IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND CONTROL APPARATUS THEREOF

• US 20110115829A1
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: ITO, Takeshi, YAMASHITA, Haruo
• Application Number:
  US12/832,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115829A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0238 Improving the black level
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0271 Adjustment of the gradation levels within the range of the gradation scale, e.g. by redistribution or clipping
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image display apparatus that can display high-quality images, and its controlling apparatus. A backlight section (20) has a plurality of light sources which are disposed such that a plurality of light emitting areas are formed, and in which a light emission brightness value is controlled per light emitting area. A liquid crystal panel (10) displays an image by modulating light from the backlight section (20) according to an input image signal. A brightness estimating section (42) acquires an arriving light brightness signal indicating a brightness value of light arriving at a pixel of interest in the liquid crystal panel (10). An image correcting section (44) corrects the modulation factor corresponding to the brightness value of the input image signal for the pixel of interest, based on the acquired arriving light brightness signal and input image signals for the pixel of interest and surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus comprising:

a light source which comprises a plurality of light sources disposed such that a plurality of light emitting areas are formed and in which a light emission brightness value is controlled per each light emitting area;

a display section which displays an image by modulating light from the light source section according to a modulation factor corresponding to a brightness value of an input image signal;

an acquiring section which acquires an arriving light brightness signal indicating a brightness value of light arriving at a pixel of interest in the display section; and

a controlling section which controls the image display apparatus,

wherein the controlling section calculates a modulation factor corresponding to a brightness value of an input image signal for the pixel of interest, based on input image signals for the pixel of interest and surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest and the acquired arriving light brightness signal.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, based on brightness values of input image signals for a plurality of pixels in the display section comprising the pixel of interest and the surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest, the controlling section generates a peak brightness signal indicating a peak brightness value per pixel and calculates the modulation factor based on the generated peak brightness signal.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controlling section calculates the modulation factor using varying correction coefficients depending on which one of a reference brightness value and the brightness value of the input image signal for the pixel of interest is larger; and

the reference brightness value is set in advance to a value smaller than a brightness value of the acquired arriving light brightness signal.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlling section generates a peak brightness signal indicating a peak brightness value, per pixel based on brightness values of input image signals for a plurality of pixels in the display section comprising the pixel of interest and the surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest, calculates an average value of peak brightness values of the generated peak brightness signals per averaging area set for the plurality of pixels, and calculates the modulation factor based on an average value in the averaging area set with respect to the pixel of interest.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlling section calculates an average value of brightness values of input image signals for a plurality of pixels in the display section comprising the pixel of interest and surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest, per averaging area set for the plurality of pixels, and calculates the modulation factor based on an average value in the averaging area set with respect to the pixel of interest.

6. A controlling apparatus that controls an image display apparatus which displays an image by modulating light from a light source section which comprises a plurality of light sources disposed such that a plurality of light emitting areas are formed and in which a light emission brightness value is controlled per light emitting area, according to a modulation factor corresponding to a brightness value of an input image signal, the controlling apparatus comprising:

an acquiring section which acquires an arriving light brightness signal indicating a brightness value of light arriving at a pixel of interest in the display section; and

a controlling section which calculates a modulation factor corresponding to the brightness value of the input image signal for the pixel of interest, based on input image signals for the pixel of interest and surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest and the acquired arriving light brightness signal.