TECHNIQUE FOR ADJUSTING WHITE-COLOR-FILTER PIXELS

• US 20090002560A1
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Wei, Barnhoefer, Ulrich T., Yao, Wei H.
• Application Number:
  US12/145,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20090002560A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/645
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0232 Special driving of display border areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0242 Compensation of deficiencies in the appearance of colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0653 Controlling or limiting the speed of brightness adjustment of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

Embodiments of a system that includes one or more integrated circuits are described. During operation, the system receives a sequence of video images, which include a video image, and predicts an increase in an intensity setting of a light source (which is configured to illuminate a display) when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation. Then, the system selectively adjusts pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, where the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter. Next, the system incrementally applies the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

Claims

1. A system, comprising one or more integrated circuits, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to:

receive a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

analyze the sequence of video images including a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image;

predict an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

selectively adjust pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on the color saturation, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter;

determine the intensity setting of the light source based on the selectively adjusted pixels; and

incrementally apply the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are further configured to modify brightness values of pixels in at least the portion of the video image to maintain a product of the intensity setting and a transmittance associated with the modified video image.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are further configured to adjust color content in the video image based on the intensity setting to maintain the color associated with the video image even as the spectrum associated with the light sources varies with the intensity setting.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the adjustment of the color content is performed on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the color adjustment is based on a characteristic of the light source.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the color adjustment maintains the color white.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the color white is maintained to within approximately 100 K of a corresponding black-body temperature associated with the color of the video image prior to changes in the intensity setting.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the color adjustment maintains a ratio of two color components in the video image and another ratio of two color components in the video image;

and

wherein color content of the video image is represented using three color components.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are further configured to adjust color content in the video image based on the selectively adjusted pixels.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sequence of video images corresponds to a webpage, and wherein a given video image in the sequence of video images corresponds to a subset of the webpage.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the changes include motion estimation between the video images in the sequence of video images.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the video image includes a frame of video.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a light-emitting diode or a fluorescent lamp.

14. A system, comprising:

an input node configured to receive video signals associated with a sequence of video images, including a video image;

an extraction circuit electrically coupled to the input interface, the extraction circuit operative to determine a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, operative to determine pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter to selectively adjust based on the color saturation, and operative to determine an intensity setting of a light source based on the selectively adjusted pixels, wherein a display is configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter and the light source configured to illuminate the display;

an adjustment circuit electrically coupled to the extraction circuit, the adjustment circuit configured to selectively adjust the pixels, and to change the intensity setting of the light source;

control logic electrically coupled to the extraction circuit and the adjustment circuit, the control logic configured to analyze the sequence of video images including the color saturation of at least the portion of the video image, to predict an increase in the intensity setting of the light source when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation, and to instruct the adjustment circuit to incrementally apply the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images; and

an output node electrically coupled to the adjustment circuit, the output node configured to output the video signals.

15. A system, comprising one or more integrated circuits, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to:

receive a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

predict an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

selectively adjust pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter; and

incrementally apply the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

16. A method for adjusting a video image, comprising:

receiving a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

analyzing the sequence of video images including determining a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image;

predicting an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

selectively adjusting pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on the color saturation, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter;

determining the intensity setting of the light source based on the selectively adjusted pixels; and

incrementally applying the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

17. A method for adjusting a video image, comprising:

receiving a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

predicting an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

selectively adjusting pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter; and

incrementally applying the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

18. A computer-program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer-program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein for adjusting a video image, the computer-program mechanism comprising:

instructions for receiving a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

instructions for predicting an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

instructions for selectively disabling pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter; and

instructions for incrementally applying the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

19. A computer system to scale a brightness of a portion of a video image, comprising:

a processor;

memory;

a program module, wherein the program module is stored in the memory and configurable to be executed by the processor, the program module including;

instructions for receiving a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

instructions for predicting an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

instructions for selectively disabling pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter; and

instructions for incrementally applying the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

20. A computer system configured to scale a brightness of a portion of a video image, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an instruction fetch unit within the processor configured to fetch;

instructions for receiving a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

instructions for predicting an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

instructions for selectively disabling pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter; and

instructions for incrementally applying the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images; and

an execution unit within the processor configured to execute the instructions for receiving the sequence of video image, the instructions for predicting the increase in the intensity setting, the instructions for selectively disabling the pixels, and the instructions for incrementally applying the increase in the intensity setting.

21. An integrated circuit, comprising one or more sub-circuits, wherein the one or more sub-circuits are configured to:

receive a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

analyze the sequence of video images including a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image;

predict an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

selectively adjust pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on the color saturation, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter;

determine the intensity setting of the light source based on the selectively adjusted pixels; and

incrementally apply the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

22. An integrated circuit, comprising one or more sub-circuits, wherein the one or more sub-circuits are configured to:

receive a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

predict an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

selectively adjust pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter; and

incrementally apply the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.

23. A portable device, comprising:

a display;

a light source configured to output light;

an attenuation mechanism configured to modulate the output light incident on the display, the display configured to display a video image; and

one or more integrated circuits, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to;

receive a sequence of video images, which include a video image;

predict an increase in an intensity setting of a light source, which is configured to illuminate a display, when the video image is to be displayed based on the color saturation;

selectively adjust pixels in the video image associated with a white color filter based on a color saturation of at least a portion of the video image, wherein the display configured to display the video image includes pixels associated with one or more additional color filters and pixels associated with the white color filter; and

incrementally apply the increase in the intensity setting across at least a subset of the sequence of video images.