JP2003108112A - Method and device for object display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that, when a two-dimensional object is stereoscopically viewed by fitting an optical filter, a line of sight to it normally becomes worse. SOLUTION: A sensor 106 detects a parallax barrier 104 being fitted to a display unit 102 in such a case and gives notice to a mode decision part 110. The mode decision part 110 informs an expansion part 112 that a stereoscopic mode is entered. The expansion part 112 sends an indication to a display control part 116 cooperatively with an API 114 to enlarge the individual pixels of the two-dimensional object on a screen.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an object display technique, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for displaying a display object such as an icon on a screen, and a computer program related thereto.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the population of users of the Internet has rapidly increased, and the broadband era, which can be said to be a new stage of Internet usage, is about to enter. In broadband communication, the communication band is remarkably widened, so heavy image data, which has been often shunned in the past, is becoming popular. Concepts such as "multimedia" and "video on demand" have long been proposed, but in the broadband era,
For the first time, it became the situation that ordinary users could actually experience these words.

When the distribution of images, especially moving images, becomes widespread, users naturally demand the enhancement of contents and the improvement of image quality. These are largely due to the digitization of existing video software, the development of authoring tools therefor, and the pursuit of highly efficient and lossless image coding technology.

[0004]

Under these circumstances, as one form of image distribution service in the near future, the distribution of pseudo three-dimensional images (hereinafter also simply referred to as "stereoscopic images") has received technical attention and is considerable. It is possible to win the market. Stereoscopic images fulfill users' desires for more realistic images, and are particularly attractive for applications such as movies and games that seek a sense of presence. Further, the three-dimensional image is also useful for realistic display of products in product presentation in EC (electronic commerce) which is considered to be one of the standards of commerce in the 21st century.

However, when considering a new net business such as the distribution of stereoscopic images, it can be said that the software and hardware that should serve as a technical platform for that purpose are still in the process of development for large-scale spread. The present inventor has made the present invention by paying attention to such a current situation, and an object thereof is to provide an object display technique for predicting and solving a problem associated with the display of a stereoscopic image.

[0006]

To understand the present invention,
First, the following concepts in this specification will be defined. "Stereoscopic image": Used as a case where an image visually recognized as a stereoscopic effect by the user as a result of display is referred to, and a case where image data itself to be displayed stereoscopically is referred to.

"Parallax image": Normally, for stereoscopic viewing with a sense of depth, an image that should be cast on the right eye (hereinafter referred to simply as the right eye image) and an image that should be cast on the left eye (hereinafter simply referred to as the left eye image) so that parallax occurs. It is necessary to prepare). A pair of images that cause parallax, such as a right-eye image and a left-eye image, may be collectively referred to as a parallax image, but in the present specification, each image that causes parallax is referred to as a parallax image. That is, both the right-eye image and the left-eye image are parallax images. In addition to these, generally, images from respective viewpoints assumed in a stereoscopic image are parallax images.

"Multiplex format": Refers to the final image data format for displaying a stereoscopic image. The image in the multiplex format is also simply referred to as “multiplex image”.

"Viewpoint": A viewpoint for viewing a stereoscopic image is assumed. The number of viewpoints and the number of parallax images are usually equal. When there are two parallax images, the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the number of viewpoints is “2”. However, even if there are two viewpoints, the estimated position of the user's head is one. Similarly, when displaying a stereoscopic image in consideration of the movement of the user in the left and right direction, for example, four viewpoints va, vb, vc, and v in the left and right direction.
Assuming d, the parallax images seen from each are Ia, I
If b, Ic, and Id, for example, (Ia, Ib) (I
A stereoscopic image with a sense of depth can be displayed by three sets of parallax images of (b, Ic) (Ic, Id). That is, the number of horizontal viewpoints in this case is “4”. In this state, in order to generate a stereoscopic image that further wraps around in the vertical direction, assuming that the view from the upper direction and the view from the lower direction are similar to each other, the vertical viewpoint number is “ 2 ”, and a total of 8 parallax images are used.

"Optical filter": Refers to all means attached to the screen of a display device that act optically to direct only the desired pixels into the user's eye depending on the user's viewpoint. For example, the lenticular lens, parallax barrier, or the like may be of any type.

