KR101261529B1 - Display device, and the method of controlling directivity for the display device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a display device capable of improving the realism or stereoscopic feeling of an image by controlling the directivity of light based on an input video signal, a directivity control method, and a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method by a computer. . The display device according to the present invention has a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, an image display unit for displaying an image on a display screen based on an input image signal, and at least one or more whose directivity is defined according to an applied voltage signal. An directional defining element having a directional control element, which defines the directivity of light emitted from a pixel corresponding to the directional control element, a display screen divided into a plurality of divided regions corresponding to each of the directional control elements, and inputted image And a directional control unit for detecting a divided region having a high luminance based on the signal, and a directional control unit for applying a voltage signal to a directional control element corresponding to the divided region having high luminance detected based on the detection result of the directional detector. By controlling the directivity of the light based on the input image signal, the realism or three-dimensional appearance of the image can be improved.

Description

Display device, and the method of controlling directivity for the display device

The present invention relates to a display device, a directivity control method, and a computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method by a computer.

Recently, a display device that replaces a CRT display (Cathode Ray Tube display), which is also called an organic electroluminescence display (OLED) or an organic light emitting diode display (OLED), or a field emission display (FED). ), Various displays such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and PDP (Plasma Display Panel) are being developed.

The above-described display device including a CRT display has a certain dynamic range for each device, and can display an image represented by an input video signal in a limited dynamic range.

Among them, a technique for improving the realism or stereoscopic feeling of an image by changing the frequency component or region to be emphasized in accordance with the image signal has been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-158992 is a technique for improving the realism or three-dimensional effect by adjusting the frequency band to be emphasized and the amount based on the amount of high frequency components in the video signal.

However, even if the conventional technique of improving the realism and three-dimensionality of an image by changing the frequency component or area to be emphasized according to the video signal is used, the dynamic range of the display device is limited, so the effect of improving the realism and three-dimensionality is It depends on the dynamic range of the display device.

In addition, in the conventional display device using the conventional technique for improving the realism or stereoscopic feeling of an image by changing the frequency component or region to be emphasized in accordance with the video signal, the displayed light itself is basically only two-dimensionally expanded. Therefore, the conventional display device cannot express the sense of length or three-dimensionality of a subject (for example, a person or an animal or an object such as a tree, a car, a building, etc.) of an image indicated by the image signal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved display device and directivity control capable of improving the realism and three-dimensionality of an image by controlling the directivity of light based on an input video signal. To provide a method and program.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an image display unit having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form and displaying an image on a display screen based on an input image signal, A directivity defining element having at least one directivity control element defined according to the directivity, and defining directivity of light emitted from the pixel corresponding to the directivity control element for each of the directivity control elements, and the display screen to each of the directivity control elements. A directional detection unit for dividing into a plurality of divided regions and detecting a divided region having high luminance based on the input image signal, and a directional control corresponding to the detected divided region having high luminance based on a detection result of the directional detector; Display field including directional control unit for applying voltage signal to device It is provided.

The display device includes an image display unit, a directivity defining unit, a directivity detection unit, and a directivity control unit. The image display unit, for example, the pixels are arranged in a matrix form (matrix form), and displays the image on the display screen based on the input image signal. The directivity defining portion has at least one directivity control element whose directivity is defined according to the voltage signal applied. Further, each of the directivity control elements included in the directivity defining portion determines the directivity with respect to the light emitted from the corresponding pixel. The directivity detector detects a divided region having high luminance based on the input image signal. Here, the divided area detected by the directivity detection unit can be, for example, an area on the display screen corresponding to each of the directivity control elements (that is, an area in which the display screen is divided according to the directivity control element). The directivity control unit applies a voltage signal to the directivity control element corresponding to the divided region having high brightness based on the detection result of the directivity detection unit.

By such a structure, the directivity of light is controlled based on the input video signal, and the realism and three-dimensional feeling of an image can be improved.

In addition, the directivity defining portion may have a plurality of directivity control elements, each corresponding one to one to each of the pixels.

By such a configuration, the directivity of the light can be controlled based on the input video signal, and the realism and three-dimensional appearance of the video can be improved.

The directivity detector may detect the divided region as the divided region having high luminance when the absolute value of the luminance difference between one pixel corresponding to the divided region and a pixel around the one pixel is larger than a predetermined value. It may be.

By such a structure, the realism and three-dimensional feeling of an image can be improved effectively.

The directivity defining portion may also have at least one or more directivity control elements each corresponding to a plurality of the pixels.

By such a configuration, the directivity of the light can be controlled based on the input video signal, and the realism and three-dimensional appearance of the video can be improved.

In addition, the directivity detection unit compares the absolute value of the luminance difference between the pixel and the pixels around the pixel with a magnitude of a predetermined value for each of the plurality of pixels corresponding to the divided region, and the absolute value of the luminance difference is The divided region having the high luminance may be detected according to a frequency greater than the predetermined value.

