Patent Application
20120069038
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image display system, and more particularly to an image display system for transforming a 2D image into a 3D image.
2. Description of the Related Art
With technological development, display technology has continuously developed in recent years. Monochrome televisions and color televisions were developed earlier on. Now, flat televisions are a newly developed technology. The flat televisions have the favorable advantages of a thin profile and high quality. To display actual images, display technology has been developed from 2D (two-dimensional) to 3D (three-dimensional). The 3D image displays a solid effect.
In accordance with an embodiment, an image display system comprises an adjuster, a first analysis module, a second analysis module and a brightness compensation module. The adjuster utilizes a specific method and a depth information to adjust a processed image to generate a first image and a second image. The first analysis module analyzes the first image to obtain a first image distribution result. The second analysis module analyzes the second image to obtain a second image distribution result. The brightness compensation module adjusts brightness of the first and the second images according to the first and the second image distribution results. The adjusted first image serves as a left-eye image component and the adjusted second image serves as a right-eye image component.
In accordance with an embodiment, an image display system comprises an image generating device. The image generating device generates a 3D image comprising a left-eye image component and a right-eye image component, comprises a depth generating unit, an image processing unit, an analysis module, a brightness compensation module and an adjuster. The depth generating unit generates depth information according to a 2D image. The image processing unit processes the 2D image to generate a processed image according to the depth information. The analysis module analyzes the processed image to obtain an image distribution result. The brightness compensation module adjusts brightness of the processed image to generate an adjusted image according to the image distribution result. The adjuster utilizes a specific method and the depth information to adjust the adjusted image for generating the left-eye and the right-eye image components.
An exemplary embodiment of an image processing method for generating a 3D image comprising a left-eye image component and a right-eye image component is described in the following. A specific method and a depth information are utilized to adjust a processed image to generate a first image and a second image. The first image is analyzed to obtain a first image distribution result. The second image is analyzed to obtain a second image distribution result. Brightness of the first and the second images are adjusted according to the first and the second image distribution results. The adjusted first image serves the left-eye image component and the adjusted second image serves the right-eye image component.
A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The invention can be more fully understood by referring to the following detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims.
A 2D image is analyzed to obtain depth information. The depth information is utilized to generate a left-eye image component and a right-eye image component. The left-eye and the right-eye image components are successively displayed to show 3D solid effect.
The display region 150 comprises pixel units P11˜Pmn. The pixel units P11˜Pmn receive data signals SD1˜SDm according to the scan signals SS1˜SSn and display a corresponding image according to the data signals SD1˜SDm. Since the principles of the gate driver 110, the source driver 130 and the pixel units P11˜Pmn are well known to those skilled in the field, descriptions of the gate driver 110, the source driver 130 and the pixel units P11˜Pmn are omitted for brevity.
The image processing device 170 receives a 2D input image I2D to generate the 3D image I3D comprising the left-eye image component IL and the right-eye image component LR. In this embodiment, a 3D solid effect can be accomplished when the source driver 130 generates the data signals SD1˜SDm according to the left-eye image component IL and the right-eye image component LR successively.
The image processing unit 230 processes the 2D image I2D to generate a processed image IP according to the depth information SDEP. The 2D image I2D comprises various image components. In one embodiment, the image components of the 2D image I2D are processed by a sharpness procedure. For example, if a portion of the image components is close to a foreground image component, the sharpness of the portion of the image components is adjusted. The adjusted level of the portion of the image components is higher than another portion of the image components, wherein another portion of the image components is distant from the foreground. Thus, the adjusted result (i.e. the processed image IP generated by the image processing unit 230) has a 3D solid effect.
In some embodiments, the image processing unit 230 executes one or a combination of a sharpness procedure, a contrast procedure, a color procedure and a brightness procedure according to the depth information SDEP.
The adjustment unit 250 adjusts the processed image IP to generate the 3D image I3D according to the depth information SDEP. In this embodiment, the 3D image I3D comprises a left-eye image component IL and a right-eye image component IR. When the image display system successively displays the left-eye image component IL and the right-eye image component IR, a 3D solid effect can be accomplished.
The adjuster 310 utilizes a specific method and the depth information SDEP to adjust the processed image IP and generates images I1 and I2 according to the adjusted result. In this embodiment, the specific method is a depth image based rendering (DIBR) method. The DIBR method generates new images (e.g. I1 and I2) according to an input image (e.g. IP) and a corresponding depth (e.g. SDEP) relating to the input image.
The analysis module 330 analyzes the image I1 to obtain an image distribution result SIH1. The analysis module 350 analyzes the image I2 to obtain an image distribution result SIH2. In this embodiment, the analysis modules 330 and 350 execute a histogram analysis for the images I1 and I2 to obtain brightness distributions of the images I1 and I2.
In one embodiment, the image distribution results SIH1 and SIH2 generated by the analysis modules 330 and 350 are image histograms of the images I1 and I2 respectively. The brightness distributions of the images I1 and I2 are obtained according to the image histogram.
The brightness compensation module 370 adjusts the brightness of the images I1 and I2 according to the image distribution results SIH1 and SIH2. The adjusted results serve as the left-eye image component IL and the right-eye image component IR respectively. In this embodiment, the left-eye image component IL and the right-eye image component IR are successively transmitted to the source driver 130. Further, the brightness compensation module 370 depends upon the image distribution results SIH1 and SIH2 to dynamically adjust the brightness of the images I1 and I2 such that an over-saturation issue does not occur in the adjusted images I1 and I2.
The brightness compensation module 430 adjusts the brightness of the processing image IP to generate an adjusted image IA according to the image distribution result SIH. In one embodiment, the brightness compensation module 430 does not employ the depth information SDEP to generate the adjusted image IA. Thus, the adjusted image IA does not relate to the depth information SDEP. The adjuster 470 utilizes a specific method and the depth information SDEP to adjust the adjusted image IA such that a left-eye image component IL and a right-eye image component IR are generated. In this embodiment, the specific method is a DIBR method.
In step S510, a 2D image is received. Depth information is generated according to the 2D image (step S530). The invention does not limit the method of generating the depth information.
The depth information is utilized to process the 2D image for generating a processed image (step S550). The invention does not limit the method of processing the 2D image. In some embodiments, the 2D image is processed by one or a combination of a sharpness procedure, a contrast procedure, a color procedure and a brightness procedure.
The processed image is adjusted to generate a left-eye image component and a right-eye image component according to the depth information (step S570). In this embodiment, the left-eye image component and the right-eye image component are successively displayed to perform a 3D solid effect.
The first image is analyzed to obtain a first image distribution result (step S630). The second image is analyzed to obtain a second image distribution result (step S650). The invention does not limit the method of analyzing the first or the second method. In one embodiment, the first and the second images are analyzed to obtain brightness distribution of the first and the second images. The analyzed result is utilized to generate an image histogram. The image histogram serves as the image distribution result.
The analyzed results (e.g. the first and the second image distribution results) obtained by the steps S630 and S650 are utilized to adjust the brightness of the first and the second images (step S670). In this embodiment, the adjusted result generated by the step S670 serves a left-eye image component and a right-eye image component.
The brightness of the processed image is adjusted to generate an adjusted image according to the image distribution result (step S730). Then, a specific method with the depth information is utilized to adjust the adjusted image such that a left-eye image component and a right-eye image component are generated (step S750). In one embodiment, the specific method utilized in the step 750 is a DIBR method.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
