Stereoscopic image display apparatus and stereoscopic image producing method

• US 20080079805A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekine, Masahiro, Hirayama, Yuzo, Takagi, Ayako, Yamamoto, Sumihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,106,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/122 Improving the 3D impression of stereoscopic images by modifying image signal contents, e.g. by filtering or adding monoscopic depth cues H04N13/128 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/317 using slanted parallax optics

Abstract

A stereoscopic image display apparatus includes a two-dimensional display device having a display surface formed of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, and an optical plate which is provided in front of the display surface of the two-dimensional display device, which includes a plurality of lenses arranged so as to be respectively associated with elemental images each including a plurality of pixels, and which controls light rays illuminated from the pixels. When at least two and less than three elemental images are illuminated in one parallax direction in the case where a position of a part or whole of a stereoscopic image is located on a side nearer a viewer than a position indicating a near-side limit value Zno or on a side farther from the viewer than a position indicating a far-side limit value Zfo, the two-dimensional display device displays black in an elemental image of one parallax in elemental images of every two parallaxes.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic image display apparatus comprising:

a two-dimensional display device having a display surface formed of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form; and

an optical plate which is provided in front of the display surface of the two-dimensional display device, which comprises a plurality of lenses arranged so as to be respectively associated with elemental images each including a plurality of pixels, and which controls light rays illuminated from the pixels,

wherein when at least two and less than three elemental images are illuminated in one parallax direction in case where a position of a part or whole of a stereoscopic image is located on a side nearer a viewer than a position indicating a near-side limit value Zno or on a side farther from the viewer than a position indicating a far-side limit value Zfo, the two-dimensional display device displays black in an elemental image of one parallax in elemental images of every two parallaxes.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elemental image displayed black is increased in luminance as compared with case where black display is not conducted.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the black display is conducted when number of parallaxes and a viewing zone angle satisfy a relation

2×

L×

TAN(2θ

/N)<

Weye

where N is a total number of elemental images per lens, 2θ

is a viewing zone angle illuminated per lens, and Weye is a distance between left and right eyes.

4. The according to claim 1, wherein the black display is conducted when a width w of the stereoscopic image is less than a value of

2×

TAN(2θ

/N)×

(L−

z)

where z is a distance between a stereoscopic image and the lens surface, and L is a viewing distance.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the near-side limit value Zno and the far-side limit value Zfo are represented by

Zno=L×

D/(1+D)

Zfo=−

L×

D/(1−

D)

where

6. A stereoscopic image display apparatus comprising:

a two-dimensional display device having a display surface formed of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form; and

an optical plate which is provided in front of the display surface of the two-dimensional display device, which comprises a plurality of lenses arranged so as to be respectively associated with elemental images each including a plurality of pixels, and which controls light rays illuminated from the pixels,

wherein when at least two and less than three elemental images are illuminated in one parallax direction in case where a position of a part or whole of a stereoscopic image is located on a side nearer a viewer than a position indicating a near-side limit value Zno or on a side farther from the viewer than a position indicating a far-side limit value Zfo, the two-dimensional display device displays a background image in an elemental image of one parallax in elemental images of every two parallaxes, and the background image has no correlation to the elemental image.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the near-side limit value Zno and the far-side limit value Zfo are represented by

Zno=L×

D/(1+D)

Zfo=−

L×

D/(1−

D)

where

8. A stereoscopic image display apparatus comprising:

a two-dimensional display device having a display surface formed of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form; and

an optical plate which is provided in front of the display surface of the two-dimensional display device, which comprises a plurality of lenses arranged so as to be respectively associated with elemental images each including a plurality of pixels, and which controls light rays illuminated from the pixels,

wherein when at least three elemental images are illuminated in one parallax direction in case where a position of a part or whole of a stereoscopic image is located on a side nearer a viewer than a position indicating a near-side limit value Zno or on a side farther from the viewer than a position indicating a far-side limit value Zfo, the two-dimensional display device displays black in elemental images of two parallaxes in elemental images of every three parallaxes.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the elemental image displayed black is increased in luminance as compared with case where black display is not conducted.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the near-side limit value Zno and the far-side limit value Zfo are represented by

Zno=L×

D/(1+D)

Zfo=−

L×

D/(1−

D)

where

11. A stereoscopic image producing method for a stereoscopic image display apparatus, the stereoscopic image display apparatus comprising:

a two-dimensional display device having a display surface formed of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form; and

an optical plate which is provided in front of the display surface of the two-dimensional display device, which comprises a plurality of lenses arranged so as to be respectively associated with elemental images each including a plurality of pixels, and which controls light rays illuminated from the pixels,

the stereoscopic image producing method comprising;

acquiring near-side coordinate positions and far-side coordinate positions of a stereoscopic substance; and

inserting black or an image pattern located behind the stereoscopic substance into an image of one parallax every two parallaxes in parallax images of the stereoscopic substance, at coordinates in a direction perpendicular to the display surface included in the near-side coordinate positions and far-side coordinate positions.

12. A stereoscopic image producing method for fabricating a stereoscopic image by using a parallax image group formed of parallax images each having a depth map, the stereoscopic image producing method comprising:

inserting black or an image pattern located behind the stereoscopic substance into an image of one parallax every two parallaxes, with respect to an image located away from a display surface beyond a near-side limit position or a far-side limit position in the depth map.