By such a structure, the realism and three-dimensional feeling of an image can be improved effectively.

The directivity control element may also be a variable focus lens.

With this configuration, the directivity can be determined for the light emitted from the pixel in accordance with the voltage signal applied.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, according to the second aspect of the present invention, an image display unit having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form and displaying an image on a display screen based on an input image signal, and an applied voltage signal A directivity control method in a display device having at least one directivity control element whose directivity is defined according to the above, and including a directivity defining unit for determining the directivity of light emitted from the pixel corresponding to the directivity control element for each of the directivity control elements. Dividing the display screen into a plurality of divided regions corresponding to each of the directional control elements, detecting a divided region having high luminance based on the input image signal, and detecting the detected display based on the detection result in the detecting step. Voltage update to the directional control element corresponding to the high luminance division region An orientation control method is provided that includes applying a call.

By using such a method, the directivity of light can be controlled based on the input video signal, and the realism and three-dimensional appearance of the video can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the third aspect of the present invention, an image display unit having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form and displaying an image on a display screen based on an input image signal, and an applied voltage signal A program which can be used in a display device having at least one directional control element whose directivity is defined according to the above, and comprising a directivity defining unit for determining the directivity of light emitted from the corresponding pixel by the directional control element for each of the directional control elements. Dividing the display screen into a plurality of divided regions corresponding to each of the directivity control elements, and detecting a divided region having a high luminance based on the input image signal, and detecting the display screen based on a detection result in the detecting step. To the directivity control element corresponding to the divided region having high luminance Is a computer-readable recording medium recording a program for executing the step of applying a signal to the computer, is provided.

By such a program, the directivity of light can be controlled based on the input video signal, and the realism and three-dimensional appearance of the video can be improved.

According to the present invention, by controlling the directivity of light based on the input video signal, the realism and three-dimensional appearance of the image can be improved. Also, by changing the frequency component or region to be emphasized in accordance with the video signal, the light emitted from the display screen according to the video signal is not corrected, rather than correcting the video signal itself as in the conventional display device which improves the realism and stereoscopic feeling of the video. Since the directivity is defined with respect to, the effect of improving the realism and stereoscopic feeling does not depend on the dynamic range of the display device. Furthermore, since the directivity is defined for the light emitted from the display screen according to the video signal, the displayed light which is basically expanded only in two dimensions can be extended in three dimensions.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Preferred embodiment of this invention is described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing below.

In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

(Approach to improve the realism and three-dimensional effect of the image according to the embodiment of the present invention)

Before explaining the configuration of the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, first, an approach for improving the realism and stereoscopic feeling of an image in the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an approach for improving the realism or stereoscopic feeling of an image in a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 illustrates an example of an image displayed on the display screen 10 of the display device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In the image displayed on the display screen 10, light is emitted at various screen positions such as arc surface A, window B, wall surface C, and the like. However, for example, while the light emitted from the arc surface A and the window B is a "reflected light" shining by reflecting light from a light source (for example, the sun), the light emitted from the wall surface C is emitted. Light is "illumination light" reflected by a light source such as the sun. That is, the viewer who sees the light emitted from the wall surface C indirectly sees the light of a light source such as the sun, and the light emitted from the wall surface C is, for example, “reflected light emitted from the arc surface A”. And the nature is significantly different.

Therefore, in the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is noted that there is a difference in the light emitted from the display screen 10, for example, "reflected light" or "illuminated light". The methods shown in (A) and (B) improve the realism and three-dimensional appearance of the image.

(A) Detecting relatively high luminance areas based on video signals

(B) Define directivity for light emitted from an area where detected brightness is high (light on a display screen)

The display device according to the embodiment of the present invention does not correct the video signal itself as in the conventional display device, but improves the realism and stereoscopic feeling of the image by defining the directivity to the light emitted from the display device according to the video signal. I will. Therefore, the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention improves the realism and the three-dimensional effect like the conventional display device using the conventional technique for improving the realism and the three-dimensional effect of the image by changing the frequency component or the area to be emphasized according to the video signal. The effect of does not depend on the dynamic range of the display device.

In addition, since the display device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention defines the directivity of light emitted from the display device according to an image signal, the displayed light, which is basically only expanded in two dimensions, can be expanded in three dimensions.

Accordingly, the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention is more realistic than the conventional display device using the conventional technology that improves the realism and three-dimensional effect of the image by changing the frequency component or region to be emphasized according to the image signal. Can be improved. Hereinafter, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

(Example)

2 is a block diagram illustrating a display device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Here, one video signal is shown in FIG. 2, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the input video signal may be an independent signal for each of R, G, and B colors. In addition, hereinafter, as a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, a dot matrix type display device such as an OLED display, an LCD, a PDP, etc. will be described as an example, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. It can also be applied to CRT displays.

