Three-dimensional display device and method using hybrid position-tracking system

• US 7,616,187 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cha, Kyung-hoon, Kim, Dae-sik, Koo, Jae-phil
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu; Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARIFI-TAFRESHI, KOOSHA
• Application Number:
  US11/320,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20060227103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6, 345/156, 715/864, 348/51, 348/59
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/30 involving parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/371 for tracking viewers with different interocular distances; for tracking rotational head movements around the vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/376 for tracking left-right translational head movements, i.e. lateral movements

Abstract

A 3D display device and method using a hybrid position-tracking system is provided, along with a method for displaying the 3D image. The 3D display device includes a main body, a display, a camera, a first calculation part, a gyroscope, a second calculation part, and a Kalman filter. The display provides a 3D image and the first calculation part calculates a relative posture change of the display with respect to a viewing position on the basis of the image photographed by the camera. The gyroscope is mounted in the main body to sense a change in an angular velocity of the display. The second calculation part calculates a relative posture change of the display and the Kalman filter receives the calculation results obtained by the first and second calculation parts to calculate a corrected-posture-change amount of the display.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional (3D) display device comprising:

a main body;

a display which displays a 3D image;

a camera which is mounted in the main body;

a gyroscope which is mounted in the main body and senses a change in an angular velocity of the display;

a calculation unit which calculates a first relative posture change amount of the display with respect to a viewing position based on an image of a user photographed by the camera and calculates a second relative posture change amount of the display with respect to the viewing position based on the change in the angular velocity sensed by the gyroscope; and

a Kalman filter which receives the first and second relative posture change amounts calculated by the calculation unit and calculates a corrected posture change amount of the display,

wherein when a relative position between the user and the display is changed, a user is able to view an image signal for a left eye and an image signal for a right eye in viewing regions where a right eye and a left eye of the user are positioned, respectively, without conversion of the image signal for the left eye to the image signal for the right eye, and the image signal for the right eye to the image signal for the left eye.

2. The 3D display device of claim 1, wherein the calculation unit comprises a first calculation part which calculates the first relative posture change amount and a second calculation part which calculates the second relative posture change amount.

3. The 3D display device of claim 2, wherein the first calculation part measures an interval (D=f*d1/d2) between the display and the user using trigonometry on the basis of an interval dl between the left and right eyes of the user calculated by Bayesian Classifier, an interval d2 between the left and right eyes of the user on the display calculated through calibration of the camera, and a focal length f of the camera, and the first calculation part calculates a rotation amount of the display with respect to the viewing position on the basis of a displacement of the user photographed by the camera and displayed on the display.

4. The 3D display device of claim 3, wherein a sample period of the rotation amount of the display calculated by the first calculation part is approximately 12 through 30 Hz.

5. The 3D display device of claim 2, wherein the second calculation part calculates a rotation amount of the display by integrating the angular velocity sensed by the gyroscope over a time axis.

6. The 3D display device of claim 3, wherein the second calculation part calculates a rotation amount of the display by integrating the angular velocity sensed by the gyroscope over a time axis.

7. The 3D display device of claim 2, wherein a sample period of a rotation amount of the display calculated by the second calculation part is approximately 80 through 120 Hz.

8. The 3D display device of claim 1, wherein the Kalman filter calculates a corrected rotation amount of the display through a sensor coupling of the camera with the gyroscope.

9. The 3D display device of claim 1, wherein the camera and the gyroscope are mounted in an inside or on an outside of the display.

10. The 3D display device of claim 1, wherein the display is a portable mobile display.

11. A method for displaying a three-dimensional (3D) image, the method comprising:

calculating a first posture change amount of a display of a 3D display device with respect to a viewing position based on an image of a user photographed by a camera of the 3D display device;

calculating a second posture change amount of the display with respect to the viewing position based on a change in an angular velocity of the display sensed by a gyroscope of the 3D display device;

calculating a corrected posture change amount of the display in a Kalman filter of the 3D display device based upon the first and second relative posture amounts which are calculated;

wherein when a relative position between a user and the display is changed, a user is able to view an image signal for a left eye and an image signal for a right eye in viewing regions where a right eye and a left eye of the user are positioned, respectively, without conversion of the image signal for the left eye to the image signal for the right eye, and the image signal for the right eye to the image signal for the left eye.

12. The method for displaying the 3D image of claim 11, wherein the calculating of the first posture change amount comprises measuring an interval (D=f*d1/d2) between the display and the user using trigonometry on the basis of an interval d1 between the left and right eyes of the user calculated by Bayesian Classifier, an interval d2 between the left and right eyes of the user on the display calculated through calibration of the camera, and a focal length f of the camera, and calculating a rotation amount of the display with respect to the viewing position on the basis of a displacement of the user photographed by the camera and displayed on the display.

13. The method for displaying the 3D image of claim 12, wherein a sample period of the rotation amount of the display is approximately 12 through 30 Hz.

14. The method for displaying the 3D image of claim 11, wherein the calculating of the second posture change amount comprises calculating a rotation amount of the display by integrating the angular velocity sensed by the gyroscope over a time axis.

15. The method for displaying the 3D image of claim 14, wherein a sample period of the rotation amount of the display is approximately 80 through 120 Hz.

16. The method for displaying the 3D image of claim 11, wherein the Kalman filter calculates a corrected rotation amount of the display through a sensor coupling of the camera with the gyroscope.

17. The method for displaying the 3D image of claim 11, wherein the camera and the gyroscope are mounted in an inside or on an outside of the display.