IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20160035289A1
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: INADA, Ken, KUKI, Hikaru, YAMATO, Asahi
• Application Number:
  US14/774,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20160035289A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

The phenomenon of the hue of an image displayed in a liquid crystal display changing depending on whether or not CABC is employed is reduced. An image processing device sets a predetermined first brightness as the backlight brightness if CABC is not to be performed, and if CABC is to be performed, sets, for each frame of an image signal displayed on the liquid crystal panel, a second luminance determined according to the gradation of the pixels in the frame. If CABC is to be performed, the image processing device corrects the gradation values of the primary colors of the pixels in each frame of the image signal according to the second luminance set for that frame and on the basis of the display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel.

Claims

1. An image processing device for processing an image signal to be displayed in a liquid crystal display device that includes a backlight and a liquid crystal panel, the image processing device comprising:

a luminance setting unit that sets a prescribed first luminance as a luminance of the backlight in a first control mode, and sets a second luminance less than the first luminance as the luminance of the backlight in a second control mode, the second luminance being determined according to gradation levels of respective pixels in a frame for each frame of the image signal, the second luminance being set lower when the gradation levels of pixels in a frame are generally darker so as to reduce power consumption at the backlight; and

a correction unit that, in the second control mode, corrects pixel values in the image signal for each frame to compensate for a reduced luminance of the second luminance relative to the first luminance,

wherein the pixel values in the image signal include respective gradation levels for a plurality of primary colors, and

wherein the correction unit corrects the respective gradation levels for the plurality of primary colors of the pixels in accordance with display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel and the second luminance set by the luminance setting unit such that amounts of correction for the gradation levels differ between at least two of the primary colors.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the luminance setting unit determines, from a histogram of said gradation levels in the respective pixels of the frame of the image signal, a gradation level that defines a prescribed percentile of pixels from a maximum possible gradation, and sets a luminance for the backlight that corresponds to the determined gradation level as the second luminance.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the pixel values include respective gradation levels for at least three primary colors of red, green, and blue, and

wherein the correction unit corrects the respective gradation levels included in the pixel values such that the amounts of correction for the respective gradation levels for red and green are less than the amount of correction for the gradation level for blue.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the correction unit includes, for each of possible luminance values for the second luminance, a correction coefficient table that stores respective correction coefficients for the plurality of primary colors that are determined in accordance with the display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel, and

wherein the correction unit corrects the respective gradation levels for the plurality of primary colors of the pixels using the respective correction coefficients prescribed for the second luminance set by the luminance setting unit.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit includes a gradation conversion table that stores, for each of possible luminance values for the second luminances, a corrected gradation level that is determined on the basis of the display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel for each of the gradation levels for each of the primary colors of pixels in the image signal, and outputs the corrected gradation levels listed in the gradation conversion table corresponding to the gradation levels of the primary colors of pixels in the image signal and the second luminance set by the luminance setting unit.

6. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

the image processing device according to claim 1;

a liquid crystal panel that displays images in accordance with an image signal inputted thereto;

a liquid crystal driving unit that, in the first control mode, outputs to the liquid crystal panel the image signal as-is without correction, and, in the second control mode, outputs to the liquid crystal panel the image signal in accordance with the pixel values of the respective frames that have been corrected by the image processing device;

a backlight provided to a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel, the backlight having a plurality of light sources and radiating light according to a light emission control signal inputted thereto; and

a backlight control unit that, in the first control mode, outputs to the backlight the light emission control signal that instructs the backlight to emit light at the first luminance set by the image processing device, and, in the second control mode, outputs to the backlight the light emission control signal that instructs the backlight to emit light at the second luminance set by the image processing device.