IMAGE DATA PROCESSING METHOD AND STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE DISPLAY USING THE SAME

• US 20140035902A1
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: An, Cheunghwan, Park, Myungsoo, Chin, Kyungah
• Granted Patent: US 9,355,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/144 for flicker reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing

Abstract

An image data processing method comprises: extracting a depth map from an input image; separating the input image into a foreground area and a background area based on grayscales of the depth map; and modulating the maximum depth value of the input image to become smaller and the difference between depth values of a gray grayscale segment of the depth map to be greater than the difference between depth values of the foreground area and background area of the input image.

Claims

1. An image data processing method comprising:

extracting a depth map from an input image;

separating the input image into a foreground area and a background area based on grayscales of the depth map; and

modulating the maximum depth value of the input image to become smaller and the difference between depth values of a gray grayscale segment of the depth map to be greater than the difference between depth values of the foreground area and background area of the input image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the depth values of the foreground area are depth values of the image corresponding to a white grayscale portion of the depth map, and

the depth values of the background area are depth values of the image corresponding to a black grayscale portion of the depth map,

wherein a gray grayscale portion comprises depth values of the image which consist of grayscale values between the white grayscale portion and the black grayscale portion.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accentuating the sharpness of pixel data of the foreground image to increase the sharpness of the foreground image, or blurring pixel data of the background image to decrease the sharpness of the background image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the input image to determine whether the input image is a moving image or still image;

if the input image is a moving image, accentuating the sharpness of pixel data of the foreground image to increase the sharpness of the foreground image, or blurring pixel data of the background image to decrease the sharpness of the background image; and

if the input image is a still image, maintaining depth information of the input image as input depth values.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the input image to determine whether the input image is a moving image or still image;

if the input image is a moving image, accentuating the sharpness of pixel data of the foreground image to increase the sharpness of the foreground image, or blurring pixel data of the background image to decrease the sharpness of the background image; and

if the input image is a still image, maintaining depth information of the input image as input depth values.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the modulating of the maximum depth value of the input image to become smaller and the difference between depth values of a gray grayscale segment of the depth map to be greater than the difference between depth values of the foreground area and background area of the input image,

the depth values are modulated based on a depth modulation curve divided into a first curved segment for modulating the depth values of the foreground area, a second curved segment for modulating the depth values of the gray grayscale portion, and a third curved segment for modulating the depth values of the background area,

the depth modulation curve has a different slope for each segment between the x-axis on which input depth values are defined and the y-axis on which output depth values are defined, and

the slope of the second curved segment is greater than the slope of each of the first and third curved segments.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, in the modulating of the maximum depth value of the input image to become smaller and the difference between depth values of a gray grayscale segment of the depth map to be greater than the difference between depth values of the foreground area and background area of the input image,

the depth values are multiplied by a weighted value proportional to the slope of the curve.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the modulating of the maximum depth value of the input image to become smaller and the difference between depth values of a gray grayscale segment of the depth map to be greater than the difference between depth values of the foreground area and background area of the input image,

the depth values are modulated based on a look-up table which stores a depth modulation curve divided into a first curved segment for modulating the depth values of the foreground area, a second curved segment for modulating the depth values of the gray grayscale portion, and a third curved segment for modulating the depth values of the background area,

the depth modulation curve has a different slope for each segment between the x-axis on which input depth values are defined and the y-axis on which output depth values are defined, and

the slope of the second curved segment is greater than the slope of each of the first and third curved segments.

9. A stereoscopic image display comprising:

a depth map extractor that extracts a depth map from an input image;

an image separator that separates the input image into a foreground area and a background area based on grayscales of the depth map; and

a depth modulator that modulates the maximum depth value of the input image to become smaller and the difference between depth values of a gray grayscale segment of the depth map to be greater than the difference between depth values of the foreground area and background area of the input image.

10. The stereoscopic image display of claim 9, wherein the depth values of the foreground area are depth values of the image corresponding to a white grayscale portion of the depth map, and

the depth values of the background area are depth values of the image corresponding to a black grayscale portion of the depth map,

wherein a gray grayscale portion comprises depth values of the image which consist of grayscale values between the white grayscale portion and the black grayscale portion.

11. The stereoscopic image display of claim 9, further comprising a sharpness adjuster that accentuates the sharpness of pixel data of the foreground image to increase the sharpness of the foreground image, or blurs pixel data of the background image to decrease the sharpness of the background image.

12. The stereoscopic image display of claim 9, further comprising:

an image analyzer that analyzes the input image to determine whether the input image is a moving image or still image;

a sharpness adjuster that, if the input image is a moving image, accentuates the sharpness of pixel data of the foreground image to increase the sharpness of the foreground image, or blurs pixel data of the background image to decrease the sharpness of the background image,

wherein if the input image is a still image, depth information of the input image is maintained as input depth values.

13. The stereoscopic image display of claim 9, wherein the depth modulator modulates the depth values based on a depth modulation curve divided into a first curved segment for modulating the depth values of the foreground area, a second curved segment for modulating the depth values of the gray grayscale portion, and a third curved segment for modulating the depth values of the background area,

the depth modulation curve has a different slope for each segment between the x-axis on which input depth values are defined and the y-axis on which output depth values are defined, and

the slope of the second curved segment is greater than the slope of each of the first and third curved segments.

14. The stereoscopic image display of claim 13, wherein the depth modulator multiplies the depth values by a weighted value proportional to the slope of the curve.

15. The stereoscopic image display of claim 9, wherein the depth modulator modulates the depth values based on a look-up table which stores a depth modulation curve divided into a first curved segment for modulating the depth values of the foreground area, a second curved segment for modulating the depth values of the gray grayscale portion, and a third curved segment for modulating the depth values of the background area,

the depth modulation curve has a different slope for each segment between the x-axis on which input depth values are defined and the y-axis on which output depth values are defined, and

the slope of the second curved segment is greater than the slope of each of the first and third curved segments.