Transmitter, display, shutter eyeglass device, transmission/reception system, display system and transmission/reception method

• US 8,988,497 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Xu, Xiaolan
• Application Number:
  US12/932,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20110216161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 348/43, 348/53, 348/42, 345/32
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/00 Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/167 Synchronising or controlling image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/30 Image reproducers optical systems for producing stereoscopic or other three-dimensional effects G02B30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0096 Synchronisation or controlling aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/008 Aspects relating to glasses for viewing stereoscopic images

Abstract

There are provided a transmitter, a display, a shutter eyeglass device, a transmission/reception system, a display system and a transmission/reception method allowed to achieve highly reliable communication between a transmission side and a reception side. The transmitter includes: a transmission section holding plural kinds of commands each represented by a plurality of bits and repeatedly transmitting a command set, the command set being configured of one or more kinds of commands which are selected from the plural kinds of commands and combined in predetermined order, in which a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as a bit pattern held in a receiver.

Claims

1. A transmitter comprising:

a transmission section holding plural kinds of commands each represented by a plurality of bits and repeatedly transmitting a command set, the command set being configured of one or more kinds of commands which are selected from the plural kinds of commands and combined in predetermined order, wherein a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as a bit pattern held in a receiver,

the receiver is equipped in a shutter eyeglass device having a left-eye shutter and a right-eye shutter,

the transmission section being configured to support a plurality of transmission modes, in which a different command set is provided for each transmission mode, and

the transmission section being further configured to detect a duty ratio of an externally provided synchronization control signal which represents an open period length of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter within a cyclic period, select one transmission mode from the plurality of transmission modes based on the detected duty ratio, and transmit a respective command set provided for the selected transmission mode for receipt by the receiver.

2. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein

the plural kinds of commands include command for instructing open/close drive of the left-eye shutter, the right-eye shutter, and both thereof, respectively.

3. The transmitter according to claim 2, wherein

the transmission section uses a complex command allowing both of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter to perform an open/close drive simultaneously, in a transmission mode in which the open duty is 50%.

4. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein

the plural kinds of commands include commands for instructing open/close drive of the left-eye shutter, the right- eye shutter, and both thereof, respectively.

5. The transmitter according to claim 4, wherein

the transmission section generates, with use of some of the plural kinds of commands, a stop command set which allows each of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter to stop open/close drive to stay just in an open state, and then selectively transmits the stop command set to the receiver.

6. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission section transmits a signal including the command set with use of one or both of infrared light and a subcarrier, the infrared light having a wavelength different from that of infrared light typically used for remote control of an existing electronic device, the subcarrier having a frequency different from that of a subcarrier typically used for remote control of the existing electronic device.

7. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to determine (i) whether the duty ratio is within a first predetermined range, in which a low end of the predetermined range is greater than 0 percent and a high end of the predetermined range is less than 100 percent, and (ii) whether a frequency of the synchronization control signal is within a second predetermined range.

8. The transmitter according to claim 7, wherein the transmitter is further configured to select the one transmission mode only when determination results indicate that the duty ratio is within the first predetermined range and the frequency of the synchronization control signal is within the second predetermined range.

9. A transmitter comprising:

a transmission section holding plural kinds of commands each represented by a plurality of bits and repeatedly transmitting a command set, the command set being configured of one or more kinds of commands which are selected from the plural kinds of commands and combined in predetermined order,

wherein a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as a bit pattern held in a receiver,

wherein the receiver is equipped in a shutter eyeglass device having a left-eye shutter and a right-eye shutter, and the plural kinds of commands include commands for instructing open/close drive of the left-eye shutter, the right-eye shutter, and both thereof, respectively

wherein the transmission section generates, with use of some of the plural kinds of commands, a stop command set which allows each of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter to stop open/close drive to stay just in an open state, and then selectively transmits the stop command set to the receiver, and

wherein the transmission section determines transmission of the stop command set, based on a duty ratio or a logical level of an externally provided synchronization control signal which is represented by binary logic.

10. A transmitter comprising:

a transmission section holding plural kinds of commands each represented by a plurality of bits and repeatedly transmitting a command set, the command set being configured of one or more kinds of commands which are selected from the plural kinds of commands and combined in predetermined order,

wherein a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as a bit pattern held in a receiver, and

wherein the command set is configured in such a manner that a position of a bit indicating command validity/invalidity is shifted, with predetermined regularity, from a command to an adjacent command among the commands which are arranged side by side in the predetermined order to configure the command set.

11. A display comprising:

a display section displaying pictures through switching plural kinds of picture streams from one to another in order; and

a transmission section transmitting a shutter control command represented by a plurality of bits to a shutter eyeglass device performing an open/close operation in synchronization with switching timing between the plural kinds of picture streams,

wherein the transmission section holds plural kinds of the shutter control commands and repeatedly transmits a command set, the command set being configured of one or more kinds of shutter control commands which are selected from the plural kinds of shutter control commands and combined in predetermined order,

a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as a bit pattern held in the shutter eyeglass device,

the transmission section being configured to support a plurality of transmission modes, in which a different command set is provided for each transmission mode, and

the transmission section being further configured to detect a duty ratio of an externally provided synchronization control signal which represents an open period length of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter within a cyclic period, select one transmission mode from the plurality of transmission modes based on the detected duty ratio, and transmit a respective command set provided for the selected transmission mode for receipt by the shutter eyeglass device.

