Image display apparatus capable of multi-depth expression

Abstract

An image display apparatus includes a display device configured to modulate light to form an image; a driver configured to adjust a position of the display device; a light transmitter comprising a focusing member and configured to change a direction of the light incident on the light transmitter to transmit the image to a preset location; and a processor configured to generate a driving signal according to image information and control the driver according to the driving signal, to adjust the position of the display device relative to the focusing member according to the driving signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An image display apparatus comprising:
 a display device configured to modulate light to form an image;   a light transmitter comprising a focusing member and configured to change a direction of the light incident on the light transmitter to transmit the image to a preset location;   a driver configured to provide a driving force to the display device to adjust a position of the display device disposed between the driver and the light transmitter, and   a processor configured to generate a driving signal according to image information and control the driver according to the driving signal, to adjust the position of the display device relative to the focusing member according to the driving signal.   
     
     
         2 . The image display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the driver is further configured to move the display device in parallel such that a distance between the display device and the focusing member varies. 
     
     
         3 . The image display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the light transmitter is further configured to transmit the image as an enlarged image on a virtual image plane at a predetermined position. 
     
     
         4 . The image display apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the image information comprises depth information related to the predetermined position of the virtual image plane with respect to each of images of a plurality of frames, and
 wherein the processor is further configured to generate the driving signal according to the depth information.   
     
     
         5 . The image display apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to
 generate a scale factor to be applied to any one of images of two successive frames with different depth information,   generate a light modulation signal by reflecting the scale factor to the image information, and   control the display device according to the light modulation signal.   
     
     
         6 . The image display apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to
 compute magnifications at which the images of the two successive frames are respectively imaged, and   set the scale factor to 1 when a change value between the magnifications is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value.   
     
     
         7 . The image display apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to
 compute magnifications at which the images of the two successive frames are respectively imaged, and   determine a similarity of the images of the two successive frames when a change value between the magnifications is larger than a predetermined reference value.   
     
     
         8 . The image display apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to
 set the scale factor to 1 when the similarity of the images of the two successive frames is equal to or less than the predetermined reference value, and   set the scale factor to an offset value that offsets the change value when the similarity of the images of the two successive frames is larger than the predetermined reference value.   
     
     
         9 . The image display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, with respect to the image of a same frame, transmit the driving signal when a predetermined time elapses since a light modulation signal is transmitted. 
     
     
         10 . The image display apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the predetermined time is set to be equal to or greater than a predetermined convergence-accommodation time of an eye. 
     
     
         11 . The image display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the light transmitter is further configured to combine a first light comprising a first image from the display device with a second light comprising a second image of a real environment and transmit a combination of the first light and the second light to the preset location. 
     
     
         12 . The image display apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the light transmitter comprises:
 a beam splitter disposed obliquely with respect to a traveling path of the first light and a traveling path of the second light, and   the focusing member.   
     
     
         13 . The image display apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the beam splitter comprises a half mirror. 
     
     
         14 . The image display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the display device comprises a first display device and a second display device,
 wherein the driver comprises a first driver and a second driver respectively configured to drive the first display device and the second display device such that positions of the first display device and the second display device vary, and   wherein the light transmitter comprises a first light transmitter and a second light transmitter configured to transmit images formed by the first display device and the second display device to a preset left eye location and a preset right eye location, respectively.   
     
     
         15 . The image display apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the image is a three-dimensional (3D) image, and the image information comprises
 information about a pair of a left eye image and a right eye image to be perceived as the 3D image of one frame, and   wherein the processor is further configured to control the first display device and the second display device such that the left eye image is formed by the first display device and the right eye image is formed by the second display device.   
     
     
         16 . The image display apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the image information further comprises
 depth information related to positions of a virtual image plane on which the left eye image and the right eye image are to be imaged, and   wherein the processor is further configured to control the first driver and the second driver according to the depth information.   
     
     
         17 . The image display apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the image display apparatus is a wearable apparatus. 
     
     
         18 . An augmented reality apparatus comprising:
 a display device configured to modulate light to form an image;   a light transmitter comprising a focusing member, the light transmitter being configured to change a direction of the light from the display device incident on the light transmitter toward an observer's eye and to transmit light regarding a real environment of the front of the observer;   a driver configured to provide a driving force to the display device to adjust a position of the display device disposed between the driver and the light transmitter, and   a processor configured to generate a driving signal according to image information and control the driver according to the driving signal, to adjust the position of the display device relative to the focusing member according to the driving signal.   
     
     
         19 . An electronic apparatus including the image display apparatus of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         20 . The electronic apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the image display apparatus is wearable type, and the electronic apparatus is smart phone. 
     
     
         21 . The electronic apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the processor is provided in the smart phone.