Method for the synchronization of 3D devices and corresponding synchronization device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9973747-B2
Application number	US-201214345272-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2012
Priority date	Sep 20, 2011
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the synchronization of a set of 3D devices suitable for the processing of data representative of at least one stereoscopic image comprising a first image and a second image. In order to synchronize the 3D devices involved in the rendering of the at least one stereoscopic image, the method comprises the steps for:
creating at least a first group comprising at least two 3D devices according to information representative of at least a property associated with each of the at least two 3D devices, said at least one first group comprising at least a pair of active glasses and at least a display device suitable for the sequential display of the first and second images, creating a second group comprising at least a second 3D device not belonging to the first group according to a second item of information representative of at least one property associated with said at least one second 3D device, transmitting a first item of synchronization information to the at least two 3D devices so as to synchronize the at least two 3D devices for the rendering of the at least one stereoscopic image.

The invention also relates to a synchronization device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of synchronization of a set of 3D devices configured for processing data representative of at least one stereoscopic image, the at least one stereoscopic image comprising a first image and a second image representative of a same scene according to respectively a first point of view and a second point of view, the method comprising:
creating one first group comprising at least two first 3D devices of the set and one second group comprising at least one second 3D device of the set according to at least a property associated with each of the at least two first 3D devices and at least one second 3D device, the first group comprising a pair of active glasses and at least a display device suitable for a sequential display of the first and second images of the at least one stereoscopic image, at least a property associated with at least one second 3D device of the second group being not compatible with at least a property associated with at least one of the at least two first 3D devices,
transmitting a first synchronization information to the at least two first 3D devices of the at least one first group to synchronize the at least two first 3D devices for rendering the at least one stereoscopic image,
de-associating the pair of active glasses from the first group,
associating the pair of active glasses with said second group, and
transmitting a second synchronization information to said second group to synchronize the at least one second 3D device of the second group with the pair of active glasses for rendering the at least one stereoscopic image.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising receiving information representative of properties associated with each of the at least two first 3D devices and with the at least one second 3D device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising associating a 3D device configured for providing the data representative of the at least one stereoscopic image to the first group.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one property is chosen among:
a stereoscopic image display frequency;
a shutting frequency;
a stereoscopic image transmission frequency; and
a compatibility with a packing format of data representative of a stereoscopic image.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising estimating a maximum transmission time of the first item of synchronization information to the 3D devices of the first group, the first item of synchronization information taking account of the maximum transmission time.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first item of synchronization information transmitted to the 3D devices of the first group depends on a time of execution of an instruction by a 3D device associated with each 3D device of the first group.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising transmitting at least one control message representative of an instruction to be executed to the first group, the at least one control message being associated with at least one 3D device of the first group.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first item of synchronization information is transmitted via a wireless transmission channel.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first item of synchronization information is transmitted via a wired transmission channel.

10. A device configured for synchronizing a set of 3D devices suitable for processing data representative of at least one stereoscopic image, the at least one stereoscopic image comprising a first image and a second image representative of a same scene according to respectively a first point of view and a second point of view, wherein the device comprises at least one processor configured for:
creating one first group comprising at least two first 3D devices of the set and one second group comprising at least one second 3D device of the set according to at least a property associated with each of the at least two first 3D devices and at least one second 3D device, the first group comprising a pair of active glasses and at least a display device suitable for a sequential display of the first and second images of the at least one stereoscopic image, at least a property associated with at least one second 3D device of the second group being not compatible with at least a property associated with at least one of the at least two first 3D devices,
transmitting a first synchronization information to the at least two first 3D devices of the at least one first group to synchronize the at least two first 3D devices for rendering the at least one stereoscopic image,
de-associating the pair of active glasses from the first group,
associating the pair of active glasses with said second group, and
transmitting a second synchronization information to said second group to synchronize the at least one second 3D device of the second group with the pair of active glasses for rendering the at least one stereoscopic image.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured for receiving information representative of properties associated with each of the at least two 3D devices.

12. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured for associating a 3D device configured for providing the data representative of the at least one stereoscopic image to the first group.

13. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one property is chosen among:
a stereoscopic image display frequency;
a shutting frequency;
a stereoscopic image transmission frequency; and
a compatibility with a packing format of data representative of a stereoscopic image.

14. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured for calculating a maximum transmission time of the first item of synchronization information to the 3D devices of the first group, the first item of synchronization information taking account of the maximum transmission time.

15. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the first item of synchronization information transmitted to the 3D devices of the first group depends on a time of execution of an instruction by a 3D device associated with each 3D device of the first group.

16. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured for transmitting at least one control message representative of an instruction to be executed to the first group, the at least one control message being associated with at least one 3D device of the first group.

17. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the first item of synchronization information is transmitted via a wireless transmission channel.

18. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the first item of synchronization information is transmitted via a wired transmission channel.

Assignees

• Thomson Licensing
• Thomson Licensing Dtv

Inventors

• Laurent Anthony
• Gautier Eric
• Gilberton Philippe

Classifications

• H04N21/4302

  Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation · CPC title

• H04N2013/405

  the images being stereoscopic or three dimensional · CPC title

• H04N21/6405

  Multicasting {(data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18)} · CPC title

• H04N21/816

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

• H04N2213/008

  Aspects relating to glasses for viewing stereoscopic images · CPC title