In addition, hereinafter, the video signal input to the display device 100 will be described as, for example, a digital signal used for digital broadcasting, but is not limited to the above. For example, the video signal may be an analog signal used for analog broadcasting. have. In addition, the video signal input to the display device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be transmitted by a broadcasting station and received by the display device 100, but is not limited to the above. For example, the image signal input to the display device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be transmitted from an external device through a network such as a local area network (LAN) and received by the display device 100. Alternatively, the display apparatus 100 may read an image file or an image file stored in a storage unit (not shown) included in the display apparatus 100.

Referring to FIG. 2, the display device 100 includes an image display unit 102, a directivity defining unit 104, a directivity detection unit 106, and a directivity control unit 108.

In addition, the display device 100 is, for example, a control unit (not shown) that is configured as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and can control the entire display device 100, and for controlling a program or operation parameter used by the control unit. Read Only Memory (not shown) in which data is recorded, Random Access Memory (not shown) for primary storage of programs executed by the control unit, and a receiving unit (not shown) for receiving a video signal transmitted from a broadcasting station or the like. And a storage unit (not shown) capable of storing an image file or an image file, an operation unit (not shown) operable by a user, and a communication unit (not shown) for communicating with an external device (not shown). have. The display device 100 connects the above components by, for example, a bus as a data transmission path.

Here, the storage unit (not shown) includes, for example, a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk, an electronically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, and a magnetoresistive random (MRAM). Non-volatile memory such as Access Memory, FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), Phase Change Random Access Memory (PRAM), or an optical disc drive that can play optical discs such as DVD discs, Blu-Ray discs, and HDDVD discs. Although these are mentioned, It is not limited to the above.

Moreover, as an operation part (not shown), for example, operation input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, a button, a direction key, or a combination thereof, etc. are mentioned, It is not limited to the above. For example, the operation unit (not shown) may have a function of receiving an input from an external device such as a remote controller. In addition, the display device 100 and an external device (not shown) may be physically connected through, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) terminal, a terminal of the IEEE 1394 standard, or the like. It is also possible to connect wirelessly using IEEE 802.11 or the like. In addition, the display device 100 and an external device (not shown) may be connected through a network, for example. As a network, for example, a wired network such as a LAN or a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or TCP / IP (Transmission) Although the Internet using a communication protocol, such as Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), is mentioned, It is not limited to the above. Therefore, the communication unit (not shown) has an interface according to a connection type with an external device (not shown).

The image display unit 102 displays an image based on the input image signal.

[Configuration example of video display unit 102]

The image display unit 102 includes a display unit 120, a row driver 122, a column driver 124, a power supply unit 126, and a display control unit 128.

The display unit 120 includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form. For example, the display unit displaying an image having SD (Standard Definition) resolution includes at least 640 × 480 = 307200 (data line × scanning line) pixels, and the pixels are red or green for color display. ) And a blue subpixel, the subpixel includes 640 x 480 x 3 = 921600 (the number of data lines x scan lines x sub pixels). Similarly, for example, the display portion for displaying an image having a high definition (HD) resolution has a pixel of 1920x1080, and in the case of color display, has a subpixel of 1920x1080x3.

In addition, the display unit 120 may include, for example, a pixel circuit (not shown) for controlling the amount of voltage / current applied to each pixel. The pixel circuit is composed of, for example, a switch element and a drive element for controlling the amount of current by an applied scan signal and a voltage signal, and a capacitor for storing the voltage signal. The switch element and the drive element are composed of, for example, a thin film transistor.

For example, the row driver 122 and the column driver 124 apply voltage signals to the plurality of pixels of the display unit 120 to emit light of each pixel. Here, the row driver 122 and the column driver 124 apply a voltage signal (scanning signal) for determining one of the on / off of the pixel, and the voltage signal (video) corresponding to the image to be displayed by the other. Signal) can be applied.

In addition, as a driving method of the row driver 122 and the column driver 124, for example, a dot sequential drive scanning method that emits light for each pixel arranged in the matrix form, and the pixels arranged in the matrix form emit light for each column. And a sequential drive scanning method to cause light emission, and a sequential drive scanning method for emitting all pixels arranged in the matrix form. In addition, the image display unit 102 of the display device 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes two drive units, a row driver 122 and a column driver 124. It can also comprise a drive part.

The power supply unit 126 supplies power to the row driver 122 and the column driver 124, and a voltage is applied to the row driver 122 and the column driver 124. In addition, the magnitude of the voltage applied by the power supply unit 126 to the row driver 122 and the column driver 124 varies according to the input image signal.

