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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A double-eye image pickup apparatus comprising:
a plurality of imaging optical systems;
a plurality of image pickup elements,
wherein one of said plurality of image pickup elements changes an objective
image formed by one of said plurality of imaging optical systems to an
image signal and another one of said plurality of image pickup elements
changes another objective image formed by another one of said plurality of
imaging optical systems to another image signal; and
an image processing means for generating a combined image by using image
signals from said plurality of image pickup elements, wherein said image
processing means executes the following steps of:
(a) extracting a plurality of pairs of corresponding points in said
objective image and said another objective image,
(b) obtaining information as to a distance from each corresponding point of
said pairs of corresponding points to a point on an object located in each
image signal,
(c) separating said pairs of corresponding points into at least two regions
on the basis of said information as to the distance to the point from each
of said corresponding points, and
(d) regarding pairs of corresponding points in a region, using image data
indicated by some of said corresponding points of said pairs of
corresponding points for generation of a combined image and not using an
image data indicated by other corresponding points of said pairs of
corresponding points for generation of said combined image, a
predetermined after-processing being applied to pixel portions of the
image data which are not used for generation of said combined image.
2. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
combined image includes a panoramic synthesized image comprising said
image signals juxtaposed and combined together.
3. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said
image processing means, with regard to any pair of corresponding points of
said pairs of corresponding points which belongs to an image connected to
a double-image non-generating area image-picked up only by one image
pickup element, uses as said combined image forming data the corresponding
point of said pair of corresponding points which is most probably
connected to said double image non-generating area.
4. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said
image processing means, with regard to any pair of corresponding points of
said pairs of corresponding points of which the distances from a double
image non-generating area image-picked up only by one image pickup element
differ, uses as said combined image forming data the corresponding point
which is nearest to said double image non-generating area.
5. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said
image processing means, with regard to any pair of corresponding points of
said pairs of corresponding points which belongs to an image connected to
a double image non-generating area image-picked up only by one image
pickup element, uses the a corresponding point in said image as said
combined image forming data, and with regard to a corresponding point
belonging to another image connected to another double image
non-generating area, moves the corresponding point in one of said images
in the direction of juxtaposition of said images and uses it as said
combined image forming data.
6. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together.
7. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said
image processing means, with regard to a pair of corresponding points of
said pairs of corresponding points in which the spacing between the
corresponding points is smaller than a predetermined spacing, uses one
corresponding point of said pair of corresponding points as said combined
image forming data.
8. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said
image processing means, with regard to at least some of said pairs of
corresponding points which require a correction of distortion before the
extraction of said corresponding points, uses one of said corresponding
points as combined image forming data.
9. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said
image processing means, with regard to at least some of said extracted
pairs of corresponding points in which a degree of blur of image foreseen
from the distance from an in-focus object plane of each of said image
pickup elements and a numerical aperture of each of said imaging optical
systems exceeds a predetermined threshold value, uses one corresponding
point of said pairs of corresponding points as said combined image forming
data.
10. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said
image processing means, with regard to at least some of said pairs of
corresponding points which appear at a predetermined spatial frequency or
higher alternately with a pixel point in which corresponding points
forming said pair are not found, after said pairs of corresponding points
are sampled, uses one corresponding point of said pairs of corresponding
points as said combined image forming data.
11. A double-eye image pickup apparatus comprising:
a plurality of imaging optical systems;
a plurality of image pickup elements,
wherein one of said plurality of image pickup elements changes an objective
image formed by one of said plurality of imaging optical systems to an
image signal and another one of said plurality of image pickup elements
changes another objective image formed by another one of said plurality of
imaging optical systems to another image signal;
an image processing means for generating a combined image by using the
image signals from said plurality of image pickup elements, wherein said
image processing means executes the following steps of:
(a) defining an image indicated by one of said image signals as a base
image and an image indicated by said other image signal as a supplemental
image,
(b) sampling a plurality of pairs of corresponding points in said base
image and said supplemental image,
(c) obtaining predetermined information as to each pair of corresponding
points, and
(d) from among said pairs of corresponding points on the basis of said
predetermined information, using either image data indicated by said
corresponding points at a side of said base image for generation of a
combined image or image data indicated by said corresponding points at a
side of said supplemental image for generation of said combined image, a
predetermined after-processing being applied to pixel portions of the
image data at said side of said supplemental image which are not used for
generation of said combined image.
12. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said
image pickup element outputting the image signal which provides said base
image has an optical axis of its imaging optical system disposed toward
said object.
13. An double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein
said combined image is a panoramic combined image comprising said image
signals juxtaposed and combined together, and said image processing means,
with regard to any pair of corresponding points of said pairs of
corresponding points which belongs to an image connected to a double image
non-generating area image-picked up only by one image pickup element, uses
the image signal which is most probably connected to said double image
non-generating area as a base image.
14. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to any
pair of corresponding points of said pairs of corresponding points in
which the spacing between the corresponding point in said supplemental
image is smaller than a predetermined spacing, uses the corresponding
point in said base image as said combined image forming data, and does not
use the corresponding point in said supplemental image as said combined
image forming data.
15. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to the
pair of corresponding points of said pairs of corresponding points in
which the spacing between the corresponding point in said base image and
the corresponding point in said supplemental image is smaller than a
predetermined spacing, uses the corresponding point in said base image as
said combined image forming data, and does not use the corresponding point
in said supplemental image as said combined image forming data.
16. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to at
least some of said pairs of corresponding points which require a
correction of distortion before the extraction of the corresponding
points, uses the corresponding point in said base image as said combined
image forming data, and does not use the corresponding point in said
supplemental image as said combined image forming data.
17. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to at
least some of said pairs of corresponding points which require a
correction of distortion before the extraction of the corresponding
points, uses the corresponding point in said base image as said combined
image forming data, and does not use the corresponding point in said
supplemental image as said combined image forming data.
18. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to at
least some of said pairs of corresponding points in which a degree of blur
of image foreseen from a distance from an in-focus object plane of each of
said image pickup elements and a numerical aperture of each of said
imaging optical systems exceeds a predetermined threshold value, uses the
corresponding point in said base image as said combined image forming
data, and does not use the corresponding point in said supplemental image
as said combined image forming data.
19. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to at
least some of said sampled pairs of corresponding points in which a degree
of blur of image foreseen from a distance from an in-focus object plane of
each of said image taking systems and a numerical aperture of each of said
imaging optical systems exceeds a predetermined threshold value, uses the
corresponding point in said base image as said combined image forming
data, and does not use the corresponding point in said supplemental image
as said combined image forming data.
20. A double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said
combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to at
least some of said sampled pairs of corresponding points which appear at a
predetermined spacial frequency or higher alternately with a pixel point
in which corresponding points forming a pair are not found and an area in
which the corresponding points forming said pair are not found, uses the
corresponding point in said reference image as said combined image forming
data, and does not use the corresponding points in said supplemental image
as said combined image forming data.
21. An double-eye image pickup apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
said combined image is a highly minute image comprising said image signals
combined together, and said image processing means, with regard to at
least some of said sampled pairs of corresponding points which appear at a
predetermined spatial frequency or higher alternately with a pixel point
in which corresponding points forming a pair are not found and an area in
which the corresponding a points forming said pair are not found, uses the
corresponding point in said base image as said combined image forming
data, and does not use the corresponding points in said supplemental image
as said combined image forming data. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image pickup apparatus using an image pickup
element such as a CCD (charge coupled device) or an image pickup tube, and
particularly to a double-eye image pickup apparatus using a plurality of
image pickup elements and an imaging optical system such as a lens.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, for the purpose of forming a wide panoramic image or
forming a highly minute image, there has been proposed a double-eye image
pickup apparatus which has a plurality of image taking systems each
comprising an imaging optical system and an image pickup element and picks
up the image of a common object to thereby form and output a synthesized
image by the use of an image signal input from each of said image pickup
elements.
A system for obtaining a panoramic image is such that the plurality of
different images of an object area are picked up at a time by a plurality
of image taking systems and the same object existing in these images is
extracted and the respective images are connected together on the basis of
relative position information in the images to thereby obtain a
synthesized panoramic image.
