Display controller, display device, image processing method, and image processing program for a multiple viewpoint display

An image processing method for generating synthesized image data to be outputted to a display module which includes:

• a display part in which sub-pixels connected to data lines via switching devices controlled by scanning lines are arranged in m-rows and n-columns (m and n are natural numbers), which is driven by (m+1) pieces of the scanning lines and at leas pieces of the data lines;
• and a first image separating device which directs light emitted from the sub-pixels towards a plurality of viewpoints in a sub-pixel unit;
• the method comprising:
• reading parameters showing a positional relation between the first image separating device and the display part from a parameter storage device;
• inputting viewpoint image data for a plurality of viewpoints from outside, and writing the data into the image memory;
• and
• reading out the viewpoint image data from the image memory according to a readout order that is obtained by applying the parameters to a repeating regulation that is determined based on la rout of the sub-pixels, number of colors, and layout of the colors, and outputting the readout data to the display module as the synthesized image data, wherein:
• the display part is formed by having an up-and-down sub-pixel pair that is formed with two of the sub-pixels arranged by sandwiching one scanning line as a basic unit;
• the switching devices provided respectively to the two sub-pixels are controlled in common by the scanning line sandwiched by the two sub-pixels, and are connected to different data lines from each other;
• the up-and-down sub-pixel pairs neighboring to each other in an extending direction of the scanning lines are so disposed that the switching devices thereof are controlled by the different scanning lines from each other;
• the number of colors of the sub-pixels are three colors of a first color, a second color, and a third color;
• provided that “y” is a natural number, one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to y-th scanning line is the first color and the other color is the second color, the pair forming either an even-numbered column or an odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+1)-th scanning line is the second color and the other color is the third color, the pair forming the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+2)-th scanning line is the third color and the other color is the first color, the pair forming either an even-numbered column or an odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+3)-th scanning line is the first color and the other color is the second color, the pair forming the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+4)-th scanning line is the second color and the other color is the third color, the pair forming either an even-numbered column or an odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+5)-th scanning line is the third color and the other color is the first color, the pair forming the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part,
• the image processing method comprises reading out the viewpoint image data from the image memory according to a readout order that is obtained by applying the parameters to a repeating regulation that is determined based on layout of the sub-pixels, number of colors, and layout of the colors, and outputting the readout data to the display module as the synthesized image data, from the image memory, according to a following readout order of:
• reading out the first color and the second color by corresponding to the y-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the second color and the third color by corresponding to the (y+1)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the third color and the first color by corresponding to the (y+2)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the first color and the second color by corresponding to the (y+3)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the second color and the third color by corresponding to the (y+4)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• and
• reading out the third color and the first color by corresponding to the (y+5)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part.

A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing an image processing program for generating synthesized image data to be outputted to a display module which includes:

• a display part in which sub-pixels connected to data lines via switching devices controlled by scanning lines are arranged in m-rows and n-columns (m and n are natural numbers), which is driven by (m+1) pieces of the scanning lines and at least n pieces of the data lines;
• and a first image separating device which directs light emitted from the sub-pixels towards a plurality of viewpoints in a sub-pixel unit;
• the program causing a compute to execute:
• a procedure for reading parameters showing a positional relation between the first image separating device and the display part from a parameter storage device;
• a procedure for inputting viewpoint image data for a plurality of viewpoints from outside, and writing the data into the image memory;
• and
• a procedure for reading out the viewpoint image data from he image memory according to a readout order that is obtained by applying the parameters to a repeating regulation that is determined based on layout of the sub-pixels, number of colors, and layout of the colors, and outputting the readout data to the display module as the synthesized image data, wherein:
• when the display part is formed by having an up-and-down sub-pixel pair that is formed with two of the sub-pixels arranged by sandwiching one scanning line as a basic unit;
• the switching devices provided respectively to the two sub-pixels are controlled in common by the scanning line sandwiched by the two sub-pixels, and are connected to different data lines from each other;
• the up-and-down sub-pixel pairs neighboring to each other in an extending direction of the scanning lines are so disposed that the switching devices thereof are controlled by the different scanning lines from each other;
• the number of colors of the sub-pixels are three colors of a first color, a second color, and a third color;
• provided that “y” is a natural number, one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to y-th scanning line is the first color and the other color is the second color, the pair forming either an even-numbered column or an odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+1)-th scanning line is the second color and the other color is the third color, the pair forming the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+2)-th scanning line is the third color and the other color is the first color, the pair forming either an even-numbered column or an odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+3)-th scanning line is the first color and the other color is the second color, the pair forming the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+4)-th scanning line is the second color and the other color is the third color, the pair forming either an even-numbered column or an odd-numbered column of the display part;
• one of the colors of two sub-pixels of the up-and-down sub-pixel pair connected to (y+5)-th scanning line is the third color and the other color is the first color, the pair forming the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part,
• the image processing program causes the computer to execute the procedures for reading out the viewpoint image data from the image memory according to the readout order that is obtained by applying the parameters to the repeating regulation that is determined based on the layout of the sub-pixels, the number of colors, and the layout of the colors, and outputting the readout data to the display module as the synthesized image data according to a following readout order of:
• reading out the first color and the second color by corresponding to the y-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the second color and the third color by corresponding to the (y+1)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the third color and the first color by corresponding to the (y+2)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the first color and the second color by corresponding to the (y+3)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the second color and the third color by corresponding to the (y+4)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part;
• reading out the third color and the first color by corresponding to the (y+5)-th scanning line, and reading out a viewpoint image which corresponds to the other one of the even-numbered column or the odd-numbered column of the display part.

