STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SYSTEM AND RELATED DRIVING METHOD FOR BALANCING BRIGHTNESS OF LEFT-EYE AND RIGHT-EYE IMAGES

• US 20140168393A1
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wintek Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wintek Corporation
• Inventors: Fang, Chong-Yang, Hsieh, Tsung-Yen
• Granted Patent: US 9,420,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/133 Equalising the characteristics of different image components, e.g. their average brightness or colour balance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/008 Aspects relating to glasses for viewing stereoscopic images

Abstract

A stereoscopic image system includes an image-generating unit and a modulating module. According to an image signal controller, the image-generating unit is configured to provide a first image having a first brightness during a first period and a second image having a second brightness during a second period. The modulating module is configured modulate the image signal controller during the first and second periods so that the first image has a third brightness after passing through a first lens of polarized glasses and the second image has a fourth brightness after passing through a second lens of polarized glasses, wherein the difference between the third brightness and the fourth brightness is smaller than the difference between the first and second brightness.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic image system for balancing brightness of left-eye and right-eye images, comprising:

an image-generating unit configured to;

provide a first image having a first brightness according to an image signal controller during a first period; and

provide a second image having a second brightness according to the image signal controller during a second period; and

a modulating module configured to modulate the image signal controller during the first and second periods so that the first image has a third brightness after passing through a first lens of polarized glasses and the second image has a fourth brightness after passing through a second lens of the polarized glasses, wherein a difference between the third brightness and the fourth brightness is smaller than a difference between the first and second brightness.

2. The stereoscopic image system of claim 1, wherein the modulating module comprises a luminance modulator configured to modulate a driving signal for operating the image-generating unit, wherein the driving signal has different amplitudes or duty cycles during the first period and the second period.

3. The stereoscopic image system of claim 1, wherein the image-generating unit further comprises:

a display panel having a plurality of pixels and configured to adjust a grayscale of each pixel according to the image signal controller for displaying the first image during the first period and adjust the grayscale of each pixel according to the image signal controller for displaying the second image during the second period;

a polarized unit disposed on an emitting side of the display panel for polarizing the first image and the second image to a specific polarized status; and

a polarization converting unit disposed on an emitting side of the polarized unit for polarizing the first image in the specific polarized status to the first image in a first polarized status and for polarizing the second image in the specific polarized status to the second image in a second polarized status.

4. The stereoscopic image system of claim 1, wherein the image-generating unit further comprises:

a display panel for displaying the first image during the first period and displaying the second image during the second period;

a backlight module configured to function as a light source of the display panel and adjust strength of the light source according to the image signal controller;

a polarized unit disposed on an emitting side of the display panel for polarizing the first image and the second image to a specific polarized status; and

a polarization converting unit disposed on an emitting side of the polarized unit for polarizing the first image in the specific polarized status to the first image in a first polarized status and for polarizing the second image in the specific polarized status to the second image in a second polarized status.

5. The stereoscopic image system of claim 1, wherein the image-generating unit further comprises:

a light source module configured to function as a light source and adjust strength of the light source according to the image signal controller;

a red-light display panel;

a green-light display panel;

a blue-light display panel;

a beam splitter configured to project the light source module onto the red-light display panel, the green-light display panel, and the blue-light display panel for providing red light, green light and blue light, respectively

a compound optical device arranged to receive the red-light, the green-light and the blue-light for providing the first image or the second image;

a polarized unit disposed on an emitting side of the compound optical device for polarizing the first image and the second image to a specific polarized status; and

a polarization converting unit disposed on an emitting side of the polarized unit for polarizing the first image in the specific polarized status to the first image in a first polarized status and for polarizing the second image in the specific polarized status to the second image in a second polarized status.

6. A method of balancing brightness of left-eye and right-eye images in a stereoscopic image system, comprising:

providing a first image having a first brightness according to an image signal controller during a first period;

providing a second image having a second brightness according to the image signal controller during a second period;

receiving the first image during the first period using a first lens of polarized glasses, wherein the first image has a third brightness after passing through the first lens;

receiving the second image during the second period using a second lens of the polarized glasses, wherein the second image has a fourth brightness after passing through the second lens; and

modulating the image signal controller during the first period and the second period so that a difference between the third brightness and the fourth brightness is smaller than a difference between the first and second brightness.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

modulating a driving signal so that the driving signal has different amplitudes or duty cycles during the first period and the second period; and

modulating the image signal controller according to the driving signal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a light source during the first period and the second period; and

adjusting strength of the light source according to the driving signal.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first image is in a first polarized status, the second image is in a second polarized status, and the first polarized status is different from the second polarized status.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first polarized status and the second polarized status are orthogonal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

blocking the second image using the first lens during the first period; and

blocking the first image using the second lens during the second period.