On the other hand, a system for obtaining a highly minute image is such
that as in the case of a panoramic image, the same object existing in each
image is extracted and an interpolating process is carried out on the
basis of relative position information in the image to thereby newly
obtain a highly minute image. A double-eye image pickup apparatus based on
this principle is such that as shown, for example, in FIG. 22 of the
accompanying drawings, a left image taking system 1010.sub.L and a right
image taking system 1010.sub.R are prepared and the image of an object
1101 is picked up by the left image taking system 1010.sub.L and the right
image taking system 1010.sub.R. A left image I.sub.L obtained by the left
image taking system 1010.sub.L and a right image I.sub.R obtained by the
right image taking system 1010.sub.R are then synthesized by sampling a
corresponding point by a CPU 1120 to thereby obtain an output image
I.sub.OUT which is highly minute as compared with a case where the image
of an object is picked up by a single image taking system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, the above-described double-eye image pickup apparatuses have
suffered from the following problems. In the apparatus for obtaining a
panoramic image, a plurality of images are connected together and
therefore are not limited within the maximum angle of field of an image
taking system and further, a panoramic image is re-formed from a plurality
of images picked up at the same timing and therefore, there can be
realized a flexible image pickup apparatus of a construction comprising a
combination of a plurality of image taking systems enough to be able to
cover a desired object area including a moving object, but images are
picked up in juxtaposed relationship with one another except for some
connected portions thereof and therefore, rather almost all image regions
become objects having no corresponding point. In this case, objects
corresponding to each other in the connected portion of the images
sometimes appear as a so-called double image in which the objects do not
coincide with each other on the formed image but exist doubly, and this
has led to a problem that the continuity of the image is lost, thus
resulting in the deteriorated dignity of the image. Here, the continuity
of the image refers to the fact that in a gazed portion, the shape
(outline or the like), density (luminance) ,etc. of an object are
connected continuously and smoothly.
Also, in the apparatus for obtaining a highly minute image, highly accurate
corresponding point relative position information (one pixel pitch or
less) is required and the image interpolating method is also required to
be highly accurate. Accordingly, when such accuracy is not sufficiently
satisfied, high frequency noise components which originally ought not to
exist may be superposed one upon another, thus resulting in rather the
deterioration of the image. On the other hand, as regards time resolution,
when it is supposed that this double-eye image pickup apparatus is used
for television, it is necessary that about 30 frames of images per second
be continuously introduced and therefore, the processing of these images
must be rapid and is desired to be as simple as possible.
The present invention has been made in view of these problems and a first
object thereof is to provide a double-eye image pickup apparatus for
forming an image which does not lose continuity from the image formation
of an area in which a double image exists and the vicinity of the area,
thereby preventing the deterioration of the image.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a double-eye image
pickup apparatus which satisfies the real time required by the image
pickup apparatus and yet is free of the deterioration of at least the
quality of image as compared with an original image before a synthesized
image is formed.
To achieve the above objects, the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the
present invention has a plurality of imaging optical systems, a plurality
of image taking systems each comprising an image pickup element
corresponding to each of said imaging optical systems, and an image
processing portion for forming and outputting a synthesized image by the
use of image signals input from said image pickup elements by
image-picking up an object, and is characterized in that pairs of
corresponding points corresponding to the same portion of said object are
sampled from each of said image signals, and with regard to at least some
pairs of corresponding points of said sampled pairs of corresponding
points, at least one pair of corresponding points of said some pairs of
corresponding points are used as synthesized image forming data and the
other pairs of corresponding points are not used as the synthesized image
forming data.
Also, said synthesized image may be a panoramic synthesized image
comprising said image signals juxtaposed and combined together, and in
this case, said image processing portion may be:
one which, with regard to the pairs of corresponding points of said sampled
pairs of corresponding points which belong to an image connected to a
double image non-generating area image-picked up only by one image taking
system, uses are said synthetized image forming data the corresponding
point of those pairs of corresponding points which belongs to an image
most probably connected to said double image non-generating area;
one which, with regard to the pairs of corresponding points of said sampled
pairs of corresponding points which differ in the distance to a double
image non-generating area image-picked up only by one image taking system,
uses as said synthesized image forming data the corresponding point of
those pairs of corresponding points which is nearest to said double image
non-generating area; or
one which, with regard to the pairs of corresponding points of said sampled
pairs of corresponding points which belong to an image connected to one of
respective double image non-generating areas image-picked up only by one
image taking system, uses the corresponding point in said one image as
said synthesized image forming data, and with regard to the corresponding
point belonging to images connected to both of said double image
non-generating areas, enlarges the corresponding point in one of said two
or more images in the direction of juxtaposition of the images and uses it
as said synthesized image forming data.
