Title of Invention	METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME
Abstract	A method of generating a stereoscopic image signal and scaling the same includes receiving a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal, generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal by multiplexing the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal, and scaling up or down the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal and reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal.

Title of Invention

METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME

Abstract

A method of generating a stereoscopic image signal and scaling the same includes receiving a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal, generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal by multiplexing the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal, and scaling up or down the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal and reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal.

Full Text	FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) & The Patents Rules, 2003 PROVISIONAL / COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10 and rule 13) x TITLE "METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME" 2. APPLICANT (S) (a) NAME : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (b) NATIONALITY : Republic of Korea (c) ADDRESS : 416, Maetan-dong, Yeongtong-gu Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 442-742 Republic of Korea 3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION PROVISIONAL COMPLETE ^"^ Th» following spfiffcntinn rWTji.».e 11 v invnti\|,in The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed. 4. DESCRIPTION (Description shall start from next page) 5. CLAIMS (not applicable for provisional specification. Claims should start with the preamble - "I/we claim" on separate page) 6. DATE AND SIGNATURE (to be given at the end of last page of specification) 7. ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION (to be given along with complete specification on separate page) TITLE OF THE INVENTION METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0067434, filed on August 26, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present general inventive concept relates to a stereoscopic image signal, and more particularly, to a method of generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a method of scaling the same. 2. Description of the Related Art [0003] In general, a stereoscopic image is based on a stereo view angle by human eyes. Binocular parallax, which is due to the right and left eyes being about 65 mm apart from each other, is the most critical factor of a feeling of solidity. [0004] There are two types of stereoscopic displays, one with glasses and another without glasses. The non-glasses type stereoscopic display obtains a stereoscopic image by separating a left-eye image from a right-eye image without glasses. [0005] The glasses type stereoscopic display displays left and right parallax images on a direct-view display or projector with directions of polarization changed or in a time-divisional manner. The stereoscopic image can be seen with polarization glasses or liquid-crystal shutter glasses. [0006] The non-glasses type stereoscopic display includes a parallax barrier type, a lenticular type, a polarization multiplexing type, etc. [0007] The parallax barrier type stereoscopic display displays images for individual eyes alternatively in the horizontal direction by the space of a pixel, and then the displayed images are seen through a vertical grating, or a so called "barrier." Thus the displayed images are separated from each other by the barrier to be seen by the left and right eyes respectively so that a stereoscopic image is seen. [0008] In the polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display, a progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in scanning lines, is displayed and then polarized by passing the progressive stereoscopic image signal through two polarization filters with different polarizing characteristics so that the left eye can only see odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal and the right eye can only see even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Examples of a stereoscopic display device using the polarization multiplexing method are disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. 1999-80351 (published on January 5, 1999) and 2002-96203 (published on December 31, 2002) and in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 09-149434 (published on June 6, 1997 etc. [0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display device. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional stereoscopic display device includes a display panel 102 which displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a polarization film unit 104 which is comprised of a plurality of first polarization lines 112 and a plurality of second polarization lines 114. The first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 are alternately arranged in the polarization film unit 104 in a vertical scanning direction and have different polarization characteristics. Specifically, the first polarization lines 112 have first polarization characteristics, and the second polarization lines 114 have second polarization characteristics. The first polarization lines 112 are used for providing a user with a left-eye image, and the second polarization lines 114 are used for providing the user with a right-eye image. [0010] The conventional stereoscopic display device displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and polarizes the displayed image signal through the first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 so that a user views odd-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her left eye and views even-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her right eye. [0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 has a size N1xN2. Odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a left-eye image signal, and even- numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a right-eye image signal. Here, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are taken by a left-eye image camera and a right-eye image camera, respectively, which are separated from each other by the same distance as the distance between human eyes [0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 includes a first scaler 302, which receives the left-eye-image signal and scales the received left-eye image signal up or down, a second scaler 304, which receives the right-eye image signal and scales the received right-eye image signal up or down, and a multiplexer 316, which generates the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 by multiplexing the up-scaled or down-scaled left-eye image signal and the up-scaled or down-scaled right-eye image signal. [0013] For a three-dimensional (3D) stereo broadcast, an interlaced stereoscopic image signal whose odd-numbered fields belong to the left-eye image signal and whose even-numbered fields belong to the right-eye image signal is transmitted. Standard digital TV sets provide a fixed resolution of 720x408 i/p or 1920x1080 i/p where i stands for 'interlaced,' and p stands for 'progressive.' [0014] In general, display devices adopt a progressive scanning method and can render an image with various resolutions. Thus, in order to make a display device compatible with a 3D stereo broadcast, a de-interlacing operation and a scaling operation are needed to convert the interlaced stereoscopic image signal into the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406. [0015] Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second scalers 302 and 304 perform a scaling operation. Specifically, each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 may scale up an input image signal in a vertical scanning direction according to a resolution provided by a display device, by using either a bilinear interpolation method or a convolution interpolation method with reference to the degree of correlation between adjacent scanning lines of the image signal. [0016] The multiplexer 306 [316] performs interlacing. [0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the multiplexer 306 [316] of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the multiplexer 306 [316] obtains the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2 by multiplexing a left-eye image signal 402 and a right-eye image signal 404 so that the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal 402 and the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal 404 are alternately arranged. [0018] As described above, the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3 for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal includes the first and second scalers 302 and 304, which scale up or down the left-eye image signal 402 and the right-eye image signal 404, respectively. Each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 includes a memory, in which an image signal is stored, and an interpolator, which reads each of a plurality of scanning lines of the image signal from the memory and generates new scanning lines through interpolation. [0019] The conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal, however, has a relatively complex display device structure and is costly because it includes the two scalers 302 and 304. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0020] The present general inventive concept provides a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal, which can simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal and can reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal. [0021] The present general inventive concept also provides a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal, which can be used by the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal. [0022] Additional aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept. [0023] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal, generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal by multiplexing the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal, and scaling up or down the progressive stereoscopic image signal. [0024] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a progressive stereoscopic image signal synthesized from a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and scaling the progressive stereoscopic image signal by interpolating first interpolation [scanning] lines corresponding to the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal and inserting the first interpolation lines between the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, interpolating second interpolation lines corresponding to the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal and inserting the second interpolation lines between the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the resulting left-eye image signal and the resulting right-eye image signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0025] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: [0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional stereoscopic display device, of a polarization multiplexing type; [0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1; [0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal; [0029] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a multiplexer of the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3; [0030] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept; [0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and [0032] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0033] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures. [0034] In the description of the present general inventive concept below, a multiplexing operation denotes a process of synthesizing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal alternately and includes alternation in scanning lines and alternation in pixels. Further, a scaling operation denotes a process of increasing or decreasing a number of pixels or scanning lines of an image signal and is also called frequency conversion or resolution conversion. [0035] A scaling operation is classified into either a vertical scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of scanning lines of an image signal and a horizontal scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of columns of an image signal. Here, the number of columns of an image signal denotes the number of pixels in one scanning line of the image signal. [0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG. 5 is applied to generate a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged. [0037] Referring to FIG.5, the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal includes a multiplexing operation 502, a vertical scaling operation 504 and a horizontal scaling operation 506. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal, it is possible to implement the method into an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal using a multiplexing unit, a vertical scaling unit, a horizontal scaling unit, and a 3D display to perform the multiplexing operation 502, the vertical scaling operation 504, the horizontal scaling operation 506, and a 3D display operation, respectively. [0038] Specifically, in the multiplexing operation 502, a three-dimensional (3D) broadcast signal, i.e., an interlaced stereoscopic image signal, is received, and the progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing the received interlaced stereoscopic image signal. [0039] In the vertical scaling operation 504, a size of the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a vertical scanning direction, i.e., a number of scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, is increased or decreased by vertically scaling the generated progressive stereoscopic image signal. Specifically, a scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal such that new scanning lines are generated by interpolating between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines, and then the new interpolated scanning lines are inserted between the respective pairs of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines. In a conventional vertical scaling method, a stereoscopic image signal is scaled using similarities between the respective pairs of adjacent scanning lines. Thus, the conventional vertical scaling method cannot be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal because every pair of adjacent scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to different image signals having different polarization characteristics that is, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal respectively, rather than having any similarities there between as a conventional interlace image signal or a progressive image signal has. [0040] In the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled by interpolation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines. [0041] The odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the left-eye image signal, and the even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the right-eye image signal. Therefore, there is a high correlation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered scanning lines and between every pair of consecutive odd-numbered scanning lines. Thus, it is possible to generate new scanning lines based on the correlation. [0042] In a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present invention, a scaled stereoscopic image signal is generated by generating new scanning lines for the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, generating new scanning lines for the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the scanning lines of a input stereoscopic image signal and the newly generated lines through an interpolation operation. [0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG.6 is applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged. [0044] Specifically, FIG. 6 illustrates scaling of a first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into a second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines. [0045] Referring to FIG. 6, reference numerals 602 and 606 denote odd-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a left-eye image signal, and reference numerals 604 and 608 denote even-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a right-eye image signal. [0046] A line interpolator, which is illustrated in the middle of FIG. 6, interpolates a first interpolation line 610 using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and interpolates a second interpolation line 612 using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608. Thereafter, the line interpolator inserts the first interpolation line 610 between the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and inserts the second interpolation line 612 between the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608. [0047] Thereafter, the interpolation results are multiplexed and then output. That is, lines are multiplexed and the output in order of 602, 604, 610, 612, 606 and 608. There are high spatial correlations between the first interpolation line 610 and the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 because the first interpolation line 610 is generated using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 corresponding to the left-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other. Likewise, there are high spatial correlations between the second interpolation line 612 and the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 because the second interpolation line 612 is generated using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 corresponding to the right-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other. [0048] The above-described processes may be repeatedly and sequentially performed on other odd-numbered or even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal until the stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have a desired level of resolution. In other words, the progressive stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have the desired level of resolution by performing an interpolation operation and a multiplexing operation on, for example, only n scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal located in a central portion of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, and then on other scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Accordingly, it is possible to considerably reduce a size of a scaler. [0049] FIG. 6 illustrates the scaling of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into the second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines. However, it is possible that the number of scanning lines by which the first progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled may be determined depending on a desired level of resolution. In addition, although FIG. 6 illustrates where one line is newly generated for every two scanning lines and then interpolated therebetween, more than one line may be interpolated for two scanning lines of the image signal and then inserted therebetween. [0050] FIG. 6 illustrates the application of the method of vertically scaling the progressive stereoscopic image signal in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in lines. The method of FIG. 6 can be used as the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5. However, a method of horizontally scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, similar to the method of FIG. 6, can be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. This method can be used as the horizontal scaling operation 506 of FIG. 5. [0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. The progressive stereoscopic image signal of FIG. 7 can be horizontally scaled by generating new columns of pixels by interpolating between consecutive odd-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the left-eye image signal and consecutive even-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the right-eye image signal. [0052] In a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to the present general inventive concept, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and then is input to a scaler such that the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal. [0053] Since the scaler receives the progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a scanning line of the left-eye image signal and a scanning line of the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged, the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a manner that interpolates new scanning lines between existing scanning lines of each of the left-eye and right-eye image signals and then multiplexes the interpolation results. [0054] As described above, according to the present general inventive concept, it is possible to simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal and reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal. [0055] Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents. FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) & The Patents Rules, 2003 PROVISIONAL / COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10 and rule 13) x TITLE "METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME" 2. APPLICANT (S) (a) NAME : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (b) NATIONALITY : Republic of Korea (c) ADDRESS : 416, Maetan-dong, Yeongtong-gu Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 442-742 Republic of Korea 3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION PROVISIONAL COMPLETE ^"^ Th» following spfiffcntinn rWTji.».e 11 v invnti\|,in The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed. 4. DESCRIPTION (Description shall start from next page) 5. CLAIMS (not applicable for provisional specification. Claims should start with the preamble - "I/we claim" on separate page) 6. DATE AND SIGNATURE (to be given at the end of last page of specification) 7. ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION (to be given along with complete specification on separate page) TITLE OF THE INVENTION METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0067434, filed on August 26, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present general inventive concept relates to a stereoscopic image signal, and more particularly, to a method of generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a method of scaling the same. 2. Description of the Related Art [0003] In general, a stereoscopic image is based on a stereo view angle by human eyes. Binocular parallax, which is due to the right and left eyes being about 65 mm apart from each other, is the most critical factor of a feeling of solidity. [0004] There are two types of stereoscopic displays, one with glasses and another without glasses. The non-glasses type stereoscopic display obtains a stereoscopic image by separating a left-eye image from a right-eye image without glasses. [0005] The glasses type stereoscopic display displays left and right parallax images on a direct-view display or projector with directions of polarization changed or in a time-divisional manner. The stereoscopic image can be seen with polarization glasses or liquid-crystal shutter glasses. [0006] The non-glasses type stereoscopic display includes a parallax barrier type, a lenticular type, a polarization multiplexing type, etc. [0007] The parallax barrier type stereoscopic display displays images for individual eyes alternatively in the horizontal direction by the space of a pixel, and then the displayed images are seen through a vertical grating, or a so called "barrier." Thus the displayed images are separated from each other by the barrier to be seen by the left and right eyes respectively so that a stereoscopic image is seen. [0008] In the polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display, a progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in scanning lines, is displayed and then polarized by passing the progressive stereoscopic image signal through two polarization filters with different polarizing characteristics so that the left eye can only see odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal and the right eye can only see even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Examples of a stereoscopic display device using the polarization multiplexing method are disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. 1999-80351 (published on January 5, 1999) and 2002-96203 (published on December 31, 2002) and in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 09-149434 (published on June 6, 1997 etc. [0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display device. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional stereoscopic display device includes a display panel 102 which displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a polarization film unit 104 which is comprised of a plurality of first polarization lines 112 and a plurality of second polarization lines 114. The first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 are alternately arranged in the polarization film unit 104 in a vertical scanning direction and have different polarization characteristics. Specifically, the first polarization lines 112 have first polarization characteristics, and the second polarization lines 114 have second polarization characteristics. The first polarization lines 112 are used for providing a user with a left-eye image, and the second polarization lines 114 are used for providing the user with a right-eye image. [0010] The conventional stereoscopic display device displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and polarizes the displayed image signal through the first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 so that a user views odd-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her left eye and views even-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her right eye. [0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 has a size N1xN2. Odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a left-eye image signal, and even- numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a right-eye image signal. Here, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are taken by a left-eye image camera and a right-eye image camera, respectively, which are separated from each other by the same distance as the distance between human eyes [0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 includes a first scaler 302, which receives the left-eye-image signal and scales the received left-eye image signal up or down, a second scaler 304, which receives the right-eye image signal and scales the received right-eye image signal up or down, and a multiplexer 316, which generates the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 by multiplexing the up-scaled or down-scaled left-eye image signal and the up-scaled or down-scaled right-eye image signal. [0013] For a three-dimensional (3D) stereo broadcast, an interlaced stereoscopic image signal whose odd-numbered fields belong to the left-eye image signal and whose even-numbered fields belong to the right-eye image signal is transmitted. Standard digital TV sets provide a fixed resolution of 720x408 i/p or 1920x1080 i/p where i stands for 'interlaced,' and p stands for 'progressive.' [0014] In general, display devices adopt a progressive scanning method and can render an image with various resolutions. Thus, in order to make a display device compatible with a 3D stereo broadcast, a de-interlacing operation and a scaling operation are needed to convert the interlaced stereoscopic image signal into the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406. [0015] Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second scalers 302 and 304 perform a scaling operation. Specifically, each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 may scale up an input image signal in a vertical scanning direction according to a resolution provided by a display device, by using either a bilinear interpolation method or a convolution interpolation method with reference to the degree of correlation between adjacent scanning lines of the image signal. [0016] The multiplexer 306 [316] performs interlacing. [0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the multiplexer 306 [316] of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the multiplexer 306 [316] obtains the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2 by multiplexing a left-eye image signal 402 and a right-eye image signal 404 so that the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal 402 and the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal 404 are alternately arranged. [0018] As described above, the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3 for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal includes the first and second scalers 302 and 304, which scale up or down the left-eye image signal 402 and the right-eye image signal 404, respectively. Each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 includes a memory, in which an image signal is stored, and an interpolator, which reads each of a plurality of scanning lines of the image signal from the memory and generates new scanning lines through interpolation. [0019] The conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal, however, has a relatively complex display device structure and is costly because it includes the two scalers 302 and 304. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0020] The present general inventive concept provides a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal, which can simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal and can reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal. [0021] The present general inventive concept also provides a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal, which can be used by the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal. [0022] Additional aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept. [0023] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal, generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal by multiplexing the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal, and scaling up or down the progressive stereoscopic image signal. [0024] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a progressive stereoscopic image signal synthesized from a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and scaling the progressive stereoscopic image signal by interpolating first interpolation [scanning] lines corresponding to the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal and inserting the first interpolation lines between the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, interpolating second interpolation lines corresponding to the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal and inserting the second interpolation lines between the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the resulting left-eye image signal and the resulting right-eye image signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0025] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: [0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional stereoscopic display device, of a polarization multiplexing type; [0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1; [0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal; [0029] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a multiplexer of the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3; [0030] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept; [0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and [0032] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0033] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures. [0034] In the description of the present general inventive concept below, a multiplexing operation denotes a process of synthesizing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal alternately and includes alternation in scanning lines and alternation in pixels. Further, a scaling operation denotes a process of increasing or decreasing a number of pixels or scanning lines of an image signal and is also called frequency conversion or resolution conversion. [0035] A scaling operation is classified into either a vertical scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of scanning lines of an image signal and a horizontal scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of columns of an image signal. Here, the number of columns of an image signal denotes the number of pixels in one scanning line of the image signal. [0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG. 5 is applied to generate a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged. [0037] Referring to FIG.5, the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal includes a multiplexing operation 502, a vertical scaling operation 504 and a horizontal scaling operation 506. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal, it is possible to implement the method into an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal using a multiplexing unit, a vertical scaling unit, a horizontal scaling unit, and a 3D display to perform the multiplexing operation 502, the vertical scaling operation 504, the horizontal scaling operation 506, and a 3D display operation, respectively. [0038] Specifically, in the multiplexing operation 502, a three-dimensional (3D) broadcast signal, i.e., an interlaced stereoscopic image signal, is received, and the progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing the received interlaced stereoscopic image signal. [0039] In the vertical scaling operation 504, a size of the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a vertical scanning direction, i.e., a number of scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, is increased or decreased by vertically scaling the generated progressive stereoscopic image signal. Specifically, a scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal such that new scanning lines are generated by interpolating between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines, and then the new interpolated scanning lines are inserted between the respective pairs of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines. In a conventional vertical scaling method, a stereoscopic image signal is scaled using similarities between the respective pairs of adjacent scanning lines. Thus, the conventional vertical scaling method cannot be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal because every pair of adjacent scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to different image signals having different polarization characteristics that is, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal respectively, rather than having any similarities there between as a conventional interlace image signal or a progressive image signal has. [0040] In the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled by interpolation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines. [0041] The odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the left-eye image signal, and the even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the right-eye image signal. Therefore, there is a high correlation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered scanning lines and between every pair of consecutive odd-numbered scanning lines. Thus, it is possible to generate new scanning lines based on the correlation. [0042] In a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present invention, a scaled stereoscopic image signal is generated by generating new scanning lines for the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, generating new scanning lines for the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the scanning lines of a input stereoscopic image signal and the newly generated lines through an interpolation operation. [0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG.6 is applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged. [0044] Specifically, FIG. 6 illustrates scaling of a first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into a second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines. [0045] Referring to FIG. 6, reference numerals 602 and 606 denote odd-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a left-eye image signal, and reference numerals 604 and 608 denote even-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a right-eye image signal. [0046] A line interpolator, which is illustrated in the middle of FIG. 6, interpolates a first interpolation line 610 using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and interpolates a second interpolation line 612 using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608. Thereafter, the line interpolator inserts the first interpolation line 610 between the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and inserts the second interpolation line 612 between the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608. [0047] Thereafter, the interpolation results are multiplexed and then output. That is, lines are multiplexed and the output in order of 602, 604, 610, 612, 606 and 608. There are high spatial correlations between the first interpolation line 610 and the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 because the first interpolation line 610 is generated using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 corresponding to the left-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other. Likewise, there are high spatial correlations between the second interpolation line 612 and the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 because the second interpolation line 612 is generated using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 corresponding to the right-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other. [0048] The above-described processes may be repeatedly and sequentially performed on other odd-numbered or even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal until the stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have a desired level of resolution. In other words, the progressive stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have the desired level of resolution by performing an interpolation operation and a multiplexing operation on, for example, only n scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal located in a central portion of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, and then on other scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Accordingly, it is possible to considerably reduce a size of a scaler. [0049] FIG. 6 illustrates the scaling of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into the second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines. However, it is possible that the number of scanning lines by which the first progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled may be determined depending on a desired level of resolution. In addition, although FIG. 6 illustrates where one line is newly generated for every two scanning lines and then interpolated therebetween, more than one line may be interpolated for two scanning lines of the image signal and then inserted therebetween. [0050] FIG. 6 illustrates the application of the method of vertically scaling the progressive stereoscopic image signal in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in lines. The method of FIG. 6 can be used as the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5. However, a method of horizontally scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, similar to the method of FIG. 6, can be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. This method can be used as the horizontal scaling operation 506 of FIG. 5. [0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. The progressive stereoscopic image signal of FIG. 7 can be horizontally scaled by generating new columns of pixels by interpolating between consecutive odd-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the left-eye image signal and consecutive even-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the right-eye image signal. [0052] In a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to the present general inventive concept, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and then is input to a scaler such that the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal. [0053] Since the scaler receives the progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a scanning line of the left-eye image signal and a scanning line of the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged, the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a manner that interpolates new scanning lines between existing scanning lines of each of the left-eye and right-eye image signals and then multiplexes the interpolation results. [0054] As described above, according to the present general inventive concept, it is possible to simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal and reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal. [0055] Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Full Text

FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003 PROVISIONAL / COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
x TITLE
"METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND
METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME"
2. APPLICANT (S)
(a) NAME : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
(b) NATIONALITY : Republic of Korea
(c) ADDRESS : 416, Maetan-dong, Yeongtong-gu
Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 442-742 Republic of Korea
3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
PROVISIONAL COMPLETE ^"^
Th*» following spfiffcntinn rWTji.».e 11 v invnti|,in The following specification particularly describes the
invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
4. DESCRIPTION (Description shall start from next page)
5. CLAIMS (not applicable for provisional specification. Claims should start with the preamble - "I/we claim" on separate page)
6. DATE AND SIGNATURE (to be given at the end of last page of specification)
7. ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION (to be given along with complete specification on separate page)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING
THE SAME
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0067434, filed on August 26, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present general inventive concept relates to a stereoscopic image signal, and more particularly, to a method of generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a method of scaling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] In general, a stereoscopic image is based on a stereo view angle by human eyes. Binocular parallax, which is due to the right and left eyes being about 65 mm apart from each other, is the most critical factor of a feeling of solidity.
[0004] There are two types of stereoscopic displays, one with glasses and another without glasses. The non-glasses type stereoscopic display obtains a stereoscopic image by separating a left-eye image from a right-eye image without glasses.
[0005] The glasses type stereoscopic display displays left and right parallax images on a direct-view display or projector with directions of polarization changed or in a time-divisional manner. The stereoscopic image can be seen with polarization glasses or liquid-crystal shutter glasses.
[0006] The non-glasses type stereoscopic display includes a parallax barrier type, a lenticular type, a polarization multiplexing type, etc.
[0007] The parallax barrier type stereoscopic display displays images for individual eyes alternatively in the horizontal direction by the space of a pixel, and then the displayed images are seen through a vertical grating, or a so called "barrier." Thus the displayed images are

