Bendable stereoscopic 3D display device

• US 9,224,366 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, JuSeong, Hwang, JongHee
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/563,328
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/001 Constructional or mechanical details

Abstract

Disclosed is a bendable stereoscopic 3D display device that includes a display panel including a plurality of left-eye pixels and a plurality of right-eye pixels, the display panel being divided into a plurality of blocks; a separator on the display panel to transmit or block images output from the left-eye pixels and the right-eye pixels; a gate driver and a data driver to drive the display panel; a timing controller to receive image data and a timing signal for driving the gate driver and the data driver; and a control unit to receive a bending information on at least one of the plurality of blocks when there is a change in curvature of the display panel, reset a view map of the at least one of the plurality of blocks based on the bending information, and rearrange the image data based on the view map.

Claims

1. A bendable stereoscopic 3D display device, comprising:

a display panel including a plurality of left-eye pixels and a plurality of right-eye pixels, the display panel being divided into a reference block and a plurality of blocks outside the reference block;

a separator on the display panel to transmit or block images output from the left-eye pixels and the right-eye pixels;

a timing controller to receive an image data and a timing signal for driving the display panel; and

a control unit to receive a bending information on each of the plurality of blocks when there is a change in curvature of the display panel, reset a view map of each of the plurality of blocks based on a degree of bending, and then rearrange the image data based on the reset view map,

wherein a number of views in each of the plurality of blocks is modified so that a view information of at least one of the plurality of blocks substantially matches that of the reference block, and

wherein the view map is a coordinate information of a viewing region in which a stereoscopic image output can be viewed.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is included in the timing controller.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor unit to extract the bending information on each block, wherein the control unit determines the degree of bending for each block based on the bending information, reset the view map of each block based on the degree of bending, and then rearrange the image data based on the reset view map.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit includes a look-up table storing a plurality of optimal view maps in connection with positions of a viewer and degrees of bending of the blocks, and wherein the control unit resets the view map of each block based on the optimal view maps stored in the look-up table.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an image data arrange unit to rearrange the image data, and wherein the control unit rearranges the image data, when the image data arrange unit receives an output stop control signal.

6. The device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor unit includes a plurality of sensor electrodes, and wherein the bending information is extracted by detecting a change in electrostatic capacities or resistances of the sensor electrodes.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the separator includes a lenticular lens plate with a plurality of lenticular lenses, and wherein the plurality of lenticular lenses are inclined with respect to a pixel direction defining the plurality of left-eye pixels and the plurality of right-eye pixels of the display panel.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit resets the view map of each block so that an entire view map of the display panel substantially matches a view map of the reference block.

9. A method for driving a bendable stereoscopic 3D display device, the method comprising:

dividing a display panel into a reference block and a plurality of blocks outside the reference block;

providing a separator on the display panel;

receiving a bending information on each of the plurality of blocks of the display panel, when there is a change in curvature of the display panel;

resetting a view map of each of the plurality of blocks based on a degree of bending; and

rearranging image data based on the reset view map,

wherein a number of views in each of the plurality of blocks is modified so that a view information of at least one of the plurality of blocks substantially matches that of the reference block, and

wherein the view map is a coordinate information of a viewing region in which a stereoscopic image output can be viewed.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein resetting the view map includes selecting an optimal view map stored in a look-up table based on at least one of the optimal view maps stored in the look-up table.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the look-up table stores a plurality of optimal view maps in connection with positions of a viewer and degrees of bending of the blocks.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein receiving the bending information includes detecting a change in electrostatic capacities or resistances of a plurality of sensor electrodes.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein resetting the view map of each block is such that an entire view map of the display panel substantially matches a view map of the reference block.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein resetting the view map is such that an increase in a number of views is different depending on a location of each block from the reference block.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein as the location of each block is further away from the reference block, the increase in a number of views is greater.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the display panel is curved to be concave toward a viewer.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the image data is previously converted into a multi-view format before being reset based on the view map, and wherein a number of multi-views is equal to or greater than 2.