Image Display Apparatus

• US 20090184916A1
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishi, Toru, Murakami, Ichiro, Miyazaki, Shinichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,441,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/024 Scrolling of light from the illumination source over the display in combination with the scanning of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/061 for resetting or blanking
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/062 Adjustment of illumination source parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/106 Determination of movement vectors or equivalent parameters within the image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0435 Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• 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 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0112 one of the standards corresponding to a cinematograph film standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/012 Conversion between an interlaced and a progressive signal for graphics images G09G2310/0229
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0132 the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal being multiplied by a positive integer, e.g. for flicker reduction

Abstract

The present invention provides an image display apparatus capable of reducing a hold blur in accordance with circumstances. A black inserting process for inserting a black display area into a display screen in a liquid crystal display panel 2 according to at least one of substance of a video signal in an original frame and brightness of viewing environment for user is performed. Concretely, for example, when a video signal in the original frame is a cinema signal (film signal), the black inserting process of inserting a black display area into the display screen in the liquid crystal display panel 2 is performed. More concretely, for example, a backlight driving unit 71 performs switching drive between turn-on and turn-off of a backlight 72 so that the black inserting process is performed on the display screen in the liquid crystal display panel 2.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus characterized by comprising:

video signal processing means for performing a predetermined video signal process to improve picture quality, on a plurality of original frames along time base; and

display means for displaying a video image on the basis of a video signal subjected to the video signal process,

wherein the display means is hold-type display means, and

a black inserting process for inserting a black display area into a display screen in the display means is performed according to at least one of substance of a video signal in the original frame and brightness of viewing environment for user.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display means has:

a light source; and

a liquid crystal display panel for modulating light from the light source on the basis of the video signal in the original frame.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by further comprising light source driving means for performing switching drive between turn-on and turn-off of the light source so that the black inserting process is performed on the display screen in the liquid crystal display panel.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the light source driving means performs the switching drive so that an areal ratio of the black display area to the entire display screen (=black insertion ratio) is variable when performing the black inserting process on the original frame.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the light source driving means performs the switching drive so that the black insertion ratio varies in multiple steps.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the light source driving means performs the switching drive so that the black insertion ratio continuously varies.

7. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized by further comprising setting means for allowing user to vary the black insertion ratio.

8. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that the black insertion ratio varies according to a luminance histogram distribution in the original frame.

9. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that the black insertion ratio varies according to the brightness of viewing environment for user.

10. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that the black insertion ratio varies according to magnitude of a motion vector in the original frame.

11. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that the light source driving means further performs switching drive so that luminance of the black display area is variable as well.

12. The image display apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that luminance of the black display area is variable when performing the black inserting process on the original frame.

13. The image display apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that luminance of the black display area varies in multiple steps.

14. The image display apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that luminance of the black display area continuously varies.

15. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized by further comprising setting means for allowing user to vary luminance of the black display area.

16. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that luminance of the black display area varies according to a luminance histogram distribution in the original frame.

17. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that luminance of the black display area varies according to the brightness of the viewing environment for user.

18. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that luminance of the black display area varies according to magnitude of a motion vector in the original frame.

19. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 18, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that the black inserting process is performed by frame.

20. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 18, characterized in that the light source driving means performs switching drive so that the black inserting process is performed by black insertion line unit, the unit being composed of a predetermined number of horizontal scan line or lines in the original frame.

21. The image display apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the display means or the video signal processing means performs switching drive so that the black inserting process is performed by black insertion line unit and by frame.

22. The image display apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the display means or the video signal processing means performs switching drive so that the black inserting process is performed by inserting a plurality of black insertion lines away from each other.

23. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 22, characterized in that the light source includes an LED.

24. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the video signal processing means includes black inserting processing means for performing a black inserting process on a video signal of the original frame.

25. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the video signal processing means includes frame rate converting means for converting frame rate of a video signal by adding M (M:

integer of 1 or larger) interpolation frames into between original frames neighboring each other along time base, the interpolation frames being obtained from the video images in the original frames by using motion compensation.

26. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the video signal processing means includes interpolation position setting means for converting frame rate of a video signal by adding N (N:

integer of 2 or larger) interpolation frames into between original frames neighboring each other along time base, the N interpolation frames being obtained from video images in original frames by using motion compensation, so that interpolation positions of the video images in the N interpolation frames are set to deviated position which is closer to the nearest video image in the original frames rather than equalized positions, the equalized positions being obtained by equally dividing, into (N+1) portions, magnitude of video image motion between an earlier original frame and a following original frame along the time base.

27. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 26, characterized by further comprising setting means for allowing user to execute the black inserting process.

28. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that the black inserting process is executed when the video signal is a cinema signal.

29. The image display apparatus according to claim 28, characterized in that whether a video signal in an original frame is a cinema signal or not is determined by using contents information of the original frame, the contents information being included in an EPG (Electronic Program Guide).

30. The image display apparatus according to claim 28, characterized in that whether a video signal in an original frame is a cinema signal or not is determined on the basis of frame rate of the original frame.

31. The image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that the black inserting process is performed according to a luminance histogram distribution in the original frame.