separated from each other by the barrier to be seen by the left and right eyes respectively so that a stereoscopic image is seen.
[0008] In the polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display, a progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in scanning lines, is displayed and then polarized by passing the progressive stereoscopic image signal through two polarization filters with different polarizing characteristics so that the left eye can only see odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal and the right eye can only see even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Examples of a stereoscopic display device using the polarization multiplexing method are disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. 1999-80351 (published on January 5, 1999) and 2002-96203 (published on December 31, 2002) and in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 09-149434 (published on June 6, 1997 etc.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display device. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional stereoscopic display device includes a display panel 102 which displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a polarization film unit 104 which is comprised of a plurality of first polarization lines 112 and a plurality of second polarization lines 114. The first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 are alternately arranged in the polarization film unit 104 in a vertical scanning direction and have different polarization characteristics. Specifically, the first polarization lines 112 have first polarization characteristics, and the second polarization lines 114 have second polarization characteristics. The first polarization lines 112 are used for providing a user with a left-eye image, and the second polarization lines 114 are used for providing the user with a right-eye image.
[0010] The conventional stereoscopic display device displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and polarizes the displayed image signal through the first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 so that a user views odd-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her left eye and views even-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her right eye.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 has a size N1xN2. Odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a left-eye image signal, and even-

numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a right-eye image signal. Here, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are taken by a left-eye image camera and a right-eye image camera, respectively, which are separated from each other by the same distance as the distance between human eyes
[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 includes a first scaler 302, which receives the left-eye-image signal and scales the received left-eye image signal up or down, a second scaler 304, which receives the right-eye image signal and scales the received right-eye image signal up or down, and a multiplexer 316, which generates the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 by multiplexing the up-scaled or down-scaled left-eye image signal and the up-scaled or down-scaled right-eye image signal.
[0013] For a three-dimensional (3D) stereo broadcast, an interlaced stereoscopic image signal whose odd-numbered fields belong to the left-eye image signal and whose even-numbered fields belong to the right-eye image signal is transmitted. Standard digital TV sets provide a fixed resolution of 720x408 i/p or 1920x1080 i/p where i stands for 'interlaced,' and p stands for 'progressive.'
[0014] In general, display devices adopt a progressive scanning method and can render an image with various resolutions. Thus, in order to make a display device compatible with a 3D stereo broadcast, a de-interlacing operation and a scaling operation are needed to convert the interlaced stereoscopic image signal into the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second scalers 302 and 304 perform a scaling operation. Specifically, each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 may scale up an input image signal in a vertical scanning direction according to a resolution provided by a display device, by using either a bilinear interpolation method or a convolution interpolation method with reference to the degree of correlation between adjacent scanning lines of the image signal.
[0016] The multiplexer 306 [316] performs interlacing.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the multiplexer 306 [316] of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the multiplexer 306 [316] obtains the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2 by multiplexing a left-eye image signal 402 and a right-eye image signal 404 so that the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal 402 and the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal 404 are alternately arranged.

[0018] As described above, the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3 for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal includes the first and second scalers 302 and 304, which scale up or down the left-eye image signal 402 and the right-eye image signal 404, respectively. Each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 includes a memory, in which an image signal is stored, and an interpolator, which reads each of a plurality of scanning lines of the image signal from the memory and generates new scanning lines through interpolation.
[0019] The conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal, however, has a relatively complex display device structure and is costly because it includes the two scalers 302 and 304.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The present general inventive concept provides a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal, which can simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal and can reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal.
[0021] The present general inventive concept also provides a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal, which can be used by the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal.
[0022] Additional aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.
[0023] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal, generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal by multiplexing the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal, and scaling up or down the progressive stereoscopic image signal.
[0024] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a progressive stereoscopic image signal synthesized from a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and scaling the progressive stereoscopic image signal by interpolating first interpolation [scanning] lines corresponding to the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal and inserting the first interpolation lines

between the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, interpolating second interpolation lines corresponding to the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal and inserting the second interpolation lines between the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the resulting left-eye image signal and the resulting right-eye image signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional stereoscopic display device, of a polarization multiplexing type;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal;
[0029] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a multiplexer of the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3;
[0030] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;
[0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and
[0032] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures.
[0034] In the description of the present general inventive concept below, a multiplexing operation denotes a process of synthesizing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image

signal alternately and includes alternation in scanning lines and alternation in pixels. Further, a scaling operation denotes a process of increasing or decreasing a number of pixels or scanning lines of an image signal and is also called frequency conversion or resolution conversion.
[0035] A scaling operation is classified into either a vertical scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of scanning lines of an image signal and a horizontal scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of columns of an image signal. Here, the number of columns of an image signal denotes the number of pixels in one scanning line of the image signal.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG. 5 is applied to generate a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged.
[0037] Referring to FIG.5, the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal includes a multiplexing operation 502, a vertical scaling operation 504 and a horizontal scaling operation 506. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal, it is possible to implement the method into an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal using a multiplexing unit, a vertical scaling unit, a horizontal scaling unit, and a 3D display to perform the multiplexing operation 502, the vertical scaling operation 504, the horizontal scaling operation 506, and a 3D display operation, respectively.
[0038] Specifically, in the multiplexing operation 502, a three-dimensional (3D) broadcast signal, i.e., an interlaced stereoscopic image signal, is received, and the progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing the received interlaced stereoscopic image signal.
[0039] In the vertical scaling operation 504, a size of the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a vertical scanning direction, i.e., a number of scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, is increased or decreased by vertically scaling the generated progressive stereoscopic image signal. Specifically, a scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal such that new scanning lines are generated by interpolating between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines, and then the new interpolated scanning lines are inserted between the respective pairs of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines. In a conventional vertical scaling method, a stereoscopic image signal is scaled using similarities between the respective pairs of adjacent

