Three-dimensional image display device and driving method thereof

• US 9,319,674 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Tae-Wook, Lee, JaeWoo, Kim, HyeJin, Park, Myung-Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US13/443,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• 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 13/327 Calibration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/376 for tracking left-right translational head movements, i.e. lateral movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video

Abstract

Disclosed are a 3D image display device and a driving method thereof. The 3D image display device includes a panel, a barrier panel, an image collector, and a timing controller. The panel includes a plurality of left-eye pixels and right-eye pixels. The barrier panel is disposed at a front surface of the panel, and includes a light transmitting area and a light blocking area. The image collector collects images of an object. The timing controller sets and stores a view map with the images in a view map correction mode and, in a 3D viewing mode, determines which of a plurality of viewing zones for a 3D image the object is located in and generates a barrier control signal for driving the barrier panel according to the determined result.

Claims

1. A Three-Dimensional (3D) image display device, comprising:

a panel comprising a plurality of left-eye pixels and right-eye pixels;

a barrier panel disposed at a front surface of the panel, and comprising a light transmitting area and a light blocking area for transmitting or blocking a left-eye image and a right-eye image which are respectively outputted from the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel;

an image collector collecting images of a user; and

a controller setting and storing a view map with the images of the user in a view map correction mode that is selected by the user,

wherein in a 3D viewing mode, the controller determines which of a plurality of viewing zones for a 3D image current position coordinates of the user correspond to using the view map set and stored in the view map correction mode that is selected by the user and the current position coordinates extracted by using the images collected by the image collector, and

when a determined result shows that the current position coordinates do not correspond to an orthoscopic zone that is a comfortable zone for viewing the 3D image, the controller adjusts the barrier panel so that the current position coordinates correspond to the orthoscopic zone without a change in a physical position of the user.

2. The 3D image display device of claim 1, wherein when a view map correction request signal is received, the controller is switched to the view map correction mode, outputs a first test image viewable from a first orthoscopic zone to receive a first view selection signal, outputs a second test image viewable from a second orthoscopic zone to receive a second view selection signal, sets the view map with position coordinates from which the first and second view selection signals are received, and stores the view map.

3. A Three-Dimensional (3D) image display device, comprising:

a panel comprising a plurality of left-eye pixels and right-eye pixels;

a barrier panel disposed at a front surface of the panel, and comprising a light transmitting area and a light blocking area for transmitting or blocking a left-eye image and a right-eye image which are respectively outputted from the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel;

an image collector collecting images of a user;

an image data alignment unit realigning video data suitably for the panel to output image data, the video data being received from a system;

a position determination unit extracting position coordinates of the user from the images of the user, the images of the user being collected by the image collector; and

a control unit outputting a test image to the panel, generating and storing a view map by using a plurality of view selection signals received from the system and the position coordinates of the user extracted by the position determination unit when the view selection signals are received from the system, in a view map correction mode that is selected by the user,

wherein in a 3D image viewing mode, the control unit determines which of a plurality of viewing zones for a 3D image current position coordinates of the user correspond to using the current position coordinates extracted by using the images collected by the image collector and the view map set and stored in the view map correction mode that is selected by the user, and

when a determined result shows that the current position coordinates do not correspond to an orthoscopic zone that is a comfortable zone for viewing the 3D image, the controller adjusts the barrier panel so that the current position coordinates correspond to the orthoscopic zone without a change in a physical position of the user.

4. The 3D image display device of claim 3, wherein in the view map correction mode,

when a first test image viewable from a first orthoscopic viewing zone is transferred to the panel and then a first view selection signal is received from the system, the control unit temporarily stores the position coordinates, being coordinates at a time when the first view selection signal is received, as first position coordinates,

when the first view selection signals is received, the control unit transfers a second test image to the panel, and then when a second view selection signal is received from the system, the control unit temporarily stores the position coordinates, being coordinates at a time when the second view selection signal is received, as second position coordinates, and

the control unit generates the view map with the first and second position coordinates.

5. The 3D image display device of claim 4, wherein when a view displayed by the panel comprises first to nth views,

the first test image is a first image which is viewable from a first orthoscopic zone in one side direction with respect to a center coordinate, being a reference coordinate among X coordinates of the images collected by the image collector, and

the second test image is a second image which is viewable from a first orthoscopic zone in the other side direction with respect to the center coordinate.

6. The 3D image display device of claim 5, wherein the first and second test images are the same type of images or different types of images.

7. The 3D image display device of claim 5, wherein the first and second test images are images, which are displayed on the panel with the first view, among a plurality of images displayed with the first to nth views.

8. The 3D image display device of claim 6, wherein the control unit calculates coordinates information of a plurality of orthoscopic zones which are formed between the first and second position coordinates by using the first and second position coordinates and the number of views, and generates the view map with the coordinates information.

9. The 3D image display device of claim 8, wherein the view map comprises:

coordinates information of a plurality of pseudoscopic zones which are formed between the first and second position coordinates; and

coordinates information of a plurality of orthoscopic zones and pseudoscopic zones which are formed outside the first and second position coordinates.