The display control unit 128 is configured of, for example, an MPU, and applies a voltage for determining the ON / OFF of the pixel to one of the row driver 122 and the column driver 124 according to the input image signal. A control signal for inputting is input, and a video signal is input to the other side. In addition, the display controller 128 may control the supply of power to the row driver 122 and the column driver 124 by the power supply unit 126 according to the input image signal.

The video display unit 102 displays an image according to the input video signal according to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, for example.

The directivity defining unit 104 includes, for example, at least one or more directivity control elements that determine the directivity of the light passing in accordance with the applied voltage signal. The directivity defining unit 104 defines the directivity for each of the directivity control elements with respect to the light emitted from the display unit 120 according to the image displayed based on the video signal. In addition, in FIG. 2, the image display unit 102 and the directivity defining unit 104 are shown in the horizontal direction, for convenience of description. The display device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a directivity defining unit 104 on the front surface of the display unit 120 of the image display unit 102, that is, a display screen on which light according to an image is emitted.

3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the function of the directivity defining unit 104 in the display device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[1] first pattern (FIG. 3 (a))

As shown in FIG. 3A, the directivity control element included in the directivity defining unit 104 is disposed so as to correspond to the pixels included in the display unit 120 on a one-to-one basis, for example. Also, the directivity control element may not define the directivity of the light emitted from the pixel. Therefore, in the above-described case, the light emitted from the pixel can take a non-directional state (non-directional state) as shown in Fig. 3A, and can emit light in a wide range.

[2] second pattern (Fig. 3 (b))

Also, as shown in FIG. 3B, the directivity control element included in the directivity defining unit 104 is disposed so as to correspond to the pixels included in the display unit 120 in a one-to-one manner, and the directivity of light emitted from the pixels is provided. It may be prescribed. Therefore, in the case described above, as shown in Fig. 3B, the light emitted from the pixels converges in the predetermined direction defined by the directivity control element, thereby realizing the directivity state.

[3] third pattern (Fig. 3 (c))

3 (a) and 3 (b) show a configuration in which the directivity control element is disposed so as to correspond one-to-one to each pixel included in the display unit 120, the directivity defining unit according to the embodiment of the present invention ( 104 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the directivity defining unit 104 may include a directivity control element corresponding to a plurality of pixels.

Here, Fig. 3 (c) shows a case in which the light emitted from the pixel is in a non-directional state as shown in Fig. 3 (a), but the directional state can be realized by the directional control element. There will be. 3 (c) shows an example in which one directional control element corresponds to a plurality of pixels (for example, four pixels) in one row (or one column) direction, but is not limited to the above configuration. In addition, the directivity control element of 1 may correspond to a plurality of pixels (for example, 4 × 4 pixels) in the matrix direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, each pixel included in the directivity control element included in the directivity defining unit 104 and the display unit 120 corresponds to one-to-one or one-to-many. Hereinafter, the area | region of the display part 120 (display screen) of the video display part 102 with which the directivity control element which the directivity control part 104 includes is called "divided area | region." Here, it can be understood that the divided area is an area in which the display screen is divided into a plurality of areas.

Therefore, when the directional control element and the pixel correspond to one-to-one, the divided area becomes the pixel unit area, and when the directional control element and the pixel correspond to one-to-many, the divided area is the directional control element. It becomes an area containing a plurality of corresponding pixels.

[Example of Directivity Control Element According to Embodiment of the Present Invention]

By including the directivity control element, the directivity defining unit 104 defines the directivity with respect to the light emitted in each divided region, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. Here, the directivity defining unit 104 can use, for example, a variable focus lens as the directivity control element. The variable focus lens changes the focal length without changing the positional relationship of the lenses. Therefore, the display device 100 may define the directivity with respect to the light emitted from each divided area by controlling the focal length of the variable focus lens. The following shows an example of the variable focus lens (directional control element) according to the embodiment of the present invention that the directivity defining unit 104 may include.

(I) liquid lens

The directivity defining unit 104 can use a liquid lens as a variable focus lens. In the liquid lens according to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, two kinds of liquids are enclosed in the lens, and the focus is changed by using an electrowetting phenomenon by applying a voltage signal to one side. Therefore, the directivity defining unit 104 can define the directivity for the light emitted from each divided region by changing the focal length according to the voltage signal applied. Here, the electric humidification phenomenon is a phenomenon in which the tension of an interface changes because the electric charge which exists in an interface changes. As the liquid lens according to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, the technique of JP 2006-195474 or 2006-323390 may be used.

(II) other

In addition, the variable focus lens according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the liquid lens. For example, the directivity defining unit 104 may include, as a directivity control element, a liquid crystal lens that encapsulates the liquid crystal in a lenticular space and changes the refractive index of the liquid crystal in accordance with an applied voltage signal.

