Image processing method and apparatus for operating in low-power mode

• US 10,114,447 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jong-pil, Ahn, Sang-jun, Lee, Jang-won, Choi, Soo-ryum, Park, Chan-min
• Primary Examiner(s): Merouan, Abderrahim
• Application Number:
  US15/364,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20170168687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Provided are an image processing apparatus and method for decreasing an amount of power consumed to display an image. The image processing apparatus includes: an input interface configured to input image data; at least one processor configured to obtain an output pixel value by adjusting at least one selected from luminance, resolution, and precision regarding a portion of the image data; and an output interface configured to output image data including the obtained output pixel value.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an input interface configured to input image data;

at least one processor configured to;

obtain an output pixel value by adjusting at least one selected from luminance, resolution, and precision regarding a portion of the image data,

adjust a tone curve denoting a correlation between input pixel values and output pixel values, and based on the adjusted tone curve, to obtain, with regard to at least one of pixels comprised in the image data, an output pixel value corresponding to an input pixel value, and

select a partial range having high luminance from among an entire range of input pixel values of the adjusted tone curve, thereby changing the output pixel value corresponding to the input pixel value in the selected range; and

an output interface configured to output image data comprising the obtained output pixel value to buffer storing the image data, and

wherein the selected partial range having high luminance comprises input pixel values equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value.

2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to adjust the tone curve to be non-linear.

3. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to decrease a rendering resolution or a texture resolution regarding the portion of the image data.

4. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to decrease a number of vertexes constituting an object present in the portion of the image data.

5. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to apply a filter, for enhancing an edge of at least one object present in the image data, to the image data comprising the obtained output pixel value.

6. An image processing method comprising:

inputting image data;

obtaining an output pixel value by adjusting at least one selected from luminance, resolution, and precision regarding a portion of the image data; and

outputting image data comprising the obtained output pixel value, and

wherein the obtaining of the output pixel value comprises adjusting a tone curve denoting a correlation between input pixel values and output pixel values, and based on the adjusted tone curve, obtaining, with regard to at least one of pixels comprised in the image data, an output pixel value corresponding to an input pixel value,

wherein the obtaining of the output pixel value corresponding to the input pixel value of the at least one of pixels comprised in the image data comprises selecting a partial range having high luminance from among an entire range of input pixel values of the adjusted tone curve, thereby changing the output pixel value corresponding to the input pixel value in the selected range, and

wherein the selected partial range having high luminance comprises input pixel values equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value.

7. The image processing method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the output pixel value corresponding to the input pixel value of the at least one of pixels comprised in the image data comprises:

adjusting the tone curve to be non-linear; and

obtaining, based on the non-linear tone curve, the output pixel value.

8. The image processing method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the output pixel value comprises decreasing a rendering resolution or a texture resolution regarding the portion of the image data.

9. The image processing method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the output pixel value comprises decreasing a number of vertexes constituting an object present in the portion of the image data.

10. The image processing method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the output pixel value comprises applying a filter, for enhancing an edge of at least one object present in the image data, to the image data comprising the obtained output pixel value.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for performing, when executed by a computer, the image processing method of claim 6.