Further, said synthesized image may be a highly minute image provided by
synthesizing said image signals, and in this case, said image processing
portion may be:
one which, with regard to the pairs of corresponding points of said sampled
pairs of corresponding points in which the spacing between the
corresponding points is smaller than a predetermined spacing, uses one
corresponding point in said pairs of corresponding points as said
synthesized image forming data;
one which, with regard to at least some of said pairs of corresponding
points which require the correction of distortion before the sampling of
the corresponding points, uses one of said some corresponding points as
said synthesized image forming data;
one which, with regard to at least some of said sampled pairs of
corresponding points in which the degree of blur of image foreseen from
the in-focus object plane of each said image taking system and the
numerical aperture of each said imaging optical system exceeds a
predetermined threshold value, uses one corresponding point of said some
pairs of corresponding points as said synthesized image forming data; or
one which, with regard to at least some of the pairs of corresponding
points which, after said pairs of corresponding points are sampled, appear
at a predetermined spatial frequency or higher alternately with a pixel
point in which corresponding points forming a pair are not found and an
area in which said corresponding points forming said pair are not found,
uses one corresponding point of said some pairs of corresponding points as
said synthesized image forming data.
Also, the double-eye image pickup apparatus has a plurality of imaging
optical systems, a plurality of image taking systems each comprising an
image pickup element corresponding to each of said imaging optical
systems, and an image processing portion for forming and outputting a
synthesized image by the use of image signals input from said image pickup
elements by image-picking up an object, and is characterized in that one
of said image signals is used as a reference image for the formation of
the synthesized image and the other image signal is used as an auxiliary
image, pairs of corresponding points corresponding to the same portion of
said object are sampled from said image signals, and with regard to some
pairs of corresponding points of said sampled pairs of corresponding
points, the corresponding point in said reference image is used as
synthesized image forming data and the corresponding point in said
auxiliary image is not used as synthesized image forming data.
In this case, said synthesized image is a panoramic synthesized image
comprising said image signals juxtaposed and combined together, and said
image processing portion may be one which, with regard to the pairs of
corresponding points of said sampled pairs of corresponding points which
belong to an image connected to a double image non-generating area
image-picked up only by one image taking system, uses as the reference
image the image signal most probably connected to said double image
non-generating area.
Further, said image taking system having said image pickup element
outputting the image signal which provides said reference image may has
the optical axes of its imaging optical system disposed toward said object
lying in the front direction of the apparatus,
said synthesized image is a highly minute image comprising said image
signals combined together, and
said image processing portion may be one which, with regard to the pairs of
corresponding points of said sampled pairs of corresponding points in
which the spacing between the corresponding point in said reference image
and the corresponding point in said auxiliary image is smaller than a
predetermined spacing, uses the corresponding point in said reference
image as said synthesized image forming data and does not use the
corresponding point in said auxiliary image as said synthesized image
forming data,
said synthesized image is a highly minute image comprising said image
signals combined together, and
said image processing portion may be one which, with regard to at least
some of said pairs of corresponding points which require the correction of
distortion before the sampling of the corresponding points, uses the
corresponding point in said reference image as said synthesized image
forming data and does not use the corresponding point in said auxiliary
image as said synthesized image forming data,
said synthesized image is a highly minute image comprising said image
signals combined together, and
said image processing portion may be one which, with regard to at least
some of said sampled pairs of corresponding points in which the degree of
blur of image foreseen from the distance from the in-focus object plane of
each said image taking system and the numerical aperture of each said
imaging optical system exceeds a predetermined threshold value, uses the
corresponding point in said reference image as said synthesized image
forming data and does not use the corresponding point in said auxiliary
image as said synthesized image forming data,
said synthesized image is a highly minute image comprising said image
signals combined together, and
said image processing portion may be one which, with regard to at least
some of said sampled pairs of corresponding points which appear at a
predetermined spatial frequency or higher alternately with a pixel point
in which corresponding points forming a pair are not found and an area in
which said corresponding points forming said pair are not found, uses the
corresponding point in said reference image as said synthesized image
forming data and does not use the corresponding point in said auxiliary
image as said synthesized image forming data.
