System and Method for Providing a Wide Aspect Ratio Flat Panel Display Monitor Independent White-Balance Adjustment and Gamma Correction Capabilities

• US 20070085816A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Evanicky, Daniel, Medina, Oscar
• Granted Patent: US 7,782,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0061 to provide homogeneous light output intensity
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133609 including means for improving the color mixing, e.g. white
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0276 for the purpose of adaptation to the characteristics of a display device, i.e. gamma correction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0285 using tables for spatial correction of display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0633 by amplitude modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0673 for control of gamma adjustment, e.g. selecting another gamma curve
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/06 Colour space transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/145 the light originating from the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2018 by time modulation using two or more time intervals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 : Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 : Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 : Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 : using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/045 : Self-contained testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/66 : Transforming electric information into light information scanning details H04N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/73 : Colour balance circuits, e.g. white balance circuits or colour temperature control camera processing pipelines for colour balance H04N23/88
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/904 : Display with fail/safe testing feature

Abstract

A system and method are described herein for controlling the white balance and providing gamma correction without compromising gray-scale dynamic range in a flat panel liquid crystal display (LCD). According to one embodiment of the present invention, the flat panel LCD includes electronic circuitry for coupling to a host computer to receive a white-balance adjustment control signal, and electronic circuitry for receiving image data to be rendered on the flat panel LCD. Further, the flat panel LCD of one embodiment is configured for coupling to a color-sensing device to receive optical characteristics data of the flat panel LCD detected by the color-sensing device. The white balance adjustment mechanisms include the provision of two or more light sources of differing color temperature, whose brightness can be independently varied (and distributed through a light distribution mechanism) to adjust color temperature without altering the grayscale resolution of the RGB colors. The present invention further includes white balance adjustment software and gamma correction software for generating white-balance adjustment control signals and appropriate gamma correction curves.

Claims

1. A flat panel monitor for displaying information originated by a host computer, comprising:

a controller circuit operable to receive a white balance adjustment control signal, the controller circuit operable to adjust a white balance setting of a display screen of the flat panel monitor displaying a representation of image data in response to the white balance adjustment control signal, the controller circuit operable to adjust the white balance setting without substantially affecting a grayscale resolution of the display screen.

2. The flat panel monitor of claim 1, further comprising:

first and second light sources operable to illuminate the display screen with light, the controller circuit operable to adjust a net color temperature of the first and second light sources by adjusting a first luminance level of the first light source and a second luminance level of the second light source

3. The flat panel monitor of claim 2, wherein the white balance adjustment control signal includes a first signal for controlling the first luminance level and a second signal for controlling the second luminance level.

4. The flat panel monitor of claim 1, wherein the white balance adjustment control signal is operable to adjust an intensity of a light source illuminating the display screen in order to control a net color temperature of the display screen.

5. The flat panel monitor of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is operable to compare the white balance setting of the display screen to a predetermined reference white balance value.

6. The flat panel monitor of claim 5, wherein the controller circuit is operable to adjust the white balance setting of the display screen until the white balance setting matches the predetermined reference white balance value.

7. The flat panel monitor of claim 1, wherein an overall brightness of the display screen is maintained above a predetermined illumination amount.

8. The flat panel monitor of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is operable to change a brightness of the display screen without altering the white balance setting.

9. A method for displaying information originated by a host computer, comprising:

receiving a white balance adjustment control signal;

adjusting a white balance setting of a display screen of the flat panel monitor displaying a representation of image data in response to the white balance adjustment control signal, wherein the white balance setting is adjusted without substantially affecting a grayscale resolution of the display screen.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

illuminating the display screen with a first light and a second light;

adjusting a net color temperature of the first and second lights, wherein adjusting the net color temperature includes adjusting a first luminance level of the first light source and a second luminance level of the second light source

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the white balance adjustment control signal includes a first signal for controlling the first luminance level and a second signal for controlling the second luminance level.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein adjusting the white balance setting includes adjusting an intensity of a light source illuminating the display screen in response to the white balance control signal in order to control a net color temperature of the display screen.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

comparing the white balance setting of the display screen to a predetermined reference white balance value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controller circuit is operable to adjust the white balance setting of the display screen until the white balance setting matches the predetermined reference white balance value.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

maintaining an overall brightness of the display screen above a predetermined illumination amount.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

changing a brightness of the display screen without altering the white balance setting.

19. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for maintaining an overall brightness of the display screen above a predetermined illumination amount.

20. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for changing a brightness of the display screen without altering the white balance setting.

17. A system for displaying information originated by a host computer, comprising:

means for receiving a white balance adjustment control signal;

means for adjusting a white balance setting of a display screen of the flat panel monitor displaying a representation of image data in response to the white balance adjustment control signal, wherein the white balance setting is adjusted without substantially affecting a grayscale resolution of the display screen.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for adjusting the white balance setting of the display screen until the white balance setting matches a predetermined reference white balance value.