scanning lines. Thus, the conventional vertical scaling method cannot be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal because every pair of adjacent scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to different image signals having different polarization characteristics that is, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal respectively, rather than having any similarities there between as a conventional interlace image signal or a progressive image signal has.
[0040] In the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled by interpolation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines.
[0041] The odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the left-eye image signal, and the even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the right-eye image signal. Therefore, there is a high correlation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered scanning lines and between every pair of consecutive odd-numbered scanning lines. Thus, it is possible to generate new scanning lines based on the correlation.
[0042] In a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present invention, a scaled stereoscopic image signal is generated by generating new scanning lines for the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, generating new scanning lines for the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the scanning lines of a input stereoscopic image signal and the newly generated lines through an interpolation operation.
[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG.6 is applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged.
[0044] Specifically, FIG. 6 illustrates scaling of a first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into a second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 6, reference numerals 602 and 606 denote odd-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a left-eye image signal, and reference numerals 604 and 608 denote even-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a right-eye image signal.

[0046] A line interpolator, which is illustrated in the middle of FIG. 6, interpolates a first interpolation line 610 using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and interpolates a second interpolation line 612 using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608. Thereafter, the line interpolator inserts the first interpolation line 610 between the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and inserts the second interpolation line 612 between the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608.
[0047] Thereafter, the interpolation results are multiplexed and then output. That is, lines are multiplexed and the output in order of 602, 604, 610, 612, 606 and 608. There are high spatial correlations between the first interpolation line 610 and the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 because the first interpolation line 610 is generated using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 corresponding to the left-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other. Likewise, there are high spatial correlations between the second interpolation line 612 and the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 because the second interpolation line 612 is generated using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 corresponding to the right-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other.
[0048] The above-described processes may be repeatedly and sequentially performed on other odd-numbered or even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal until the stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have a desired level of resolution. In other words, the progressive stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have the desired level of resolution by performing an interpolation operation and a multiplexing operation on, for example, only n scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal located in a central portion of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, and then on other scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Accordingly, it is possible to considerably reduce a size of a scaler.
[0049] FIG. 6 illustrates the scaling of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into the second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines. However, it is possible that the number of scanning lines by which the first progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled may be determined depending on a desired level of resolution. In addition, although FIG. 6 illustrates where one line is newly generated for every two scanning lines and then interpolated therebetween, more than one line may be interpolated for two scanning lines of the image signal and then inserted therebetween.
[0050] FIG. 6 illustrates the application of the method of vertically scaling the progressive

stereoscopic image signal in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in lines. The method of FIG. 6 can be used as the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5. However, a method of horizontally scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, similar to the method of FIG. 6, can be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. This method can be used as the horizontal scaling operation 506 of FIG. 5.
[0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. The progressive stereoscopic image signal of FIG. 7 can be horizontally scaled by generating new columns of pixels by interpolating between consecutive odd-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the left-eye image signal and consecutive even-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the right-eye image signal.
[0052] In a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to the present general inventive concept, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and then is input to a scaler such that the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal.
[0053] Since the scaler receives the progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a scanning line of the left-eye image signal and a scanning line of the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged, the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a manner that interpolates new scanning lines between existing scanning lines of each of the left-eye and right-eye image signals and then multiplexes the interpolation results.
[0054] As described above, according to the present general inventive concept, it is possible to simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal and reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal.
[0055] Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003 PROVISIONAL / COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
x TITLE
"METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND
METHOD OF SCALING THE SAME"
2. APPLICANT (S)
(a) NAME : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
(b) NATIONALITY : Republic of Korea
(c) ADDRESS : 416, Maetan-dong, Yeongtong-gu
Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 442-742 Republic of Korea
3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
PROVISIONAL COMPLETE ^"^
Th*» following spfiffcntinn rWTji.».e 11 v invnti|,in The following specification particularly describes the
invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
4. DESCRIPTION (Description shall start from next page)
5. CLAIMS (not applicable for provisional specification. Claims should start with the preamble - "I/we claim" on separate page)
6. DATE AND SIGNATURE (to be given at the end of last page of specification)
7. ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION (to be given along with complete specification on separate page)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
METHOD OF GENERATING STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE SIGNAL AND METHOD OF SCALING
THE SAME
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0067434, filed on August 26, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present general inventive concept relates to a stereoscopic image signal, and more particularly, to a method of generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a method of scaling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] In general, a stereoscopic image is based on a stereo view angle by human eyes. Binocular parallax, which is due to the right and left eyes being about 65 mm apart from each other, is the most critical factor of a feeling of solidity.
[0004] There are two types of stereoscopic displays, one with glasses and another without glasses. The non-glasses type stereoscopic display obtains a stereoscopic image by separating a left-eye image from a right-eye image without glasses.
[0005] The glasses type stereoscopic display displays left and right parallax images on a direct-view display or projector with directions of polarization changed or in a time-divisional manner. The stereoscopic image can be seen with polarization glasses or liquid-crystal shutter glasses.
[0006] The non-glasses type stereoscopic display includes a parallax barrier type, a lenticular type, a polarization multiplexing type, etc.
[0007] The parallax barrier type stereoscopic display displays images for individual eyes alternatively in the horizontal direction by the space of a pixel, and then the displayed images are seen through a vertical grating, or a so called "barrier." Thus the displayed images are

