Image processing method and display device

Abstract

An image processing method to obtain a high sense of depth or high stereoscopic effect for an image and a display device utilizing the method are provided. Image data of an image is separated into image data of a plurality of objects and a background. A feature amount is obtained from the image data of each object, so that the objects are identified. The relative distance between viewer's eye and any of the objects is determined by the data of the sizes of the objects in the image and the sizes of the objects stored in the database. The image data of each object is processed so that an object with a shorter relative distance is enlarged. The image data of each object after image processing is combined with the image data of the background, so that a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is increased.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]One embodiment of the present invention relates to an image processing method and a display device utilizing the image processing method.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]The market for three-dimensional display devices is growing. Displaying a three-dimensional image can be achieved by artificially creating, with a display device, difference between retinal images of both eyes (binocular parallax) which may occur when a viewer sees a stereoscopic object with both eyes. The three-dimensional image display devices utilizing the binocular parallax have been developed and commercialized with a variety of display methods. The variety of display methods is mainly classified into a direct-view display method utilizing an optical system such as a parallax barrier, a lenticular lens, or a microlens array and a display method utilizing glasses with shutters.[0005]Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]In a three-dimensional image display method utilizing glasses, an image for a right eye and an image for a left eye are alternately displayed on a screen. By seeing the images through glasses with shutters, human eyes recognize that the images are three-dimensional. In the three-dimensional image display device, as compared to the two-dimensional image display device, the number of writing operations of images to a pixel portion during one frame period is increased; accordingly, a high-performance driver circuit that is capable of driving at high frequency is needed and power consumption of the whole display device is increased.

[0010]In view of the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides an image processing method and a display device utilizing the image processing method. In the image processing method, a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of images is increased while the number of writing of images to a pixel portion during one frame period is reduced or the number of pixels that contribute to image display is not reduced.

[0012]Specifically, in an image processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, image data is separated into image data of a plurality of objects and image data of a background. A feature amount is obtained from the image data of each object. A feature amount is obtained by converting features, which are useful for object recognition of the object into values, and objects can be identified by the feature amount. For example, a feature amount obtained from a shape, a color, a gray scale, texture, or the like of an object can be used for identification of the object. Then, each of the feature amounts is compared with data, stored in database, of the size of an object that is a model correlated with the feature amount of the object that is a model, so that data of the size of each object is obtained. A relative distance between viewer's eye and any of the objects or a front-back relation among the objects can be determined by the data of the size of each object obtained from the database and the relative sizes of the objects in the image. Then, the image data of each object is processed so that an object that has a shorter relative distance from viewer's eye or an object that is located more on the front side is enlarged. Then, the image data of each object after image processing is combined with the image data of the background, so that image data in which a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is increased is obtained.

[0014]Specifically, in an image processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, like the above-described image processing method, a relative distance between viewer's eye and any of the objects or a front-back relation among the objects is determined. Then, the image data of each object is processed so that the outline of an object that has a shorter relative distance from viewer's eye or an object that is located more on the front side is reinforced. Then, similarly to the above-described image processing method, the image data of each object after image processing is combined with the image data of the background, so that image data in which a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is increased is obtained.

[0016]Specifically, an image processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention may obtain image data in which a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is increased by a method in which, like the above described image processing method, the image data of each object is processed, an object in which a relative distance from viewer's eye is shorter or an object that is located more on the front side is moved to be located apart from the vanishing point, and the image data of each object after image processing is combined with the image data of the background.

[0017]An image processing method and a display device utilizing the image processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention are not like a method and a display device utilizing binocular parallax for example, in which a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is obtained by difference between an image data for a right eye and an image data for a light eye. That is, with the above-described image processing method and the above-described display device utilizing the image processing method, even in the case where one eye sees an image formed, a human can feel a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect. Accordingly, a method in one embodiment of the present invention, unlike a method utilizing the binocular parallax, does not necessary to display an image for a right eye and an image for a left eye alternately or simultaneously; therefore, a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of the image can be increased while the number of writing of images to a pixel portion during one frame period is reduced or the number of pixels that contribute to image display is not reduced.

Problems solved by technology

In the three-dimensional image display device, as compared to the two-dimensional image display device, the number of writing operations of images to a pixel portion during one frame period is increased; accordingly, a high-performance driver circuit that is capable of driving at high frequency is needed and power consumption of the whole display device is increased.