A display controller for outputting synthesized image data to a display module which includes:

• a display part in which sub-pixels connected to data lines via switching devices controlled by scanning lines are arranged in m-rows and n-columns (m and n are natural numbers), which is driven by (m+1) pieces of the scanning lines and at least n pieces of the data lines;
• and a first image separating device which directs light emitted from the sub-pixels towards a plurality of viewpoints in a sub-pixel unit;
• the display controller comprising:
• an image memory which stores viewpoint image data for the plurality of viewpoints;
• a writing control device which writes the viewpoint image data inputted from outside to the image memory;
• a parameter storage device which stores parameters showing a positional relation between the first image separating device and the display part;
• a readout control device which reads out the viewpoint image data from the image memory according to a readout order that is obtained by applying the parameters to a repeating regulation that is determined based on layout of the sub-pixels, number of colors, and layout of the colors, and outputs the readout data to the display module as the synthesized image data;
• and
• an input data vertical-lateral conversion device which rearranges the viewpoint image data inputted from outside into an image that is rotated by 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise, wherein:
• the display module comprises a second image separating device formed with an electro-optic element, which directs light emitted from the sub-pixels towards a plurality of viewpoints in the sub-pixel unit;
• a direction that connects the plurality of viewpoints towards which the second image separating device directs the light is orthogonal to a direction that connects the plurality of viewpoints towards which the first image separating device directs the light;
• and
• the writing control device has a function which writes the viewpoint image data that is rearranged by the input data vertical-lateral conversion device into the image memory, instead of writing the viewpoint image data inputted from outside.

A display controller for outputting synthesized image data to a display module which includes:

• a display part in which sub-pixels connected to data lines via switching devices controlled by scanning lines are arranged in m-rows and n-columns (m and n are natural numbers), which is driven by (m+1) pieces of the scanning lines and at least n pieces of the data lines;
• and a first image separating device which directs light emitted from the sub-pixels towards a plurality of viewpoints in a sub-pixel unit;
• the display controller comprising:
• an image memory which stores viewpoint image data for the plurality of viewpoints;
• a writing control device which writes the viewpoint image data inputted from outside to the image memory;
• a parameter storage device which stores parameters showing a positional relation between he first image separating device and the display part;
• a readout control device which reads out the viewpoint image data from the image memory according to a readout order that is obtained by applying parameters to a repeating regulation that is determined based on layout of the sub-pixels, number of colors, and layout of the colors, and outputs the readout data to the display module as the synthesized image data;
• and
• an input data rearranging device which rearranges the viewpoint mage data for four viewpoints or more inputted from outside into the viewpoint image data for two viewpoints, wherein
• the writing control device has a function which writes the viewpoint image data that is rearranged by the input data rearranging device into the image memory, instead of writing the viewpoint image data inputted from outside.