Patent ID: 8810564

Claim:
An apparatus reducing three-dimensional (3D) visual fatigue, the apparatus comprising: a viewing distance estimator to determine a user-to-screen distance from a screen to a user; a 3D image analyzer to calculate a user-to-3D object distance based on the determined user-to-screen distance and a parallax of a 3D image; a 3D visual fatigue predictor to predict 3D visual fatigue of the user based on the determined user-to-screen distance and the calculated user-to-3D object distance; and a 3D image controller to control the 3D image based on the predicted 3D visual fatigue, wherein the 3D visual fatigue predictor comprises: a 3D visual fatigue model-based predictor to predict 3D visual fatigue based on a 3D visual fatigue model using the calculated user-to-3D object distance and determined user-to-screen distance, wherein the 3D visual fatigue model comprises 3D visual fatigue information regarding at least one user-to-screen distance and at least one user-to-3D object distance; a fatigue-causing determiner to determine whether the 3D visual fatigue model indicates an occurrence of 3D visual fatigue based on the predicted 3D visual fatigue, wherein the fatigue-causing determiner determines an occurrence of 3D visual fatigue if the predicted 3D visual fatigue is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value; and an optimal user-to-3D object distance calculator to calculate an optimal user-to-3D object distance using the determined user-to-screen distance and at least one user-to-3D object distance from the 3D visual fatigue model, when the predicted 3D visual fatigue is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value.