and outputs it to the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a. For example, when there are a plurality of subject position transmission units 910a, the subject position acquisition unit 800a handles the subject having the largest natural convergence angle, that is, the subject having the shortest distance, as the main subject.

  In step S1200a, the angle-of-view acquisition unit 112a acquires the shooting angle of view and outputs the acquired angle of view to the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a.

  In step S2100a, the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a calculates the view angle subject position from the spatial subject position and the shooting view angle, and acquires the subject distance. Then, the in-view angle position calculation unit 113a outputs the view angle subject position and the subject distance to the convergence angle control unit 120. Subsequent operations (S3000 to S6000) are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Such a stereoscopic video camera 100a can specify the main subject and the view angle subject position based on the position of the main subject in the real world without performing image recognition processing.

  Details of the space subject position acquisition processing, subject distance acquisition processing, and field angle subject position acquisition processing described above will be sequentially described below.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a coordinate system that defines a spatial subject position.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the subject position acquisition unit 800a sets a coordinate system including xyz axes with reference to the position and orientation of the stereoscopic video camera 100a. For example, the positive direction of the z axis is the optical axis direction of the left camera unit 200. The positive direction of the x axis is a direction from the lens center of the left camera unit 200 toward the lens center of the right camera unit 300. The positive direction of the y-axis is a direction toward the lower side in the normal photographing state among the directions orthogonal to the x-axis and the z-axis. The unit of each axis can adopt a general distance unit such as a meter.

  Here, when the subject position transmission unit 910a is at the position shown in FIG. 17, the subject position acquisition unit 800a acquires a spatial subject position (x, y, z) composed of coordinate values. The space subject position (x, y, z) is, for example, the position of the representative point of the subject position transmission unit 910a of the wireless communication device 900a attached to the main subject.

  Then, the subject position acquisition unit 800a acquires, for example, a z-axis value as the subject distance among the spatial subject positions (x, y, z).

  18 to 20 are diagrams for explaining the process of obtaining the field angle subject position.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the subject position acquisition unit 800a acquires a horizontal field angle θ _fh , a vertical field angle θ _fv , and a spatial subject position (x, y, z). The horizontal angle of view θ _fh is a horizontal shooting angle of view of the camera. The vertical field angle θ _fv is a shooting field angle in the vertical direction of the camera.

Then, the subject position acquisition unit 800a calculates the field angle subject position (X _s , Y _s ) of the main subject 781 using, for example, the following formulas (11) and (12). The field angle subject position (X _s , Y _s ) is a value indicating the position of the main subject image 782 in the coordinate system with reference to the center 783 of the left-eye image 782, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the view angle subject position (X _s , Y _s ) is the position of the main subject 782 with the origin (view angle center) of the coordinate system being 0% and the left and right ends and upper and lower ends of the view angle being 100%. Is a value indicating the percentage.

X _s = x / {z · tan (θ _fh / 2)} (11)
Y _s = y / {z · tan (θ _fv / 2)} (12)

  Note that the coordinate system used by the stereoscopic video camera 100a to acquire the view angle subject position is not limited to the above example. For example, in this coordinate system, the optical axis of the left camera unit 200 when the convergence angle of the left camera unit 200 is zero may be the z axis. Even in this case, almost the same value can be obtained as the calculation result of the field angle subject position.

  In addition, the stereoscopic video camera 100 does not have to perform control to reduce the convergence angle contradiction in the vicinity of the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the image frame, as in the first embodiment. In this case, the stereoscopic video camera 100 calculates only the position in the left-right direction as the field angle subject position, and performs control to reduce the convergence angle contradiction only in the vicinity of the left end and the right end of the image frame.

  As described above, the stereoscopic video camera 100a according to the present embodiment acquires the field angle subject position without performing image recognition. Therefore, even when image recognition cannot be performed on the main subject, appropriate convergence angle control is performed. Can be done. Thereby, for example, even when an image of a main subject is missing due to an obstacle or an image frame, a stereoscopic image can be formed with an appropriate convergence angle.

  Note that there may be a case where the view angle subject position is outside the view angle even though a part of the image of the main subject is located within the view angle. Therefore, it is desirable that the stereoscopic video camera 100a stores a correction coefficient to be applied to the subject convergence angle even in a range where the field angle subject position is outside the field angle (that is, a range exceeding 100%).

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the correction coefficient, and corresponds to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 21, the correction coefficient 791 is set to a value (here, 100%) corresponding to the field angle subject position 100% in a range where the field angle subject position exceeds 100%. As a result, even if a part of the image of the main subject is located within the angle of view, but the angle of view of the subject is outside the angle of view, it is possible to reduce the contradiction of the convergence angle of the image of the main subject. it can. In particular, when the main subject leaves or enters the image frame, the convergence angle of the main subject changes smoothly, and the burden on the viewer can be further reduced.

  Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the convergence angle control unit adjusts the convergence angle to the corresponding adjusted camera convergence angle in response to a change in the subject convergence angle. Not limited to. For example, the convergence angle control unit may provide a delay time corresponding to the view angle subject position in the adjustment of the convergence angle. In other words, the stereoscopic video control apparatus may change the follow-up speed of the convergence angle conversion with respect to the change in the subject distance (hereinafter simply referred to as “follow-up speed”) according to the view angle subject position.

