DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SETTING SENSE OF DEPTH THEREOF

• US 20120013604A1
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KANG, Ho-woong
• Application Number:
  US13/012,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20120013604A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A display apparatus is provided. The display apparatus includes a display and an image extractor that extracts a reference object included in an input image, an image converter that calculates a distance from a position on a screen at which the input image is displayed to a virtual position of the reference object when the reference object is expressed as a 3D image. The display apparatus automatically sets a depth corresponding to the distance, and a controller controls the display unit to display the input image as a 3D image according to the set depth.

Claims

1. A method for setting a sense of depth of a display apparatus, the method comprising:

extracting a reference object included in an input image;

calculating a distance from a position on a screen at which the input image is displayed to a virtual position of the reference object when the reference object is expressed as a 3-dimensional (3D) image;

automatically setting a depth corresponding to the distance; and

displaying the input image as a 3D image according to the set depth.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the calculating the distance comprises calculating the distance based on at least one of a viewer'"'"'s age, a size of the screen, a distance between the screen and a viewer, a distance between the viewer'"'"'s eyes, and a size of the reference object.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the calculating the distance comprises, if a size of the reference object is changed as the reference object is extracted on a real time basis, calculating the distance based on a change in a distance between a viewer and the screen, and a change in the size of the reference object.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising storing a type of the reference object and a standard size of the reference object.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the calculating the distance comprises:

identifying a type of the extracted reference object and a size of the extracted reference object;

comparing the identified size with the stored standard size and determining a ratio of the identified size to the stored standard size; and

calculating the distance based on a distance between a viewer and the screen of the display apparatus, and the determined ratio.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the setting the depth comprises setting the depth automatically by changing a separation distance between a left-eye image and a right-eye image of the input image based on the calculated distance.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the storing the standard size comprises storing the standard size so that the standard size is in inverse proportion to a size of the screen.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the setting comprises setting the depth automatically by changing the separation distance between the left-eye image and the right-eye image of the input image according to a viewer'"'"'s age or a distance between the viewer'"'"'s eyes.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising displaying a screen to input at least one of a viewer'"'"'s age, a distance between the viewer'"'"'s eyes, and a distance between the viewer and the screen.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the calculating the distance comprises calculating the distance based on a viewer'"'"'s age, a size of the screen, a distance between the screen and a viewer, a distance between the viewer'"'"'s eyes, and a size of the reference object.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reference object is a human face, an apple, a car, a soccer ball, or a baseball bat.

10. A display apparatus comprising:

a display unit;

an image extractor that extracts a reference object included in an input image;

an image converter that calculates a distance from a position on a screen at which the input image is displayed to a virtual position of the reference object when the reference object is expressed as a 3D image, and automatically sets a depth corresponding to the distance; and

a controller that controls the display unit to display the input image as a 3D image according to the set depth.

11. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image converter calculates the distance based on at least one of a viewer'"'"'s age, a size of the screen, a distance between the screen and a viewer, a distance between the viewer'"'"'s eyes, and a size of the reference object.

12. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein, if a size of the reference object is changed as the reference object is extracted on a real time basis, the image converter calculates the distance based on a change in a distance between a viewer and the screen, and a change in the size of the reference object.

13. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a storage unit that stores a type of the reference object and a standard size of the reference object.

14. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the image converter comprises:

an identification unit that identifies a type of the extracted reference object and a size of the extracted reference object;

a determiner that compares the identified size with the stored standard size and determines a ratio of the identified size to the stored standard size;

a calculator that calculates the distance based on a distance between a viewer and the screen of the display apparatus, and the determined ratio; and

a processor that sets the depth automatically by changing a separation distance between a left-eye image and a right-eye image of the input image based on the calculated distance.

15. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the storage unit stores the standard size so that the standard size is in inverse proportion to a size of the screen.

16. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor sets the depth automatically by changing the separation distance between the left-eye image and the right-eye image of the input image according to a viewer'"'"'s age or a distance between viewer'"'"'s eyes.

17. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a user interface that receives at least one of a viewer'"'"'s age, a distance between the viewer'"'"'s eyes, and a distance between the viewer and the screen.