APPARATUS, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR DISPLAYING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGES

• US 20100033479A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirayama, Yuzo, Fukushima, Rieko, Morishita, Akira
• Application Number:
  US12/161,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033479A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/282 for generating image signals corresponding to three or more geometrical viewpoints, e.g. multi-view systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking

Abstract

A stereoscopic image display apparatus includes a detecting unit that detects a position and an orientation direction of a handheld device that is positioned on or near three-dimensional display screen; a calculation processing unit that performs a calculation process for displaying a three-dimensional image in a position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on the position and the orientation direction of the handheld device; and a display controlling unit that causes the three-dimensional image to be displayed as a conjunctive three-dimensional image in the position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on a result of the calculation process performed by the calculation processing unit.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic image display apparatus that displays a three-dimensional image by using an integral imaging method or a light beam reproduction method, the stereoscopic image display apparatus comprising:

a position detecting unit that detects a position and an orientation direction of a handheld device positioned inside or near a display space provided over a three-dimensional display screen and held by a user;

a calculation processing unit that performs a calculation process for displaying the three-dimensional image in a position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on the position and the orientation direction of the handheld device; and

a display controlling unit that causes the three-dimensional image to be displayed as a conjunctive three-dimensional image in the position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on a result of the calculation process performed by the calculation processing unit.

2. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling unit causes the conjunctive three-dimensional image to be displayed as an optical real image on a real-image side of the three-dimensional display screen and causes the conjunctive three-dimensional image to be displayed as an optical virtual image on a virtual-image side of the three-dimensional display screen.

3. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a collision judging unit that judges whether the conjunctive three-dimensional image collides with another three-dimensional image, based on the position in which the conjunctive three-dimensional image is displayed and a position in which said another three-dimensional image is displayed, wherein

the display controlling unit changes rendering of one or both of the conjunctive three-dimensional image and the another three-dimensional image, according to a result of the judging by the collision judging unit.

4. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an area judging unit that judges, based on coordinate data defining a predetermined space area positioned over the three-dimensional display screen and the position and the orientation direction of the handheld device, whether the handheld device is present within the space area, wherein

the display controlling unit changes rendering of the conjunctive three-dimensional image according to a result of the judging by the area judging unit.

5. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a photographing unit that photographs two or more point-like light emitting members provided in the handheld device and generates a photographed image, wherein

the position detecting unit derives the position and the orientation direction of the handheld device, based on a positional relationship between photographed pictures of the point-like light emitting members included in the photographed image.

6. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a selection candidate displaying unit that causes a plurality of three-dimensional images to be displayed on the three-dimensional display screen, the plurality of three-dimensional images serving as candidate images that are displayable as the conjunctive three-dimensional image; and

a selection receiving unit that receives a designation of one of the three-dimensional images serving as the candidate images, wherein

the display controlling unit causes the one of the three-dimensional images specified in the received designation to be displayed as the conjunctive three-dimensional image.

7. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a rotation detecting unit that detects a rotation angle of the handheld device, wherein

the display controlling unit changes rendering of the conjunctive three-dimensional image according to the rotation angle of the handheld device.

8. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a photographing unit that photographs at least one point-like light emitting member provided in the handheld device and a linear light emitting member provided on a circumference of the handheld device, and generates a photographed image, wherein

the rotation detecting unit derives the rotation angle of the handheld device, based on a positional relationship between photographed pictures of the point-like light emitting member and the linear light emitting member included in the photographed image.

9. A stereoscopic image display method used by a stereoscopic image display apparatus that displays a three-dimensional image by using an integral imaging method or a light beam reproduction method, the stereoscopic image display method comprising:

detecting a position and an orientation direction of a handheld device positioned inside or near a display space provided over a three-dimensional display screen and held by a user;

performing a calculation process for displaying the three-dimensional image in a position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on the position and the orientation direction of the handheld device; and

causing the three-dimensional image to be displayed as a conjunctive three-dimensional image in the position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on a result of the calculation process performed by the step of calculation processing.

10. A computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions for displaying a three-dimensional image by using an integral imaging method or a light beam reproduction method, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

detecting a position and an orientation direction of a handheld device positioned inside or near a display space provided over a three-dimensional display screen and held by a user;

performing a calculation process for displaying the three-dimensional image in a position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on the position and the orientation direction of the handheld device; and

causing the three-dimensional image to be displayed as a conjunctive three-dimensional image in the position that is successive or close to the handheld device, based on a result of the calculation process performed by the step of calculation processing.