  For example, the convergence angle control unit slows the tracking speed when the view angle subject position is at the center of the view angle. Thereby, for example, when a sudden change in the subject distance occurs from time t = 0 to time t = 1, as shown in FIG. 22, at a subsequent time t = 2 to 5, the convergence angle is moderated. The movement changes in a direction that eliminates contradictions.

  The convergence angle control unit increases the follow-up speed when the view angle subject position is in the vicinity of the view angle end. As a result, as shown in FIG. 23, the change in the subject distance is a movement that rapidly changes in the direction of eliminating the convergence angle contradiction at subsequent times t = 2 to 5. In particular, when the follow-up speed is maximum (that is, the delay time is almost zero), as shown in FIG. 24, the movement that changes instantaneously in the direction of eliminating the convergence angle contradiction at time t = 2 to 5 as shown in FIG. It becomes.

  In this way, the stereoscopic video control apparatus can obtain an effect of further reducing the burden on the viewer by changing the tracking speed of the convergence angle control according to the view angle subject position. Specifically, the stereoscopic video control device is suitable for the center of the angle of view and the vicinity of the edge of the angle of view, and in a short time and instantaneously, a stereoscopic effect (for example, popping out of the screen or retracting in the back) In the long term, the convergence angle contradiction can be reduced.

  In each of the embodiments described above, an example in which the present invention is applied to a home video camera capable of shooting a stereoscopic video has been described, but the application of the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can be applied to various devices that control or generate stereoscopic images, such as video cameras for shooting movies. When the stereoscopic video is a movie, the main subject is, for example, a character who has a main role such as a hero or a character or an object that wants to attract viewers' attention in each scene.

  Further, each device unit of the stereoscopic video control device is not necessarily provided integrally in one device. For example, in the stereoscopic video control device, the control unit may be a separate device connected to other device units by wire or wirelessly.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The stereoscopic video control device and the stereoscopic video control method according to the present invention are useful as a stereoscopic video control device and a stereoscopic video control method capable of obtaining a better stereoscopic video effect while reducing the feeling of fatigue given to the viewer. . Specifically, the stereoscopic video control device and the stereoscopic video control method according to the present invention are useful for an apparatus that controls or generates a stereoscopic video, such as a business or home video camera, a video editing machine, and video editing software. is there.

100, 100a Stereoscopic camera 110, 110a In-view angle position acquisition unit 111 Image recognition unit 112a View angle acquisition unit 113a In-view angle position calculation unit 120 Convergence angle control unit 130 Storage unit 200 Left camera unit 300 Right camera unit 400, 400a Control unit 500 Display unit 600 Input unit 800a Subject position acquisition unit 900a Wireless communication device 910a Subject position transmission unit

Claims (12)

A stereoscopic video control device for controlling a convergence angle of a stereoscopic video composed of a left-eye video and a right-eye video,
An in-view angle position acquisition unit for acquiring the position of the main subject within the view angle of the stereoscopic image;
A convergence angle control unit that controls a convergence angle of the stereoscopic image according to the position of the main subject within the angle of view;
3D image control apparatus. The convergence angle control unit
It is determined whether or not the main subject is located near the end of the angle of view, and the convergence angle contradiction of the main subject is reduced when the main subject is located near the end. Control the convergence angle of stereoscopic images,
The stereoscopic image control apparatus according to claim 1. The convergence angle control unit
When the position of the main subject is near the end, the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image is controlled so that the position of the main subject relative to the end approaches between the left-eye image and the right-eye image.
The stereoscopic video control apparatus according to claim 2. The convergence angle control unit
In accordance with the distance to the end of the position of the main subject, the convergence angle of the stereoscopic video is controlled step by step.
The stereoscopic image control apparatus according to claim 1. The convergence angle control unit
When the position of the main subject is in the vicinity of at least one of the left end and the right end of the angle of view, the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image is controlled so as to reduce the contradiction of the convergence angle of the main subject.
The stereoscopic video control apparatus according to claim 2. The convergence angle control unit
When the position of the main subject is in the vicinity of at least one of the upper end and the lower end of the angle of view, the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image is controlled so as to reduce the contradiction of the convergence angle of the main subject.
The stereoscopic video control apparatus according to claim 2. Controlling the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image by controlling the camera convergence angle as the angle formed by the optical axis of the camera that captures the left-eye image and the optical axis of the camera that captures the right-eye image,
The stereoscopic image control apparatus according to claim 1. An image forming unit that performs trimming on each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image;
The convergence angle control unit
By controlling the trimming position, the angle of convergence of the stereoscopic image is controlled.
The stereoscopic image control apparatus according to claim 1. A subject position obtaining unit for obtaining a position of the main subject in the real world,
The in-view angle position acquisition unit
Obtaining a position within the angle of view of the main subject from the position of the main subject in the real world;
The stereoscopic image control apparatus according to claim 1. The subject position acquisition unit
Acquiring a position of the main subject in the real world based on a radio signal emitted from the main subject;
The stereoscopic video control apparatus according to claim 9. The convergence angle control unit
Depending on the position of the main subject, the change in the convergence angle of the stereoscopic image is made to follow the change in the convergence angle of the main subject at a different following speed.
The stereoscopic image control apparatus according to claim 1. A stereoscopic video control method for controlling a convergence angle of a stereoscopic video composed of a left-eye video and a right-eye video,
Obtaining a position of a main subject within an angle of view of the stereoscopic image;
Controlling a convergence angle of the stereoscopic video according to a position of the main subject within the angle of view;
3D video control method.

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