"Object": It may also mean a unit such as an icon displayed on a screen, but in the present specification, it widely includes all that form one entity at the time of display, such as text data and image data. Includes the initial screen of the computer and other background parts of the screen.

Based on the above definition, one embodiment of the present invention is
Regarding the object display method. In this method, when an object to be two-dimensionally displayed is displayed on a display unit to which an optical filter is attached, the object is enlarged and then displayed.

When a stereoscopic display is performed by attaching an optical filter, some pixels are hidden from the user's viewpoint. Although a stereoscopic image is part of the principle of stereoscopic vision, it is inconvenient for displaying an object that is not intended for stereoscopic vision, for example, a two-dimensional object such as an icon or a character that appears on the initial screen of a PC (personal computer). is there. That is,
Since a part of the object is missing, for example, it is possible that very small characters become unreadable or the picture of the icon becomes meaningless. In this method, since the two-dimensional object is enlarged, display inconvenience is reduced.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to an object display device. This device is provided with a decompressing unit for enlarging an object to be two-dimensionally displayed on the display unit to which the optical filter is attached before displaying the object. According to this device, the above-mentioned effects can be provided as a device.

The apparatus may further include a mode determination unit for determining whether the display unit is in the stereoscopic display mode or the two-dimensional display mode, in which case the decompression unit determines that the display unit is in the stereoscopic display mode. If determined, the object may be enlarged. The mode may be determined by automatically detecting whether or not the optical filter is attached to the screen of the display unit, or when the user sets the mode, it is determined whether or not the mode is the stereoscopic display mode. You may.

The expansion unit may determine the enlargement ratio of the object based on the design specifications of the optical filter. For example,
The optical filter displays that “the number of horizontal viewpoints and the number of vertical viewpoints of parallax images to be stereoscopically displayed in the display unit are m and n, respectively.
(Where m and n are both natural numbers), each pixel of the object is horizontally m
There is a process of multiplying by n times in the vertical direction. When the number of horizontal viewpoints is m, generally, one of the m parallax images is cast on the user's eyes according to the position of the user. Microscopically, one of the m pixels can be seen. Therefore, if each pixel is multiplied by m in the horizontal direction in advance and is set to m, one pixel is visible regardless of the position of the user's head, and thus visibility can be ensured. The same applies to the vertical direction.

It should be noted that any combination of the above constituent elements, and the expression of the present invention converted between a method, a device, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A ray reproduction type stereoscopic display device will be exemplified below, and a parallax barrier will be exemplified as an optical filter. When the parallax image is composed of only two images, the right-eye image and the left-eye image, that is, when the number of horizontal viewpoints is “2”, it is sufficient for the multiplex image to arrange the right-eye image and the left-eye image in stripes in pixel units.

However, when the number of viewpoints is "4" and a stereoscopic image considering horizontal viewpoint movement is displayed using four parallax images, it is placed in front of the screen 10 as shown in FIG. Due to the parallax barrier 12, only the pixels of the corresponding parallax images can be seen from the first to fourth viewpoints VP1 to VP4. On the screen 10, the pixels of the first parallax image corresponding to the first viewpoint VP1 are shown with “1” added, and the same applies to the following viewpoints. In this example, the first to fourth parallax images are sequentially arranged in stripes on a pixel-by-pixel basis to form a multiplex image.

Further, when the viewpoint movement is considered in the vertical direction, the parallax barrier 12 is not a stripe shape but a pinhole arranged in a matrix form, and the multiplex image is also in a matrix form in which pixels are interchanged in pixel units.

FIG. 2 shows a multiplexed image 20 when the horizontal viewpoint number HVP is "5" and the vertical viewpoint number VVP is "4".
The example which expanded a part of is shown. Here, the areas denoted by (i, j) represent pixels that should be seen from the horizontal i-th viewpoint and the vertical j-th viewpoint, respectively. As shown in the figure, i is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, ... In the horizontal direction.
・ Cycically changes, and similarly, j changes cyclically in the vertical direction as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, ... If only the pixels denoted by (i, j) are collected, it becomes one parallax image that should be seen from the i-th viewpoint in the horizontal direction and the j-th viewpoint in the vertical direction (hereinafter, also referred to as “ij-th parallax image”). Return. Conversely, if 5 × 4 = 20 pieces of parallax images are decomposed into pixel units and rearranged for each pixel as shown in FIG. 2, a multiplexed image is obtained. As the ij-th parallax image,
Natural stereoscopic vision is realized by preparing images taken from the i-th viewpoint in the horizontal direction and the j-th viewpoint in the vertical direction, respectively.

