SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION OF DISPLAY CHARACTERISTICS

• US 20140232709A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunn, William, Presley, Harry, Wasinger, Jerry
• Granted Patent: US 9,799,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/207
• 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 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/58 in dependence upon ambient light

Abstract

A system and method for altering the characteristics of a display based on environmental data is disclosed. Exemplary embodiments provide a light sensor, an environmental processing unit which is adapted to receive electrical signals from the light sensor and generate an environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a), an image signal processor which accepts S_a and an encoded image signal (S_e) and generates a pre-decoding image signal (S_p), and an image signal decoder which accepts Sp and generates a decoded image signal for the display. The environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) may contain the instantaneous value of the desired display black level S_b. Alternatively or additionally, the environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) may contain a signal linearity modification value.

Claims

1. A system for altering the characteristics of a display based on environmental data, the system comprising:

a light sensor;

an environmental processing unit which is adapted to receive electrical signals from the light sensor and generate an environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a); and

an image signal processor which accepts S_a and a decoded image signal (S_d) and generates a final display driving signal (S_p).

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the environmental processing unit contains a lookup table which determines the desired display black level relative to measured ambient light levels.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the environmental processing unit contains a computational algorithm which determines the desired display black level relative to measured ambient light levels.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the environmental processing unit is adapted for image signal linearity modification relative to a measured ambient light level from the light sensor.

5. A system for altering the characteristics of a display based on environmental data, the system comprising:

a light sensor;

an environmental processing unit which is adapted to receive electrical signals from the light sensor and generate an environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a);

an image signal processor which accepts S_a and an encoded image signal (S_e) and generates a pre-decoding image signal (S_p); and

an image signal decoder which accepts S_p and generates a decoded image signal for the display.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the environmental processing unit is further adapted to receive programmable instructions for altering the environmental processing depending on time of day.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the environmental processing unit is further adapted to receive programmable instructions for altering the environmental processing depending on display content.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) contains the instantaneous value of the desired display black level S_b.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) contains a signal linearity modification value.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the image signal processor is adapted to set signal levels equal to zero when the signal levels fall below a gray level threshold (S_t); and

the image signal processor is adapted to determine signal levels based at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when the signal levels fall above a gray level threshold (S_t).

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is an environmentally-reactive variable determined by the environmental processing unit.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is determined by the time of day.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is determined by the display content.

14. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the image signal processor is adapted to set signal levels equal to zero when the signal levels fall below a gray level threshold (S_t);

the image signal processor is adapted to determine signal levels based on a linear relationship when the signal levels fall between St and a gray level turn-off point (S_o); and

the image signal processor is adapted to determine signal levels based at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when the signal levels fall above S_o.

15. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the image signal processor is adapted to set signal levels equal to zero when the signal levels fall below a gray level threshold (S_t);

the image signal processor is adapted to determine signal levels based on a sine curve when the signal levels fall between S_t and a gray level turn-off point (S_o); and

the image signal processor is adapted to determine signal levels based at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when the signal levels fall above S_o.

16. A method for altering the characteristics of a display based on environmental data, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting environmental data from a light sensor;

generating an environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) from the environmental data;

generating a pre-decoding image signal (S_p) based on incoming encoded image data (S_e) and S_a; and

decoding S_p into a decoded image signal (S_d).

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) contains the instantaneous value of the desired display black level S_b.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) contains a signal linearity modification value.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of generating a pre-decoding image signal (S_p) comprises the steps of:

setting signal levels equal to zero when the signal levels fall below a gray level threshold (S_t); and

determining signal levels based at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when the signal levels fall above a gray level threshold (S_t).

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of generating a pre-decoding image signal (S_p) comprises the steps of:

setting signal levels equal to zero when the signal levels fall below a gray level threshold (S_t);

determining signal levels based on a linear relationship when the signal levels fall between St and a gray level turn-off point (S_o); and

determining signal levels based at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when the signal levels fall above S_o.