Multiview and multiangle image reconstruction device

An image reconstruction device includes a housing which is opened at an upper end thereof, a support plate which is arranged adjacent to a lower end of the housing, a plurality of partition walls which divide an area on the support plate into parts, rotation plates which are installed on the support plate to allow objects to be placed thereon, illuminators which are mounted to a side wall of the housing, reflection mirrors which are positioned above the illuminators, and a pair of concave mirrors which are arranged in an upper part of the housing. The pair of concave mirrors are provided in each of four directions, and these four pairs of concave mirrors are rotated above the housing by concave mirror rotation means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multiview and multiangle image reconstruction device which allows a stereoscopic 3D (three-dimensional) image to be obtained.

2. Description of the Related Art

A stereoscopic image represents a virtual image which is realized in a 3D space, and can be obtained through various methods. In one method, an image is divided into left and right parts so that the left and right parts can be respectively viewed by left and right eyes. This method includes a lenticular lens system, a shutter glass system, and a parallax barrier system. Among these systems, while the lenticular lens system and the shutter glass system can project an image to a predetermined distance, they have a problem in that the distance is very short and glasses must be put on to view the image. Further, while the parallax barrier system does not employ glasses, it has a problem in that a projection distance is so short that it is difficult to project an image over a substantial distance.

Another method for obtaining a 3D image without using binocular parallax includes a volumetric 3D display system, a holographic system, and a system which employs the focal distance of a lens or a mirror. In the volumetric 3D display system, while an image can be viewed through 360°, it has a drawback in that the size of a stereoscopic image depends on the size of a rotating screen wing and the image is not clear.

Also, the holographic system reconstructs a stereoscopic image based on a hologram technology and thereby solves various problems caused in the construction of a stereoscopic image. However, since a hologram is formed by putting, on a film, wave lengths reflected from an object, the image cannot be projected outside the film.

In addition, while the system, which employs the focal distance of a lens or a mirror, has a simple theory, it is difficult to actually realize the system. This is because a substantial amount of an image is distorted or removed by the lens or the mirror. Therefore, while the system can be manufactured using a simple principle, when actually observing the image by the eyes, it is impossible to view the image at multiple viewing points, and an unclear and dim image can be provided at a specific viewing point to cause fatigue to the eyes.

FIG. 1illustrates an example of a conventional image reconstruction device which employs a concave mirror.

The conventional image reconstruction device shown inFIG. 1includes a support plate30which is installed in a housing20, a plane mirror40which is attached to the side wall of the housing20, and a pair of concave mirrors10which are arranged in the upper part of the housing20. In the image construction device configured in this way, the image of an object50, which is placed on the support plate30, is reconstructed at a position A1.

The conventional image reconstruction device shown inFIG. 1has an advantage in that, since the image is reflected onto the concave mirrors10using the plane mirror40, the device can be miniaturized. Nevertheless, the conventional image reconstruction device has a defect in that the object50can be viewed from only one angle and the side face and the rear face of the object cannot be viewed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image reconstruction device which allows a projected image to be viewed from various directions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image reconstruction device in which a support plate for supporting an object can be moved upward and downward so that the size of a 3D image to be reconstructed can be enlarged or reduced.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image reconstruction device which allows the quality and the distance of a projected image to be freely adjusted.

In order to achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reconstruction device including a housing which is opened at an upper end thereof, a support plate which is arranged adjacent to a lower end of the housing, a plurality of partition walls which divide an area on the support plate into parts, rotation plates which are installed on the support plate to allow objects to be placed thereon, illuminators which are mounted to a side wall of the housing, reflection mirrors which are positioned above the illuminators, and a pair of concave mirrors which are arranged in an upper part of the housing, wherein the pair of concave mirrors are provided in each of four directions, and these four pairs of concave mirrors are rotated above the housing by concave mirror rotation means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the support plate is raised and lowered by raising and lowering means which is disposed on a side of the housing.