The directivity defining unit 104 determines the directivity of light passing in accordance with the applied voltage signal by using a variable focus lens such as a liquid lens or a liquid crystal lens, for example, and directs the light emitted from each divided region. To define. In addition, the directivity defining unit 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the variable focus lens. For example, the directivity defining unit 104 includes a lens and a piezoelectric element as the directivity control element, and light emitted in each divided region by changing the focal point of the lens by a piezoelectric effect according to the applied voltage signal. Orientation can also be defined for. In addition, the directional control element according to the embodiment of the present invention can also be implemented using, for example, MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems).

Referring to FIG. 2 again, components of the display apparatus 100 will be described. The directivity detector 106 detects a divided region having a high luminance from among the divided regions (that is, the region to which the directivity control element corresponds) based on the input video signal as a region defining the directivity. Here, the directivity detection unit 106 detects, for example, a region having a higher luminance than a peripheral divided region as a divided region having a high luminance. The detection method of the area | region which defines the directivity which concerns on the Example of this invention is demonstrated below. In addition, below, the directivity detection part 106 shows the example which detects the division area with high brightness using the brightness value based on a video signal, The detection method of the area | region which defines the directivity which concerns on the Example of this invention is mentioned above. It is not limited. For example, the directivity detector 106 may detect a region defining the directivity by separating the reflected light and the illumination light using a hypothesis such as a gray hypothesis that assumes that the average color of the object is gray.

[Method for Detecting Area Defining Orientation]

4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a method for detecting a region for defining directivity according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a detection method when the directional control element and the pixel correspond one-to-one, that is, when the divided region is a pixel unit region. 4B is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a detection method when the directional control element and the pixel correspond one to many, that is, when the divided region corresponds to a plurality of pixels.

(i) When the directivity control element and the pixel correspond one-to-one (Fig. 4 (a))

When the directivity control element and the pixel correspond to one-to-one, the directivity detection unit 106 is, for example, a divided region having a higher luminance than the surrounding divided regions by the following processes (a) to (c). Is detected and the detected region is defined as a region defining directivity.

(A) The luminance difference between the luminance values of the divided regions a to be determined and the pixels 11 to 18 around the divided regions a is calculated.

(B) Add the calculated luminance difference and find the absolute value

(C) When the absolute value is compared with the magnitude of the predetermined threshold value, and the absolute value is larger than the predetermined threshold value, the divided region a is divided into higher luminance than the peripheral divided region. Detect by area.

For example, the directivity detection unit 106 detects the divided region having a higher luminance than the surrounding divided regions by performing the processing of (a) to (c). Here, the information of the predetermined threshold value used in the above (c) may be stored in the storage means, for example, by the orientation detection unit 106 including the storage means. Examples of the storage means included in the directivity detection unit 106 include, but are not limited to, nonvolatile memories such as EEPROM and flash memory. In addition, the information of the predetermined threshold value which the directivity detection part 106 uses in said (c) is memorize | stored in the memory | storage part (not shown) of the display apparatus 100, for example, and the directivity detection part 106 is this memory | storage. It may be appropriately read from the wealth (not shown).

In addition, the orientation detection unit 106 transmits a detection result to the orientation control unit 108. Here, the directivity detection unit 106 is a predetermined bit of data (for example, "a value specifying a divided region" + "0") indicating whether or not the region defines a directivity for each divided region. / "Value that specifies the divided region" + "1", where, for example, "0" indicates that the region does not define the directivity, and "1" indicates the region that defines the directivity.) Although it can transmit as a detection result, it is not limited to the above.

(ii) When the directivity control element and the pixel correspond one to many (Fig. 4 (b))

When the directivity control element and the pixel correspond to one to many, the directivity detector 106 divides the luminance with a relatively higher luminance than the surrounding divided regions by, for example, the following (r) and (ㅁ) processes. The area is detected and the detected area is defined as an area defining the directivity.

(D) For each of the pixels 21 to 36 in the divided region b, the difference in luminance relative to the surrounding pixels is determined as in the processing shown in (a) to (c) above.

(ㅁ) Based on the result of the high frequency of the determination result, when the frequency where the absolute value is greater than the predetermined threshold is higher than the frequency where the absolute value is less than the predetermined threshold, the divided region b is made larger than the surrounding divided region. Detect with relatively high luminance division

For example, the directivity detection unit 106 detects the divided region having a higher luminance than the surrounding divided regions by performing the processing of (d) and (). In addition, the directivity detector 106 transmits the detection result to the directivity controller 108 as in the case of (i) above. In addition, in the above process (w), for example, when the frequency of the absolute value is larger than the predetermined threshold and the frequency of the absolute value is smaller than the predetermined threshold, the directivity detection unit 106 predefines. May send the result.