12. The display according to claim 11, wherein

the plural kinds of picture streams include a left-eye picture stream and a right-eye picture stream which have a parallax therebetween.

13. A shutter eyeglass device comprising:

a reception section receiving a command set from a display, the display holding plural kinds of shutter control commands each represented by a plurality of bits and repeatedly transmitting the command set, the command set being configured of one or more kinds of shutter control commands which are selected from the plural kinds of shutter control commands and combined in predetermined order;

a left-eye shutter and a right-eye shutter performing, based on the received command set, an open/close operation in synchronization with switching timing between plural kinds of picture streams which are switched, for displaying, from one to another in order; and

a holding section holding the same bit pattern as a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set,

the display being configured to support a plurality of transmission modes, in which a different command set is provided for each transmission mode, and

the display being further configured to detect a duty ratio of an externally provided synchronization control signal which represents an open period length of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter within a cyclic period, select one transmission mode from the plurality of transmission modes based on the detected duty ratio, and transmit a respective command set provided for the selected transmission mode for receipt by the reception section.

14. The shutter eyeglass device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a pattern-matching section performing pattern-matching between a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set by the reception section and a bit pattern held in the holding section; and

a shutter drive section performing open/close drive on the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter based on a pattern-matching result by the pattern-matching section.

15. A transmission/reception system comprising:

a transmitter; and

a shutter eyeglass device performing an open/close operation in synchronization with a display operation in a display displaying pictures through switching plural kinds of picture streams from one to another in order,

wherein the transmitter includes;

a transmission section holding plural kinds of shutter control commands each represented by a plurality of bits and repeatedly transmitting a command set, the command set being configured of one or more kinds of shutter control commands which are selected from the plural kinds of shutter control commands and combined in predetermined order, and

the shutter eyeglass device includes;

a reception section receiving the command set from the transmission section,

a left-eye shutter and a right-eye shutter performing, based on the received command set, an open/close operation in synchronization with switching timing between the plural kinds of picture streams, and

a holding section holding a predetermined bit pattern,

a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as the bit pattern held in the holding section,

the transmission section being configured to support a plurality of transmission modes, in which a different command set is provided for each transmission mode, and

the transmission section being further configured to detect a duty ratio of an externally provided synchronization control signal which represents an open period length of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter within a cyclic period, select one transmission mode from the plurality of transmission modes based on the detected duty ratio, and transmit a respective command set provided for the selected transmission mode for receipt by the shutter eyeglass device.

16. A display system comprising:

a display displaying pictures through switching plural kinds of picture streams from one to another in order; and

a shutter eyeglass device performing an open/close operation in synchronization with a display operation in the display,

wherein the display includes;

a display section, and

a transmission section holding plural kinds of shutter control commands each represented by a plurality of bits and repeatedly transmitting a command set configured of one or more kinds of shutter control commands which are selected from the plural kinds of shutter control commands and combined in predetermined order,

the shutter eyeglass device includes;

a reception section receiving the command set from the transmission section,

a left-eye shutter and a right-eye shutter performing, based on the received command set, an open/close operation in synchronization with switching timing between the plural kinds of picture steams, and

a holding section holding a predetermined bit pattern,

a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as the bit pattern held in the holding section,

the transmission section being configured to support a plurality of transmission modes, in which a different command set is provided for each transmission mode, and

the transmission section being further configured to detect a duty ratio of an externally provided synchronization control signal which represents an open period length of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter within a cyclic period, select one transmission mode from the plurality of transmission modes based on the detected duty ratio, and transmit a respective command set provided for the selected transmission mode for receipt by the shutter eyeglass device.

17. A transmission/reception method comprising steps of:

in a transmitter, generating a command set configured of one or more kinds of shutter control commands which are selected from plural kinds of shutter control commands each represented by a plurality of bits so that a bit pattern representing a whole of the command set is the same as a bit pattern held in a shutter eyeglass device, and repeatedly transmitting the command set;

receiving the command set in the shutter eyeglass device; and

allowing a left-eye shutter and a right-eye shutter in the shutter eyeglass device to perform, based on the received command set, an open/close operation in synchronization with switching timing between plural kinds of picture streams in a display displaying pictures through switching the plural kinds of picture streams from one to another in order,

the transmitter being configured to support a plurality of transmission modes, in which a different command set is provided for each transmission mode, and

the transmitter being further configured to detect a duty ratio of an externally provided synchronization control signal which represents an open period length of the left-eye shutter and the right-eye shutter within a cyclic period, select one transmission mode from the plurality of transmission modes based on the detected duty ratio, and transmit a respective command set provided for the selected transmission mode for receipt by the shutter eyeglass device.