The double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present invention constructed
as described above has an image processing portion which samples pairs of
corresponding points corresponding to the same portion of an object from
image signals, and with regard to at least some of the sampled pairs of
corresponding points, uses at least one corresponding point of said some
pairs of corresponding points as synthesized image forming data and does
not use the other corresponding point as the synthesized image forming
data, whereby the deterioration of the synthesized image is prevented.
More particularly, in the formation of a panoramic synthesized image, a
double image is sometimes created near the connected portion of two
images, but by at least one corresponding point of said pairs of
corresponding points being used as the synthesized image forming data and
the other corresponding point being not used as the synthesized image
forming data, said double image is removed and also, good connection of
the image with a double image non-generating area is kept. Also, in the
formation of a highly minute image, when the corresponding points of the
pairs of corresponding points exist very proximately to each other, at
least one corresponding point of the pairs of corresponding points is used
as synthesized image forming data and the other corresponding point is not
used as synthesized image forming data, whereby any unnecessary high
frequency component created in sensitive reaction to the error of the
relative pixel position of the pairs of corresponding points or a noise
component superposed on a pixel value is suppressed. Further, in the
formation of a highly minute image, the processing in a distorted image
portion, a blurred image portion and an occlusion image portion in which
pairs of corresponding points are not found is changed as described above,
whereby the omission of any unnecessary processing procedure and the
suppression of the deterioration of image by a wrong countermeasure are
accomplished.
Also, by setting a reference image for the formation of a synthesized
image, an image having at least a predetermined level of image quality is
always output. Particularly, an image taking system having an image pickup
element outputting an image signal which provides a reference image has
the optical axis of its imaging optical system disposed toward said
object, whereby an image from at least the front of the object can always
be output without being subjected to any special processing, and even
during close-up photographing, the photographer can effect photographing
without receiving any unnatural feeling of operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 schematically shows the construction of a first embodiment of the
double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an image processing unit shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a view of the essential portions of the optical system of the
double-eye image pickup apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as they are seen in a
direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the optical axes of image
pickup lens units.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are for illustrating the positional relation of an object
when the image of the object is picked up by the double-eye image pickup
apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4A showing the position of the object when
the object is seen in a direction similar to that in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B
being a view of the effective light receiving portions of right and left
CCD sensors as they are seen from the image pickup lens unit side.
FIG. 5 shows left and right images when a composition in which a road sign
is seen on the background of an automobile is image-picked up by the
double-eye image pickup apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is for illustrating the tigonometrical survey method when the area
division by a double image area-dividing unit shown in FIG. 2 is effected.
FIG. 7 is a histogram obtained by the double image area-dividing unit shown
in FIG. 2 when the composition shown in FIG. 5 is image-picked up.
FIG. 8 shows a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing the left and
right projected images shown in FIG. 5 by an image processing portion
shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an image processing portion in a second
embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the area of the essential portions of the
optical system shown in FIG. 3 which is indicated by hatching, for
illustrating the image processing procedure of the second embodiment of
the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a view of the essential portions of an optical system in a third
embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention as they are seen in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed
by the optical axes of image pickup lens units.
FIG. 12 is a view of the effective light receiving portions of left and
right CCD sensors shown in FIG. 11 as they are seen from the image pickup
lens unit side.
FIG. 13 is a view of the essential portions of an optical system in a
fourth embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention as they are seen in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed
by the optical axes of image pickup lens units.
FIG. 14 is a view of the effective light receiving portions of left and
right CCD sensors shown in FIG. 13 as they are seen from the image pickup
lens unit side.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an image processing portion in a fifth
embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention.