separated from each other by the barrier to be seen by the left and right eyes respectively so that a stereoscopic image is seen.
[0008] In the polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display, a progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in scanning lines, is displayed and then polarized by passing the progressive stereoscopic image signal through two polarization filters with different polarizing characteristics so that the left eye can only see odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal and the right eye can only see even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Examples of a stereoscopic display device using the polarization multiplexing method are disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. 1999-80351 (published on January 5, 1999) and 2002-96203 (published on December 31, 2002) and in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 09-149434 (published on June 6, 1997 etc.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional polarization multiplexing type stereoscopic display device. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional stereoscopic display device includes a display panel 102 which displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and a polarization film unit 104 which is comprised of a plurality of first polarization lines 112 and a plurality of second polarization lines 114. The first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 are alternately arranged in the polarization film unit 104 in a vertical scanning direction and have different polarization characteristics. Specifically, the first polarization lines 112 have first polarization characteristics, and the second polarization lines 114 have second polarization characteristics. The first polarization lines 112 are used for providing a user with a left-eye image, and the second polarization lines 114 are used for providing the user with a right-eye image.
[0010] The conventional stereoscopic display device displays a progressive stereoscopic image signal and polarizes the displayed image signal through the first and second polarization lines 112 and 114 so that a user views odd-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her left eye and views even-numbered scanning lines of the stereoscopic image signal with his or her right eye.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 has a size N1xN2. Odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a left-eye image signal, and even-

numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 belong to a right-eye image signal. Here, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are taken by a left-eye image camera and a right-eye image camera, respectively, which are separated from each other by the same distance as the distance between human eyes
[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional apparatus for generating the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 includes a first scaler 302, which receives the left-eye-image signal and scales the received left-eye image signal up or down, a second scaler 304, which receives the right-eye image signal and scales the received right-eye image signal up or down, and a multiplexer 316, which generates the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 by multiplexing the up-scaled or down-scaled left-eye image signal and the up-scaled or down-scaled right-eye image signal.
[0013] For a three-dimensional (3D) stereo broadcast, an interlaced stereoscopic image signal whose odd-numbered fields belong to the left-eye image signal and whose even-numbered fields belong to the right-eye image signal is transmitted. Standard digital TV sets provide a fixed resolution of 720x408 i/p or 1920x1080 i/p where i stands for 'interlaced,' and p stands for 'progressive.'
[0014] In general, display devices adopt a progressive scanning method and can render an image with various resolutions. Thus, in order to make a display device compatible with a 3D stereo broadcast, a de-interlacing operation and a scaling operation are needed to convert the interlaced stereoscopic image signal into the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second scalers 302 and 304 perform a scaling operation. Specifically, each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 may scale up an input image signal in a vertical scanning direction according to a resolution provided by a display device, by using either a bilinear interpolation method or a convolution interpolation method with reference to the degree of correlation between adjacent scanning lines of the image signal.
[0016] The multiplexer 306 [316] performs interlacing.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the multiplexer 306 [316] of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the multiplexer 306 [316] obtains the progressive stereoscopic image signal 406 of FIG. 2 by multiplexing a left-eye image signal 402 and a right-eye image signal 404 so that the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal 402 and the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal 404 are alternately arranged.

[0018] As described above, the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3 for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal includes the first and second scalers 302 and 304, which scale up or down the left-eye image signal 402 and the right-eye image signal 404, respectively. Each of the first and second scalers 302 and 304 includes a memory, in which an image signal is stored, and an interpolator, which reads each of a plurality of scanning lines of the image signal from the memory and generates new scanning lines through interpolation.
[0019] The conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal, however, has a relatively complex display device structure and is costly because it includes the two scalers 302 and 304.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The present general inventive concept provides a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal, which can simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal and can reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal.
[0021] The present general inventive concept also provides a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal, which can be used by the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal.
[0022] Additional aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.
[0023] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal, generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal by multiplexing the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal, and scaling up or down the progressive stereoscopic image signal.
[0024] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal. The method includes receiving a progressive stereoscopic image signal synthesized from a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and scaling the progressive stereoscopic image signal by interpolating first interpolation [scanning] lines corresponding to the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal and inserting the first interpolation lines

between the scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, interpolating second interpolation lines corresponding to the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal and inserting the second interpolation lines between the scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the resulting left-eye image signal and the resulting right-eye image signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional stereoscopic display device, of a polarization multiplexing type;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal displayed by the conventional stereoscopic display device of FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional apparatus for generating a progressive stereoscopic image signal;
[0029] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a multiplexer of the conventional apparatus of FIG. 3;
[0030] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;
[0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and
[0032] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a progressive stereoscopic image signal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures.
[0034] In the description of the present general inventive concept below, a multiplexing operation denotes a process of synthesizing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image

signal alternately and includes alternation in scanning lines and alternation in pixels. Further, a scaling operation denotes a process of increasing or decreasing a number of pixels or scanning lines of an image signal and is also called frequency conversion or resolution conversion.
[0035] A scaling operation is classified into either a vertical scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of scanning lines of an image signal and a horizontal scaling operation that increases or decreases the number of columns of an image signal. Here, the number of columns of an image signal denotes the number of pixels in one scanning line of the image signal.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG. 5 is applied to generate a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged.
[0037] Referring to FIG.5, the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal includes a multiplexing operation 502, a vertical scaling operation 504 and a horizontal scaling operation 506. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the method of generating the stereoscopic image signal, it is possible to implement the method into an apparatus to generate the stereoscopic image signal using a multiplexing unit, a vertical scaling unit, a horizontal scaling unit, and a 3D display to perform the multiplexing operation 502, the vertical scaling operation 504, the horizontal scaling operation 506, and a 3D display operation, respectively.
[0038] Specifically, in the multiplexing operation 502, a three-dimensional (3D) broadcast signal, i.e., an interlaced stereoscopic image signal, is received, and the progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing the received interlaced stereoscopic image signal.
[0039] In the vertical scaling operation 504, a size of the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a vertical scanning direction, i.e., a number of scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, is increased or decreased by vertically scaling the generated progressive stereoscopic image signal. Specifically, a scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal such that new scanning lines are generated by interpolating between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines, and then the new interpolated scanning lines are inserted between the respective pairs of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines. In a conventional vertical scaling method, a stereoscopic image signal is scaled using similarities between the respective pairs of adjacent

