TIME SHARING TYPE AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DRIVING THE SAME

Abstract

A time sharing type autostereoscopic display apparatus and a method for driving the same are provided. The display apparatus includes a display panel; a polarization switch; and a control unit which controls the polarization switch so that each of N segments of the polarization switch is driven in synchronization with an image scanning time of the display panel corresponding to each segment, and controls the polarization switch so that a time when a driving signal is applied to an initial segment is delayed relative to a time when an image starts to be scanned after a vertical synchronization signal is applied to the display panel. The method includes controlling the display apparatus so that a time when a driving signal is applied to an initial segment delayed relative to a time when an image starts to be scanned.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively illustrate a related art time sharing type stereoscopic image display system using a cathode ray tube (CRT);

FIG. 3 illustrates an operation of scanning an image for a left eye or a right eye in a display apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a timing diagram illustrating a method for driving a sharing type polarization switch in the related art time sharing type stereoscopic image display system using a CRT;

FIG. 5 is a timing diagram illustrating the case where the method for driving the sharing type polarization switch illustrated in FIG. 4 is applied to a time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus using an LCD;

FIG. 6 illustrates a glasses time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus using an LCD according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are, respectively, timing diagrams illustrating a method for driving a sharing type polarization switch in the time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus using an LCD illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 illustrates a case where a switching operation of the sharing type polarization switch and an image scanning operation of an LCD panel are synchronized when using the method for driving a sharing type polarization switch illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are, respectively, graphs illustrating cross-talk which occurs when the method for driving a sharing type polarization switch illustrated in FIG. 4 is applied to the time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus using an LCD;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are, respectively, graphs illustrating cross-talk which occurs when the method for driving a sharing type polarization switch illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is applied to the time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus using an LCD;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a non-glasses time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus using an LCD according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of the non-glasses time sharing type autosteroscopic image display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 12.

Claims

1. A time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus comprising: a display panel;a polarization switch which is disposed on a front surface of the display panel and is divided into N segments to be independently driven to change a polarization direction of an incident light; anda control unit which controls the polarization switch so that each of the N segments is driven in synchronization with an image scanning time of the display panel corresponding to each segment,wherein the control unit controls the polarization switch so that a time when a driving signal is applied to an initial segment of the N segments of the polarization switch is delayed relative to a time when an image starts to be scanned after a vertical synchronization signal is applied to the display panel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a relationship D=0.8*S ms is satisfied, where D denotes the delay time of the driving signal applied to the initial segment and S denotes a driving time interval between two adjacent segments of the N segments.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a relationship S=(T-B)/N is satisfied, where T denotes a period of one frame of the display panel, and B denotes a blank time until an image starts being scanned after a vertical synchronization signal is applied to the display panel.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unit comprises a delay unit which adjusts a switching time of the polarization switch by 0 through T.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel is a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light-emitting device (OLED), or a field emission device (FED), and a linear polarization plate is disposed between the display panel and the polarization switch.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus is a polarization glasses type.

8. A method for driving a time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus, the method comprising: controlling the time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus so that a time when a driving signal is applied to an initial segment of a polarization switch is delayed relative to a time when an image starts to be scanned after a vertical synchronization signal is applied to a display panel of the time sharing type autostereoscopic image display apparatus.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a relationship D=0.8*S ms is satisfied, where D denotes the delay time of the driving signal applied to the initial segment and S denotes a driving time interval between two adjacent segments of the polarization switch.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a relationship S=(T-B)/N is satisfied, where T denotes a period of one frame, and B denotes a blank time until an image starts being scanned after a vertical synchronization signal is applied to the display panel.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

12. An autostereoscopic image display apparatus comprising: a backlight unit;a polarization plate which allows light emitted from the backlight unit to have only a certain polarization direction;a polarization switch which changes a polarization direction of an incident light according to a control signal;a birefringent element array in which first and second birefringent elements are alternately disposed, the first and second birefringent elements changing a polarization direction of light incident to the first and second birefringent elements so that polarization directions of light transmitted through the first and second birefringent elements are perpendicular to each other;a lenticular lens sheet which separates the incident light into a left-eye region and a right-eye region and emits the incident light; anda liquid crystal display panel on which an image is displayed,wherein the polarization switch is divided into N segments sequentially switched in synchronization with an image scanning time of the liquid crystal display panel, and a time when a driving signal is applied to an initial segment of the N segments of the polarization switch is delayed relative to a time when an image starts to be scanned after a vertical synchronization signal is applied to the liquid crystal display panel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a relationship D 0.8*S ms is satisfied, where D denotes the delay time of the driving signal applied to the initial segment and S denotes a driving time interval between two adjacent segments of the polarization switch.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a relationship S=(T−B)/N is satisfied, where T denotes a period of one frame, and B denotes a blank time until an image starts being scanned after a vertical synchronization signal is applied to the liquid crystal display panel.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the N segments of the polarization switch is switched among first through third states in which polarization directions of transmitted lights are different from one another.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein in the first state a polarization direction of an incident light is not changed, in the second state a polarization direction of an incident light is changed by 45°, and in the third state a polarization direction of an incident light is changed by 90°.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the birefringent element array is formed by alternately arranging the first and second perpendicular birefringent elements along a horizontal direction.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the lenticular lens sheet is formed by alternately arranging a plurality of perpendicular lenticular lens elements parallel to the first and second birefringent elements of the birefringent element array along a horizontal direction.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the backlight unit is dividend into N segments sequentially switched in synchronization with an image scanning time of the liquid crystal display panel.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein corresponding segments of the N segments of the backlight unit and the N segments of the polarization switch are simultaneously switched.