FIG. 3 shows an original image 30 displayed on a part of the screen of the display device before being subjected to the processing according to the present embodiment. Each small square in the figure corresponds to one pixel,
Note that the scale is different from that in Fig. 2. FIG. 3 is an initial screen of a personal computer, for example, and a two-dimensional object 32 represented by an icon is schematically displayed. The size of the object 32 is small, and in order to emphasize it, the width of the black pixel in the peripheral portion is set to one pixel.

It is assumed that a parallax barrier assuming the multiplex image of FIG. 2 is attached to this screen. At this time, when the original image 30 is viewed from a certain viewpoint, only one pixel in every 5 pixels in the horizontal direction and one pixel in every 4 pixels in the vertical direction can be seen. That is, 1/2
Only 0 pixels can be seen. For this reason, it is very unlikely that the user can see the object 32. Generally, a fine pattern or small characters cannot be seen, or even if they are seen, information is considerably lost, which causes a big problem in readability.

FIG. 4 shows an improved image 40 in which the problem is solved by the present embodiment. The essence of the solution is to expand the object 32 and generate the improved object 42. In general, if the object 32 is enlarged and the improved object 42 is displayed, the readability and the visibility are improved even through the parallax barrier.

Further, in the present embodiment, the enlargement ratio of the object is determined based on the design specification of the parallax barrier. Specifically, since the parallax barrier is designed on the assumption that the number of horizontal viewpoints and the number of vertical viewpoints are 5 and 4, respectively, each pixel of the object 32 is multiplied by 5 in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. 4 times. In this way, any part of the pixel of the improved object 42 is always visible to the user from any viewpoint. As a result, it is possible to reduce the adverse effect of the parallax barrier, which is an optical filter that acts only as a visibility hindering factor for two-dimensional display.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the object display device 100 that performs the above processing. In terms of hardware, this configuration can be realized by an arbitrary computer, particularly its CPU, memory, or other LSI, and in terms of software, a program loaded with a display mode detection function and a pixel enlargement processing function, etc. Realized by
Here, the functional blocks realized by those collaborations are drawn. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof. Object display device 1
In reality, 00 may be a main body device of a personal computer or other information equipment.

This object display device 100 is an LC
D, PDP or any other display unit capable of stereoscopic viewing 1
When the parallax barrier 104 is attached to 02, enlargement processing of the object is performed. In the display unit 102,
A sensor 106 for detecting whether or not the parallax barrier 104 is attached is provided. Sensor 106
The type and shape thereof are not limited, such as an optical sensor such as a CCD, an electromagnetic sensor that electromagnetically detects the presence or absence of the parallax barrier 104, a mechanical sensor such as a switch that is pressed when the parallax barrier 104 is attached, and the like. In any case, the attached state of the parallax barrier 104 is determined by the sensor 106.

The object display device 100 includes the sensor 1
The mode determination unit 11 that determines the current display mode based on the detection result of 06 or the mode setting by the user.
Equipped with 0. As the modes, the “stereoscopic display mode” and the “two-dimensional display mode” are assumed, and when the sensor 106 detects the attachment of the parallax barrier 104, the mode determination unit 110 determines that the current mode is the “stereoscopic display mode”.
It is determined that However, when the user explicitly designates an arbitrary mode, the mode may be used as the determination result of the mode determination unit 110.

The result of the determination is notified to the decompression unit 112.
When the current mode is the stereoscopic display mode, the expansion unit 112 expands each pixel of the object 32 in the horizontal and vertical directions according to the above-mentioned principle. At this time, API (Appl
The function of the OS (not shown) is used through the ICC programming. Specifically, the function of directly manipulating the graphic data finally displayed on the screen may be used, and the method is known for each OS.

