IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20110102321A1
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: SON, Kwon Sung
• Granted Patent: US 9,681,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device

Abstract

An image display apparatus including a remote control interface configured to receive a signal from a remote controller; a controller configured to calculate a first pointer position at which a pointer is to be displayed on a display of the image display apparatus based on the received signal, to determine a depth of a three-dimensional (3D) object displayed on the display of the image display apparatus, and to calculate a second position of the pointer based on the determined depth of the 3D object; and a video processor configured to display the pointer at the calculated second pointer position on the display of the image display apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an image display apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, via a remote control interface, a signal from a remote controller;

calculating, via a controller, a first pointer position at which a pointer is to be displayed on a display of the image display apparatus based on the received signal;

determining, via the controller, a depth of a three-dimensional (3D) object displayed on the display of the image display apparatus;

calculating, via the controller, a second position of the pointer based on the determined depth of the 3D object; and

displaying, via a video processor, the pointer at the calculated second pointer position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the pointer comprises displaying, via the video processor, at least one of a brightness and a size of the pointer to be brighter and larger as the pointer is displayed at a depth closer to a viewer and less bright and smaller as the pointer is displayed at a depth farther from the viewer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the depth of the 3D object depth comprises:

calculating, via the controller, a distance between multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object; and

calculating, via the controller, the depth of the 3D object based on the distance between the multi-viewpoint images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the pointer comprises displaying, via the video processor, multi-viewpoint images of the pointer on the display such that the displayed multi-viewpoint images make the displayed pointer appear as a 3D pointer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the displaying the multi-viewpoint image comprises displaying, via the video processor, the multi-viewpoint images of the pointer according to the depth of the 3D object.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing multi-viewpoint images information for a plurality of pointer depths, said multi-viewpoint image information including images of the pointer at each of the plurality of pointer depths,

wherein the displaying the pointer comprises;

reading corresponding multi-viewpoint images for the determined depth of the 3D object among the multi-viewpoint images stored for each pointer depth; and

displaying the read corresponding multi-viewpoint images of the pointer on the display.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the multi-viewpoint images for each pointer depth corresponds to the calculated pointer position.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling, via the controller, a brightness of the display according to the depth of the 3D object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controlling the brightness comprises controlling, via the controller, the brightness of an area in which the multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object are displayed on the display or the brightness of an area in which the multi-viewpoint images of the pointer are displayed on the display according to the depth of the 3D object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the controlling of the brightness of the area of the multi-viewpoint images further comprises increasing the brightness of the area in which the multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object or the pointer are displayed when displaying the multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object or the pointer as appearing to protrude to a viewer watching the display.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the image display apparatus includes a backlight unit with a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), in which blocks of the plurality of LEDs are independently driven, and

wherein the method further comprises controlling a brightness of a corresponding block of the LEDs arranged at the calculated position of the pointer.

12. An image display apparatus, comprising:

a remote control interface configured to receive a signal from a remote controller;

a controller configured to calculate a first pointer position at which a pointer is to be displayed on a display of the image display apparatus based on the received signal, to determine a depth of a three-dimensional (3D) object displayed on the display of the image display apparatus, and to calculate a second position of the pointer based on the determined depth of the 3D object; and

a video processor configured to display the pointer at the calculated second pointer position on the display of the image display apparatus.

13. The image display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the video processor is further configured to display at least one of a brightness and a size of the pointer to be brighter and larger as the pointer is displayed at a depth closer to a viewer and less bright and smaller as the pointer is displayed at a depth farther from the viewer.

14. The image display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the depth of the 3D object depth by calculating a distance between multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object, and calculating the depth of the 3D object based on the distance between the multi-viewpoint images.

15. The image display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the video processor is further configured to display multi-viewpoint images of the pointer on the display such that the displayed multi-viewpoint images make the displayed pointer appear as a 3D pointer.

16. The image display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the video processor is further configured to display the multi-viewpoint images of the pointer according to the depth of the 3D object.

17. The image display apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a memory configured to store multi-viewpoint images information for a plurality of pointer depths, said multi-viewpoint image information including images of the pointer at each of the plurality of pointer depths,

wherein the video processor is further configured to display read corresponding multi-viewpoint images for the determined depth of the 3D object among the multi-viewpoint images stored for each pointer depth, and display the read corresponding multi-viewpoint images of the pointer on the display.

18. The image display apparatus of claim 17, wherein the multi-viewpoint images for each pointer depth corresponds to the calculated pointer position.

19. The image display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to control a brightness of the display according to the depth of the 3D object.

20. The image display apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to control the brightness of an area in which the multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object are displayed on the display or the brightness of an area in which the multi-viewpoint images of the pointer are displayed on the display according to the depth of the 3D object.

21. The image display apparatus of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to control the brightness of the area of the multi-viewpoint images by increasing the brightness of the area in which the multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object or the pointer are displayed when displaying the multi-viewpoint images of the 3D object or the pointer as appearing to protrude to a viewer watching the display.

22. The image display apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a backlight unit with a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), in which blocks of the plurality of LEDs are independently driven, and

wherein the controller is further configured to control a brightness of a corresponding block of the LEDs arranged at the calculated position of the pointer.