Stereoscopic display device and control method therefor

1. A stereoscopic display device that performs stereoscopic display by displaying images for display on a display device for right eye and a display device for left eye, respectively, comprising:

changing unit adapted to change a value of a property of at least one of a pair of images that are used for display and compose a stereoscopic image, so that each image of the pair of images can be identified, wherein the property includes at least one of luminance, color, and resolution;

identification unit adapted to identify each image of the pair of images for display as either a display image for the right eye or a display image for the left eye by comparing the respective values of the property of the pair of images;

output unit adapted to take the pair of images for display as input and to output any one of the pair of images to said display device for the right eye and the other of the pair of images to said display device for the left eye; and

control unit adapted to control said output unit so that, based on results of identification by said identification unit, one of the pair of images that is identified as the display image for the right eye is output to said display device for the right eye and one of the pair of images that is identified as the display image for the left eye is output to said display device for the left eye.

2. The stereoscopic display device according to claim 1 , further comprising: stereoscopic image sensing unit having an image sensing device for the right eye and an image sensing device for the left eye for sensing an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye, respectively; and transmitting unit adapted to transmit said image for the right eye and said image for the left eye to an external device, wherein said receiving unit receives stereoscopic images composed of a pair of images for display from said external device.

3. The stereoscopic display device according to claim 2 , further comprising composing unit adapted to generate composite images by adding, to said image for the left eye sensed by said image sensing device for the left eye, information indicating that such image is an image for the left eye, and adding, to said image for the right eye sensed by said image sensing device for the right eye, information indicating that such image is an image for the right eye, respectively.

4. A stereoscopic display system comprising: the stereoscopic display device according to claim 3 ; and image processing unit as said external device adapted to receive said composite images, performing previously determined image processing on said composite images, and outputting such processed composite images as the display image to said receiving unit.

5. The stereoscopic display system according to claim 4 , wherein said image processing unit is composed of multiple constructions for receiving each of said composite images.

6. The stereoscopic display device according to claim 2 , further comprising image sensing control unit adapted to cause said stereoscopic image sensing unit to perform different image processing on said image for the right eye and said image for the left eye.

7. A stereoscopic display system comprising:

the stereoscopic display device according to claim 2 ;

an image processing apparatus as said external device comprising:

receiving unit adapted to receive said image for the right eye and said image for the left eye; and

transmitting unit adapted to generate said stereoscopic images using said image for the right eye and said image for the left eye and transmitting such stereoscopic images to said stereoscopic display device; and

a control device for controlling said output unit so that, based on results of identification by said identification unit, an image for display determined to be the display image for the right eye is output to said display device for the right eye and an image for display determined to be the display image for the left eye is output to said display device for the left eye.

8. The stereoscopic display system according to claim 7 , wherein said image processing device comprises first image processing unit adapted to generate the display image for the right eye from said image for the right eye and second image processing unit adapted to generate the display image for the left eye from said image for the left eye.

9. The stereoscopic display system according to claim 7 , wherein said stereoscopic display device comprises a head-mounted type display device.

10. The stereoscopic display system according to claim 7 , wherein said stereoscopic image comprises an image in which graphic images are added to said image for the right eye and said image for the left eye.

11. A control method for a stereoscopic display device having output unit capable of taking a pair of images for display as input and outputting one such image to a display device for the right eye and the other such image to a display device for the left eye, comprising:

a changing step of changing a value of a property of at least one of a pair of images that are used for display and composing a stereoscopic image, so that each image of the pair of images can be identified, wherein the property includes at least one of luminance, color, and resolution;

an identification step of identifying each image of the pair of images for display as either a display image for the right eye or a display image for the left eye by comparing the respective values of the property of the pair of images; and

a control step of controlling said output unit so that, based on results of identification in said identification step and the current input-output relation of said output unit, one of the pair of images that is identified as the display image for the right eye is output to said display device for the right eye and one of the pair of images that is identified as the display image for the left eye is output to said display device for the left eye.