10. The 3D image display device of claim 9, further comprising:

a lookup table storing the view map; and

a test image storage unit storing the first and second test images.

11. The 3D image display device of claim 10, wherein,

the lookup table stores information on at least one of:

the number of views displayed on the panel, a size of the panel, a pitch of each pixel formed in the panel, and characteristic of the barrier panel, and

the control unit uses the information integratedly when generating the view map.

12. The 3D image display device of claim 3, wherein when the image collector is configured with an infrared sensor, the position determination unit scans the infrared sensor in a predetermined direction to calculate an X coordinate of the user, and analyzes a reflection time of infrared light outputted from the infrared sensor to calculate a Y coordinate of the user, thereby extracting the position coordinates.

13. The 3D image display device of claim 3, wherein when the image collector is configured with a camera, the position determination unit calculates an X coordinate of the user in a face detecting scheme, and calculates a Y coordinate of the user on the basis of disparity information or depth information which are supplied from the camera, thereby extracting the position coordinates.

14. The 3D image display device of claim 3, further comprising a barrier driver receiving the barrier control signal to drive the barrier panel,

wherein the barrier driver changes an application scheme, application order, or levels of a plurality of voltages applied to the barrier panel to switch the light transmitting area and the light blocking area, according to the barrier control signal.

15. A driving method of a Three-Dimensional (3D) image display device, the driving method comprising:

outputting a first test image, generated with a first view, onto a panel, receiving a first view selection signal from a system, and extracting first position coordinates of a user in the middle of receiving the first view selection signal, when a view map correction mode is selected by the user;

outputting a second test image, generated with the first view, onto a panel, receiving a second view selection signal from the system, and extracting second position coordinates of the user in the middle of receiving the second view selection signal, when the first view selection signal is received;

generating a view map with the first and second position coordinates to store the view map, the view map comprising coordinates of a plurality of orthoscopic zones which are formed with a 3D image comprising at least two or more views;

determining whether a current position coordinates correspond to an orthoscopic zone by using the current position coordinates of the user and the view map set and stored in the view map correction mode that is selected by the user, when a 3D image viewing mode is selected; and

in the 3D image viewing mode, when a determined result shows that the current position coordinates do not correspond to an orthoscopic zone that is a comfortable zone for viewing the 3D image, controlling a barrier panel so that the current position coordinates correspond to the orthoscopic zone without a change in a physical position of the user,

wherein the current position coordinates is extracted from images which are collected by an image collector.

16. The driving method of claim 15, wherein the receiving of the first view selection signal comprises:

receiving a view map correction request signal from the system;

outputting the first test image onto the panel, the first test image being generated with a first view of the at least two or more views;

driving the image collector to collect images of an object the user; and

extracting the first position coordinates from the collected images, when the first view map selection signal is received from the system.

17. The driving method of claim 15, wherein the receiving of the second view selection signal comprises:

outputting the second test image onto the panel when the first view selection signal is received, the second test image being generated with the first view; and

extracting the second position coordinates from the collected images, when the second view map selection signal is received from the system.

18. The driving method of claim 15, wherein the generating of the view map comprises:

extracting an X coordinate of a center view with the first and second position coordinates, the center view being generated with 3D image;

extracting a Y coordinate of the center view from the images collected by the image collector; and

generating and storing the view map by using the coordinates of the center view and at least one of;

the number of views;

a size of the panel;

a pitch of each pixel formed in the panel; and

characteristic of the barrier panel, the view map comprising coordinates of a plurality of orthoscopic zones which are formed with the 3D image.

19. The driving method of claim 18, wherein,

when the image collector is configured with an infrared sensor, the extracting of X coordinate uses an X-axis coordinate of the first position coordinates and an X-axis coordinate of the second position coordinates which are calculated by scanning the infrared sensor, and

when the image collector is configured with a camera, the extracting of X coordinate uses an X-axis coordinate of the first position coordinates and an X-axis coordinate of the second position coordinates which are extracted by a face detecting scheme.

20. The driving method of claim 18, wherein,

when the image collector is configured with an infrared sensor, the extracting of Y coordinate uses a Y-axis coordinate of the user which is calculated by analyzing a reflection time of infrared light outputted from the infrared sensor, and

when the image collector is configured with a camera, the extracting of Y coordinate uses a Y coordinate of the user which is calculated with disparity information or depth information supplied from the camera.

21. The driving method of claim 15, wherein the controlling of the barrier panel comprises:

extracting current position coordinates of the user from the images which are collected by the image collector, when a 3D image viewing mode;

comparing the current position coordinates with the view map to determine whether the current position coordinates correspond to an orthoscopic zone;

calculating an amount of change in a light transmitting area and light blocking area of the barrier panel which allows the current position coordinates correspond to the orthoscopic zone, by using the current position coordinates and the view map, when the current position coordinates do not correspond to the orthoscopic zone as a determined result;

generating a barrier control signal for controlling the barrier panel to transfer the barrier control signal to a barrier driver, according to the amount of change; and

controlling, by the barrier driver, the barrier panel according to the barrier control signal to switch the light transmitting area and the light blocking area by the amount of change.