Apparatus and method for adaptively rendering subpixel

Abstract

A rendering apparatus and method in a light field display may determine positions of eyes of a user, may determine a subpixel emitting a ray that enters the eyes, based on the positions of the eyes, among a plurality of subpixels forming a three-dimensional (3D) pixel, and may display a stereoscopic image on the light field display based on a pixel value of the determined subpixel.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A subpixel rendering apparatus, comprising:
 a position determination unit configured to determine positions of eyes of a user; and 
 a subpixel determination unit configured to determine, based on the positions of the eyes, a subpixel, among subpixels forming a three-dimensional (3D) pixel, the subpixel emitting a ray that enters the eyes,
 wherein the subpixel determination unit determines the subpixel based on horizontal direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes, and 
 wherein the horizontal information comprises a horizontal direction slope of the virtual line. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the subpixel determination unit determines the subpixel further based on vertical direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes. 
     
     
       3. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the subpixel determination unit calculates vertical direction slope of the virtual line. 
     
     
       4. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the subpixel determination unit selects a ray having a slope most similar to the horizontal direction slope and the vertical direction slope, from among rays in different directions emitted from the 3D pixel, and determines a subpixel that emits the selected ray, as a subpixel at which the eye stares. 
     
     
       5. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein when the selected ray exists in a sub-view area, the subpixel determination unit determines a subpixel that emits a ray in a main view area corresponding to the selected ray in the sub-view area, as a subpixel at which the eye stares. 
     
     
       6. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a content determination unit to determine a content based on horizontal direction information and vertical direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes, the content being displayed on a light field display; and 
 a pixel value determination unit to determine a pixel value of the determined subpixel, using the determined subpixel and the determined content. 
 
     
     
       7. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least one camera to capture the positions of the eyes. 
 
     
     
       8. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the camera comprises at least one visible spectrum camera, at least one infrared camera, and at least one depth camera. 
     
     
       9. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the position determination unit determines position coordinate values of the eyes in a space coordinate, using the positions of the eyes captured by the at least one camera, and
 wherein the subpixel determination unit determines the subpixel based on the determined position coordinate values, in the light field display. 
 
     
     
       10. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the subpixel determination unit determines the subpixel in parallel for each 3D pixel. 
     
     
       11. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the subpixel rendering apparatus individually determines subpixels at which a left eye and a right eye of a user stares, among the plurality of subpixels, and displays, on a light field display, a natural stereoscopic image using each of the determined subpixels. 
     
     
       12. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a crosstalk processing unit to reduce a crosstalk between the determined subpixel and the other subpixels by controlling pixel values of the other subpixels, the other subpixels comprising at least one subpixel obtained by excluding the determined subpixel from the plurality of subpixels. 
 
     
     
       13. The subpixel rendering apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a display configured to display the ray emitted from the determined subpixel and exclude rays emitted from the other subpixels. 
 
     
     
       14. A subpixel rendering method, comprising:
 determining, by a processor, positions of eyes of a user; and 
 determining, based on the positions of the eyes, a subpixel among a plurality of subpixels forming a three-dimensional (3D) pixel, the subpixel emitting a ray that enters the eyes, 
 wherein the determining of the subpixel comprises determining the subpixel based on horizontal direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes, and 
 wherein the horizontal direction information comprises a horizontal direction slope of the virtual line. 
 
     
     
       15. The subpixel rendering method of  claim 14 , wherein the determining of the subpixel comprises determining the subpixel further based on vertical direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes. 
     
     
       16. The subpixel rendering method of  claim 15 , wherein the determining of the subpixel comprises calculating vertical direction slope of the virtual line. 
     
     
       17. The subpixel rendering method of  claim 16 , wherein the determining of the subpixel comprises selecting a ray having a slope most similar to the horizontal direction slope and the vertical direction slope, from among rays in different directions emitted from the 3D pixel, and determining a subpixel that emits the selected ray, as a subpixel at which the eye stares. 
     
     
       18. The subpixel rendering method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining a content based on horizontal direction information and vertical direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes, the content being displayed on a light field display; and 
 determining a pixel value of the determined subpixel, using the determined subpixel and the determined content. 
 
     
     
       19. The subpixel rendering method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 capturing the positions of the eyes using at least one camera. 
 
     
     
       20. The subpixel rendering method of  claim 19 , wherein the determining of the positions of the eyes comprises determining position coordinate values of the eyes in a space coordinate, using the positions of the eyes captured by the at least one camera, and
 wherein the determining of the subpixel comprises determining the subpixel based on the determined position coordinate values, in the light field display. 
 
     
     
       21. The subpixel rendering method of  claim 14 , wherein the determining of the subpixel comprises determining the subpixel in parallel for each 3D pixel. 
     
     
       22. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to implement the method of  claim 14 . 
     
     
       23. A light field display system, comprising:
 a camera to capture positions of eyes of a user; 
 a rendering apparatus comprises: 
 a position determination unit to determine the positions of eyes of a user using the captured positions of the eyes; 
 a subpixel determination unit to determine, based on the positions of the eyes, a subpixel, among a plurality of subpixels forming a three-dimensional (3D) pixel, the subpixel emitting a ray that enters the eyes; 
 a pixel value determination unit to determine a pixel value of the determined subpixel, using the determined subpixel and a stereoscopic image to be displayed on a light field display; and 
 a light field display to generate rays based on the determined pixel values, 
 wherein the subpixel determination unit determines the subpixel based on horizontal direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes, and 
 wherein the horizontal direction information includes a horizontal direction slope of the virtual line. 
 
     
     
       24. The light field display system of  claim 23 , wherein the subpixel determination unit determines the subpixel further based on vertical direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes. 
     
     
       25. The light field display system of  claim 23 , wherein the subpixel determination unit calculates vertical direction slope of the virtual line. 
     
     
       26. The light field display system of  claim 23 , wherein the subpixel determination unit selects a ray having a slope most similar to the horizontal direction slope and the vertical direction slope, from among rays in different directions emitted from the 3D pixel, and determines a subpixel that emits the selected ray, as a subpixel at which the eye stares. 
     
     
       27. The light field display system of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 a content determination unit to determine a stereoscopic image based on horizontal direction information and vertical direction information of a virtual line connecting the 3D pixel to the eyes. 
 
     
     
       28. The light field display system of  claim 23 , wherein the camera comprises at least one visible spectrum camera, at least one infrared camera, and at least one depth camera.