In addition, the directivity detector 106 may transmit a detection result corresponding to a frequency in which an absolute value is larger than a predetermined threshold value for the divided region determined as a divided region having a higher luminance than the surrounding divided region. The detection result according to the frequency whose absolute value is larger than a predetermined threshold value is transmitted to the directivity control part 108, and it is possible to control the directivity of the directivity control element contained in the directivity control part 104 more flexibly.

By using the methods shown in (i) and (ii), for example, the directivity detecting unit 106 detects a divided region having a high luminance among the divided regions as a region defining the directivity based on the input video signal. The detection result is transmitted to the directivity control unit 108. In addition, although the orientation detection part 106 can perform various arithmetic processing using a luminance value by including an MPU, for example, it is not limited to such a structure.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, components of the display apparatus 100 will be described. The directivity control unit 108 is based on a detection result (for example, data indicating whether or not the area defines the directivity for each divided area) transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106, and the directivity defining unit corresponding to each divided area ( A voltage signal is applied to the directivity control element of 104. Here, the directivity control unit 108 depends on the directivity control element included in the directivity defining unit 104 as shown in the following [A] and [B] according to the detection result transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106. Apply a voltage signal.

[A] When the detection result transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106 is one of two values

The detection result transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106 is one of two values, for example, "1" indicating that it is a partition area defining directivity or "0" indicating that it is not a partition area defining directivity. In the case of being displayed, the directivity control unit 108 is a voltage signal of, for example, several tens of volts for the directivity control element corresponding to the divided region defining the directivity (that is, the divided region in which the detection result indicates "1"). Apply.

In addition, the directivity control part 108 does not apply a voltage signal, for example to the directivity control element corresponding to the division | segmentation area (namely, the division | segmentation area whose detection result shows "0") which does not define directivity.

Therefore, the directivity control element corresponding to the division region which defines the directivity among the directivity control elements included in the directivity defining unit 104, for example, defines the directivity to the light passing through the change of the focus of the variable focus lens ( For example, the directivity of the light passing through is not defined in the directivity control element corresponding to the divided region that does not define the directivity (for example, the state of FIG. 3A). do. Therefore, since the display device 100 can define the directivity with respect to the light emitted from the display device 100 according to the image signal, the display device 100 can expand the displayed light that is basically expanded to only two dimensions in three dimensions.

[B] When the detection result transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106 is one of a plurality of values (three or more values)

When the detection result transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106 is one of a plurality of values (three or more values), the directivity control unit 108 applies a voltage signal corresponding to the value of the detection result to the corresponding directivity control element. For example, when the detection result transmitted from the directivity detector 106 depends on a frequency in which the absolute value calculated by the processing of (a) and (b) is larger than a predetermined threshold, The voltage is applied to the corresponding directional control element. Here, the directivity control unit 108 uses, for example, a lookup table in which a detection result transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106 and a voltage value to be applied correspond to each other, thereby providing a voltage having a magnitude corresponding to the frequency. Can be set to one. Information such as a lookup table used by the directivity control unit 108 to set the correction value may be stored in, for example, storage means (for example, nonvolatile memory such as EEPROM or flash memory) included in the directivity control unit 108. Although not limited to the above, it may be stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the display device 100.

For example, when the detection result transmitted from the directivity detection section 106 is a value indicating that it is not a divided region defining directivity, no voltage signal is applied to the corresponding directivity control element.

Therefore, in the directional control element to which the voltage signal is applied among the directional control elements included in the directional defining unit 104, for example, the directivity is defined to the light passing by changing the focal point of the variable focus lens according to the applied voltage. (For example, the state of FIG. 3 (b)) and the directivity control element to which a voltage signal is not applied, the directivity is not defined to the light passing through (for example, the state of FIG. 3 (a)). Accordingly, the display device 100 may display the display device 100 according to an image signal similarly to the case where the detection result transmitted from the directivity detector 106 is one of a plurality of values (three or more values). Since the directivity can be defined for the light emitted from), the displayed light, which basically extends only in two dimensions, can be extended in three dimensions.

The directivity control unit 108 is provided to each of the directivity control elements included in the directivity defining unit 104 according to the detection result transmitted from the directivity detection unit 106, for example, as shown in the above [A] and [B]. Apply a voltage signal. In addition, the directional control unit 108 may include, for example, an MPU for controlling the application of a power source and a voltage signal such as a battery, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the directivity control unit 108 may be configured to control the application of a voltage signal from the power supply unit 126 to each of the directivity control elements included in the directivity defining unit 104 without including a power source.

As described above, the display device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention detects the divided region having a higher luminance than the surrounding divided regions based on the input image signal. In addition, the display device 100 applies a voltage signal according to the detection result to the directional control elements that may be included in the respective divided regions. Since the display device 100 includes a variable focus lens, such as a liquid lens, for example, as the directivity control element, the directivity control element according to the embodiment of the present invention varies the focus according to an applied voltage signal so that the display screen ( Directivity may be defined for the light displayed from the display unit 120. Therefore, the display device 100 may improve the realism or stereoscopic sense of the image by controlling the directivity of the light based on the input image signal.