scanning lines. Thus, the conventional vertical scaling method cannot be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal because every pair of adjacent scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to different image signals having different polarization characteristics that is, the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal respectively, rather than having any similarities there between as a conventional interlace image signal or a progressive image signal has.
[0040] In the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled by interpolation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered or odd-numbered scanning lines.
[0041] The odd-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the left-eye image signal, and the even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal correspond to the right-eye image signal. Therefore, there is a high correlation between every pair of consecutive even-numbered scanning lines and between every pair of consecutive odd-numbered scanning lines. Thus, it is possible to generate new scanning lines based on the correlation.
[0042] In a method of scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present invention, a scaled stereoscopic image signal is generated by generating new scanning lines for the left-eye image signal using scanning lines of the left-eye image signal, generating new scanning lines for the right-eye image signal using scanning lines of the right-eye image signal, and multiplexing the scanning lines of a input stereoscopic image signal and the newly generated lines through an interpolation operation.
[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scaling method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. The method of FIG.6 is applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which scanning lines of a left-eye image signal and scanning lines of a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged.
[0044] Specifically, FIG. 6 illustrates scaling of a first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into a second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 6, reference numerals 602 and 606 denote odd-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a left-eye image signal, and reference numerals 604 and 608 denote even-numbered scanning lines of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal, which correspond to a right-eye image signal.

[0046] A line interpolator, which is illustrated in the middle of FIG. 6, interpolates a first interpolation line 610 using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and interpolates a second interpolation line 612 using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608. Thereafter, the line interpolator inserts the first interpolation line 610 between the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 and inserts the second interpolation line 612 between the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608.
[0047] Thereafter, the interpolation results are multiplexed and then output. That is, lines are multiplexed and the output in order of 602, 604, 610, 612, 606 and 608. There are high spatial correlations between the first interpolation line 610 and the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 because the first interpolation line 610 is generated using the odd-numbered scanning lines 602 and 606 corresponding to the left-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other. Likewise, there are high spatial correlations between the second interpolation line 612 and the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 because the second interpolation line 612 is generated using the even-numbered scanning lines 604 and 608 corresponding to the right-eye image signal, which are highly correlated to each other.
[0048] The above-described processes may be repeatedly and sequentially performed on other odd-numbered or even-numbered scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal until the stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have a desired level of resolution. In other words, the progressive stereoscopic image signal is vertically scaled to have the desired level of resolution by performing an interpolation operation and a multiplexing operation on, for example, only n scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal located in a central portion of the progressive stereoscopic image signal, and then on other scanning lines of the progressive stereoscopic image signal. Accordingly, it is possible to considerably reduce a size of a scaler.
[0049] FIG. 6 illustrates the scaling of the first progressive stereoscopic image signal including four scanning lines into the second progressive stereoscopic image signal including six scanning lines. However, it is possible that the number of scanning lines by which the first progressive stereoscopic image signal is scaled may be determined depending on a desired level of resolution. In addition, although FIG. 6 illustrates where one line is newly generated for every two scanning lines and then interpolated therebetween, more than one line may be interpolated for two scanning lines of the image signal and then inserted therebetween.
[0050] FIG. 6 illustrates the application of the method of vertically scaling the progressive

stereoscopic image signal in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in lines. The method of FIG. 6 can be used as the vertical scaling operation 504 of FIG. 5. However, a method of horizontally scaling a stereoscopic image signal according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, similar to the method of FIG. 6, can be applied to a progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. This method can be used as the horizontal scaling operation 506 of FIG. 5.
[0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the progressive stereoscopic image signal, in which the left-eye image signal and the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged in pixels. The progressive stereoscopic image signal of FIG. 7 can be horizontally scaled by generating new columns of pixels by interpolating between consecutive odd-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the left-eye image signal and consecutive even-numbered columns of pixels corresponding to the right-eye image signal.
[0052] In a method of generating a stereoscopic image signal according to the present general inventive concept, a progressive stereoscopic image signal is generated by multiplexing a left-eye image signal and a right-eye image signal and then is input to a scaler such that the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal.
[0053] Since the scaler receives the progressive stereoscopic image signal in which a scanning line of the left-eye image signal and a scanning line of the right-eye image signal are alternately arranged, the scaler scales the progressive stereoscopic image signal in a manner that interpolates new scanning lines between existing scanning lines of each of the left-eye and right-eye image signals and then multiplexes the interpolation results.
[0054] As described above, according to the present general inventive concept, it is possible to simplify a structure of an apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal and reduce manufacturing costs of the apparatus to generate a stereoscopic image signal.
[0055] Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

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1102-CHE-2005 AMENDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 AMENDED CLAIMS 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 FORM-1 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 FORM-3 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 FORM-5 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 1 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 2 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 POWER OF ATTORNEY 01-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 AMENDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION 22-06-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 CORRESPONDENCE .OTHERS 26-03-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 21-06-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 22-06-2012.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 26-03-2012.pdf

1102-che-2005 form-1 03-06-2010.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 FORM-13 03-06-2010.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 FORM-13 22-06-2007.pdf

1102-CHE-2005 FORM-13 26-03-2012.pdf

1102-che-2005-abstract.pdf

1102-che-2005-claims.pdf

1102-che-2005-correspondnece-others.pdf

1102-che-2005-description(complete).pdf

1102-che-2005-drawings.pdf

1102-che-2005-form 1.pdf

1102-che-2005-form 3.pdf

1102-che-2005-form 5.pdf

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Patent Number

254615

Indian Patent Application Number

1102/CHE/2005

PG Journal Number

48/2012

Publication Date

30-Nov-2012

Grant Date

26-Nov-2012

Date of Filing

09-Aug-2005

Name of Patentee

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD

Applicant Address

416, MAETAN-DONG YEONGTONG-GU SUWON-SI GYEONGGI-DO 442-742

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	SUNG-SIK KIM	201-103 HANIL APT 927 WOLGYE-DONG NOWON-GU SEOUL
2	TAE-HYEUN HA	5-409 LIMKWANG APT 1162 MAETAN 3-DONG YEONGTONG-GU SUWON-SI GYEONGGI-DO
3	JAE-PHIL KOO	209-304 DONGA APT GEOYEO 2-DONG SONGPA-GU,SEOUL

PCT International Classification Number

H04N 13/00

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	10-2003-0067434	2004-08-26	Republic of Korea