In order to achieve the above objects, according to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reconstruction device including a housing which is opened at an upper end thereof, a support plate which is arranged adjacent to a lower end of the housing, a plurality of partition walls which divide an area on the support plate into parts, rotation plates which are installed on the support plate to allow objects to be placed thereon, horizontal lenses which are mounted adjacent to the upper end of the housing, a transparent plate which is arranged above the horizontal lenses, inclined mirrors which are installed on the transparent plate, and vertical lenses which are located on an edge of the transparent plate, wherein four inclined mirrors and four vertical lenses are respectively provided in four directions and are rotated above the housing by rotation means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 2 and 3illustrate a multiview and multiangle image reconstruction device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, whereinFIG. 2is a schematic cross-sectional view andFIG. 3is a plan view ofFIG. 2.

The image reconstruction device shown inFIGS. 2 and 3has a housing1which is opened at the upper end thereof. A support plate4is arranged adjacent to the lower end of the housing1, and a plurality of partition walls6are installed on the support plate4to divide the area on the support plates4into parts. A plurality of rotation plates7are rotatably installed on the support plate4.

Below each rotation plate7, there are disposed a driven gear8for rotating the rotation plate7and a driving gear9meshed with the driven gear8. The driving gear9is rotated by a motor10, and the operation of the motor10is controlled by a controller (not shown) which is positioned outside the housing1. Since the controller comprises a conventional one for receiving power and controlling the operation of a motor, the detailed description thereof will be omitted herein. The rotation plate7can be rotated on the support plate4through the actuation of the motor10.

A raising and lowering screw2for raising and lower the support plate4is disposed on a side of the support plate4. The raising and lowering screw2is coupled to the support plate4by a coupling member5such that the support plate4can be raised and lowered through the rotation of the raising and lowering screw2. The raising and lowering screw2is driven by a raising and lowering driving part3connected to the lower end thereof.

Illuminators13for illuminating the objects50placed on the rotation plates7are mounted to the side walls of the housing1, and reflection mirrors1′ are mounted to the side walls of the housing1above the illuminators13.

Four pairs of concave mirrors11are arranged in the upper part of the housing1. The concave mirrors11are supported by a concave mirror support12. Below the concave mirror support12, there are disposed a driven gear8for rotating the concave mirror support12, a driving gear9meshed with the driven gear8, and a motor10for rotating the driving gear9. In the same manner as the motor10for driving the rotation plate7, the operation of the motor10for driving the concave mirror support12is controlled by a controller which is positioned outside the housing1. Therefore, if the motor10is actuated, as the four pairs of concave mirrors11are rotated, a projected image can be provided to various directions.

In the image reconstruction device configured as described above, the rotation plates7, on which the objects50are placed, can be rotated, and the four pairs of concave mirrors11, which are arranged in the upper part of the housing1, can also be rotated.

Accordingly, differently from the conventional image reconstruction device in which a projected image can be viewed only in one angle, the projected image can be viewed from various angles. In other words, since the objects50can be rotated, the side faces and the rear faces of the objects50can be viewed.

Further, because the objects50can be moved upward and downward by the raising and lowering screw2, the stereoscopic image can be freely enlarged and reduced to be viewed.

FIGS. 4 and 5illustrate an image reconstruction device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

The image reconstruction device shown inFIGS. 4 and 5has horizontal lenses14which are mounted adjacent to the upper ends of the side walls of the housing1. Above the housing1, there are arranged a transparent plate15, four inclined mirrors16which are obliquely installed on the transparent plate15, and four vertical lenses17which are located on the edge of the transparent plate15. The vertical lenses17are assembled in a manner such that they can be replaced with various other lenses.

In the image reconstruction device configured in this way, a stereoscopic image, which has passed through the horizontal lenses14, the transparent plate15and the inclined mirrors16, can be viewed through the vertical lenses17. Thus, by replacing the vertical lenses17, the quality and the distance of the stereoscopic image can be freely adjusted.

Other component elements excluding the above-described ones are the same as those of the aforementioned embodiment, and therefore, the detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As is apparent from the above description, the image reconstruction device according to the present invention provides advantages in that a projected image can be stereoscopically viewed from various directions.

Also, since the side face and the rear face of an object can be viewed by directly rotating the object, in particular, the advertisement effect of an article can be maximized.

Further, because the object can be raised and lowered, the size of the projected image can be freely enlarged or reduced.

Besides, due to the fact that various lenses can be attached to the image reconstruction device, the quality and the distance of the projected image can be freely adjusted.