In addition, the display device 100 does not correct the video signal itself like the conventional display device which improves the realism or three-dimensional effect of the image by changing the frequency component or region to be emphasized according to the image signal. Since the directivity is defined for the light emitted from the 100, the effect of improving the realism or stereoscopic feeling does not depend on the dynamic range of the display unit 120 included in the display device 100. Furthermore, since the display device 100 defines the directivity of light emitted from the display unit 120 according to an image signal, the display device 100 can expand the displayed light that is basically only expanded in two dimensions to three dimensions.

Accordingly, the display device 100 can improve the realism and three-dimensionality of an image by changing the frequency component or region to be emphasized according to the image signal, compared to the conventional display device using the conventional technique for improving the realism and three-dimensionality of the image. .

[Modification of Display Device 100]

In the above, the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied from the display screen (display unit 120) by applying a voltage signal to each of the directivity control elements included in the directivity defining unit 104 based on the input video signal. The structure which defines the directivity to the light according to the image was shown. However, the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the display device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention applies a voltage signal to each of the directivity control elements included in the directivity defining unit 104 based on the directivity setting command transmitted from an operation unit (not shown) according to a user's operation. It may be.

The display device according to the modification of the embodiment of the present invention applies a voltage signal to each of the directivity control elements included in the directivity defining portion based on the directivity setting command transmitted from the operation portion (not shown). Directivity may be defined in all the directivity control elements. In this case, since the light from the display screen (display unit) can be focused in a predetermined direction, the display device according to the modification of the embodiment of the present invention can display a high brightness image toward the predetermined direction. As described above, the display device according to the modification of the embodiment of the present invention can determine the directivity of the light from the display screen (display unit) in accordance with the user's operation, thereby flexibly improving the realism and three-dimensional feeling of the image.

In addition, although the display device 100 has been described as an embodiment of the present invention, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and for example, a display device such as a CRT display, an organic EL display, an FED, an LCD, a PDP, or the like. Or a portable communication device such as a mobile phone or a computer such as a personal computer (PC).

Application Example of Display Device 100

The display device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed, for example, in a street, a commercial facility, or the like, and can be used for a poster exhibition that displays a predetermined still image. As described above, since the display device 100 can define the directivity of light for each divided region, when a viewer who views a still image (video) displayed by the display device 100 passes in front of the display device 100, The direction in which the reflected light or the like in the still image can be changed according to the viewer's movement. Accordingly, the display device 100 may give the viewer the impression that the viewer is watching the real object of the still image.

(Program about display device 100)

The directivity of light can be controlled based on an image signal input by a program for functioning the display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention as a computer, thereby improving the realism and three-dimensionality of the image.

(Directional Control Method)

Next, the directivity control method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a directivity control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The display device 100 detects, for each divided area, an area having a higher luminance than the surrounding divided areas based on the input image signal (S100. Directivity Detection Process). Here, the divided area is an area of the display screen (display unit 120) corresponding to each of the directivity control elements included in the display device 100. In addition, for example, one pixel may be included in each divided region, or a plurality of pixels may be included. In addition, the display device 100 may perform the orientation detection process in step S100 by using, for example, the method described with reference to FIG. 4.

On the basis of the detection result in step S100, the display device 100 determines whether or not the area is higher in luminance than the surrounding divided areas for each divided area (S102). Here, the detection result in step S100 may be, for example, data having one of two values indicating whether or not the divided area is a divided area that defines the directivity. It may be data having one of the above values.

In step S102, when it is determined that one divided region is a region having a higher luminance than the surrounding divided regions, the display device 100 applies a voltage signal to the directional control element corresponding to the corresponding divided region ( S104. Directivity Control Processing). The display device 100 includes, for example, a variable focus lens whose focus is changed according to a voltage applied to the liquid lens or the like as the directional control element. Therefore, when the voltage signal is applied in step S104, the display device 100 may define the directivity to the light according to the image emitted from the display screen (the display unit 120).

In addition, when it is determined in step S102 that one divided region is not a region having higher luminance than the surrounding divided region, the display device 100 does not apply a voltage signal to the directional control element corresponding to the corresponding divided region. (S106. Directivity control process). In the case where no voltage signal is applied, the directivity control element does not define the directivity to the light according to the image emitted from the display screen (display unit 120), and therefore, as shown in FIG. Can emit light.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the directivity control method according to the embodiment of the present invention, a division region having a higher luminance than a surrounding division region is detected based on an input image signal, and the display device 100 is based on the detection result. The directivity of each directivity control element is controlled. Therefore, by using the directivity control method shown in FIG. 5, the display device 100 can improve the realism and three-dimensionality of an image by controlling the directivity of light based on the input video signal.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and they can be understood as naturally belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the display device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the input video signal is described as a digital signal, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes, for example, an analog-to-digital converter, converts an input analog signal (video signal) into a digital signal, and converts the corresponding signal. It is also possible to process later video signals. Further, the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention can also process analog signals (video signals) by, for example, configuring each component with an analog circuit.