By the cooperation of the decompression unit 112 and the API 114, the display control unit 116 performs conversion processing of graphic data. The display control unit 116 is, for example, a VGA chip and its related function. The processed data is sent to the display unit 102 and displayed.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each constituent element and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. . Here are some examples.

In the embodiment, when the number of horizontal viewpoints and the number of vertical viewpoints of the parallax image are m and n, respectively, each pixel of the two-dimensional object is multiplied by m in the horizontal direction and n times in the vertical direction. There are the following modified examples.

1. Each pixel is magnified more than m times in the horizontal direction and more than n times in the vertical direction. In principle, this method also allows the object to be viewed from each viewpoint. In particular, when set to an integral multiple of m and n, such as km times (k> 1), a plurality of pixels can be seen correctly from any viewpoint.

2. Each pixel is magnified less than m times in the horizontal direction and less than n times in the vertical direction. For example, m or n
This may be useful in some cases, as a large value of may cause the object to grow too large. For example, when m = 10 and the number of pixels is increased by 5 in the horizontal direction, each pixel can be seen at least once for every two viewpoints. Even in that case, the visibility is considerably improved.

In the embodiment, the color of the pixel is not considered, but when one pixel is composed of three pixels of R, G and B, the horizontal and vertical expansion ratios are set to multiples of 3. There is also a way to do it. In that case, since enlargement is performed in units of pixels, problems such as color mixing can be solved. However, whether or not such a strict setting is necessary depends on the application.

Object display device 1 according to the embodiment
00, especially the mode determination unit 110 and the decompression unit 112.
The function of may be distributed from a predetermined website as a plug-in program of a browser, for example. If the site develops a service that distributes stereoscopic images for a fee or for free, it will be useful in terms of service consistency.

[0037]

According to the present invention, the visibility of an object to be two-dimensionally displayed can be enhanced when stereoscopic display is performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing one principle of stereoscopic vision.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a part of a multiplex image which is a final image data format for stereoscopic display.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of an original image displayed on a display unit before being processed according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of an improved image that has undergone enlargement processing according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an object display device according to an embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 parallax barriers, 20 multiplex images, 30 original images, 32 two-dimensional objects, 4
0 improved image, 42 enlarged two-dimensional object, 100 object display device, 102 display unit, 104 parallax barrier, 106
Sensor, 110 mode determination unit, 112 extension unit,
114 API, 116 Display control unit.

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 13/04 G09G 5/36 520H (72) Inventor Masahiro Higashino 2-5-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Yo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ken Masutani 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Goro Hamaishi 2-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka No. 5 F-term in Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (reference) 5B050 EA12 FA02 FA06 GA04 5B069 AA01 BA03 BB04 DD09 DD11 5C061 AA07 AA21 AB17 5C082 AA01 BA12 BA47 CA37 CA40 CB01 DA51 MM10

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An object display method, wherein when an object to be two-dimensionally displayed is displayed on a display unit having an optical filter, the object is enlarged and then displayed. 2. An object display device, characterized in that, when an object to be two-dimensionally displayed is displayed on a display unit to which an optical filter is attached, a decompressing section for enlarging the object is provided prior to the display. 3. The display unit further includes a mode determination unit that determines whether the display unit is in a stereoscopic display mode or a two-dimensional display mode, wherein the decompression unit determines that the display unit is in the stereoscopic display mode. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the object is magnified. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mode determination unit makes the determination by detecting whether or not an optical filter is attached to the screen of the display unit. 5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mode determination unit determines whether or not a mode related to a user setting is a stereoscopic display mode. 6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the expansion unit determines the enlargement ratio of the object based on design specifications of the optical filter. 7. The optical filter is designed on the assumption that the number of horizontal viewpoints and the number of vertical viewpoints of a parallax image to be stereoscopically displayed on the display unit are m and n (both m and n are natural numbers). 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the decompression unit multiplies each pixel of the object by m times in the horizontal direction and n times in the vertical direction when being performed. 8. A program executed by a computer having a display unit, which causes a computer to execute a process of enlarging an object to be two-dimensionally displayed on a display unit to which an optical filter is attached. A computer program characterized by the above.