3d image control apparatus and method

Abstract

A 3D image control apparatus is provided which prevents unevenness of luminance in an observed image on a screen caused in a 3D image viewing system including an impulse type display device and liquid crystal shutter glasses. The 3D image control apparatus includes an image processing unit configured to generate luminance signals for displaying a right eye image and a left eye image on the basis of an input image signal and output the signals to a display unit. The image processing unit performs arithmetic operation on an image signal corresponding to pixels on a predetermined number of vertical lines using correction values for increasing a luminance in accordance with the position of each vertical line so that a lack of transmittance for a rising period or falling period of shutters of liquid crystal shutter glasses is compensated for, thus generating luminance signals.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A 3D image control apparatus that allows a display unit to alternately display a right eye image and a left eye image in a time-division manner and allows right and left shutters of shutter glasses to alternately open and close synchronously with switching between the right eye image and the left eye image, the apparatus comprising:
 an input unit configured to receive an image signal for displaying a 3D image; and   an image processing unit configured to generate luminance signals for displaying the right eye image and the left eye image based on the image signal and output the signals to the display unit,   wherein the image processing unit corrects the image signal such that the luminances of pixels addressed for a period corresponding to at least one of a rising period and a falling period of the shutters are increased.   
     
     
         2 . The 3D image control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein on the display unit, scanning lines are sequentially selected and pixels on the selected scanning line are sequentially addressed in a multiplex driving. 
     
     
         3 . The 3D image control apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the pixels addressed for the period corresponding to at least one of the rising period and the falling period of the shutters are on a predetermined number of scanning lines scanned for the period corresponding to at least one of the rising period and the falling period of the shutters. 
     
     
         4 . The 3D image control apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the image processing unit multiplies an image signal corresponding to pixels on the predetermined number of scanning lines from the scanning line, which is positioned at the top of a screen of the display unit and at which the scanning starts, to the lower scanning line by correction values to generate the luminance signals, wherein the correction value decreases monotonically from the correction value associated with the scanning line positioned at the top of the screen to the correction value associated with the scanning line positioned downward. 
     
     
         5 . The 3D image control apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein all scanning lines are selected for a vertical scanning period which includes a vertical blanking period, and the vertical blanking period is determined based on the falling period of the shutters. 
     
     
         6 . A 3D image control method for allowing a display unit to alternately display a right eye image and a left eye image in a time-division manner and allows right and left shutters of shutter glasses to alternately open and close synchronously with switching between the right eye image and the left eye image, the method comprising:
 an inputting step of receiving an image signal for displaying a 3D image; and   a generating step of generating luminance signals for displaying the right eye image and the left eye image based on the image signal to output the signals to the display unit,   wherein in the generating step, the image signal is corrected such that the luminances of pixels addressed for a period corresponding to at least one of a rising period and a falling period of the shutters are increased.