FIGS. 16A and 16B are views when a composition in which a mountain is seen
on the background of an automobile is image-picked up, for illustrating
the image synthesizing process in a sixth embodiment of the double-eye
image pickup apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 16A showing left and
right images before image synthesis, and FIG. 16B showing an image after
image synthesis.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an image processing portion in a seventh
embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention.
FIG. 18 is a view of the essential portions of an optical system in the
seventh embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention as they are seen in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed
by the optical axes of image pickup lens units.
FIG. 19 shows the pixel positions of CCD sensors with respect to portions
of left and right images obtained by the optical system shown in FIG. 18.
FIG. 20 is a view of the essential portions of an optical system in an
eighth embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention as they are seen in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed
by the optical axes of image pickup lens units.
FIG. 21 is a block diagram of an image processing portion in a ninth
embodiment of the double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present
invention.
FIG. 22 is a view for illustrating the principle of a double-eye image
pickup apparatus for synthesizing two images obtained by picking up the
image of a common object by two image taking systems to thereby obtain a
highly minute image.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Some embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described
with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows the construction of a first embodiment of the
double-eye image pickup apparatus of the present invention. The double-eye
image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment obtains a panoramic
synthesized image by parallel-connecting two images obtained by picking up
the image of an object by two image taking systems, i.e., a right image
taking system 10.sub.R and a left image taking system 10.sub.L.
The left image taking system 10.sub.L will first be described. The left
image taking system 10.sub.L has an image pickup lens unit 11.sub.L as an
imaging optical system incorporated in a lens barrel, not shown, a color
resolving prism 12.sub.L for resolving light from an object into three
primary colors mounted on the image pickup lens unit 11.sub.L, and three
CCD sensors 13.sub.L (only one of which is shown) each having a
rectangular effective light receiving portion as an image pickup element
provided for each of the lights resolved by the color resolving prism
12.sub.L. The image pickup lens unit 11.sub.L is comprised of a plurality
of lenses including a focusing lens unit 15.sub.L driven by a focus motor
14.sub.L and a magnification changing lens 17.sub.L driven by a zoom motor
16.sub.L, and the motors 14.sub.L and 16.sub.L are driven in conformity
with control signals from an all-system control unit 21 and a focus zoom
control unit 22, respectively, in a control unit 20 for controlling the
optical system. On the other hand, the right image taking system 10.sub.R
is also constructed similarly to the left image taking system 10.sub.L,
and the optical axis L.sub.R of the image pickup lens and 11.sub.R of the
right image taking system 10.sub.R is on the same plane as the optical
axis L.sub.L of the image pickup lens unit 11.sub.L of the left image
taking system 10.sub.L.
Also, the lens barrels in which the image pickup lens-units 11.sub.L and
11.sub.R are incorporated are coupled to the rotary shafts of convergence
angle motors 18.sub.L and 18.sub.R, respectively, driven in conformity
with a control signal from the convergence angle control unit 23 of the
control unit 20. The rotary shafts of the convergence angle motors
18.sub.L and 18.sub.R extend in a direction perpendicular to a plane
containing the optical axes L.sub.L and L.sub.R of the image pickup lens
units 11.sub.L and 11.sub.R, respectively, and by the convergence angle
motors 18.sub.L and 18.sub.R being driven, the image pickup lens units
11.sub.L and 11.sub.R are rotated with the color resolving prisms
12.sub.L, 12.sub.R and the CCD sensors 13.sub.L, 13.sub.R, and the angle
formed by the optical axes L.sub.L and L.sub.R of the image pickup lens
units 11.sub.L and 11.sub.R (the convergence angle) is set. In the
respective image taking systems 10.sub.L and 10.sub.R, there are provided
focus encoders 24.sub.L and 24.sub.R for detecting the positions of the
focusing lens units 15.sub.L and 15.sub.R, respectively, zoom encoders
25.sub.L and 25.sub.R for detecting the positions of the magnification
changing lens units 17.sub.L and 17.sub.R, respectively, and convergence
angle encoders 26.sub.L and 26.sub.R for detecting the convergence angle.
As these, use may be made, for example, of exterior type members like
potentiometers, or members which detect the positions or angles thereof by
the sig | | |
