Three-dimensional image display device and driving method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9319674-B2
Application number	US-201213443139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2012
Priority date	Aug 18, 2011
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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, app

Assignees

• Kim Tae-Wook
• Lee Jaewoo
• Kim Hyejin
• Park Myung-Soo
• Lg Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Tae-Wook
• Lee Jaewoo
• Kim Hyejin
• Park Myung-Soo

Classifications

• H04N13/376

  for tracking left-right translational head movements, i.e. lateral movements · CPC title

• H04N13/327

  Calibration thereof · CPC title

• H04N13/31

  using parallax barriers · CPC title

• H04N13/305

  using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses · CPC title

• H04N21/816

  involving special video data, e.g 3D video · CPC title