Three-dimensional image display device and three-dimensional image display method

• US 8,427,528 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saishu, Tatsuo, Fukushima, Rieko
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US11/911,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 348/51, 348/42
• US Class Current: 348/51
• 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 13/351 for displaying simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/373 for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements

Abstract

It is made possible to provide a three-dimensional image display device by which a viewing zone can be readily adjusted in the parallel-ray one-dimensional IP system, without a decrease in processing speed. A three-dimensional image display device includes: an elemental image display unit that has pixels arranged in a matrix form in a display plane, and displays an elemental image; an optical plate that is placed to face the elemental image display unit, extends straightly in a vertical direction, and controls a light ray from the elemental image display unit, the optical plate having optical apertures arranged at intervals in a horizontal direction; and an image data converting unit that converts image data so as to replace missing image data with a neighboring parallax component in same the elemental image, based on the average width of elemental images in an input image data and the optimum average width of elemental images in a three-dimensional video image to be output.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional image display device comprising:

an image display unit configured to display a plurality of elemental images including a plurality of parallax component images on a display plane;

an optical plate facing the image display unit and including a plurality of optical apertures configured to control a direction of light emitted from the image display device, each optical aperture being associated with one of the plurality of elemental images, extending along a first direction and arranged in a second direction; and

an image data converting unit including;

an elemental image width adjustment value calculating unit configured to calculate an adjustment in an average value of widths of the plurality of elemental images;

a pixel conversion rule generating unit configured to generate a conversion rule for converting pixels of an input image based on the calculated adjustment; and

a pixel converting unit configured to convert one or more of the pixels of the input image to be displayed by the image display unit.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the image data converting unit further includes a temperature detecting unit configured to detect a temperature in a vicinity of the device and wherein the elemental image width adjustment value calculating unit uses the detected temperature to calculate the adjustment.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the image data converting unit further includes a distance detecting unit that detects a viewer distance and wherein the elemental image width adjustment value calculating unit uses the detected viewer distance to calculate the adjustment.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the image data converting unit is further configured to determine missing image data based on the adjustment and accordingly converts the one or more of the pixels of the input image.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the missing image data includes missing pixels located between an old viewing boundary and a new viewing boundary and wherein the old viewing boundary is changed to the new viewing boundary based on the adjustment.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the pixel converting unit is further configured to replace information related to the missing pixels with information related to neighboring pixels.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel converting unit is further configured to replace information related to the one or more of the pixels with information related to neighboring pixels.

8. A three-dimensional image display method for displaying a three-dimensional image, the method performed by a three-dimensional image display device which comprises an image display unit configured to display a plurality of elemental images including a plurality of parallax component images on a display plane;

and an optical plate facing the image display unit and including a plurality of optical apertures, each optical aperture being associated with one of the plurality of elemental images, extending along a first direction and arranged in a second direction, the method comprising;

calculating an adjustment in an average value of widths of the plurality of elemental images;

generating a conversion rule for converting pixels of an input image based on the calculated adjustment; and

converting one or more of the pixels of the input image to be displayed by the image display unit.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising converting image data into a display format of the elemental image display unit through a selective converting operation in which some pixels in an input multi-viewpoint image are not converted but some other pixels are converted at two or more locations.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising converting image data into a display format of the elemental image display unit through a selective converting operation in which some pixels in a format having pixels of an input multi-viewpoint image arranged in a tile-like fashion but some other pixels are converted at two or more locations.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising determining missing image data based on the adjustment and accordingly converting the one or more of the pixels of the input image.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein determining the missing image data includes determining missing pixels located between an old viewing boundary and a new viewing boundary and wherein the old viewing boundary is changed to the new viewing boundary based on the adjustment.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising replacing information related to the missing pixels with information related to neighboring pixels.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a distance from the display plane to a viewer; and

calculating the adjustment based on the detected distance.

15. The method according to claim 8, further comprising replacing information related to the one or more of the pixels with information related to neighboring pixels.

16. The method according to claim 8, further comprising detecting a temperature in a vicinity of the device and using the detected temperature to calculate the adjustment.