Lighting period setting method, display panel driving method, backlight driving method, lighting condition setting device, semiconductor device, display panel and electronic equipment

• US 20090207193A1
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JDI Design and Development GK
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Hiroshi, Isobe, Teppei, Abe, Hironobu
• Granted Patent: US 8,441,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0866 by means of changes in the pixel supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/064 by time modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/103 Detection of image changes, e.g. determination of an index representative of the image change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2022 using sub-frames
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/22 using controlled light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3233 with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3266 Details of drivers for scan electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a lighting period setting method for a display panel which permits control of the peak luminance level by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period, the lighting period setting method including the steps of, calculating the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data, determining light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level, and setting the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data.

Claims

1. A lighting period setting method for a display panel which permits control of the peak luminance level by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period, the lighting period setting method comprising the steps of:

calculating the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data;

determining light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level; and

setting the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data.

2. The lighting period setting method of claim 1, wherein

the light emission mode is a motion image emphasis mode, balanced mode or flicker emphasis mode.

3. The lighting period setting method of claim 1 comprising the steps of:

detecting a region having a given luminance level or more and a given area or more in one screen;

detecting the flicker component level in a display image based on the detection result; and

adjusting the light emission mode determination based on the detected level.

4. A driving method of a display panel whose peak luminance level is varied by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period, the driving method comprising the steps of:

calculating the average luminance level across the screen based on the input image data;

determining a light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level;

setting the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data; and

driving a pixel array section so as to provide the set period length.

5. A backlight driving method for a display panel whose peak luminance level is varied by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period, the backlight driving method comprising the steps of:

calculating the average luminance level across the screen based on the input image data;

determining a light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level;

setting the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data; and

driving a backlight so as to provide the set period length.

6. A lighting condition setting device comprising:

a luminance level calculation portion configured to calculate the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data;

a light emission mode determination unit configured to determine the light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level; and

a lighting period setting unit configured to set the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data.

7. A semiconductor device comprising:

a luminance level calculation portion configured to calculate the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data;

a light emission mode determination unit configured to determine the light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level; and

a lighting period setting unit configured to set the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data.

8. A display panel whose peak luminance level is variably controlled by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period, the display panel comprising:

a pixel array section having a pixel structure appropriate for active matrix driving;

a luminance level calculation portion configured to calculate the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data;

a light emission mode determination unit configured to determine the light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level;

a lighting period setting unit configured to set the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data; and

a panel drive section configured to drive the pixel array section so as to provide the set period length.

9. The display panel of claim 8, wherein

the pixel array section has a pixel structure in which electro luminescence elements are arranged in a matrix form, and

the panel drive section sets the lighting periods of the electro luminescence elements.

10. A display panel whose peak luminance level is variably controlled by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period, the display panel comprising:

a pixel array section having a pixel structure appropriate for active matrix driving;

a luminance level calculation portion configured to calculate the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data;

a light emission mode determination unit configured to determine the light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level;

a lighting period setting unit configured to set the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data; and

a backlight drive section configured to drive the backlight source so as to provide the set period length.

11. Electronic equipment comprising:

a pixel array section having a pixel structure appropriate for active matrix driving, the pixel array section whose peak luminance level is variably controlled by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period;

a luminance level calculation portion configured to calculate the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data;

a light emission mode determination unit configured to determine the light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level;

a lighting period setting unit configured to set the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data;

a panel drive section configured to drive the pixel array section so as to provide the set period length;

a system control section; and

an operation input section for the system control section.

12. Electronic equipment comprising:

a pixel array section having a pixel structure appropriate for active matrix driving;

a backlight source whose peak luminance level is varied by controlling the total lighting period length which is the sum of all lighting periods per field period;

a luminance level calculation portion configured to calculate the average luminance level across the screen based on input image data;

a light emission mode determination unit configured to determine the light emission mode based on the calculated average luminance level;

a lighting period setting unit configured to set the number, arrangement and lengths of lighting periods per field period according to the setting conditions defined for the determined light emission mode so as to provide the peak luminance level which is set according to the input image data;

a backlight drive section configured to drive the backlight source so as to provide the set period length;

a system control section; and

an operation input section for the system control section.