STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20140139647A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: NAGATANI, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US14/041,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139647A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/144 for flicker reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/373 for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a stereoscopic image display device includes a display unit, a first obtaining unit, a measuring unit, a determining unit, and a parallax control unit. The display unit displays thereon a stereoscopic image. The first obtaining unit obtains a captured image that is obtained by capturing a space including a viewing position in which a viewer supposed to view the stereoscopic image. The measuring unit measures an angle of convergence of the viewer who appears in the captured image that is obtained by the first obtaining unit. The determining unit determines based on the angle of convergence measured by the measuring unit whether the viewer is fatigued. The parallax control unit performs control to reduce an amount of parallax of the stereoscopic image when the determining unit determines that the viewer is fatigued.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic image display device comprising:

a display unit to display thereon a stereoscopic image;

a first obtaining unit to obtain a captured image that is obtained by capturing a space including a viewing position in which a viewer supposed to view the stereoscopic image;

a measuring unit to measure an angle of convergence of the viewer who appears in the captured image;

a determining unit to determine based on the angle of convergence measured by the measuring unit whether the viewer is fatigued; and

a parallax control unit to perform control to reduce an amount of parallax of the stereoscopic image when the determining unit determines that the viewer is fatigued.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines that the viewer is fatigued when a difference between a parallactic angle corresponding to the amount of parallax of the stereoscopic image and the angle of convergence measured by the measuring unit is equal to or greater than a first reference value.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines that the viewer is fatigued when a fluctuation range of fluctuation in the angle of convergence measured by the measuring unit is equal to or greater than a second reference value.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit to store therein a piece of facial feature information and a critical amount of parallax in association with each other for each viewer, the facial feature information for identifying a face image, the critical amount of parallax indicating an amount of parallax of critical level at which the viewer can perform stereoscopic viewing;

an authenticating unit to

extract a face image included in the captured image,

determine whether a piece of facial feature information for identifying the extracted face image is stored in the storage unit, and

authenticate the viewer who corresponds to the piece of facial feature information for identifying the extracted face image as a target for determination performed by the determining unit; and

a calibrating unit to perform a calibration operation for determining the critical amount of parallax.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein

the calibrating unit performs the calibration operation for determining the critical amount of parallax of the viewer who is unregistered and who corresponds to the face image included in the captured image when the authenticating unit determines that the piece of facial feature information for identifying the extracted face image is not stored in the storage unit.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein

the calibrating unit stores, in the storage unit, the critical amount of parallax that is obtained as a result of the calibration operation and a piece of facial feature information for identifying the face image of the viewer who is unregistered in association with each other.

7. The device according to claim 4, further comprising a second obtaining unit to obtain an input image, wherein

the parallax control unit stores, in the storage unit, a preset input amount of parallax that indicates an amount of parallax of the input image in association with the viewer, as a control amount of parallax that indicates the amount of parallax to be subject to control when the critical amount of parallax corresponding to the viewer who has been authenticated by the authenticating unit is greater than the input amount of parallax.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein

the parallax control unit stores, in the storage unit, the critical amount of parallax as the control amount of parallax in association with the viewer when the critical amount of parallax corresponding to the viewer is smaller than the input amount of parallax.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the parallax control unit performs control to generate the stereoscopic image based on the control amount of parallax corresponding to the viewer who has been authenticated by the authenticating unit as well as based on the input image, and performs control to display the generated stereoscopic image on the display unit.

10. The device according to claim 4, wherein

the measuring unit extracts a face image of the viewer, who has been authenticated by the authenticating unit, from the captured image and measures the angle of convergence using the extracted face image.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein

the determining unit determines based on the angle of convergence measured by the measuring unit whether the viewer who has been authenticated by the authenticating unit is fatigued, and

the parallax control unit performs control to reduce the control amount of parallax corresponding to the viewer when the determining unit determines that the viewer who has been authenticated by the authenticating unit is fatigued.

12. The device according to claim 4, wherein, when the reduced amount of parallax falls below the input amount of parallax by an amount equal to or greater than a third reference value, the calibrating unit once again performs the calibration operation and stores, in the storage unit, the critical amount of parallax that is obtained as a result of the calibration operation, in association with the viewer who has been authenticated by the authenticating unit, as a latest control amount of parallax.

13. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the calibration unit includes

a first identifying unit to perform control to vary an amount of parallax of a test image used in measuring a fusion limit to identify the fusion limit of the viewer, the fusion limit indicating an amount of parallax at which the viewer who is viewing the stereoscopic image cannot perform fusion;

and

a deciding unit to decide on the critical amount of parallax based on the fusion limit identified by the first identifying unit.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the calibration unit includes

a second identifying unit to perform control to identify a convergence near point which indicates an angle of convergence of critical level at which the viewer can bring the eyes closer to each other by making the viewer turn a point of sight so that the angle of convergence goes on increasing;

and

the deciding unit to decide on the critical amount of parallax based on the fusion limit identified by the first identifying unit and based on the convergence near point identified by the second identifying unit.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first identifying unit performs control to go on increasing the amount of parallax of the test image to identify, as the fusion limit of the viewer, the amount of parallax of the test image at a point of time when the viewer who is viewing the stereoscopic image cannot perform fusion.

16. An image processing device comprising:

a first obtaining unit to obtain a captured image that is obtained by capturing a space including a viewing position in which a viewer supposed to view a stereoscopic image that is displayed;

a measuring unit to measure an angle of convergence of the viewer who appears in the captured image;

a determining unit to determine based on the angle of convergence measured by the measuring unit whether the viewer is fatigued; and

a parallax control unit to perform control to reduce an amount of parallax of the stereoscopic image when the determining unit determines that the viewer is fatigued.

17. An image processing method comprising:

obtaining a captured image that is obtained by capturing a space including a viewing position in which a viewer supposed to view a stereoscopic image that is displayed;

measuring an angle of convergence of the viewer who appears in the captured image;

determining based on the angle of convergence whether the viewer is fatigued; and

performing control to reduce an amount of parallax of the stereoscopic image when the viewer is fatigued.