The present invention can be embodied as code that can be read by a computer (including all devices having an information processing function) in a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable recording devices include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like.

Although the foregoing description has been focused on the novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the apparatus and method described above without departing from the scope of the invention. It will be understood that various deletions, substitutions, and changes in form and detail of the invention are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than in the foregoing description. All modifications within the scope of equivalents of the claims are to be embraced within the scope of the present invention.

1 is an explanatory diagram for illustrating an outline of processing in a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the function of the directivity defining portion in the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a method for detecting a region for defining directivity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a directivity control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

100-display device

102-Video display unit

104-Directive Regulation

106-Directionality detector

108-Directivity Control

120-display

122-row driver

124-Thermal Drive

126-power supply

128-display control

Claims (13)

An image display unit having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form and displaying an image on a display screen based on an input image signal; A directivity defining unit having at least one directivity control element whose directivity is defined according to an applied voltage signal, and defining directivity of light emitted from the pixel corresponding to the directivity control element for each of the directivity control elements; A directivity detector for dividing the display screen into a plurality of divided regions corresponding to each of the directivity control elements, and detecting a high luminance divided region having a luminance difference from a peripheral region greater than or equal to a threshold based on an input image signal; And And a directivity control unit which applies a voltage signal to the directivity control element corresponding to the detected high brightness division region based on the detection result of the directivity detection unit. The method of claim 1, And the directivity defining unit includes a plurality of directivity control elements each one to one corresponding to each of the pixels. 3. The method of claim 2, And wherein the directivity detector detects the divided region as the high luminance divided region when the absolute value of the luminance difference between one pixel corresponding to the divided region and a pixel around the one pixel is larger than a predetermined value. Display device. The method of claim 1, And the directivity defining unit includes at least one or more directivity control elements each corresponding to a plurality of the pixels. 5. The method of claim 4, The directivity detection unit compares an absolute value of a luminance difference between the pixel and a pixel around the pixel with a magnitude of a predetermined value for each of the plurality of pixels corresponding to the divided region, and the absolute value of the luminance difference is equal to the pixel. And detecting the high brightness divided region according to a frequency greater than a predetermined value. The method of claim 1, And the directional control element is a variable focus lens. It has a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, has an image display unit for displaying an image on the display screen based on the input image signal, and at least one directional control element whose directivity is defined according to the applied voltage signal, A directivity control method in a display device, wherein the directivity control element includes a directivity defining unit for determining a directivity of light emitted from the pixel corresponding to the directivity control element. Dividing the display screen into a plurality of divided regions corresponding to each of the directional control elements, and detecting a high luminance divided region having a luminance difference from a peripheral region greater than or equal to a threshold based on an input image signal; And And applying a voltage signal to a directivity control element corresponding to the detected high brightness division region, based on the detection result in the detecting step. The method of claim 7, wherein And said directivity defining portion includes a plurality of directivity control elements each one to one corresponding to each of said pixels. 9. The method of claim 8, Detecting the high brightness divided region, Detecting the divided region as the high luminance divided region when the absolute value of the luminance difference between one pixel corresponding to the divided region and a pixel around the one pixel is larger than a predetermined value. Directivity control method. The method of claim 7, wherein And said directivity defining section includes at least one or more directivity control elements each corresponding to a plurality of said pixels. The method of claim 10, Detecting the high brightness divided region, For each of the plurality of pixels corresponding to the divided region, an absolute value of a luminance difference between the pixel and a pixel around the pixel is compared with a magnitude of a predetermined value, and the absolute value of the luminance difference is greater than the predetermined value. And detecting the high brightness divided region according to a large frequency. The method of claim 7, wherein Wherein said directivity control element is a varifocal lens. It has a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, has an image display unit for displaying an image on the display screen based on the input image signal, and at least one directional control element whose directivity is defined according to the applied voltage signal, A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling a directivity in a display device, wherein the directivity control element includes a directivity defining unit for determining the directivity of light emitted from the corresponding pixel. The directivity control method, Dividing the display screen into a plurality of divided regions corresponding to each of the directional control elements, and detecting a high luminance divided region having a luminance difference from a peripheral region greater than or equal to a threshold based on an input image signal; And And applying a voltage signal to the directivity control element corresponding to the detected high brightness division region, based on the detection result in the detecting step.

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